JP2000138055A - Nonaqueous electrolyte battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent break of a screw thread even when a connecting tool is over fastened or attaching/detaching is repeated, by mounting a metallic helical insert whose strength is higher than that of a metal material of a positive electrode terminal to a connecting female screw portion formed at the positive electrode terminal using aluminum or its alloy. SOLUTION: The bottom surface of a flange portion 5b, the lower part of a positive electrode terminal 5 body of aluminum or the like is crimped into an opening hole of a positive electrode collector 4, and is fixed to an opening hole of a lid portion 6b via a ceramics ring 7 or the like on the way, and a connecting female screw portion 5a is opened in the top surface. A helical insert 12 is mounted here which is composed of iron and steel, stainless steel, or an alloy of Ti, Ni, Al or the like and formed by tightly winding metal material having high strength and elasticity in a coil shape. A bolt passing through a crimp terminal is hinged with this female shaped inner peripheral surface, and a male shaped outer peripheral surface protects a screw thread of the connecting female screw portion 5a. Instead of the helical insert 12, a cylindrical sleeve having a penetration or a bottom in a similar structure can be used.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a nonaqueous electrolyte battery using an aluminum material or the like for a positive electrode terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A structural example of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery provided with a large-sized and large-capacity long cylindrical wound power generating element 1 used for an electric vehicle or the like will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the power generating element 1 includes a band-shaped positive electrode 1a and a band-shaped negative electrode 1b, and a band-shaped separator 1c.
And is wound into a long cylindrical shape via a. The positive electrode 1a is obtained by coating a positive electrode active material such as a lithium-cobalt composite oxide on the surface excluding the lower end of the aluminum foil, and the negative electrode 1b is coated with a negative electrode active material such as graphite on the surface excluding the upper end of the copper foil. It has been applied. The positive electrode 1a and the negative electrode 1b are wound slightly up and down, respectively, so that the lower end where the aluminum foil of the positive electrode 1a is exposed projects downward, and the negative electrode 1b extends upward.
The upper end where the copper foil of b is exposed is projected.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a negative electrode current collector 2 and a positive electrode current collector 4 are connected and fixed to the power generating element 1. The negative electrode current collector 2 is formed by pressing a copper plate to form a current collecting portion 2a at one end, and a negative electrode terminal 3 made of a copper material is connected and fixed to the other end by caulking or the like. The positive electrode current collector 4 is formed by pressing an aluminum plate to form a current collecting portion 4a at one lower end, and a positive electrode terminal 5 made of aluminum material is caulked at the other end drawn upward from the lower end. The connection is fixed. These negative terminals 3
And the positive electrode terminal 5 are formed by projecting a cylindrical main body above the plate surfaces of the negative electrode current collector 2 and the positive electrode current collector 4. The aluminum ring 8 is externally fitted and fixed
Hermetic seal is applied. The cylindrical body of the negative electrode current collector 2 and the positive electrode current collector 4 and the ceramic ring 7 and the space between the ceramic ring 7 and the aluminum ring 8 are sealed with a sealing material such as a metal brazing material. It is fixed. The negative electrode terminal 3 is connected and fixed to the current collector 2a by ultrasonic welding, laser welding, or the like, with the copper foil at the upper end of the negative electrode 1b projecting above the power generating element 1 interposed therebetween. Further, the positive electrode current collector 4 also includes a power generation element 1
The aluminum foil at the lower end of the positive electrode 1a protruding downward is sandwiched between them, and connected and fixed by ultrasonic welding, laser welding, or the like.

The power generating element 1 in which the negative electrode current collector 2 and the positive electrode current collector 4 are connected and fixed is housed in a long cylindrical battery case 6 as shown in FIG. The battery case 6 is formed by fitting an oblong plate-shaped lid 6b into an upper end opening of a case body 6a in the shape of a long cylindrical container, and sealingly fixing the lid 6b by TIG welding, laser welding, or the like. At this time, the upper end of the cylindrical main body of the negative electrode terminal 3 and the positive electrode terminal 5 is inserted into the opening 6 at two places from below in advance, and the aluminum ring 8 via the ceramic ring 7 is fitted into the lid 6b. Then, it is sealed and fixed by TIG welding, laser welding, or the like. Therefore, in the case of the positive electrode terminal 5, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the caulking protrusion 5c at the lower end is caulked to the positive electrode current collector 4 and connected and fixed, and the upper end of the cylindrical main body is covered with a lid. It protrudes upward from the opening of the portion 6b and is insulated and sealed by the ceramic ring 7 on the inner peripheral portion of the aluminum ring 8 fitted in the opening. Similarly, the negative electrode terminal 3 is connected and fixed to the negative electrode current collector 2 and is insulated and sealed in the opening of the lid 6b.

