NONAQUEOUS SECONDARY BATTERY, BATTERY PACK, POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM, AND ELECTRICAL DEVICE

• US 20100188048A1
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishino, Hajime, Fujino, Akiko, Suzuki, Kohei, Ikuta, Shigeo
• Application Number:
  US12/666,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20100188048A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/120
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• 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 10/4235 Safety or regulating additives or arrangements in electrodes, separators or electrolyte H01M10/4242 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• 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 4/587 for inserting or intercalating light metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/446 Composite material consisting of a mixture of organic and inorganic materials
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A nonaqueous secondary battery includes a negative electrode plate 303 containing a negative electrode active material 324 capable of reversely inserting and extracting lithium, a positive electrode plate 301 containing lithium as a positive electrode active material 322, an electrolyte, a porous protective membrane 325 provided between the negative electrode plate 303 and the positive electrode plate 301 and permeable to lithium ions while having heat resistance, and a concave portion 352 in which growth of deposited metal, which is formed according to a set voltage Vs, is controlled in such a manner that the deposited metal is bridged between the negative electrode plate 303 and the positive electrode plate 301 when the set voltage Vs is applied between the negative electrode plate 303 and the positive electrode plate 301.

Claims

1. A nonaqueous secondary battery, comprising:

a negative electrode containing at least one of a material capable of reversely inserting and extracting lithium and metal lithium as a negative electrode active material;

a positive electrode containing lithium as a positive electrode active material;

an electrolyte; and

a heat resistant member provided between the negative electrode and the positive electrode and permeable to lithium ions while having heat resistance,

wherein in a case where a set voltage preset to a voltage lower than a voltage at which the electrolyte starts to decompose is applied between the negative electrode and the positive electrode, deposited metal is bridged between the negative electrode and the positive electrode according to the set voltage.

2. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein:

the set voltage is set to a voltage equal to a cut-off voltage of charge for a constant voltage charge by which a charge is performed by applying a constant voltage.

3. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 1 or 2, wherein:

the heat resistant member is a porous protective membrane containing resin and an inorganic oxide filler.

4. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 3, wherein:

a porous separator having a lower melting point than the heat resistant member and permeable to lithium ions is further provided between the negative electrode and the positive electrode; and

the separator is partially removed so that the lithium ions are allowed to migrate by bypassing the separator.

5. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein:

the heat resistant member is provided in close contact with at least one of the negative electrode and the positive electrode.

6. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein:

the heat resistant member is a separator.

7. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein:

the heat resistant member is porous and at least one of a thickness of the heat resistant member, a porosity of the heat resistant member, a tortuosity of the heat resistant member, a diameter of pores making the heat resistant member porous, and an interval between the negative electrode and the positive electrode is set in such a manner that when the set voltage is applied between the negative electrode and the positive electrode, the deposited metal is bridged between the negative electrode and the positive electrode according to the set voltage.

8. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein:

a point at which at least one of the thickness of the heat resistant member, the porosity of the heat resistant member, the tortuosity of the heat resistant member and the diameter of pores making the heat resistant member porous is set is a part of the heat resistant member; and

in portions of the heat resistant member other than the part, at least one of the thickness, the porosity, and the tortuosity of the heat resistant member and the diameter of pores making the heat resistant member porous is set in such a manner that a voltage with which the deposited metal is bridged between the negative electrode and the positive electrode becomes higher than the set voltage.

9. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein:

a point at which the interval between the negative electrode and the positive electrode is set in such a manner that the deposited metal is bridged between the negative electrode and the positive electrode according to the set voltage is a part of each of the negative electrode and the positive electrode.

10. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein:

the thickness of the heat resistant member set in such a manner that the deposited metal is bridged between the negative electrode and the positive electrode according to the set voltage is in a range of 2.0 to 30 μ

m.

11. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein:

the porosity of the heat resistant member set in such a manner that the deposited metal is bridged between the negative electrode and the positive electrode according to the set voltage is in a range of 40 to 65%.

12. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein:

the tortuosity of the heat resistant member set in such a manner that the deposited metal is bridged between the negative electrode and the positive electrode according to the set voltage is in a range of 1.0 to 1.5.

13. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein:

the diameter of pores in the heat resistant member set in such a manner that the deposited metal is bridged between the negative electrode and the positive electrode according to the set voltage is in a range of 0.05 to 3.0 μ

M.

14. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 7, wherein:

the interval between the negative electrode and the positive electrode set in such a manner that the deposited metal is bridged therebetween according to the set voltage is in a range of 2.0 to 30 μ

m.

15. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein:

let A be a theoretical capacity of the positive electrode and B be a theoretical capacity of the negative electrode, then a theoretical capacity ratio B/A is in a range of 0.8 to 1.0.

16. The nonaqueous secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein:

the set voltage is in a range of 3.8 to 4.4 V.

17. A battery pack, comprising:

an assembled battery in which the nonaqueous secondary battery set forth in claim 1 is included in a plural form and the nonaqueous secondary batteries are connected in series.

18. The battery pack according to claim 17, further comprising:

a connection terminal that receives a voltage used to charge the assembled battery;

a charging voltage supply portion that charges the assembled battery by supplying the voltage received at the connection terminal;

a voltage detection portion that detects terminal voltages across the respective nonaqueous secondary batteries;

an imbalance detection portion that determines an occurrence of an imbalance in a charge state among the nonaqueous secondary batteries in a case where the terminal voltages across the nonaqueous secondary batteries detected by the voltage detection portion satisfy a preset specific determination condition; and

an imbalance correction control portion that supplies the assembled battery with a voltage equal to the set voltage multiplied by the number of the nonaqueous secondary batteries in a case where the occurrence of an imbalance is determined by the imbalance detection portion.

19. A power supply system, comprising:

an assembled battery in which the nonaqueous secondary battery set forth in claim 1 is provided in a plural form and the nonaqueous secondary batteries are connected in series;

a charging voltage supply portion that charges the assembled battery by supplying a charging voltage;

a voltage detection portion that detects terminal voltages across the respective nonaqueous secondary batteries;

an imbalance detection portion that determines an occurrence of an imbalance in a charge state among the nonaqueous secondary batteries in a case where the terminal voltages across the nonaqueous secondary batteries detected by the voltage detection portion satisfy a preset specific determination condition; and

an imbalance correction control portion that supplies the assembled battery with a voltage equal to the set voltage multiplied by the number of the nonaqueous secondary batteries using the charging voltage supply portion in a case where the occurrence of an imbalance is determined by the imbalance detection portion.

20. A power supply system, comprising:

the nonaqueous secondary battery set forth in claim 1;

a charging voltage supply portion that charges the nonaqueous secondary battery by supplying a charging voltage;

a voltage detection portion that detects a terminal voltage across the nonaqueous secondary battery; and

a charge control portion that inhibits a charge of the nonaqueous secondary battery when the terminal voltage across the nonaqueous secondary battery detected by the voltage detection portion reaches or exceeds a charge forced stopping voltage set to a voltage higher than the set voltage.

21. The power supply system according to claim 20, wherein:

the charge forced stopping voltage is set in such a manner that a difference from the set voltage falls within a range of 0.1 to 0.3 V per nonaqueous secondary battery.

22. An electrical device, comprising:

the nonaqueous secondary battery set forth in claim 1; and

a load circuit driven by power supplied from the nonaqueous secondary battery.