PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9343716-B2
Application Number: US-201113339733-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Flexible battery pack

Abstract:
Flexible battery packs for use in electronic devices are disclosed. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible battery pack may include a plurality of cells, such as galvanic or photovoltaic cells. The battery pack also may include a plurality of laminate layers coupled to the cells that include a top laminate layer and a bottom laminate layer. An adhesive may be used to couple the top and bottom laminate layers together such that each of the plurality of cells is isolated from each other. This arrangement may allow the battery to be shaped to fit a form factor of the electronic device. This arrangement also may allow one or more of the cells to be selectively removed from the plurality, which may be desirable from a manufacturing perspective.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A flexible battery pack comprising:
 a plurality of cells; 
 a conductive layer electrically connecting two adjacent cells; 
 a plurality of laminate layers enclosing the cells, the laminate layers comprising a top laminate layer and a bottom laminate layer; 
 a to adhesive layer adjacent to the to laminate layer; and 
 a bottom adhesive layer adjacent to the bottom laminate layer; 
 wherein the to adhesive layer and the bottom adhesive layer couple 
 the top and bottom laminate layers such that each of the plurality of cells is isolated from each other; and 
 the conductive layer is positioned between the top adhesive layer and the bottom adhesive layer. 
 
     
     
       2. The flexible battery pack of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cells comprise first and second cells, and wherein the top and bottom laminate layers form first and second enclosures about the first and second cells, and wherein the first and second enclosures are not of the same size. 
     
     
       3. The flexible battery pack of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of cells are arranged in an array and at least one cell within the array is missing. 
     
     
       4. The flexible battery pack of  claim 3 , wherein a thermoelectric cooler replaces the at least one cell within the array that is missing. 
     
     
       5. The flexible battery pack of  claim 3 , wherein a flash replaces the at least one cell within the array that is missing. 
     
     
       6. The flexible battery pack of  claim 3 , wherein a camera replaces the at least one cell within the array that is missing. 
     
     
       7. The flexible battery pack of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the cells in the plurality has been severed from the plurality of cells. 
     
     
       8. The flexible battery pack of  claim 3 , wherein the array include cells in the horizontal and vertical directions. 
     
     
       9. The flexible battery pack of  claim 8 , wherein the cells are electrically connected in parallel. 
     
     
       10. A flexible battery pack comprising:
 a group of cells; 
 a top and a bottom laminate layer enclosing the group of cells; 
 a first adhesive layer adjacent the top laminate layer; 
 a second adhesive layer adjacent the bottom laminate layer, the first and second adhesive layers surrounding each of the plurality of cells to define a group of enclosures; 
 a conductive layer electrically connected to an adjacent pairs of cells of the group of cells, the conductive layer positioned between the first adhesive layer and the second adhesive layer; and 
 an electronic component; wherein 
 each of the group of cells is positioned in a separate enclosure of the group of enclosures; and 
 the electronic component is positioned in one of the group of enclosures. 
 
     
     
       11. The flexible battery pack of  claim 10  wherein:
 the plurality of cells are arranged in an array; and 
 at least one of the cells in the plurality has better electrical discharge characteristics than the rest of the cells in the plurality. 
 
     
     
       12. The flexible battery pack of  claim 10  wherein the first and second adhesive layers define a hinge point between two adjacent enclosures, thereby allowing the battery pack to be folded at the hinge point. 
     
     
       13. The flexible battery pack of  claim 10  wherein a least one of the laminate layers is a heat sink. 
     
     
       14. The flexible battery pack of  claim 10  wherein the battery pack is flexible in at least two dimensions. 
     
     
       15. The flexible battery pack of  claim 10  wherein the battery pack comprises a geometric pattern. 
     
     
       16. The flexible battery pack of  claim 10 , wherein said electronic component is a camera. 
     
     
       17. A flexible battery pack comprising:
 a plurality of battery cells; 
 a flexible top laminate layer and a flexible bottom laminate layer surrounding the plurality of cells; 
 an adhesive layer disposed between the top laminate layer and the bottom laminate layer, the adhesive layer surrounding each of the plurality of battery cells; and 
 a conductive layer electrically connected to an adjacent pair of cells of the plurality of cells, the conductive layer positioned within the adhesive layer, wherein and 
 the top laminate layer and the bottom laminate layer are folded. 
 
