KR20170037574A - Housing for an electrochemical cell and method for producing a housing for an electrochemical cell - Google Patents

Abstract

To manufacture a housing for an electrochemical cell which is accurately sealed and can be simply manufactured, the housing can include at least two housing component parts which are coupled or can be coupled to each other through a welding connection and/or through a recess groove-protrusion part-coupling.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a housing for an electrochemical cell, and a method for manufacturing a housing for an electrochemical cell.

The present invention relates to a housing for an electrochemical cell and a method of manufacturing such a housing.

The housing for the electrochemical cell may be, for example, a housing for a lithium-ion-rechargeable battery. These housings must be sealed to prevent air in preference, for example, even at high pressures of about 10 bar. Such a housing is made of, for example, a metal material, wherein the components of the plurality of housings are joined by laser welding.

The housing consists, for example, of two housing components, a barrel and a cover that fits into the barrel. For proper sealing and reliable stability of the housing, the clearance of the cover must first be secured on the pail. This can be made possible by the application of various joining seam shapes in particular.

First of all, the components of the housing are formed so that the following requirements are fulfilled: positioning of the lid on the ladle in a position that can be reliably repeated; Accurate depth control; A device for adjusting the lid to the desired position in the barrel when the lid is placed slightly off the barrel; No cover < RTI ID = 0.0 > and / or < / RTI > Small footprint.

JP 57-37585 B2, US 6,933,813, JP 2011-210900 A, JP 2009-146645 A, JP 2011-129266 A, WO 2013-093 965 A1, JP 56-56802 B2, JP 2011- 238412 A, JP 2002-175787 A, JP 2000-090893 A and JP 2005-183360 A disclose various embodiments of the housing and / or various junction shapes.

Such an open housing may show the disadvantages of complicated assembly of the housing components, the risk of firing the laser beam into the housing, and the lack of false positioning and / or depth adjustment of the housing components.

An object of the present invention is to provide a housing for an electrochemical cell that is accurately sealed and easy to manufacture.

The above problem is solved through a housing for an electrochemical cell according to the present invention and comprises at least two components which are joined to one another, in particular by weld joints and / or by groove- Combination is possible.

The housing according to the present invention preferentially provides groove-to-protrusion-engagement whereby two or more of the housing components can be positioned relatively easily and reliably relative to each other, Position can be set.

In particular, optimized jointed joint geometries are possible in order to be able to receive forces simply and reliably, especially through the groove-projections-joints, not only in the overall plane, but also in the Z-direction as well as in the XY-direction.

Above all, groove-to-protrusion-engagement in at least two housing components can be made through cast molding.

It may be advantageous if at least two housing components are coupled to each other and / or coupled via weld joints and / or via groove-to-protrusion-engagement.

At least two housing components may be joined or joined together, preferably through a weld joint, for example via laser welding, as well as through a groove-protrusion-joint. In particular, that the two housing components are coupled to each other not only through welded joints but also through groove-projections-joints at the same joint.

It may be advantageous if at least two housing components are joined together or can be joined together in material-bonded and / or morphologically-joined manner.

It can be assumed that one of the housing components forms one cover (so-called Cap).

One of the housing components (another) forms primarily a single cylinder (so-called Can).

At least one of the housing components includes a protruding portion which is primarily used as a spring of a groove-protrusion-engagement.

It can also be assumed that one of the housing components includes a pruning portion that is preferentially used as a groove-protrusion-engagement.

It may be assumed that one of the housing components in particular includes a protruding region and that the other includes a suitable and / or complementary sucking region formed therein.

It is advantageous if the weld seam of the welded joint is unfolded at least partially into the area of the other housing component which is unfolded towards the protruding portion of one housing component used as the groove of the groove-protrusion-engagement and / or forming the groove- .

The weld seam preferentially runs along the groove-projection-engagement.

It can be assumed that the weld seam is arranged almost exclusively in the region of the groove-protrusion-engagement.

