BATTERY ASSEMBLY AND MEDICAL CAPSULE

There is provided a battery assembly and a medical capsule. The battery assembly comprises: a battery pack comprising at least two batteries connected in series, and a plurality of connectors electrically connected to the battery pack, comprising a positive electrode connector electrically connected to a positive electrode of the battery pack, a negative electrode connector electrically connected to a negative electrode of the battery pack, and an intermediate connector electrically connected to a positive electrode of one of any two adjacent batteries and a negative electrode of the other one of the two adjacent batteries. The battery assembly of the present invention can selectively output the total voltage of the battery pack or output part of the voltage of the battery pack through the plurality of connectors.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of medical device, and more particularly to a battery assembly a medical capsule capable of outputting various voltages.

BACKGROUND

With the development of science and technology, more advanced medical devices are developed for the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. The development of ingestible medical devices represented by vibrating capsule and capsule endoscope greatly improves the comfort of treatment and avoids the occurrence of cross infection.

For ingestible medical capsules, a battery unit supplies power to other internal components. So, the safety, stability and other factors of the battery unit need to be comprehensively evaluated. At present, there are few large-capacity single-cell batteries that can meet the requirements of medical capsule devices, and basically only lithium batteries can be selected. However, the safety of lithium batteries in wide application needs to be verified.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide an improved battery assembly and medical capsule to solve the problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a battery assembly and a medical capsule capable of outputting various voltages.

In order to achieve the object, the present invention uses the following technical solution:a battery assembly, comprises:a battery pack comprising at least two batteries connected in series; anda plurality of connectors electrically connected to the battery pack, comprising a positive electrode connector electrically connected to a positive electrode of the battery pack, a negative electrode connector electrically connected to a negative electrode of the battery pack, and an intermediate connector electrically connected to a positive electrode of one of any two adjacent batteries and a negative electrode of the other of the two adjacent batteries.

Further, the battery is a silver oxide battery.

Further, the connector is a nickel-plated SPCC steel sheet, a nickel sheet or a copper sheet.

Further, each of the positive electrode connector, the negative electrode connector and the intermediate connector comprises a welding portion welded to an electrode of the battery and an output portion connected to the welding portion.

Further, the output portion of the positive electrode connector and the output portion of the negative electrode connector extend towards a side of the positive electrode of the battery pack or a side of the negative electrode of the battery pack, and the output portion of the intermediate connector extends towards another side of the battery pack.

Further, the battery assembly further comprises an insulation assembly arranged between adjacent batteries or between the connector and the batteries.

Further, the insulation assembly comprises an insulation gasket disposed around the negative electrode of the battery.

Further, each of the positive electrode connector, the negative electrode connector and the intermediate connector comprises a welding portion welded to an electrode of the battery and an output portion connected to the welding portion. The output portion of the positive electrode connector and the output portion of the negative electrode connector extend towards a side of the positive electrode of the battery pack, and the output portion of the intermediate connector extends towards a side of the negative electrode of the battery pack. The insulation assembly further comprises a first insulation sheet disposed at one side of the output portion of the negative electrode connector facing the battery. When one battery is arranged between the welding portion of the intermediate connector and the negative electrode of the battery pack, an insulation sheet is or is not disposed on one side of the output portion of the intermediate connector facing the battery. When at least two batteries are arranged between the welding portion of the intermediate connector and the negative electrode of the battery pack, an insulation sheet is disposed on the side of the output portion of the intermediate connector facing the batteries.

Alternatively, each of the positive electrode connector, the negative electrode connector, and the intermediate connector comprises a welding portion welded to an electrode of the battery and an output portion connected to the welding portion; wherein the output portion of the positive electrode connector and the output portion of the negative electrode connector both extend towards a side of the negative electrode of the battery pack, and the output portion of the intermediate connector extends towards a side of the positive electrode of the battery pack; and wherein the insulation assembly also comprises a second insulation sheet and a third insulation sheet, wherein the second insulation sheet is disposed on one side of the output portion of the positive electrode connector facing the battery, and the third insulation sheet is disposed on one side of the output portion of the intermediate connector facing the battery.

