Abstract:
Described is a battery cover having upper and lower shells that can be coupled to each other to protect the battery&#39;s core and internal circuit board. The shells can be ultrasonically welded to provide at least one loop of continuous weld. Once welded together, the cover reduces battery&#39;s exposure to moisture and other external element leading to reduced electrical shorts and improved safety and efficiency.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 200720183467.X, filed Dec. 3, 2007. 
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The embodiments of the present invention relate to battery covers. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    During the battery manufacturing process, the cell core and circuit board have to be protected within a cover that is capable of securing the cell core and protecting the electronic functions of the circuit board. The cover may include an upper shell and a lower shell that can be welded together to produce a compartment for housing the cell core and circuit board. However, most of these methods are more concerned about the process of joining the two shells and fail to take into account potential exposures to water and moisture. Furthermore, to reduce cost and increase efficiency, the welding of the upper and lower shells may not be continuous. As such, poor coupling between the shells may lead to water seepage causing shorts and possible explosion of the battery. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Accordingly, a first embodiment of the present invention discloses a battery cover comprising: an upper shell and a lower shell coupled to the upper shell using at least one loop of continuous weld, wherein the shells are configured to create a compartment for receiving a cell core and a circuit board. The shells can be formed of resin or plastic material and can further include adhesives to facilitate coupling of the shells to each other. 
         [0005]    A second embodiment discloses a battery cover comprising: a first shell having a first tab with a first bond wire and a first recess with a second bond wire, and a second shell having a second tab and a second recess, the second shell adaptable to be coupled to the first shell, wherein the first recess is configured to receive the second tab and the second recess is configured to receive the first tab, the first and second bond wires operable to form at least one loop of continuous weld. The bond wires may have rectangular, triangular or trapezoidal cross-sections. Furthermore, adhesives may also be used to facilitate coupling of the shells. Like above, the shells can be formed of resin or plastic material and take on rectangular or circular shapes. In one instance, the shells can be coupled using ultrasonic welding, wherein the shells are configured to create a compartment for receiving a cell core and a circuit board. 
         [0006]    Other variations, embodiments and features of the present invention will become evident from the following detailed description, drawings and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a battery cover having upper and lower shells; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the upper shell; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the lower shell; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross-sectional view of  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  illustrates an enlarged view of the portion indicated by A in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]    It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential character thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. 
         [0013]    Reference is made to  FIGS. 1-5  illustrating a first embodiment of a battery cover  10  having an upper shell  20  and a lower shell  30 . The shells  20 ,  30  can be coupled to each other in order to create a compartment for receiving a cell core or cell and a circuit board (not shown). The compartment created by the shells  20 ,  30  may also be used to store various electronic devices and components. In one embodiment, the shells  20 ,  30  can take on rectangular, circular or other polygonal shapes and be fabricated of metal, resin, plastic or other suitable material. To reduce cost and simplify the manufacturing process, the shells  20 ,  30  can be formed of resin or plastic via injection molding technique. 
         [0014]    In this instance, the coupling utilizes at least one loop of continuous weld to ensure that the shells  20 ,  30  are securely fastened to each other. The welding technique can include tin welding, gas welding, electric arc welding, laser welding or ultrasonic welding. In another embodiment, the shells  20 ,  30  can be formed of resin or plastic material and coupled using ultrasonic welding. In another instance, the shells  20 ,  30  can be formed of resin or plastic material and coupled using ultrasonic welding with about one to three loops of continuous weld. 
         [0015]    Reference is now made to  FIGS. 2-3  illustrating cross-sectional views of the upper and lower shells  20 ,  30 , respectively. As shown, an upper recess  22  and an upper tab  24  are disposed about the edges of the upper shell  20  while a lower recess  32  and a lower tab  34  are disposed about the edges of the lower shell  30 . In one instance, the recesses  22 ,  32  and tabs  24 ,  34  are continuously disposed about the edges of the shells  20 ,  30 , respectively. In other instances, there may be breaks in the recesses  22 ,  32  and tabs  24 ,  34  because of electronic elements (not shown). Furthermore, although only one recess  22 ,  32  and one tab  24 ,  34  are shown for each shell  20 ,  30 , there may be multiple recesses  22 ,  32  and tabs  24 ,  34 . 
