Sealed type battery

• US 5,595,835 A
• Filed: 05/22/1995
• Issued: 01/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GS Yuasa International Ltd. (GS Yuasa Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Japan Storage Battery Company Limited (GS Yuasa Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Kenichi, Kogure, Masanori, Kojima, Tetuzo, Maki, Takao, Tukamoto, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): KALAFUT, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US08/406,847
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 429/56, 429/94
• US Class Current: 429/56
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/3425 in the form of rupturable membranes or weakened parts, e.g. pierced with the aid of a sharp member
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/10 with wound or folded electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A sealed type battery is disclosed which can reduce variations in the operating pressure of a safety valve, improve the reliability for the airtightness of a battery vessel, remove the contact of electrode plates and the case due to the rightward or leftward deviation of a group of electrode plates in the direction of the winding shaft, remarkably reduce the internal short-circuiting production rate, and realize cost lowering or reduction in the number of working steps. The battery is equipped with a safety valve in which a cover plate having a hole, a metal thin plate and a holding plate of metal having a hole are stacked with the metal thin plate sandwiched and integrally fixed by laser welding. Further, the center line of the winding axis of a group of spiral electrodes is in parallel to the opening face of a battery case and the width of a separator in the direction of the winding axis is larger than the side of the opening portion of a angular tubular case in parallel to the direction of the winding axis.

Claims

1. A sealed battery including a safety valve device in which metal plates in a laminate are integrally fixed by laser welding, said laminate being comprised of a cover plate having a hole, a metal thin plate, and a holding plate having a hole defined by a perimeter, characterized in that the hole of the holding plate extends throughout an entire area between the perimeter, and the metal thin plate is arranged between the cover plate and the holding plate so as to contact a bottom surface of the cover plate and a top surface of the holding plate and interrupt a gas discharging hole formed by the holes of the metal thin plate and cover plate.

2. A sealed battery according to claim 1, characterized in that the portion of the metal thin plate facing the gas discharging hole has a thinner portion having a thickness that is smaller than a thickness of the remaining portion of the metal thin plate.

3. A sealed battery according to claim 1 characterized in that the holding plate and the cover plate each have a wall extending away from the holding plate and the cover plate in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the holding plate and the cover plate, such that the wall of the holding plate abuts the wall of the cover plate.

4. A sealed battery according to claim 1, characterized in that the holding plate has a cap-shaped covering portion which covers the gas discharging hole.

5. A sealed battery according to claim 1 in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator are inserted from a square or an elliptical opening face of a tubular case in such a manner that the winding axis of the group of spiral electrodes is in parallel to the opening face of the case and thereafter the opening face is hermetically sealed;

characterized in that the width of the separator in the direction of the winding axis is larger than the internal width of the tubular case in the direction of the winding axis.

6. A sealed battery according to claim 1, in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator to thereby form a winding-back portion and a linear portion are inserted from a square or elliptical opening face of a tubular case, and the positive electrodes are made of lithium composite oxide and the negative electrodes are made of lithium intercalation compound;

characterized in that, in one of an inside of the winding-back portion of the group of spiral electrodes and an inside of the winding-back portion to the maximum fifth from the winding core, the capacity of active material per a unit area of the positive electrode area is less than that of the positive electrode of the linear portion of the spiral electrode.

7. A sealed battery according to claim 2 characterized in that the holding plate and the cover plate each have a wall extending away from the holding plate and the cover plate, respectively, in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the holding plate and the cover plate, such that the wall of the holding plate abuts the wall of the cover plate.

8. A sealed battery according to claim 2, characterized in that the holding plate has a cap-shaped covering portion which covers the gas discharging hole.

9. A sealed battery according to claim 3, characterized in that the holding plate has a cap-shaped covering portion which covers the gas discharging hole.

10. A sealed battery according to claim 7, characterized in that the holding plate has a cap-shaped covering portion which covers the gas discharging hole.

11. A sealed battery according to claim 2 in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator are inserted from a square or an elliptical opening face of a tubular case in such a manner that the winding axis of the group of spiral electrodes is in parallel to the opening face of the case and thereafter the opening face is hermetically sealed;

characterized in that the width of the separator in the direction of the winding axis is larger than the internal width of the tubular case in the direction of the winding axis.

12. A sealed battery according to claim 3 in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator are inserted from a square or an elliptical opening face of a tubular case in such a manner that the winding axis of the group of spiral electrodes is in parallel to the opening face of the case and thereafter the opening face is hermetically sealed;

characterized in that the width of the separator in the direction of the winding axis is larger than the internal width of the tubular case in the direction of the winding axis.

13. A sealed battery according to claim 7 in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator are inserted from a square or an elliptical opening face of a tubular case in such a manner that the winding axis of the group of spiral electrodes is in parallel to the opening face of the case and thereafter the opening face is hermetically sealed;

characterized in that the width of the separator in the direction of the winding axis is larger than the internal width of the tubular case in the direction of the winding axis.

14. A sealed battery according to claim 4 in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator are inserted from a square or an elliptical opening face of a tubular case in such a manner that the winding axis of the group of spiral electrodes is in parallel to the opening face of the case and thereafter the opening face is hermetically sealed;

characterized in that the width of the separator in the direction of the winding axis is larger than the internal width of the tubular case in the direction of the winding axis.

15. A sealed battery according to claim 8 in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator are inserted from a square or an elliptical opening face of a tubular case in such a manner that the winding axis of the group of spiral electrodes is in parallel to the opening face of the case and thereafter the opening face is hermetically sealed;

characterized in that the width of the separator in the direction of the winding axis is larger than the internal width of the tubular case in the direction of the winding axis.

16. A sealed battery according to claim 9 in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator are inserted from a square or an elliptical opening face of a tubular case in such a manner that the winding axis of the group of spiral electrodes is in parallel to the opening face of the case and thereafter the opening face is hermetically sealed;

characterized in that the width of the separator in the direction of the winding axis is larger than the internal width of the tubular case in the direction of the winding axis.

17. A sealed battery according to claim 10 in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator are inserted from a square or an elliptical opening face of a tubular case in such a manner that the winding axis of the group of spiral electrodes is in parallel to the opening face of the case and thereafter the opening face is hermetically sealed;

characterized in that the width of the separator in the direction of the winding axis is larger than the internal width of the tubular case in the direction of the winding axis.

18. A sealed battery according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9 or 10, in which a group of spiral electrodes comprised of band-like positive electrodes and negative electrodes wound in an elliptical spiral shape around a winding axis and through a separator to thereby form a winding-back portion and a linear portion are inserted from a square or elliptical opening face of a tubular case, and the positive electrodes are made of lithium composite oxide and the negative electrodes are made of lithium intercalation compound;

characterized in that, in are of an inside of the winding-back portion of the group of spiral electrodes and an inside of the winding-back portion to the maximum fifth from the winding core, the capacity of active material per a unit area of the positive electrode area is less than that of the positive electrode of the linear portion of the spiral electrode.

19. A sealed battery according to claim 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 or 17, wherein the positive electrodes are made of lithium composite oxide and the negative electrodes are made of lithium intercalation compound;

characterized in that, in are of an inside of the winding-back portion of the group of spiral electrodes and an inside of the winding-back portion to the maximum fifth from the winding core, the capacity of active material per a unit area of the positive electrode area is less than that of the positive electrode of the linear portion of the spiral electrode.