WO1992006513A1 - Weldless battery pack - Google Patents
Weldless battery pack Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1992006513A1 WO1992006513A1 PCT/US1991/007246 US9107246W WO9206513A1 WO 1992006513 A1 WO1992006513 A1 WO 1992006513A1 US 9107246 W US9107246 W US 9107246W WO 9206513 A1 WO9206513 A1 WO 9206513A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- battery pack
- housing
- cells
- circuitry
- battery
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M10/42—Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells
- H01M10/46—Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus
-
- 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
-
- 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
- T l invention relates generally to battery cell packs, and more specifically to weldless battery packs.
- Battery packs for portable devices such as two-way radios typically comprise a number of cells having contacts welded together all within a housing.
- the individual cells are interconnected using sheet metal tabs which are spot welded to the cell terminals.
- the interconnected cells are then spot welded to a flex circuit and subsequently inserted into a battery housing.
- This method of manufacture is wrought with inefficient assembly procedures and unnecessary parts and labor resulting in excessive manufacturing expense and compromised reliability.
- Consumer loaded batteries for consumer electronics such as cameras, radios, CD players, etc., typically have spring loaded contacts on one end and metal contacts coupled to the opposite end of the primary cells. Consumer loaded 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 enable the battery packs to be rechargeable and/ or instrinsically safe.
- consumer loaded battery compartments may only have stamped metal on the housing and electrical loss between battery cells and circuitry is of little concern in these applications. Therefore, a need exists for a battery pack that provides the convenience of consumer loaded battery packs and allows for greater efficiency and reduced cost in assembly and manufacture.
- a battery pack comprises a plurality of cells within a housing, each cell having a positive and negative terminal.
- the battery pack further comprises molded-in circuitry means on the surface of the the housing for providing intercon ection between the plurality of cells.
- the housing further comprises molded-in or integral spring fingers. The spring fingers are preferably biased toward the positive and negative terminals and provide at least some interconnection for the plurality of cells.
- Figure 1 is perspective view of a battery pack as is known in the art.
- Figure 2 is a perspective view of a battery pack in accordance with the present invention.
- Figure 3 is another perspective view of a battery pack in accordance with the present invention.
- Figure 4 is perspective view of an I-beam structure for use in an embodiment of the present invention.
- the battery pack 10 preferably comprises a battery housing 26 having an aperture 25. Within the aperture 25, a flex circuit 24 is inserted having charger contacts for inserting into apertures 28.
- the battery housing 26 may optionally have a ventilation hole 29 for release of gases generated from the battery chemistry.
- Shock pads 14 and 22 are used to dampen the movement of the cells 18 when the battery pack 10 is dropped or receives a sudden impact.
- the cells 18 have their respective adjacent positive and negative terminals connected together via steel tabs 20.
- the steel tabs are typically spot welded to the terminals and then welded or soldered to the contacts on the flex circuit 24.
- An insulator 16 is placed between the cells and the shock pad 14 to assist in preventing shorts between the cells.
- a housing cover 12 is placed on top of the shock pad 14 to seal the assembly 10.
- the battery pack 30 preferably comprises a housing 32 having an aperture 35 for receiving cells 38 and having apertures 36 serving as receptacles for charger contacts 46 molded in the I-beam frame 40.
- the battery housing 32 may optimally have a ventiiiation hole 34 for release of gases generated from the battery chemistry.
- I-beam frame 40 is arranged and constructed to retain cells 38 between an upper portion 44 and a lower portion 42.
- the I-beam frame is preferably made of a high temperature thermoplastic such as polyetherimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, polycarbonate, polyimide, and blends of these materials.
- the I-beam frame 40 preferably further comprises integrally molded circuitry to couple the cell terminals.
- the charger contacts 46 are preferably metallized plastic protrusions extending from the top portion 44. Methods of metallizing the protrusions are known to those skilled in the art.
- the cells can be retained in the I-beam frame 40 by using molded in or integral spring fingers (not shown) as seen in Figure 3.
- a battery pack 50 comprises a housing 52 having molded-in circuitry 54.
- the housing 52 and circuitry 54 are preferably made by one or two shot molding techniques as is known in the art.
- a multiple I-beam frame 70 comprises a top substrate 84 and a bottom substrate 86 coupled by I-beam structures 78 and end beams 82. On the bottom surface of the top substrate 84 (not shown) and the top surface of the bottom substrate 86, molded-in or integral metal spring fingers 72 are preferably located.
- the spring fingers 72 may be located on the bottom or top substrate alone.
- the spring finger 72 preferably includes another metallization layer 74 to insure sufficient contact force with the terminals of the cells (not shown) to be inserted between the top and bottom substrates.
