Electrochemical device comprising at least two cells connected in electrical series

• US 4,409,304 A
• Filed: 02/25/1982
• Issued: 10/11/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Compagnie générale des établissements Michelin
• Inventors: Gerard, Francois, Machat, Jean-Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): LeFevour, Charles F.
• Application Number:
  US06/352,368
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 429/160, 429/158, 429/161, 429/178, 429/136
• US Class Current: 429/158
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0413 Large-sized flat cells or batteries for motive or stationary systems with plate-like electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/54 Connection of several leads or tabs of plate-like electrode stacks, e.g. electrode pole straps or bridges
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/02 Details of electrodes H01M4/00; of non-active parts H01M50/00
• 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

An electrochemical device comprising at least two cells with electrodes in the form of plates is characterized by the following features:

(a) each plate is joined on at least one side to a current outlet which in turn is joined to an electron-conductive extension;

(b) the extension abuts at a terminal or, at least in part, constitutes a terminal;

(c) the electrical junction between each plate and its outlet is effected substantially over the entire corresponding side of the plate;

(d) each outlet and the corresponding extension form an assembly; the distance between the extreme edges of this assembly is substantially equal to the length of the corresponding side of said plate, these extreme edges abutting at said plate;

(e) the two cells are connected in electrical series by at least two terminals; the electrical junction between these two terminals is effected substantially over said entire distance between extreme edges in the case of each extension which abuts at one of these terminals or which, at least in part, constitutes one of these terminals.

Claims

1. An electrochemical device comprising at least two cells, each cell comprising at least one positive electrode and at least one negative electrode in the form of plates, characterized by the following features:

(a) each plate is joined on at least one side to a current outlet which in turn is joined to an electron-conductive extension which is formed of blades or has blades, said blades being distributed substantially over the entire distance between the extreme edges of the corresponding assembly;

(b) the extension corresponding to each plate abuts at its so-called "free" end at a terminal, called the "cell terminal", of the same polarity as the plate, or, at least in part, constitutes such a terminal at its "free" end, each cell thus having at least one positive terminal and at least one negative terminal, at least one side of the device having terminals of opposite signs by crisscrossing of blades of opposite signs, the device having means for avoiding electrical contact at the places where the blades cross one another;

(c) the electrical junction between each plate and its outlet is effected substantially over the entire corresponding side of the plate;

(d) each outlet and the corresponding extension form an assembly located outside of the plate;

the distance between the extreme edges of this assembly is substantially equal to the length of the corresponding side of said plate, from said plate up to the "free" end of the corresponding extension, these extreme edges abutting at said plate;

(e) the two cells are connected in electrical series by at least two terminals of the cells;

the electrical junction between these two terminals is effected substantially over said entire distance between extreme edges in the case of each extension which abuts at one of these terminals or which, at least in part, constitutes by its "free" end one of these terminals.

2. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the electrical junction between each outlet and its extension is effected substantially over the entire distance between the extreme edges of the assembly which they form.

3. An electrochemical device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that at least one outlet forms a continuous sheet.

4. An electrochemical device according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that the outlet is of rectangular shape.

5. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one plate is connected only on one side to a current outlet.

6. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one plate is connected to two current outlets arranged on two opposite sides.

7. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one plate is surrounded by an individual frame.

8. An electrochemical device according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that at least one extension is formed of blades or has blades, each blade being arranged in a notch in the corresponding frame.

9. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one plate is surrounded by an individual frame and the means for avoiding electrical contact consist, at least in part, of protuberances on the frame.

10. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one cell has an envelope molded directly over the entire contours of the plates.

11. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one cell has an envelope molded directly over the entire contour of the plates and the means for avoiding electrical contact consist, at least in part, of said envelope.

12. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that each blade of at least one extension is arranged in a notch in at least one separator.

13. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that each blade of at least one extension is arranged in a notch in at least one separator and the means for avoiding electrical contact consist, at least in part, of protuberances of the separator.

14. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one outlet and the corresponding extension form a single sheet.

15. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one of the outlets is connected to a vertical side of a plate.

16. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one outlet is connected to a horizontal side of a plate.

17. An electrochemical device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it is an electric current generator.