Flexible electrochemical device including electrically connected electrode assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9786893-B2
Application number	US-201514750454-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 25, 2015
Priority date	Oct 2, 2014
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A flexible electrochemical device in which a plurality of electrode assemblies is electrically connected to each other so that the flexible electrochemical device may be repeatedly bent, includes at least two electrode assemblies that are arranged separate from each other and a casing member that packs the at least two electrode assemblies and includes at least two accommodation portions in which electrode assemblies are individually received, and a connecting portion that connects the at least two adjacent accommodation portions where a path between a conductive line that electrically connects at least two electrode assemblies together and an electrolyte is defined in the connecting portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrochemical device comprising:
a first electrode assembly and a second electrode assembly which are separate from each other;
at least one conductive line which electrically connects the first electrode assembly and the second electrode assembly;
a casing member which packages the first and second electrode assemblies and comprises a first accommodation portion in which the first electrode assembly is accommodated, a second accommodation portion in which the second electrode assembly is accommodated, and a connecting portion which connects the first accommodation portion to the second accommodation portion; and
an electrolyte disposed in the casing member,
wherein a thickness of the connecting portion is less than one of a thickness of the first accommodation portion and a thickness of the second accommodation portion in a cross section, and
a path for the at least one conductive line and the electrolyte is defined in the connecting portion.

2. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the casing member comprises a lower casing member and an upper casing member, and a space is defined between the lower casing member and the upper casing member so that the path for the at least one conductive line and the electrolyte is disposed between the lower casing member and the upper casing member.

3. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein a thickness of the connecting portion in a region in which the at least one conductive line is located is greater than a thickness of the connecting portion in a region in which the at least one conductive line is not located.

4. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein a thickness of the connecting portion in at least a region in which the at least one conductive line is not located is larger than a sum of a thickness of the lower casing member and a thickness of the upper casing member of the connecting portion in a region in which the at least one conductive line is located.

5. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein a space is defined between a surface of the at least one conductive line and the lower or upper casing member.

6. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein a concave curved surface is disposed on a surface of the lower casing member or the upper casing member in a region of the connecting portion.

7. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein the at least one conductive line comprises a first conductive line and a second conductive line which are spaced apart from each other and disposed in parallel on the same plane, and
the lower casing member and the upper casing member are bonded to each other in at least one region among a region between the first conductive line and the second conductive line in the connecting portion, a region between a first edge of the connecting portion and the first conductive line, and a region between a second edge of the connecting portion and the second conductive line.

8. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein the first and second electrode assemblies are disposed to face a top surface of the at least one conductive line, and the lower casing member is disposed to face bottom surfaces of the first and second electrode assemblies, and the upper casing member is disposed on the first and second electrode assemblies and has shapes of the first and second accommodation portions and the connecting portion.

9. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein the first electrode assembly is disposed to face a top surface of the at least one conductive line, and the second electrode assembly is disposed to face a bottom surface of the at least one conductive line, and the first accommodation portion is disposed in the upper casing member, and the second accommodation portion is disposed in the lower casing member.

10. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein each of the lower casing member and the upper casing member comprises an outermost layer, a gas barrier layer, and a sealing layer.

11. The electrochemical device of claim 2 , wherein the casing member further comprises a reinforcement member disposed in a border region between the first accommodation portion and the connecting portion or between the second accommodation portion and the connecting portion.

12. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of a top surface of the first accommodation portion, a bottom surface of the first accommodation portion, a top surface of the second accommodation portion, and a bottom surface of the second accommodation portion includes a curved surface.

13. The electrochemical device of claim 12 , wherein at least one of a top surface of the first electrode assembly, a bottom surface of the first electrode assembly, a top surface of the second electrode assembly, and a bottom surface of the second electrode assembly includes a curved surface.

14. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the connecting portion is bent so that the first accommodation portion is inclined with respect to the second accommodation portion.

15. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conductive line is a sheet-type conductive line which extends between the first accommodation portion and the second accommodation portion through the connecting portion in the casing member and comprises a sheet region, and
a width of the sheet region is greater than a thickness of the sheet region.

16. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conductive line comprises a first conductive line and a second conductive line which connect the first and second electrode assemblies together in parallel, and
the electrochemical device further comprises first electrode tabs which electrically connect the first and second electrode assemblies to the first conductive line and second electrode tabs which electrically connect the first and second electrode assemblies to the second conductive line.

17. The electrochemical device of claim 16 , further comprising an insulating layer, wherein the at least one conductive line is disposed on a bottom surface of the insulating layer or a top surface of the insulating layer.

18. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second electrode assemblies comprises a current collector, and
at least one of the current collectors of the first and second electrode assemblies and the at least one conductive line are unitary.

19. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , wherein a width of the at least one conductive line in a region of the connecting portion is less than that in other regions.

20. The electrochemical device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one lead tab which is drawn to an outside of the casing member and is electrically connected to the at least one conductive line in the casing member.

21. The electrochemical device of claim 20 , wherein a part of the at least one conductive line is bent in the casing member and the bent part of the at least one conductive line and the at least one lead tab are bonded to each other.

22. The electrochemical device of claim 20 , wherein a height of the at least one lead tab and a height of the at least one conductive line do not coincide with each other in the casing member, and a part of the lead tab or the at least one conductive line is slantly bent and is bonded to the at least one conductive line or the at least one lead tab.

23. The electrochemical device of claim 20 , wherein the

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwon Moonseok
• Choi Jaeman
• Do Euncheol
• Chang Jaejun
• Chung Yeonji

Classifications

• H01M6/46 Primary

  of flat cells · CPC title

• H01M50/126

  comprising three or more layers · CPC title

• H01M50/502 Primary

  Interconnectors for connecting terminals of adjacent batteries; Interconnectors for connecting cells outside a battery casing · CPC title

• H01M50/538

  Connection of several leads or tabs of wound or folded electrode stacks · CPC title

• H01M50/116

  characterised by the material · CPC title