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EP-3834240-B1 - BATTERIES HAVING VENTS

EP3834240B1EP 3834240 B1EP3834240 B1EP 3834240B1EP-3834240-B1

Inventors

  • ASHBOLT, MARK
  • SHELEKHIN, ALEXANDER
  • MERRILL, BRIEN
  • PODOPRIGORA, OLEG
  • FERRIN, ROBERT, S.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20190709

Claims (15)

  1. A battery (100), comprising: a housing (102); a first terminal (104) and a second terminal (106); the first terminal (104) including a first cover (108), and the second terminal (106) including a second cover (110), that is an outermost cover, the second cover (110) including at least one line of weakness (116) therein, the line of weakness (116) structured to form an opening when a threshold pressure is satisfied within the housing (102) to enable gas to vent from the housing (102) through the opening; and a filter (206) positioned within the housing (102) and adjacent the second cover (110), the filter (206) having an aperture (208) structured to enable the gas to vent from the housing (102) and to deter solid material housed within the housing (102) from exiting the opening when the threshold pressure is satisfied.
  2. The battery of claim 1, wherein the housing (102) houses an anode (802) and a cathode (804), a separator (806) disposed between the anode (802) and the cathode (804).
  3. The battery of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the housing (102) includes a first space to accommodate anode expansion and a second space to accommodate cathode expansion.
  4. The battery of any one of claims 1, 2, or 3, wherein the line of weakness (116) is a score.
  5. The battery of claim 4, wherein the score is positioned adjacent a sidewall (312) of the housing (102) and is covered by a label (1000) to further deter the solid material housed within the housing (102) from exiting the opening when the threshold pressure is satisfied.
  6. The battery of claim 4, wherein the score is longitudinally spaced from a cathode (804) disposed in the housing.
  7. The battery of claim 4, wherein the score includes an arc having a central portion adjacent a sidewall (312).
  8. The battery of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the line of weakness (116) is approximately 8 millimeters long.
  9. The battery of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the aperture (208) and the line of weakness (116) are substantially aligned to enable the gas to pass through the aperture (208 and to act on the cover to enable the line of weakness (116) to form the opening when the threshold pressure is satisfied.
  10. The battery of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the filter (206) is structured to reinforce the cover.
  11. The battery of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the line of weakness (116) is a first line of weakness and the opening is a first opening, the second cover (110) further including a second line of weakness (116), the second line of weakness (116) structured to form a second opening to enable the gas to vent from the housing (102) when the threshold pressure is satisfied.
  12. The battery of claim 11, wherein the second cover (110) includes a protrusion, the first line of weakness being disposed on a first side of the protrusion, the second line of weakness (116) being disposed on a second side of the protrusion.
  13. The battery of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the filter (206) includes a plurality of radially spaced apertures (208), the plurality of radially spaced apertures (208) being structured to enable the gas to vent from the housing (102) and to deter the solid material housed within the housing (102) from exiting the opening when the threshold pressure is satisfied.
  14. The battery of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the first terminal (104) is an anode and the second terminal (106) is a cathode.
  15. The battery of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the second cover (110) is integrally formed with the housing (102).

Description

Field of the Disclosure The present disclosure relates to batteries and, more particularly, to batteries having vents. Background Electrochemical cells, or batteries may be used as electrical energy sources. In some examples, batteries are used to power electronic devices. US 2017/110699 discloses a battery having an exterior case and a sealing member. The sealing member is crimped via an insulating gasket in an open end of the exterior case to form a seal. The sealing member includes a valve element to exhaust gas generated within the battery during abnormal conditions. EP 2 337 110 discloses a battery having a cap assembly loaded on an open upper end of a battery housing. The cap assembly includes a safety vent with a notch that ruptures to allow high pressure gas to escape. A current interruptive device is coupled to the safety vent for interrupting current when internal pressure of the battery increases. US 2007/009785 discloses a closure assembly for sealed rechargeable batteries. A current interrupting system removes current in an overpressure situation before rupture of a safety vent. US 2009/111003 discloses a battery including an electrode assembly, a cap assembly, and a can. The cap assembly includes a safety vent and an insulation gasket. The safety vent breaks a circuit board when internal pressure in the can increases. Summary The battery according to the present invention comprises the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments are set out in the dependent claims. Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 illustrates an example battery in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure.FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded isometric view of the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 3 illustrates another exploded isometric view of the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 4 illustrates another exploded isometric view of the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 5 illustrates an end view of the example battery of FIG. 1 showing the positive cover including an example pressure release in a closed position.FIG. 6 illustrates an example filter having example apertures disposed within a housing of the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 7 illustrates another example filter that can be used to implement the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional elevated view of the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 9 illustrates a detailed cross-sectional elevated view of an end of the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 10 illustrates an isometric cutaway view of the example battery of FIG. 1 including an example label sized to cover the example pressure release.FIG. 11 illustrates an isometric view of the example battery of FIG. 1 illustrating the pressure release in an open position.FIG. 12 illustrates an isometric partial cross-sectional view of the example battery of FIG. 11.FIG. 13 illustrates another example cover including another example pressure release that can be used to implement the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 14 illustrates another example cover including another example pressure release that can be used to implement the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 15 illustrates another example cover including another example pressure release that can be used to implement the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 16 illustrates another example cover including another example pressure release that can be used to implement the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 17 illustrates another example cover including another example pressure release that can be used to implement the battery of FIG. 1.FIG. 18 illustrates a graph depicting results obtained from testing batteries having vents as disclosed herein. Detailed Description Chemical reactions between components of batteries such as, alkaline batteries or lithium batteries, may generate gas and/or may create products that increase the volume of material housed within the batteries. To reduce the internal pressure within the batteries in a controlled manner after a threshold pressure is satisfied, the examples disclosed herein include an example pressure release that is structured to enable the pressure to vent. The threshold pressure may be, for example, a pressure between about 6,89 MPa (1000 pounds per square inch (psi)) and about 13,79 MPa (2000 psi), or approximately 9,65 MPa (1400 psi) or any other selected pressure. Advantageously, the example pressure releases implemented in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure take up less internal space within the battery housing to enable the internally-available volume of the battery elements (such as the anode and the cathode) to increase by approximately five percent as compared to other known examples. Specifically, because the seal at the end of the battery does not include an internal safety vent, the space typically occupied by the internal safety vent is not required, enabling a space savings within the battery cavity. Further in contrast to pressure releases that are implemented by plastic seals of some known batteries, the pressure releases may be structured to not degrade over time even if exposed to hydroxide, tem