JP2012160312A - Battery - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure smoothness of a flow of an electrolyte injected from an injection port even when a power generating element is disposed in the vicinity of a lower surface of a lid.SOLUTION: A battery 1 comprises a battery container 2 housing a power generating element 3, and a lid 4 sealing an upper end opening of the battery container 2. The lid 4 is provided with an injection port 33 for an electrolyte. An electrolyte injection guide part 31 is formed by swelling the lid 4 upward. A guide groove 31b communicating with the injection port 33 is provided on the lower side of the electrolyte injection guide part 31.

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery such as a non-electrolyte secondary battery.

  In a battery such as a non-electrolyte secondary battery, the upper end opening of a battery container containing a power generation element is sealed with a lid. The lid is provided with an inlet for injecting the electrolyte into the battery container (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-289611 A (FIG. 1)

  The higher the proportion of the power generation element relative to the volume of the battery container, the higher the energy efficiency. Therefore, from the viewpoint of energy efficiency, it is preferable to arrange the upper end position of the power generation element as close as possible to the lower surface of the lid. However, if the upper end of the power generation element is positioned near the lower surface of the lid, the smooth flow of the electrolyte injected into the battery container from the injection port is hindered, and the power generation element in the battery container is placed in the electrolyte. It is difficult to spread the entire area.

  This invention makes it a subject to ensure the smoothness of the flow of the electrolyte solution inject | poured from an injection port, even when arrange | positioning an electric power generation element in the lower surface vicinity of a cover body.

  The present invention includes a battery container containing a power generation element, a lid that seals the opening of the battery container, an electrolyte inlet formed in the lid, and an inner surface of the lid that communicates with the inlet. Provided is a battery comprising a recess provided to do so.

  Even when the power generation element is arranged near the lower surface of the lid body, the electrolyte can be smoothly injected into the battery container from the inlet through the recess formed on the inner surface of the lid body. Electrolyte spreads over the entire area. As a result, the upper end of the power generation element is positioned in the vicinity of the lower surface of the lid so that the ratio of the power generation element to the volume of the battery container is increased and high energy efficiency can be realized.

  For example, the concave portion is a space inside the bulging portion where a part of the lid bulges outward.

  By providing a three-dimensional bulge that bulges a part of the lid, the section modulus at the bulge is higher than that of a simple flat plate, resulting in a thickness that causes an increase in weight, etc. It is possible to increase the rigidity of the lid without increasing the height.

  It is preferable that the bulging portion is formed by drawing the lid.

  By forming the bulging portion by drawing, work hardening occurs around the bulging portion of the lid body, yield stress increases locally, and the rigidity of the lid body is further improved.

  Even when the power generation element is arranged near the lower surface of the lid, the shape of the recess is not particularly limited as long as the electrolyte can be smoothly injected into the battery container from the inlet through the recess formed on the inner surface of the lid. . For example, the recess may be a groove on the lower surface of the lid.

  When the space defined by the battery container and the lid is a rectangular parallelepiped, the groove preferably extends in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped space.

  With this configuration, the flow of the electrolyte injected into the battery container from the injection port can be made smoother, and the electrolyte can be spread over the entire region in the battery container where the power generation element is disposed.

  By providing a recess communicating with the electrolyte inlet on the inner surface of the lid, smoothness of the electrolyte injected from the inlet can be ensured even when the power generation element is arranged near the lower surface of the lid. It can be made to spread over the whole area | region where the electric power generation element in a battery container is arrange | positioned. As a result, the ratio of the power generation element to the volume of the battery container can be increased, and high energy efficiency can be realized.

  In addition, by making the space inside the three-dimensional bulging portion where a part of the lid bulges outward as a concave portion, the section coefficient at this portion is made higher than in the case of a simple flat plate, The rigidity of the lid can be increased without increasing the thickness that causes an increase in weight or the like. In particular, by forming the bulging part by drawing, the rigidity of the lid can be further improved by work hardening.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the battery which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Top view of the lid The perspective view which looked at the cover body from the upper surface side. The perspective view which looked at the cover body from the lower surface side. The partial cross section perspective view which looked at the cover body from the lower surface side. Sectional drawing in the VI-VI line of FIG. A typical sectional view for explaining a flow of electrolyte.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a battery) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this battery 1, a power generation element 3 is accommodated in a rectangular battery container 2 made of aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or the like, and an upper end opening of the battery container 2 is sealed with a lid 4. The upper surfaces of the negative external terminal 14 and the positive external terminal 15 are exposed to the outside of the lid 4.

  The power generation element 3 is formed by placing a separator made of a porous resin film between a negative electrode made of copper foil and a positive electrode made of aluminum foil. In the power generation element 3, the negative electrode is electrically connected to the negative electrode external terminal 14 via the negative electrode current collector 12, and the positive electrode is electrically connected to the positive electrode external terminal 15 via the positive electrode current collector 13.

