Sealed storage battery and method for manufacturing the same

• US 5,663,007 A
• Filed: 06/19/1995
• Issued: 09/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokota, Akinori, Hamada, Shinji, Ikoma, Munehisa, Matsuda, Hiromu, Takata, Kanji
• Primary Examiner(s): NUZZOLILLO, MARIA
• Application Number:
  US08/491,650
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 429/53, 429/57, 429/149, 429/151, 429/153, 429/156, 429/157, 429/101, 429/167, 429/170, 429/171, 429/172, 429/175, 429/176, 429/177, 429/185, 429/84, 29/623.1, 29/623.2
• US Class Current: 429/53
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/345 Gastight metal hydride accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/1385 Hybrid cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/186 characterised by the disposition of the sealing members
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/258 Modular batteries; Casings provided with means for assembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 Electric battery cell making

Abstract

A sealed storage battery has a rectangular casing (3) and a lid (2) of synthetic resin, which are connected by welding so as to seal an opening of the rectangular casing (3), and protruded portion on the outer welded portion (5) is removed and smoothed so that air as a cooling module is smoothly flown in spaces formed by ribs (4) on the battery casing (3) and the lid (2).

Claims

1. A sealed storage battery comprising a plurality of abutting cells, each cell having:

a casing including opposing substantially parallel outer side faces and an open top, each outer side face for facing an outer side face of an abutting cell, the casing being constructed from a synthetic resin;

an electrode group and an electrolyte residing within the housing;

a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs arranged substantially in parallel with each other on each outer side face of the casing, the ribs forming longitudinally extending cooling medium channels therebetween on each outer side face of the casing; and

a lid constructed from a synthetic resin, the lid being sealingly welded to the top of the casing at a welding juncture at the outer side faces, the lid sealingly enclosing the electrode group and the electrolyte within the casing, the welding juncture at each outer side face being substantially flat with respect to the outer side face, whereby a cooling medium passing along the cooling medium channels on the outer side faces of the casing is substantially unrestricted at the welding juncture.

2. The sealed storage battery of claim 1 wherein the lid is thermally welded to the top of the casing.

3. The sealed storage battery of claim 1 wherein each rib extends about 1 to 2 mm away from the respective outer side face.

4. The sealed storage battery of claim 1 wherein the synthetic resin from which the casing is constructed is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, denatured polyphenylene ether, polyamide and polyphenylene sulfide.

5. The sealed storage battery of claim 1 wherein the synthetic resin from which the lid is constructed is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, denatured polyphenylene ether, polyamide and polyphenylene sulfide.

6. The sealed storage battery of claim 1 wherein the electrode group includes alternately piled positive electrode plates and negative electrode plates and separators therebetween, the outer side faces of the casing and the electrode plates each being aligned in planes substantially parallel with respect to each other, and wherein the positive electrode plates include nickel hydroxide and the negative electrode plates include a hydrogen storage alloy which electrochemically absorbs and desorbs hydrogen.

7. A method for sealing a cell in a sealed storage battery comprising a plurality of abutting cells, each cell having:

a casing including opposing substantially parallel outer side faces, an open top, and a welding region adjacent to the open top and each outer side face and surrounding the open top, each outer side face for facing an outer side face of an abutting cell, the casing being constructed from a synthetic resin that becomes deformable when heated;

an electrode group and an electrolyte residing within the housing;

a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs arranged substantially in parallel with each other on each outer side face of the casing, the ribs forming longitudinally extending cooling medium channels therebetween on each outer side face of the casing; and

a lid including a perimeter and a welding region adjacent to and surrounding the perimeter, the welding region of the casing corresponding to the welding region of the lid, the lid being constructed from a synthetic resin that becomes deformable when heated;

wherein the method for sealing the cell comprises the steps of;

heating the welding region of the lid such that the lid welding region becomes deformable;

heating the welding region of the casing such that the casing welding region becomes deformable;

placing the welding region of the lid in registry with the welding region of the casing;

pressing the welding region of the lid into contact with the welding region of the casing to form a welding juncture on each outer side face of the casing and to seal the lid to the top of the casing at the welding juncture, the lid sealingly enclosing the electrode group and the electrolyte within the casing, the pressing step also forming a protrusion at the welding juncture on each outer side face extending away from the outer side face; and

removing the protrusion at the welding juncture on each outer side face such that the welding juncture on each outer side face is substantially flat with respect to the outer side face, whereby a cooling medium passing along the cooling medium channels on the outer side faces is substantially unrestricted at the welding juncture.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the protrusion at the welding juncture on each outer side face extends a distance away from the outer side face, and wherein the removing step comprises the steps of:

grinding the protrusion to reduce the distance the protrusion extends away from the outer side face; and

pressing a heating plate against the welding juncture on each outer side face to level the welding juncture with respect to the outer side face.