- Integral metallization (90) couples pairs of terminals together and preferably provides interconnections for componentry such as diodes, resistors and capacitors where needed.
- the components are placed in metallized through holes 76 for example.
- Metallized through holes 88 and 92 are used to interconnect terminals and other components if desired.
- metallized contacts 80 serve as the charger contacts.
- charger contacts are provided in a similar fashion.
- the molded-in or integral metallization is preferably made using double-shot molding, but other means of providing interconnections on or in the I-beam structures, battery pack housing, or portable product housing is within contemplation of the present invention.
- the battery pack 10 of Figure 1 In order to assemble the battery pack 10 of Figure 1 , approximately 70 operations are needed in approximately 585 seconds. On the other hand, the battery pack 30 of Figure 2 merely requires approximately 13 operations to assemble in approximately 50 seconds. This is a tremendous savings in labor and parts.
- the battery pack 50 can be assembled in the same time a consumer inserts batteries into their consumer electronic products. Additionally, this assembly can easily be adapted for robotic assembly. What is claimed is:
Abstract
The present invention provides for a battery pack (50) comprising a plurality of cells (58) within a housing (52), each cell having a positive and negative terminals (57 and 59). The battery pack(50) further comprises molded-in circuitry means (54) on the surface of the housing (52) for providing interconnection between the plurality of cells (58). Optionally, the housing (52) further comprises molded-in or integral spring fingers (56). The spring fingers (56) are preferably biased toward the positive and negative terminals and provide at least some interconnection for the plurality of cells (58).
Description
WELD ESS BATTERY PACK
Technical Field
Tl invention relates generally to battery cell packs, and more specifically to weldless battery packs.
Background Battery packs for portable devices such as two-way radios typically comprise a number of cells having contacts welded together all within a housing. The individual cells are interconnected using sheet metal tabs which are spot welded to the cell terminals. Usually, the interconnected cells are then spot welded to a flex circuit and subsequently inserted into a battery housing. This method of manufacture is wrought with inefficient assembly procedures and unnecessary parts and labor resulting in excessive manufacturing expense and compromised reliability. Consumer loaded batteries for consumer electronics such as cameras, radios, CD players, etc., typically have spring loaded contacts on one end and metal contacts coupled to the opposite end of the primary cells. Consumer loaded 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 enable the battery packs to be rechargeable and/ or instrinsically safe. Thus, consumer loaded battery compartments may only have stamped metal on the housing and electrical loss between battery cells and circuitry is of little concern in these applications. Therefore, a need exists for a battery pack that provides the convenience of
consumer loaded battery packs and allows for greater efficiency and reduced cost in assembly and manufacture.
Summary of the Invention Accordingly, a battery pack comprises a plurality of cells within a housing, each cell having a positive and negative terminal. The battery pack further comprises molded-in circuitry means on the surface of the the housing for providing intercon ection between the plurality of cells. Optionally, the housing further comprises molded-in or integral spring fingers. The spring fingers are preferably biased toward the positive and negative terminals and provide at least some interconnection for the plurality of cells.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is perspective view of a battery pack as is known in the art.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a battery pack in accordance with the present invention. . Figure 3 is another perspective view of a battery pack in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 4 is perspective view of an I-beam structure for use in an embodiment of the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Referring to Figure 1 , there is shown a typical battery pack 10 as is known in the art. The battery pack 10 preferably comprises a battery housing 26 having an aperture 25. Within the aperture 25, a flex circuit 24 is inserted having charger contacts for inserting into apertures 28. The battery housing 26 may optionally have a ventilation hole 29 for release of gases generated from the battery chemistry. Shock pads 14 and 22 are used to dampen the movement of the cells 18 when the battery pack 10 is dropped or receives a sudden impact. The cells 18 have their respective adjacent positive and negative terminals connected together via steel tabs 20. The steel tabs are typically
spot welded to the terminals and then welded or soldered to the contacts on the flex circuit 24. An insulator 16 is placed between the cells and the shock pad 14 to assist in preventing shorts between the cells. Finally, a housing cover 12 is placed on top of the shock pad 14 to seal the assembly 10.
Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a battery pack 30 arranged and constructed in accordance with the present invention. The battery pack 30 preferably comprises a housing 32 having an aperture 35 for receiving cells 38 and having apertures 36 serving as receptacles for charger contacts 46 molded in the I-beam frame 40. The battery housing 32 may optimally have a ventiiiation hole 34 for release of gases generated from the battery chemistry. I-beam frame 40 is arranged and constructed to retain cells 38 between an upper portion 44 and a lower portion 42. The I-beam frame is preferably made of a high temperature thermoplastic such as polyetherimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, polycarbonate, polyimide, and blends of these materials. Other thermoplastics and thermosets may be utilized to realize similar results. The I-beam frame 40 preferably further comprises integrally molded circuitry to couple the cell terminals. The charger contacts 46 are preferably metallized plastic protrusions extending from the top portion 44. Methods of metallizing the protrusions are known to those skilled in the art. The cells can be retained in the I-beam frame 40 by using molded in or integral spring fingers (not shown) as seen in Figure 3. Referring to Figure 3, a battery pack 50 comprises a housing 52 having molded-in circuitry 54. The housing 52 and circuitry 54 are preferably made by one or two shot molding techniques as is known in the art. The molded-in or integral circuitry 54 couples to integral spring fingers 56 that biases the spring finger contacts 55 towards the terminals (57 and 59) of the battery cells 58. Once the batteries 58 are inserted in the battery housing 52 in the proper orientation, a housing cover 60 is used to seal the battery pack 50. Optionally, charger and battery contacts could be coupled to the molded in circuitry using metal filled through holes or other means known in the art.
Referring to Figure 4, a multiple I-beam frame 70 comprises a top substrate 84 and a bottom substrate 86 coupled by I-beam structures 78 and end beams 82. On the bottom surface of the top substrate 84 (not shown) and the top surface of the bottom substrate 86, molded-in or integral metal spring fingers 72 are preferably located. Optionally, the spring fingers 72 may be located on the bottom or top substrate alone. The spring finger 72 preferably includes another metallization layer 74 to insure sufficient contact force with the terminals of the cells (not shown) to be inserted between the top and bottom substrates. Integral metallization (90) couples pairs of terminals together and preferably provides interconnections for componentry such as diodes, resistors and capacitors where needed. The components are placed in metallized through holes 76 for example. Metallized through holes 88 and 92 are used to interconnect terminals and other components if desired. Finally, metallized contacts 80 serve as the charger contacts. Likewise, charger contacts are provided in a similar fashion. The molded-in or integral metallization is preferably made using double-shot molding, but other means of providing interconnections on or in the I-beam structures, battery pack housing, or portable product housing is within contemplation of the present invention.
In order to assemble the battery pack 10 of Figure 1 , approximately 70 operations are needed in approximately 585 seconds. On the other hand, the battery pack 30 of Figure 2 merely requires approximately 13 operations to assemble in approximately 50 seconds. This is a tremendous savings in labor and parts. In Figure 3, the battery pack 50 can be assembled in the same time a consumer inserts batteries into their consumer electronic products. Additionally, this assembly can easily be adapted for robotic assembly. What is claimed is:
Claims
1. A battery pack, comprising: a housing; a plurality of cells within said housing, each cell having a positive and negative terminal; and integrally molded in circuitry on the surface of said housing for providing interconnection between said plurality of cells; and
( integrally formed spring fingers in said housing having said integrally molded in circuitry, said spring fingers being of the same material as said housing.
2. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the integrally molded in circuitry further comprises battery contacts for provic,.;g power to a detachable electric device.
3. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the integrally molded in circuitry further comprises charger contacts for recharging said plurality of cells.
4. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the integrally molded in circuitry further comprises battery contacts for providing power to a portable electronic device and charger contacts for recharging said plurality of cells.
5. The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein said battery pack couples to a radio.
6. A battery pack, comprising: a housing; a plurality of cells within said housing, each cell having a positive and negative terminal; and integrally molded in circuitry on the surface of said housing for providing interconnection between said plurality of cells; and means for retaining said interconnected cells in said housing,, said means for retaining having integrally molded in circuitry and integrally formed spring fingers, said spring fingers being of the same material as said housing.
7. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the means for retaining comprises a lid for enclosing the battery pack.
8. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the means for retaining further comprises a flex circuit.
9. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the means for retaining comprises an I-beam structure having said molded-in circuitry and said molded in spring-fingers for locating and interconnecting said plurality of cells.
