Cell and module battery of sealed alkaline storage battery

• US 5,510,203 A
• Filed: 08/15/1994
• Issued: 04/23/1996
• 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: Hamada, Shinji, Ikoma, Munehisa, Matsuda, Hiromu, Takata, Kanji, Yokota, Akinori
• Primary Examiner(s): KALAFUT, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US08/290,167
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 429/53, 429/148, 429/151, 429/153, 429/156, 429/157, 429/163
• 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 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6562 with free flow by convection only
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/1385 Hybrid cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/258 Modular batteries; Casings provided with means for assembling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A module battery of sealed alkaline storage battery comprises a plurality of cells stacked in one direction each of which comprises a battery casing of a synthetic resin, an electrolyte and an electrode group accommodated in the battery casing and a lid with a safety bent sealingly fitted to the opening of the battery casing; wherein the cells are bound in the direction of stacking by binding members for coupling the end plates at the ends of the stacked battery assembly to each other; the cells are butted to each other by a plurality of parallel ribs formed on the outer surface of the battery casing along the direction of stacking thereby to form spaces for allowing air flow between the cells, a thickness of the side wall of the battery casing along the direction of stacking is 1 to 3 mm, a rib height 1 to 2 mm, a rib interval 10 to 15 mm, and a rib width 3 to 10 mm.

Claims

1. A cell of a sealed alkaline storage battery comprising:

a battery casing of a synthetic resin,

an alkaline electrolyte and an electrode group accommodated in said battery casing, and

a lid with a safety vent sealingly fitted to the opening of said battery casing;

wherein said battery casing has a plurality of ribs in parallel with each other on outer surfaces thereof, a thickness of side walls of said casing having said ribs is from 1 mm to 3 mm, a rib height is from 1 mm to 2 mm, an interval between said ribs is from 10 mm to 15 mm, and a rib width is from 3 mm to 10 mm.

2. The cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein a thickness of side walls (19) of said casing without ribs is from 3 mm to 5 mm and a thickness of said lid (13) is from 3 mm to 5 mm.

3. The cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein the material making up said battery casing is a synthetic resin from 14,000 kg/cm² to 28,000 kg/cm² in bending elastic modulus.

4. The cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of said ribs has a protrusion (23) on its surface and another one has a recess (24) on its surface, for defining relative positions of cells.

5. The cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein said ribs (21) (30) are formed continuously in longitudinal or lateral direction of said battery casing.

6. The cell in accordance with claim 1, wherein positive electrode plates of said electrode group are nickel electrodes including nickel hydroxide as an active material, and negative electrode plates thereof are made of, as a main component, a hydrogen storage alloy which electrochemically absorbs and desorbs hydrogen.

7. A module battery (31) comprising a plurality of cells (10) stacked in one direction forming a stacked assembly, each of said cells comprising a battery casing (12) of a synthetic resin, an alkaline electrolyte and an electrode group (11) accommodated in said battery casing, and a lid (13) with a safety vent (16) sealingly fitted to the opening of said battery casing;

wherein said cells are bound in a direction of stacking of cells by binding members (34) connecting end plates (33) to each other provided on both ends in said stacked assembly, spaces (36) for allowing air flow between said cells are formed by a plurality of parallel ribs (21) (30) formed in butted relation with each other on the outer surfaces of said battery casing in the direction of stacking, and a thickness of side walls (18) of said battery casing along the direction of stacking is from 1 mm to 3 mm, a rib height from 1 mm to 2 mm, a rib interval from 10 mm to 15 mm, and a rib width from 3 mm to 10 mm.

8. The module battery in accordance with claim 7, wherein a thickness of the other side walls (19) of said battery casing is from 3 mm to 5 mm and a thickness of said lid is from 3 mm to 5 mm.

9. The module battery in accordance with claim 7, wherein recesses (22) are formed for positioning said binding members (34) on the side walls of said battery casing.

10. The module battery in accordance with claim 7, wherein adjacent cells are positioned relatively to each other by at least two positioning members including a recess (24) on the rib surface of one battery casing and a protrusion (23) on the rib surface of the other battery casing fitted to each other.

11. The module battery in accordance with claim 7, wherein positive and negative electrode plates of said electrode group are laminated along the direction of stacking of the cells through a separator, and said electrode group is at least partially in contact with the inner surface of the battery casing.

12. The module battery in accordance with claim 7, wherein the operating pressure of said safety vent is from 2 kg/cm² to 8 kg/cm².

13. The module battery in accordance with claim 7, wherein positive electrode plates of said electrode group are nickel electrodes made of nickel hydroxide as an active material, and negative electrode plates are made of, as a main component, a hydrogen storage alloy which electrochemically absorbs and desorbs hydrogen.

15. The module battery in accordance with claim 8, wherein positive and negative electrode plates of said electrode group are laminated along the direction of stacking of the cells through a separator, and said electrode group is at least partially in contact with the inner surface of the battery casing.

16. The module battery in accordance with claim 9, wherein positive and negative electrode plates of said electrode group are laminated along the direction of stacking of the cells through a separator, and said electrode group is at least partially in contact with the inner surface of the battery casing.

17. The module battery in accordance with claim 10, wherein positive and negative electrode plates of said electrode group are laminated along the direction of stacking of the cells through a separator, and said electrode group is at least partially in contact with the inner surface of the battery casing.

18. A module battery of sealed alkaline storage battery in accordance with claim 8, wherein the operating pressure of said safety vent is from 2 kg/cm² to 8 kg/cm².

19. The module battery in accordance with claim 9, wherein the operating pressure of said safety vent is from 2 kg/cm² to 8 kg/cm².

20. The module battery in accordance with claim 10, wherein the operating pressure of said safety vent is from 2 kg/cm² to 8 kg/cm².

21. The module battery in accordance with claim 8, wherein positive electrode plates of said electrode group are nickel electrodes made of nickel hydroxide as an active material, and negative electrode plates are made of, as a main component, a hydrogen storage alloy which electrochemically absorbs and desorbs hydrogen.

22. The module battery in accordance with claim 9, wherein positive electrode plates of said electrode group are nickel electrodes made of nickel hydroxide as an active material, and negative electrode plates are made of, as a main component, a hydrogen storage alloy which electrochemically absorbs and desorbs hydrogen.

23. The module battery in accordance with claim 10, wherein positive electrode plates of said electrode group are nickel electrodes made of nickel hydroxide as an active material, and negative electrode plates are made of, as a main component, a hydrogen storage alloy which electrochemically absorbs and desorbs hydrogen.

14. A battery casing of a synthetic resin for configuring a module battery by stacking a plurality of cells in one direction, wherein a plurality of parallel ribs in butted relation with an adjacent battery casing are formed on the outer surfaces of side walls of said casing along the direction of stacking, a thickness of said side walls along the direction of stacking is from 1 mm to 3 mm and a thickness of the other casing side walls from 3 mm to 5 mm.