Battery

Abstract

To provide a battery.SOLUTION: In one aspect, the present invention is related to a battery (30). The battery (30) comprises: a bottom container (1) that is a cup-shaped container (1) housing an electrode assembly, having a base part (2), and an upright side wall (3) along an outside circular peripheral wall of the base part (2); and a lid (10). The lid (10) comprises: an inner side conductive part (11); an intermediate insulating part (13) that surrounds the inner side conductive part (11); and circumference adapter parts (12 and 15). The circumference adapter parts (12 and 15) form or construct an outer side peripheral edge part (26) of the lid (10), can be fixed to a side wall (3) of the bottom container (1) via the outer side peripheral edge part (26). In the circumference adapter parts (12 and 15), a size is determined, formed, and / or configured so that a gap between an external edge part (28) of the intermediate part (13) and an inner side peripheral part of the side surface (3) is bridged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a button battery well-known as a power source for small electric appliances driven by electricity, such as a watch, a thermometer, etc.

Background Art

[0002] Button batteries, also known as button cells, are widely used in multiple types, are readily available, and are distinguished by various dimensions and shapes, as well as the materials used for the electrodes and electrolytes.

[0003] Most known types of button batteries include a metal bottom cup having a flat base portion that serves as a positive electrode contact, an upright side wall extending upward from the flat portion, and a metal top cup. The flat base portion of the top cup serves as a negative electrode contact. The battery further includes an electrode assembly within the space between the top cup and the bottom cup. For example, in a rechargeable lithium-ion button battery, the electrode assembly can be a spiral-shaped assembly, which can be obtained by winding a stack of electrode layers separated by a separator sheet impregnated with an electrolyte. Other electrode assemblies are formed as a horizontal stack of alternately stacked electrode layers and separator layers, which are oriented parallel to the upper and bottom contacts. Button cells are often shaped as round disks, but other shapes are also possible.

[0004] The production method of the above-described types of batteries includes placing the electrode assembly in the top cup and inserting the top cup into the bottom cup, and a gasket or adhesive-type insulating seal is between the two cups to seal the electrode assembly from the outside of the battery. When using a physical gasket, the open end of the wall of the top cup is inserted into the gasket, and the bottom cup is crimped onto the gasket. When using an adhesive-type insulating seal, the outside of the side wall of the top cup is coated with a sealing material, and then the top cup is inserted into the bottom cup. The adhesive is dried or cured to thus seal the battery.

[0005] These known battery sealing methods have several drawbacks. One problem is, for example, a double-wall configuration that requires accommodation of either a gasket or an adhesive. The side walls of the upper lid cup and the bottom cup must overlap each other. This creates wasted space occupied by the insulating seal as either a physical gasket or a sealing adhesive.

[0006] A solution to this problem has been found in the form of an improved battery design that does not involve a double-wall configuration. This type of battery is the subject of European patent application EP22178203. This battery still has a bottom cup that houses the electrode assembly and still acts as the positive electrode contact. This battery further has a lid that is formed from three parts, namely, a conductive central part, a conductive peripheral part, and an insulating intermediate part. The insulating intermediate part separates the central part from the peripheral part and electrically insulates them. The central part acts as the negative electrode contact, and the insulating part provides electrical insulation. The lid is fixed to the open end of the cup, thereby sealing the battery from the outside. The fixed connection of the lid to the cup is conductive such that the base of the cup forms the positive electrode contact of the battery.

[0007] The problems that occur in the manufacturing process of this type of battery are related to the process of fixing the lid to the cup. This process can be carried out by aligning the lid with the edge of the side wall of the cup and welding (e.g., laser welding) the lid to the edge along the peripheral part where the lid and the edge are aligned. However, obtaining a completely sealed welded connection requires matching the dimensions of the lid and the cup with high precision. Also, since the dimensions of this type of battery are small, it is difficult to maintain the lid in an exact position during the welding process. These problems can lead to incomplete welding and the risk of chemicals leaking from the inside of the battery.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0008]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The above object is solved and appropriately addressed by a battery, particularly a button battery. The battery comprises a cup-shaped bottom container for housing an electrode assembly. The bottom container comprises a base portion and a side wall along the outer circumferential portion of the base portion. The side wall can be implemented, for example, as an upright or protruding side wall extending parallel to the normal of the surface of the base portion formed flat or horizontally. The battery further comprises a lid for closing and / or covering the interior of the bottom container.

[0010] The lid comprises an inner conductive portion, an intermediate insulating portion surrounding the inner conductive portion, and a peripheral adapter portion. The peripheral adapter portion forms or constitutes the outer peripheral edge portion of the lid. The lid and / or the peripheral adapter portion can be fixed to the side wall of the bottom container, for example, the end of the side wall located opposite to the base portion of the cup-shaped bottom container.