     
     
       18. The flexible battery pack of  claim 17  wherein the battery cells comprise galvanic cells or photovoltaic cells.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Background 
     I. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates generally to batteries for portable electronic devices, and more particularly, flexible battery packs for portable electronic devices. 
     II. Background Discussion 
     Electronic devices are ubiquitous in society and can be found in everything from portable cell phones to wristwatches. Many of these electronic devices require some type of portable power source. Many of these electronic devices also have unique form factors. Because of this, the portable power source of any one electronic device may not fit within any other electronic device. Furthermore, these unique form factors often require flexible battery arrangements, whereas conventional battery packs are often too rigid to flexibly conform to these form factors. For example, lithium-ion batteries, such as lithium polymer battery cells, are quite rigid and bending them repeatedly may cause damage to the battery cells and battery failure. As a result of attempting to accommodate inflexible battery packs, the packaging of portable electronic devices may not be optimally sized. 
     In addition to flexibility problems, conventional battery packs also have drawbacks associated with reliability. For example, conventional batteries that include multiple cells may fail because moisture or dust enters the cavity of any one of the multiple cells. Unfortunately, if one of the multiple cells within the battery fails, the entire battery often fails. Accordingly, flexible battery packs that overcome one or more of the drawbacks of conventional battery packs are desirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     Flexible battery packs for use in electronic devices are disclosed that overcome one or more of the drawbacks of conventional battery packs. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible battery pack may include a plurality of cells, such as galvanic or photovoltaic cells. The battery pack also may include a plurality of laminate layers coupled to the cells that include a top laminate layer and a bottom laminate layer. An adhesive may be used to couple the top and bottom laminate layers together such that each of the plurality of cells is isolated from each other. This arrangement may allow the battery to be shaped to fit a form factor of the electronic device. This arrangement also may allow one or more of the cells to be selectively removed from the plurality, which may be desirable from a manufacturing perspective. 
     Another embodiment of the present disclosure may include a method of forming a flexible battery pack that includes disposing a plurality of cells on a bottom layer, disposing an adhesive in an area between each of the cells in the plurality, and disposing a top layer over the plurality of cells, where the cells are arranged in an array and at least one cell in the plurality is missing. 
     Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure may include an electronic device including a user input device and a battery coupled to the input device, where the battery includes a plurality of cells that are substantially isolated from each other and where one or more of the plurality of cells share an adhesive joint. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  depicts an electronic device in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates the electronic device of  FIG. 1A  in exploded view in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates a cross section view of the battery shown in  FIG. 1B  in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2B  illustrates certain cells from  FIG. 1B  in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates a top down view of a battery in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIGS. 3B and 3C  illustrate cross section views of the battery shown in  FIG. 3A  in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 3D  illustrates a top down view of a battery in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates a top down view of a layer of a battery in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a top down view of another layer of a battery in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 4C  illustrates a cross section of combining the layers of  FIGS. 4A and 4B  in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 5A  illustrates an isometric view of a battery in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 5B  illustrates an isometric view of a battery in accordance with another embodiment. 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate electrical configurations for the cells shown in  FIGS. 2A-5  in accordance with one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     The use of the same reference numerals in different drawings indicates similar or identical items. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Flexible battery packs for use in electronic devices are disclosed that overcome one or more of the drawbacks of conventional battery packs. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible battery pack may include a plurality of cells, such as galvanic or photovoltaic cells. The battery pack also may include a plurality of laminate layers coupled to the cells that include a top laminate layer and a bottom laminate layer. An adhesive may be used to couple the top and bottom laminate layers together such that each of the plurality of cells is isolated from each other. This arrangement may allow the battery to be shaped to fit a form factor of the electronic device. This arrangement also may allow one or more of the cells to be selectively removed from the plurality, which may be desirable from a manufacturing perspective. 