[0005] The positive electrode terminal 5 is provided with a connecting female screw portion 5a which is opened on the upper end surface of the cylindrical main body. By screwing the bolt 10 through the crimp terminal 9, the external cable 14 crimped to the crimp terminal 9 can be connected to the positive electrode 1 a of the power generating element 1 inside the battery case 6. Further, a similar female screw portion for connection is also formed on the negative electrode terminal 3 so that an external cable can be connected.

Here, in the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, it is common to use a pure aluminum material for the positive electrode terminal 5 and a pure copper material for the negative electrode terminal 3 as described above. That is, since the positive electrode terminal 5 has a positive potential in the non-aqueous electrolyte like the positive electrode 1a and the positive electrode current collector 4, the corrosion resistance due to the positive electrode terminal 5 is taken into consideration, and the weldability of the positive electrode 1a to the aluminum foil is considered. In consideration of this, the same type of aluminum material is used. Also, the negative electrode terminal 3
Has a negative potential in a non-aqueous electrolyte like the negative electrode 1b and the negative electrode current collector 2, so that the corrosion resistance due to this and the weldability of the negative electrode 1b to the copper foil are also taken into consideration. Use the same type of copper material.

[0007]

However, since aluminum has a low strength as a metal material, if this is used for the positive electrode terminal 5, a bolt 1 for connecting the cable 14 is used.
When the bolt 0 is excessively tightened or when the bolt 10 is repeatedly attached and detached many times, there is a problem that the thread of the female screw portion 5a for connection may be damaged and the battery may not be connected.

To solve this problem, FIG.
As shown in (1), a male screw projecting from the lower end of a metal fitting 11 made of a high-strength metal such as steel or stainless steel is screwed into the female screw part 5a for connection of the positive electrode terminal 5 made of aluminum material in advance. In some cases, a bolt 10 or the like is screwed into a female screw formed on the main body of the connection fitting 11.
However, when such a connection fitting 11 is used, a protruding amount of the positive electrode terminal 5 from the lid 6b becomes large, and a new problem that wastes a large space for installing a battery arises.

The above problem occurs not only when the connecting female screw portion 5a is formed in the positive electrode terminal 5 but also when the connecting male screw portion protrudes. In addition, not only the positive electrode terminal 5 made of an aluminum material, but also the negative electrode terminal 3 made of a copper material having a lower strength than stainless steel or the like occurs.

[0010] The present invention has been made in order to cope with such a situation, and by mounting a high-strength metal screw such as steel or stainless steel to a terminal such as aluminum or copper, the screw thread is damaged. It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-aqueous electrolyte battery that is not likely to be damaged.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-aqueous electrolyte battery, wherein a female screw portion for connection is formed on a positive electrode terminal using aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and a positive screw terminal is formed on a female screw portion for connection of the positive electrode terminal. A helicert made of metal having a higher strength than the metal material is mounted.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a bolt or the like is screwed into the female screw portion for connection of the positive electrode terminal, the bolt is screwed into the heli-sert. The internal thread and the thread of the helisert will not be damaged.

In the non-aqueous electrolyte battery according to the present invention, a female screw portion for connection is formed on the positive electrode terminal made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and the female screw portion for connection of this positive electrode terminal is formed of a metal material for the positive electrode terminal. It is made of a high-strength metal, and is characterized in that a male screw formed on the outer periphery of a through-tube or bottomed sleeve having a female screw portion formed on the inner periphery is screwed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a bolt or the like is screwed into the female screw portion on the inner periphery of the metal sleeve having a higher strength than aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Even if it is repeated, the female thread portion for connection and the thread of the sleeve will not be damaged.

