SURFACE-MOUNTED SUPERCAPACITOR AND METHOD OF

MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates generally to a supercapacitor, and, more particularly, to a surface-mounted supercapacitor(Ultracapacitor) which has a simple overall structure, is compact and has excellent efficiency, and a method of manufacturing the same. Background Art

[2] In general, a supercapacitor is an electric condenser for storing electric energy using an electrostatic phenomenon which occurs in an electric double layer formed between an electrode and an electrolyte.

[3] Such supercapacitors are being widely used in various fields.

[4] A conventional supercapacitor includes metallic upper and lower casings; upper and lower electrodes attached to the inner surfaces of the upper and lower casings; a separator interposed between the upper and lower electrodes; an electrolyte filled inside the upper and lower casings; and upper and lower terminals attached to the outer surfaces of the upper and lower casings.

[5] However, the conventional supercapacitor is problematic in that a gasket and a coating material are required for the insulation and airtightness of the upper and lower casings and, therefore, coating and pressing processes are necessary, so that the assem- blability and manufacturing efficiency thereof are poor and high cost is incurred.

[6] Furthermore, the conventional supercapacitor is problematic in that it has the structure in which the upper and lower terminals should be attached on the outside of the upper and lower casings, so that the size thereof is increased and the appearance thereof is not compact.

[7] Moreover, welding and bending failures frequently occur in the attachment of the upper and lower terminals. Finally, this results in the deterioration of the functionality and usability of the supercapacitors. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[8] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a supercapacitor which has a simple overall structure, a compact appearance and low manufacturing cost, and a method of manufacturing the supercapacitor. Technical Solution

[9] In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a surface- mounted supercapacitor, including a substrate; a cap attached to the top of the substrate; a lower electrode adhered or joined to the top of the substrate; an upper electrode adhered or joined to the inner surface of the cap so that the location of the upper electrode corresponds to the location of the lower electrode; a separator interposed between the lower electrode and the upper electrode; an electrolyte filled into a space formed by the attachment of the substrate and the cap to each other; and a pair of electrical connection terminals integrally formed on the bottom of the substrate, and electrically connected to the lower electrode and the upper electrode, respectively.

[10] Preferably, the upper electrode is electrically connected through the cap to one of the pair of connection terminals on the bottom of the substrate.

[11] Preferably, the lower electrode is adhered or joined to the top of the substrate so that the lower electrode is electrically connected to the top of the substrate electrically connected to a remaining one of the pair of the connection terminals.

[12] Preferably, the cap includes a body part configured such that the upper electrode is adhered (or joined) to an inner surface of the body part; and a joining part bent from the body part, and welded, joined or adhered to an outer portion of the top of the substrate.

[13] Preferably, the substrate and the cap are attached to each other through welding, joining or adhering so as to physically maintain airtightness.

[14] Preferably, the welding, joining or adhering is performed by printing or applying a conductive adhesive or a soldering material onto an electrically conductive portion disposed on the outer portion of the top of the substrate.

[15] Preferably, the substrate and the cap are square or rectangular in shape.

Advantageous Effects

[16] According to the present invention, there is provided a surface-mounted super- capacitor which has a simple overall structure and can be manufactured using a convenient manufacturing method, so that the assemblability and manufacturing efficiency thereof can not only be improved but the manufacturing cost can be also reduced.

[17] In particular, the electrical connection terminals for the upper and lower electrodes are integrally formed on the bottom of the substrate, so that the appearance of the surface-mounted supercapacitor is compact and a high-density mounting design is facilitated thanks to the characteristics of the configurations of the substrate and the cap.

[18] Furthermore, the substrate and the cap are attached to each other through welding or joining (or adhering), so that the attaching work is convenient and efficient and the attached state can be firmly and stably maintained for a long period.

[19] As a result, the functionality and usability of the supercapacitor can be relatively improved.

Brief Description of Drawings

[20] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[21] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a surface-mounted supercapacitor according to the present invention;

[22] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the surface-mounted supercapacitor of

FIG. 1;

[23] FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the assembly of the surface-mounted supercapacitor according to the present invention;

[24] FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing the substrate of the surface-mounted supercapacitor according to the present invention; and

[25] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a surface-mounted supercapacitor according to the present invention. Mode for the Invention

[26] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[27] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a surface-mounted supercapacitor according to the present invention includes a substrate 20; a cap 30 attached to the top of the substrate 20; a lower electrode 40 adhered (joined) to the top of the substrate 20; an upper electrode 50 adhered (joined) to the inner surface of the cap 30; and a separator 60 disposed between the lower electrode 40 and the upper electrode 50.

[28] The substrate 20 has a square or rectangular shape. A pair of connection terminals

70a and 70b to be electrically connected to the lower and upper electrodes 40 and 50 is integrally formed on the bottom of the substrate 20.

[29] The connection terminals 70a and 70b are arranged in parallel on the bottom of the substrate 20 at a predetermined interval.

[30] The connection terminals 70a and 70b are integrally formed when the substrate 20 is manufactured so as to eliminate a process of assembling them.

[31] The substrate 20 not only functions to seal the cap 30 but also functions as a intermedium to electrically connect the lower and upper electrodes 40 and 50 to the pair of connection terminals 70a and 70b.