[0011] The peripheral adapter portion can be fixed to or is fixed to the bottom container, and thus the side wall of the bottom container, via the outer peripheral edge portion.

[0012] The peripheral adapter portion is sized, shaped, and / or configured to bridge the gap between the outer edge of the intermediate portion of the lid and the inner peripheral portion of the side wall.

[0013] Specifically, the peripheral adapter portion is sized and configured to provide a match, for example, a geometric match or a shape match, between the intermediate insulating portion and the side wall of the cup-shaped bottom container. The peripheral adapter portion is particularly suitable for individually adapting one and the same type or shape of intermediate insulating portion to various bottom containers distinguishable by shape and / or size.

[0014] In some examples, the peripheral adapter portion can result in a particular arrangement of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion across the surface or plane of the peripheral adapter portion and / or across the plane of the lid or in the plane of the lid. In this way, by selecting a suitable peripheral adapter portion, one and the same arrangement or pre-assembly of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion can generally be adapted to a wide variety of designs and is suitable for fixing and / or closing the cavity formed by the bottom container and its side walls.

[0015] Specifically, the mutual fixation and / or integration of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion into the lid may be somewhat precise and / or elaborate. Here, it is intended to provide each or a number of differently sized or shaped bottom containers that result in cup-shaped bottom containers of various different shapes or sizes being formed on the lid, and a peripheral adapter portion for each side wall, the peripheral adapter portion generally corresponding to the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion of one and the same type or configuration. In this way, the manufacturing costs and production expenses can be reduced.

[0016] Furthermore, in some examples, the material for preparing the lid can be reduced. The respective costs and weights for producing the lid and / or the housing of the battery can be saved.

[0017] In some examples, the peripheral adapter portion is made of a conductive material. The peripheral adapter portion can form part of one electrode of the battery. The peripheral adapter portion can form or constitute one electrode together with the cup-shaped bottom container.

[0018] The inner conductive portion can result in another electrode of the battery. The inner conductive portion can be electrically insulated from the first electrode by an intermediate insulating portion that completely surrounds the inner conductive portion.

[0019] In some examples of the battery, the peripheral adapter portion fills or occupies the space between the intermediate insulating portion of the lid and the side wall of the bottom container. The inner conductive portion and / or the intermediate insulating portion can be of a standard type, or have standardized sizes, shapes and / or configurations. In order to adapt and use the assembly of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion, the peripheral adapter portion always conforms to cup-shaped bottom containers of various shapes and / or sizes. The peripheral adapter portion not only conforms to various shapes and sizes of the side wall, but can also conform to various shapes and sizes of the cup-shaped bottom container. Further, the peripheral adapter portion can provide various locations or positions of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion across the surface of the lid. In this way, by selecting or choosing one peripheral adapter portion from various peripheral adapter portions for a specific shape or a specially designed battery, the position of the electrode provided by the inner conductive portion can be easily changed and adapted for the electrode assembly configured to be disposed inside the bottom container.

[0020] According to a further example, the peripheral adapter portion comprises a through recess or a through opening, and the through recess or the through opening is of the same size and shape as the outer edge of the intermediate portion. Typically, the entire through recess can be filled or occupied by the assembly of the intermediate insulating portion and the inner conductive portion. In this way, the through recess of the peripheral adapter portion can be effectively sealed and closed by the arrangement of the intermediate insulating portion and the inner conductive portion. The lid comprises at least three individual components, namely, the inner conductive portion, the intermediate insulating portion and the peripheral adapter portion, and the peripheral adapter portion can provide or include a liquid-tight and / or gas-tight structure when assembling and fixing the three components to each other.

[0021] According to another example, the through recess of the peripheral adapter portion comprises an upright or protruding side wall portion protruding from the plane of the peripheral adapter portion. Typically, the upright side wall portion is, or forms, the inner edge of the through recess of the peripheral adapter portion. The side wall portion may include a longitudinal range, i.e., an axial or perpendicular direction, for example, a range larger than the thickness of the material of an adjacent flat structure formed flat or horizontally of the peripheral adapter portion. A considerably large side wall portion can increase the mutual contact surface for fixing and / or fastening the intermediate insulating portion. In this way, a considerably effective interconnection between the intermediate insulating portion and the peripheral adapter portion can be provided.

[0022] According to a further example, the material thickness of the peripheral adapter portion is smaller than the material thickness of at least one of the inner portion and the intermediate portion. In this way, the total amount of material required for forming or providing the peripheral adapter portion can be reduced. This can result in a reduction in the weight of the peripheral adapter portion, as well as a reduction in the production and / or provision costs of the peripheral adapter portion.

