Separator collar to insulate cathode leads for an electrochemical cell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025379346-A1
Application number	US-202519227661-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 4, 2025
Priority date	Jun 7, 2024
Publication date	Dec 11, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electrode assembly for an electrochemical cell comprises a current collector having opposed faces extending to a peripheral edge connected to a tab. The current collector tab has a tab height measured from the frame peripheral edge to a tab distal edge. An electrode active material is contacted to the current collector to form an electrode. A separator envelope housing the electrode comprises a separator collar having a collar height measured from the frame peripheral edge to a collar distal edge. The collar height is less than the tab height so that a distal portion of the current collector tab is left uncovered by separator material. A distal edge of the separator collar resides adjacent to an imaginary tab fold line along which the tab is intended to be folded. The imaginary fold line is intermediate the frame peripheral edge and the tab distal edge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrode for an electrochemical cell, the electrode comprising:
a) an electrically conductive current collector comprising:
i) opposed first and second major faces extending to a frame defining a peripheral edge; and
ii) a current collector tab extending outwardly from the frame peripheral edge, wherein the tab comprises opposed first and second tab faces extending to a tab peripheral edge, and wherein the tab has a tab height measured from the frame peripheral edge to a distal edge of the tab peripheral edge; and
b) an electrode active material contacted to the opposed first and second major faces of the current collector, wherein the electrode active material extends outwardly beyond the frame peripheral edge to thereby provide an electrode having an electrode peripheral edge; c) a separator envelope housing the electrode, the separator envelope comprising:
i) opposed first and second separator sheets covering the electrode active material contacted to the opposed first and second major faces of the current collector, the first and second separator sheets extending outwardly beyond the electrode peripheral edge where they are secured to each other to thereby house the electrode; and
ii) a separator collar comprising first and second collar portions extending from the respective first and second separator sheets, wherein the first and second collar portions extend over the respective first and second tab faces and outwardly beyond the tab peripheral edge where the first and second collar portions are secured to each other.

2 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the first and second collar portions have a collar height measured from the frame peripheral edge to a collar distal edge, the collar height being less than the tab height.

3 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the current collector frame surrounds a perforated portion comprising a plurality of openings extending to the opposed first and second major faces, and wherein the electrode active material contacted to the opposed first and second major faces locks to itself through the plurality of perforations comprising the perforated portion of the current collector.

4 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the current collector tab has an imaginary tab fold line along which the tab is intended to be folded, the imaginary fold line being intermediate the frame peripheral edge and the tab distal edge.

5 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the frame peripheral edge comprises at least opposed right and left frame edges meeting an upper frame edge, and wherein the tab peripheral edge comprises at least opposed tab right and left tab edges meeting the tab distal edge.

6 . The electrode of claim 1 , wherein the first and second collar portions are continuous with the respective first and second separator sheets.

7 . The electrode of claim 1 , configured as a cathode for incorporation into an electrochemical cell of either a primary or a secondary chemistry.

8 . An electrode for an electrochemical cell, the electrode comprising:
a) an electrically conductive bi-screen current collector comprising:
i) a first current collector comprising opposed first and second major faces extending to a first frame defining a first peripheral edge;
ii) a second current collector comprising opposed third and fourth major faces extending to a second frame defining a second peripheral edge; and
iii) an intermediate bridge having a bridge length measured from the first peripheral edge to the second peripheral edge of the respective first and second current collector frames; and
b) a first electrode active material contacted to the opposed first and second major faces of the first current collector, wherein the first electrode active material extends outwardly beyond the first frame peripheral edge to thereby provide a first electrode having a first electrode peripheral edge; c) a second electrode active material contacted to the opposed third and fourth major faces of the second current collector, wherein the second electrode active material extends outwardly beyond the second frame peripheral edge to thereby provide a second electrode having a second electrode peripheral edge; c) a first separator envelope housing the first electrode, the first separator envelope comprising:
i) opposed first and second major separator sheets covering the first electrode active material contacted to the opposed first and second major faces of the first current collector, the first and second separator sheets extending outwardly beyond the first electrode peripheral edge where they are secured to each other to thereby house the first electrode; and
ii) a first separator collar comprising first and second collar portions extending from the respective first and second major separator sheets, wherein the first and second collar portions extend over a first portion of the bridge and outwardly beyond the bridge peripheral edge where the first and second collar portions are secured to each other, and wherein the first and second collar portions have a first collar height measured from the first frame peripheral edge part-way along the bridge length to a first collar distal edge that is spaced from the second current collector; and
d) a second separator envelope housing the second electrode, the second separator envelope comprising:
i) opposed third and fourth major separator sheets covering the second electrode active material contacted to the opposed third and fourth faces of the second current collector, the third and fourth separator sheets extending outwardly beyond the second electrode peripheral edge where they are secured to each other to thereby house the second electrode; and
ii) a second separator collar comprising third and fourth collar portions extending from the respective third and fourth major separator sheets, wherein the third and fourth collar portions extend over a second portion of the bridge and outwardly beyond the bridge peripheral edge where the third and fourth collar portions are secured to each other, and wherein the third and fourth collar portions have a second collar height measured from the second frame peripheral edge part-way along the bridge length to a second collar distal edge that is spaced from the first collar distal edge.

9 . The electrode of claim 8 , wherein the first frame surrounds a plurality of first openings extending to the opposed first and second major faces and the second frame surrounds a plurality of second openings extending to the opposed third and fourth major faces, and wherein the first electrode active material locks to itself through the plurality of first openings and the second electrode active material locks to itself through the plurality of second openings.

10 . The electrode of claim 8 , wherein the first collar distal edge extends adjacent to an imaginary first fold line along which the bridge is intended to be folded, and the second collar distal edge extends adjacent to an imaginary second fold line along which the bridge is intended to be folded, and wherein an uncovered portion of the bridge is intermediate the first and second collar distal edges.

11 . The electrode of claim 10 , wherein the bridge is folded at the respective first and second imaginary fold lies so that the first and second electrodes are aligned substantially parallel to but spaced from each other.

12 . The electrode of claim 10 , wherein, with the bridge folded along the first and second fold lines, the first and second electrodes are spaced from each other by a length of the uncovered portion of the bridge intermediate the first and second collar distal edges.

Assignees

• Greatbatch Ltd

Inventors

• Yun Ho Chul
• Hartwig Jordan
• Lehnes Joseph M
• Hohl Brian
• Herberger Eric

Classifications

• H01M50/54

  Connection of several leads or tabs of plate-like electrode stacks, e.g. electrode pole straps or bridges · CPC title

• H01M50/534

  characterised by the material of the leads or tabs · CPC title

• H01M50/533

  characterised by the shape of the leads or tabs · CPC title

• H01M50/593 Primary

  Spacers; Insulating plates · CPC title

• H01M50/586 Primary

  inside the batteries, e.g. incorrect connections of electrodes · CPC title