FLEXIBLE BATTERY

• US 20140370347A1
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: JUNG, Kangkook, KANG, S. Elena
• Application Number:
  US14/058,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20140370347A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/94
• 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 10/0587 of accumulators having only wound construction elements, i.e. wound positive electrodes, wound negative electrodes and wound separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/103 prismatic or rectangular H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/107 having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/103, H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/119 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/121 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/129 with two or more layers of only organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/136 Flexibility or foldability
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/184 characterised by their shape or structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/186 characterised by the disposition of the sealing members
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/193 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/198 characterised by physical properties, e.g. adhesiveness or hardness
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• 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

Abstract

A battery includes a flexible case, an electrode assembly in the flexible case, the electrode assembly having a length in a first direction, a width in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a thickness in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, the length being greater than the width and greater than the thickness, and a flexible sealing member between the flexible case and the electrode assembly, the flexible sealing member being wrapped around the electrode assembly. The battery is flexible.

Claims

1. A battery, including:

a flexible case;

an electrode assembly in the flexible case, the electrode assembly having a length in a first direction, a width in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a thickness in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, the length being greater than the width and greater than the thickness; and

a flexible sealing member between the flexible case and the electrode assembly, the flexible sealing member being wrapped around the electrode assembly,

wherein the battery is flexible.

2. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein, a ratio of the length of the electrode assembly to the width of the electrode assembly is 10:

1 or greater.

3. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein, a ratio of the length of the electrode assembly to the width of the electrode assembly is about 10:

1 to about 100;

1.

4. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein a ratio of the width of the electrode assembly to the thickness of the electrode assembly is about 0.5:

1 to about 1.5;

1.

5. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the sealing member has a width that is less than the length of the electrode assembly, and

the sealing member is helically wound around the electrode assembly in the first direction.

6. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing member is wrapped in a direction crossing the first direction of the electrode assembly.

7. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing member is made of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyimide (PI), or a mixture thereof.

8. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing member is a thermally shrinkable tape made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), or a mixture thereof.

9. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the electrode assembly includes a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate, and

the first electrode plate, the second electrode plate, and the separator are flexibly deformable.

10. The battery as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first electrode plate, the second electrode plate, and the separator are spirally wound with respect to an axis extending in the first direction.

11. The battery as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first electrode plate, the second electrode plate, and the separator are spirally wound with respect to an axis extending in the second direction.

12. The battery as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first electrode plate, the second electrode plate, and the separator are stacked to a predetermined thickness in the third direction.

13. The battery as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the first electrode plate includes a first current collector and a first active material coated on the first current collector, the first current collector having a thickness of less than 20 μ

m; and

the second electrode plate includes a second current collector and a second active material coated on the second current collector, the second current collector having a thickness of less than 20 μ

m.

14. The battery as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the first electrode plate includes a first current collector,

the second electrode plate includes a second current collector, and

the first current collector and the second current collector are each in a form of a mesh or a foam.

15. The battery as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate each include a plurality of through-holes having a diameter of about 1 μ

m to about 200 μ

m.

16. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible case includes a metal layer in a form of a thin film, a first insulating layer on a first surface of the metal layer, and a second insulating layer on a second surface of the metal layer.

17. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly is more easily bendable in the third direction than in the first direction or the second direction.

18. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the battery is bendable into a triangular shape, a rectangular shape, a pentagonal shape, a hexagonal shape, a trapezoidal shape, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a spiral shape, a meandering shape, a serrated shape, or a sinusoid shape.

19. An electronic device having a receiving region for a battery that is bent in a shape as claimed in claim 18.

20. An electronic device comprising a receiving region for a battery, the receiving region having a shape, and the battery being bent to conform to the shape of the receiving region.