PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11437674-B2
Application Number: US-202017017314-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Battery cell tabs with a unitary seal

Abstract:
The disclosed technology relates to a set of battery tabs. The battery tabs include a first tab forming an elongated member, a second tab forming an elongated member, and a unitary seal surrounding a portion of the respective elongated members of the first tab and the second tab. The unitary seal spaces the first tab apart from the second tab to create a gap between the first tab and the second tab. The first tab and second tab each connect to respective electrodes enclosed within a pouch of a battery cell to allow the cell&#39;s energy to be transferred to an external component.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 arranging an anode tab adjacent to a cathode tab; 
 disposing a sealing material adjacent to a portion of the anode tab and a portion of the cathode tab; 
 heating the sealing material to cause the sealing material to bond to the portion of the anode tab and the portion of the cathode tab; 
 heating the sealing material to cause the sealing material to flow and surround the portion of the anode tab and the portion of the cathode tab; and 
 curing the sealing material to completely surround the portion of the anode tab and the portion of the cathode tab to form a unitary seal, wherein the anode tab, cathode tab and unitary seal form a tab assembly; 
 providing a battery cell comprising a plurality of layers, wherein the plurality of layers comprise an anode with an active coating, a separator, and a cathode with an active coating; 
 connecting the anode tab of the tab assembly to the anode; and 
 connecting the cathode tab of the tab assembly to the cathode. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising heating the sealing material to cure the sealing material. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the unitary seal spaces the anode tab apart from the cathode tab to create a gap between the anode tab and the cathode tab of about 2.5 to 3.5 mm. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the anode tab comprises a first conductive material and the cathode tab comprises a second conductive material, wherein the second conductive material is different from the first conductive material. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the anode tab comprises at least one of copper, copper-plated aluminum, nickel, titanium, and platinum. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the cathode tab comprises at least one of aluminum, zinc, and iron. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the unitary seal comprises an integrally molded seal. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the unitary seal arranges the anode tab to be parallel with the cathode tab. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the sealing material comprises at least one of polypropylene, copolymers, polyamide resins, polyester resins, ionomers, polyurethane resins, polyethylene resin, nutrient cellophane, acetate film, vinyl chloride film, polyvinylidene chloride film, polystyrene film, polycarbonate film, nylon film, and polyethylene cellophane. 
     
     
       10. A method comprising:
 placing a strip of anode material adjacent to a strip of cathode material; 
 applying a sealing material across both the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material to form a first unitary seal; 
 applying the sealing material across both the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material to form a second unitary seal, the first unitary seal disposed vertically above the second unitary seal; 
 cutting the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material to form a tab assembly comprising an anode tab and a cathode tab that are connected by the first unitary seal; 
 providing a battery cell comprising a plurality of layers, wherein the plurality of layers comprises an anode with an active coating, a separator, and a cathode with an active coating; 
 connecting the anode tab of the tab assembly to the anode; and 
 connecting the cathode tab of the tab assembly to the cathode. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first unitary seal spaces the anode tab apart from the cathode tab to create a controlled gap between the anode tab and the cathode tab. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first unitary seal arranges the anode tab to be parallel with the cathode tab. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the first unitary seal is formed by curing the sealing material to completely surround a first portion of the strip of anode material and a first portion of the strip of cathode material and the second unitary seal is formed by curing the sealing material to completely surround a second portion of the strip of anode material and a second portion of the strip of cathode material. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the strip of anode material comprises a first conductive material and the strip of cathode material comprises a second conductive material, wherein the second conductive material is different from the first conductive material. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the strip of anode material comprises at least one of copper, copper-plated aluminum, nickel, titanium, and platinum. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the strip of cathode material comprises at least one of aluminum, zinc, and iron. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the sealing material comprises at least one of polypropylene, copolymers, polyamide resins, polyester resins, ionomers, polyurethane resins, polyethylene resin, nutrient cellophane, acetate film vinyl chloride film polyvinylidene chloride film, polystyrene film, polycarbonate film, nylon film, and polyethylene cellophane. 
