Capacitor having multiple anodes housed in a swaged casing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9824829-B1
Application number	US-201715467254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 23, 2017
Priority date	Mar 23, 2017
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

A capacitor is described. A casing for the capacitor comprises a container having a face wall joined to a surrounding sidewall extending to a annular edge defining an open end of the container. An inwardly extending protrusion is located intermediate the face wall and the annular edge at the container open end. A partition plate is supported on the protrusion to thereby provide a first capacitor enclosure bounded by the face wall, the surrounding sidewall and the partition plate. A cover plate is secured to the annular edge to close the open end of the container and provide a second capacitor enclosure bounded by the partition plate, the surrounding sidewall and the cover plate. An anode, for example of tantalum, and a cathode active material, for example of ruthenium oxide, reside in capacitive association with each other inside each of the first and second capacitor enclosures. A working electrolyte is also contained in the capacitor enclosures. Finally, leads extend from each anode through insulative seals structures supported by the casing for making electrical connection to the capacitor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A capacitor, which comprises:
a) a casing, comprising:
i) a container comprising a face wall extending to a surrounding sidewall, the surrounding sidewall extending to a annular edge defining an open end of the container, wherein an inwardly extending protrusion is located intermediate the face wall and the annular edge at the container open end;
ii) a partition plate supported on the protrusion to thereby provide a first capacitor enclosure bounded by the face wall, the surrounding sidewall and the partition plate; and
iii) a cover plate secured to the annular edge to close the open end of the container and thereby provide a second capacitor enclosure bounded by the partition plate, the surrounding sidewall and the cover plate; and

b) a cathode active material residing in electrical contact with:
i) at least one of the face wall and the partition plate inside the first capacitor enclosure; and
ii) at least one of the partition plate and the cover plate inside the second capacitor enclosure;

c) at least one anode residing in each of the first and second capacitor enclosures and facing the cathode active material;
d) a separator intermediate the anode and cathode in both of the first and second capacitor enclosures;
e) a first insulative seal supported by the casing to electrically isolate a first lead for the first anode housed in the first capacitor enclosure from the casing;
f) a second insulative seal supported by the casing to electrically isolate a second lead for the second anode housed in the second capacitor enclosure from the casing, the casing serving as a terminal for the cathode active material; and
g) a working electrolyte provided in the first and second capacitor enclosures in contact with the first and second anodes and the cathode active material.

2. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the inwardly extending protrusion is either an endless annular protrusion or, discontinuous, residing at spaced locations around a perimeter of the surrounding sidewall.

3. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the inwardly extending protrusion is characterized as having been formed in a swaging process.

4. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein:
i) the first insulative seal comprises a first ferrule supported by the surrounding sidewall; and
ii) the second insulative seal comprises a second ferrule supported by at least one of the surrounding sidewall and the cover plate,
iii) wherein at least one of the first and second ferrules supports a sealing glass contacting the respective first and second anode lead.

5. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein:
i) the first insulative seal comprises a first ferrule supported by the surrounding sidewall; and
ii) the second insulative seal comprises a second ferrule supported by at least one of the surrounding sidewall and the cover plate,
iii) wherein at least one of the first and second ferrules supports a polymeric material, but not a sealing glass, contacting the respective first and second anode lead.

6. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the cover plate is a planar, plate shaped member aligned substantially parallel to the face wall of the container.

7. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the surrounding sidewall meets an outwardly extending annular rim at the open end of the container, and the cover plate is supported on the annular rim.

8. The capacitor of claim 7 wherein a first outer edge of the annular rim is aligned with a second outer edge of the cover plate supported on the annular rim.

9. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the first and second anodes are sintered tantalum pellets that are characterized as having been anodized to a formation voltage that is greater than zero up to 550 V.

10. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the cathode active material is selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, iron, niobium, iridium, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, rhodium, vanadium, osmium, palladium platinum, nickel, lead, gold, silver, cobalt, and mixtures thereof.

11. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the anode is selected from the group consisting of tantalum, aluminum, titanium, niobium, zirconium, hafnium, silicon, germanium, and mixtures thereof.

12. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the first anode in the first capacitor enclosure is intermediate and facing the cathode active material contacted to an inner surface of the face wall and a first inner surface of the partition plate, and wherein the second anode in the second capacitor enclosure is intermediate and facing the cathode active material contacted to a second inner surface of the partition plate and an inner surface of the cover plate.

13. The capacitor of claim 1 wherein the first and second anodes are electrically connected in parallel outside the casing.

14. A capacitor, which comprises:
a) a casing, comprising:
i) a container comprising a face wall extending to a surrounding sidewall, the surrounding sidewall extending to a annular edge defining an open end of the container, wherein the surrounding sidewall is provided with a first inwardly extending protrusion and a second inwardly extending protrusion, the first protrusion being intermediate the face wall and the second protrusion and the second protrusion being intermediate the first protrusion and the annular edge at the container open end;
ii) a first partition plate supported on the first protrusion to thereby provide a first capacitor enclosure bounded by the face wall, the surrounding sidewall and the first partition plate;
iii) a second partition plate supported on the second protrusion to thereby provide a second capacitor enclosure bounded by the first partition plate, the surrounding sidewall and the second partition plate; and
iv) a cover plate secured to the annular edge to close the open end of the container and thereby provide a third capacitor enclosure bounded by the second partition plate, the surrounding sidewall and the cover plate; and

b) a cathode active material residing in electrical contact with:
i) at least one of the face wall and the first partition plate inside the first capacitor enclosure;
ii) at least one of the first partition plate and the second partition plate inside the second capacitor enclosure; and
iii) at least one of the second partition plate and the cover plate inside the third capacitor enclosure; and

c) at least one anode residing in each of the first, second and third capacitor enclosures and facing the cathode active material;
d) a separator intermediate the anode and cathode in the first, second and third capacitor enclosures;
e) a first insulative seal supported by the casing to electrically isolate a first lead for the first anode housed in the first capacitor enclosure from the casing;
f) a second insulative seal supported by the casing to electrically isolate a second lead for the second anode housed in the second capacitor enclosure from the casing;
g) a third insulative seal supported by the casing to electrically isolate a third lead for the third anode housed in the third capacitor enclosure from the casing, the casing serving as a terminal for the cathode active material; and
h) a working electrolyte provided in the first, second and third capacitor enclosures in contact with the first, second and third anodes and the cathode active material.

15. The capacitor of claim 14 wherein the first and second protrusions are individually either an endless annular protrusion or, discontinuous, residing at spaced locations around a perimeter of the surrounding sidewall.

16. The capacitor of

Assignees

• Greatbatch Ltd

Inventors

• Muffoletto Barry C
• Perez Anthony C

Classifications

• H01G9/26

  Structural combinations of electrolytic capacitors, rectifiers, detectors, switching devices, light-sensitive or temperature-sensitive devices with each other · CPC title

• H01G9/0425

  specially adapted for cathode · CPC title

• A61N1/378

  Electrical supply · CPC title

• H01G9/10

  Sealing, e.g. of lead-in wires · CPC title

• H01G9/06

  Mounting in containers · CPC title