[0023] According to a further example, the adapter portion comprises an inner surface. At least one of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion protrudes inward from the inner surface. The inner surface faces towards the inside of a cavity surrounded by the side wall and the bottom or base portion when connected to the side wall. In this way, for example, fairly good and easy contact can be provided with a current collector strip of an electrode assembly located inside a cup-shaped bottom container. In some examples, the inner conductive portion may further protrude inward from the intermediate insulating portion. In this way, for example, the electrical contact with the current collector strip of the electrode assembly can be further improved.

[0024] In a further example, the surface of the inner conductive portion is convex and can protrude inward or outward from the lid of the battery. The convex shape can further improve the electrical contact with the electrode assembly and / or the current collector strip inside the cavity of the bottom container.

[0025] According to a further example, the outer peripheral edge portion of the adapter part is of a non-circular shape. The outer peripheral edge portion may include a surface structure formed to be fairly flat or horizontal, such as a material sheet. In some examples, the outer peripheral edge portion of the adapter part is of a circular shape, particularly when the cup-shaped bottom container has a cylindrical side wall. In other examples, the outer peripheral edge portion of the peripheral adapter part is of a non-circular shape. In this case, the outer peripheral edge portion of the peripheral adapter part includes a shape that matches the inner peripheral portion or the inner cross-section of the side wall of the cup-shaped bottom container in terms of size and / or geometry.

[0026] Regardless of the shape of the peripheral adapter part and / or the shape or geometry of the side wall of the cup-shaped bottom container, the inner conductive part and the intermediate insulating part can always include one and the same standardized shape or structure. Here too, the peripheral adapter part may be provided with a through recess of a corresponding size that is suitable for receiving the intermediate insulating part and the inner conductive part.

[0027] According to a further example of the battery, the lid includes an inner peripheral adapter part fixed to the outer circumference of the intermediate insulating part, and further includes an outer peripheral adapter part fixed to the outer edge portion of the inner peripheral adapter part. The outer peripheral adapter part forms or constitutes the outer peripheral edge portion of the lid.

[0028] In this way, it is possible to provide a lid for a battery or a lid for a battery that includes a total of four individual components, namely, an inner conductive part, an intermediate insulating part surrounding the inner conductive part, an inner peripheral adapter part surrounding or fixed to the outer circumference of the intermediate insulating part, and an outer peripheral adapter part fixed to the outer edge portion of the inner peripheral adapter part.

[0029] Here, the outer peripheral adapter part includes an outer peripheral edge portion that can be fixed to the side wall of the cup-shaped bottom container.

[0030] The inner peripheral adapter portion and the outer peripheral adapter portion are integral adapters and are made from two separate components such that the outer peripheral adapter portion forms or establishes a mechanical contact with the side wall of the bottom container and the inner peripheral adapter portion forms or establishes a mechanical contact with the intermediate insulating portion of the lid.

[0031] With the inner peripheral adapter portion and the outer peripheral adapter portion, the overall lid design can be easily modified to match the side walls of various sizes of cup-shaped bottom containers that are sized or configured differently.

[0032] Specifically, the outer peripheral adapter portion can be provided as an optional adapter portion. A lid without the outer peripheral adapter portion can be fastened and secured to the side wall of the bottom container solely through the outer edge portion of the inner peripheral adapter portion, thereby also forming or constituting the outer peripheral edge portion of the lid.

[0033] To use one same lid for differently sized bottom containers, such as larger-sized bottom containers with increased diameter or cross-section side walls, the inner peripheral adapter portion can be fixed to the outer peripheral adapter portion, in which case the outer peripheral adapter portion can surround or enclose the inner peripheral adapter portion. The fixing of the lid to the side wall can be provided by the outer peripheral adapter portion. In this way, by simply selecting or not selecting the outer peripheral adapter portion to form or constitute the lid, the overall size of the lid can be easily modified and adapted according to a given size or shape of the cup-shaped bottom container.

[0034] According to a further example of the battery, at least one of the inner peripheral adapter portion and the outer peripheral adapter portion comprises a stepped portion at or along the outer edge portion. The stepped portion can serve to assemble and / or fix the inner peripheral adapter portion to the outer peripheral adapter portion. Further, if the outer peripheral adapter portion comprises such a stepped portion, the stepped portion can facilitate the fixing and / or fastening of the lid to the side wall of the bottom container.

[0035] According to a further example, at least one stepped portion of the inner peripheral adapter part and the outer peripheral adapter part comprises an annular outer shape part having a contact surface, and the contact surface contacts at least one outward outer contact surface of the side wall and the second peripheral adapter part. Such an annular outer shape part can provide a well-defined mutual contact and fixing configuration, thereby enabling the inner peripheral adapter part to be positionally fixed to the outer peripheral adapter part and / or fixing at least one of the inner peripheral adapter part and the outer peripheral adapter part to the side wall of the bottom container.