     
     
       18. A method comprising:
 arranging an anode tab adjacent to a cathode tab; 
 disposing a sealing material adjacent to a portion of the anode tab and a portion of the cathode tab; 
 curing the sealing material to completely surround the portion of the anode tab and the portion of the cathode tab to form a unitary seal, wherein the anode tab, cathode tab and unitary seal form a tab assembly; 
 providing a battery cell comprising a plurality of layers, wherein the plurality of layers comprises an anode with an active coating, a separator, and a cathode with an active coating; 
 connecting the anode tab of the tab assembly to the anode; and 
 connecting the cathode tab of the tab assembly to the cathode. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the unitary seal spaces the anode tab apart from the cathode tab to create a controlled gap between the anode tab and the cathode tab. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the anode tab comprises a first conductive material and the cathode tab comprises a second conductive material, wherein the second conductive material is different from the first conductive material. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the sealing material comprises at least one of polypropylene, copolymers, polyamide resins, polyester resins, ionomers, polyurethane resins, polyethylene resin, nutrient cellophane, acetate film, vinyl chloride film polyvinylidene chloride film, polystyrene film, polycarbonate film, nylon film, and polyethylene cellophane. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 19 , wherein the controlled gap is about 2.5 to 3.5 mm. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the unitary seal arranges the anode tab to be parallel with the cathode tab. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the anode tab comprises at least one of copper, copper-plated aluminum, nickel, titanium, and platinum. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the cathode tab comprises at least one of aluminum, zinc, and iron.

Description:
PRIORITY 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/833,228, entitled “BATTERY CELL TABS WITH A UNITARY SEAL,” filed on Dec. 6, 2017, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/531,256, entitled “BATTERY CELL TABS WITH A UNITARY SEAL,” filed on Jul. 11, 2017, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to battery cell tab structures, and more particularly, to battery cell tabs with a unitary seal. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Battery cells are presently used to provide power to a wide variety of portable electronic devices, including laptop computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital music players, watches, and wearable devices. A commonly used type of battery is a lithium battery, which can include a lithium-ion or a lithium-polymer battery. 
     Lithium batteries often include cells that are made of alternating layers of anode and cathode electrodes, with a separator disposed there-between. The layers may be packaged in a flexible pouch. Such pouches may be tailored to various cell dimensions, allowing lithium batteries to be used in space-constrained portable electronic devices. The anode electrodes are connected together using a common anode tab and the cathode electrodes are similarly connected together using a common cathode tab. The common anode tab and the common cathode tab extend from their respective electrodes disposed within the pouch and through the pouch, to allow the cell&#39;s energy to be transferred to an external component. The pouch enclosing the anode and cathode electrodes is filled with electrolyte thereby requiring the pouch to be hermetically sealed to prevent unwanted leakage or failure. 
     Conventionally, the common anode tab and the common cathode tab are separate and individual components requiring alignment during assembly of batteries. Each common tab includes a separate seal that is disposed at a proximal portion of the common tab. Each seal is generally configured to engage an edge of the pouch and create a seal after application of heat. 
     Spacing between the common anode tab and the common cathode tab is critical to ensure that the pouch is properly sealed. While it may be desired to position the common tabs close to each other to increase packaging efficiency or reduce battery volume, positioning the common anode tab and the common cathode tab close to each other may cause the individual seals of each respective tab to overlap thereby preventing a proper seal of the pouch due to the added thickness caused by the overlapping seals. In addition, due to tolerance stack-up caused by manufacturing tolerances for each common tab, including the tolerances associated with their respective seals, the common anode tab and the common cathode tab must be sufficiently spaced apart to ensure a proper seal of the pouch, thereby adding to battery volume and reducing packaging efficiency. 
     SUMMARY 
     The disclosed embodiments provide a set of battery tabs. The set of battery tabs includes a first tab forming an elongated member, a second tab forming an elongated member, and a unitary seal surrounding the first tab and second tab. The unitary seal is configured to space the first tab apart from the second tab to create a gap between the first tab and the second tab. 
     In some embodiments, a battery includes a plurality of layers, a pouch enclosing the plurality of layers, and a set of tabs extending from the pouch. The plurality of layers includes a cathode with an active coating, a separator, and an anode with an active coating. The set of tabs includes a first tab, a second tab, and a unitary seal. The first tab forms an elongated member that is coupled to the anode within the pouch. The second tab forms an elongated member that is coupled to the cathode within the pouch. The unitary seal surrounds the first tab and second tab and is disposed adjacent to a sealed periphery portion of the pouch. The unitary seal also spaces the first tab apart from the second tab to create a gap between the first tab and the second tab. 