In order to achieve the object, the present invention also uses the following technical solution:a medical capsule comprises the battery assembly.

Further, the medical capsule is a vibrating capsule, and further comprises an enclosure, a vibration source and a control unit, wherein the vibration source and the control unit are housed in the enclosure, the control unit comprises a PCB, the positive electrode connector and the negative electrode connector are both electrically connected to the PCB, and the vibration source is electrically connected to both the PCB and the intermediate connector.

Further, the battery is a silver oxide battery.

Further, the connector is a nickel-plated SPCC steel sheet, a nickel sheet or a copper sheet.

Further, each of the positive electrode connector, the negative electrode connector and the intermediate connector comprises a welding portion welded to an electrode of the battery and an output portion connected to the welding portion.

Further, the output portion of the positive electrode connector and the output portion of the negative electrode connector extend towards a side of the positive electrode of the battery pack or a side of the negative electrode of the battery pack, and the output portion of the intermediate connector extends towards another side of the battery pack.

Further, the battery assembly further comprises an insulation assembly arranged between adjacent batteries or between the connector and the batteries.

Further, the insulation assembly comprises an insulation gasket disposed around the negative electrode of the battery.

Or, each of the positive electrode connector, the negative electrode connector and the intermediate connector comprises a welding portion welded to an electrode of the battery and an output portion connected to the welding portion; wherein the output portion of the positive electrode connector and the output portion of the negative electrode connector extend towards a side of the positive electrode of the battery pack, and the output portion of the intermediate connector extends towards a side of the negative electrode of the battery pack; wherein the insulation assembly further comprises a first insulation sheet disposed at one side of the output portion of the negative electrode connector facing the battery; wherein an insulation sheet is or is not disposed on one side of the output portion of the intermediate connector facing the battery when one battery is arranged between the welding portion of the intermediate connector and the negative electrode of the battery pack; and wherein an insulation sheet is disposed on the side of the output portion of the intermediate connector facing the batteries when at least two batteries are arranged between the welding portion of the intermediate connector and the negative electrode of the battery pack.

Or, each of the positive electrode connector, the negative electrode connector, and the intermediate connector comprises a welding portion welded to an electrode of the battery and an output portion connected to the welding portion; wherein the output portion of the positive electrode connector and the output portion of the negative electrode connector both extend towards a side of the negative electrode of the battery pack, and the output portion of the intermediate connector extends towards a side of the positive electrode of the battery pack; and wherein the insulation assembly also comprises a second insulation sheet and a third insulation sheet, wherein the second insulation sheet is disposed on one side of the output portion of the positive electrode connector facing the battery, and the third insulation sheet is disposed on one side of the output portion of the intermediate connector facing the battery.

In accordance with all aspects of the present invention, the battery assembly can output a total voltage of the battery pack through the positive electrode connector and the negative electrode connector, and can also output a voltage of part of the battery pack through the cooperation of one of the positive electrode or the negative electrode with the intermediate connector, so that different voltages can be provided to different electrical components and also different voltages can be provided to the same electrical component as required.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments. However, the embodiments are not intended to limit the invention, and the structural, method, or functional changes made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

In the figures of the present invention, some dimensions of a structure or portion may be exaggerated relative to other structures or portions for ease of illustration, and thus, are merely used to illustrate the basic structure of the subject matter of the present invention.

Referring toFIGS.1to5, in the embodiments of the present invention, a battery assembly100comprises a battery pack1and a plurality of connectors2electrically connected to the battery pack1. The electrical connection may be realized by welding or conductive adhesive.

The battery pack1comprises at least two batteries11connected in series. Preferably, at least two batteries11are arranged in a stack, and the number of the batteries11can be adjusted according to a required output voltage.

In one embodiment, the battery11is a button type silver oxide battery, which is small in size, safe and stable enough to meet safety requirements of a medical capsule200.