[0036] According to a further example, the outer peripheral edge portion of the inner peripheral adapter part is sized and shaped to match the inner edge portion of the outer peripheral adapter part. The inner peripheral adapter part is fixed to the outer peripheral adapter part via the outer peripheral edge portion of the inner peripheral adapter part and the inner edge portion of the outer peripheral adapter part that engage with each other.

[0037] In this way, a circumferential and / or continuous mutual fixing part can be provided between the inner peripheral adapter part and the outer peripheral adapter part. The mutual fixing part can be brought about, for example, by welding or adhesive bonding or joining.

[0038] According to a further example, the intermediate part comprises an insulating material selected from one of glass, polymer material or ceramic material.

[0039] In a further aspect, the present invention also relates to a set of batteries mounted, for example, as button batteries. The set of batteries comprises the first battery described above and further comprises the second battery described above. The first battery comprises a first bottom container having a first side wall and a first lid connected to the first side wall and closing the first bottom container. The second battery comprises a second bottom container having a second side wall, and the second side wall is distinguished from the first side wall in terms of size or shape. The second battery comprises a second lid connecting or fixing the second side wall and closing the second bottom container.

[0040] In a further example, the second bottom container includes a through opening for receiving an assembly of an inner conductive portion and an intermediate insulating portion. Here, the position of the through recess of the second lid can be distinguished from the position of the through recess of the first lid. Here, the side walls of the first battery and the second battery may be somewhat similar, but each battery can be distinguished by its position and thus by the configuration of the electrode assembly disposed inside each cup-shaped bottom container.

[0041] In the case of the first lid and the second lid each having a through opening located at a different position relative to the outer peripheral edge portion of each lid, the first lid and the second lid can provide positions that are separately distinguishable for the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion with respect to the side wall of the bottom container.

[0042] According to a further example, the first lid includes a first inner conductive portion, and the second lid includes a second inner conductive portion. The first inner conductive portion and the second inner conductive portion can be of the same shape and / or size. However, since the first side wall of the first battery and the second side wall of the second battery are different from each other, the respective peripheral adapter portions of the first lid and the second lid are distinguished so as to close or bridge the gap between the outer edge of the intermediate portion of each bottom container and the inner peripheral portion of the side wall.

[0043] According to a further example, the first lid includes a first intermediate insulating portion, and the second lid includes a second intermediate insulating portion. The first intermediate insulating portion and the second intermediate insulating portion can have the same shape and / or size. In some examples, the inner conductive portions and the intermediate insulating portions of the first lid and the second lid can be substantially the same. Typically, according to a further example, the same configuration of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion can be used for both the first lid and the second lid.

[0044] The first lid and the second lid are made to provide an effective adapter simply by being distinguished in terms of the structure, shape, and / or size of the peripheral adapter portion, and the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion can be fastened and / or fixed to the side wall or the inner electrode assembly of the cup-shaped bottom container that is sized differently, shaped differently, and / or configured differently.

[0045] According to a further example, the first lid comprises a first peripheral adapter portion, and the second lid comprises a second peripheral adapter portion. The first peripheral adapter portion is distinguishable from the second peripheral adapter portion in terms of size and / or shape. Alternatively, the first peripheral adapter portion comprises a first through recess, and the position of the first through recess is distinguishable from the respective positions of second through recesses extending through the second peripheral adapter portion. Each through recess is sized and shaped to receive an assembly of an inner conductive portion and an intermediate insulating portion in each lid.

[0046] Generally, the battery described herein can be implemented as a so-called free-form battery. Specifically, the cup-shaped bottom container, its side wall and / or lid can be of any shape or outer form suitable for accommodating the battery electrode assembly. In some examples, the battery described herein is implemented as a so-called button battery. Here, the side wall and / or the cup-shaped bottom container can be circular, annular or cylindrical in shape. In other examples, the side wall and / or the cup-shaped bottom container can be polygonal in shape. For example, the side wall and / or the cup-shaped bottom container can include a D shape, an elliptical shape or any other suitable geometric form.

[0047] In yet another aspect, the present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing, for example, the battery described above. The method includes the step of providing a cup-shaped bottom container having a base portion and an upright side wall along an outer circumferential portion of the base portion. In the next step, an electrode assembly is disposed inside the bottom container.

[0048] In a further step, an inner conductive portion and an intermediate insulating portion surrounding the inner conductive portion are provided. In a further step, one peripheral adapter portion is selected from various available peripherally adapter portions that are differently sized, shaped, and / or configured, and the selected peripheral adapter portion is sized, shaped, and / or configured to bridge a gap between an outer edge of the intermediate portion and an inner periphery of the sidewall. Thereafter, in a further step, the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion are secured to the selected peripheral adapter portion to form or constitute a lid for the battery. In a final step, the lid is secured to the sidewall of the bottom container.