  3 to 5 together, the lid 4 is a long metal plate having a rectangular shape in plan view. At both end portions of the lid body 4, engagement receiving portions 11 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view that bulge upward from the upper surface 4 b are formed. In each engagement receiving part 11, the lower surface 4a of the cover body 4 is recessed, and the engagement recessed part 11a is formed. A through hole 11b is formed in the central portion of the ceiling surface constituting the engaging recess 11a.

  In the drawing, a negative electrode current collector 12 and a negative electrode external terminal 14 are attached to the left engagement receiving portion 11 via an upper packing 16 and a negative electrode lower packing 17 (see FIG. 1). The upper packing 16 is covered from above the engagement receiving portion 11, and the negative electrode lower packing 17 is housed in the engagement recess 11a at a portion provided with a through hole. The negative external terminal 14 includes a plate-like body 21 and a rivet 22. The current collector 12 is superposed on the lower side of the negative electrode lower packing 17, and the base 12 a extends from the base 12 a and is electrically connected to the negative electrode of the power generating element 3 by the clip 10 and mechanically connected. The leg part 12b is provided. The plate-like body 21 of the negative electrode external terminal 14 is disposed so as to overlap the upper packing 16. The rivet 22 of the negative electrode external terminal 14 passes through the upper packing 16, the through hole 11 b of the engagement receiving portion 11, and the base portion 12 a of the negative electrode current collector 12, and then the lower end is expanded to form a head. By this caulking, the negative electrode external terminal 14, the upper packing 16, the negative electrode lower packing 17, and the negative electrode current collector 12 are fixed to the lid 4.

  In the drawing, a positive electrode current collector 13 and a positive electrode external terminal 15 are attached to an engagement receiving portion 11 and a guide recess 11b on the right side via an upper packing 16 and a positive electrode lower packing 18, respectively (see FIG. 1). Similar to the negative electrode side, the upper packing 16 is attached to the engagement receiving portion 11. The positive side lower packing 18 has a flat plate shape with a through hole, and is disposed in the engaging recess 11a. The current collector 13 is disposed so as to overlap the lower side of the positive electrode lower packing 18, and extends from the base portion 13 a and is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the power generating element 3 by the clip 10 and mechanically connected. The leg part 13b is provided. The positive electrode external terminal 15, the upper packing 16, the negative electrode lower packing 18, and the negative electrode current collector 13 are fixed to the lid body 4 by caulking, as in the negative electrode side, by the shaft-like portion extending from the lower portion of the positive electrode external terminal 15. Is done.

  The lid body 4 is formed with a liquid injection guide portion 31 extending in the longitudinal direction of the lid body 4 so as to connect the engagement receiving portions 11 at both ends. In the present embodiment, the liquid injection guide portion 31 has a substantially elongated rectangular shape in plan view, but has a portion (a widened portion 31a) whose width is increased at the center in the longitudinal direction. A safety valve 32 is provided in the widened portion 31a. The liquid injection guide portion 31 bulges upward from the upper surface 4 b of the lid body 4 in the same manner as the engagement receiving portion 11. The liquid injection guide portion 31 constitutes a bulging portion in the present invention. Moreover, in the liquid injection guide part 31, the lower surface 4a of the cover body 4 is recessed, and the guide groove 31b (one aspect of the recessed part in this invention) is formed. In the present embodiment, the guide groove 31b is a groove (elongated concave shape) whose height H and groove width W (see FIG. 6) from the lower surface 4a of the lid body 4 are substantially constant in the longitudinal direction of the lid body 4 except for the widened portion 31a. Part). Further, in the present embodiment, as shown most clearly in FIGS. 4 and 5, both ends of the guide groove 31b communicate with the positive and negative engaging recesses 11a, respectively.

  The liquid injection guide portion 31 is provided with a liquid injection port 33 that penetrates in the thickness direction and communicates with the outside of the lid 4 and the guide groove 31b. In the present embodiment, the position of the liquid injection port 33 in the longitudinal direction of the lid body 4 is set to a position between the widened portion 31a and the engagement receiving portion 11 on the positive electrode side. The liquid injection port 33 is provided for injecting the electrolyte into the battery container 2. After the electrolyte solution is injected into the battery container 2, the liquid injection port 33 is sealed with a stopper 34.

  When injecting the electrolytic solution, the battery container 2 is first evacuated, and the electrolytic solution is sucked into the battery container 2 from the liquid injection port 3 by a vacuum suction force. The sucked electrolyte solution flows smoothly toward the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the lid body 4 through the guide grooves 31b formed on the lower surface 4a of the lid body 4 as conceptually shown by broken arrows in FIG. Specifically, the entire battery container 2 is filled with the electrolytic solution.