When at least two housing components include respective peripheral boundary regions and are able to be joined or coupled to the peripheral boundary regions of each of the other housing components within this peripheral boundary region, -Binding through a bond or if bonding is possible.

The welded joint and / or groove-protruding-engagement is, above all, a substantially full peripheral bond along the peripheral marginal region between the at least two housing components.

It can be assumed that at least one of the housing components and in particular all of the housing components comprises or is formed of a metallic material.

At least one housing component and in particular all housing components are then electrically conductive housing components.

It is advantageous if at least one housing component and in particular all the housing components are each formed in a single unit and / or comprise one tin molded product or formed through a tin molded product.

One housing component or two housing components or more of the housing components are formed in the shape of a bowl and the inner space of the housing in the assembled state of the housing is at least two sides or three sides or four sides or five sides It can be assumed that it is surrounded.

Particularly, the housing component for forming the can is formed in a bowl shape above all, and the inner space of the housing is surrounded by five sides.

The housing component forming the cap Cap is, among other things, limited to only one surface of the interior space of the housing.

The interior space of the housing, which is primarily surrounded by the two housing components, is substantially rectangular.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is presupposed that at least the joining portions of the two housing components coupled to each other do not protrude outward beyond the adjacent side of the housing.

The joining sites include, among other things, welded joints and / or grooved-protruding-joints, in particular each of which is completely contained.

The side of the housing is a planar side of the housing component that is substantially adjacent to the other housing component of the same housing in the assembled state of the housing.

Above all, at least the mating portions of the two housing components coupled to each other do not protrude outward beyond the four adjacent sides of the housing component forming the barrel.

The plurality of substantially identical housings may be interleaved directly adjacent to the sides of the housings, among other things, and may be particularly planarly interdigitated without invasion by the joint or unwanted opening.

At least one of the housing components includes an elastically spring-formed spring portion that is first deployed at least in a segmental manner along the peripheral border region and / or is disposed or formed around the border region of the housing component in its own columnar configuration Can be advantageous.

Above all, the spring portion is formed through the molding of the housing component, in particular through engineering molding.

First, the spring portion has a wavy shape at the cut surface.

For example, it can be assumed that the spring portion of the housing component is formed through the embossing (relief) of the housing component.

Accurate positioning of the housing components, which are relatively close together, especially through the spring region, can also be guaranteed for manufacturing inaccuracies.

It can be assumed that at least one housing component includes a ramp for positioning and / or the braking device of the other housing component includes one housing component in such a housing.

In particular, the inclined surfaces are arranged in a peripheral boundary region of one housing component and / or both housing components.

Above all, the other housing component is also provided with an inclined surface which is particularly suitable for other inclined surfaces.

The inclined surface of the housing component formed by the barrel is preferentially directed inward. In particular, the housing component formed from the lid is thereby simply centered.

The above-described housing according to the invention is particularly suitable for use as a component of an electrochemical cell.

The invention therefore also relates to a housing according to the invention and to an electrochemical cell comprising: an electrochemical element which can be arranged or arranged in the housing for receiving, storing and / or providing electrical energy.

Above all, the electrochemical cell shows individual or multiple features and / or advantages described in connection with the housing according to the invention.

The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a housing for an electrochemical cell.

In this connection, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method which can easily manufacture the housing and accurately seal it.

The above problem is solved by a method of manufacturing a housing for an electrochemical cell according to the present invention, the method comprising: providing at least two housing components; Joining at least two housing components through one weld joint and / or through one groove-protrusion-engagement.

In the planning stage of the present invention, at least two housing components are positioned in close proximity to each other through the groove-protrusion-engagement in the first stage. In the second stage, at least two housing components Welded together and / or sealed welded together.

Above all, the above-described method according to the invention shows individual or multiple features and / or advantages described in connection with the housing according to the invention and / or in relation to the electrochemical cell according to the invention.

It may be advantageous if the method according to the invention is suitable for manufacturing a housing according to the invention.