In the nonaqueous electrolyte battery according to the third aspect, a connection hole is formed in the positive electrode terminal using aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and the connection hole of the positive electrode terminal is formed of a material smaller than the metal material of the positive electrode terminal. It is made of a high-strength metal, and has a penetrating cylindrical or bottomed cylindrical sleeve having an internal thread formed on its inner periphery, and is fitted and fixed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a bolt or the like is screwed into the female screw portion on the inner periphery of the metal sleeve having a higher strength than aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Even if repeated, the thread of the sleeve will not be damaged.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-aqueous electrolyte battery comprising: a positive male terminal made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy; The part is made of metal higher in strength than the metal material of the positive electrode terminal, and is screwed with a female screw formed on the inner circumference of a cylindrical sleeve with a through-hole or a lid with a male thread formed on the outer circumference. The sleeve is externally fitted and fixed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since a nut or the like is screwed to the external thread portion of the outer periphery of the metal sleeve having higher strength than aluminum or aluminum alloy, the nut or the like is repeatedly tightened or repeatedly attached and detached. Even when the thread of the sleeve or the like is damaged, it does not occur. The sleeve is screwed to the male screw portion for connection of the positive electrode terminal, or is securely fitted and fixed to the connecting protrusion.

A nonaqueous electrolyte battery according to claim 5 is characterized in that the positive electrode terminal using aluminum or an aluminum alloy is a negative electrode terminal using copper or a copper alloy.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the heli-sert or the sleeve is similarly attached to the negative electrode terminal using copper or copper alloy which is not as strong as aluminum or aluminum alloy but has relatively low strength as compared with stainless steel or the like. Thereby, breakage of the thread can be prevented.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view when a heli-sert is mounted on a positive terminal, and FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view at the time of attaching. In addition, FIG.
Components having the same functions as those of the conventional example shown in FIG. 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery similar to the conventional example shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 will be described. The positive electrode terminal 5 of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is made of an aluminum material, and as shown in FIG. 1, a female connection portion 5a for opening at an upper end surface is formed in a cylindrical main body. However, assuming that the connecting female screw portion 5a shown in the conventional example of FIG. 10 has a size of M8, the connecting female screw portion 5a of the present embodiment.
Is a female screw of M10 size. This positive terminal 5
The flange 5b is formed at the lower end, and a caulking projection 5c protrudes from the lower end surface of the flange 5b. Then, the positive electrode terminal 5 is connected and fixed by inserting the caulking projection 5c into the opening of the positive electrode current collector 4 and caulking. The positive electrode terminal 5 has a ceramic hermetic seal formed by externally fixing an aluminum ring 8 via a ceramic ring 7 to the middle of a cylindrical main body by brazing in advance, and applying a ceramic hermetic seal to the opening. The upper end of the cylindrical main body is inserted from below, and an aluminum ring 8 via a ceramic ring 7 is fitted and sealed and fixed by TIG welding, laser welding, or the like.

The connection between the positive electrode terminal 5 and the positive electrode current collector 4 can be fixed by other means such as welding. The positive electrode terminal 5 is connected to the positive electrode 1a via a lead material instead of the positive electrode current collector 4.
Can also be connected. Also, the insulating sealing of the positive electrode terminal 5 is not limited to such a ceramic hermetic seal, and any sealing means such as a glass hermetic seal or a resin sealing material such as an O-ring can be used.

A helicert 12 is mounted on the female screw portion 5a for connection of the positive electrode terminal 5. Helisert 12
It is a metal material that has higher strength than steel, stainless steel, copper alloy, titanium alloy, nickel alloy or aluminum alloy, and other pure aluminum materials and has elasticity, and is wound tightly in a coil shape. The outer peripheral surface has a male screw shape and the inner peripheral surface has a female screw shape. The heli-sert 12 is mounted on the female connection thread 5a using an insertion tool. Then, the outer peripheral surface of the heli-sert 12 is screwed to the connecting female screw portion 5a of M10, and the inner peripheral surface becomes an M8 female screw shape.