The plurality of connectors2comprises a positive electrode connector21electrically connected to a positive electrode111of the battery pack1, a negative electrode connector22electrically connected to the negative electrode112of the battery pack1, and an intermediate connector23electrically connected to both the positive electrode111and the negative electrode112of any two adjacent batteries11. Therefore, the total voltage of the battery pack1can be output through the positive electrode connector21and the negative electrode connector22, and the voltage of part of the battery pack1can be output through the cooperation of one of the positive electrode or the negative electrode with the intermediate connector23, so as to supply power to different electrical components, or provide different voltages to the same electrical component as required.

“The voltage of part of the battery pack1can be output” means that the battery pack1comprises at least two batteries11connected in series, and the voltages of N batteries11are output through the cooperation of one of the positive electrode or the negative electrode with the intermediate connector23, wherein N is an integer not greater than the total number of the batteries11contained in the battery pack1. For example, the battery pack1comprises two batteries11connected in series, and can output the voltage of one battery11. For example, the battery pack1comprises three batteries11connected in series, and can output different voltages of one battery11, two batteries11, or all three batteries11.

The number of the batteries11connected in series between the intermediate connector23and the positive electrode connector21and the number of the batteries11connected in series between the intermediate connector23and the negative electrode connector22can be adjusted according to a required output voltage. For example, one battery11is connected in series between the intermediate connector23and the positive electrode connector21, or one battery11is connected in series between the intermediate connector23and the negative electrode connector22, so that the voltage of a single battery11can be output.

The connector2further comprises a welding portion24welded to the battery11, and an output portion25connected to the welding portion24. Generally, the welding portion24and the output portion25are integrally formed, and the output portion25can be bent into a desired shape to facilitate installation in the medical capsule200. In this example, the connector2comprises the positive electrode connector21, the negative electrode connector22and the intermediate connector23.

As shown inFIG.1,FIG.2andFIG.3, the structures of the positive electrode connector21and the negative electrode connector22are similar, and the welding portion24thereof is circular, which is convenient for multiple-point welding with the battery pack1and improves the welding stability. The welding portion24comprises a plurality of welding points, for example, the welding portion24comprises at least four welding points, which can be welded by soldering, high-pressure spot welding or laser spot welding to improve the stability of power supply. The output portions251and252are strip-shaped for easy bending.

In a preferred solution, the connector2is connected to the electrode of the battery11by a spot welding process, preferably by the laser spot welding, which features high consistency and high degree of automation. The connector2is welded to a printed circuit board (PCB) or a load electrical element by soldering, so as to maintain the stability of welding.

Referring toFIG.1andFIG.4, the intermediate connector23is strip-shaped, and the welding portion thereof is stacked between two adjacent batteries11after being welded to the two adjacent batteries11.

Further, the connector2is a nickel-plated SPCC (Cold Rolled Steel, generally using cold-rolled carbon steel sheet and steel strip) steel sheet, a nickel sheet or a copper sheet, which can be welded to the electrode of the battery11, the PCB and the load electrical element. Preferably, a pure nickel sheet is selected to effectively avoid cold solder joint. The pure nickel sheet is formed from pure nickel commonly mentioned in the industry, which is allowed to contain trace impurities that cannot be eliminated in the purification process, not referring to 100% pure nickel.

The output portion of the positive electrode connector251and the output portion of the negative electrode connector252extend towards a side of the positive electrode111of the battery pack1or a side of the negative electrode112of the battery pack1, so as to be soldered to a same PCB. The output portion of the intermediate connector253extends towards another side of the battery pack1. The output portion of the intermediate connector253is connected to a load electrical element, so as to cooperate with the PCB to output part of voltage of the whole battery pack1to the load electrical element. The set of the output portions251,252and253can allow the battery pack1to output different voltages, and the different voltage can supply power to different electrical components to meet the power demand of different electrical components, or the different voltage can be supplied to a same electrical component to meet the power demand of the electrical component at different times.

In a specific embodiment, as shown inFIGS.1to5, both the output portion of the positive electrode connector251and the output portion of the negative electrode connector252extend towards the side of the positive electrode111of the battery pack1, so as to be soldered to the PCB. The output portion of the intermediate connector253extends towards the side of the negative electrode112of the battery pack1.

