Battery
The button battery design with a three-part lid and perimeter adapter portion addresses the inefficiencies of double-wall configurations by providing a cost-effective, lightweight, and reliable seal that adapts to various sizes and shapes, enhancing manufacturing ease and seal integrity.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- RENATA
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing button battery sealing methods require a double-wall configuration with either a gasket or adhesive, leading to wasted space and difficulties in maintaining alignment during welding, which can result in incomplete seals and chemical leakage.
A battery design featuring a lid composed of three parts: a conductive central part, an insulating intermediate part, and a peripheral adapter part, which is fixed to the side wall of the bottom container, allowing for a single-piece seal without a double-wall configuration, and includes a perimeter adapter portion that bridges the gap between the lid and the container, facilitating easy adaptation to various sizes and shapes.
This design reduces manufacturing costs and weight, improves electrical contact, and ensures a reliable, leak-proof seal by eliminating the need for a double-wall configuration and simplifying the welding process.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a button battery, which is well known as a power source for small, electrically powered devices such as clocks and thermometers. [Background technology]
[0002] Batteries, such as button batteries, also known as button cells, are widely used and available in multiple types, distinguished by various dimensions and shapes, as well as by the materials used for the electrodes and electrolyte.
[0003] Most known types of button batteries include a metal bottom cup with a flat base portion that acts as the positive electrode contact, upright side walls extending upward from the flat portion, and a metal top lid cup. The flat base portion of the lid cup acts as the negative electrode contact. The battery further includes an electrode assembly in the space between the top and bottom cups. For example, in a rechargeable lithium-ion button battery, the electrode assembly may be a spiral-shaped assembly, which is obtained by winding a laminate of electrode layers, separated by an electrolyte-impregnated separator sheet. Other electrode assemblies are formed as a horizontal laminate of alternately stacked electrode and separator layers, with the horizontal laminate oriented parallel to the top and bottom contacts. Button cells are often molded as round discs, but other shapes are also possible.
[0004] The production method for the battery types described above involves placing the electrode assembly in the top cover cup and inserting the top cover cup into the bottom cup, with a gasket or adhesive-type insulating seal 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 cover cup is inserted into the gasket, and the bottom cup is pressed onto the gasket. When using an adhesive-type insulating seal, the outside of the side wall of the top cover cup is covered with the sealing material, and then the top cover cup is inserted into the bottom cup. The adhesive is allowed to dry or cure, thus sealing the battery.
[0005] These known battery sealing methods have several drawbacks. One problem is the double-wall configuration, which requires either a gasket or adhesive. The side walls of the top lid cup and bottom cup must overlap each other. This creates wasted space occupied by the insulating seal, which is either a physical gasket or a sealing adhesive.
[0006] A solution to this problem was 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 includes a bottom cup, which houses the electrode assembly and still acts as the positive electrode contact. This battery further includes a lid, which is formed from three parts: a conductive central part, a conductive peripheral part, and an insulating intermediate part, the insulating intermediate part electrically insulating the central part from the peripheral part. 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 fixing connection of the lid to the cup is conductive so that the base of the cup forms the positive electrode contact of the battery.
[0007] Problems arising in the manufacturing process of this type of battery relate to the step of securing the lid to the cup, which can be done by aligning the lid to the edge of the cup's side wall and welding (e.g., laser welding) the lid to the edge along the aligned periphery. However, obtaining a completely sealed welded joint requires a high degree of dimensional matching between the lid and the cup. Furthermore, due to the small size of this type of battery, it is difficult to maintain the lid in the correct position during the welding process. These problems can lead to incomplete welding and the risk of chemicals leaking from inside the battery. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]
[0008] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application EP22178203 [Overview of the Initiative] [Means for solving the problem]
[0009] The above-mentioned objectives are solved and adequately addressed by batteries, particularly button batteries. The battery comprises a cup-shaped bottom container housing an electrode assembly. The bottom container comprises a base portion and side walls along the outer circumference of the base portion. The side walls may be implemented, for example, as upright or protruding side walls extending parallel to the surface normal of the flat or horizontally molded base portion. The battery further comprises a lid that closes and / or covers 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 peripheral adapter portion can be fixed to the side wall of the bottom container, for example, to the end of the side wall opposite the base portion of a cup-shaped bottom container.