     In some embodiments, a method for manufacturing a roll of anode and cathode tabs is disclosed. The method includes placing a strip of anode material adjacent to a strip of cathode material, applying a sealing material across both the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material to form a first unitary seal, applying the sealing material across both the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material to form a second unitary seal, and rolling the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material to form a roll of anode material and cathode material intermittently connected by the sealing material. The first unitary seal and the second unitary seal may space the strip of anode material apart from the strip of cathode material to create a gap between the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The embodiments herein may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Understanding that these drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principles herein are described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a common tab; 
         FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D  illustrate top views of an example battery cell; 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates a perspective view of a set of tabs with a unitary seal, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology; 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates a front view of a set of tabs with a unitary seal, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology; 
         FIG. 3C  illustrates a cross-section view of a set of tabs with a unitary seal, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology; 
         FIG. 3D  illustrates a front view of a roll of tabs with unitary seals, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology; 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates a perspective view of a battery cell, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology; 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a top view of a battery cell, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-section view of an assembled battery, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a portable electronic device, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology; and 
         FIG. 7  illustrates an example method for manufacturing a roll of anode and cathode tabs, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations may be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. 
     Rechargeable batteries for portable electronic devices often include cells that are made of alternating layers of anode and cathode electrodes, with a separator disposed there-between. The layers may be packaged in a flexible pouch. The anode electrodes may be connected together using a common anode tab and the cathode electrodes are similarly connected together using a common cathode tab. The common anode tab and the common cathode tab extend from their respective electrodes disposed within the pouch, through the pouch, to provide an external electrical connection to their respective electrodes disposed within the pouch. The pouch enclosing the anode and cathode electrodes is filled with electrolyte thereby requiring the pouch to be hermetically sealed to prevent unwanted leakage or failure. 
     Conventionally, the common anode tab and the common cathode tab are separate and individual components requiring alignment during assembly of batteries.  FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a common tab  100  as known in the prior art. The conventional common tab  100  may comprise a strip of anode or cathode material  110  with a strip of sealing material  120  disposed at a proximal portion.  FIGS. 2A-2D  illustrate top views of an example battery cell  200  as known in the prior art. The battery cell  200  uses two conventional common tabs  100  with a first common tab  100  having an anode strip  110 A and a second common tab  100  having a cathode strip  110 B. The common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B each have an individual strip of sealing material  120  that is configured to bond with a periphery edge  220  of a pouch  210  to form a seal. 
     Spacing between the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B is critical to ensure that the pouch  210  is properly sealed. For example, referring to  FIG. 2A , the spacing  250 A between the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B is about 11-15 mm. Spacing  250 A is limited by geometry of a heating or sealing bar that is configured with detents sized to accept each of the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B. In order to ensure a hermetic seal of the pouch  210 , the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B must be aligned with the corresponding detents of the sealing bar. Although spacing  250 A may ensure a hermetic seal, the spacing  250 A results in added battery volume and reduced packaging efficiency. 
     While it may be desired to reduce the spacing between the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B to decrease battery volume, doing so may compromise the ability of the sealing bar to hermetically seal the periphery  220  of the pouch  210  due to the resulting geometry caused by arranging the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B too close to each other. For example, referring to  FIG. 2B , spacing  250 B results in an unsealed gap  230  forming in the periphery  220  of the pouch  210  due to the difficult geometry created by the arrangement of the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B. 
     Further, the spacing between the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B is limited by the sealing material  120 . For example, referring to  FIG. 2C , assuming a sealing bar may be configured to accept an arrangement where the respective sealing strips  120  of the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B abut each other despite tolerance stack-up issues caused by utilizing individual common tabs  100 , the spacing  250 C is limited to about 8-10 mm due to manufacturing tolerance stack-up issues caused by using a multitude of components. 
     Further reduction of the spacing between the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B significantly compromises the ability of the pouch  210  to be sealed. For example, referring to  FIG. 2D , positioning the common anode tab  110 A and the common cathode tab  110 B to the spacing  250 D so that the individual sealing strips  120  overlap, results in unsealed gaps  230  forming along the periphery  220  of the pouch  210 . Specifically, a proper seal is not achieved due to the added thickness caused by the overlapping sealing strips  120 . 