[0049] Optionally, the lid is welded or otherwise secured to the sidewall of the bottom container. Optionally, the inner conductive portion of the lid is welded to a current collector strip of an electrode assembly disposed inside a housing of a battery made from the bottom container, and the bottom container is covered and closed by the lid.

[0050] Hereinafter, numerous examples of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0051]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0052] FIG. 1 shows the components of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The battery includes a conductive cup-shaped bottom container 1, which is preferably formed of metal and has a round base portion 2 and an upright side wall 3 along the circumferential portion of the base portion 2. Also included is a wound electrode assembly 4, which is composed of a positive electrode 5, a negative electrode 6, and a separator sheet 7 between the wound electrodes, and further includes a current collector strip 8. The image of the electrode assembly 4 is a simplified representation, and the assembly 4 can be realized according to any known design thereof. In the drawing, only the negative current collector strip 8 connected to the negative electrode 6 is visible. The positive current collector strip connected to the positive electrode 5 is present on the lower surface of the electrode assembly 4. The current collector strip 8 is shown in a simplified manner as a straight rectangular strip, but may have a different shape. As is known to those skilled in the art, the current collector strip 8 is preferably flexible such that the ends of the strip can be welded to the respective battery contacts.

[0053] The battery includes a lid 10, which includes three parts, namely, a conductive central part 11, a conductive peripheral adapter part 12, and an insulating intermediate part 13. The insulating intermediate part 13 separates the central part 11 and the peripheral adapter part 12 from each other and electrically insulates them. The three parts 11, 12, and 13 can form a single object, that is, the intermediate part 13 is joined to the conductive parts 11 and 12 along their respective inner and outer edges. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, all three parts 11, 12, and 13 of the lid 10 have the same thickness. According to an alternative embodiment, the thicknesses of the parts may be different.

[0054] The materials used for parts 11, 12, and 13 are mechanically strong and chemically stable with respect to the internal materials of the battery. The conductive parts 11 and 12 can be formed from the same material as the bottom container 1, preferably a metal. Suitable metals include nickel, cobalt, and certain types of stainless steel such as SS304 and SS316. The material of the insulating part 13 is further sealable onto the materials used for parts 11 and 12. The insulating part 13 can be formed from, for example, glass, certain types of rubber, or any of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and its derivatives. The lid 10 can be manufactured by well-known methods of joining various materials to each other.

[0055] The battery assembly according to the illustrated embodiment includes welding a positive electrode current collector strip to the inner surface of the base portion 2 of the cup-shaped bottom container 1 and inserting the electrode assembly 4 into the container. The electrolyte is injected into the container 1, and the negative electrode current collector strip 8 is welded to the central portion 11 of the lid 10. Next, the lid 10 is placed on the side wall 3 of the cup-shaped container 1 and joined to the side wall 3 along its outer edge by a joining technique that achieves a sealed connection between the lid 10 and the container 1, resulting in the completed battery shown in FIG. 2. The sealed connection can be achieved by welding, for example, laser welding.

[0056] The battery has a positive electrode contact formed by the base portion 2 of the cup-shaped container 1 and a negative electrode contact formed by the central portion 11 of the lid 10. These contacts are electrically insulated from each other by the intermediate portion 13 of the lid 10. The sealed connection of the edge of the lid to the rim of the upright wall 3 is conductive and seals the interior of the battery 20 from the environment.

[0057] Figure 3 shows a view of the section of the cup 1, and the lid 10 is aligned with the edge 20 of the side wall 3 before realizing the sealed connection. The electrode assembly is not shown in this image. The side wall 3 can have a rectangular or cylindrical outer shape. That is, the edge 20 is essentially perpendicular to the side surface of the side wall 3. Alternatively, the edge 20 can be slightly convex. The outer shape of the edge 20 typically occurs when the cup is manufactured by the deep drawing method. In the illustrated example, the lid 10 and the side wall 3 have the same thickness, but there can be a slight difference in thickness between the two. In most batteries, these thicknesses are on the order of several tens of millimeters. For example, the thickness of the side wall 3 can be between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the lid 10 can be between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm. According to a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the side wall 3 is 0.15 mm, and the thickness of the lid 10 is 0.2 mm.

[0058] In FIG. 3, an example of the lid 10 including an inner conductive portion 11 surrounded by an intermediate insulating portion 13, i.e., four individual components, is shown. The intermediate insulating portion 13 is surrounded by a peripheral adapter portion 12 that forms or constitutes an outer peripheral edge portion 32. In the example according to FIG. 13, the peripheral adapter portion 12 is an inner peripheral adapter portion 12, and the lid 10 further includes an outer peripheral adapter portion 15.