The housing is preferentially sealed through engagement of the housing components.

At least one housing component and in particular all housing components are among other things housing components that form the basis of the housing, and above all, for the reception and / or transmission of electrical power in use of the housing.

Further preferred features and / or advantages of the present invention are the subject matter of the following description and the graphic description of the embodiments.

Explanation of drawings:
Figure 1 shows a schematic longitudinal section through an electrochemical cell comprising a housing consisting of two housing components;
Figure 2 shows one other schematic cross-sectional view through an electrochemical cell in Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the coupling area between two housing components of the electrochemical cell of Figure 1;
Figures 4-11 illustrate various embodiments of a housing with various engagement areas;
Figures 12-17 illustrate schematic views of possible problems in disadvantaged joint geometries;
Figure 18 shows various embodiments of the housing with an optimized engagement area in which one groove-projection-engagement, one weld joint and a combination in one support surface are assumed;
Fig. 19 shows a schematic view corresponding to Fig. 18 of a second embodiment of a housing in which one of the housing components is required to have a groove-protrusion-engagement between housing components including a spring portion;
20 shows a schematic view corresponding to FIG. 18 of a third embodiment of a housing in which one of the housing components is required to have a weld joint and a groove-protrusion-engagement for coupling two housing components including a spring portion FIG.
Fig. 21 shows a schematic view corresponding to Fig. 18 of a fourth embodiment of a housing in which a combination of one groove-projection-engagement and one weld joint is assumed; Fig.
Fig. 22 shows a schematic view corresponding to Fig. 18 of a fifth embodiment of a housing in which an inclined surface for positioning welded joints and relative positioning of housing components relatively to each other is provided for mutual coupling of the housing components; And
Fig. 23 shows a schematic view corresponding to Fig. 18 of the sixth embodiment of the housing in which the groove-projection-engagement is assumed together with the above-mentioned spring-forming projection in which the projection is formed asymmetrically.

The same or functionally equivalent elements are provided with the same reference numerals throughout the drawings.

For example, the previous embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1-3 of the housing, all of which are designated as 100, are components of the electrochemical cell 102, which is, for example, the number of a lithium-ion-battery cell.

The housing 100 is used to accommodate the electrochemical element 104 of the electrochemical cell 102.

In particular, the electrochemical element 104 is formed of one cell coil 106.

The battery coil 106 is housed in the internal space 108 of the housing 100 in the assembled state of the electrochemical cell 102 and is disposed outside the housing 100 through the battery coil connecting apparatus 110 And is electrically connected to and coupled to the battery terminal 112.

The battery terminal 112 forms the electrode 114 of the electrochemical cell 102.

In particular, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 before the completion of the electrochemical cell 102, two component parts 116 of the housing 100 are assumed.

One of the two housing components 116 forms a can 120, referred to as Can. Another housing component 116 forms a lid 120, referred to as Cap.

The cover 122 is a component of the cover assembly group 126 of the electrochemical cell 102.

The lid assembly assembly 126 includes a lid 122, a battery terminal 112, and a battery coil connection apparatus 110. Optionally, the battery coil 106 may also be a component of the lid assembly population 126.

The essential step in the fabrication of the electrochemical cell 102 is the combination of the tub 118 and the lid assembly population 126.

Further, the battery coil 106 is introduced into the cylinder 118 together with the battery coil connecting device 110, and the lid 122 is engaged with the cylinder 118.

In particular, the lid 122 is engaged with the barrel 118 at the engagement site 128.

The lid 122 and the barrel 118 most particularly present a respective peripheral boundary area 130 wherein the lid 122 and the barrel 118 that are the two housing components 116 are joined together.

3, the welded joint 132 is presupposed for the production of a secure, fluid-tight fit between two housing components 116, for example.

Here, the two housing components 116 are melted along the peripheral boundary region 130, for example, through a laser beam, and are bonded to each other in a material-bonded manner.