[0011] The peripheral adapter portion can be fixed to or is fixed to the bottom container, and therefore to the side wall of the bottom container, via the outer peripheral edge portion.
[0012] The peripheral adapter portion is sized, molded, and / or configured to bridge the gap between the outer edge of the middle portion of the lid and the inner peripheral portion of the side wall.
[0013] Specifically, the perimeter adapter portion is sized and configured to provide a match, for example, a geometric or shape match, between the intermediate insulating portion and the side wall of the cup-shaped bottom container. The perimeter adapter portion is particularly suitable for individually fitting one intermediate insulating portion of the same type or shape to various bottom containers that may be distinguished by shape and / or size.
[0014] In some examples, the perimeter adapter portion may result in a specific arrangement of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion across the surface or plane of the perimeter adapter portion and / or across the plane of the lid, or on the plane of the lid. Thus, by selecting the appropriate perimeter adapter portion, one same arrangement or pre-assembly of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion can be universally 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] In detail, the mutual fixing and / or integration of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion within the lid may be somewhat precise and / or elaborate. Here, the intention is to provide each or a number of differently sized or differently molded bottom containers and a perimeter adapter portion for each side wall, in order to bring a wide variety of differently molded or differently sized cup-shaped bottom containers to the lid, the perimeter adapter portion universally matches one of the same kind or configuration of inner conductive portion and intermediate insulating portion. In this way, manufacturing costs and expenses can be reduced.
[0016] Furthermore, in some cases, the materials used to prepare the lid can be reduced. This can save on the cost and weight of producing the battery lid and / or housing.
[0017] In some examples, the peripheral adapter portion is made from a conductive material. The peripheral adapter portion may form part of one electrode of the battery. The peripheral adapter portion may form or constitute one electrode together with the cup-shaped bottom container.
[0018] The inner conductive portion may provide another electrode for the battery. The inner conductive portion may be electrically insulated from the first electrode by an intermediate insulating portion that completely surrounds the inner conductive portion.
[0019] In some examples of batteries, the perimeter 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 intermediate insulating portion may be of standard or standardized size, shape and / or configuration. To adapt and use the assembly of the inner conductive portion and intermediate insulating portion, the perimeter adapter portion is always adapted to various shapes and / or sizes of cup-shaped bottom containers. The perimeter adapter portion can adapt not only to various shapes and sizes of side walls but also to various shapes and sizes of cup-shaped bottom containers. Furthermore, the perimeter adapter portion can provide various locations or positions for the inner conductive portion and intermediate insulating portion across the surface of the lid. In this way, by selecting or choosing one perimeter adapter portion from various perimeter adapter portions for a particular shape or specially designed battery, the position of the electrodes provided by the inner conductive portion can be easily changed and adapted to the electrode assembly configured to be placed inside the bottom container.
[0020] In a further example, the periphery adapter portion includes a through recess or through opening, the through recess or through opening matching the size and shape of the outer edge of the intermediate portion. Typically, the entire through recess may be filled or occupied by an assembly of the intermediate insulating portion and the inner conductive portion. In this way, the through recess of the periphery 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 separate components, namely the inner conductive portion, the intermediate insulating portion, and the periphery adapter portion, the periphery adapter portion may provide or include a liquid-tight and / or airtight structure when assembling and securing the three components to each other.
[0021] According to another example, the through recess of the peripheral adapter portion includes a vertical or protruding sidewall portion that protrudes from the plane of the peripheral adapter portion. Typically, the vertical sidewall portion is, or forms, the inner edge of the through recess of the peripheral adapter portion. The sidewall portion may include a longitudinal range, i.e., an axial or perpendicular direction, that is, for example, greater than the thickness of the material of an adjacent flat structure formed flat or horizontally of the peripheral adapter portion. A considerably large sidewall portion can increase the mutual contact surface for fixing and / or fastening the intermediate insulating portion. In this way, a considerably effective interconnect 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 and also in a reduction in the production and / or provision costs of the peripheral adapter portion.
