ITRM940592A1 - BATTERY GROUP AND PROCEDURE FOR ITS REALIZATION - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery group or box containing a battery of cells or elements comprises an external casing (402) adapted to receive a battery of elements (404); a jointing surface (410) arranged along the outer casing (402); an internal casing (408) adapted to encapsulate the battery of elements (404) and having a surface which joins the junction surface of the external casing (402); and a joint provided on the joint surface for joining the inner envelope (408) to the outer envelope (402). Furthermore, a method of forming a battery pack includes operations of positioning a battery of elements in a joining surface of the outer casing of the battery pack; encapsulating the battery of elements with an external casing, the internal casing having a surface that corresponds to the junction surface of the external casing; and joining the corresponding surface of the inner wrapper with the joining surface of the outer wrapper. The battery pack and the method of forming the battery pack reduce the weight and complexity of manufacturing.

Description

DESCRIPTION

accompanying an application for an Invention Patent, entitled:

"Battery group and procedure for its realization".

The present invention generally relates to groups of battery elements and more specifically to the construction of a battery group.

Precedents

Battery packs or boxes for portable devices, for example two-way radios, typically comprise a number of elements having contacts welded together all in one housing. The individual elements are interconnected using sheet metal fins which are fixed by spot welding to the terminals of the elements. Usually, the interconnected elements are spot welded to a flexible circuit and then inserted into a battery housing. This manufacturing process is performed with assembly procedures which are inefficient and with parts and jobs which are not necessary, entailing excessive manufacturing cost and compromising its reliability.

Batteries charged by consumers for electronic devices such as cameras, radios, disc players, etc., typically have contacts stressed by springs at one end and metal contacts connected to the opposite end of the main elements. Consumer charged battery packs do not require the extra circuitry typically found in battery packs. Battery packs for portable radios will usually include resistors, thermistors, diodes and other components that allow the battery packs to be rechargeable and / or intrinsically safe, therefore, consumer rechargeable battery compartments may have only metal stamped on the housing and electrical leakage between the battery elements and their circuitry is of little importance in these applications.

Other battery packs which are either consumer charged or manufacturer sealed and charged typically comprise a number of elements which are wound together with retractable windings or are packaged in a plastic housing. Again, many of these elements are typically electronically coupled together by welding steel fins to different (positive and negative) terminals of separate elements. Thereafter, the welded elements are wrapped together with a shrink wrap and inserted into a housing. Again, this assembly procedure is inefficient, since it involves excessive labor and manufacturing costs.

The push for weight reduction in consumer electronic products is now affecting battery pack assemblies to the extent that battery packs are more easily built or manufacturable. Therefore, the ability to integrate features into fewer components and fewer parts is critical to reducing the number of assembly operations, therefore, there is a need for a battery assembly that provides the convenience. of consumer-charged battery assemblies, provide a reduction in weight and allow for greater performance and reduced assembly and manufacturing cost.

Brief description of the Drawings

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a battery group or assembly,

Figure 2 represents a perspective view of a battery assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 represents a perspective view of a battery assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a battery assembly in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 5 is an exploded view of wall 310 taken from line A-A in Figure 4,

Figure 6 represents an exploded view of a first embodiment of an attachment mechanism in accordance with the present invention, Figure 7 represents an exploded view of a second embodiment of an attachment mechanism in accordance with the present invention, Figure 8 represents an exploded view of a third embodiment of an attachment mechanism in accordance with the present invention, Figure 9 represents a perspective view of a battery assembly in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 10 is an exploded view of an alignment mechanism in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the battery assembly taken along line B-B of Figure 9,

Figure 12 represents an alternative embodiment of the cross sectional view of Figure 11.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment

A battery assembly or assembly comprises a first housing member having an integrated latching feature, a collector frame detachably mounted on the first housing member, a plurality of cells or elements for insertion into the collector frame and a first housing member, a circuitry on the manifold for connecting the plurality of elements and for providing the charging and supply contacts, as well as a second housing member which is substantially laminar and which is adhesively attached to said first member of housing.

