IP Library Granted Patent US 7,914,925
Granted Patent B2
US 7,914,925 · App. 11/038,141 · Granted Mar 29, 2011

Thin-type secondary battery and method of producing the same, and secondary battery module

Assignees: Enax, Inc.; Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,914,925
App. No.
11/038,141
Granted
Mar 29, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

To provide a high capacity thin-type secondary battery suitably formed into a module and having no thickness fluctuation, excellent quality stability, and excellent heat radiation properties, by using a sheet-like separator having expansion anisotropy due to penetration of an electrolytic solution. A method of producing a thin-type secondary battery includes the steps of: sandwiching a sheet-like separator having expansion anisotropy due to penetration of an electrolytic solution, by a sheet-like electrode pair; inserting the separator sandwiched by the electrode pair and injecting the electrolytic solution, into a thin-type outer wrapper having an opened portion; penetrating the electrolytic solution into the separator without fixing motion of the separator in a maximum expanding direction and in a state where the maximum expanding direction of the separator and a penetrating direction of the electrolytic solution are substantially parallel to each other; and sealing the opened portion into a tightly sealed state.

Claims (26)

1. A method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery, comprising the steps of:

sandwiching a sheet-shaped separator formed of a porous stretched sheet by a sheet-shaped electrode pair, the separator having a maximum expanding direction directed in a maximum stretching direction of the porous stretched sheet due to penetration of an electrolytic solution;

inserting the separator sandwiched by the electrode pair into a sheet-shaped outer wrapper having an opened portion;

injecting the electrolytic solution into the sheet-shaped outer wrapper;

holding the sheet-shaped outer wrapper in a state where the maximum expanding direction of the separator is substantially vertical along the direction of gravity so that the electrolytic solution upwardly penetrates from a lower part of the separator into the separator without fixing motion of the separator in the maximum expanding direction and with the maximum expanding direction of the separator and a penetrating direction of the electrolytic solution being substantially parallel to each other; and

sealing the opened portion into a tightly sealed state.

2. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein

i) the separator sandwiched by the electrode pair is inserted into the sheet-shaped outer wrapper, and then

ii) the electrolytic solution is injected into the sheet-shaped outer wrapper.

3. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein

i) the electrolytic solution is injected into the sheet-shaped outer wrapper, and then

ii) the separator sandwiched by the electrode pair is inserted into the sheet-shaped outer wrapper having the electrolytic solution therein.

4. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein an angle between the maximum expanding direction of the separator and the penetrating direction of the electrolytic solution is 0 to 30° during penetration of the electrolytic solution.

5. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein: the separator has electrolytic solution penetration rate anisotropy; and the electrolytic solution is penetrated into the separator in a state where a direction of a maximum electrolytic solution penetration rate of the separator and the penetrating direction of the electrolytic solution are substantially perpendicular to each other.

6. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 5 , wherein an angle between the direction of the maximum electrolytic solution penetration rate of the separator and the penetrating direction of the electrolytic solution is 60 to 90° during penetration of the electrolytic solution.

7. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the separators each sandwiched by the electrode pair are laminated and inserted into the sheet-shaped outer wrapper.

8. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet-shaped outer wrapper comprises a flexible sheet-shaped outer wrapper.

9. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 8 , wherein the flexible sheet-shaped outer wrapper has a substantially rectangular shape.

10. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 9 , wherein: the flexible sheet-shaped outer wrapper has a bag-like shape with one unsealed side; the electrolytic solution is injected to penetrate into the separator; and the unsealed side is sealed into a tightly sealed state.

11. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 9 , wherein: the separator sandwiched by the electrode pair is sandwiched by a substantially rectangular sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair formed of a laminate film; an edge portion of the sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair is sealed with one side remained unsealed; the electrolytic solution is injected to penetrate into the separator; and the unsealed side is sealed into a tightly sealed state.

12. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 11 , wherein: the electrode pair is connected to a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal; and the separator sandwiched by the electrode pair is sandwiched by the sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair with both the terminals pulled out.

13. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 12 , wherein both the terminals are sandwiched by the sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair with both the terminals pulled out from one side of the sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair.

14. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 13 , wherein the one side of the sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair and the maximum expanding direction of the separator are substantially parallel to each other.

15. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 13 , wherein the one side of the sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair and the maximum expanding direction of the separator are substantially perpendicular to each other.

16. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 12 , wherein both the terminals are sandwiched by the sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair with both the terminals pulled out from two corresponding sides of the sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair.

17. The method of producing a sheet-shaped secondary battery according to claim 16 , wherein the two sides of the sheet-shaped outer wrapper pair and the maximum expanding direction of the separator are substantially parallel to each other.

Assignments (5)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 14, 2022
From: ENAX, INC.
To: ENVISION AESC JAPAN LTD.
Reel/Frame 061093/0297 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 6, 2021
From: KASUGA PARTNERS CO. LTD.
To: ENAX, INC.
Reel/Frame 057105/0700 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 30, 2021
From: ENAX, INC.
To: KASUGA PARTNERS CO. LTD.
Reel/Frame 057042/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 4, 2019
From: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
To: ENVISION AESC JAPAN LTD.
Reel/Frame 050256/0734 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 21, 2005
From: OZAWA, KAZUNORI; TAKAHASHI, KAZUHIRO; TANJOU, YUUJI; MIYAMOTO, TAKESHI
To: ENAX, INC.; NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 016198/0587 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2004-028564 · Feb 4, 2004 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20050170243A1 · Aug 4, 2005