Patent Description:
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for degassing a battery cell.

Unlike primary batteries, secondary batteries such as battery cells can be charged and discharged, and thus can be applied to devices within various fields such as digital cameras, mobile phones, notebook computers and hybrid vehicles. Examples of secondary batteries may include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, lithium secondary batteries, and the like.

In general, such a secondary battery is formed by stacking a cathode, a separator, and an anode. Materials thereof are selected in consideration of battery life, charge/discharge capacity, temperature characteristics, stability, and the like.

Secondary batteries are classified into pouch type, can type, and others, depending on a material of a case accommodating an electrode assembly. The pouch type accommodates an electrode assembly in a pouch formed of a flexible polymer material having a non-uniform shape. The can type accommodates an electrode assembly in a case formed of a material such as metal or plastic having a uniform shape.

A pouch, a case of a pouch-type secondary battery, is made of an exterior material having a flexible material.

A pouch-type secondary battery requires a process of removing gas (degassing) formed in an internal space of the pouch during a manufacturing process. <CIT> discloses an apparatus for degassing a battery cell.

In the prior art, gas has been removed after disposing a battery cell in a separately manufactured chamber, but this method has a problem, in that productivity may be significantly low.

Therefore, there is a need for a gas removing apparatus for improving productivity.

An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus for degassing a battery cell capable of improving productivity.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for degassing a battery cell includes: a gas suction portion providing negative pressure; a first tubular member connected to the gas suction portion and having at least one suction port formed in a radial direction; a second tubular member connected to the gas suction portion and provided to be coupled to the first tubular member; and a hemispherical cover coupled to the first tubular member and the second tubular member, respectively, wherein the hemispherical cover includes a first cover coupled to the first tubular member and a second cover coupled to the second tubular member, and when the first tubular member and the second tubular member are coupled, the first cover and the second cover may be disposed so that openings face each other, and the suction port may be disposed between the first cover and the second cover.

In the present embodiment, an end of the first tubular member may be formed sharply.

In the present embodiment, the first tubular member penetrates a gas chamber and is coupled to the second tubular member, and the hemispherical cover is in close contact with an exterior material forming the gas chamber and blocks an internal space of the gas chamber from an external space of the gas chamber.

In the present embodiment, when the first tubular member penetrates through the gas chamber and is coupled to the second tubular member, the suction port is disposed inside the gas chamber.

In the present embodiment, the hemispherical cover may be disposed such that a plane on which the opening is disposed is perpendicular to a length direction of the first tubular member or the second tubular member.

In the present embodiment, a close contact pad attached to the opening of the hemispherical cover may be further included.

In the present embodiment, a suction pipe respectively connecting the first tubular member and the second tubular member to the gas suction portion, may be further included.

In the present embodiment, an outer diameter of the end of the first tubular member may be formed to be equal to or smaller than an inner diameter of an end of the second tubular member.

In the present embodiment, the end of the first tubular member may be inserted into the second tubular member and may be coupled to the second tubular member.

In the present embodiment, when the second tubular member is coupled to the first tubular member, an internal space of the second tubular member may be connected to the internal space of the first tubular member.

In the present embodiment, the end of the second tubular member may be disposed in the second cover.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be exemplified in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the specific embodiments set forth herein.

In the drawings, the shapes and dimensions of elements may be exaggerated for clarity. Further, in the drawings, elements having the same functions within the same scope of the inventive concept will be designated by the same reference numerals. Through the specification, terms, such as "above," "upper," "below," and "lower" and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element's relationship to another element(s) as shown in the figures.

<FIG> is a perspective view schematically illustrating a battery cell according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, a battery cell <NUM> may be configured in a form in which an electrode assembly (not shown) is accommodated in a pouch <NUM>.

The electrode assembly includes a plurality of electrode plates and electrode tabs, and is accommodated in the pouch <NUM>. Here, the electrode plate may be comprised of a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, and the electrode assembly may be configured in a form in which the the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate are stacked so that wide surfaces thereof face each other with a separator therebetween.

The positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate may be formed as a structure in which an active material slurry is applied to a current collector, and the slurry may be formed by stirring a particulate active material, an auxiliary conductor, a binder, a plasticizer, and the like, in a state in which a solvent is added.

In addition, in the electrode assembly, a plurality of positive electrode plates and a plurality of negative electrode plates are stacked in a vertical direction. In this case, electrode tabs are provided on the plurality of positive electrode plates and the plurality of negative electrode plates, respectively, and may be connected to the same electrode lead <NUM> through each thereof having the same polarity.

In the present embodiment, two electrode leads <NUM> are disposed to face in opposite directions.

