Electrochemical cell having venting current collector and seal assembly

1. An electrochemical cell comprising a container having a bottom end and an open top end; a positive electrode disposed in the container, a negative electrode disposed in the container; a seal member disposed in the open top end of the container for closing the open top end of the container, the seal member having an opening defined by a wall; and a current collector having a shaft extending through the opening in the seal member and contacting one of the positive and negative electrodes; wherein:

the current collector shaft has a surface adjacent to the seal member wall;

the seal member wall has a surface adjacent to the current collector shaft;

a portion of the surface of the current collector shaft is in sealing contact with at least a portion of the seal member wall when in a sealed position;

at least one of the current collector shaft and the seal member wall is axially moveable from the sealed position to a vent position upon experiencing a predetermined pressure, thereby breaking at least a portion of the sealing contact to provide a pressure relief passage for venting pressurized gases between the surfaces of the current collector shaft and the seal member wall when in the vent position; and

the current collector shaft comprises one or more flutes in the surface of the shaft forming at least a portion of the pressure relief passage when the current collector and the seal member wall are in the vent position.

2. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 1 , wherein the current collector shaft comprises a round surface and the opening in the seal member wall is round.

3. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 1 , wherein the current collector shaft is moveable from the sealed position to the vent position.

4. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 3 , wherein the surface of the shaft comprises a first width and a second width, at least a portion of the first width is above and larger than the second width and makes sealing contact with at least a portion of the surface of the seal member wall when in the sealed position, and the shaft is moveable upward to the vent position to provide a pressure relief passage between at least a portion of the second width of the shaft and at least a portion of the surface of the scal member wall.

5. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 4 , wherein the second width of the shaft comprises one or more flutes in the surface of the shaft.

6. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 3 , wherein the sealing contact between the current collector shaft and the seal member wall comprises a compressed area in the seal member wall.

7. An electrochemical cell comprising a container having a bottom end and an open top end; a positive electrode disposed in the container, a negative electrode disposed in the container; a seal member disposed in the open top end of the container for closing the open top end of the container, the seal member having an opening defined by a wall; and a current collector having a shaft extending through the opening in the seal member and contacting one of the positive and negative electrodes; wherein:

the current collector shaft has a surface adjacent to the seal member wall;

the seal member wall has a surface adjacent to the current collector shaft;

a portion of the surface of the current collector shaft is in sealing contact with at least a portion of the seal member wall when in a sealed position;

the current collector shaft is axially moveable from the sealed position to a vent position upon experiencing a predetermined pressure, thereby breaking at least a portion of the sealing contact to provide a pressure relief passage for venting pressurized gases between the surfaces of the current collector shaft and the seal member wall when in the vent position; and

a portion of the seal member wall extends inward above a portion of the current collector shaft.

8. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 3 , wherein the cell comprises a terminal cover electrically coupled to the current collector.

9. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 8 , wherein the current collector shaft is biased downward by a conductive connector electrically coupling the top of the shaft and the terminal cover.

10. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 9 , wherein the conductive connector is a coil spring, and the spring is compressible to allow upward movement of the shaft to the vent position when the predetermined pressure is reached.

11. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 9 , wherein the conductive connector is a bowl-shaped disk, and the disk is moveable to allow upward movement of the shaft to the vent position when the predetermined pressure is reached.

12. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 3 , wherein the current collector shaft, after moving to the vent position, is moveable into sealing contact with the seal member following initial venting.

13. An electrochemical cell comprising a container having a bottom end and an open top end; a positive electrode disposed in the container, a negative electrode disposed in the container; a seal member disposed in the open top end of the container for closing the open top end of the container, the seal member having an opening defined by a wall; and a current collector having a shaft extending through the opening in the seal member and contacting one of the positive and negative electrodes; wherein:

the current collector shaft has a surface adjacent to the seal member wall;

the seal member wall has a surface adjacent to the current collector shaft;

a portion of the surface of the current collector shaft is in sealing contact with at least a portion of the seal member wall when in a sealed position;

at least one of the current collector shaft and the seal member wall is axially moveable from the sealed position to a vent position upon experiencing a predetermined pressure, thereby breaking at least a portion of the sealing contact to provide a pressure relief passage for venting pressurized gases between the surfaces of the current collector shaft and the seal member wall when in the vent position; and

the seal member wall is moveable to the vent position.

14. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 13 , wherein the surface of the shaft comprises a first width and a second width below at least a portion of the first width, the sealing contact between the shaft and the seal member wall in the sealed position is between at least a portion of the second width of the shaft and at least a portion of the seal member wall, and the seal member is moveable upward to the vent position to provide a pressure relief passage between at least a portion of the first width of the shaft and at least a portion of the seal member wall.

15. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 14 , wherein the first width of the shaft is smaller than the second width.

16. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 15 , wherein the shaft comprises a third width that is larger than the second width and disposed is between the first and second widths, and the seal member wall must move over the third width to the vent position.

17. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 14 , wherein the first width of the shaft is larger than the second width, the first width can restrain upward movement of the seal member wall until the predetermined pressure is reached, and one or more flutes in the surface of the shaft provide a pressure relief passage between the surface of the shaft and the surface of the seal member wall when the seal member wall moves upward to the vent position.

18. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 13 , wherein atop surface of the seal member comprises a vent path to prevent resealing of the current collector and seal member when in the vent position.

19. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 13 , wherein the scaling contact between the current collector shaft and the seal member wall comprises a compressed area in the seal member wall.

20. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 13 , wherein the cell comprises a terminal cover electrically coupled to the current collector.

21. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 13 , wherein the seal member wall, after moving to the vent position, is moveable into scaling contact with the current collector shaft following initial venting.

22. An electrochemical cell comprising a container having a bottom end and an open top end; a positive electrode disposed in the container, a negative electrode disposed in the container; a seal member disposed in the open top end of the container for closing the open top end of the container, the seal member having an opening defined by a wall; a current collector having a shaft extending trough the opening in the seal member and contacting one of the positive and negative electrodes; and an outer cover disposed over the seal member; wherein:

the current collector shaft has a surface adjacent to the seal member wall;

the seal member wall has a surface adjacent to the current collector shaft;

a portion of the surface of the current collector shaft is in sealing contact with at least a portion of the seal member wall when in a scaled position;

the current collector shaft is biased downward by a spring in the sealed position;

the current collector shaft is axially moveable from the sealed position to a vent position upon experiencing a predetermined pressure, thereby compressing the spring and breaking at least a portion of the sealing contact to provide a pressure relief passage for venting pressurized gases between the surfaces of the current collector shaft and the seal member wall when in the vent position; and

the current collector shaft comprises one or more flutes forming at least a portion of the pressure relief passage when the current collector shaft and the seal member wall are in the vent position.

23. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 22 , wherein the current collector shaft comprises a round surface and the opening in the seal member is round.

24. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 23 , wherein the surface of the shaft comprises a first width and a second width disposed below at least a portion of the first width, at least a portion of the first width of the shaft makes sealing contact with at least a portion of the surface of the seal member wall when in the sealed position, and the shaft is moveable to the vent position to provide a pressure relief passage between at least a portion of the second width of the shaft and at least a portion of the surface of the seal member wall.

25. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 24 , wherein the second width of the shaft comprises one or more flutes in the surface of the shaft.

26. An electrochemical cell comprising a container having a bottom end and an open top end; a positive electrode disposed in the container, a negative electrode disposed in the container, a seal member disposed in the open top end of the container for closing the open top end of the container, the seal member having an opening defined by a wall; a current collector having a shaft extending through the opening in the seal member and contacting one of the positive and negative electrodes; and an outer cover disposed ovate seal member; wherein:

the current collector shaft has a surface adjacent to the seal member wall;

the seal member wall has a surface adjacent to the current collector shaft;

a portion of the surface of the current collector shaft is in sealing contact with at least a portion of the seal member wall when in a sealed position; and

the seal member wall is axially moveable from the sealed position to a vent position upon experiencing a predetermined pressure, thereby breaking at least a portion of the sealing contact to provide a pressure relief passage for venting pressurized gases between the surfaces of the current collector shaft and the seal member wall when in the vent position.

27. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 26 , wherein the current collector shaft comprises a round surface and the opening in the seal member is round.

28. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 26 , wherein the surface of the shaft comprises a first width and a second width below at least a portion of the first width, the sealing contact between the shaft and the seal member wall in the sealed position is between at least a portion of the second width of the shaft and at least a portion of the seal member wall, and the seal member is moveable upward to the vent position to provide a pressure relief passage between at least a portion of the surface of the shaft and at least a portion of the surface of the seal member wall.

29. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 28 , wherein the first width of the shaft is smaller than the second width.

30. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 29 , wherein the shall comprises a third width that is larger than the second width and disposed is between the first and second widths, and the seal member wall must move over the third width to the vent position.

31. The electrochemical cell as defined in claim 28 , wherein the first width of the shaft is larger than the second width, the first width can restrain upward movement of the seal member wall until the predetermined pressure is reached, and one or more flutes in the surface of the shaft provide a pressure relief passage between the surface of the shaft and the surface of the seal member wall when the seal member wall moves upward to the vent position.