JP4576641B2 - Battery manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a battery in which positive and negative terminals are insulated and sealed with a glass hermetic seal or a ceramic hermetic seal and project outward from an opening of a battery case.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A structural example of a large-capacity long cylindrical nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery used for an electric vehicle or the like will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the power generation element 1 of this nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is obtained by winding a strip-like positive electrode 1a and a negative electrode 1b into a long cylindrical shape via a strip-like separator 1c. The positive electrode 1a and the negative electrode 1b are respectively wound slightly shifted up and down, so that the lower end of the positive electrode 1a protrudes downward and the upper end of the negative electrode 1b protrudes upward. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the negative electrode current collector 5 is connected and fixed to the upper end portion of the negative electrode 1 b protruding above the power generation element 1. The negative electrode current collector 5 is obtained by pressing a copper alloy plate. In FIG. 7, the negative electrode current collector 5 is shaded by the positive electrode current collector 3. The negative electrode current collector 5 is formed by folding the copper alloy plate. The upper end portions are sandwiched and connected and fixed by caulking or welding. A negative electrode terminal 4 made of a copper alloy is connected and fixed to the negative electrode current collector 5 by caulking, welding or the like so as to protrude upward. Further, the positive electrode current collector 3 is connected and fixed to the lower end portion of the positive electrode 1 a protruding downward from the power generation element 1. The positive electrode current collector 3 is obtained by press-working an aluminum alloy plate, and is the back side of the power generation element 1 in FIG. 7, but the lower end portion of the positive electrode 1a is formed in each slit portion formed by folding the aluminum alloy plate. Are connected and fixed by caulking or welding. One end of the positive electrode current collector 3 is drawn upward, and the positive electrode terminal 2 made of an aluminum alloy is connected and fixed thereto by caulking, welding, or the like.
[0003]
As shown in FIG. 8, the power generating element 1 connecting the positive electrode current collector 3 and the negative electrode current collector 5 is accommodated in a case body 8 a having a long cylindrical container shape in a battery case 8. Further, the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4 connected and fixed to the positive electrode current collector 3 and the negative electrode current collector 5 are respectively passed through two opening holes of an oblong plate-shaped lid plate 8b in the battery case 8, The glass hermetic seal 7 is formed in a gap between each opening hole to be insulated and fixed. Then, the cover plate 8b is fitted into the upper end opening of the case body 8a, and the periphery is sealed and fixed by welding or the like, whereby the positive terminal 2 and the negative terminal 4 are connected to the battery case 8 as shown in FIG. A battery projecting upward from the opening hole of the cover plate 8b is configured.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case of the positive electrode terminal 2, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the glass is once heated to a high temperature between the positive electrode terminal 2 and the opening hole of the lid plate 8b and then solidified to form a glass hermetic seal 7. Therefore, in practice, the glass hermetic seal 7 cannot be formed in a state where the power generating element 1 is connected and fixed to the positive electrode terminal 2 as described above. That is, since the power generation element 1 cannot withstand high temperatures, the glass cannot be melted. This situation also applies to the negative electrode terminal 4. Therefore, conventionally, the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4 are insulated and fixed to the cover plate 8b with a glass hermetic seal 7 in advance, and the positive electrode current collector 3 connected and fixed to the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4 The connecting operation of the negative electrode current collector 5 to the power generation element 1 is performed later, or the positive electrode current collector 3 and the negative electrode current collector 5 fixed to the power generation element 1 are connected to the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4. The connection work of was to be done later.
[0005]
For this reason, conventionally, a special jig has to be inserted into the gap below the cover plate 8b to perform these connecting operations by caulking, welding, etc., which is not only extremely poor in workability but also difficult. There has been a problem that the reliability of the connection fixing portion is lowered by the work. Moreover, in order to secure these work spaces, there is a problem that a useless space is generated in the battery, and the battery capacity is reduced accordingly.