[0023] According to a further example, the adapter portion includes an inner surface. At least one of the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion protrudes inward from the inner surface. When the inner surface is connected to the sidewall, it faces the inside of a cavity surrounded by the sidewall and the bottom or base portion. 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] In further examples, the outer peripheral edge of the adapter portion is non-circular in shape. The outer peripheral edge may include a fairly flat or horizontally molded surface structure, such as a material sheet. In some examples, the outer peripheral edge of the adapter portion is circular, especially when the cup-bottom container has cylindrical sidewalls. In other examples, the outer peripheral edge of the peripheral adapter portion is non-circular in shape. In this case, the outer peripheral edge of the peripheral adapter portion includes a shape that matches the size and / or geometric shape of the inner peripheral or inner cross-section of the sidewall of the cup-bottom container.
[0026] Regardless of the shape of the periphery adapter portion and / or the shape or geometric shape of the side wall of the cup-shaped bottom container, the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion may always include one identical standardized shape or structure. Here again, the periphery adapter portion may have through recesses of a suitable and corresponding size for receiving the intermediate insulating portion and the inner conductive portion.
[0027] In a further example of a battery, the lid comprises an inner peripheral adapter portion fixed to the outer circumference of the intermediate insulating portion, and further comprises an outer peripheral adapter portion fixed to the outer edge of the inner peripheral adapter portion. The outer peripheral adapter portion forms or constitutes the outer peripheral edge of the lid.
[0028] In this way, a battery cover or cover for a battery can be provided, comprising a total of four individual components: an inner conductive portion, an intermediate insulating portion surrounding the inner conductive portion, an inner peripheral adapter portion surrounding or fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the intermediate insulating portion, and an outer peripheral adapter portion fixed to the outer edge portion of the inner peripheral adapter portion.
[0029] Here, the outer peripheral adapter portion includes an outer peripheral edge portion that can be fixed to the side wall of the cup-shaped bottom container.
[0030] The inner and outer peripheral adapter portions are a single adapter and are made from two separate components. The outer peripheral adapter portion forms or establishes a mechanical contact area with the side wall of the bottom container, while the inner peripheral adapter portion forms or establishes a mechanical contact area with the intermediate insulating portion of the lid.
[0031] The inner and outer perimeter adapter sections allow the overall lid design to be easily modified to accommodate various sizes of sidewalls of cup-shaped bottom containers that are otherwise sized or configured.
[0032] Specifically, the outer peripheral adapter portion can be provided as any adapter portion. A lid without an outer peripheral adapter portion can be fastened and fixed to the side wall of the bottom container solely via the outer edge portion of the inner peripheral adapter portion, thereby forming or constructing the outer peripheral edge portion of the lid.
[0033] To use the same lid for a bottom container of a different size, for example, a larger bottom container with side walls of increased diameter or cross-section, the inner perimeter adapter portion can be fixed to the outer perimeter adapter portion, in which case the outer perimeter adapter portion can surround or enclose the inner perimeter adapter portion. The fixing of the lid to the side wall can be provided by the outer perimeter adapter portion. In this way, by simply selecting or not selecting the outer perimeter 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] In a further example of a battery, at least one of the inner and outer peripheral adapter portions is provided with a stepped portion on or along the outer edge. The stepped portion may help to assemble the inner peripheral adapter portion to the outer peripheral adapter portion and / or secure them together. Furthermore, if the outer peripheral adapter portion is provided with such a stepped portion, the stepped portion may facilitate the securing and / or fastening of the lid to the side wall of the bottom container.
[0035] In a further example, at least one stepped portion of the inner periphery adapter portion and the outer periphery adapter portion comprises an annular shape having a contact surface, the contact surface contacting the side wall and at least one outward-facing outer contact surface of the second periphery adapter portion. Such annular shape provides a well-defined mutual contact and fixing configuration, thereby enabling the positional fixing of the inner periphery adapter portion to the outer periphery adapter portion and / or fixing at least one of the inner periphery adapter portion and the outer periphery adapter portion to the side wall of the bottom container.