     The set of battery tabs of the subject technology solves some or all of the foregoing problems by using a unitary seal that is configured to space a common anode tab apart from a common cathode tab to create a controlled and narrowed gap between the common anode tab and the common cathode tab. In one aspect, by utilizing a single unitary seal for both the common anode tab and the common cathode tab, tolerance stackup issues are eliminated enabling controlled and narrowed positioning of the common anode tab and the common cathode tab that would otherwise be unobtainable using conventional individual common tabs. In other aspects, by positioning the common anode tab and the common cathode tab in close proximity to one another, packaging efficiency is improved and battery volume is decreased without compromising the integrity of the hermetic seal of a pouch enclosing electrodes coupled to the set of battery tabs. 
       FIG. 3A  illustrates a perspective view of a set of tabs  300  with a unitary seal  320 , in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. The set of battery tabs  300  comprises a first tab  310 A, a second tab  310 B, and the unitary seal  320 . The first tab  310 A may comprise an elongated member having a rectangular cross-section and may be made of a conductive material that is configured to connect to an anode. For example, the material of the first tab  310 A may include graphite, gold, platinum, carbon, silver, mercury, copper, copper-plated aluminum, titanium, lead, tin, nickel, cobalt, a combination thereof, or other anodic materials as would be known by a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     The second tab  310 B may comprise an elongated member having a rectangular cross-section and may be made of a conductive material that is configured to connect to a a cathode. For example, the material of the second tab  310 B may include lithium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, beryllium, aluminum, manganese, zinc, chromium, iron, cadmium, brass, cobalt, nickel, tin, lead, a combination thereof, or other cathodic materials as would be known by a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3B , a front view of the set of tabs  300  with the unitary seal  320  is illustrated, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. The unitary seal  320  may disposed at a proximal portion of the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B and may extend beyond an outermost surface of the first tab  310 A and an outermost surface of the second tab  310 B. In one aspect, the unitary seal  320  extends laterally across the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B to position and maintain the relationship and orientation of the first tab  310 A with respect to the second tab  310 B. Alternatively, the unitary seal  320  may position and maintain the relationship and orientation of the second tab  310 B with respect to the first tab  310 A. For example, the unitary seal  320  may maintain the position of the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B so that the second tab  310 B is in parallel with the first tab  310 A. In one aspect, the unitary seal  320  may align the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B so that a proximal end of the first tab  310 A is substantially on the same plane as a proximal end of the second tab  310 B. In another aspect, the unitary seal  320  may align the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B so that a distal end of the first tab  310 A is substantially on the same plane as a distal end of the second tab  310 B. 
     In some aspects, the unitary seal  320  is configured to space the first tab  310 A apart from the second tab  310 B to create a gap  350  between the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B. The gap  350  may be about 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm, 4.5 mm or 5.0 mm. In one aspect, the gap  350  between the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B may be less than 1.0 mm, 0.9 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.2 mm, or 0.1 mm. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3C , a cross-section view of the set of tabs  300  with the unitary seal  320  is illustrated, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. The unitary seal  320  may completely surround a portion of the first tab  310 A and second tab  310 B. In one aspect, the unitary seal  320  may be formed of a heat-activated sealing material, such as polypropylene, copolymers of ethylene and acrylic acid, polyamide resins, polyester resins, ionomers, poly urethane resins, polyethylene resin (high as well as low density), nutrient cellophane, acetate films, hard and soft vinyl chloride film, polyvinylidene chloride film, polystyrene film, polycarbonate film, nylon film, or polyethylene cellophane. To surround the portion of the first tab  310 A and second tab  310 B, the sealing material may be applied to the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B in liquid or gel form and set or cured thereafter. For example, the sealing material may be heated to an initial temperature to enable the sealing material to bond with the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B. The sealing material may then be heated to a flow temperature to permit the sealing material to surround a portion of the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B. The sealing material may thereafter be set or cured to surround the portion of the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B by applying a setting temperature. Depending on the type of polymer used, the temperature range for the sealing material may be about 90° C. to 220° C. In other aspects, the sealing material may be bonded to or surround a portion the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B through use of a hot plate adhesive, impulse bonding, ultra-sonic bonding, high frequency bonding, or hot air bonding. 
