Battery

Abstract

To provide a battery capable of inhibiting an electrolyte within an electrode lamination part from moving into an in-frame space of a liquid injection frame.SOLUTION: A battery 100 comprises an electrode lamination part 20 and a liquid injection frame 30. In the liquid injection frame 30, a liquid injection hole 32A for injecting an electrolyte into the electrode lamination part 20, and an in-frame space 33A connected to the liquid injection hole 32A and opened outward are formed. The battery 100 has an additional member 40 for filling at least a part of the in-frame space 33A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a battery including an electrode stack (module body). In manufacturing this battery, a step of injecting an electrolyte into the electrode stack is carried out. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-21544 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to ensure sealing when injecting an electrolyte, a liquid filling frame may be used that has a liquid filling hole and an internal space that is connected to the liquid filling hole and is open to the outside.

[0005] However, in this case, after the electrolyte injection is completed, the electrolyte inside the electrode stacking unit may migrate into the space within the frame through the injection hole. This migration occurs, for example, due to evaporation and condensation of the electrolyte. The electrolyte that migrates into the space within the frame may not return to the electrode stacking unit and may not be used for charging. This results in a higher cost due to the need for more electrolyte during injection.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to prevent the electrolyte inside the electrode stacking portion from migrating into the space within the injection frame. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The battery described in claim 1 comprises an electrode stacking section, an injection frame having an injection hole for injecting an electrolyte into the electrode stacking section, an injection frame space connected to the injection hole and open to the outside, and an additional member filling at least a part of the frame space.

[0008] In the invention according to claim 1, the battery comprises an electrode stacking section and a liquid filling frame. The liquid filling frame is formed with a liquid filling hole for injecting an electrolyte into the electrode stacking section, and an inner space of the frame that is connected to the liquid filling hole and is open to the outside. Therefore, the step of injecting the electrolyte into the electrode stacking portion can be carried out using a liquid injection frame in which an internal space that is open to the outside is formed.

[0009] However, after the electrolyte injection is completed, the electrolyte inside the electrode stacking unit may migrate into the space inside the frame through the injection hole. The electrolyte that migrates into the space inside the frame may not return to the electrode stacking unit and may not be used for charging, which increases costs. Therefore, in the invention according to claim 1, the battery is provided with an additional member that fills at least a part of the space within the frame. This makes it possible to prevent the electrolyte inside the electrode stacking portion from moving into the space within the injection frame.

[0010] The battery according to claim 2 is the battery according to claim 1, wherein the additional member has a communication hole formed therein that is connected to the liquid filling hole of the liquid filling frame.

[0011] In the invention according to claim 2, the additional member is formed with a communication hole that is connected to the liquid filling hole of the liquid filling frame. Therefore, even after the step of placing the additional member in the frame space, the gas inside the electrode stacking portion can be discharged to the outside. Therefore, for example, after the step of placing the additional member in the frame space, the activation step can be carried out. After the activation step, it is preferable to carry out a step of sealing the communication holes with a sealing material such as an aluminum laminate.

[0012] A battery according to a third aspect of the present invention is the battery according to the first aspect, wherein the additional member is provided so as to close the liquid filling hole of the liquid filling frame.

[0013] In the invention according to claim 3, the additional member is provided so as to close the liquid filling hole of the liquid filling frame. This eliminates the need for a separate step of sealing the injection hole (for example, a step of sealing with a sealing material such as aluminum laminate). It is preferable to perform the activation step before the step of placing the additional member.

[0014] The battery described in claim 4 is the battery described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the additional member has the same outer shape as the space within the frame.

[0015] In the invention according to claim 4, the additional member has the same outer shape as the space inside the frame. Therefore, the entire space within the frame can be filled with the additional member, which further prevents the electrolyte from moving into the space within the frame of the liquid filling frame.

[0016] The battery according to claim 5 is the battery according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid filling frame has a bottom wall portion in which the liquid filling hole is formed, and a side wall portion which forms the frame space together with the bottom wall portion, The additional member is bonded to the bottom wall portion by adhesive and to the side wall portion by thermal welding.

[0017] In the invention according to claim 5, the additional member is joined to the bottom wall portion by adhesive and to the side wall portion by thermal welding. Therefore, the additional member can be efficiently joined to the liquid pouring frame. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the electrolyte inside the electrode stacking portion from moving into the space within the filling frame. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 2A to 2C are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] 10A to 10C are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a manufacturing method according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, a first embodiment and a second embodiment of the battery according to the present invention will be described.