     Although one or more of the embodiments disclosed herein may be described in detail with reference to a particular electronic device, the embodiments should not be interpreted or otherwise used as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application and is not necessarily limited to consumer electronics. For example, embodiments of the disclosure have applications in many other fields, including personal transportation, prosthetics, clothing and/or garments, flexible electronics, military, robotics, and the like. Also, while embodiments disclosed herein may focus on certain portable electronic devices, such as cell phones, it should be appreciated that the concepts disclosed herein equally apply to other portable electronic devices where flexible battery packs are desirable. For example, the concepts disclosed herein may be employed in wristwatches, calculators, laptop computers, tablet computers, and/or music players, to name but a few. In addition, it should be appreciated that the concepts disclosed herein may equally apply to non-portable electronic devices, such as desktop computers or televisions where a flexible battery pack may be suitable. Accordingly, the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary and is not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these embodiments. 
     Referring first to  FIG. 1A , an electronic device  100  in accordance with one embodiment is illustrated. In some embodiments, the electronic device  100  may be a media player for playing music and/or video, a cellular phone, a personal data organizer, or any combination thereof. Thus, the electronic device  100  may be a unified device providing any one of a combination of the functionality of a media player, a cellular phone, a personal data organizer, and so forth. In addition, the device  100  may allow a user to connect to and communicate through the Internet or through other networks, such as local or wide area networks. For example, the electronic device  100  may allow a user to communicate using email, text messaging, instant messaging, or using other forms of electronic communication. By way of example, the electronic device  100  may be a model of an iPad® tablet computer having a display screen or an iPhone® mobile phone, both available from Apple Inc. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic device  100  includes a housing or enclosure  102 , a display  104 , user input structures  106 , and input/output ports  108 . The enclosure  102  may be formed from plastic, metal, composite materials, or other suitable materials or any combination thereof. The enclosure  102  may protect the interior circuitry of the electronic device  100  from physical damage, and also may shield the interior circuitry from electromagnetic interference. 
     The display  104  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) or may be a light emitting diode (LED) based display, an organic LED based display, or other suitable display. In accordance with certain embodiments of the present technique, the display  104  may display a user interface  112  as well as various images  105 , such as logos, avatars, photos, album art, and so forth. Additionally, in one embodiment, the display  104  may be a touch screen through which a user may interact with the user interface. The display  104  also may display various function and/or system indicators to provide feedback to a user, such as power status, call status, memory status, etc. These indicators may be incorporated into the user interface displayed on the display  104 . As discussed herein, in certain embodiments, the user interface  112  may be displayed on the display  104 , and may provide a way for a user to interact with the electronic device  100 . The user interface may be a textual user interface, a graphical user interface (GUI), or any combination thereof, and may include various layers, windows, screens, templates, elements or other components that may be displayed in just a portion or in all areas of the display  104 . 
     In one embodiment, one or more of the user input structures  106  are configured to control the device  100 , such as by controlling a mode of operation, an output level, an output type, etc. For instance, the user input structures  106  may include a button to turn the device  100  on or off. In general, embodiments of the electronic device  100  may include any number of user input structures  106 , including buttons, switches, a control pad, keys, knobs, a scroll wheel, or any other suitable input structures. The input structures  106  may work with a user interface displayed on the device  100  to control functions of the device  100  or of other devices connected to or used by the device  100 . For example, the user input structures  106  may allow a user to navigate a displayed user interface or to return such a displayed user interface to a default or home screen. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 1A , the user interface  112  may, in certain embodiments, allow a user to interface with displayed interface elements via the one or more user input structures  106  and/or via a touch sensitive implementation of the display  104 . In such embodiments, the user interface  112  provides interactive functionality, allowing a user to select, by touch screen or other input structure, from among options displayed on the display  104 . Thus the user can operate the device  100  by appropriate interaction with the user interface  112 . The user interface  112  may be any suitable design to allow interaction between a user and the device  100 . Thus, the user interface  112  may provide windows, menus, graphics, text, keyboards or numeric keypads, scrolling devices, or any other elements. In one embodiment, the user interface  112  may include screens, templates, and user interface components, and may include or be divided into any number of these or other elements. The arrangement of the elements of user interface  112  may be hierarchical, such that a screen includes one or more templates, where the template includes one or more user interface components. It should be appreciated that other embodiments may arrange user interface elements in any hierarchical or non-hierarchical structure. 
     The electronic device  100  may also include various input and output ports  108  to allow connection of additional devices. For example, a port  108  may be a headphone jack that provides for connection of headphones. Additionally, a port  108  may have both input/output capabilities to provide for connection of a headset (e.g. a headphone and microphone combination). Embodiments may include any number of input and/or output ports, including headphone and headset jacks, universal serial bus (USB) ports, Firewire (IEEE-1394) ports, subscriber identity module (SIM) card slots, and AC and/or DC power connectors. Further, the device  100  may use the input and output ports to connect to and send or receive data with any other device, such as other portable electronic devices, personal computers, printers, etc. For example, in one embodiment the electronic device  100  may connect to a personal computer via a Firewire (IEEE-1394) connection to send and receive data files, such as media files. In still other embodiments, the ports  108  may be used to provide power to charge internal batteries within the electronic device  100 . 
     The electronic device  100  may also include various audio input and output portions  110  and  111  respectively. For example, an input receiver  110  may be a microphone that receives user audio input. Embodiments of the input receiver  110  may include coil-and-magnet microphones, condenser microphones, carbon microphones, ribbon microphones, micro-electrical mechanical system (MEMS) microphones, or any combination thereof. An output transmitter  111  may be a speaker that transmits audio signals to a user. In some embodiments, the input receiver  110  and output transmitter  111  may be the same physical device having dual functionality. For example, in the embodiments where the input receiver  110  is a coil-and-magnet type microphone, the output transmitter  111  may be achieved by operating the coil-and-magnet in reverse as a speaker and vice versa. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1B , the electronic device  100  embodied in  FIG. 1A  is illustrated in exploded view. It should be appreciated that the embodiment of the electronic device  100  shown in  FIG. 1B  is merely illustrative, and that for the sake of discussion, many components contained within the enclosure  102  are not specifically shown in  FIG. 1B . Referring now to  FIG. 1B , the enclosure  102  houses a battery  114  coupled to a printed circuit board (PCB)  116  via a connector  117 . The battery  114  provides electrical power to circuitry located on the PCB  116 . The battery  114  may be a rechargeable or replaceable battery, and in any event, such battery-powered implementations may be highly portable, allowing a user to carry the electronic device  100  while traveling, working, exercising, and so forth. 
     The battery  114  may take many physical forms depending upon the embodiment actually implemented. For example, in the embodiments of the electronic device  100  where the enclosure  102  is curved or shaped, then the battery  114  also may be curved or shaped to match. As mentioned above, conventional batteries for portable electronic devices lack the ability to be bent or curved because this may damage the battery.  FIGS. 2A-6B  illustrate various possible embodiments where the battery  114  is configured to be flexibly disposed according to the various possible embodiments of the enclosure  102 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2A , a cross section of the battery  114  is shown according to one embodiment. As shown, the battery  114  includes a plurality of galvanic or photovoltaic cells  200 A- 200 C. Cells  200 A- 200 C are devices that are capable of converting a form of energy, such as chemical or radiant energy, into electricity. In some embodiments, cells  200 A- 200 C are lithium-ion batteries, such as lithium polymer battery cells. In other embodiments, such as where cells  200 A- 200 C are photovoltaic cells, they may be manufactured using a variety of materials including monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride, and/or copper indium selenide to name but a few implementations. 