[0036] In a further example, the outer peripheral edge of the inner peripheral adapter portion matches the size and shape of the inner peripheral edge of the outer peripheral adapter portion. The inner peripheral adapter portion is fixed to the outer peripheral adapter portion via the mutually engaging outer peripheral edge of the inner peripheral adapter portion and the inner peripheral edge of the outer peripheral adapter portion.
[0037] In this way, a circumferential and / or continuous mutual fixing portion can be provided between the inner circumferential adapter portion and the outer circumferential adapter portion. The mutual fixing portion can be provided, for example, by welding, adhesive fastening, or joining.
[0038] In a further example, the intermediate portion includes an insulating material selected from one of glass, polymer, or ceramic materials.
[0039] In a further embodiment, the present invention also relates to a set of batteries that are implemented, 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, the second side wall being distinguishable from the first side wall in terms of size or shape. The second battery comprises a second lid connecting or securing the second side wall and closing the second bottom container.
[0040] In a further example, the second bottom container has through-openings to receive an assembly of an inner conductive portion and an intermediate insulating portion. Here, the location of the through-recess in the second lid may be distinguished from the location of the through-recess in the first lid. Here, the side walls of the first and second batteries may be somewhat similar, but each battery may be distinguished by its location and therefore by the configuration of the electrode assemblies arranged inside the respective cup-shaped bottom container.
[0041] In the case of a first lid and a second lid having through-openings located at different positions relative to the outer peripheral edge of each lid, the first lid and the second lid may provide distinct positions relative to the side wall of the bottom container for the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion.
[0042] In a further example, the first lid comprises a first inner conductive portion, and the second lid comprises a second inner conductive portion. The first and second inner conductive portions may be of the same shape and / or size. However, since the first sidewall of the first battery and the second sidewall of the second battery are different from each other, the respective peripheral adapter portions of the first and second lids are distinguished to close or bridge the gap between the outer edge of the middle portion of the respective bottom container and the inner peripheral portion of the sidewall.
[0043] In a further example, the first lid comprises a first intermediate insulating portion, and the second lid comprises a second intermediate insulating portion. The first and second intermediate insulating portions may be identical in shape and / or size. In some examples, the inner conductive portions and intermediate insulating portions of the first and second lids may be substantially identical. Typically, in a further example, one identical configuration of the inner conductive portion and intermediate insulating portion may be used in both the first and second lids.
[0044] The first lid and the second lid are distinguished by the structure, shape, and / or size of the surrounding adapter portion to provide an effective adapter, which can fasten and / or secure the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion to the side wall or inner electrode assembly of a cup-shaped bottom container that is otherwise sized, otherwise molded, and / or otherwise configured.
[0045] In a further example, the first lid comprises a first perimeter adapter portion, and the second lid comprises a second perimeter adapter portion. The first perimeter adapter portion is distinguished from the second perimeter adapter portion in terms of size and / or shape. Alternatively, the first perimeter adapter portion comprises a first through-recess, the location of which is distinguished from the respective locations of the second through-recess extending through the second perimeter adapter portion. Each through-recess is sized and molded to receive an assembly of an inner conductive portion and an intermediate insulating portion in its respective lid.
[0046] In general, the batteries described herein can be implemented as so-called free-form batteries. More specifically, the cup-bottom container, its side walls and / or lid can be of any shape or form suitable for housing the battery electrode assembly. In some examples, the batteries described herein are implemented as so-called button batteries, where the side walls and / or cup-bottom container can be circular, annular, or cylindrical in shape. In other examples, the side walls and / or cup-bottom container can be polygonal in shape. For example, the side walls and / or cup-bottom container may be D-shaped, elliptical, or any other suitable geometric shape.
[0047] In yet another embodiment, the present invention also relates, for example, to a method for manufacturing the battery described above. The method includes the step of preparing a cup-shaped bottom container having a base and upright side walls along the outer circumference of the base. In the next step, an electrode assembly is placed inside the bottom container.