As shown in FIG. 2, the positive electrode terminal 5
The external cable 14 crimped to the crimp terminal 9 is screwed by screwing the M8 bolt 10 through the crimp terminal 9.
Is connected. At this time, since the male screw of the bolt 10 is screwed into the female screw-shaped portion of the inner peripheral surface of the helisert 12,
Female screw part 5 for connection of positive electrode terminal 5 made of aluminum material
a is protected by the strong heli-sert 12;
Even when the bolt 10 is excessively tightened or when the bolt 10 is repeatedly attached and detached many times, there is no possibility that the thread is damaged.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a positive electrode terminal in which a sleeve is mounted on a female screw portion for connection, and FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the positive electrode terminal which attached the sleeve. Note that components having the same functions as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

In this embodiment, the positive electrode terminal 5 of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be described.
However, in the positive electrode terminal 5, as shown in FIG. 3, the diameter of the cylindrical main body is increased, and the female screw portion 5a for connection of M12 is formed here. In addition, the connecting female screw portion 5a
, A sleeve 13 is screwed. Sleeve 13
Is a cylindrical body made of a metal material having higher strength than steel, stainless steel, copper alloy, titanium alloy, nickel alloy or aluminum alloy, and other pure aluminum materials, and an M12 external thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface, M8 on inner surface
Female screw is formed.

The positive terminal 5 is also connected to the first embodiment shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), an external cable 14 can be connected by screwing an M8 bolt 10 through the crimp terminal 9. At this time, since the male screw of the bolt 10 is screwed into the female screw on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 13, the female screw part 5 a for connection of the positive electrode terminal 5 made of aluminum material is protected by the high-strength sleeve 13. Even if the screw 10 is excessively tightened or repeatedly attached and detached, there is no possibility that the thread is damaged.

In the above-described embodiment, the case has been described in which the female screw portion 5a for connection is provided on the positive electrode terminal 5 and the male screw is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 13. However, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, a connection hole 5d that is not threaded may be provided, and a sleeve 13 having an outer peripheral surface formed into a cylindrical peripheral surface that is not threaded may be fitted and fixed therein. This sleeve 13 is press-fitted, caulked,
It is securely fixed to the connection hole 5d by brazing or an adhesive. However, if the connection hole 5d of the positive electrode terminal 5 and the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 13 are polygonal, it is possible to securely fix the sleeve 13 only by taking measures to prevent the sleeve 13 from falling off.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the sleeve 13 is a through cylinder having no bottom is described, but a sleeve with a bottom may be used.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a positive electrode terminal in which a sleeve is mounted on a male screw portion for connection, and FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the positive electrode terminal which attached the sleeve. In addition, FIG.
Components having functions similar to those of the first and second embodiments shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be described. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the positive terminal 5 of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery has a connecting male screw portion 5e protruding from a portion protruding above the lid 6b of the cylindrical main body. Further, a sleeve 13 is screwed to the connecting male screw portion 5e. The sleeve 13 is a cylindrical body with a lid made of a metal material having higher strength than steel, stainless steel, copper alloy, titanium alloy, nickel alloy or aluminum alloy, and other pure aluminum materials, and has an external thread formed on the outer peripheral surface. And an internal thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface.

An external cable 14 can be connected to the positive terminal 5 by screwing a nut (not shown) through a crimp terminal 9. At this time, since the female screw of the nut is screwed to the male screw on the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 13,
Male screw part 5 for connection of positive electrode terminal 5 made of aluminum material
e is protected by the high-strength sleeve 13, so that even if the nut is excessively tightened or is repeatedly attached and detached, there is no possibility that the thread is damaged.

In the above-described embodiment, the case has been described where the male screw portion 5e for connection is provided on the positive electrode terminal 5 and the female screw is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 13. However, the positive electrode terminal 5 has the structure shown in FIG. Alternatively, a connection protrusion 5f that is not threaded may be provided, and a sleeve 13 having an inner peripheral surface having a non-threaded cylindrical inner peripheral surface may be fitted and fixed thereto. The sleeve 13 is securely fixed to the connection hole 5d by press-fitting, caulking, brazing, or an adhesive. However, if the shapes of the connecting projection 5f of the positive electrode terminal 5 and the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 13 are polygonal,
It is possible to securely fix the sleeve 13 only by taking measures to prevent the sleeve 13 from falling off.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the sleeve 13 has a cylindrical shape with a lid has been described. However, the sleeve 13 may have a cylindrical shape without a lid.