[0059] Both the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 and the outer peripheral adapter portion 15 include an annular or ring-shaped flat structure. The outer peripheral adapter portion 15 includes a through recess 14, and the through recess 14 is sized to receive the inner peripheral adapter portion 12. Therefore, the inner edge portion 27 of the outer peripheral adapter portion 15 matches the outer edge portion 32 of the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 in size and shape. The outer edge portion 26 of the outer peripheral adapter portion 15 is configured to engage and / or be fixed to the side wall 3 of the container 1, for example, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0060] The outer peripheral adapter portion 15 may be provided optionally. Generally, the size and shape of the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 may provide a bridge so as to close the gap between the outer edge 28 of the intermediate insulating portion 13 and the inner peripheral portion or the inner surface of the side wall 3.

[0061] In the cross-sectional view according to FIG. 4, the interconnection between the peripheral adapter portion 12, the inner conductive portion 11, and the intermediate insulating portion 13 is particularly shown.

[0062] The inner conductive portion 11 includes a conductive metal material, such as stainless steel. The intermediate insulating portion includes an insulating material such as glass, a polymer material, or a ceramic material. The intermediate insulating portion may be welded or joined to the outer peripheral portion or the outer circumferential portion of the inner conductive portion 11. The peripheral adapter portion 12 includes a through recess 34 that receives and / or engages the intermediate insulating portion 13. For this reason, the inner edge of the through recess 34 includes an upright side wall 16, for example, a cylindrical upright side wall 16.

[0063] The inner surface of the side wall 16 may be sized to exactly match the outer surface, for example, the outer edge 28 of the intermediate insulating portion 13 or the outward flange. The outer side or the outer edge 26 of the peripheral adapter portion 12 may be directly connected to the side wall 3 as shown in FIG. 14, or may be connected to the outer peripheral adapter portion 15 as shown in FIG. 6.

[0064] To improve the mechanical fastening of the peripheral adapter portion 12, the peripheral adapter portion 12 may include a step portion 17 along the outer edge portion 32 or the outer edge portion 32. The step portion 17 may include an L-shaped outer profile having a flange portion extending radially outward, and the L-shaped outer profile includes a downward or inward abutting surface 18. The abutting surface 18 may be configured to abut the outward surface 19 of the outer peripheral adapter portion 15, and thus the abutting surface 19. Alternatively, the abutting surface 18 may engage or abut each abutting surface or step portion 23 provided directly at the upper end of the side wall 3, for example, as shown in FIG. 9.

[0065] In the example according to FIG. 6, the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 is inserted into the through recess 14 of the outer peripheral adapter portion 15, and the through recess 14 provides or constitutes the outer peripheral edge portion 26 of the lid 10 configured to fasten to the side wall 3 of the bottom container 1.

[0066] As is further apparent from the example of FIG. 6, at least one of the inner conductive portion 11 and the intermediate insulating portion 13 may protrude from at least one of the inner surfaces 35, 36 of the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 and the outer peripheral adapter portion 15. Further, in a further example (not shown), protruding inwardly from at least one of the inner surfaces 35, 36 of the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 or the outer peripheral adapter portion 15 may be only the inner conductive portion 11. The inner conductive portion 11 may protrude inwardly from the intermediate insulating portion 13. Such an inwardly extending protrusion or projection of the conductive portion 11 may facilitate and improve the electrical connection to the current collector strip 8.

[0067] In some examples, the inner conductive portion 11, the intermediate insulating portion 13, and the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 may provide to form or constitute the electrode structure of the standardized lid 10. The outer peripheral adapter portion 15 may be used exclusively to adapt the size of each electrode assembly. The inner peripheral adapter portion 12 and the outer peripheral adapter portion 15 may be made from one and the same metallic material. The inner peripheral adapter portion 12 and the outer peripheral adapter portion 15 may include different types of conductive metallic materials.

[0068] In any case, the mutual fastening of the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 to the outer peripheral adapter portion 15, for example by laser welding, may be considerably easier than the fastening or welding between the intermediate insulating portion 13 and the inner peripheral adapter portion 12. To save production and manufacturing costs, it may be particularly beneficial, for example, in an individual assembly environment, to provide or pre-assemble the inner conductive portion 11, the intermediate insulating portion 13, and the inner peripheral adapter portion 12.

[0069] Here, since the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 can always be provided in the same size and shape, mutual assembly can be facilitated. The final size adaptation or shape adaptation to cup-shaped bottom containers that are shaped or sized differently in various sizes can be brought about by the outer peripheral adapter portion.

[0070] Figures 7 and 8 show a kit of two batteries 30, 30'. The batteries 30, 30' include a lid 10 having a non-circular shape. In the case of the battery 30 shown in Figure 7, the inner conductive portion 11 and the intermediate insulating portion 13 are located in completely different positions compared to the example of the battery 30' in Figure 8. The positions of the inner conductive portion 11 and the intermediate insulating portion 13 can be easily changed simply by selecting an appropriate peripheral adapter portion 15.