[0048] In a further step, an inner conductive portion and an intermediate insulating portion surrounding the inner conductive portion are prepared. In a further step, one peripheral adapter portion is selected from a variety of available, alternatively sized, alternatively molded, and / or otherwise configured peripheral adapter portions, which are sized, molded, and / or configured to bridge the gap between the outer edge of the intermediate portion and the inner peripheral portion of the side wall. Then, in a further step, the inner conductive portion and the intermediate insulating portion are secured to the selected peripheral adapter portion to form or configure a lid for the battery. In the final step, the lid is secured to the side wall of the bottom container.
[0049] Optionally, the lid is welded to the side wall of the base container or otherwise secured. Optionally, the inner conductive portion of the lid is welded to the current collector strip of the electrode assembly, which is located inside the battery housing made from the base container, and the base container is covered and closed by the lid.
[0050] Numerous examples of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0051] [Figure 1] This is a diagram of the main components of a battery according to an example of the present invention, which includes a wound electrode assembly. [Figure 2] This is a diagram of the battery in its assembled state (Figure 1). [Figure 3] Figures 1 and 2 show the division of the battery cup and lid before the sealing process. [Figure 4] This is an outline drawing of an example of a lid. [Figure 5] This is an outline drawing of another example of a lid. [Figure 6] This is an outline drawing of an example of a lid comprising an inner peripheral adapter portion and an outer peripheral adapter portion. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing different examples of lids. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing different examples of lids. [Figure 9]This is a diagram showing the external shape of a battery according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which the edge of the side wall and the edge of the lid coincide. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing the external shape of a battery according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which the edge of the side wall and the edge of the lid coincide. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0052] Figure 1 shows the components of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The battery comprises a conductive cup-bottom container 1, which is preferably made of metal and has a round base portion 2 and upright side walls 3 along the circumference of the base portion 2. Also included is a wound electrode assembly 4, which consists of a positive electrode 5, a negative electrode 6, and a separator sheet 7 between the wound electrodes, and further comprises 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. In the drawing, only the negative electrode current collector strip 8 connected to the negative electrode 6 is visible. The positive electrode current collector strip connected to the positive electrode 5 is located on the underside of the electrode assembly 4. The current collector strip 8 is shown in a simplified form 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 so that the ends of the strip can be welded to the respective battery contacts.
[0053] The battery comprises a lid 10, which comprises three parts: a conductive central part 11, a conductive peripheral adapter part 12, and an insulating intermediate part 13, the insulating intermediate part 13 electrically insulating the central part 11 and the peripheral adapter part 12 from each other. The three parts 11, 12, and 13 may form a single object, i.e., 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 Figure 1, all three parts 11, 12, and 13 of the lid 10 have the same thickness. According to alternative embodiments, the thicknesses of the parts may differ.
[0054] The materials used for parts 11, 12, and 13 are mechanically robust and chemically stable against the internal materials of the battery. Conductive parts 11 and 12 may 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 for the insulating part 13 can be further sealed and bonded onto the material used for parts 11 and 12. The insulating part 13 may be formed from, for example, glass, certain types of rubber, or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and its derivatives. The lid 10 may be manufactured by well-known methods of joining various materials together.
[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 a cup-shaped bottom container 1 and inserting an electrode assembly 4 into the container. The electrolyte is poured 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 bonding technique that realizes a sealed connection between the lid 10 and the container 1, resulting in the completed battery shown in Figure 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 sealing connection of the edge of the lid to the edge of the upright wall 3 is conductive and seals the inside of the battery 20 from the environment.