The pouch <NUM> may be formed to have a container shape to provide an internal space in which an electrode assembly and an electrolyte (not shown) are accommodated. In this case, the electrode lead <NUM> of the electrode assembly may be exposed to the outside of the pouch <NUM>.

The pouch <NUM> may be divided into a sealing portion <NUM> and an accommodating portion <NUM>.

The accommodating portion <NUM> is formed in a shape of a container to provide a square-shaped internal space. The electrode assembly and the electrolyte may be accommodated in the internal space of the accommodating portion <NUM>.

The sealing portion <NUM> is a portion to which a portion of the pouch <NUM> is bonded to seal a periphery of the accommodating portion <NUM>. Therefore, the sealing portion <NUM> is formed to have a flange shape extending outwardly of the accommodating portion <NUM> formed in a container shape, and thus the sealing portion <NUM> may be disposed along an outer periphery of the accommodating portion <NUM>.

A thermal fusion method may be used for bonding the pouch <NUM>, but an example thereof is not limited thereto.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the sealing portion <NUM> may be divided into a first sealing portion <NUM> on which an electrode lead <NUM> is disposed and a second sealing portion <NUM> on which the electrode lead <NUM> is not disposed.

In the present embodiment, the pouch <NUM> is formed using a single exterior material. More specifically, the pouch <NUM> may be completed by forming one or two accommodating portions on one external material and then folding the external material so that the accommodating portions form one space (i.e., an accommodating portion).

In the present embodiment, the accommodating portion <NUM> may be formed in a square shape. In addition, a sealing portion <NUM> formed by bonding an exterior material may be provided on an outer periphery of the accommodating portion <NUM>. However, as described above, it is not necessary to form the sealing portion <NUM> on a surface on which the exterior material is folded. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sealing portion <NUM> is formed on the outer periphery of the accommodating portion <NUM>, provided only on three surfaces of the accommodating portion <NUM>, and the sealing portion <NUM> may not be formed on any one surface (a lower surface in <FIG>) of the outer peripheries of the accommodating portion.

In the present embodiment, since the electrode lead <NUM> are disposed to face opposite directions, the two electrode leads <NUM> may be disposed in the sealing portion <NUM> formed on different sides. Therefore, the sealing portion <NUM> of the present embodiment maybe composed of two first sealing portions <NUM> in which the electrode lead <NUM> is disposed, and one second sealing portion <NUM> in which the electrode lead <NUM> is not disposed.

The battery cell <NUM> configured as described above may be a battery capable of charging and discharging, and specifically, may be a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery or a nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery.

<FIG> is a view schematically illustrating a state before removing a gas chamber in the process of manufacturing the battery cell of <FIG>.

In the process of the pouch-type battery cell <NUM> described above, as shown in <FIG>, the accommodating portion <NUM> in which an electrode assembly is disposed and the gas chamber <NUM> in which gas generated from the accommodating portion <NUM> is collected may be provided inside a pouch <NUM>, which is an exterior material. Here, the gas chamber <NUM> is a space, and may be a portion, which is finally removed, after gas is all removed.

Therefore, a gas passage portion <NUM> for moving the gas of the accommodating portion <NUM> to the gas chamber <NUM> may be provided between the accommodating portion <NUM> and the gas chamber <NUM>.

When the gas generated in the accommodating portion <NUM> moves to the gas chamber <NUM>, gas of the gas chamber <NUM> may be removed using a gas removal apparatus <NUM> according to the present embodiment.

<FIG> is a view schematically illustrating a gas removal apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the gas removal apparatus <NUM> according to the present embodiment, may include a gas suction portion <NUM>, a suction pipe <NUM>, and a through member <NUM>. The gas suction portion <NUM> may provide negative pressure to suction gas into the suction pipe <NUM> and the through member <NUM>. Therefore, as the gas suction portion <NUM>, various devices may be used as long as a device capable of suctioning gas and maintaining the inside of the suction pipe <NUM> at negative pressure is provided.

One end of the suction pipe <NUM> may be connected to the gas suction portion <NUM>, and the other end thereof may be connected to the through member <NUM>. Therefore, the suction pipe <NUM> may be configured in various forms as long as gas suctioned from the through member <NUM> is transmitted to the gas suction portion <NUM> without leakage.

In the present embodiment, the suction pipe <NUM> may include a first pipe 120a connected to the first tubular member <NUM> and a second pipe 120b connected to the second tubular member <NUM>.

The through member <NUM> may be coupled to an end portion of the suction pipe <NUM>, and be inserted into the gas chamber <NUM> described above to suction the gas inside the gas chamber <NUM>.