3, it can be assumed that the lid 122 is put on the cylinder 118 and thus stopped at the extension of the slope 134 of the cylinder 118. [

Weld seam 132 may be disadvantageous if such inclined sloped surfaces 134 protrude, which can impede dense positioning of a plurality of substantially identically constructed electrochemical cells 102 Although a similar problem exists, see Figure 16).

4 to 17 illustrate various technical modifications to the coupling of the housing component 116 and the use of such coupling variations.

4, it is assumed that the lid 122 is inserted into the barrel 118 and accordingly welded to the inner edge of the barrel 118 with the lid. Such a coupling scheme may be subject to unwanted tampering of the lid 122, in particular according to FIG. 12, and an undesired laser beam, which may be imperfectly coupled between the two housing components 116 in accordance with FIG. 15, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 108). ≪ / RTI >

In Fig. 5, the supporting plate of the lid 122 is arranged on the barrel 118 in accordance with Fig. However, welding of the two housing components 116 occurs from above. This may present the disadvantage that a relatively large area of the lid 122 must also be made in order to achieve the desired weld joint with the barrel 118.

6, it is assumed that the lid 122 is introduced into the barrel 118 by presenting one peripheral border region 130. [ This leads in particular to the same problems as in the variant based on Fig.

The decaying portion 136 or the recessed portion 138 is premised on at least one housing component 116 in order to precisely fix the other housing component 116 according to Figures 7-11. Thus, based on the modifications of Figs. 7, 8, and 10, the decaying portion 136 or the concave portion 138 is assumed in the lid 122. Prior to positioning the lid 122 relatively to the barrel 118, the barrel 118 first extends into the decaying portion 136 and the recessed portion 138.

The welding according to Fig. 7 is premised on the outer end of the inclined surface 134, whereby lateral welding is premised. 8, welding is performed from the top in accordance with the above-described modification based on Fig. 5. In order to work the welded joint between the lid 122 and the cylinder 118, And the low material strength of the lid 122 based on the depression 138 must be overcome.

An additional thickness enhancement of the barrel 118 is assumed in the peripheral boundary region 130, which is similar to the installation in FIG. 7, but is based on the installation in FIG.

9, the decaying portion 136 and the recessed portion 138 are premised on the outside of the peripheral boundary region 130 of the cylinder 118. As shown in Fig. Here, the lid 122 is formed to be as short as anything, so that the weld joint 132 preferentially no longer protrudes beyond the inclined surface 134, despite side welding.

9 may be disadvantageous, and may be disadvantageous, especially at the joining portion 128, which is based on the low material strength of the barrel 118.

11, the barrel 118 has a decaying portion 136 and a concave portion 138 inside the barrel. So that the lid 122 is easily positioned in the barrel 118. In addition, from the viewpoint of configuration and function, such a modification based on Fig. 11 coincides with the modification based on Fig.

Figure 12 illustrates the problem of undesired brittleness of the lid 122.

Figure 13 shows a variation of the undesirable movement of the lid 122. Particularly before the start of the welding operation, the lid 122 may be moved towards the barrel 118 relative to the positioning. This can lead to defective weld joints.

Based on Fig. 14, the defective positioning of the lid 122 based on insufficient adjustment of the lid 122 particularly towards the barrel 118 is likewise plausible, In particular, the welding process may be impeded or rendered impossible.

15, the laser can further project into the inner space 108 of the barrel in an insufficient positioning of the lid 122 relative to the barrel 118 side. This may result in damage to components of the electrochemical cell 102 disposed in the interior space 108 of the housing 100.

Figure 16 shows three substantially identically constructed electrochemical cells 102 that may be placed adjacent to each other non-planarly with their respective bevels 134 based on the enlarged view of Figure 17 , Because the weld joint 132 protrudes laterally beyond the inclined surface 134.

Thus, reinforcement for welded joints is required above all for reliable coupling of the two housing components 116.

A combination of one groove-protrusion-engagement 140 and one weld joint 132 is presupposed, based on the embodiment of the first preferred housing 100 depicted in Fig.