With reference to Figure 1, there is shown a perspective view of a battery assembly or assembly 10 as discussed in U.S. Patent Application 07/848465,

. The battery assembly 10 includes a housing having a top portion 2 and a bottom portion 4. The housing portions are preferably constructed to snap-fit together. Alternatively, the housing portions could be ultrasonically welded together. The top housing member 2 also includes a latching feature 3 which mates with a recessed area 5 in the bottom portion 4 to enable detachable coupling of the battery assembly 10 to a radio set (not shown) . In the portions 2 and 4 of the housing, there is a collecting frame 11 (for containing the elements 12) which is detachably fixed in at least a portion of the housing.

Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a perspective view of a battery assembly 100 in accordance with the present invention. The battery assembly 100 preferably comprises a first housing member 104 having a latch feature 103 incorporated or integrated into the first housing member 104. Thereafter, a collecting frame 111 is mounted in the first housing member 104. The collector frame is preferably snapped into the first housing member by means of the groove 150 in the manifold and the coupling rib 152 in the housing member 104. Alternatively, the collector frame 111 could be integrated as part of the first member as well. of housing 104. Another possibility is to ultrasonically weld the collector frame 111 to the first member 104 of the housing. The battery elements 112 have positive and negative terminals 114 and 113, respectively, and are therefore oriented and inserted into the collector frame 111. Circuit means preferably comprising resistors; (not shown), then switches (30) and thermistors (40) are mounted on the collector frame 111 to provide the charging and power contacts and the appropriate circuitry for safely charging the rechargeable battery assemblies, as is known in the art. . Alternatively, the circuit means could comprise a flexible circuit having some of the components, such as resistors, switches and thermistors, which further interconnects the elements. Finally, a second housing member 102 is preferably fixed adhesively to the first housing member. In order to maximize the weight reduction, the second housing member 102 is preferably a piece of laminar plastic material, for example polycarbonate, having an adhesive on its inner surface for adhering to the first housing member 104. Alternatively , the second housing member 102 could be ultrasonically welded to the first housing member 104. Furthermore, the second housing member 102 could serve as a label for the battery 100.

Referring to Figure 3, there is shown an alternative battery assembly or assembly 200 in accordance with the present invention.

The assembly 200 includes a first housing 202 preferably having snap-fit features 204 formed as a single body in the first housing. A plurality of elements 206, preferably preliminarily grouped in a battery assembly, are located and retained in the snap-fit features 204. The element assembly also preferably includes a flex circuit 212 which provides further interconnection between the elements, the contacts and other required components, such as resistors and thermistors (not shown). Finally, a second housing member 220 is located above the assembly of elements 206 and snap-fits with the first housing member 202. The second housing member preferably has openings 214 for retaining through the snap-fit features 204 Furthermore, the openings 216 are formed in the second housing member to allow for the making of contact points, when the contacts shown on the flexible circuit 212 are inserted into the openings 216. Similarly, the first housing member 202 has openings 205 to allow the insertion of contact tips shown on the flex circuit 212. Optionally, further integrity may be provided with the battery assembly 200 by the use of a double-sided adhesive (208) (e.g., a tape) between the portion of the first housing and the bottom of the assembly of elements 206 and using the double-sided adhesive cia (207) between the inner portion of the second housing 220 and the top of the group of elements 210.

With reference to Figure 4, a third embodiment of a battery assembly according to the present invention is shown. The battery assembly generally comprises a base portion or outer casing 302 adapted to contain a battery of elements 304. It will be understood that the battery 304 will include any flexible chips or circuits described in the previous embodiments. In order to maintain the battery 304 in the outer shell 302, one or more layers of adhesive material 306 could be used. For example, the adhesive 306 could be a glue or some form of double-sided tape. An adhesive layer 306 could be used for securing the battery 304 to the outer shell 302. Also, another adhesive layer 306 could be used on top of the battery for securing an inner shell 308 so as to keep the battery 304 in place. outer casing 302.