[0006]
Further, conventionally, without using such a glass hermetic seal 7, the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4 are passed through an opening hole of the lid plate 8b through a sealing material such as an O-ring or a synthetic resin washer and tightened with a nut or the like. In many cases, it was fixed with insulation sealing. However, since such sealing materials such as O-rings and synthetic resin washers are likely to deteriorate over time, there is a problem that the airtightness is lowered with use, and there is a risk of leakage of the electrolyte.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in order to cope with such a situation. A metal ring is insulated and fixed to a terminal with a hermetic seal in advance, and the metal ring is sealed and fixed to a cover plate of a battery case. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a battery with good assembly workability.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The battery manufacturing method according to claim 1 includes: a power generation element (1) including electrodes (1a, 1b); and a terminal (2, 4) in which a metal ring (6) is externally fitted via a hermetic (7). A battery manufacturing method comprising a current collector (3, 5) connected to the terminal and the electrode of the power generation element, and a lid plate (8b) of the battery case (8),
A first step of fitting a metal ring (6) onto the terminals (2, 4) via a hermetic (7); and electrodes (1a, 1b) of the terminals (2, 4) and the power generation element (1) ) Through the current collector (3, 5), and the metal ring (6) provided on the terminal (2, 4) is a cover plate of the battery case (8). A third step of being fitted and fixed in the hole provided in (8b), wherein the second step is performed after the first step, and the third step is the second step. It is performed after the step.
[0009]
According to the battery manufacturing method of the present invention, the metal ring (6) sufficiently smaller than the cover plate (8b) of the battery case (8) is insulated and fixed to the terminal by the hermetic seal (7). Therefore, it becomes easy to connect the current collector (3, 5), to which the terminal is connected and fixed, to the electrode of the power generation element (1) by caulking, welding, or the like. Moreover, after this, the metal ring (6) of the terminals (2, 4) is inserted into the opening hole of the lid plate (8b) of the battery case (8) and sealed and fixed by welding or the like, and the lid plate (8b ) Is fitted into the opening of the case body of the battery case (8) and sealed and fixed, so that the terminal can be securely insulated and fixed.
[0010]
The battery manufacturing method according to claim 2 is characterized in that the lid plate (8b) of the battery case (8) is provided with the two terminals (2, 4).
[0011]
According to the battery manufacturing method , the metal ring (6) that is sufficiently smaller than the cover plate (8b) of the battery case (8) is provided with glass hermetic seals (positively connected to the positive terminal (2) and the negative terminal (4), respectively). 7) Since it is insulated and fixed by 7), there will be no obstacles during operations such as caulking and welding for subsequently connecting and fixing the negative electrode terminal (4) to the power generating element (1). Moreover, since the metal ring (6) is separately insulated and fixed to the positive electrode terminal (2) and the negative electrode terminal (4), the upper part of the positive electrode current collector (3) is the negative electrode current collector (5). It won't get in the way of fixing the connection. For this reason, not only the assembly work of the battery becomes easy, but also there is no possibility that the connection and fixing are insufficient.
[0012]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a positive electrode terminal portion of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a power generation element in which the positive and negative terminals and the current collector are connected and fixed, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the battery case of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected to the structural member which has a function similar to the prior art example shown in FIGS.
[0014]
In the present embodiment, a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including the power generation element 1 wound in a long cylindrical shape similar to the conventional example shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the positive electrode terminal 2 of the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is made of an aluminum alloy, and a female thread portion 2a that opens to the upper end surface side is formed in a cylindrical main body. The positive electrode terminal 2 has a flange 2b formed at the lower end, and a welding projection 2c protruding from the lower end surface of the flange 2b. In addition, the specific structure of this positive electrode terminal 2 is arbitrary, for example, it can replace with the internal thread part 2a, and can also project a male thread part.