To this end, the through member <NUM> may include a first tubular member <NUM> and a second tubular member <NUM> coupled to each other.

Both the first tubular member <NUM> and the second tubular member <NUM> may have an empty tubular body. In addition, in the present embodiment, at least a portion of the first tubular member <NUM> may be inserted into the second tubular member <NUM>.

To this end, an outer diameter of the end of the first tubular member <NUM> may be formed to be equal to or smaller than an inner diameter of the end of the second tubular member <NUM>. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various modifications such as configuring that the second tubular member <NUM> is inserted into the first tubular member <NUM>, or the ends of the first tubular member <NUM> and the second tubular member <NUM> are engaged with each other, or the like, may be made.

The end of the first tubular member <NUM> may be formed sharply so that the first tubular member <NUM> may be easily inserted into the second tubular member <NUM>.

The first tubular member <NUM> may include at least one suction port <NUM>.

The suction port <NUM> is formed on a side surface of the first tubular member <NUM>, and is formed in a form of a through hole in a radial direction of the first tubular member <NUM>. Accordingly, the internal space of the first tubular member <NUM> may be connected to the outside through the suction port <NUM>.

The plurality of suction ports <NUM> may be disposed along an outer peripheral surface of the first tubular member <NUM>.

Such suction port <NUM> may be inserted and disposed in the gas chamber <NUM> and used as an inlet for suctioning gas. Accordingly, the suction port <NUM> may be formed to have a size smaller than the thickness of the gas chamber <NUM> so that it can be completely inserted into the gas chamber <NUM>.

When the suction port is disposed at the end of the first tubular member <NUM>, if the volume of the gas chamber <NUM> is reduced in the process of removing gas from the gas chamber <NUM>, the suction port may be blocked due to the exterior material, so it is difficult to remove the gas smoothly supplied.

However, when the suction port <NUM> is formed in a radial direction of the throughmember <NUM> as in the present embodiment, even if the volume of the gas chamber <NUM> is reduced, the exterior material is difficult to block the suction port <NUM>, so that gas can be effectively removed.

When the first tubular member <NUM> is completely coupled to the second tubular member <NUM>, the suction port <NUM> may not be inserted into the second tubular member <NUM> and be located outside the second tubular member <NUM>. Therefore, even if the first tubular member <NUM> is coupled to the second tubular member <NUM>, gas can be continuously suctioned.

In addition, the through member <NUM> according to the present embodiment may include hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM>.

The hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> may include a first cover <NUM> provided on the first tubular member <NUM> and a second cover <NUM> provided on the second tubular member <NUM>. The first cover <NUM> and the second cover <NUM> may be disposed such that openings face each other when the first tubular member <NUM> and the second tubular member <NUM> are coupled.

In addition, when the first tubular member <NUM> and the second tubular member <NUM> are completely coupled, and the opening of the first cover <NUM> and the opening of the second cover <NUM> are disposed to be very adjacent, the two hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> may have a spherical shape as a whole.

The hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> may have an opening in close contact with the outer surface of the gas chamber <NUM> when the through member <NUM> is inserted and disposed in the gas chamber <NUM>. Accordingly, since the internal space of the gas chamber <NUM> is completely blocked from external environments by the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM>, the gas located inside the gas chamber <NUM> and the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> may only be removed through the suction port <NUM>.

To this end, the hemispherical cover <NUM>. <NUM> may be disposed such that a plane on which the opening is disposed is perpendicular to the length direction of the first tubular member <NUM> or the second tubular member <NUM>.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the first tubular member <NUM> and the second tubular member <NUM> are disposed at the center of the opening of the hemispherical cover <NUM>. <NUM>, but the configuration of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the hemispherical shape, the pressure is not concentrated in a specific location and is evenly distributed entirely. Therefore, in the case of configuring the covers <NUM> and <NUM> in a hemispherical shape as in the present embodiment, even if the pressure inside the gas chamber <NUM> is lowered, it is possible to suppress the deformation or damage of the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> due to pressure changes.

In the present embodiment, since the first tubular member <NUM> is configured to penetrate through the gas chamber <NUM>, a certain portion may be disposed to protrude from the first cover <NUM>. A distance between the end of the first tubular member <NUM>, disposed to protrude, and the first cover <NUM> may be formed to be longer than the thickness of the gas chamber <NUM>.

