Electrical rechargeable battery in the form of a button cell

• US 6,312,848 B1
• Filed: 12/13/1999
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: VARTA Microbattery GmbH (VARTA AG)
• Original Assignee: Varta Geratebatterie GmbH
• Inventors: Weitbrecht, Siegfried, Ilic, Dejan, Pytlik, Eduard, Kilb, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Brouillette, Gabrielle
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martin, Angela J.
• Application Number:
  US09/459,806
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 429/40, 429/27, 429/59, 429/133, 429/127, 429/162, 429/163, 429/164, 429/165, 429/57, 429/58, 429/34, 296/231, 296/232
• US Class Current: 429/162
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/34 Gastight accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/345 Gastight metal hydride accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/109 of button or coin shape
• 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 Electric battery cell making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4911 including sealing

Abstract

An electrical accumulator having a case in the form of a button cell which is closed such that it is gastight, including a case cover and a case cup with an interposed electrically insulating seal, which contain an electrode set including positive and negative electrodes as well as interposed separators, with at least two electrodes of one polarity being mechanically. and electrically connected at at least two points on their circumference in such a manner that a mechanically robust electrode packet results. The invention furthermore relates to a method for producing such a rechargeable battery.

Claims

1. A rechargeable battery having a case in the form of a gastight button cell comprising:

a case cup;

a case cover connected to said case cup via an electrically insulation seal and containing positive and negative electrodes with intermediate separators and an electrolyte;

wherein an electrode set formed from said electrodes and separators is arranged in the case;

wherein said electrode set contains at least two electrodes of one polarity which enclose an electrode of another polarity between them; and

wherein said electrodes of each polarity are mechanically and electrically joined together at their edge portions at at least two locations on their respective circumferences.

2. The rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrodes have a conductive base selected from the group consisting of metal mesh, metal foil, metal grating, metal felt and metal foam.

3. The rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least the electrodes of one polarity are connected to an electrically conductive contact plate.

4. The rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrode set comprises n electrodes of one polarity and n+1 electrodes of the other polarity, with the electrodes whose quantity is the lesser being connected to a contact plate.

5. The rechargeable battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positive electrodes contain nickel hydroxide as their active mass and the negative electrodes contain a hydrogen storage alloy or cadmium as their active material, or wherein the positive electrodes contain chalcogenide, containing lithium ions, as their active mass, and the negative electrodes contain a compound which absorbs lithium as the active material.

6. A method for producing a rechargeable battery comprising:

forming electrode strips and splitting said strips into electrode plates;

stacking positive and negative electrodes on top of one another with the interposition of separators;

mechanically and electrically joining together both the positive and negative electrodes to one another at an edge portion in at least two points on their respective circumferences;

impregnating the electrode packet produced therefrom with electrolyte;

inserting the impregnated electrode packet into a cell cover provided with a seal;

fitting a cell cup onto the impregnated electrode packet, cover and seal; and

clinching the cell cup, impregnated electrode packet, cover and seal to form a gastight seal.

7. A rechargeable battery having a case in the form of a gastight button cell comprising:

a case cup;

a case cover connected to said case cup via an electrically insulating seal and containing positive and negative electrodes with intermediate separators and an electrolyte;

an electrode set formed from said electrodes and separators arranged in said case, cup, said electrode set containing at least two electrodes of one polarity which enclose an electrode of another polarity between them, said electrodes of each polarity being mechanically and electrically connected at at least two locations on their respective circumferences, and an electrically conductive contact plate connected to at least the electrodes of one polarity, said contact plate having connecting lugs extending therefrom, to which connecting tabs of said electrodes are electrically connected.

8. A rechargeable battery having a case in the form of a gastight button cell comprising:

a case cup;

a case cover connected to said case cup via an electrically insulation seal and containing positive and negative electrodes with intermediate separators and an electrolyte;

an electrode set formed from said electrodes and separators arranged in said case, cup, said electrode set containing at least two electrodes of one polarity which enclose an electrode of another polarity between them, said electrodes of each polarity being mechanically and electrically connected at at least two locations on their respective circumferences;

an electrically conductive contact plate connected to at least the electrodes of one polarity, said contact plate having openings extending therethrough to facilitate passage of said electrolyte and projections extending therefrom.

9. A rechargeable battery having a case in the form of a gastight button cell comprising:

a case cup;

a case cover connected to said case cup via an electrically insulation seal and containing positive and negative electrodes with intermediate separators and an electrolyte;

wherein an electrode set formed from said electrodes and separators is arranged in the case;

wherein said electrode set contains at least two electrodes of one polarity which enclose an electrode of another polarity between them;

wherein said electrodes of each polarity are mechanically and electrically joined together at their edge portions that overhang said electrodes at at least two locations on their respective circumferences;

wherein at least the electrodes of one polarity are connected to an electrically conductive contact plate; and

wherein the seal is provided with retaining studs for connection to the projections of the contact plate.

10. A rechargeable battery having a case in the form of a gastight button cell comprising:

a case cup;

a case cover connected to said case cup via an electrically insulation seal and containing positive and negative electrodes with intermediate separators and an electrolyte;

wherein an electrode set formed from said electrodes and separators is arranged in the case;

wherein said electrode set contains at least two electrodes of one polarity which enclose an electrode of another polarity between them;

wherein said electrodes of each polarity are mechanically and electrically joined together at their edge portions that overhang said electrodes at at least two locations on their respective circumferences; and

wherein separator leaves located between the electrodes are at least partially welded to one another at their edge portions which overhang the electrodes.

11. A rechargeable battery having a case in the form of a gastight button cell comprising:

a case cup;

a case cover connected to said case cup via an electrically insulation seal and containing positive and negative electrodes with intermediate separators and an electrolyte;

wherein an electrode set formed from said electrodes and separators is arranged in the case;

wherein said electrode set contains at least two electrodes of one polarity which enclose an electrode of another polarity between them; and

wherein said electrodes of each polarity are mechanically and electrically joined together at their edge portions that overhang said electrodes at at least two locations on their respective circumferences.