[0015]
The positive electrode terminal 2 is connected and fixed by inserting a welding projection 2c into an opening hole of the positive electrode current collector 3 connected to the positive electrode 1a of the power generation element 1 and performing TIG welding, laser welding, or the like. The positive electrode terminal 2 and the positive electrode current collector 3 may be connected and fixed by brazing, caulking, or the like in addition to TIG welding or laser welding. The positive electrode terminal 2 is insulated and fixed by inserting the vicinity of the upper end portion into the inner hole of the metal ring 6 from below and forming a glass hermetic seal 7 in the gap between the opening hole. The metal ring 6 is a circular ring-shaped plate in which a wavy portion that is bent upward is formed at the edge of the inner and outer periphery. The metal ring 6 is inserted into the opening hole of the lid plate 8b of the battery case 8, and the outer periphery of the metal ring 6 and the opening hole are sealed and fixed by TIG welding, laser welding, or the like. For this reason, the same wavy part as the metal ring 6 is formed also in the peripheral part of the opening hole of the cover plate 8b. The metal ring 6 is preferably made of the same metal material as that of the cover plate 8b, for example, in order to make melting points as equal as possible during welding. Specifically, an aluminum alloy or stainless steel is used. However, the opening hole of the lid plate 8b and the metal ring 6 may be sealed and fixed by brazing, an adhesive, or the like. In these cases, an optimal metal material can be used for each. The shapes of the inner hole and outer periphery of the metal ring 6 and the opening hole of the lid plate 8b are not limited to a circle as in the present embodiment, but are arbitrary.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 2, the positive electrode terminal 2 having the above-described configuration is connected and fixed to the upper portion of the positive electrode current collector 3 after the metal ring 6 is first insulated and fixed by a glass hermetic seal 7. Similarly, the negative electrode terminal 4 is also connected and fixed to the negative electrode current collector 5 after the metal ring 6 is insulated and fixed by the glass hermetic seal 7. The negative electrode terminal 4 and the negative electrode current collector 5 are made of a copper alloy. However, the metal ring 6 that is insulated and fixed thereto may be made of the same metal material as that of the positive electrode terminal 2. Further, since the positive electrode current collector 3 and the negative electrode current collector 5 can withstand high temperatures similarly to the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4, the glass hermetic seal 7 is attached to the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4 after they are connected and fixed. It can also be formed.
[0017]
The positive electrode current collector 3 and the negative electrode current collector 5 to which the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4 are connected and fixed are connected and fixed to the power generation element 1 as shown in FIG. That is, the upper end portion of the negative electrode 1b of the power generating element 1 is sandwiched between the slit portions formed by folding the copper alloy plate of the negative electrode current collector 5 and connected and fixed by caulking, welding, or the like. Thereafter, the lower end portion of the positive electrode 1a of the power generation element 1 is sandwiched between the slit portions formed by folding the aluminum alloy plate of the positive electrode current collector 3, and connected and fixed by caulking, welding, or the like. When connecting and fixing the negative electrode current collector 5, the metal ring 6 with the negative electrode terminal 4 insulated and fixed is sufficiently small so that the metal ring 6 interferes with operations such as caulking and welding. There is no. Moreover, since the metal ring 6 is separately insulated and fixed to the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4, the positive electrode current collector 3 and the negative electrode current collector 5 can be separately connected and fixed to the power generation element 1, The upper part of the positive electrode current collector 3 does not get in the way when the negative electrode current collector 5 is connected and fixed. Further, since the positive electrode current collector 3 is connected and fixed below the power generation element 1, work such as caulking and welding is originally easy. In addition, the positive electrode current collector 3 and the negative electrode current collector 5 can be connected to the power generating element 1 by any means other than the ends of the positive electrode 1a and the negative electrode 1b sandwiched between the slit portions.
