Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
  • H01M50/20—Mountings; Secondary casings or frames; Racks, modules or packs; Suspension devices; Shock absorbers; Transport or carrying devices; Holders
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
  • H01M50/20—Mountings; Secondary casings or frames; Racks, modules or packs; Suspension devices; Shock absorbers; Transport or carrying devices; Holders
  • H01M50/204—Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
  • H01M50/207—Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells characterised by their shape
  • H01M50/213—Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells characterised by their shape adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M6/00—Primary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M6/42—Grouping of primary cells into batteries
  • H01M6/44—Grouping of primary cells into batteries of tubular or cup-shaped cells
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M2220/00—Batteries for particular applications
  • H01M2220/30—Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
  • Y02E60/10—Energy storage using batteries

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to a battery pack, and more particularly relates to a battery pack for containing electrochemical cells.
• Battery packs containing electrochemical cells are in widespread use with a wide variety of portable electronic devices. Packs are utilized for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the. ease and efficiency of providing a series or a parallel connection for the cells as part of the pack, depending on the voltage provided by each cell and the power requirements of the device, thereby obviating the need for the device to provide the appropriate cell-to-cell contacts for accepting individual cells. Battery packs are typically made by joining one or more component pieces together.
• Such pack components can include cell receiving sections, one or more end caps and one or more terminals for making electrical connection between the cells and the device.
• the components may be welded together, adhesively joined together or snap fit together at some point in the manufacturing process.
• some packs may include an external adhesive label that provides a surface for conveying desired information concerning the pack and can also serve to hold the cells and the various structural pack components together in a single cohesive unit.
• Such packs are disclosed, for example, in US Patent No. 5744260, issued 28 April, 1998; US Patent No. 4965148, issued 23 October 1990; and US Patent No. 6218042, issued 17 April, 2001. These packs present certain disadvantages.
• the required joining together of the structural pack components increases the potential for disassembly of the pack during labeling and other handling. Further, the number of structural pack components complicates the manufacturing and assembly processes.
• a battery pack comprising a battery pack frame.
• the battery pack frame is a single integral part.
• the frame comprises first and second endcap portions and first and second spine portions.
• One of the spine portions has a free end, allowing the spine to be flexed so as to provide an opening.
• the opening provided by the flexing of the spine may enable a cell assembly to be inserted into the frame, where a cell assembly comprises at least two cells and a cell-to-cell connection that provides either a series or a parallel connection between the cells.
• the flexing spine may have a length of at least fifty percent of the total length of the frame, thereby providing added support to the frame while still allowing for insertion of a cell assembly into the frame.
• the pack enables the use of the external cell contacts to provide an electrical connection directly to the device contacts, obviating the need for the pack to include discrete external terminals.
• the pack comprises two 1.5 volt standard sized AA cylindrical cells employing a lithium nonaqueous cell chemistry.
• the cells are connected in series by a simple nickel tab to create a 3.0 volt cell assembly.
• the untabbed positive terminal of one cell and the untabbed negative terminal of the second cell are accessible through one or more openings in an endcap portion and make electrical contact directly with the device terminals, thereby avoiding the complex additional tabbing required where 3.0 volt cells are connected in parallel.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a frame of a battery pack according to the present invention
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of one end of the battery pack frame of Fig. 1 ;
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of an opposing end of the battery pack frame of Fig. 1 ;
• Figure 4 is a side view of the battery pack frame of Fig. 1;
• Figure 5 is a perspective view of the battery pack frame of Figure 1 with two cylindrical cells inserted into the frame; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the battery pack frame of Figure 5 with a label.
• the battery pack frame 10 includes a first endcap portion 12, a second endcap portion 14, a first spine portion 16 and a second spine portion 18.
• the frame 10 is designed to accommodate and position at least two cylindrical electrochemical cells arranged in two parallel rows within cell receiving areas. Cell receiving areas extend between the two endcap portions 12, 14. It should be appreciated, that the number of cells provided in the frame 10 of the battery pack is not critical and the frame may include less than a full complement of cells when more cells are not necessary for a given application.