The groove-projection-engagement 140 is formed, among other things, through two housing components 116.

Wherein one housing component 116 includes a protrusion 144 that defines a spring 142 of the groove-protrusion-engagement 140 preferentially.

The other housing component 116 includes a silk portion 148 that primarily defines the groove 146 of the groove-projection-engagement 140.

Above all, the submerged region 148 is substantially complementary to the projecting region 144.

Through which the housing components 116 may preferentially be placed adjacent to one another as appropriate.

First of all, according to the first embodiment depicted in FIG. 18, at least a support plate 150 is assumed, which is predominantly provided on both sides of one groove-protrusion- Which is used for installation and support of the reliable lid 122 above.

Also, as shown in FIG. 18, the welded joint 132 extends above the cover 122 and into the barrel 118 from above.

Above all, because the barrel 118 is the housing component 116 presenting the protruding portion 144, the lid 122 is correspondingly weakly segmented based on the corresponding submerged area 148 The material strength is presented.

The weld joint 132 is preferentially placed in the region of precisely weak material strength, so that simple welding of the two housing components 116 is possible.

The weld seam 152 of the weld seam 132 may extend along the perimeter region 130 along the periphery of the overall seal 112, particularly along the groove-protrusion-engagement 140, and / And extends along the periphery of the entire cylinder 118.

Furthermore, the embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in Fig. 18 is consistent with the first embodiment depicted in Figs. 1 to 3 in terms of construction and function, and so the relationship with the previous description of these is in this respect .

The second embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in Fig. 19 differs from the embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in Fig. 18 in that substantially one housing component 116, particularly the lid 122, 154). ≪ / RTI >

Above all, the spring region 154 further presupposes a portion of the lid 122 forming the spring 142 of the groove-projection-engagement 140.

The spring section 154 is here in particular for the adjustment of the manufacturing tolerance in the resilient section of the lid 122 and for ensuring the correct installation of the lid 122 in the cylinder 118.

The spring portion 154 is thus not confused with the projecting portion 144 according to FIG.

It is also contemplated that in the embodiment according to FIG. 19, the protruding portion 144 forming the spring 142 of the groove-projection-engaging 140 may be located in the barrel 118 and / (154) becomes an additional portion of the lid (122).

The septum portion 148 of the lid 122 forming the groove 146 of the groove-projection-engage 140 is preferentially connected to the spring portion 154.

The lid 122 is thus formed wavyly in the peripheral border region 130 substantially at the peripheral border region 130 thereby creating the spring region 154 and the submerged region 148.

In addition, the second embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in FIG. 19 is consistent with the first embodiment depicted in FIG. 18 in terms of construction and function, and so the relationship with the previous description of them is in this respect .

The third embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in Fig. 20 corresponds substantially to the second embodiment depicted in Fig. Supplementally, the above weld joint 132 is also assumed.

In order to grasp the widest possible range of the corrugation of the lid 122 and to ensure secure engagement with the barrel 118, the welding can be done in particular from the inclined plane up.

Furthermore, the third embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in FIG. 20 is consistent with the second embodiment depicted in FIG. 19 in terms of construction and function, and so the relationship with the previous description of them is in this respect .

The fourth embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in FIG. 21 is distinguished by the fact that no support surface 150 is assumed to be substantially the same as the first embodiment depicted in FIG. Rather, the lid 122 rests on the protruding portion 144 of the barrel 118 only in the region of the lid snout 148.

In addition, the fourth embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in FIG. 21 is consistent with the first embodiment depicted in FIG. 18 in terms of construction and function, and so the relationship with the previous description of these is in this respect .

The fifth embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in Figure 22 is substantially identical to the first embodiment depicted in Figure 18 in that one tapered surface 156 in the barrel 118 instead of the trough- And that another inclined surface 156 of the lid 122 is presupposed. The precise intermediate positioning of the lid 122 through the inclined surface 156 can be assured relative to the tube 118 side.