Meanwhile, when an opening of the first cover <NUM> and the suction port <NUM> are disposed on the same plane, the entire suction port <NUM> cannot enter an interior of the gas chamber <NUM> due to the thickness of the exterior material. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the suction port <NUM> may be disposed to be spaced apart from a plane in which the opening of the first cover <NUM> is disposed. More specifically, the suction port <NUM> may be spaced apart from the plane formed by the opening of the first cover <NUM> toward the end of the first tubular member <NUM> by a distance equal to or greater than the thickness of the exterior material.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the end of the second tubular member <NUM> is not inserted into the gas chamber <NUM>. Therefore, the end of the second tubular member <NUM> may be disposed on the same plane as the opening of the second cover <NUM> so that the opening of the second cover <NUM> can be firmly adhered to the outer surface of the gas chamber <NUM>, or may be disposed in the internal space of the second cover <NUM>.

In addition, a close contact pad <NUM> may be attached to a surface in contact with the gas chamber <NUM> at the openings of the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM>. The close contact pad <NUM> has an elastic restoring force like rubber, and may be formed of a material capable of sealing between the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> and the pouch <NUM>.

Therefore, the close contact pad <NUM> can increase the sealing force between the internal space of the hemispherical cover <NUM>, <NUM> and the pouch <NUM> forming the gas chamber <NUM>, and thus, it can block the outflow or inflow or gas or air between the hemispherical covers <NUM>, <NUM> and the pouch.

Subsequently, an operation of the gas removal apparatus <NUM> according to the present embodiment will be described.

<FIG> are views for explaining the operation of the gas removal apparatus according to the present embodiment.

First, as shown in <FIG>, when a gas chamber <NUM> is filled with gas, a first tubular member <NUM> is inserted into the gas chamber <NUM>.

As described above, since the end of the first tubular member <NUM> is sharply formed, the first tubular member <NUM> can easily cut an exterior material and may be inserted into the gas chamber <NUM>.

In the present step, the first tubular member <NUM> may completely penetrate through the gas chamber <NUM>, and thus the end of the first tubular member <NUM> may be disposed outwardly of the gas chamber <NUM>.

Subsequently, as shown in <FIG>, the end of the first tubular member <NUM> is inserted into the second tubular member <NUM>, and the first tubular member <NUM> and the second tubular member <NUM> are coupled. Accordingly, an internal space of the second tubular member <NUM> may be connected to an internal space of the first tubular member <NUM>.

The first tubular member <NUM> and the second tubular member <NUM> may be coupled until the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> contact an outer surface of the gas chamber <NUM> and are in close contact with the pouch <NUM>.

Accordingly, the suction port <NUM> of the first tubular member <NUM> may be disposed inside the gas chamber <NUM>, and an internal space of the gas chamber <NUM> may be blocked from the outside by the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM>.

In this process, the first tubular member <NUM> and the second tubular member <NUM> may be pressed toward each other with a predetermined force. Here, the predetermined force described above refers to a force capable of maintaining adhesion between the pouch <NUM> and the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM>.

Subsequently, the gas inside the gas chamber <NUM> is suctioned through the gas suction part <NUM>. As the gas suction portion <NUM> is driven, negative pressure is generated in the suction pipe <NUM>, and thus the gas located inside the gas chamber <NUM> may be suctioned into the gas suction portion <NUM> through the suction port <NUM> and the suction pipe <NUM>.

In this process, gas or air disposed in the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> may also be moved into the gas chamber <NUM> through a hole formed in the pouch <NUM> of the gas chamber <NUM> by the first tubular member <NUM>. Then, it may be suctioned through the suction port <NUM>.

Meanwhile, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, as the gas in the gas chamber <NUM> is removed, a gap between exterior materials forming the gas chamber <NUM> may be reduced. However, as described above, since the first tubular member <NUM> and the second tubular member <NUM> are pressed against each other with a predetermined force, and when the gap between the exterior materials is reduced, the gap between the first cover <NUM> and the second cover is also reduced. Accordingly, adhesion between the pouch <NUM> and the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> may be continuously maintained.

In addition, as the gas in the gas chamber <NUM> is removed, external pressure becomes greater than internal pressure of the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM>. Therefore, as the gas is removed, the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> of the present embodiment may be in close contact with the external material due to pressure difference described above. Therefore, in the process of removing gas, a gap is formed between the exterior material and the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> to prevent external air from flowing into the gas chamber <NUM>.

Further, as shown in <FIG>, the suction port <NUM> is located in the gas chamber <NUM> until the end when gas is removed. In addition, since the suction port <NUM> is formed in a radial direction of the through member <NUM>, even if the volume of the gas chamber <NUM> is reduced, the suction port <NUM> is not blocked by the exterior material. Therefore, even if the size of the gas chamber <NUM> becomes very small as the gas is removed, the gas in the gas chamber <NUM> may be effectively removed through the suction port <NUM> located in the gas chamber <NUM> and hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM>.

