Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Current producing cell – elements – subcombinations and... – Flat-type unit cell and specific unit cell components
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-02
2001-11-20
Brouillette, Gabrielle (Department: 1745)
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Current producing cell, elements, subcombinations and...
Flat-type unit cell and specific unit cell components
C429S163000, C429S179000, C429S161000, C429S127000, C429S124000, C429S007000, C429S231950
Reexamination Certificate
active
06319630
ABSTRACT:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
The present application claims priority to Japanese Application No. P11-067499 filed Mar. 12, 1999 which application is incorporated herein by reference to the extent permitted by law.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nonaqueous electrolyte battery incorporating a case constituted by a laminate film accommodating a battery element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a multiplicity of portable electronic apparatuses, such as camcoders, portable telephones and portable computers, are coming. An attempt has been made to reduce the size and weight of the apparatuses. As a portable power source for the electronic apparatuses, batteries, in particular, secondary batteries, and more particularly nonaqueous secondary batteries (so-called lithium-ion batteries) have energetically researched and developed to realize a thin and foldable battery.
As an electrolyte having a variable shape, a solidified electrolytic solution has energetically been researched and developed. In particular, attraction is being given to a gel electrolyte which is a solid electrolyte containing a plasticizer and a polymer and solid electrolyte containing a lithium salt dissolved in the polymer.
To use the advantageous characteristics of the small thickness and weight of the foregoing battery, a variety of batteries have been studied. The batteries are batteries which incorporate so-called laminate films each of which is constituted by a plastic film or by bonding a plastic film and a metal member to accommodate the battery element.
For example, the secondary battery must incorporate a control circuit arranged to control the charge and discharge operations and disposed in a periphery of the battery. Therefore, the structure must be formed such that a sufficiently large space is created to mount the charge and discharge control circuit while enlargement of the size is being prevented.
When the battery is accommodated in a container, the size of the battery must be reduced and dispersion of the sizes must be prevented. If the size varies considerably, an operation for inserting the battery into the container cannot easily be performed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a nonaqueous electrolyte battery which is capable of creating a sufficient large space for mounting a control circuit and reducing the size thereof and which exhibits a satisfactory volume efficiency.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a nonaqueous electrolyte battery exhibiting satisfactory productivity.
To achieve the objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nonaqueous electrolyte battery comprising: a case constituted by a laminate film and arranged to accommodate a battery element which is enclosed by heat welding; and electrode terminal leads which are electrically connected to electrodes constituting the battery element and which are extended to the outside of the case such that the electrode terminal leads are sandwiched by a heat welded portion, wherein the nonaqueous electrolyte battery has a rectangular outer shape, two corners of one side of four sides of the nonaqueous electrolyte battery from which the electrode terminal leads extend to the outside of the nonaqueous electrolyte battery are cut, bent such that the width of each of heat welded portions corresponding to the other sides is smaller than the thickness of the nonaqueous electrolyte battery and inwards folded back along the side surface of the battery element so that a space is created and a control circuit for the nonaqueous electrolyte battery is accommodated in the space.
The control circuit for the battery is accommodated in a space created by folding the heat welded portion of the case so that a space in the battery in which the battery element is not present can effectively be used. Therefore, the volume efficiency can considerably be improved.
Note that the heat welded portions cannot easily be folded with clear creases. Therefore, there arises a problem in that the size of the control circuit which can be accommodated is limited. What is worse, the sizes of the batteries cannot be uniformed.
Therefore, the present invention has the structure that the two corners of the heat welded portion of one side from which the electrode terminal leads are extended to the outside are cut to overcome the above-mentioned problem.
Since the corners are cut, projection of the heat welded portions which have been folded to the upper space can be prevented. Hence it follows that a satisfactorily large space for accommodating the control circuit can be created.
Moreover, dispersion of sizes of the batteries can be prevented. When the heat welded portions which have been folded are secured with adhesive agent, dispersion of the sizes can substantially be prevented. Moreover, the size of the battery can be reduced.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments described in conjunction with the attached drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 0390557A2 (1990-10-01), None
patent: 0499005A2 (1992-08-01), None
patent: 0862227A1 (1998-09-01), None
patent: 0390557 A2 (1990-10-01), None
patent: 98/38689 (1998-09-01), None
patent: WO98/38689 (1998-09-01), None
Arakawa Masataka
Hasegawa Daisuke
Brouillette Gabrielle
Martin Angela J.
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
Sony Corporation
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