Rechargeable battery with interrupter for interrupting internal current flow

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10388940-B2
Application number	US-201815900726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2018
Priority date	Nov 25, 2014
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A battery may include a first electrode and a second electrode having opposite polarities. The battery may include a separator interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The battery may further include a current interrupter configured to generate a liquid upon activation of a temperature trigger. The liquid may react with the first electrode and/or the second electrode to cause a decomposition of the first electrode and/or the second electrode. The decomposition of the first electrode may delaminate the first electrode from a first current collector coupled with the first electrode while the decomposition of the second electrode may delaminate the second electrode from a second current collector coupled with the second electrode. The delamination of the first electrode and/or the second electrode may generate at least one nonconductive gap that interrupts a current flow within the battery.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery, comprising:
a first electrode coupled with a first current collector;
a second electrode having an opposite polarity as the first electrode, wherein the second electrode is coupled with a second current collector;
a separator interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; and
a current interrupter, wherein the current interrupter is configured to generate a liquid upon activation of at least a temperature trigger, wherein the liquid reacts with the first electrode and/or the second electrode to at least cause a decomposition of the first electrode and/or the second electrode, wherein the decomposition of the first electrode includes the first electrode being delaminated from the first current collector, wherein the decomposition of the second electrode includes the second electrode being delaminated from the second current collector, wherein the delamination of the first electrode and/or the second electrode generates at least one nonconductive gap that interrupts a current flow within the battery.

2. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the current interrupter is disposed on a surface of the first electrode, a surface of the first current collector, a surface of the second electrode, or a surface of the second current collector.

3. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the current interrupter is interposed between the first electrode and the first current collector or between the second electrode and the second current collector.

4. The battery of claim 1 , further comprising a current limiter.

5. The battery of claim 4 , wherein the current limiter is interposed between the electrode and the current collector.

6. The battery of claim 4 , wherein the current limiter and the current interrupter comprise a single protective layer that is interposed between the electrode and the current collector.

7. The battery of claim 4 , wherein a resistivity of the current limiter is greater than an internal resistivity of the electrode at temperatures above a temperature range for standard operation, and wherein the resistivity of the current limiter is less than the internal resistivity of the electrode at temperatures within the temperature range for standard operation.

8. The battery of claim 7 , wherein the resistivity of the current limiter does not transition at temperatures within the temperature range for standard operation.

9. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is electrically coupled with the first current collector, wherein the second electrode is electrically coupled with the second current collector, wherein the delamination the first electrode electrically decouples the first electrode and the first current collector, and wherein the delamination of the second electrode electrically decouples the second electrode and the second current collector.

10. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nonconductive gap is further formed by a gas that is generated by the decomposition of the first electrode and/or the second electrode.

11. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nonconductive gap is formed by a gas that is produced by a vaporization of the liquid generated by the current interrupter upon the activation of at least the temperature trigger.

12. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nonconductive gap is formed by a gas that is produced by a reaction between the liquid and the first electrode, the first current collector, the second electrode, the second current collector, the separator, and/or an electrolyte comprising the battery.

13. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the current interrupter is further configured to generate a fire retardant gas upon the activation of at least the temperature trigger.

14. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the current interrupter is further configured to generate the liquid upon activation of a voltage trigger.

15. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the temperature trigger is activated when temperature exceeds a temperature range for standard operation.

16. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode comprises an anode of the battery, and wherein the second electrode comprises a cathode of the battery.

Assignees

• American Lithium Energy Corp

Inventors

• Fan Jiang
• Wu Dengguo

Classifications

• H01M50/574

  Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current · CPC title

• H01M10/425

  Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00) · CPC title

• H01M10/052

  Li-accumulators · CPC title

• H01M2010/4271

  Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing · CPC title

• H01M2200/10

  Temperature sensitive devices · CPC title