10. The battery pack of claim 9, wherein the I-beam structure is made of a high temperature thermoplastic selected from a group consisting of polyetherimide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, polycarbonate, polyimide, and blends of these materials.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US07/594,489 US5104754A (en) | 1990-10-05 | 1990-10-05 | Weldless battery pack |
US594,489 | 1990-10-05 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1992006513A1 true WO1992006513A1 (en) | 1992-04-16 |
Family
ID=24379084
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US1991/007246 WO1992006513A1 (en) | 1990-10-05 | 1991-10-01 | Weldless battery pack |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US5104754A (en) |
WO (1) | WO1992006513A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0601711A1 (en) * | 1992-12-01 | 1994-06-15 | Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd. | A battery pack |
Families Citing this family (17)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5250371A (en) * | 1991-12-24 | 1993-10-05 | Motorola, Inc. | Weldless surface mounted interconnect |
US5180644A (en) * | 1992-03-09 | 1993-01-19 | Motorola, Inc. | Weldless battery pack |
US5298347A (en) * | 1992-09-14 | 1994-03-29 | Motorola, Inc. | Battery pack |
US5432017A (en) * | 1992-09-14 | 1995-07-11 | Motorola, Inc. | Battery pack and method of forming same |
US5326651A (en) * | 1992-11-03 | 1994-07-05 | Motorola, Inc. | Weldless battery pack with wiping contacts |
FR2708824B1 (en) * | 1993-08-03 | 1995-09-08 | Zedel | Box for electric batteries. |
JPH08504053A (en) * | 1993-09-20 | 1996-04-30 | モトローラ・インコーポレイテッド | Battery pack and method of forming the same |
US5366826A (en) * | 1993-09-20 | 1994-11-22 | Motorola, Inc. | Battery pack retention system and apparatus therefor |
US6104754A (en) * | 1995-03-15 | 2000-08-15 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Moving picture coding and/or decoding systems, and variable-length coding and/or decoding system |
US6303248B1 (en) | 1997-06-10 | 2001-10-16 | Roland K. Peterson | Solderless battery pack |
US6187470B1 (en) | 1997-06-10 | 2001-02-13 | Roland K. Peterson | Solderless battery cell holder |
US6153834A (en) * | 1998-04-02 | 2000-11-28 | Motorola, Inc. | Flexible circuit with tabs for connection to battery cells |
FR2920913B1 (en) * | 2007-09-06 | 2009-11-13 | Pellenc Sa | BATTERY CONSISTING OF A PLURALITY OF CELLS POSITIONED AND CONNECTED BETWEEN THEM, WITHOUT WELDING. |
USD761730S1 (en) * | 2013-07-31 | 2016-07-19 | Artisan Vehicle Systems, Inc. | Module maintenance system—parallel cover |
US10707475B2 (en) * | 2015-12-18 | 2020-07-07 | Bourns, Inc. | Battery housing |
CN112335118B (en) | 2018-06-22 | 2023-01-10 | 伯恩斯公司 | Circuit breaker |
EP4022662A4 (en) | 2019-08-27 | 2023-10-25 | Bourns, Inc. | Connector with integrated thermal cutoff device for battery pack |
Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1487428A (en) * | 1921-08-10 | 1924-03-18 | French Battery & Carbon Co | Battery |
US2983778A (en) * | 1959-01-26 | 1961-05-09 | Prestole Corp | Battery clip |
US3957540A (en) * | 1970-12-08 | 1976-05-18 | Mabuchi Motor Co. Ltd. | Battery cassette holder |
US4129194A (en) * | 1977-07-28 | 1978-12-12 | Eaton Corporation | Hold-down device for storage batteries |
US4205121A (en) * | 1977-11-25 | 1980-05-27 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Storage compartment |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2117692A (en) * | 1936-01-23 | 1938-05-17 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Battery box |
US2396534A (en) * | 1943-09-02 | 1946-03-12 | Harm C Rose | Battery pack |
US4604799A (en) * | 1982-09-03 | 1986-08-12 | John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc. | Method of making molded circuit board |
US4912288A (en) * | 1985-09-04 | 1990-03-27 | Allen-Bradley International Limited | Moulded electric circuit package |
-
1990
- 1990-10-05 US US07/594,489 patent/US5104754A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1991
- 1991-10-01 WO PCT/US1991/007246 patent/WO1992006513A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1487428A (en) * | 1921-08-10 | 1924-03-18 | French Battery & Carbon Co | Battery |
US2983778A (en) * | 1959-01-26 | 1961-05-09 | Prestole Corp | Battery clip |
US3957540A (en) * | 1970-12-08 | 1976-05-18 | Mabuchi Motor Co. Ltd. | Battery cassette holder |
US4129194A (en) * | 1977-07-28 | 1978-12-12 | Eaton Corporation | Hold-down device for storage batteries |
US4205121A (en) * | 1977-11-25 | 1980-05-27 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Storage compartment |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0601711A1 (en) * | 1992-12-01 | 1994-06-15 | Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd. | A battery pack |
US5360683A (en) * | 1992-12-01 | 1994-11-01 | Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd. | Battery pack |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US5104754A (en) | 1992-04-14 |
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