Primary battery and moisture sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11374219-B2
Application number	US-201716338950-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2017
Priority date	Nov 16, 2016
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

Provided are an easy-to-handle primary battery capable of spontaneous power generation and a moisture sensor including the same. The primary battery includes a separator that is disposed between a negative electrode and negative electrode current collector (a negative electrode) and a positive electrode and positive electrode current collector (a positive electrode), and sucks up electrolyte solution by the capillary phenomenon with an exposed portion of the separator 5 exposed from battery casings.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A primary battery comprising:
a positive electrode and a negative electrode; and
a separator that is disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode and sucks up electrolyte solution by a capillary phenomenon with an exposed portion of the separator exposed from a battery casing, wherein the separator includes a first separator containing no electrolyte, a second separator containing an electrolyte, and a third separator containing no electrolyte stacked in order, the exposed portion includes the first, second, and third separators, the first, second, and third separators are made of a water absorbent material, and the first separator has a same configuration as the third separator, wherein
the positive electrode is made of a bicontinuous material having a three-dimensional network structure, and
when a length of the positive electrode is compressed in a load direction by 80% or less, the positive electrode is capable of going back to a shape it had before it was compressed.

2. A primary battery comprising:
a positive electrode and a negative electrode; and
a separator that is disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, contains an electrolyte, and sucks up water by a capillary phenomenon with an exposed portion of the separator exposed from a battery casing, wherein the separator includes a first separator containing no electrolyte, a second separator containing an electrolyte, and a third separator containing no electrolyte stacked in order, the first, second, and third separators are made of a single water absorbent material, and the first and third separators have a same configuration, wherein
the positive electrode is made of a bicontinuous material having a three-dimensional network structure, and
when a length of the positive electrode is compressed in a load direction by 80% or less, the positive electrode is capable of going back to a shape it had before it was compressed.

3. The primary battery according to claim 1 , wherein
the negative electrode is made of any metal selected from magnesium, zinc, aluminum, and iron, or made of an alloy containing the metal as a main component.

4. The primary battery according to claim 1 , wherein
the exposed portion of the separator is exposed on a side opposite from a side on which a portion of a positive electrode current collector of the positive electrode and a portion of a negative electrode current collector of the negative electrode are exposed from the battery casing.

5. The primary battery according to claim 1 , further comprising
a battery casing in an inside of which the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the separator are disposed and which has an intake port to take air into the inside.

6. A moisture sensor comprising:
a positive electrode and a negative electrode;
a separator that is disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, contains an electrolyte, and sucks up water by a capillary phenomenon with an exposed portion of the separator exposed from a battery casing, wherein the separator includes a first separator containing no electrolyte, a second separator containing an electrolyte, and a third separator containing no electrolyte stacked in order, the first, second, and third separators are each made of a single absorbent material, and the first and third separators have a same configuration; and
a sensor that detects a conduction between the positive electrode and the negative electrode as presence of water, the conduction being caused by the separator sucking up the water wherein
the positive electrode is made of a bicontinuous material having a three-dimensional network structure, and
when a length of the positive electrode is compressed in a load direction by 80% or less, the positive electrode is capable of going back to a shape it had before it was compressed.

Assignees

• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

Inventors

• Ono Yoko
• Nohara Masaya
• Iwata Mikayo
• Hayashi Masahiko
• Komatsu Takeshi

Classifications

• H01M50/609 Primary

  Arrangements or processes for filling with liquid, e.g. electrolytes · CPC title

• H01M50/463

  Separators, membranes or diaphragms characterised by their shape · CPC title

• H01M50/489

  Separators, membranes, diaphragms or spacing elements inside the cells, characterised by their physical properties, e.g. swelling degree, hydrophilicity or shut down properties · CPC title

• H01M6/32

  activated through external addition of electrolyte or of electrolyte components · CPC title

• H01M50/102

  characterised by their shape or physical structure · CPC title