     In some embodiments, the type, size, and shape of the individual unit cells  200 A- 200 C may be unique to accommodate a flexible form factor of the electronic device  100 . For example, the cell  200 A may be a chemical based cell while cell  200 B may be a photovoltaic cell where each have different sizes and shapes. In other embodiments, the cells  200 A- 200 C may be substantially the same size and shape, for example, to promote equal current charging and discharging. In still other embodiments, individual cells within the array may be customized such that they have unique electrical properties with respect to each other. For example, in some embodiments, cell  200 A may be selected to have a longer life than cells  200 B and  200 C while cell  200 B may be selected to have better discharge characteristics than cells  200 A and  200 C. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2A , the cells  200 A- 200 C may be enclosed in a flexible enclosure or housing  205 . The housing  205  may prevent contaminates, such as dirt and/or water, from coming into contact with the cells  200 A- 200 C. The housing  205  also may act as a heat sink for the cells  200 A- 200 C and dissipate heat generated by the charging and discharging of the cells  200 A- 200 C. In some embodiments, the housing  205  may be formed around the cells  200 A- 200 C using a lamination process where the housing  205  includes multiple layers of material including a top layer  205 A and a bottom layer  205 B as shown. For example, in some embodiments, each of the top and bottom layers  205 A and  205 B may be formed using successive layers of plastic and metal, such as a base layer of aluminum with polymer coatings. Other embodiments, where increased fatigue characteristics are desired, may utilize a base layer of steel with polymer coatings. In still other embodiments, the housing  205  may be manufactured using woven materials such as Kevlar® type synthetic fiber available from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. 
     The top layer  205 A may be attached to the bottom layer  205 B at a plurality of seal points  210 A- 210 C. The seal points  210 A- 210 C may be used as hinge points for battery  114  allowing battery  114  to be flexibly disposed in electronic devices having a variety of form factors. In some embodiments, these seal points  210 A- 210 C may be formed by gluing the top layer  205 A to the bottom layer  205 B with adhesives  215 A- 215 C. Depending upon the embodiment ultimately implemented, the materials used as adhesives  215 A- 215 C may be a variety of materials. For example, in some embodiments, the adhesives  215 A- 215 C may be a thermo plastic adhesive. Also, depending upon the embodiment ultimately implemented, each of the adhesives  215 A- 215 C may be formed using different materials or different processes. For example, the adhesive  215 A may be formed using a different process that results in adhesive  215 A being wider than adhesives  215 B and  215 C because seal point  210 A is more exposed to the atmosphere as compared to seal points  210 B and  210 C. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 2A , because seal points  210 B and  210 C exist between cells  200 A- 200 C, fewer overall seal points are needed as compared to conventional approaches where each cell is individually packaged. As a result, battery  114  may be manufactured in less time than conventional batteries. Additionally, a failure of the housing  205  in one location does not ruin the entire battery  114  as it would in conventional batteries where the cell is a single piece. For example, if the adhesive  215 A fails or the housing surrounding the cell  200 A is breached, then only cell  200 A may be impacted, leaving cells  200 B and  200 C to operate normally. Further, pressure may accumulate as each cell  200 A- 200 C is charged for the first couple of times, and therefore, in some embodiments, the seal points  210 A- 210 C may be formed after the cells  200 A- 200 C have experienced one or more charging cycles. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2B , cells  200 B and  200 C are shown in greater detail. As shown, the cells  200 B and  200 C may electrically couple to each other via an interconnection  220 . Although not specifically shown in  FIG. 2A , similar interconnections may exist between each cell within the array of cells  200 A- 200 C.  FIGS. 6A and 6B  will illustrate potential wiring configurations in greater detail. Referring still to  FIG. 2B , the adhesive  215 B may be positioned above and below the interconnection  220 . In some embodiments, the adhesive  215 B may be laid down in several steps. For example, first a top adhesive layer may be laid down on the bottom lamination layer  205 B, then the cells  200 B and  200 C may be laid down on the bottom lamination layer  205 B, then a bottom adhesive layer may be laid down on top of the interconnection  220 , and finally the top lamination layer  205 A may be placed over the cells  200 B and  200 C. 
       FIG. 3A  illustrates a top down view of the battery  114  with the top layer  205 A removed. Referring to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3A , the seal points  210 B and  210 C may extend along a single axis, such as along the longitudinal axis shown. In the embodiments where the seal points  210 B and  210 C extend along a single axis, the battery  114  may fold along this single axis. The precise orientation may vary between embodiments depending upon the dimensions of the cells  200 A- 200 C being sealed. For example, if the cells  200 A- 200 C were oriented laterally, then the seal points  210 B and  210 C may be laterally oriented. In some embodiments, the cells  200 A- 200 C may be oriented angularly so that the seal points  210 B and  210 C are not parallel to each other. 