       FIG. 3D  illustrates a front view of a roll  360  of tabs  300  with unitary seals  320 , in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. The roll  360  comprises a long strip of the first tab  310 A, a long strip of the second tab  310 B, and the unitary seal  320  disposed at regular intervals along the strips  310 A,  310 B to space the strip of the first tab  310 A apart from the strip of the second tab  310 B to create the gap  350  between the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B. A plurality of tabs  300  may be created from the roll  360  by cutting the strips  310 A and  310 B into smaller portions at sections  370 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4A , a perspective view of a battery cell  400  is illustrated, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. The battery cell  400  may correspond to a lithium-ion cell that supplies power to a portable electronic device such as a laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), digital music player, watch, and wearable device, and/or other type of battery-powered electronic device. The battery cell  400  may include a plurality of layers enclosed by a pouch  410 . The enclosed layers may comprise a cathode with an active coating, a separator, and an anode with an active coating, as discussed with reference to  FIG. 5 . The set of tabs  300  may extends from the pouch  410 . The set of tabs  300  includes the first tab  310 A, the second tab  310 B, and the unitary seal  320 . The first tab  310 A may be coupled to the anode layers within the pouch. The second tab  310 B may be coupled to the cathode layers within the pouch. The unitary seal  320  may surround the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B and may be disposed adjacent to a sealed periphery portion  420  of the pouch  410 . The unitary seal  320  is configured to engage the periphery  420  of the pouch  410  and through application of heat, create a hermetic seal using the periphery  420  of the pouch  410 . 
     In one aspect, the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B extend from the pouch  410  through the unitary seal  320 . The first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B provide terminals for the battery cell  400 . The first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B may be used to electrically couple the battery cell  400  with one or more other battery cells to form a battery pack. For example, the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B may be coupled to other battery cells in a series, parallel, or series-and-parallel configuration to form the battery pack. 
     To enclose the plurality of layers within the pouch  410 , the layers may be sandwiched between flexible metallic sheets, such as aluminum, and enclosed via heat sealing along the periphery of the pouch  410 . The plurality of layers may also be enclosed within the pouch  410  by folding a flexible metallic sheet and heat sealing the open ends or edges of the pouch  410 . Alternatively, a punch may be used to form a cup in the pouch  410  to accommodate the plurality of layers. 
     The pouch  410  may include a nylon and/or polyether ether ketone (PEEK) layer applied on an outer surface of a metallic layer to repel moisture. The pouch  410  may also include an optional top layer of polyurethane to reduce reflectivity and provide a matte finish. The pouch  410  may also include a protective layer that may be polypropylene and/or olefin. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4B , a top view of the battery cell  400  is illustrated, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. By utilizing the unitary seal  320  to space the first tab  310 A apart from the second tab  310 B, a controlled and narrow gap  350  may be create between the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B. For example, the gap  350  may be about 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm, 4.5 mm or 5.0 mm. In one aspect, the gap  350  between the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B may be less than 1.0 mm, 0.9 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.2 mm, or 0.1 mm. In another aspect, a distance  450  between the centerline of the first tab  310 A and the centerline of the second tab  310 B may be about 7.0 mm, 6.5 mm, 6.0 mm, 5.5 mm, 5.0 mm, 4.5 mm, 4.0 mm, 3.5 mm, 3.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 1.5 mm, or 1.0 mm. In some aspects, the unitary seal  320  reduces issues relating to tolerance stackup because the unitary seal  320  aligns, positions, and controls the gap  350  between the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B. In other aspects, by positioning the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B in close proximity to one another, packaging efficiency is improved and battery volume is decreased without compromising the integrity of the hermetic seal  420  of the pouch  410 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a cross-section view of an assembled battery  500  is illustrated, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. The assembled battery  500  includes the battery cell  400 , a battery management unit  520 , and battery terminals  530 . The battery management unit  520  is configured to manage recharging of the battery  500 . The terminals  530  are configured to engage with corresponding connectors on a portable electronic device to provide power to components of the portable electronic device. 
     As described above with reference to  FIG. 4A , the battery cell  400  includes a plurality of layers  510  comprising a cathode with an active coating, a separator, and an anode with an active coating. For example, the cathode may be an aluminum foil coated with a lithium compound (e.g., LiCoO 2 , LiNCoMn, LiCoAl or LiMn 2 O 4 ) and the anode may be a copper foil coated with carbon or graphite. The separator may include polyethylene (PP), polypropylene (PP), and/or a combination of PE and PP, such as PE/PP or PP/PE/PP. The separator comprises a micro-porous membrane that also provides a “thermal shut down” mechanism. If the battery cell reaches the melting point of these materials, the pores shut down which prevents ion flow through the membrane. 
