Electrode assembly having stepped portion, as well as battery cell, battery pack, and device including the electrode assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9431679-B2
Application number	US-201314059757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2013
Priority date	May 25, 2012
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

There is provided an electrode assembly comprising at least one stacked and folded type electrode stack in which a plurality of electrode units having electrode tabs are stacked in a state that the electrode units are separated by a sheet of separating film. The stacked and folded type electrode stack includes at least one stepped portion formed of electrode units having different areas and stacked on one another.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrode assembly comprising a plurality of electrode stacks including at least one stacked and folded type electrode stack in which a plurality of electrode units are stacked in a stacking direction such that the electrode units are separated by a sheet of separating film,
wherein the stacked and folded type electrode stack comprises at least one stepped portion formed within the stacked and folded type electrode stack by the electrode units having different areas transverse to the stacking direction, the electrode units being stacked on one another with the sheet of separating film being disposed therebetween,
wherein each of the electrode units comprises one selected from the group consisting of positive electrodes, negative electrodes, and unit cells, each unit cell having at least one positive electrode and at least one negative electrode that are stacked with a separator disposed therebetween,
wherein the electrode assembly includes a Z-folded type electrode stack stacked together with a second electrode stack by using the separating film, the second electrode stack having a type selected from the group consisting of a jelly-roll type electrode stack, a stacked and folded type electrode stack, or a combination thereof, and
wherein the electrode assembly comprises a second stepped portion formed between one of the plurality of electrode stacks and an adjacent second electrode unit.

2. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stacked and folded type electrode stack is a Z-folded type electrode stack.

3. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stacked and folded type electrode stack comprises one or two stepped portions.

4. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein mutually-facing electrodes of the electrode units having different areas have different polarities.

5. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein a larger one of mutually-facing electrodes of the electrode units having different areas is a negative electrode.

6. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the unit cells has a type selected from the group consisting of a jelly-roll type, a stacked type, a laminated and stacked type, and a stacked and folded type.

7. The electrode assembly of claim 6 , wherein unit cells having different areas and stacked on one another with a separator being disposed therebetween comprises at least one stepped portion.

8. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stacked and folded type electrode stack is a Z-folded type electrode stack, the electrode assembly further comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of stacked type electrode stacks, jelly-roll type electrode stacks, stacked and folded type electrode stacks, and combinations thereof.

9. The electrode assembly of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the stacked type electrode stacks, the jelly-roll type electrode stacks, the stacked and folded type electrode stacks, and combinations thereof comprise a stepped portion.

10. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode stack comprises at least one electrode unit having at least one corner different in shape from the other corners thereof.

11. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode stack comprises at least one electrode unit having at least one curved corner.

12. The electrode assembly of claim 11 , wherein the electrode stack comprises two or more electrode units each having at least one curved corner, and at least one of the curved corners of the electrode units has a different curvature than the curved corners of the other electrode units.

13. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode units are stacked in the electrode stack in a manner such that areas of the electrode units decrease in the stacking direction thereof.

14. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode units are stacked in the electrode stack in a manner such that corners of the electrode units are aligned in a line.

15. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of electrode units of the electrode stack adjoining each other with the separating film being disposed therebetween is disposed within a boundary of the other electrode unit.

16. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein centers of the electrode units of the electrode stack are aligned with each other.

17. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode units have the same thickness or different thicknesses.

18. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein an outermost electrode of the electrode assembly is a single-side-coated electrode having a non-coated side facing outward, and the separating film or a separator of the electrode assembly is exposed.

19. The electrode assembly of claim 18 , wherein the single-side-coated electrode is a positive electrode.

20. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein an outermost electrode of the electrode assembly is a negative electrode, and the separating film or a separator of the electrode assembly is exposed.

21. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode units comprises electrode tabs corresponding to electrodes, respectively, and the electrode tabs have the same size or different sizes.

22. The electrode assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrode tabs are attached to a side or opposing sides of each of the electrode units.

23. A battery cell comprising:
the electrode assembly of any one of claim 1 ; and
a battery case accommodating the electrode assembly.

24. The battery cell of claim 23 , wherein the battery case is a pouch type case.

25. The battery cell of claim 24 , wherein the battery case has a stepped or inclined portion corresponding to a shape of the electrode assembly.

26. The battery cell of claim 23 , wherein the battery cell is a lithium ion secondary battery cell or a lithium ion polymer secondary battery cell.

27. A device comprising at least one battery cell as claimed in claim 23 .

28. The device of claim 27 , wherein a system component of the device is disposed in a remaining space of the battery cell.

29. The device of claim 27 , wherein the device is a cellular phone, a portable computer, a smartphone, a smartpad, a net book, an LEV (light electronic vehicle), an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or a power storage device.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Kwon Sung-Jin
• Ahn Soon-Ho
• Kim Dong-Myung
• Kim Ki-Woong
• Kim Young-Hoon
• Yoon Sung-Han
• Ryu Seung-Min

Classifications

• H01M50/466

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

• Y02P70/50

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

• H01M10/058 Primary

  Construction or manufacture · CPC title

• H01M50/54

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

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title