Based on any of the above embodiments, the battery assembly100further comprises an insulation assembly3, and those skilled in the art can understand that the insulation assembly3is disposed between two components requiring insulation to avoid short circuit. For example, the insulation assembly3is disposed between adjacent batteries11, between the connector2and the battery11, between the battery assembly100and an adjacent PCB, or between the battery assembly100and other adjacent electrical components.

Specifically, the insulation assembly3comprises an annular insulation gasket31located around the negative electrode112of the battery11, which is adhered to the negative electrode112of the battery11and just covers the positive electrode part around the negative electrode112of the battery11, so as to avoid short circuit between the positive electrode area and the negative electrode area of the battery11caused by devices or other electrical contacts. For example, the negative electrode112may be isolated from the positive electrode portion around the negative electrode112, or the connector2connected to the negative electrode112may be isolated from the positive electrode portion around the negative electrode112.

The insulation gasket31is a film made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), or polyamide (PA) with backing. The thickness of the insulation gasket31is 0.01 mm to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.05 mm to 0.15 mm, which can not only meet the requirements of high conformance rate, but also achieve good insulation characteristics.

As shown inFIGS.1to5, the output portion of the positive electrode connector251and the output portion of the negative electrode connector252extend towards the side of the positive electrode111of the battery pack1, and the output portion of the intermediate connector253extends towards the side of the negative electrode112of the battery pack1. Insulation is required between the negative electrode connector22and the side wall of the battery pack1. The insulation assembly3further comprises a first insulation sheet32disposed on a side of the output portion of the negative electrode connector252facing the battery11, so as to insulate the negative electrode connector22from the side wall of the battery pack1. Preferably, the first insulation sheet32is bent and extends to a side of the positive electrode connector21away from the battery pack1, so as to insulate and separate the whole battery assembly100from the PCB.

In this embodiment, if there is only one battery11between the welding portion of the intermediate connector23and the negative electrode112of the battery pack1, the output portion of the intermediate connector253does not need to be insulated from the side wall of the battery11. Therefore, the side of the output portion of the intermediate connector253facing the battery11may or may not be provided with an insulation sheet. If there are at least two batteries11between the welding portion of the intermediate connector23and the negative electrode112of the battery pack1, an insulation sheet should be disposed on the side of the output portion of the intermediate connector253facing the batteries11to avoid short circuit.

Alternatively, each of the output portion of the positive electrode connector251and the output portion of the negative electrode connector252extends towards the side of the negative electrode112of the battery pack1, and the output portion of the intermediate connector253extends towards the side of the positive electrode111of the battery pack1. The insulation assembly3further comprises a second insulation sheet disposed on a side of the output portion of the positive electrode connector251facing the battery11, and a third insulation sheet disposed on a side of the output portion of the intermediate connector253facing the battery11.

The battery assembly100of the present invention may be used with a variety of medical capsules200including, but not limited to, vibrating capsules, endoscopic capsules, etc.

In one embodiment, referring toFIG.6, the medical capsule200is a vibrating capsule, comprising an enclosure4, a vibration source5housed in the enclosure4, the battery assembly100, and a control unit6. The vibration source5, the battery assembly100and the control unit6are fixed in the enclosure4by a fixing structure7.

The enclosure4and the vibration source5are any one of the prior art, and the battery assembly100is any one of the above.

The control unit6comprises a PCB61and a reed switch62communicatively connected to the PCB61. The positive electrode connector21and the negative electrode connector22are electrically connected to the PCB61. The vibration source5is electrically connected to both the PCB61and the intermediate connector23, so that different voltages can be output within the allowable voltage range of the vibration source5.

In summary, the battery assembly100of the present invention can output the total voltage of the battery pack1through the positive electrode connector21and the negative electrode connector22, and can also output part of the voltage of the battery pack1through the cooperation of one of the positive electrode or the negative electrode and the intermediate connector23, to power different electrical components or to supply different voltages to the same electrical component as required.

It should be understood that, although the specification is described in terms of embodiments, not every embodiment merely comprises an independent technical solution. Those skilled in the art should have the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment may also be combined as appropriate to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

The series of detailed descriptions set forth above are only specific to a feasible embodiment of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention, and any equivalent embodiments or variations made without departing from the spirit of the art of the present invention shall be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.