       FIGS. 3B and 3C  illustrate a cross section of the battery  114  shown in  FIG. 2A  (including the top layer  205 A) taken along line A-A′ as the battery  114  is folded in up and down configurations respectively. Referring to  FIGS. 3B and 3C , the battery  114  may be folded into generally curved orientations to accommodate the various form factors of electronic devices. The precise degree of curvature may vary depending upon the embodiment ultimately implemented, and in some embodiments, the curve may be asymmetric. For example, in some embodiments, the width of the cells  200 A- 200 C may be non-uniform and/or the width of the seal points  210 B and  210 C may be non-uniform to allow asymmetric curvature as the battery  114  is folded. 
       FIG. 3D  illustrates a top down view of the battery  114  with the top layer  205 A and seals  210 A- 210 C removed where two dimensional folding is possible. Referring to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3D , additional seal points  210 D and  210 E may be oriented in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the seal points  210 B and  210 C. In this embodiment, additional cells  200 D- 2001  are secured within a grid or array created by the seal points  210 B- 210 E. In the embodiments where the seal points  210 B- 210 E create a grid or array, the battery  114  may be capable of folding in two dimensions. Although  FIG. 3D  illustrates the cells  200 A- 2001  in the form of a grid, any geometric pattern or shape is possible. For example, the cells  200 A- 2001  may be oriented in a circular pattern in some embodiments. 
     The embodiments shown in  FIGS. 3A-3D  may be customized by cutting along the seal points  210 B- 210 E to incrementally achieve certain desired electrical specifications. For example, instead of manufacturing different batteries for different sized electronic devices, a common sized battery, such as the battery  114  show in  FIG. 3D  with nine cells  200 A- 2001 , may be manufactured and then cut along one or more of the seal points  210 B through  210 E to accommodate different electronic devices with different electrical requirements. Furthermore, in cases where the housing  205  or seals  210 B- 210 E fail, the failed cell may be severed from the battery  114  to prevent electrical failure. 
       FIG. 4A  illustrates a top down view of an alternate embodiment of the battery  114  with the top layer  205 A and seals  210 A- 210 C removed. Referring to  FIG. 4A , the battery  114  includes a plurality of cells  400 A- 400 H arranged in a grid or array. In this embodiment, one or more of the cells in the array may be eliminated creating a void as shown by the dashed box  405 . In some embodiments, the void  405  is formed by not placing a cell in between seal points  210 B and  210 C and seal points  210 D and  210 E. In these embodiments, there is no cell present when the top layer  205 A is applied to the battery  114 . Other embodiments may form the void  405  by forming an opening in the top and bottom layers  205 A and  205 B. For example, the void  405  may be formed by cutting an opening in the bottom layer  205 B prior to placing the cells  400 A- 400 H, and then cutting another opening in the top layer  205 A prior to applying the top layer  205 A to the bottom layer  205 B. 
     One or more electronic components may be located within the void  405 . For example,  FIG. 4B  illustrates the top layer  205 A with a cell  400 I co-located such that combining the top layer  205 A with the bottom layer  205 B shown in  FIG. 4A  results in an interdigitated structure. Referring to  FIGS. 4A and 4B , a cross section taken along the line BB′ results in the cross section shown in  FIG. 4C . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4C  in conjunction with  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the cell  400 I may be mounted to the bottom layer  410 B in between seal points  420 B and  420 C. The seal points  420 B and  420 C may couple the bottom layer  410 B to the top layer  410 A. The seal points  420 B and  420 C may be positioned on the top layer  410 A such that they are substantially the same distance apart as the seal points  210 B and  210 C. As shown, when the seal points  420 B and  420 C are aligned with the seal points  210 B and  210 C, the cell  400 I may be interdigitated within the cells  400 D and  400 E to form the battery  114 . Although not specifically shown in  FIG. 4C , the process of stacking may continue such that additional cells may be stacked vertically and electrically connected to the cells  400 D,  400 E, and  400 I. 
       FIG. 5A  illustrates an isometric view of an embodiment where the battery  114  includes multiple layers of cells  500 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , the individual cells in each layer may be arranged in a planar fashion. For example in some embodiments, the cells in each layer may be arranged according to the orientation shown in  FIG. 3D  with cells located in each portion of the grid or array. In other embodiments, however, the cells in each layer may be arranged according to the orientation shown in  FIG. 4A  where one or more of the cells may be missing from the grid or array. Of course, the layers  500  shown in  FIG. 5A  may include various combinations where some layers have cells in each portion of the grid or array while other layers have one or more cells missing from one or more locations of the grid or array. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5A , the stacking of layers with openings in various spaces in the grid or array may create openings in the battery  114  such as the opening  502 . The opening  502  may be used to house items that may benefit from being located next to the battery  114 . For example, in some embodiments, the opening  502  may be used to house thermoelectric cooler (TEC) so that the battery  114  or other electronic components in the vicinity of the battery  114  may be cooled. The TEC may draw power from the battery  114  as it operates in cooling mode, or alternatively, the TEC may be used to charge the battery  114  as it draws heat from the surrounding electronic components. In some embodiments, the TEC may be formed along the walls  504  of the opening  502  and cells in the stack that have higher cooling needs may be placed close to the TEC. Further, by placing the TEC along the walls  504  other electrical components that may benefit from cooling or heating may be placed in the opening  502  alongside the TEC. 
     Referring still to  FIG. 5A , other electrical devices that may benefit from being located next to the battery  114  may be placed in the opening  502 . For example, if the electronic device  100  includes a camera and a flash, then the opening  502  may house a capacitor used by the flash. In these embodiments, one of the layers  500  may include an array of cells that have greater burst current capabilities than cells in other layers  500  and this layer may be coupled to a flash located in the opening  502 . 
     While the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5A  includes multiple uniformly sized layers, other embodiments are possible where the layers  500  are non-uniform and/or stacked in a non-uniform manner. For example,  FIG. 5B  illustrates an isometric view of an alternate embodiment of the battery  114  where the multiple layers of cells  500  are not uniformly sized. Referring briefly to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5B , the multiple layers of cells  500  may include layers  506  and  507  that have a larger area than layers  508  and  510 . Also, in some embodiments, layers  506  and  507  may be thicker than layers  508  and  510 , for example, because the cells in layers  506  and  507  are made from different materials than layers  508  and  510 . The non-uniformity of layers  506 - 510  may be desirable, for instance, when the battery  114  is being conformed to the shape of an enclosure for an electronic device. 
     Various electrical configurations are available for the cells in the arrays or grids described above with respect to  FIGS. 2A-5B .  FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate just two of these electrical configurations, however, many other configurations are within the scope of this disclosure. Referring first to  FIG. 6A , cells  600 A- 600 D are shown connected electrically in parallel. Thus each of the cells  600 A- 600 D shown in  FIG. 6A  may include a positive terminal and a negative terminal, where the positive terminals are respectively connected to each other and the negative terminals are respectively connected to each other. Referring now to  FIG. 6B , cells  600 A- 600 D are shown connected electrically in serial. Thus each of the cells  600 A- 600 D shown in  FIG. 6B  may include a positive terminal and a negative terminal, where the positive terminals are respectively connected to a negative terminal of a prior cell and the negative terminals are respectively connected to a positive terminal of a prior cell. 
     Referring briefly to  FIG. 2A  in conjunction with  FIGS. 6A and 6B , any one of the cells  600 A- 600 D may correspond to any one of the cells  200 A- 200 C and either or both of the positive and negative lines shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B  may correspond to the interconnection  220 . In these embodiments, any one of the cells may be severed from the battery  114  after the battery  114  has been manufactured, thereby allowing the battery  114  to be customized to a desired electrical characteristic or desired physical characteristic after manufacture. This may be desirable from a manufacturing perspective, where each of the batteries may be manufactured in the same manner and then later customized based upon the particular electronic device in which they are implemented. This may be particularly helpful to a manufacturer of several consumer electronic devices. For example, the same battery may be manufactured for a tablet computer as a mobile phone, where the electrical requirements of the tablet are twice as much as the mobile phone and the physical space requirements of the tablet are greater than the mobile phone. In these embodiments, a single battery may be manufactured, however, half of the battery may be severed to meet the electrical requirements and space constraints of the mobile phone whereas the entire battery may be used in the tablet computer. 
     The severability of the cells within the battery also may be helpful from a failure perspective. For example, referring to  FIG. 2A , in cases where the housing  205  or seals  210 A- 210 C fail, the failed cell may be severed from the battery  114  to prevent electrical failure.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20111229
Publication Date: 20160517
Grant Date: 20160517
Priority Date: 20111229
Inventors: ROTHKOPF FLETCHER
PAKULA DAVID A.
JARVIS DANIEL W.
RAFF JOHN
FRANKLIN JEREMY C.
Assignee: APPLE INC
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Family ID: 47073509