Further, in the first to third embodiments,
Although the case where a pure aluminum material is used for the positive electrode terminal 5 has been described, an aluminum alloy may be used. In the first to third embodiments, the case where the heli-sert 12 and the sleeve 13 are attached to the positive electrode terminal 5 has been described. However, the present invention can be similarly applied to the negative electrode terminal 3 using copper or a copper alloy. In this case, the heli-sert 12 or the sleeve 1
For 3, another copper alloy, steel, stainless steel, or the like having a higher strength than copper or a copper alloy, which is a metal material of the negative electrode terminal 3, is used.

Further, in the first to third embodiments,
Although the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery has been described, the present invention can be similarly applied to a nonaqueous electrolyte battery as a primary battery. Also, the shape and configuration of the battery case 6 are not limited to the long cylindrical shape or the combination of the case body 6a and the lid 6b, and the power generating element 1 is not limited to the long cylindrical wound type.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the nonaqueous electrolyte battery of the present invention, when the helicert or the sleeve is attached to the positive electrode terminal or the negative electrode terminal, the connector is repeatedly tightened or detached repeatedly. In addition, the thread can be prevented from being damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view when a heli-sert is attached to a positive electrode terminal.

FIG. 2 shows the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view when a bolt is attached to a positive electrode terminal on which helisert is attached.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view of a positive electrode terminal in which a sleeve is mounted on a female screw portion for connection.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a positive electrode terminal according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a sleeve is attached to a connection hole.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view of a positive electrode terminal in which a sleeve is attached to a male screw portion for connection.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view of a positive electrode terminal in which a sleeve is mounted on a connection protrusion.

FIG. 7 is an assembled perspective view showing a configuration example of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery and showing the structure of a power generation element, a negative electrode current collector, and a positive electrode current collector.

FIG. 8 is an assembled perspective view showing a configuration example of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery and showing a structure when a negative electrode current collector and a positive electrode current collector are connected to a power generating element.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, and illustrating a structure of a battery case.

FIG. 10 shows a conventional example, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state where a cable is connected to a positive electrode terminal.

FIG. 11 shows another conventional example, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a connection fitting is screwed to a positive electrode terminal.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Positive terminal 5a Female thread for connection 5d Hole for connection 5e Male thread for connection 5f Projection for connection 12 Helisert 13 Sleeve

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A female screw portion for connection is formed on a positive electrode terminal using aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and a metal helicert having a strength higher than the metal material of the positive electrode terminal is mounted on the female screw portion for connection on the positive electrode terminal. Non-aqueous electrolyte battery characterized by being done. 2. A female screw part for connection is formed on a positive electrode terminal using aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and the female screw part for connection of the positive electrode terminal is made of a metal having higher strength than the metal material of the positive electrode terminal. A non-aqueous electrolyte battery, wherein a male screw formed on an outer periphery of a cylindrical sleeve with a through-hole or a bottom having a female screw portion formed on an inner periphery thereof is screwed. 3. A connection hole is formed in a positive electrode terminal using aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and the connection hole of the positive electrode terminal is made of a metal having higher strength than a metal material of the positive electrode terminal. A non-aqueous electrolyte battery characterized in that a through-tube or bottom-tube sleeve having a female screw portion formed on the inner periphery is fitted and fixed. 4. A positive male terminal made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy is formed with a male screw part for connection or a protruding part for connection, and the male screw part for connection or the protruding part for connection of the positive electrode terminal is provided with a metal material of the positive terminal. It is made of a metal with higher strength, and a female screw formed on the inner periphery of a through-tube or lid-covered cylindrical sleeve having a male screw portion formed on the outer periphery is screwed or externally fixed to this sleeve. Characteristic non-aqueous electrolyte battery. 5. The non-aqueous electrolyte battery according to claim 1, wherein the positive electrode terminal using aluminum or an aluminum alloy is a negative electrode terminal using copper or a copper alloy. .