ENERGY STORAGE ELEMENT

• US 20130196218A1
• Filed: 11/28/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GS Yuasa International Ltd. (GS Yuasa Corporation)
• Original Assignee: GS Yuasa International Ltd. (GS Yuasa Corporation)
• Inventors: Masuda, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 9,118,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/179
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/528 Fixed electrical connections, i.e. not intended for disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/533 characterised by the shape of the leads or tabs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/534 characterised by the material of the leads or tabs
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/538 Connection of several leads or tabs of wound or folded electrode stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/55 on the same side of the cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/553 Terminals adapted for prismatic, pouch or rectangular cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/567 by fixing means, e.g. screws, rivets or bolts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An energy storage element comprising: a container; an electrode assembly housed in the container; an electrode terminal provided in the container; and a current collector which electrically connects the electrode terminal and the electrode assembly, wherein the current collector is positioned inside the container, and includes: a base part connected to the electrode terminal; and arm parts which have a plate shape, extend from the base part, and are connected to the electrode assembly in a state that the plate-shaped arm parts sandwitch the electrode assembly, and paired arm parts which are outermost two of the arm parts are apart from each other with a spacing larger than a width of the base part in a direction in which the paired arm parts are arranged.

Claims

1. An energy storage element comprising:

a container;

an electrode assembly housed in the container;

an electrode terminal provided in the container; and

a current collector which electrically connects the electrode terminal and the electrode assembly,

wherein the current collector is positioned inside the container, and includes;

a base part connected to the electrode terminal; and

plate-shaped arm parts which extend from the base part and which are connected to the electrode assembly in a state that the plate-shaped arm parts sandwitch the electrode assembly, and

paired arm parts which are outermost two of the arm parts are apart from each other with a spacing larger than a width of the base part in a direction in which the paired arm parts are arranged.

2. The energy storage element according to claim 1,

wherein the paired arm parts include:

paired arm bodies connected to the electrode assembly; and

paired bridge parts which connect the paired arm bodies and the base part, and

the paired bridge parts are apart from each other with spacings that are smaller at positions closer to the base part.

3. The energy storage element according to claim 2,

wherein the paired bridge parts are flat plate-shaped parts which connect the paired arm bodies and the base part.

4. The energy storage element according to claim 1,

wherein the base part includes:

a plate part which is directly connected to the electrode terminal; and

wall parts which are formed continuously from the paired bridge parts and are curved or bent with respect to the plate part.

5. The energy storage element according to claim 1,

wherein the container includes a wall having an outer surface and an inner surface, the outer surface having a protrusion part formed to protrude outward from the outer surface and the inner surface having a recess part formed at a position corresponding to a position of the protrusion part, and

the base part of the current collector is connected to the electrode terminal in the recess part.

6. The energy storage element according to claim 5,

wherein the recess part has a bottom surface, and a side surface continuously formed between (i) the bottom surface and (ii) the inner surface of the wall, and

the side surface has a shape corresponding to at least one of outer shapes of the paired bridge parts and outer shapes of the wall parts.

7. the energy storage element according to claim 5, further comprising

an insulation member disposed between the recess part and the base part of the current collector,

wherein the insulation member and the base part are housed in a space which is defined by (i) a bottom surface of the recess part and (ii) the inner surface of the wall.

8. The energy storage element according to claim 7,

wherein the recess part includes a through-hole through which the electrode terminal penetrates,

the electrode terminal includes:

a plate-shaped terminal body disposed at a position corresponding to the recess part and outside the container;

a column-shaped connection part which penetrates through the through-hole of the recess part; and

a pressure-bonding end part which is electrically connected to the current collector by sandwitching and pressure-bonding, in the recess part, the container and the current collector together with the terminal body,

wherein the base part, the pressure-bonding end part and the insulation member are housed in the space defined by (i) the bottom surface of the recess part and (ii) the inner surface of the wall.

9. The energy storage element according to claim 8,

wherein the pressure-bonding end part is a riveted end formed by riveting an end part of the connection part so that the riveted end has an outer diameter larger than a diameter of the through-hole, the end part of the connection part being positioned opposite to the terminal body in the electrode terminal.