[0021] The battery 100 of the first embodiment and the battery 200 of the second embodiment are both bipolar storage batteries. A method for manufacturing the batteries (hereinafter simply referred to as the manufacturing method) will be described below, and the structures of the batteries 100 and 200 will also be described in the description.

[0022] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the manufacturing method of the first embodiment.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing method of the first embodiment includes a liquid injection step, a placement step, a bonding step, an activation step, and a sealing step, in this order.

[0024] The liquid injection step is a step of injecting an electrolyte into the electrode stack 20 .

[0025] The liquid injection step is performed in a state where the liquid injection frame 30 is attached to the electrode laminated portion 20. The liquid injection step is also performed in a state where airtightness with the liquid injection frame 30 is ensured, for example, by a rubber seal or the like.

[0026] The electrode stack 20 includes a plurality of stacked bipolar electrodes (not shown) and a holding frame 21 that holds the plurality of bipolar electrodes. This forms a plurality of cells (not shown) in the electrode stack 20. The holding frame 21 is made of resin. The holding frame 21 has a plurality of liquid injection ports 21A corresponding to each of the plurality of cells. Note that one of the plurality of liquid injection ports 21A is visible in the cross section of FIG. 1. The other liquid injection ports 21A are located at different cross-sectional positions in a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1.

[0027] 1 shows one of the plurality of liquid pouring holes 21A, the electrode laminate of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the electrode laminate 20 may have a structure in which three liquid pouring holes 21A appear in one cross section (see Patent Document 1).

[0028] The liquid filling frame 30 is made of resin by injection molding and includes a held portion 31 that is held by the electrode stacking portion 20, a bottom wall portion 32, and side wall portions 33.

[0029] The held portion 31 is configured to grip the end portion of the electrode laminated portion 20 from both sides in the stacking direction.

[0030] The bottom wall portion 32 has a liquid filling hole 32A that communicates with the liquid filling port 21A of the holding frame 21. The liquid filling hole 32A penetrates the bottom wall portion 32 in the thickness direction thereof.

[0031] The side wall portion 33 forms an intra-frame space 33A together with the bottom wall portion 32. The intra-frame space 33A is connected to the liquid injection hole 32A. An intra-frame space 33A is formed for each liquid injection hole 32A. That is, the same number of intra-frame spaces 33A as the number of liquid injection holes 32A are provided. That is, the intra-frame space 33A shown in FIG. 1 is one of the multiple intra-frame spaces 33A. The intra-frame space 33A has a larger cross-sectional area (cross-sectional area in a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction of the liquid injection hole 32A) than the liquid injection hole 32A.

[0032] In the liquid injection step, after the electrolyte is injected, the remaining electrolyte in the frame space 33A of the liquid injection frame 30 is washed away.

[0033] The placement step is a step of placing the additional member 40 in the frame space 33A.

[0034] The additional member 40 is made of resin and has the same outer shape as the intra-frame space 33A. The additional member 40 also has a communication hole 40A that communicates with the liquid filling hole 32A of the liquid filling frame 30. The communication hole 40A passes through the additional member 40. The communication hole 40A is provided so as to be positioned on an extension of the liquid filling hole 32A. The cross-sectional area and cross-sectional shape of the communication hole 40A are, for example, the same as the cross-sectional area and cross-sectional shape of the liquid filling hole 32A.

[0035] The joining step is a step of joining the additional member 40 to the liquid pouring frame 30.

[0036] The joining is performed, for example, by thermal welding between the resin pouring frame 30 and the resin additional member 40. In this case, the pouring frame 30 and the additional member 40 are preferably formed from resins that are mutually compatible. The joining is also performed, for example, with an adhesive. In the example shown in FIG. 1, joining by thermal welding and joining by adhesive are performed in combination. The joining by thermal welding is performed on the side wall portion 33 of the pouring frame 30, and the joining by adhesive is performed on the bottom wall portion 32 of the pouring frame 30.

[0037] The activation process is a process of performing an activation treatment including initial charging and high-temperature aging. During the activation process, gas is generated inside the electrode stacking unit 20. This gas is discharged to the outside through the liquid filling hole 32A of the liquid filling frame 30 and the communication hole 40A of the additional member 40.

[0038] The sealing step is a step of sealing with a sealing material 50 such as an aluminum laminate. The sealing step is performed by, for example, heat welding.

[0039] The sealing material 50 is provided so as to entirely cover the multiple intra-frame spaces 33A of the liquid filling frame 30. This also seals the communication holes 40A of the additional members 40 arranged in the intra-frame spaces 33A.