         [0016]    In one embodiment, the upper recess  22  is adaptable for receiving the lower tab  34  while the lower recess  32  is adaptable for receiving the upper tab  24  to provide a secure coupling between the two shells  20 ,  30 . In another embodiment, a first bond wire  26  is disposed within the upper recess  22  while a second bond wire  28  is disposed about the upper tab  24 . In this case, the second bond wire  28  functions as the upper tab  24 . Like the recesses  22 ,  32  and the tabs  24 ,  34 , the bond wires  26 ,  28  may also be continuously disposed about the upper shell  20 . Subsequently when the shells  20 ,  30  are coupled together using known welding techniques, the first bond wire  26  becomes disposed between the upper recess  22  and the lower tab  34  while the second bond wire  28  becomes disposed between the joining of the lower recess  32  and the upper tab  24 . The bond wires  26 ,  28  facilitate in the joining of the recesses  22 ,  32  and tabs  24 ,  34 . 
         [0017]    Reference is now made to  FIGS. 4-5  illustrating cross-sectional views of the battery cover  10  further detailing the coupling between the upper and lower shells  20 ,  30 . As shown, when the upper and lower shells  20 ,  30  are coupled together using known welding techniques, the lower tab  34  can be received by the upper recess  22  while the upper tab  24  can be received by the lower recess  32  to provide a secure coupling between the two shells  20 ,  30 . In one embodiment, when ultrasonic welding or bonding is utilized, the first and second bond wires  26 ,  28  disposed about the upper recess  22  and upper tab  24 , respectively, are able to be received by the corresponding lower tab  34  and the lower recess  32 , respectively. When the shells  20 ,  30  are welded together, the heat generated is able to cause spill over and fusing of the two bond wires  26 ,  28  to form one loop of continuous weld. In the alternative, the bond wires  26 ,  28  may fuse within the respective regions and become two loops of continuous weld. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that additional bond wires  26 ,  28  may be disposed about the recesses  22 ,  32  or tabs  24 ,  34  to provide additional loops of continuous weld. 
         [0018]    It will be understood that the recesses  22 ,  32  and the tabs  24 ,  34  may be freely oriented about the shells  20 ,  30 , respectively. In other words, even though the upper recess  22  is closer to the edge than the upper tab  24  (e.g., the upper tab  24  is surrounded by the upper recess  22 ), the alternative may be incorporated with the upper recess  22  being enclosed by the upper tab  24 . Likewise, the same applies to the lower recess  32  and the lower tab  34 . Also, even though the edges of the shells  20 ,  30  are utilized and shown, the recesses  22 ,  32  and the tabs  24 ,  34  may be disposed anywhere about the surfaces of the shells  20 ,  30  as necessary without restriction. 
         [0019]    Likewise, although the bond wires  26 ,  28  are shown to be disposed about the upper recess  22  and tab  24 , respectively, it is understood that the bond wires  26 ,  28  may also be disposed about the lower recess  32  and tab  34  or any combinations thereof as necessary to provide the necessary coupling. And although the bond wires  26 ,  28  as shown have rectangular and triangular cross-sections, respectively, it is understood that the bond wires  26 ,  28  can take other polygonal shapes including trapezoidal cross-sections. The process of coupling the shells  20 ,  30  with heat or solvents can be accomplished by known welding techniques and will not be discussed in further detail. 
         [0020]    In another embodiment, adhesives may be disposed about the recesses  22 ,  32  to further facilitate the coupling of the shells  20 ,  30 , the adhesives being applied to the upper recess  22 , the lower recess  32 , or both recesses  22 ,  32 . In addition, adhesives may be applied to the tabs  24 ,  34 . 
         [0021]      FIGS. 1-5  illustrates a battery  10  having a cell core, circuit board and shells  20 ,  30 , the cell core and circuit board being situated within the shells  20 ,  30  whereby the shells  20 ,  30  are capable of being joined using the presently disclosed embodiments. The types of cell core and circuit board and their usages are known by one skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail. Because the shells  20 ,  30  are able to form at least one loop of continuous weld, they are able to securely maintain the cell core in its position and protect the circuit board and all of its electronic functions. Furthermore, the shells  20 ,  30  are able to minimize and protect against water and moisture from coming into contact with the cell core and circuit board thereby reducing the chances of circuits shorting and exploding, thus increasing the safety and efficiency of the battery. 
         [0022]    Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to several embodiments, additional variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.