When all the gas in the gas chamber <NUM> is removed, a gas passage portion <NUM> connecting the gas chamber <NUM> and the accommodating portion <NUM> is blocked, and then the gas chamber <NUM> is removed to complete the battery cell <NUM>.

The gas passage portion <NUM> may be blocked by bonding the exterior material to each other through a method such as thermal fusion, or the like, but an example thereof is not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the gas removal apparatus may include a plurality of through members <NUM>. For example, gas may be removed by simultaneously coupling the plurality of through members <NUM> to one gas chamber <NUM>.

In addition, in an embodiment, in the gas removal apparatus, the plurality of through members <NUM> may have different diameters. In this case, the through member <NUM> may be selectively used according to the size of the gas chamber <NUM>.

Since the gas removing apparatus according to the present embodiment described above does not need to position the gas chamber <NUM> in the chamber as in the prior art, it is possible to minimize a size of a facility for removing gas. In addition, since a process of disposing or removing the gas chamber <NUM> inside the chamber can be omitted, process time may also be shortened.

In addition, the suction port <NUM> for suctioning gas is disposed inside the gas chamber <NUM> and the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> are disposed outside the gas chamber <NUM> to block external air from entering the gas chamber <NUM>. Accordingly, as the gas in the gas chamber <NUM> is removed, even if the pouches <NUM> forming the gas chamber <NUM> are close to each other, the remaining gas can be effectively removed.

Further, since hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> are used, the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> can be prevented from being deformed even if internal pressure of the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> is lowered, the hemispherical covers <NUM> and <NUM> may be separated or separated from the pouch <NUM> to prevent external air from flowing into the gas chamber <NUM> during the gas removing apparatus.

The battery cell manufactured using the gas removal apparatus described above can be used not only as a power source for small devices, but also as unit cells for medium or large battery modules.

Further, in the present disclosure a battery pack including the above-described battery module as a power source for a medium or large-sized device. The above-described medium or large-sized device may include an electric vehicle, a power storage device, and the like, including an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and the like, but an example the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

As set forth above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, since a gas removal apparatus does not need to be located in a gas chamber, as in the prior art, it is possible to minimize a size of a facility for removing gas. In addition, since a process of disposing the gas chamber inside the chamber can be omitted, process time can also be shortened.

In addition, as gas in the gas chamber is removed, external pressure becomes greater than internal pressure of a hemispherical cover, so that the hemispherical cover of the present embodiment adheres to an exterior material as the gas is removed. Therefore, in the process of removing the gas, a gap is generated between the exterior material and the hemispherical cover, thereby preventing external air from flowing into the gas chamber.

Further, since a suction port is located in the gas chamber until the end of a process, even if the size of the gas chamber becomes very small as the gas is removed, the gas in the gas chamber can be effectively removed through the suction port and the hemispherical cover located in the gas chamber.

Claim 1:
An apparatus (<NUM>) for degassing a battery cell, comprising:
a gas suction portion (<NUM>) providing negative pressure;
a first tubular member (<NUM>) connected to the gas suction portion (<NUM>), and having at least one suction port (<NUM>) formed in a form of a through-hole in a radial direction of the first tubular member (<NUM>);
a second tubular member (<NUM>) connected to the gas suction portion (<NUM>), and provided to be coupled to the first tubular member (<NUM>); and
a hemispherical cover (<NUM>, <NUM>) coupled to the first tubular member (<NUM>) and the second tubular member (<NUM>), respectively,
wherein the hemispherical cover (<NUM>, <NUM>) comprises a first cover (<NUM>) coupled to the first tubular member (<NUM>) and a second cover (<NUM>) coupled to the second tubular member (<NUM>),
when the first tubular member (<NUM>) and the second tubular member (<NUM>) are coupled, the first cover (<NUM>) and the second cover (<NUM>) are disposed such that openings face each other, and the suction port (<NUM>) is disposed between the first cover (<NUM>) and the second cover (<NUM>),
wherein the first tubular member (<NUM>) penetrates through a gas chamber (<NUM>) of the battery cell and is coupled to the second tubular member (<NUM>), and the hemispherical cover (<NUM>, <NUM>) is in close contact with an exterior material forming the gas chamber (<NUM>) to block an internal space of the gas chamber (<NUM>) from an external space of the gas chamber (<NUM>),
wherein when the first tubular member (<NUM>) penetrates through the gas chamber (<NUM>) and is coupled to the second tubular member (<NUM>), the suction port (<NUM>) is disposed inside the gas chamber (<NUM>).