• a battery pack according to the within invention comprises the frame 10, cells, and any optionally associated label.
• the battery pack frame 10 may be molded from a thermoplastic resin to form a single flexible part.
• the first spine portion 16 has a length extending between first endcap portion 12 and second endcap portion 14.
• the first spine portion 16 has a first end 20 connected to the first endcap portion 12 and a second end 22 connected the second endcap portion 14.
• the first spine portion 16 provides one or more external surfaces that cooperate with one or more surfaces of the battery pack compartment of a battery powered device.
• the first spine portion 16 optionally includes two sections 16A and 16B of differing elevations, to accommodate battery pack guides provided in the pack compartment of a device. It will be appreciated that the shape and configuration of these guides may vary from device to device, thus requiring the corresponding configuration of the first spine portion 16 to vary accordingly.
• first spine portion 16 is not critical and may vary according to the particular requirements of the battery pack, the configuration of the pack compartment of a particular device and associated efforts to minimize the use of materials.
• the second spine portion 18 has a first end 24 connected to the first endcap portion 12 and a second end 26 that is free.
• the free second end 26 allows the second spine portion 18 to be flexed toward or away from the first spine portion 16, thereby creating an opening.
• an opening can also be created by flexing second endcap portion 14 away from the interior of the frame 10.
• two cells are connected by a tab to form a cell assembly prior to insertion into frame 10, and the opening created by flexing spine portion 18 accommodates this cell assembly and allows for insertion of such an assembly into the frame.
• discrete cells can be inserted into the frame 10, through an opening created by flexing the spine portion 18 or by flexing second endcap portion 14, or through other openings available in the frame.
• the second spine portion 18 provides a support structure for the battery pack frame 10. In some embodiments this may be accomplished when the length of second spine portion 18 is at least as great as fifty percent of the total length of the frame, or the length of the second spine portion 18 may be at least as great as seventy-five percent of the total length of the frame.
• the length of the second spine portion 18 is the dimension A as shown in Fig. 4. This dimension A is the distance between the exterior surface 28 of the first endcap portion 12 and the surface 30 of free end 26.
• the length of the frame 10 is the dimension B as shown in Fig. 4. This dimension B is the distance between the exterior surface 28 of the first endcap portion 12 and the exterior surface 32 of the second endcap portion 14.
• first endcap portion 12 may include a slot 34 within at least one of the cell receiving areas.
• the slot 34 accommodates the external cell terminal protrusion (typically the positive terminal) and also functions as a guide for any cell-to-cell tabbing that may be required as a result of the power and performance requirements for the battery pack.
• a tab may be welded to the positive external cell terminal protrusion of one cylindrical cell and the negative external cell terminal of a second cylindrical cell to make a cell assembly with a series connection; the cell assembly is then inserted into the cell receiving area of the frame and the welded positive terminal protrusion is positioned within the slot 34 of the endcap portion 12 of frame 10.
• the endcap portion 12 where the cell tabbing is located optionally includes an opening 36 defined by the slot structure.
• the opening 36 forms a venting path to the exterior of frame 10 and also provides a release point to separate the frame from the mold during manufacture of the frame 10.
• Second endcap portion 14 (Fig. 3) includes terminal openings 38A, 38B to expose the cell contacts that form the battery pack contacts, thereby providing electrical contact to the device terminals.
• the terminals of the cells that are housed within the pack form the battery pack terminals and come into direct contact with the device terminals.
• the untabbed positive terminal protrusion of one of the series-connected cells is positioned so as to be exposed through opening 38A of second encap portion 14, while the untabbed negative terminal of the other cell is positioned so as to be exposed through opening 38B.
• at least a portion of the perimeter of opening 38A is reinforced with a stabilizing support structure 40 having a centralized opening exposing the positive cell terminal protrusion.
• Support structure 40 can optionally include a gap 42. Gap 42 forms a venting path to the exterior of frame 10 and also provides a release point to separate the frame from the mold during manufacture of the frame 10.
• the frame is injection molded from a thermoplastic resin.
• thermoplastic resins include ABS resins (acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene) such as Polylac ABS PA-717C and Polylac ABS PA-747 available from Entec Engineered
