Rectangular battery and rectangular battery manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9370844-B2
Application number	US-201314410148-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2013
Priority date	Jun 28, 2012
Publication date	Jun 21, 2016
Grant date	Jun 21, 2016

Abstract

A battery case of a rectangular battery includes a lid member welded to an opening portion in a main body member. Each opening rounded portion of the opening portion has, in the circumferential direction, a support projecting portion which projects inward over the entire opening rounded portion and which supports the lid member. Meanwhile, in the circumferential direction along an entire opening short side portion, the opening short side portion has a low projecting portion which projects inward at a position lower than the support projecting portion in the depth direction of the main body member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A rectangular battery including a rectangular parallelepiped battery case made of metal and an electrode body enclosed in the battery case,
wherein the battery case includes:
a bottom-closed rectangular cylindrical main body member having a rectangular opening portion defined by a pair of opening long-side portions, a pair of opening short-side portions, and four opening rounded portions each curved to connect the opening long-side portions to the opening short-side portions; and
a rectangular plate-like lid member inserted in the opening portion to close the opening portion, the lid member including a lid peripheral edge portion defined by a pair of lid long-side portions placed respectively to face the pair of opening long-side portions, a pair of lid short-side portions placed respectively to face the pair of opening short-side portions, and four lid rounded portions placed respectively to face the four opening rounded portions,
wherein, in the opening portion of the main body member,
the four opening rounded portions each include a support projecting portion projecting inward over the corresponding entire opening rounded portion in a circumferential direction of the opening portion to support the lid member inserted in the opening portion,
the pair of opening short-side portions each include a low projecting portion projecting inward over the entire opening short-side portion in the circumferential direction of the opening portion, each of the low projecting portions being positioned lower in a depth direction of the main body member than the support projecting portions,
the four opening rounded portions and the four lid rounded portions have clearances one each between each opening rounded portion and the corresponding lid rounded portion, and
are welded to each other by an energy beam irradiated to the lid member from outside in a thickness direction of the lid member, and
the pair of opening short-side portions and the pair of lid short-side portions have a clearance at least either between the one opening short-side portion and the one lid short-side portion or between the other opening short-side portion and the other lid short-side portion, and are welded to each other by the energy beam.

2. The rectangular battery according to claim 1 , wherein
the support projecting portions each have a projecting size larger than the clearance between each opening rounded portion and the corresponding lid rounded portion, and
the low projecting portions each have a projecting size larger than the clearance between each opening short-side portion and the corresponding lid short-side portion.

3. The rectangular battery according to claim 1 , wherein
the support projecting portions each include a support flat surface extending perpendicular to the depth direction over each entire opening rounded portion in the circumferential direction to support the lid member,
the low projecting portions each include a low slant surface projecting obliquely inward from a same position as the support flat surfaces over each entire opening short-side portion in the circumferential direction so that position of the low slant surface in the depth direction is lower on a more inward side, and
each low slant surface forms an angle α with the support flat surface is 45 degrees or less.

4. The rectangular battery according to claim 1 , wherein the opening portion of the main body member and the lid peripheral edge portion of the lid member are hermetically welded to each other over the entire circumference of the lid member while the pair of the opening long-side portions and the pair of the lid long-side portions are placed in close contact with each other.

5. A method for manufacturing a rectangular battery including a rectangular parallelepiped battery case made of metal and an electrode body enclosed in the battery case,
wherein the battery case includes:
a bottom-closed rectangular cylindrical main body member having a rectangular opening portion defined by a pair of opening long-side portions, a pair of opening short-side portions, and four opening rounded portions each curved to connect the opening long-side portions to the opening short-side portions; and
a rectangular plate-like lid member inserted in the opening portion to close the opening portion, the lid member including a lid peripheral edge portion defined by a pair of lid long-side portions placed respectively to face the pair of opening long-side portions, a pair of lid short-side portions placed respectively to face the pair of opening short-side portions, and four lid rounded portions placed respectively to face the four opening rounded portions,
wherein, in the opening portion of the main body member,
the four opening rounded portions each include a support projecting portion projecting inward over the corresponding entire opening rounded portion in a circumferential direction of the opening portion to support the lid member inserted in the opening portion,
the pair of opening short-side portions each include a low projecting portion projecting inward over the entire opening short-side portion in the circumferential direction of the opening portion, each of the low projecting portions being positioned lower in a depth direction of the main body member than the support projecting portions,
the four opening rounded portions and the four lid rounded portions have clearances one each between each opening rounded portion and the corresponding lid rounded portion, and
are welded to each other by an energy beam irradiated to the lid member from outside in a thickness direction of the lid member, and
the pair of opening short-side portions and the pair of lid short-side portions have a clearance at least either between the one opening short-side portion and the one lid short-side portion or between the other opening short-side portion and the other lid short-side portion, and
are welded to each other by the energy beam,
wherein the method includes:
an insertion-support step of inserting the lid member in the opening portion of the main body member so that the lid rounded portions of the lid member are supported by the support projecting portion of the opening rounded portions of the main body member; and
a welding step of irradiating the energy beam to respectively weld the four opening rounded portions to the four lid rounded portions, and respectively weld the pair of the opening short-side portions to the lid short-side portions, while the clearances are generated one each between the four opening rounded portions and the four lid rounded portions and the clearance is generated at least either between the one opening short-side portion and the one lid short-side portion or between the other opening short-side portion and the other lid short-side portion.

6. The method for manufacturing a rectangular battery according to claim 5 ,
wherein the support projecting portions each have a projecting size larger than the clearance between each opening rounded portion and the corresponding lid rounded portion, and
the low projecting portions each have a projecting size larger than the clearance between each opening short-side portion and the corresponding lid short-side portion.

7. The method for manufacturing a rectangular battery according to claim 5 ,
wherein the support projecting portions each include a support flat surface extending perpendicular to the depth direction over each entire opening rounded portion in the circumferential direction to support the lid member,
the low projecting portions each include a low slant surface projecting obliquely inward from a same position as the support flat surfaces over each entire opening short-side portion in the circumferential direction so that

Assignees

• Suzuki Satoshi
• Okada Toshiya
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Suzuki Satoshi
• Okada Toshiya

Classifications

• B23K33/00

  Specially-profiled edge portions of workpieces for making soldering or welding connections; Filling the seams formed thereby · CPC title

• B23K26/20

  Bonding (soldering by means of radiant energy B23K1/005) · CPC title

• B23K26/206 Primary

  Laser sealing · CPC title

• B23K15/0006

  specially adapted for particular articles or work · CPC title

• B23K26/28

  of curved planar seams · CPC title