Battery with tabs having superimposed bundling members

• US 6,106,975 A
• Filed: 03/26/1998
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kenichi, Watanabe, Goro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nuzzolillo, Maria
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alejandro, Raymond
• Application Number:
  US09/048,001
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 429/211, 429/209, 429/121, 429/122
• US Class Current: 429/211
• 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 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery includes a cathode, and an anode. At least one of the cathode and anode includes an electricity collector, a plurality of tabs, and an active material formed on the surface of the electricity collector. One end of the tabs projects from one side of the electricity collector. The electricity collector is laminated so as to make a flush end surface on the side from which the tabs project. The tabs are bonded integrally with the electricity collector, and each tab has a linkage member, and a bundling member. The linkage member projects from the side of the electricity collector. The bundling member is formed integrally with the linkage member, extends along the side of the electricity collector, is superimposed on other bundling member of the tab in a lamination direction of the laminated electricity collector, and is bonded integrally with other bundling member of the tab. In the thus constructed battery, the projection of the tabs are kept down to the width of the tab. As a result, it is possible to minimize the space required for integrally bonding the tabs, and to thereby enhance the energy density of the battery.

Claims

1. A battery, comprising:

a cathode; and

an anode;

at least one of said cathode and anode including;

an electricity collector having a side and a surface;

a plurality of tabs having an end projecting from the side of the electricity collector, and being bonded integrally with the electricity collector; and

an active material formed on the surface of the electricity collector,

wherein the electricity collector is laminated so as to make an end surface flush on the side of the electricity collector from which the tabs project, and

each tab comprises;

a linkage member projecting from the side of the electricity collector, and

a bundling member formed integrally with the linkage member, extending substantially parallel to the side of the electricity collector from which the tabs project, said bundling member being superimposed on other bundling members, and being bonded with other bundling members.

2. The battery according to claim 1, wherein:

said electricity collector is band-shaped;

said tabs are disposed at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the band-shaped electricity collector; and

the band-shaped electricity collector is wound so that the side of the band-shaped electricity collector has a flush wound end surface.

3. The battery according to claim 1, wherein:

said electricity collector is divided into a plurality of parts having an outer periphery; and

said tabs project from the outer periphery of said parts, said parts having other than a band shape, and being laminated so that the outer periphery has a flush laminated end surface.

4. The battery according to claim 1, wherein:

said tabs are superimposed on each other at two or more positions.

5. The battery according to claim 1, wherein:

each tab has a band shape; and

said tab is bent so as to form said linkage member and said bundling member.

6. The battery according to claim 1, wherein:

each tab comprises a letter "L"-shaped tab.

7. The battery according to claim 1, wherein:

each tab comprises a cut-off portion of a comb-shaped sheet, the comb-shaped sheet including;

a linkage band in which said linkage member is arranged in line in a longitudinal direction; and

a plurality of bundling bands formed integrally with the linkage band, disposed at predetermined intervals, and extending from the linkage band in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction of the linkage band.

8. The battery according to claim 7, wherein:

said comb-shaped sheet is made by punching out a square-shaped sheet or by cutting a square-shaped sheet with an energy beam, thereby making two pieces of said comb-like sheets which are used independently as said comb-like sheet.

9. The battery according to claim 1, wherein:

each tab comprises a slit-off part of said side of said electricity collector.

10. The battery according to claim 9, wherein:

each tab comprises a remaining portion of said side of said electricity collector having slits of predetermined width removed at predetermined intervals.

11. The battery according to claim 1, wherein:

both of said cathode and anode include a band-shaped electricity collector;

said tabs are disposed at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the band-shaped electricity collector; and

said tabs of said cathode, and said tabs of said anode are projected from opposite sides of the band-shaped electricity collectors with respect to an axial direction thereof respectively.

12. The battery according to claim 1, wherein:

both of said cathode and anode include a band-shaped electricity collector;

said tabs are disposed at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the band-shaped electricity collector; and

said tabs of said cathode, and said tabs of said anode are projected from one and the same side of the electricity collectors with respect to an axial direction thereof.

13. The battery according to claim 1, wherein said bundling member of each tab is bonded with other bonding members so as to fit within a width of said tabs.