Battery module that comprises liquid battery and solid battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11050108-B2
Application number	US-201815993560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2018
Priority date	Jun 19, 2017
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A battery module includes a first liquid battery and a first solid battery. The first liquid battery is a unit cell. The first solid battery is a unit cell that has a larger volume than a volume of the first liquid battery.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery module comprising:
a first liquid electrolyte battery, which is a unit cell that has a first surface; and
a first solid electrolyte battery, which is a unit cell that has a second surface facing the first surface of the first liquid electrolyte battery,
wherein an area of the second surface is greater than that of the first surface.

2. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein the first solid electrolyte battery is disposed in contact with the first liquid electrolyte battery.

3. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein
the first liquid electrolyte battery has a third surface opposite to the first surface,
the battery module further comprises a second solid electrolyte battery, which is a unit cell that has a fourth surface facing the third surface of the first liquid electrolyte battery,
an area of the fourth surface is greater than that of the third surface, and
the first liquid electrolyte battery is disposed between the first solid electrolyte battery and the second solid electrolyte battery.

4. The battery module according to claim 3 , wherein the second solid electrolyte battery is disposed in contact with the first liquid electrolyte battery.

5. The battery module according to claim 3 , further comprising a battery case that accommodates the first liquid electrolyte battery, the first solid electrolyte battery, and the second solid electrolyte battery, wherein:
the first solid electrolyte battery, the second solid electrolyte battery, and the battery case define a closed space; and
the first liquid electrolyte battery is disposed in the closed space.

6. The battery module according to claim 3 , further comprising a battery case having inner surfaces, the battery case accommodating the first liquid electrolyte battery, the first solid electrolyte battery, and the second solid electrolyte battery, wherein:
the first solid electrolyte battery has at least one side surface that is in contact with at least one of the inner surfaces of the battery case;
the second solid electrolyte battery has at least one side surface that is in contact with the at least one of the inner surfaces of the battery case; and
the first liquid electrolyte battery is disposed in a closed space enclosed by the second surface of the first solid electrolyte battery, the fourth surface of the second solid electrolyte battery, and the at least one of the inner surfaces of the battery case.

7. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein
the first liquid electrolyte battery has: the first surface covered by the second surface of the first solid electrolyte battery; and at least one side surface covered by the second surface of the first solid electrolyte battery.

8. The battery module according to claim 1 , further comprising a third solid electrolyte battery, which is a unit cell, wherein
the first liquid electrolyte battery has: the first surface covered by the second surface of the first solid electrolyte battery; and at least one side surface covered by the third solid electrolyte battery.

9. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first liquid electrolyte battery includes an electrolyte solution including an organic substance;
the first solid electrolyte battery includes a solid electrolyte;
the first liquid electrolyte battery includes no solid electrolyte; and
the first solid electrolyte battery includes no electrolyte solution.

10. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein
the first solid electrolyte battery has a third surface opposite to the second surface,
the battery module further comprises a second liquid electrolyte battery, which is a unit cell that has a fourth surface facing the third surface of the first solid electrolyte battery, and
the first solid electrolyte battery is disposed between the first liquid electrolyte battery and the second liquid electrolyte battery.

11. The battery module according to claim 10 , wherein the second liquid electrolyte battery is disposed in contact with the first solid electrolyte battery.

12. The battery module according to claim 10 , wherein an area of the fourth surface of the second liquid electrolyte battery is smaller than that of the third surface of the first solid electrolyte battery.

13. The battery module according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first liquid electrolyte battery includes an electrolyte solution including an organic substance;
the first solid electrolyte battery includes a solid electrolyte;
the first liquid electrolyte battery includes a smaller amount, in mass, of the solid electrolyte than an amount, in mass, of the solid electrolyte in the first solid electrolyte battery; and
the first solid electrolyte battery includes a smaller amount, in mass, of the electrolyte solution than an amount, in mass, of the electrolyte solution in the first liquid electrolyte battery.

14. A battery module comprising:
a plurality of batteries including:
a first liquid electrolyte battery, which is a unit cell that has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;
a first solid electrolyte battery, which is a unit cell that has a third surface facing the first surface of the first liquid electrolyte battery; and
a second solid electrolyte battery, which is a unit cell that has a fourth surface facing the second surface of the first liquid electrolyte battery, wherein
an area of the third surface is greater than that of the first surface,
an area of the fourth surface is greater than that of the second surface, and
the first liquid electrolyte battery is disposed between the first and second solid electrolyte batteries, such that the first and second solid electrolyte batteries form first and second ends of the plurality of batteries.

15. The battery module according to claim 14 , wherein
the first solid electrolyte battery is disposed in contact with the first liquid electrolyte battery, and
the second solid electrolyte battery is disposed in contact with the first liquid electrolyte battery.

16. The battery module according to claim 14 , further comprising a battery case that accommodates the first liquid electrolyte battery, the first solid electrolyte battery, and the second solid electrolyte battery, wherein:
the first solid electrolyte battery, the second solid electrolyte battery, and the battery case define a closed space; and
the first liquid electrolyte battery is disposed in the closed space.

17. The battery module according to claim 14 , further comprising a battery case having inner surfaces, the battery case accommodating the first liquid electrolyte battery, the first solid electrolyte battery, and the second solid electrolyte battery, wherein:
the first solid electrolyte battery has at least one side surface that is in contact with at least one of the inner surfaces of the battery case;
the second solid electrolyte battery has at least one side surface that is in contact with the at least one of the inner surfaces of the battery case; and
the first liquid electrolyte battery is disposed in a closed space enclosed by the third surface of the first solid electrolyte battery, the fourth surface of the second solid electrolyte battery, and the at least one of the inner surfaces of the battery case.

18. The battery module according to claim 16 , wherein the first liquid electrolyte battery is not in contact with the battery case.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tsutsui Yasutaka
• Sugimoto Yuta

Classifications

• H01M12/00 Primary

  Hybrid cells; Manufacture thereof (hybrid capacitors H01G11/00) · CPC title

• H01M50/24

  adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion (thermal insulation H01M10/658) · CPC title

• H01M50/204

  Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title

• H01M10/0445 Primary

  Multimode batteries, e.g. containing auxiliary cells or electrodes switchable in parallel or series connections · CPC title