[0057] Figure 3 shows a diagram of the cup 1, where the lid 10 is aligned with the edge 20 of the side wall 3 before achieving the sealing connection. The electrode assembly is not shown in this image. The side wall 3 may have a rectangular or cylindrical outer shape. That is, the edge 20 is essentially perpendicular to the side of the side wall 3. Alternatively, the edge 20 may be slightly convex. The shape of the edge 20 is typically produced when the cup is manufactured by a deep drawing method. In the illustrated example, the lid 10 and the side wall 3 have the same thickness, although there may be a slight difference in thickness between the two. In most batteries, these thicknesses are on the order of tens of millimeters. For example, the thickness of the side wall 3 may be between 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the lid 10 may 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] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a lid 10 comprising four individual components, namely an inner conductive portion 11 surrounded by an intermediate insulating portion 13. 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 shown in Figure 13, the peripheral adapter portion 12 is an inner peripheral adapter portion 12, and the lid 10 further comprises an outer peripheral adapter portion 15.
[0059] In both cases, the inner perimeter adapter portion 12 and the outer perimeter adapter portion 15 include annular or ring-shaped flat structures. The outer perimeter adapter portion 15 is provided with a through recess 14, which is sized to receive the inner perimeter adapter portion 12. Thus, the inner edge portion 27 of the outer perimeter adapter portion 15 matches the size and shape of the outer edge portion 32 of the inner perimeter adapter portion 12. The outer edge portion 26 of the outer perimeter adapter portion 15 is configured to engage with and / or be fixed to the side wall 3 of the container 1, for example, as shown in Figures 9 and 10.
[0060] The outer peripheral adapter portion 15 may be provided only as an option. Generally, the size and shape of the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 can provide a bridge to close the gap between the outer edge 28 of the intermediate insulating portion 13 and the inner peripheral portion or inner surface of the side wall 3.
[0061] In the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 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, polymer material, or ceramic material. The intermediate insulating portion may be welded or joined to the outer peripheral portion or outer circumference of the inner conductive portion 11. The peripheral adapter portion 12 includes a through recess 34 that receives and / or engages with the intermediate insulating portion 13. For this reason, the inner edge of the through recess 34 includes an upright side wall 16, such as a cylindrical upright side wall 16.
[0063] The inner surface of the side wall 16 may be precisely sized to match the outer surface, for example, the outer edge 28 or outward-facing edge of the intermediate insulating portion 13. The outer surface or outer edge 26 of the periphery adapter portion 12 may be directly connected to the side wall 3, as shown in Figure 14, or to the outer periphery adapter portion 15, as shown in Figure 6.
[0064] To improve the mechanical fastening of the periphery adapter portion 12, the periphery adapter portion 12 may be provided with an outer edge portion 32 or a stepped portion 17 along the outer edge portion 32. The stepped portion 17 may have an L-shaped outer shape having a flange portion extending radially outward, and the L-shaped outer shape has a downward or inward contact surface 18. The contact surface 18 may be configured to contact the outward-facing surface 19 of the outer periphery adapter portion 15, and therefore the contact surface 19. Alternatively, the contact surface 18 may engage with or contact the respective contact surfaces or stepped portions 23 provided directly on the upper end of the side wall 3, for example, as shown in Figure 9.
[0065] In the example shown in Figure 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, which is configured to be fastened to the side wall 3 of the bottom container 1.
[0066] As is further evident from the example in Figure 6, at least one of the inner conductive portion 11 and the intermediate insulating portion 13 may protrude from the inner surfaces 35, 36 of at least one of the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 and the outer peripheral adapter portion 15. Furthermore, in a further example (not shown), only the inner conductive portion 11 may protrude inward from at least one of the inner surfaces 35, 36 of the inner peripheral adapter portion 12 or the outer peripheral adapter portion 15. The inner conductive portion 11 may also protrude inward from the intermediate insulating portion 13. Such inwardly extending protrusions or projections of the conductive portion 11 can facilitate and improve 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 for forming or constituting the electrode structure of a standardized lid 10. To accommodate the size of each electrode assembly, an outer peripheral adapter portion 15 may be used exclusively. The inner peripheral adapter portion 12 and the outer peripheral adapter portion 15 may be made from the same metal material. The inner peripheral adapter portion 12 and the outer peripheral adapter portion 15 may contain different types of conductive metal materials.
