Lithium ion battery

• US 10,629,876 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2017
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cadenza Innovation Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cadenza Innovation Inc.
• Inventors: Lampe-Onnerud, Maria Christina, Onnerud, Tord Per Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): Cantelmo, Gregg
• Application Number:
  US15/832,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20180097212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0567 characterised by the additives
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/00 Structural combinations of different types of electrochemical generators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/00 Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/103 Fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/10 Batteries in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/366 as layered products
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/485 of mixed oxides or hydroxides for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiTi2O4 or LiTi2OxFy H01M4/505, H01M4/525 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/505 of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/525 of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/5825 Oxygenated metallic salts or polyanionic structures, e.g. borates, phosphates, silicates, olivines
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/112 Monobloc comprising multiple compartments
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/267 having means for adapting to batteries or cells of different types or different sizes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/451 comprising layers of only organic material and layers containing inorganic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/489 Separators, membranes, diaphragms or spacing elements inside the cells, characterised by their physical properties, e.g. swelling degree, hydrophilicity or shut down properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/491 Porosity
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/512 Connection only in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/516 : by welding, soldering or brazing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/574 : Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/579 : in response to shock
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A multi-core lithium ion battery includes a sealed enclosure and a support member disposed within the sealed enclosure. The support member includes a plurality of cavities and a plurality of lithium ion core members which are disposed the plurality of cavities. The battery further includes a plurality of cavity liners, each of which is positioned between a corresponding one of the lithium ion core members and a surface of a corresponding one of the cavities.

Claims

1. A lithium ion battery, comprising:

a support member including a plurality of cavities defined by cavity surfaces, wherein each of the plurality of cavities is configured to receive a lithium ion core member through a cavity opening;

a plurality of lithium ion core members, each of the plurality of lithium ion core members (i) including an anode, a cathode, a separator positioned between the anode and the cathode, and electrolyte, and (ii) positioned in one of the plurality of cavities of the support member, and

a hermetically sealed enclosure that (i) surrounds and encloses the support member, and (ii) defines a shared atmosphere region;

wherein each of the lithium ion core members is surrounded by a cavity surface of one of the plurality of cavities along its length such that electrolyte is prevented from escaping the cavity within which it is contained;

wherein the anode, cathode and electrolyte of each ion core member communicates with the shared atmosphere region through a cavity opening when positioned in a cavity of the support member; and

wherein the support member is formed of one of aluminum foam, ceramic and plastic.

2. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is formed of aluminum foam.

3. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is formed of ceramic.

4. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is formed of plastic.

5. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, further comprising a cavity liner positioned in each cavity, wherein each of the cavity liners is formed of a plastic or aluminum material and receives one of the lithium ion core members.

6. The lithium ion battery of claim 5, wherein each of the cavity liners is moisture and electrolyte impermeable.

7. The lithium ion battery of claim 5, wherein each of the cavity liners is formed as part of a monolithic liner member.

8. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is in the form of a honeycomb structure.

9. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the hermetically sealed enclosure includes a wall having a compressible element which when compressed due to a force impacting the wall creates an electrical short circuit of the lithium ion battery.

10. The lithium ion battery of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of cavities and its corresponding ion core member have different shapes than the other of the plurality of cavities and their corresponding ion core members.

11. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein at least one of the ion core members has high power characteristics and at least one of the ion core members has high energy characteristics.

12. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the hermetically sealed enclosure includes a fire retardant member.

13. The lithium ion battery of claim 12, wherein the fire retardant member comprises a fire retardant mesh material affixed to the exterior of the hermetically sealed enclosure.

14. The lithium ion battery of claim 12, wherein the fire retardant member is selected from the group consisting of a polyurethane foam, an epoxy foam, and glass fiber wool.

15. The lithium ion battery of claim 12, wherein the fire retardant member comprises filler material positioned in empty space inside the hermetically sealed enclosure.

16. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the hermetically sealed enclosure defines a lithium ion cell region and the shared atmosphere region in the interior of the hermetically sealed enclosure.

17. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is absorptive to electrolyte.

18. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is deformable and kinetic energy absorbing in response to an impact load.

19. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the cavities are uniformly distributed in the support member.

20. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the cavities are staggered in the support member.

21. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein each of the ion core members is introduced to a cavity of the support member without an individual hermetic enclosure.

22. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte comprises at least one of a flame retardant, a gas generating agent, and a redox shuttle.

23. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the hermetically sealed enclosure includes a wall having a compressible element which, when compressed due to a force impacting the wall, creates an electrical short circuit.

24. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is a part of the hermetically sealed enclosure.

25. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is a separate part relative to the hermetically sealed enclosure.

26. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is formed of polypropylene or polyethylene.

27. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is formed of a phenolic material.

28. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member is formed of a fiber filled resin.

29. The lithium ion battery of claim 28, wherein the fiber is a glass fiber or a carbon fiber.

30. The lithium ion battery of claim 1, wherein the support member defines open regions.

31. The lithium ion battery of claim 30, wherein the open regions contain filling materials.

32. The lithium ion battery of claim 31, wherein the filling materials are selected from regularly shaped media and irregularly shaped media.

33. The lithium ion battery of claim 31, wherein the filling material is selected from the group consisting of metal spheres, ceramic spheres and plastic spheres.

34. The lithium ion battery of claim 31, wherein the filling material is selected from the group consisting of aluminum hollow spheres, ceramic grinding media of alumina or zirconia, and polymer hollow spheres.