Screen-less anode design concepts for low cost lithium electrochemical cells for use in implantable medical device applications
First Claim
1. An electrochemical cell, which comprises:
- a) a casing;
b) an anode comprising;
i) a body of lithium as an anode active material, the body comprising spaced apart front and back major lithium body faces extending to a sidewall defining an anode thickness; and
ii) a metal strip comprising an anode current collector, wherein the metal strip comprises spaced apart front and back major strip faces extending to and meeting with a metal strip edge, and wherein the metal, strip extends from at least one proximal metal strip portion to a distal metal strip portion having a distal metal strip end;
iii) wherein the spaced apart front and back major strip faces of the at least one proximal metal strip portion extend within respective front and back planes in the anode thickness between the front and back major lithium body faces, andiv) wherein lithium directly contacts the front and back major strip faces and the metal strip edge of the at least one proximal metal strip portion, andv) wherein the proximal metal strip portion contacted by lithium is devoid of perforations, andvi) wherein the distal metal strip portion is electrically connected to an anode terminal; and
c) a cathode of at least one cathode active material contacted to at least one side of a cathode current collector;
d) a separator disposed between the anode and the cathode to prevent direct physical contact between them; and
e) a nonaqueous electrolyte activating the anode and the cathode housed inside the casing.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A new cathode design having a first cathode active material of a relatively low energy density but of a relatively high rate capability contacted to one side of a current collector and a second cathode active material having a relatively high energy density but of a relatively low rate capability contacted to the opposite side thereof is described. A preferred cathode is: SVO/current collector/CFx with the CFx facing a lithium anode body devoid of a screen-type current collector. The lithium anode is either supported directly on the inner casing sidewall or is contacted to a relatively small strip of metal devoid of perforations and serving as an anode current collector electrically connected to the negative terminal.
20 Citations
34 Claims
-
1. An electrochemical cell, which comprises:
-
a) a casing; b) an anode comprising; i) a body of lithium as an anode active material, the body comprising spaced apart front and back major lithium body faces extending to a sidewall defining an anode thickness; and ii) a metal strip comprising an anode current collector, wherein the metal strip comprises spaced apart front and back major strip faces extending to and meeting with a metal strip edge, and wherein the metal, strip extends from at least one proximal metal strip portion to a distal metal strip portion having a distal metal strip end; iii) wherein the spaced apart front and back major strip faces of the at least one proximal metal strip portion extend within respective front and back planes in the anode thickness between the front and back major lithium body faces, and iv) wherein lithium directly contacts the front and back major strip faces and the metal strip edge of the at least one proximal metal strip portion, and v) wherein the proximal metal strip portion contacted by lithium is devoid of perforations, and vi) wherein the distal metal strip portion is electrically connected to an anode terminal; and c) a cathode of at least one cathode active material contacted to at least one side of a cathode current collector; d) a separator disposed between the anode and the cathode to prevent direct physical contact between them; and e) a nonaqueous electrolyte activating the anode and the cathode housed inside the casing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. An electrochemical cell, which comprises:
-
a) a casing; b) an anode comprising; i) lithium as an anode active material having spaced apart front and back major lithium body faces extending to a sidewall defining an anode thickness, wherein the sidewall comprises spaced apart upper and lower lithium body edges defining an anode height, and right and left lithium body edges defining an anode width; and ii) a metal strip comprising an anode current collector, wherein the metal strip comprises spaced apart front and back major strip faces extending to and meeting with right and left strip edges, and wherein the metal strip extends from at least one proximal metal strip portion to a distal metal strip portion having a distal metal strip end; iii) wherein the metal strip is substantially centered in the anode thickness with the spaced apart front and back major strip faces extending within respective front and back planes between the front and back major lithium body faces, and iv) wherein lithium directly contacts the front and back major strip faces and the right and left strip edges at the proximal metal strip portion and part of the distal metal strip portion, but not the distal metal strip end, and v) wherein the metal strip is devoid of perforations where it is contacted by lithium, and vi) wherein the distal metal strip end is electrically connected to an anode terminal; and c) a cathode comprising a first cathode active material and a second cathode active material, wherein the first cathode active material has a relatively low energy density but a relatively high rate capability with respect to the second cathode active material and is contacted to one side of a cathode current collector and wherein the second cathode active material has a relatively high energy density but a relatively low rate capability with respect to the first cathode active material and is contacted to the other side of the cathode current collector; d) a separator disposed between the anode and the cathode to prevent direct physical contact between them; and e) a nonagueous electrolyte activating the anode and the cathode housed inside the casing. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. An implantable medical device, which comprises:
- a housing;
a control circuitry contained inside the housing to control functioning of the medical device; and
an electrochemical cell contained inside the housing for powering the control circuitry, the improvement, in the cell comprising;a) a casing; b) an anode comprising; i) a body of lithium as an anode active material having spaced apart front and back major faces, the front and back major faces extending to an upper edge and a spaced apart lower edge defining an anode height, and right and left edges defining an anode width; and ii) a metal strip comprising an anode current collector, wherein the metal strip comprises spaced apart front and back major strip faces extending to and meeting with right and left strip edges, and wherein the metal strip extends from at least one proximal metal strip portion to a distal metal strip portion having a distal metal strip end; iii) wherein the metal strip is substantially centered in the anode thickness with the spaced apart front and back major strip faces extending within respective front and back planes between the front and back major lithium body sides, and iv) wherein lithium directly contacts the front and back major strip faces and the right and left strip edges at the proximal metal strip portion and part of the distal metal strip portion, but not the distal metal strip end, and v) wherein the metal strip is devoid of perforations where it is contacted by lithium, and vi) wherein the distal metal strip end is electrically connected to an anode terminal; and c) a cathode comprising a first cathode active material and a second cathode active material, wherein the first cathode active material has a relatively low energy density but a relatively high rate capability with respect to the second cathode active material and is contacted to one side of a cathode current collector and wherein the second cathode active material has a relatively high energy density but a relatively low rate capability with respect to the first cathode active material and is contacted to the opposite side of the cathode current collector, and wherein the second cathode active material faces the anode; d) a separator disposed between the anode and the cathode to prevent direct physical contact between them; and e) a nonaqueous electrolyte activating the anode and the cathode housed inside the casing. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
- a housing;
-
27. A method for providing an electrochemical cell, comprising the steps of
a) providing a casing; -
b) providing an anode comprising; i) a body of lithium as an anode active material having spaced apart front and back major faces extending to a sidewall defining an anode thickness; and ii) a metal strip comprising an anode current collector, wherein the metal strip comprises spaced apart front and back major strip faces extending to and meeting a metal strip edge, and wherein the metal strip extends from at least one proximal metal strip portion to a distal metal strip portion having a distal metal strip end; iii) wherein the metal strip is substantially centered in the anode thickness with the spaced apart front and back major strip faces extending within respective front and back planes between the front and back major lithium body sides, and iv) wherein lithium directly contacts the front and back major strip faces and the metal strip edge at the proximal metal strip portion and part of the distal metal strip portion, but not the distal metal strip end, and v) wherein the metal strip is devoid of perforations where it is contacted by lithium, and vi) wherein the distal metal strip is electrically connected to an anode terminal, and c) providing a cathode of a cathode active material; d) disposing a separator between the anode and the cathode to prevent direct physical contact between them housed inside the casing; and e) activating the anode and the cathode with a nonaqueous electrolyte. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
Specification