     The plurality of layers  510  may be wound to form a jelly roll structure or can be stacked to form a stacked-cell structure. The plurality of layers  510  are enclosed within a pouch or casing and immersed in an electrolyte, which for example, can be a LiPF6-based electrolyte that can include Ethylene Carbonate (EC), Polypropylene Carbonate (PC), Ethyl Methyl Carbonate (EMC) or DiMethyl Carbonate (DMC). The electrolyte can also include additives such as Vinyl carbonate (VC) or Polyethylene Soltone (PS). The electrolyte can additionally be in the form of a solution or a gel. 
     The anode layers of the plurality of layers  510  are coupled to the first tab  310 A. The cathode layers of the plurality of layers  510  are coupled to the second tab  310 B. The first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B extend from the battery cell  400  for electrical connection to other battery cells, the battery management unit  520 , or other components as desired. The unitary seal  320  provides a hermetic seal to prevent the electrolyte solution from leaking out of the battery cell  400 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a portable electronic device  600  is illustrated, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. The above-described rechargeable battery  500  can generally be used in any type of electronic device. For example,  FIG. 6  illustrates a portable electronic device  600  which includes a processor  602 , a memory  604  and a display  608 , which are all powered by a battery  500 . Portable electronic device  600  may correspond to a laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), digital music player, watch, and wearable device, and/or other type of battery-powered electronic device. Battery  500  may correspond to a battery pack that includes one or more battery cells. Each battery cell may include a set of layers sealed in a pouch, including a cathode with an active coating, a separator, an anode with an active coating, and utilize a set of common tabs extending from the pouch and spaced apart using a unitary seal. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an example method  700  for manufacturing a roll of anode and cathode tabs, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. It should be understood that, for any process discussed herein, there can be additional, fewer, or alternative steps performed in similar or alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the various embodiments unless otherwise stated. 
     At operation  710 , a strip of anode material placed or disposed adjacent to a strip of cathode material. As discussed above, the anode material may be graphite, gold, platinum, carbon, silver, mercury, copper, copper-plated aluminum, titanium, lead, tin, nickel, cobalt, a combination thereof, or other anodic materials as would be known by a person of ordinary skill in the art. The cathode material may be lithium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, beryllium, aluminum, manganese, zinc, chromium, iron, cadmium, brass, cobalt, nickel, tin, lead, a combination thereof, or other cathodic materials as would be known by a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     At operation  720 , a sealing material is applied across both the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material to form a first unitary seal. The sealing material may be polypropylene, copolymers of ethylene and acrylic acid, polyamide resins, polyester resins, ionomers, poly urethane resins, polyethylene resin (high as well as low density), nutrient cellophane, acetate films, hard and soft vinyl chloride film, polyvinylidene chloride film, polystyrene film, polycarbonate film, nylon film, or polyethylene cellophane. In one aspect, the sealing material may completely surround a portion of the strip of anode material and/or the strip of cathode material. The sealing material may be applied in liquid or gel form and set or cured thereafter. 
     At operation  730 , the sealing material is applied across both the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material to form a second unitary seal. The first unitary seal may be disposed vertically above the second unitary seal. In one aspect, the first unitary seal and the second unitary seal may have substantially similar dimensions and geometry. In another aspect, the first unitary seal and the second unitary seal space or position the strip of anode material apart from the strip of cathode material to create a gap between the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material. The gap  350  may be about 0.5 mm, 1 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm or 5.0 mm. In one aspect, the gap  350  between the first tab  310 A and the second tab  310 B may be less than 1.0 mm, 0.9 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.2 mm, or 0.1 mm. 
     At operation  740 , the strip of anode material and the strip of cathode material are rolled to form a roll of anode material and cathode material intermittently connected by the sealing material or the unitary seals. 
     Although a variety of examples and other information was used to explain aspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of the claims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements in such examples, as one of ordinary skill would be able to use these examples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Further and although some subject matter may have been described in language specific to examples of structural features and/or method steps, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to these described features or acts. For example, such functionality can be distributed differently or performed in components other than those identified herein. Rather, the described features and steps are disclosed as examples of components of systems and methods within the scope of the appended claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20200910
Publication Date: 20220906
Grant Date: 20220906
Priority Date: 20170711
Inventors: Londarenko, Yuriy L.
AMIRUDDIN, SHABAB
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H01M6/02", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/186", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/193", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/534", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/54", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M10/0525", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M6/42", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M4/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M10/058", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/186", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/54", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/54", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/186", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/534", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/534", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/193", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M2004/021", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M6/14", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/193", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M6/42", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/183", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M2004/021", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M4/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M6/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01M50/54", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 65000368