Battery separators with cross ribs and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018175352-A1
Application number	US-201815898705-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 19, 2018
Priority date	Oct 20, 2009
Publication date	Jun 21, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A separator for a lead acid battery is a porous membrane having a positive electrode face and a negative electrode face. A plurality of longitudinally extending ribs, a plurality of protrusions or a nonwoven material may be disposed upon the positive electrode face. A plurality of transversely extending ribs are disposed upon the negative electrode face. The transverse ribs disposed upon the negative electrode face are preferably juxtaposed to a negative electrode of the lead acid battery, when the separator is placed within that battery.

First claim

1 - 19 . (canceled)

20 . A separator for a lead acid battery comprising:
a porous membrane having a positive electrode face and a negative electrode face; a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs being disposed upon said positive electrode face; and a plurality of substantially transversely extending ribs being disposed upon said negative electrode face, wherein said transverse ribs disposed upon said negative electrode face being adapted to be juxtaposed to a negative electrode, when the separator is placed within the lead acid battery, wherein the transversely extending ribs are discontinuous and include a plurality of longitudinally extending fissures, channels, recesses, or openings.

21 . The separator of claim 20 wherein the transversely extending ribs are shorter and more closely spaced than the longitudinally extending ribs.

22 . The separator of claim 20 wherein the transversely extending ribs and the longitudinally extending ribs are formed by calender roll molding.

23 . The separator of claim 20 wherein the separator is one of a macroporous membrane and a microporous membrane.

24 . The separator of claim 23 wherein the separator is a polyethylene microporous membrane.

25 . In a separator for a lead acid battery having a porous backweb with a first surface and a second surface, the improvement comprising: a plurality of transverse ribs being disposed upon the second surface of the backweb, wherein the transversely extending ribs are discontinuous and include a plurality of longitudinally extending fissures, channels, recesses, or openings.

26 . The separator of claim 25 wherein the first surface is a positive electrode face and the second surface is a negative electrode face;
at least one of no ribs, a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs, a plurality of projections, and a nonwoven material being disposed upon said positive electrode face;
and wherein said transverse ribs disposed upon said negative electrode face being adapted to be juxtaposed to a negative electrode, when the separator is placed within the lead acid battery

27 . The separator of claim 25 wherein the separator is one of macroporous and microporous.

28 . A lead acid battery comprising: a housing containing a positive electrode spaced apart from a negative electrode with a porous separator located between said positive electrode and said negative electrode and an electrolyte in ionic communication between said positive electrode and said negative electrode, said separator having a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs disposed on a first surface of said separator and a plurality of transversely extending ribs disposed upon a second surface of said separator, said plurality of longitudinally extending ribs being juxtaposed to said positive electrode and said transversely extending ribs being juxtaposed to said negative electrode, wherein the transversely extending ribs are discontinuous and include a plurality of longitudinally extending fissures, channels, recesses, or openings.

29 . The battery of claim 28 wherein the transversely extending ribs are shorter and more closely spaced than the longitudinally extending ribs.

30 . In a method of making a separator for a lead acid battery, the separator having a porous backweb with a first surface and a second surface, the improvement comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of transverse ribs on the second surface of the backweb.

31 . The method of claim 30 wherein the first surface is a positive electrode face and the second surface is a negative electrode face, and further comprising the steps of:
forming a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs on said positive electrode face.

32 . The method of claim 30 wherein the first surface is a positive electrode face and the second surface is a negative electrode face, said negative electrode face being adapted to be juxtaposed to a negative electrode when the separator is placed within a lead acid battery, and further comprising the steps of:
forming a plurality of longitudinally extending fissures, channels, recesses, or openings in said transverse ribs disposed upon said negative electrode face.

33 . The battery separator of claim 20 wherein the separator comprises ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene and silica.

34 . The battery separator of claim 25 wherein the separator comprises ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene and silica.

35 . The battery of claim 28 wherein the separator comprises ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene and silica.

36 . The separator of claim 20 wherein the transversely extending ribs are formed integrally from the porous membrane.

37 . The separator of claim 25 wherein the transversely extending ribs are formed integrally from the porous membrane.

38 . The battery of claim 28 wherein the transversely extending ribs are formed integrally from the porous membrane.

Assignees

• Daramic Llc

Inventors

• Miller Eric H
• Whear J Kevin

Classifications

• Y10T29/49108

  Electric battery cell making · CPC title

• H01M10/06

  Lead-acid accumulators (semi-lead accumulators H01M10/20) · CPC title

• H01M50/466

  U-shaped, bag-shaped or folded · CPC title

• H01M50/491

  Porosity · 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