[0068] In any case, the mutual fastening of the inner perimeter adapter portion 12 to the outer perimeter adapter portion 15, for example by laser welding, can be considerably easier than the fastening or welding between the intermediate insulating portion 13 and the inner perimeter adapter portion 12. To save production and manufacturing costs, it may be particularly beneficial to provide or pre-assemble the inner conductive portion 11, the intermediate insulating portion 13, and the inner perimeter adapter portion 12, for example, in an individual assembly environment.
[0069] Here, the inner perimeter adapter portion 12 can always be provided in the same size and shape, thus facilitating inter-assembly. The final size or shape fit for cup-shaped bottom containers of various sizes, which are molded or sized differently, can be achieved by the outer perimeter adapter portion.
[0070] Figures 7 and 8 show a kit of two batteries 30, 30'. Batteries 30, 30' are fitted with non-circular shaped lids 10. In the case of 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 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 the appropriate peripheral adapter portion 15.
[0071] In the case of the perimeter adapter portion 15 shown in Figure 7, the through recess 14 is located on or near the outer edge of the lid 10, and therefore close to the side wall 3. In a further example of the perimeter adapter portion 15' shown in Figure 8, the through recess 14' is located near the center portion or intermediate portion of the surface of the lid 10. In this way, by simply selecting one suitable perimeter 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 otherwise sized, otherwise molded, or otherwise configured.
[0072] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the diameter DL of the lid is equal to the outer diameter D of the side wall 3. W1 Matching (i.e., outer diameter D W1 The lid 10 is configured to be as close as possible to the outer diameter D W1 The assembly is aligned and placed on the rim 20, and then undergoes a welding process such as laser welding, which brings a welded joint 21 along the aligned periphery of the rim 20 and the lid 10. The welded joint 21 is symbolically represented as a black semicircle in the illustrated image, but in reality it may have different shapes and sizes depending on the curvature of the rim 20, for example, in the case of a convex rim.
[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 includes 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, with 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, that is, they have the same inclination angle so 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. After that, the welding connection 21 is generated along the aligned peripheral portions of the stepped portions 23 and 24, as shown in FIG. 10.
[0076] Thereby, this configuration 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 matches the outer diameter D W1 , but the outer diameter D W1The slight discrepancy between these diameters, due to their relative size, does not degrade the quality of the welded joint and is acceptable in this case, given that precise alignment is thus guaranteed. [Explanation of symbols]
[0077] 1 container 2 Base section 3 side wall 4 Electrode assembly 5 electrodes 6 electrodes 7 sheets 8 Current collector strip 10 Lid 11 Inner part 12. Adapter part 13 Middle part 14 Through recess 15. Adapter part 16 side wall 17 steps 18 Contact surface 19 Contact surface 20 heli 21 Welded connection 22 Cone part 23 steps 24 steps 25 Cone part 26 Outer edge part 27 Inner edge part 28 Outer edge 29 Contact surface 30 batteries 32 Outer edge part 34 Through recess 35 Inner self 36. Inner self
Claims
1. A battery (30), wherein the battery (30) is - A cup-shaped bottom container (1) for housing an electrode assembly (4), the bottom container (1) having a base portion (2) and an upright side wall (3) along the outer circumference of the base portion (2), - Lid (10) and The lid (10) is equipped with ○Inner conductive part (11) and, ○ The intermediate insulating portion (13) surrounding the inner conductive portion (11), 〇 Surrounding adapter parts (12, 15) and The peripheral adapter portions (12, 15) form or constitute the outer peripheral edge portion (26) of the lid (10) and are fixable to the side wall (3) of the bottom container (1) via the outer peripheral edge portion (26), and the peripheral adapter portions (12, 15) are molded and / or configured to be sized to bridge the gap between the outer edge portion (28) of the intermediate insulating portion (13) and the inner peripheral portion of the side wall (3), The aforementioned lid (10) is - The inner peripheral adapter portion (12) is fixed to the outer circumference of the intermediate insulating portion (13), - The outer peripheral adapter portion (15) is fixed to the outer edge portion (32) of the inner peripheral adapter portion (12) and The outer peripheral adapter portion (15) forms or constitutes the outer peripheral edge portion (26) of the lid (10), A battery (30) wherein at least one of the inner peripheral adapter portion (12) and the outer peripheral adapter portion (15) has stepped portions (17, 24) on or along the outer edge portions (26, 32).