Moreover, the fifth embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in FIG. 22 is consistent with the first embodiment depicted in FIG. 18 in terms of construction and function, and so the relationship with the previous description of these is in this respect .

The sixth embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in FIG. 23 is distinguished from the third embodiment substantially depicted in FIG. 20 by the fact that the cover 122 does not include any spring portions 154. Nevertheless, it is assumed here that the cover 122 is easily bent up in its boundary region 130. In addition, the protruding portion 144 of the barrel 118 is inclined inwardly so that the boundary region 130 of the curved lid 122 can be accurately received with the sinking portion 148 formed therein.

Furthermore, the sixth embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in FIG. 23 is consistent with the third embodiment depicted in FIG. 20 in terms of construction and function, and so the relationship with the previous description of these is in this respect .

The individual or multiple features and / or advantages of the previously mentioned embodiments in the embodiment of the continuous (not depicted) housing 100 may be arbitrarily combined with one another. Also, for example, in the embodiment of the housing 100 depicted in FIG. 18, the spring region 154 may assume the second embodiment depicted in FIG.

Claims (16)

(100) for an electrochemical cell (102) comprising at least two housing components (116) capable of being coupled or coupled to one another, in particular via weld joints and / or via tongue- The method according to claim 1,
Characterized in that at least the two housing components (116) are joined to one another and / or joined to each other in a material-joined manner and / or a shape-wise manner. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
Characterized in that one of the housing components (116) forms one lid (122) and / or the other one of the housing components (116) forms one tube (118) ). 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Characterized in that at least one of the housing components (116) comprises a projecting portion (144) used as a spring (142) of the groove-projection-engagement (140). 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Characterized in that at least one of the housing components (116) comprises a detent portion (148) used as a groove (146) of the groove-projection-engagement (140). 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The weld seam 152 of the weld joint 132 is at least partially unfolded toward the protruding portion 144 of the housing component used as the spring 142 of the recess-protrusion-engagement 140 and / Extends into the area of the other housing component (116) forming the groove (146) of the housing (140). 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
At least two housing components 116 may include respective peripheral boundary regions 130 and may be coupled or coupled to the peripheral boundary regions of each of the other housing components 116 within this peripheral boundary region 130 (100). 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
Characterized in that the at least one housing component (116), and in particular all the housing components (116), comprise or consist of a metallic material. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Characterized in that the at least one housing component (116), and in particular all the housing parts (116), are each formed integrally and / or with one tin molded product or formed through a tin molded product. A housing (100). 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
One housing component 116 or two housing components 116 or more housing components 116 are formed in a bowl shape and the inner space of the housing 100 in the assembled state of the housing 100 108) at least two sides, three sides, four sides, or five sides, respectively. 11. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Wherein the engagement portion (128) of the at least two housing components (116) coupled to each other does not protrude outwardly beyond an adjacent side (134) of the housing (100). 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
At least one of the housing components 116 is first laid out at least partially along the peripheral boundary region 130 and / or surrounding the peripheral boundary region 130 of the housing component 116 in its own columnar form, or And a resilient spring-like spring portion (154) formed in the housing (100). 13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
Characterized in that the at least one housing component (116) comprises a slope (156) for positioning and / or the braking device of the other housing component comprises one housing component (116) in such a housing , Housing (100). 14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
An electrochemical cell (102), comprising an electrochemical element (104) and a housing (100) that can be disposed or disposed within the housing (100) for receiving, storing and / or providing electrical energy. Providing at least two housing components (116);
For housing the electrochemical cell 102, including the coupling of at least two housing components 116 through one weld joint 132 and / or through one groove-protrusion- 100). 16. The method of claim 15,
In the first stage, at least two housing components 116 are positioned proximate to each other via the groove-protrusion-coupling 140, and in the second stage at least two housing components 116 Welded and / or sealed-welded adjacent to one another via weld joints (132).

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