[0071] In the case of the peripheral adapter portion 15 according to Figure 7, the through recess 14 is provided at or near the outer edge of the lid 10, and thus is provided close to the side wall 3. In the case of a further example of the peripheral adapter portion 15' shown in Figure 8, the through recess 14' is located near the central portion or the intermediate section of the surface of the lid 10. In this way, by simply selecting one appropriate peripheral adapter portion 15 from the set of available adapter portions 15, 15', the positions of the inner conductive portion 11 and the intermediate insulating portion 13 can be universally adapted to the various requirements of batteries that are sized differently or shaped differently or configured differently.

[0072] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the diameter DL of the lid is configured to match (i.e., be as close as possible to) the outer diameter D of the side wall 3. The lid 10 is aligned with the outer diameter D, placed on the flange 20, and then the assembly is subjected to a welding process such as laser welding, which results in a welded connection 21 along the aligned peripheral portions of the flange 20 and the lid 10. The welded connection 21 is symbolically represented as a black semi-circle in the illustrated image, but in reality, it can have different shapes and sizes depending on, for example, the curvature of the flange 20 in the case of a convex flange. W1 thereof (i.e., as close as possible to the outer diameter D W1 ). The lid 10 is aligned with the outer diameter D W1 and placed on the flange 20, and then the assembly is subjected to a welding process such as laser welding, which results in a welded connection 21 along the aligned peripheral portions of the flange 20 and the lid 10. The welded connection 21 is symbolically represented as a black semi-circle in the illustrated image, but in reality, it can have different shapes and sizes depending on, for example, the curvature of the flange 20 in the case of a convex flange.

[0073] The diameters of the lid 10 and the side wall 3 and their alignment should be quite accurate so that the welding process is effective when sealing the inside of the battery. Also, if the lid 10 is displaced during the welding process, it may cause further difficulties in obtaining an effective seal.

[0074] The edge of the side wall 3 and the edge of the lid 10 are shaped to reduce the difficulty of alignment and the errors caused by displacement, thereby improving the quality of the sealing connection. In the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and 10, the edge 20' of the side wall 3 comprises a tapered surface portion 22 and a stepped portion 23. The stepped portion 23 extends between the outer diameter D W1 and the intermediate diameter D i of the edge 20'. The tapered surface portion 22 extends between the intermediate diameter D i and the inner diameter D W2 of the edge 20'. The edge of the lid 10 is shaped in a corresponding manner, comprising a stepped portion 24 along the outer diameter of the edge of the lid 10 and a tapered surface portion 25 radially inward from the stepped portion 24. The tapered surface portions 22 and 25 are complementary, i.e., they have the same inclination angle such that the outer tapered surface of the lid 10 fits the inner tapered surface of the edge 20'.

[0075] Here, assembling the lid 10 to the cup 1 includes inserting the tapered surface portion 25 of the lid 10 into the tapered surface portion 22 of the cup until the stepped portion 24 of the lid stops on the stepped portion 23 of the cup. Thus, at this point, both the tapered surface portions 22 and 25 and the stepped portions 23 and 24 are in contact with each other. Thereafter, the welded connection 21 is produced along the aligned peripheral portions of the stepped portions 23 and 24, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0076] This configuration thus enables an improved alignment of the lid 10 with respect to the edge 20' of the side wall 3 due to the self - aligning characteristics of the complementary tapered surface portions 22 and 25. Inserting one tapered surface portion into the other also realizes a mechanically stable preliminary connection between the lid 10 and the side wall 3, making it easier to maintain alignment during the welding process. The diameter D L of the lid 10 preferably still W1 matches the outer diameter D W1Considering that the mismatch between these diameters due to being slightly larger does not reduce the quality of the welded connection and is acceptable in this case, given that accurate alignment is thus ensured.

Explanation of Signs

[0077] 1 Container 2 Base part 3 Side wall 4 Electrode assembly 5 Electrode 6 Electrode 7 Sheet 8 Current collector strip 10 Lid 11 Inner part 12 Adapter part 13 Intermediate part 14 Through recess 15 Adapter part 16 Side wall 17 Step part 18 Contact surface 19 Contact surface 20 Edge 21 Welded connection 22 Tapered surface part 23 Step part 24 Step part 25 Tapered surface part 26 Outer edge part 27 Inner edge part 28 Outer edge 29 Contact surface 30 Battery 32 Outer edge part 34 Through recess 35 Inner surface 36 Inner surface

Claims

1. A battery (30), comprising: - a cup-shaped bottom vessel (1) housing an electrode assembly (4), said bottom vessel (1) having a base (2) and an upstanding side wall (3) along the outer circumference of said base (2); - Lid (10) and The lid (10) comprises: An inner conductive part (11); an intermediate insulating portion (13) surrounding said inner conductive portion (11); ○ Surrounding adapter parts (12, 15) wherein the peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) forms or constitutes an outer peripheral edge portion (26) of the lid (10) and is securable to the side wall (3) of the bottom container (1) via the outer peripheral edge portion (26), and the peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) is sized, shaped and / or configured to bridge a gap between an outer edge (28) of the intermediate portion (13) and an inner periphery of the side wall (3).