  From the viewpoint of energy efficiency of the battery 1, the upper end position of the power generation element 3 is arranged as close as possible to the lower surface 4 a of the lid 4, and the ratio of the power generation element 3 to the volume of the battery container 2 is increased. It is preferable. However, if the upper surface of the power generating element 3 is positioned in the vicinity of the lower surface 4a of the lid body 4 when the lower surface 4a of the lid body 4 is a simple flat surface as shown in the left side of FIG. 2 is required to flow through a narrow gap S defined by the lower surface 4 a of the lid 4 and the upper end 3 a of the power generation element 3. Accordingly, the smooth flow of the electrolytic solution is hindered, and it is difficult to spread the electrolytic solution over the entire region where the power generation element 3 in the battery container 2 is disposed. On the other hand, as shown in the diagram on the left side of FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the guide groove 31 b is formed on the lower surface 4 a of the lid body 4, so that the electrolysis injected into the battery container 2 from the injection port 33. The liquid flows through a wide gap obtained by adding a guide groove 31b having a height H to a narrow gap S defined by the lower surface 4a of the lid 4 and the upper end 3a of the power generating element 3. By flowing through the wide gap, the flow of the electrolytic solution becomes smooth and reaches the entire region where the power generation element is arranged in the battery container.

  In particular, the guide groove 31 of the present embodiment is a linear groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the lid body 4 in plan view, and the cross-sectional shape in the longitudinal direction is substantially constant except for the widened portion 32, so that smoother The electrolyte can be distributed to the battery container 2 by the flow.

  As described above, in the battery 1 of the present embodiment, even when the power generation element 3 is disposed in the vicinity of the lower surface 4 a of the lid 4, the electrolyte injected into the battery container 2 from the inlet 33 is the lower surface of the lid 4. A smooth flow by passing through the guide groove 31b formed in the, and the entire region where the power generation element in the battery container 2 is disposed. As a result, the upper end of the power generation element 3 is positioned in the vicinity of the lower surface 4b of the lid 4 to increase the proportion of the power generation element with respect to the volume of the battery container, thereby realizing high energy efficiency.

  The guide groove 31b in the present embodiment is a space below the liquid injection guide portion 31 that bulges the lid body 4 toward the outside. By providing the three-dimensional liquid injection guide part 31 in which a part of the lid 4 is bulged, the section modulus at the part of the liquid injection guide part 31 becomes higher than that in the case of a simple flat plate, and the weight increases. The rigidity of the lid 4 can be increased without increasing the thickness that causes the above. In particular, by forming the liquid injection guide portion 31 (guide groove 31b) by drawing the lid body 4, work hardening occurs around the liquid injection guide portion 31 of the lid body 4, and the yield stress increases locally. The rigidity of the lid 4 is further improved. In the present embodiment, the engagement receiving portions 11 (engagement recess portions 11a) at both ends of the liquid injection guide portion 31 (guide groove 31b) are also formed by bulging the lid body 4 outward by drawing. Yes. Therefore, the rigidity of the lid body 4 is enhanced even in the engagement receiving portion 11 (engagement recess 11a) for the same reason as the liquid injection guide portion 31 (guide groove 31b).

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications are possible. The specific shape and dimensions of the liquid injection guide 31 (guide groove 31b) are such that the position of the liquid injection port 33 on the liquid injection guide 31 is such that the smooth flow of the lubricating liquid injected from the liquid injection port 33 is performed. As long as it can be ensured, various designs are possible without being limited to the embodiment. Alternatively, the guide groove 31b may be formed by providing a recess in the lower surface 4a of the lid body 4 without causing a part of the lid body 4 to bulge out. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking the case of the guide groove 31b on the lower surface of the lid body 4 as an example, but it belongs to the category of the groove as long as a smooth flow of the lubricating liquid injected from the liquid injection port 33 can be secured. The present invention can also be implemented by a configuration in which such a concave portion is provided on the lower surface of the lid body 4 and communicated with the liquid injection port 33.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery 2 Battery container 3 Power generation element 4 Lid 4a Lower surface 4b Upper surface 10 Clip 11 Engagement receiving part 11a Engagement recessed part 11b Through-hole 12 Negative electrode current collector 12a Base 12b Leg part 13 Positive electrode current collector 13a Base part 13b Leg part 14 Negative electrode external terminal 15 Positive electrode external terminal 16 Upper packing 17 Negative electrode lower packing 18 Positive electrode lower packing 21 Plate-like body 22 Rivet 31 Injection guide part 31a Widening part 31b Guide groove (concave part)
32 Safety valve 33 Injection port 34 Stopper

Claims (5)

A battery container containing a power generation element;
A lid for sealing the opening of the battery container;
An electrolyte inlet formed on the lid, and
A battery comprising: a recess provided on the inner surface of the lid so as to communicate with the inlet.   The battery according to claim 1, wherein the recess is a space inside a bulging portion in which a part of the lid bulges outward.   The battery according to claim 2, wherein the bulging portion is formed by drawing the lid.   The battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the recess is a groove. The space defined by the battery container and the lid is a rectangular parallelepiped,
The battery according to claim 4, wherein the groove extends in a longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped space.

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