[0040] <Action and effect> Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0041] 1, the battery 100 in this embodiment includes an electrode stack 20 and an inlet frame 30. The inlet frame 30 is formed with an inlet hole 32A for injecting an electrolyte into the electrode stack 20, and an inner-frame space 33A that is connected to the inlet hole 32A and is open to the outside. Therefore, the step of injecting the electrolyte into the electrode stacking unit 20 (pouring step) can be performed using the pouring frame 30 in which the frame inner space 33A that is open to the outside is formed.

[0042] After the injection of the electrolyte solution is completed, the electrolyte solution inside the electrode stacking unit 20 may move into the frame space 33A through the injection hole 32A. The electrolyte solution that has moved into the frame space 33A may not return to the electrode stacking unit 20 and may not be used for charging, which increases costs. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the battery 100 includes an additional member 40 that fills at least a part of the frame space 33A. Therefore, the electrolyte inside the electrode stacking unit 20 can be prevented from moving into the space 33A inside the frame of the liquid filling frame 30.

[0043] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the additional member 40 is formed with a communication hole 40A that communicates with the liquid filling hole 32A of the liquid filling frame 30. Therefore, even after the step of placing the additional member 40 in the frame space 33A (placement step), the gas inside the electrode stacking unit 20 can be discharged to the outside. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the activation step can be carried out after the step of placing the additional member 40 in the frame space 33A. After the activation step, it is preferable to carry out a step of sealing the communication holes 40A with a sealing material 50 such as an aluminum laminate.

[0044] In this embodiment, the additional member 40 has the same outer shape as the frame space 33A. Therefore, the entire intra-frame space 33A can be filled with the additional member 40. As a result, the movement of the electrolyte into the intra-frame space 33A of the liquid filling frame 30 can be further suppressed.

[0045] In this embodiment, the additional member 40 is bonded to the bottom wall portion 32 with an adhesive and is bonded to the side wall portion 33 by thermal welding. Therefore, the additional member 40 can be joined to the liquid pouring frame 30 efficiently.

[0046] Second Embodiment FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the manufacturing method of the second embodiment.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment includes a liquid injection step, an activation step, a placement step, and a bonding step in this order.

[0048] Below, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of commonalities will be omitted as appropriate.

[0049] Unlike the first embodiment, the activation step in the second embodiment is performed before the placement step. Gas generated inside the electrode stacking unit 20 is discharged to the outside through the liquid filling hole 32A of the liquid filling frame 30 and the space inside the frame 33A.

[0050] Unlike the first embodiment, the placement step in the second embodiment is performed after the activation step. Because it is performed after the activation step, there is no need to provide communication holes 40A for discharging gas in the additional member 140. Therefore, unlike the first embodiment, the additional member 140 in the second embodiment does not have communication holes 40A (see FIG. 1).

[0051] The joining step is the same as in the first embodiment. Since the additional member 140 of the second embodiment does not have a communication hole 40A, it is not necessary to perform a separate sealing step after the joining step. For this reason, in the second embodiment, the sealing step using a sealing material 50 such as an aluminum laminate is not performed.

[0052] <Action and effect> Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described, although the description of the effects similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0053] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the additional member 140 is provided so as to close the liquid filling hole 32A of the liquid filling frame 30. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately perform a step of closing the liquid injection hole 32A (for example, a step of sealing with a sealing material 50 such as an aluminum laminate).

[0054] [Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment] In the above-described embodiments, the batteries 100 and 200 are batteries including a plurality of cells each having a side length of 1 m or more. The term "side" as used herein refers to a side perpendicular to the direction in which the electrodes are stacked. However, the batteries of the present invention are not limited to this. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 100,200 batteries 20 Electrode stacking section 21 Retaining frame 21A Liquid injection port 30 Filling frame 31 Holding part 32 Bottom wall 32A Liquid injection hole 33 Side wall 33A Frame space 40,140 Additional parts 40A communication hole 50 Encapsulating material

Claims

1. an electrode stacking portion; a liquid injection frame having a liquid injection hole for injecting an electrolyte into the electrode stacking portion and an internal space connected to the liquid injection hole and open to the outside; an additional member that fills at least a portion of the space within the frame; A battery comprising:

2. a communication hole connected to the liquid filling hole of the liquid filling frame is formed in the additional member; The battery of claim 1 .

3. the additional member is provided to close the liquid filling hole of the liquid filling frame; The battery of claim 1 .

4. The additional member has the same outer shape as the space within the frame. The battery of claim 1 .

5. The liquid filling frame is a bottom wall portion in which the liquid injection hole is formed; a side wall portion that forms the frame space together with the bottom wall portion; and the additional member is bonded to the bottom wall portion by adhesive and to the side wall portion by thermal welding; The battery of claim 1 .

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