Degassing method of secondary battery using centrifugal force

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9214696-B2
Application number	US-201313894577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2013
Priority date	Dec 2, 2010
Publication date	Dec 15, 2015
Grant date	Dec 15, 2015

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a battery cell including an electrode assembly and electrolyte provided in a battery case made of a laminate sheet having a resin layer and a metal layer, which includes: (a) mounting the electrode assembly in the battery case and sealing the periphery of the battery case except for one end part thereof through thermal fusion; (b) introducing the electrolyte through the unsealed end part and sealing the end via thermal fusion; (c) charging-discharging the battery cell to activate the same; (d) transferring gas generated during activation and excess electrolyte to the foregoing end part of the battery cell by centrifugal force; and (e) removing the gas and excess electrolyte from the end part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a battery cell including an electrode assembly and electrolyte provided in a battery case made of a laminate sheet having a resin layer and a metal layer, comprising:
(a) mounting the electrode assembly in the battery case and sealing the periphery of the battery case except for one end part of the battery case through thermal fusion;
(b) introducing the electrolyte through the end part of the battery case and sealing the end part of the battery case via thermal fusion;
(c) charging-discharging the battery cell to activate the battery cell;
(d) transferring gas generated during activation and excess electrolyte to the end part of the battery case by centrifugal force; and
(e) removing the gas and excess electrolyte from the end part of the battery case,
wherein, in step (d), the battery cell is mounted on a centrifugal separator to make the end part of the battery case face an inside of the centrifugal separator and then rotated, enabling the gas to migrate to the end part of the battery case by centrifugal force.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the laminate sheet has a laminate structure comprising an external resin layer, a barrier metal layer for shielding air and moisture, and a thermally fusible internal resin layer.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrode assembly has a winding type, stack type or stack/folding type structure.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the battery case has a rectangular structure in a plan view and the end part of the battery case is one edge side of the battery case.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein a width of the edge side is 20 to 300% larger than each width of the other edge sides and the end of the edge side is sealed during thermal fusion for activation.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in operation (d), an entirety of the gas migrates to the end part of the battery case by centrifugal force.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein operation (e) includes: (e1) puncturing an unsealed part in the end part of the battery case to form a through-hole communicating with the battery case; and (e2) pulling top and bottom faces of the battery case in an opposite direction to each other at the unsealed part to open the top and bottom faces of the battery case while applying vacuum pressure thereto, to remove excess electrolyte as well as the gas generated during activation.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the top and bottom faces of the battery case are pulled in opposite directions by a suction device while applying vacuum pressure thereto.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the suction device comprises a first suction pad contacting the top face of the battery case and a second suction pad contacting the bottom face of the battery case.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein each of the first suction pad and the second suction pad has a structure comprising an adhesion part contacting an outer side of the battery case and a hollow part that is connected to the adhesion part, communicates with a through-hole formed at an unsealed part of the battery case and applies vacuum pressure.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein heating the battery cell is conducted in at least one of operations (c) to (e).

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein ultrasonic vibration is applied to the battery cell in at least one of operations (c) to (e).

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising an operation of sealing an inner side of the unsealed part through thermal fusion and then cutting off other outer parts, after operation (e).

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Min Ki Hong
• Hwang Sung Min
• Cho Jihoon
• Jung Taeyoon
• Son Jeong Sam
• Han Changmin
• Lee Han Sung
• Yang Byung Taek
• Baik Hyun-Sook
• Jung Seok Joo
• Kim Sung Hyun
• Song Ki Hun
• Park Sang Hyuck
• Kim Byeong Geun

Classifications

• Y02P70/50

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

• H01M50/636

  Closing or sealing filling ports, e.g. using lids · CPC title

• H01M10/058 Primary

  Construction or manufacture · CPC title

• H01M50/121

  Organic material · CPC title

• H01M10/52 Primary

  Removing gases inside the secondary cell, e.g. by absorption (vent plugs or other mechanical arrangements for facilitating escape of gases H01M50/30) · CPC title