2. The battery (30) according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) is provided with through recesses (14, 34), and the size and shape of the through recesses (14, 34) match those of the outer edge portion (28) of the intermediate insulating portion (13).
3. The battery (30) according to claim 2, wherein the through recesses (14, 34) are provided with upright side wall portions (16) that protrude from the plane of the surrounding adapter portions (12, 15).
4. The battery (30) according to claim 1, wherein the material thickness of the surrounding adapter portion (12, 15) is smaller than the material thickness of at least one of the inner conductive portion (11) and the intermediate insulating portion (13).
5. The battery (30) according to claim 1, wherein the adapter portion (12, 15) has an inner surface (35, 36), and at least one of the inner conductive portion (11) and the intermediate insulating portion (13) protrudes inward from the inner surface (34, 36).
6. The battery (30) according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral edge portions (26, 32) of the adapter portions (12, 15) are non-circular in shape.
7. The battery (30) according to claim 1, wherein the stepped portion (17, 24) comprises an L-shaped outer portion having a contact surface (18), and the contact surface (18) contacts at least one outward-facing outer contact surface (19, 29) of the side wall (3) and the outer peripheral adapter portion (15).
8. The battery (30) according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral edge portion (32) of the inner peripheral adapter portion (12) matches the size and shape of the inner edge portion (27) of the outer peripheral adapter portion (15), and the inner peripheral adapter portion (15) is fixed to the outer peripheral adapter portion (15) via the mutually engaging 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).
9. A set of batteries (30, 30') comprising a first battery (30) according to claim 1 and a second battery (30') according to claim 1, - The first battery (30) is, ○ A first bottom container (1) having a first side wall (3), ○ A first lid (10) connected to the first side wall (3) and closing the first bottom container (1) Equipped with, - The second battery (30') is, A second bottom container (1) having a second side wall (3') that is distinguishable from the first side wall (3) in terms of size or shape, ○ A second lid (10') connected to the second side wall (3') and closing the second bottom container (1') and A set that includes [the following items].
10. The set according to claim 9, wherein the first lid (10) comprises a first inner conductive portion (11), the second lid (10') comprises a second inner conductive portion (11), and the first inner conductive portion (11) and the second inner conductive portion (11) are of the same shape and / or size.
11. The set according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the first lid (10) comprises a first intermediate insulating portion (13), the second lid (10') comprises a second intermediate insulating portion (13), and the first intermediate insulating portion (13) and the second intermediate insulating portion (11) are of the same shape and / or size.
12. The set according to claim 9, wherein the first lid (10) comprises a first peripheral adapter portion (12, 15), the second lid (10') comprises a second peripheral adapter portion (15'), and the first peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) is distinguished from the second peripheral adapter portion (12', 15') in terms of shape and / or size.
13. A method for manufacturing the battery (30) described in claim 1, wherein the method is: - A step of preparing a cup-shaped bottom container (1) having a base portion (2) and an upright side wall (3) along the outer circumference of the base portion (2), - The step of placing the electrode assembly (4) inside the bottom container (1), - A step of preparing an inner conductive portion (11) and an intermediate insulating portion (13) surrounding the inner conductive portion (11), - A step of selecting one peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) from a variety of available, alternatively sized, alternatively molded, and / or otherwise configured peripheral adapter portions (12, 15), wherein the selected peripheral adapter portion (12, 15) is sized, molded, and / or configured to bridge the gap between the outer edge (28) of the intermediate insulating portion (13) and the inner peripheral portion of the side wall (3), - In order to form or construct the lid (10), the steps include fixing the inner conductive portion (11) and the intermediate insulating portion (13) to the selected peripheral adapter portion (12, 15), - The step of fixing the lid (10) to the side wall (3) of the bottom container (1) Methods that include...