2. 2. The battery (30) of claim 1, wherein the peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) includes a through recess (14, 34) that matches in size and shape with the outer edge (28) of the intermediate portion (13).

3. 3. The battery (30) of claim 2, wherein said through recess (14, 34) comprises an upstanding side wall portion (16) projecting from the plane of said peripheral adapter portion (12, 15).

4. 2. The battery (30) of claim 1, wherein the material thickness of the peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) is less than the material thickness of at least one of the inner portion (11) and the intermediate portion (13).

5. 2. The battery (30) of claim 1, wherein the adapter portion (12, 15) comprises an inner surface (35, 36), and at least one of the inner conductive portion (11) and the intermediate insulating portion (13) projects inwardly from the inner surface (34, 36).

6. The battery (30) of claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral edge portion (26, 32) of the adapter portion (12, 15) is non-circular in shape.

7. The lid (10) is - an inner peripheral adapter part (12) fixed to the outer circumferential part of said intermediate insulating part (13); an outer peripheral adapter part (15) fixed to the outer edge part (32) of said inner peripheral adapter part (12); 2. The battery (30) of claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral adapter portion (15) forms or constitutes the outer peripheral edge portion (26) of the lid (10).

8. 8. The battery (30) of claim 7, wherein at least one of the inner peripheral adapter portion (12) and the outer peripheral adapter portion (15) comprises a step portion (17, 24) at or along the outer edge portion (26, 32).

9. 9. The battery (30) of claim 8, wherein the step portion (17, 24) comprises an L-shaped profile having an abutment surface (18) that abuts against an outwardly facing outer abutment surface (19, 29) of at least one of the side wall (3) and the second peripheral adapter portion (15).

10. 8. The battery (30) of claim 7, wherein the outer peripheral edge portion (32) of the inner peripheral adapter portion (12) matches in size and shape with the inner edge portion (27) of the outer peripheral adapter portion (15), and the inner peripheral adapter portion (15) is secured to the outer peripheral adapter portion (15) via the outer peripheral edge portion (32) of the inner peripheral adapter portion (12) and the inner edge portion (27) of the outer peripheral adapter portion (15) engaging with each other.

11. A set of batteries (30, 30') comprising a first battery (30) according to claim 1 and a second battery (30') according to claim 1, said first battery (30) a first bottom container (1) having a first side wall (3), a first lid (10) connected to said first side wall (3) and closing said first bottom container (1); Equipped with said second battery (30') a second bottom container (1) having a second side wall (3') that is distinct from said first side wall (3) in terms of size or shape; a second lid (10') connected to said second side wall (3') and closing said second bottom container (1'); A set that includes:

12. 12. The set according to claim 11, wherein the first lid (10) comprises a first inner conductive portion (11) and the second lid (10') comprises a second inner conductive portion (11), the first inner conductive portion (11) and the second inner conductive portion (11) being of the same shape and / or size.

13. 13. The set according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the first lid (10) comprises a first intermediate insulating part (13) and the second lid (10') comprises a second intermediate insulating part (13), the first intermediate insulating part (13) and the second intermediate insulating part (11) being of the same shape and / or size.

14. 12. The set according to claim 11, wherein the first lid (10) comprises a first peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) and the second lid (10') comprises a second peripheral adapter portion (15'), the first peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) being distinguished from the second peripheral adapter portion (12', 15') in terms of shape and / or size.

15. 10. A method of manufacturing the battery (30) of claim 1, the method comprising: - providing a cup-shaped bottom container (1) comprising a base (2) and an upstanding side wall (3) along the outer circumference of said base (2); - placing an electrode assembly (4) inside said bottom container (1); - providing an inner conductive part (11) and an intermediate insulating part (13) surrounding said inner conductive part (11); - selecting one peripheral adapter part (12, 15) from various available, differently sized, differently shaped and / or differently configured peripheral adapter parts (12, 15), said selected peripheral adapter part (12, 15) being sized, shaped and / or configured to bridge a gap between an outer edge (28) of said intermediate part (13) and an inner periphery of said side wall (3); - fixing said inner conductive part (11) and said intermediate insulating part (13) to said selected peripheral adapter parts (12, 15) to form or constitute a lid (10); - fixing said lid (10) to said side wall (3) of said bottom container (1); A method comprising:

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