Low resistance bonding in a multi-electrode double layer capacitor having single electrolyte seal and aluminum-impregnated carbon cloth electrodes

• US 6,430,031 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2001
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tesla Inc.
• Original Assignee: Maxwell Electronic Components Group Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Crawford, Robert W., Dispennette, John M., Blank, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Reichard, Dean A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ha, Nguyen T
• Application Number:
  US09/782,577
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 361/502, 361/503, 361/504, 361/519, 361/521, 361/306.1, 361/510, 361/512, 361/523, 361/525, 361/528, 361/529
• US Class Current: 361/502
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/12 Stacked hybrid or EDL capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/52 Separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/72 specially adapted for integration in multiple or stacked hybrid or EDL capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/78 Cases; Housings; Encapsulations; Mountings
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/82 Fixing or assembling a capacitive element in a housing, e.g. mounting electrodes, current collectors or terminals in containers or encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/13 Energy storage using capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49149 by metal fusion bonding

Abstract

An ultrasonically bonded electrical interconnection for use in a double layer capacitor consists of ten or more current collector foils bonded together and at least one dummy collector foil bonded to the ten or more current collector foils. The at least one dummy collector foil does not function as a current collector foil as a result of the ultrasonic bonding.

Claims

1. An ultrasonically bonded electrical interconnection for use in a double layer capacitor comprising:

ten or more current collector foils bonded together; and

at least one dummy collector foil bonded to the ten or more current collector foils.

2. The interconnection of claim 1 wherein said ten or more current collector foils comprise twenty-five or more current collector foils.

3. The interconnection of claim 1 wherein each of said at least one dummy collector foil comprises a portion of respective ones of said ten or more current collector foils, wherein other ones of said ten or more current collector foils do not have a respective portion.

4. The interconnection of claim 1 wherein each of said at least one dummy collector foil comprises an extra portion of a respective one of said ten or more current collector foils, wherein the extra portion is folded over others of the ten or more current collector foils.

5. The interconnection of claim 1 wherein the at least one dummy collector foil is positioned on a portion of a stack of the ten or more current collector foils where a high frequency horn is used to bond the ten or more current collector foils and the at least one dummy collector to each other.

6. The interconnection of claim 1 wherein said ten or more current collector foils and said at least one dummy collector foil are bonded together proximate to one end of the ten or more current collector foils.

7. The interconnection of claim 1 wherein each of the ten or more current collector foils and said at least one dummy collector foil comprise aluminum.

8. The interconnection of claim 1 wherein the ten or more current collector foils have a first length and the at least one dummy collector foils has a second length, wherein the first length is greater than the second length.

9. The interconnection of claim 1 wherein each of the ten or more current collector foils comprise a portion of a tab portion of a current collector foil also having a paddle portion.

10. The interconnection of claim 9 wherein the at least dummy collector foil has a length less than a length of the tab portion of each of the ten or more current collector foils.

11. The interconnection of claim 1 wherein the ten or more current collector foils are ultrasonically bonded together and the at least one dummy collector foil bonded is ultrasonically bonded to each other and to the ten or more current collector foils.

12. The interconnection of claim 11 wherein the at least dummy foil is damaged from being ultrasonically bonded.