In general, the outer envelope 308 is suitable for applying to a wall 310 which generally extends along the periphery of the outer envelope 302. The wall 310, the abutment 311 and any adhesive 306 that can be used prevent the battery 304 to slide inside the outer casing 302. The inner casing 308 is made of a thermoformed molded plastic or some other convenient material. Preferably, the inner envelope 308 comprises a label formed in a single body in the thermoformed plastic material. The wall 310 preferably comprises an energy director element 312 (shown in detail in the straight section of Figure 5 taken along the line A-A of Figure 4). The energy director or address element 310 is employed in the ultrasonic welding technique. In particular, a shoulder portion 314 of the outer shell 308 can be ultrasonically attached to the energy addressing element 312. Ultrasonic welding can be provided along the entire wall 310 or in selected portions, as needed. Any ultrasonic welding mechanism that is well known in the art could be employed.

Further, a fastening or attachment mechanism includes a plurality of wing portions 316 positioned along the base of the wall 310 for securing the inner casing 308 to the outer casing 302. Corresponding receiving portions 318 along a foot 320 are included in the casing. 308. A variety of embodiments for the latch 316 / receiver portion 320 are described in detail with reference to Figures 6-8. Finally, an adhesive material can be positioned along the foot 310 to secure the inner shell 308 to the outer shell 302. Any or a combination of the adhesive bonding, ultrasonic welding and mechanical latching techniques can be employed.

With reference to Figure 6, an exploded view of a first embodiment of a fastening mechanism is shown. The fastening mechanism includes a fin 322 which is generally inserted into a depression 324. The fastening mechanism of Figure 6 could be used, for example, to maintain the position of the inner housing 308 relative to the outer housing 302 when performs ultrasonic welding.

With reference to Figure 7, an exploded view of a second embodiment of a fastening mechanism is shown. The fastening mechanism includes a wing portion 326 to be retained in a notch 328 of the outer envelope 308. The fastening mechanism of Figure 6 could also be used to maintain the position of the inner envelope 308 relative to the other. outer shell 302 when performing ultrasonic welding.

Finally, with reference to Figure 8, an exploded view of a third embodiment of a fastening mechanism is shown. The fastening mechanism comprises an attachment element 330 adapted to positively engage a hole 332 disposed in the foot 318 of the outer casing 308. In particular, the attachment element 330 comprises two portions which can be compressed to engage the hole 332. However, , it will be understood that other types of latch mechanisms commonly known in the art could be used to positively engage the upper envelope.

Referring now to Figure 9, a perspective view of a battery assembly in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the battery assembly is shown. The battery assembly generally comprises an outer casing 402 adapted to contain a battery of elements 404. In order to maintain the battery 404 in the outer casing 402, an adhesive material 406 could be used on either side of the battery. For example, the adhesive 406 could be a glue or some form of double-sided tape. Lastly, an inner shell 408 is included to keep the 404 battery in the outer shell 402.

Unlike the embodiment of Figure 4, the embodiment of Figure 9 does not include a wall 310 for holding the battery to prevent it from flowing within the outer shell and for providing an energy directing element to allow ul transonic welding with the shoulder of the outer casing. Rather, an energy director 410 is provided along the surface of the outer envelope 402 to provide a sonic weld with the pin 412 of the outer envelope 408. Ultrasonic welding may be provided along the entire energy director 410 or in some selected portions.

The outer shell 402 may optionally include an alignment fin 414 to permit proper positioning of the inner shell 408 relative to the outer shell 402 during ultrasonic welding. The alignment mechanism is shown in detail in Figure 10. The foot 412 comprises a notch 415 adapted to receive a fin 414. Finally, positioning guides 416 can also be selectively positioned to facilitate the manufacture of the battery. The alignment mechanisms 416 are shown in detail in the straight sections of Figures 11 and 12 taken along the line B-B of Figure 9.