[0018]
The power generating element 1 to which the positive electrode current collector 3 and the negative electrode current collector 5 are connected and fixed is housed in a long cylindrical container-like case body 8a in the battery case 8, as shown in FIG. Further, each metal ring 6 in which the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4 are insulated and fixed is inserted into two opening holes of the oblong plate-like lid plate 8b in the battery case 8, respectively. The space between the opening holes of 8b is sealed and fixed by TIG welding, laser welding, brazing or the like. Then, the cover plate 8b is fitted into the upper end opening of the case body 8a, and the periphery is sealed and fixed by TIG welding, laser welding, brazing, or the like, as shown in FIG. A battery is configured in which the upper end portion of the terminal 4 projects upward from the opening hole of the cover plate 8b of the battery case 8. Similarly to the case of the cover plate 8b and the case body 8a, the metal ring 6 and the cover plate 8b affect the power generation element 1 by performing TIG welding, laser welding, brazing, or the like from above the cover plate 8b. It is possible to easily perform the sealing and fixing operation. Note that the metal ring 6 may be sealed and fixed in the opening hole of the lid plate 8b before the power generation element 1 is accommodated in the case body 8a.
[0019]
According to the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having the above configuration, the metal ring 6 that is sufficiently smaller than the cover plate 8b of the battery case 8 is insulated and fixed to the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4 by the glass hermetic seal 7 separately. Therefore, there is no possibility that the negative electrode terminal 4 is subsequently obstructed during operations such as caulking and welding for connecting and fixing the negative electrode terminal 4 to the power generating element 1. In addition, since the metal ring 6 is separately insulated and fixed to the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4, the upper part of the positive electrode current collector 3 interferes with the work of fixing and connecting the negative electrode current collector 5. There is nothing wrong. For this reason, not only the assembly work of the battery becomes easy, but also there is no possibility that the connection and fixing are insufficient.
[0020]
In the above embodiment, the positive electrode terminal 2 and the negative electrode terminal 4 are insulated and fixed to the metal ring 6 by using the glass hermetic seal 7, but the positive electrode terminal 2, the negative electrode terminal 4, and the opening of the metal ring 6 are not fixed. It is also possible to use a ceramic hermetic seal that is insulated and fixed by inserting an insulating ceramic ring between them and brazing the gap.
[0021]
Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, it can implement similarly to another kind of battery and a primary battery. Further, the shape and configuration of the battery case 8 are not limited to those of the embodiment.
[0022]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, according to the battery of the present invention and the method for manufacturing the same, the terminal and the metal ring are insulated and fixed by the hermetic seal. The workability at the time of connection can be improved, and the possibility of insufficient connection can be eliminated. In addition, since the terminals are insulated and fixed using a hermetic seal, there is no fear that the sealing material will deteriorate over time and liquid leakage will occur.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1, showing an embodiment of the present invention, is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a positive electrode terminal portion of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a positive and negative terminal and a current collector in which a metal ring is insulated and fixed, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a power generation element according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which positive and negative terminals and a current collector are connected and fixed.
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a battery case of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a current collector and a power generation element in which positive and negative terminals are connected and fixed, showing a conventional example.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a power generation element, showing a conventional example, in which positive and negative terminals and a current collector are connected and fixed.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a conventional example and an exploded battery case of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery.
FIG. 9 shows a conventional example and is an overall perspective view of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery.
FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional example and enlarging a positive electrode terminal portion of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 power generation element 2 terminal 3 current collector 4 terminal 5 current collector 6 metal ring 7 glass hermetic seal 8 battery case 8b cover plate

Claims (2)

A battery comprising: a power generation element including an electrode; a terminal having a metal ring fitted through a hermetic; a current collector connected to the terminal and the electrode of the power generation element; and a cover plate of a battery case A manufacturing method comprising:
A first step of fitting a metal ring to the terminal via a hermetic; a second step of connecting the terminal and the electrode of the power generation element via the current collector; and the terminal. A third step in which the metal ring is fitted and fixed in a hole provided in a lid plate of the battery case, the second step is performed after the first step, and the first step A method for manufacturing a battery, wherein the third step is performed after the second step. The battery manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein two terminals are provided on a cover plate of the battery case.

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