Battery and current collector applied thereto, and battery pack and vehicle including the battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12136707-B2
Application number	US-202318132166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2023
Priority date	Feb 19, 2021
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

A battery can include an electrode assembly including a first electrode, a second electrode, and a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode can have a pair of first sides and a pair of second sides extending between the pair of first sides, a first portion including an active material extending between the pair of first sides, and a second portion extending between the pair of first sides and exposed beyond the separator along a winding direction. The battery can further include a battery housing having a first opening at a first end and a second end with a second opening opposite the first end, a first current collector including a support portion positioned on the electrode assembly, and a housing cover which seals the first opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery, comprising:
an electrode assembly including a first electrode, a second electrode, and a separator between the first electrode and the second electrode,
wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the separator are wound about an axis to define a core and an outer circumferential surface of the electrode assembly,
wherein the first electrode has a pair of first sides and a pair of second sides extending between the pair of first sides, a first portion including an active material extending between the pair of first sides, and a second portion extending between the pair of first sides and exposed beyond the separator along a winding direction, and at least part of the second portion includes an electrode tab;
a battery housing having a first opening at a first end and a second end with a second opening opposite the first end, the battery housing accommodating the electrode assembly through the first opening at the first end,
wherein the battery housing includes a beading portion formed at an end portion adjacent to the first opening and is press-fit inward;
a first current collector including:
a support portion positioned on the electrode assembly;
a first tab coupling portion extending from the support portion and coupled with the second portion of the first electrode; and
a first housing coupling portion extending from the support portion and electrically coupled onto an inner surface of the battery housing,
wherein the first housing coupling portion includes:
a first contact portion coupled onto the beading portion of the battery housing, and
a first connecting portion connecting the support portion to the first contact portion;

a housing cover which seals the first opening; and
a sealing gasket interposed between the battery housing and the housing cover,
wherein the battery housing includes a crimping portion which is formed above the beading portion, and is extended and bent around a circumferential edge of the housing cover, and
wherein the first contact portion is positioned between the beading portion and the sealing gasket.

2. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing gasket repeatedly increases and decreases in thickness in an alternating manner along a circumferential direction on the beading portion.

3. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing gasket changes in compression ratio area by area along a circumferential direction on the beading portion.

4. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the first housing coupling portion is elastically biased on the beading portion.

5. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the second portion includes a plurality of segments split along the winding direction of the electrode assembly, and
the plurality of segments are bent along a radial direction of the electrode assembly forming a bent surface, wherein the plurality of segments overlap in multiple layers forming the bent surface,
wherein the bent surface includes an increasing stack number zone in which a number of overlapping layers of the segments sequentially increases to a maximum value from an outer circumference of the electrode assembly to the core and a uniform stack number zone from a radial position at which the number of overlapping layers is at a maximum to a radial position at which an innermost segment exists, and
wherein the first tab coupling portion is coupled to the bent surface such that it overlaps with the uniform stack number zone.

6. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the first housing coupling portions are provided, and
wherein the first contact portions of the plurality of the first housing coupling portions are connected to each other and integrally formed.

7. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the second portion and the first tab coupling portion are coupled by welding along a radial direction of the electrode assembly,
wherein a welding bead formed between the second portion and the first tab coupling portion forms a straight line welding pattern which extends along the radial direction of the electrode assembly, and
wherein an extension direction of the welding pattern formed between the second portion and the first tab coupling portion and an extension direction of a welding pattern formed between the beading portion and the first contact portion are perpendicular to each other.

8. The battery according to claim 5 , wherein a total radial length of the first tab coupling portion T satisfies a formula as set forth below:
JR− 2* F≤T<JR
wherein JR is an outer diameter of the electrode assembly, and F is a height of a segment of the plurality of segments positioned on an outermost side of the electrode assembly.

9. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the first tab coupling portion has at least one injection hole.

10. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the first connecting portion has an upwardly convex structure with respect to an imaginary straight line connecting two ends of the first connecting portion in a longitudinal direction.

11. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the first connecting portion is more upwardly raised than the beading portion.

12. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the first contact portion is coupled within a flat area formed on the beading portion by welding.

13. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the first contact portion has a shape of an arc which extends in a circumferential direction along the beading portion of the battery housing.

14. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein a press-fit depth of the beading portion PD satisfies a formula as set forth below:
PD≥R 1, min+ R 2,min+Wbead,min
wherein R 1 ,min is a minimum value of a radius of curvature of the beading portion, Wbead, min is a minimum value of a welding bead width, and R 2 ,min is a minimum value of a radius of curvature at a boundary area between the beading portion and the inner surface of the battery housing.

15. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein a press-fit depth of the beading portion PD and a maximum press-fit depth PDmax satisfy a formula as set forth below:
( R 1, min+Wbead, min)/ PD max≤ OV/PD ≤( PD max− R 2, min)/ PD max

wherein OV is an overlap length, the overlap length being a shortest distance from an end of the first contact portion to a vertical line passing through an innermost point of the beading portion, R 1 ,min is a minimum radius of curvature of the beading portion, Wbead, min is a minimum welding bead width, and R 2 ,min is a minimum radius of curvature at a boundary area between the beading portion and the inner surface of the battery housing.

16. The battery according to claim 1 , wherein a press-fit depth of the beading portion PD and a maximum value of the press-fit depth PDmax satisfy a formula as set forth below:
( OV min−0.5*Wbead, min)/ PD max≤ W/PD ≤( OV max−0.5*Wbead, min)/ PD max

wherein W is a distance from an innermost point of the beading portion to a center point of a welding bead disposed on an outermost side in a radial direction, OV is an overlap length, the overlap length being a shortest distance from an end of the first contact portion to a vertical line passing through the innermost point of the beading portion, OVmin is a minimum overlap length, OVmax is a maximum overlap length, and Wbead,min is a minimum welding bead width.

17. The battery according to claim 16 , wherein a minimum value W 1 of the distance W from the innermost point of the beading portion to th

Assignees

• Lg Energy Solution Ltd

Inventors

• Lim Jae-Won
• Kim Hak-Kyun
• Lee Je-Jun
• Jung Ji-Min
• Choi Su-Ji
• Hwangbo Kwang-Su
• Kim Do-Gyun
• Min Geon-Woo
• Lim Hae-Jin
• Jo Min-Ki
• Kim Jae-Woong
• Park Jong-Sik
• Choe Yu-Sung
• Lee Byoung-Gu
• Ryu Duk-Hyun
• Lee Kwan-Hee
• Lee Jae-Eun
• Kang Bo-Hyun
• Kong Jin-Hak
• Lee Soon-O
• Choi Kyu-Hyun
• Park Pil-Kyu

Classifications

• H01M50/188

  the sealing members being arranged between the lid and terminal · CPC title

• H01M50/55

  on the same side of the cell · CPC title

• H01M50/179

  for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic (H01M50/176, H01M50/181 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01M50/509

  characterised by the type of connection, e.g. mixed connections · CPC title

• H01M50/559

  Terminals adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round, elliptic or button cells (H01M50/553 takes precedence) · CPC title