Referring now to Figure 11, a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of daughter 9 represents the alignment of the inner envelope 408 with the outer envelope 402 and the transonic u weld at the energy-directed element 410. In particular, the positioning guide 416 provides a reference point for the inner shell 408. In addition, a retainer 418 can be included to prevent movement of the foot 412 of the inner shell 408 during ultrasonic welding. In other words, since the energy director is positioned along an inclined portion of the outer shell 402, the foot 412, which is normally horizontal, is forced to assume an inclined position during ultrasonic welding. Accordingly, the ridge 418 prevents movement of the foot 412 from the positioning guide 416. Although the foot 412 is shown as positioned in a particular position along the outer shell 402, it will be understood that the energy director element 410 may be disposed in any position along the wall 402.

Referring now to Figure 12, an alternative embodiment incorporates a leveling surface 420 which includes the energy director element 410. The leveling surface 420 prevents the foot 412 from being forced into an inclined position during ultrasonic welding. .

Ultimately, the present invention reduces the manufacturing complexity and weight of the completed battery. In particular, a combination of ultrasonic welding and adhesive welding can reduce the weight and complexity of the device. One wall can hold the battery. An energy guide element positioned in the top of the wall to contain the elements of a battery can provide a region for the ultrasonic welding. An internal casing can be placed on the wall to seal the battery. A shoulder of the inner shell can be ultrasonically welded to the energy director element at the top of the wall. Alternatively, the wall can be replaced with an energy director element positioned on the outer shell, in which a foot of the inner envelope is ultrasonically welded to the energy director element. Accordingly, the present invention reduces complexity and cost in comparison with prior art devices.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1. Battery group containing at least one element, characterized by: an external casing adapted to receive said al. minus one elements, said outer casing having an inner surface; a joining or welding surface located on said inner surface of said outer casing; an inner casing adapted to encapsulate said at least one elements in said outer casing and having a surface for attachment against said sealing surface of the outer casing; and a weld provided on said weld surface for securing said inner envelope to said outer envelope within said outer envelope. 2. Battery assembly according to claim 1, in which said inner casing is characterized by a molded thermoformed plastic material having a shoulder portion and a foot portion, said weld being provided on said foot portion. 3. Battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein said welding or joining surface is characterized by a direct energy element for ultrasonic welding to said inner shell. 4. Battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein said welding surface is characterized by a wall adapted to contain said battery. 5. Battery group containing at least one element, characterized by: an outer casing having an inner surface and a wall protruding from said inner surface and adapted to receive said at least one elements; a welding surface located on said outer casing; And an internal casing adapted to cover said wall and at least one element, in which said internal casing is welded to said welding surface of said external casing. 6. Battery assembly according to claim 5, wherein said welding surface is characterized by an energy director element for ultrasonic welding to said inner shell. 7. Battery group containing at least one element, characterized by: an external casing adapted to receive said at least one elements; an energy director element positioned along an inner surface of said outer envelope; And an internal envelope adapted to encapsulate said at least one elements within said external envelope; said inner shell having a foot portion positioned on said energy directing element, said foot portion being fixed by ultrasonic welding to said energy directing element. 8. Procedure for forming a battery group characterized by the following operations: forming a bonded or welded surface along an inner surface of an outer shell; positioning at least one element within said welding surface of said outer casing of the battery group; encapsulating the at least one elements within said outer envelope with an inner envelope, the inner envelope having a sealing surface which corresponds to the sealing surface of the outer envelope; And weld the corresponding sealing surface of the inner casing to the sealing surface of the outer casing. A beating assembly according to claim 8, wherein said operation of welding the corresponding sealing surface of the inner casing to the sealing surface of the outer casing is characterized by providing an ultrasonic welding on the foot of the inner casing against a energy director element positioned on the outer shell i_n. 10. Battery group containing at least one element, characterized by: an external casing having a wall protruding from an internal surface thereof and adapted to receive said at least one elements; an energy director element positioned along an inner surface of said outer envelope adjacent said wall; And an inner casing formed with a thermoformed plastic material which substantially conforms to the shape of said wall and adapted to encapsulate said at least one battery elements in said outer casing; said inner shell having a foot portion disposed on said energy directing member, said foot portion being ultrasonically welded to said energy directing member.