[32] The cap 30 is formed of metallic material, and is combined with the substrate 20, so that the interior thereof is sealed.

[33] The cap 30 includes a body part 32 configured such that the upper electrode 50 is adhered (joined) to the inner surface of the body part 32; and a joining part 34 bent from the body part 32 and adhered (joined) to the outer portion of the top of the substrate 20.

[34] The substrate 20 and the cap 30 are firmly and stably attached to each other through welding or joining (or adhering). That is, a conductive portion to be electrically connected to any one of the pair of connection terminals 70a and 70b on the bottom of the substrate 20 is disposed on the outer portion of the top of the substrate 20, and the cap 30 is firmly and stably attached to the substrate 20 through welding or joining (or adhering) related to the conductive portion disposed on the outer portion of the substrate 20.

[35] A welding method is used to achieve coupling by applying heat, pressure, or heat and pressure.

[36] A joining method may be a method such as soldering or blazing.

[37] It is apparent that an adhering method may selectively use various types of known conductive adhesives having excellent electric conductivity and an excellent adhering property, including carbon paste and conductive polymer.

[38] The reason why the conductive adhesive is applied to the substrate 20 using the printing method is that the amount of applied conductive adhesive and the area of adhering are standardized, so that the process of adhering the cap 30 can not only be performed conveniently and efficiently but the adhered state can also be maintained stably.

[39] Meanwhile, although it is most preferable to attach the substrate 20 and the cap 30 to each other using a conductive adhesive, a method, such as soldering or welding using ultrasonic waves or high frequencies, may be adopted when necessary.

[40] The lower electrode 40 is adhered to the center portion of the top of the substrate 20 through a conductive adhesive, while the upper electrode 50 is also adhered to the center portion of the inner surface of the body part 32 of the cap 30 through a conductive adhesive.

[41] As a result, a mechanically- sufficient adhering strength and an electrically- sufficient conductivity can be stably maintained.

[42] The lower electrode 40 and the upper electrode 50 remain electrically connected to the pair of connection terminals 70a and 70b. That is, the lower electrode 40 is electrically connected to any one of the pair of connection terminals 70a and 70b on the bottom of the substrate 20 via a conductive adhesive, while the upper electrode 50 remains electrically connected to the other of the pair of connection terminals 70a and 70b on the bottom of the substrate 20 via the cap 30 and a conductive adhesive.

[43] The separator 60 is disposed tightly between the lower electrode 40 and the upper electrode 50, and functions to restrict electronic conduction and enable only ionic conduction between the lower electrode 40 and the upper electrode 50. [44] Meanwhile, an appropriate amount of electrolyte (not shown) is filled into a sealed space formed by the attachment of the substrate 20 and the cap 30 to each other, and the lower electrode 40 and the upper electrode 50 are brought into contact with the electrolyte. [45] A method of manufacturing the above-described surface-mounted supercapacitor will be described below with reference to FIG. 5. [46] ® First step Sl: step of preparing the substrate 20 and the cap 30 configured such that the connection terminals 70a and 70b are integrally formed on the bottom of the substrate 20

[47] In this case, the cap 30 is disposed upside down using a jig and support means.

[48] ® Second step S2: step of adhering (the upper electrode 50 to the inner surface of the cap 30 [49] In this case, the upper electrode 50 is tightly adhered to the inner surface of the cap

30 using a conductive adhesive, and, after completion of the adhering, a curing process is performed to secure the adhered state of the upper electrode 50. [50] If necessary, it is possible to selectively use another of the variety of known methods of making an electrical connection to electrically connect the upper electrode 50 to the cap 30, rather than using the conductive adhesive.

[51] © Third step S3: step of filling the interior of the cap 30 with an electrolyte

[52] In this case, an appropriate amount of electrolyte is injected into the upper electrode

50 in order to saturate sufficiently the upper electrode 50 with electrolyte. [53] ® Fourth step S4: step of sticking the separator 60 to the upper electrode 50

[54] © Fifth step S5: step of adhering (joining) the lower electrode 40 to the top of the substrate 20, thereby electrically connecting the lower electrode 40 to the connection terminal 70a [55] In this case, the lower electrode 40 is tightly adhered to the top of the substrate 20 using a conductive adhesive, and, after completion of the adhering, a curing process is performed so as to secure the adhered state of the lower electrode 40. [56] If necessary, it is possible to selectively use another of the variety of known methods of making an electrical connection method to electrically connect the lower electrode

40 to the connection terminal 70a, rather than using the conductive adhesive. [57] © Sixth step S6: step of attaching the substrate 20 to the cap 30

[58] In this case, the substrate 20 and the cap 30 are tightly adhered to the top of the substrate 20 using a conductive adhesive, and, after completion of the adhering, a curing process is performed so as to secure the adhered state of the substrate 20 and the cap 30. [59] That is, a conductive adhesive is printed along the outer portion of the top of the substrate 20 and a conductive adhesive is applied to the cap 30, thereby completing a completely sealed surface-mounted supercapacitor. [60] Through the above-described final process of attaching the substrate 20, the electrolyte is completely sealed, and the upper electrode 50 is electrically connected to the connection terminal 70b on the bottom of the substrate 20. [61] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.