• thermoplastic resin utilized may be a mixture of materials that includes at least one polyolefin and at least one aromatic polymer having a repeating unit with at least one aromatic functional group.
• the mixture may include more than 30 weight percent polyolefin, or it may contain at least 40 weight percent polyolefin.
• the polyolefin may be a polymer based on one or a combination of the following monomers: ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene, 1-octene, 1- decene, 1 -octadecene, 3 -methyl- 1-butene, 3 -methyl- 1-pentene, 4-methyl- 1-pentene, 4- methyl- 1-hexene, 5-methyl- 1-hexene, 5-methyl- 1-heptene, vinylcyclohexane and vinylnaphthalene.
• Polypropylene, polyethylene and polypropylene-ethylene copolymer may be advantageous in some embodiments.
• the mixture comprises discrete phases of the aromatic polymer in a matrix of the polyolefin, as can be observed with the aid of transition electron microscopy (TEM).
• TEM transition electron microscopy
• aromatic polymer is a polymer with a repeating unit that contains one or more types of aromatic functional groups.
• aromatic polymers that are suitable for use in the invention include poly(phenylene oxides), which have monomers such as 2,6- dimethyl-l,4-phenylene ether and 2,3,6-trimethyl-l,4-phenylene ether; aramids; polyketones, such as poly(ether ether ketone), poly(ether ketone), poly(ether ketone ketone) and poly(arylether ketone); polysulfones, such as polyether sulfones and polyaryl sulfones; polystyrenes, such as atactic polystyrene and syndiotactic polystyrene; polybenzimidazoles; polyimides; polybenzoxazinones; polybenzothiazoles; polybenzoxazoles; polybenzimidazoles; polyarylates; polyamide-imides; polyetheridmides; poly
• the thermoplastic material of the invention may optionally include a compatibilizer.
• a compatibilizer is a material that ties the polyolefin and aromatic polymer phases together to maintain the size, shape and distribution of the dispersed aromatic polymer in the polyolefin after injection molding of the seal member and throughout the useful life of the seal member and the cell in which it is used.
• Block copolymers are examples of compatibilizers that may be used. One end of a block is soluble in the polyolefin, and another end of a block is soluble in the aromatic polymer.
• the polyolefin is polypropylene and the aromatic polymer is polyphenylene oxide, such as is described in US Patent Application No.
• Cell preparation prior to insertion into the frame can include shrink wrapping the cells individually, tabbing the cells together, providing any additional tabbing required to provide battery pack external contacts at the desired position in or on the pack, and joining the cells together using a suitable adhesive as is known in the art.
• the cells can be inserted into the battery pack frame 10 by flexing the free end 26 of spine portion 18 toward or away from the interior of the frame, to create an opening sufficient to insert the cells into the frame.
• second endcap portion 14 can be flexed away from the interior of the frame, to create an opening for the insertion of cells into the frame.
• Figure 5 shows two cylindrical cells that have been inserted into frame 10.
• the positive protrusion 44 of one cell is exposed through opening 38 A of second endcap portion 14 while the negative contact 46 of the second cell is exposed through opening 38B of second endcap portion 14.
• the frame 10 can be utilized with discrete cells that are not interconnected as well as with cells that are connected in series or in parallel without departing from the scope of the within invention.
• the integrity of the pack can be improved by the application of an adhesive label about the exterior of the exposed cell surfaces and the exposed surfaces of the frame.
• Figure 6 shows the battery pack of the within invention with the inclusion of an adhesive label 48 as is known in the art.
• the label also provides a surface available for the communication of information concerning the battery pack and its use.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Electrochemistry (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)
• Sealing Battery Cases Or Jackets (AREA)

Priority Applications (7)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=28790201

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (10)

Families Citing this family (11)

Family Cites Families (14)

• 2002
  • 2002-04-11 US US10/120,912 patent/US6811922B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-04-04 WO PCT/US2003/010386 patent/WO2003088377A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2003-04-04 KR KR1020047016265A patent/KR100962636B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-04-04 EP EP03746602A patent/EP1493196B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-04-04 AU AU2003262122A patent/AU2003262122A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-04-04 JP JP2003585199A patent/JP4480403B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-04-04 AT AT03746602T patent/ATE315276T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-04-04 CA CA2481032A patent/CA2481032C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-04-04 DE DE60303139T patent/DE60303139T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-04-04 CN CNB03813201XA patent/CN1298064C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related

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