PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10629886-B2
Application Number: US-201715465477-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Battery pack system

Abstract:
An improved battery pack and system including such battery pack is disclosed. The battery pack includes a power control module positioned to allow for increased battery power or reduced battery pack size.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A battery pack for an electronic device, the battery pack comprising:
 a housing; 
 a main logic board in the housing; 
 a battery portion having a bottom surface located on a top surface of the main logic board, the battery portion located in the housing and between a top surface of the housing and the main logic board; 
 an electrode connected to the battery portion; and 
 a power control module separate from the main logic board, laterally adjacent to the main logic board, and directly contacting the electrode, wherein the bottom surface of the battery portion is further located over a top surface of the power control. 
 
     
     
       2. The battery pack for an electronic device of  claim 1  further comprising electronic circuitry attached to a bottom side of the main logic board. 
     
     
       3. The battery pack for an electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the battery portion is a lithium-ion battery. 
     
     
       4. The battery pack for an electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the electronic device is a laptop computer. 
     
     
       5. The battery pack for an electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the electronic device is a portable media player. 
     
     
       6. The battery pack for an electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the power control module is outside the battery portion. 
     
     
       7. The battery pack for an electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the power control module is not located in the battery portion. 
     
     
       8. A battery pack for an electronic device, the battery pack comprising:
 a housing; 
 a main logic board in the housing; 
 a battery portion in the housing; 
 an electrode in the housing and attached to the battery portion; and 
 a power control module directly contacting the electrode, wherein the main logic board and power control module are separate structures and are laterally adjacent to each other, and the battery portion completely overlies the power control module and at least partially overlies the main logic board. 
 
     
     
       9. The battery pack for an electronic device of  claim 8  wherein the main logic board is positioned beneath the battery portion. 
     
     
       10. The battery pack for an electronic device of  claim 8  wherein a portion of the electrode forms a U-shape. 
     
     
       11. An electronic device comprising:
 a battery pack including: 
 a housing; 
 a main logic board in the housing; 
 a battery portion located in the housing; 
 an electrode connected to the battery portion; and 
 a power control module directly connected to the electrode, the power control module external to the battery portion, 
 wherein the main logic board and power control module are located relative to each other in a first direction, and the battery portion is located relative to both the main logic board and the power control module in a second direction, the first direction orthogonal to the second direction. 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic device of  claim 11  wherein the housing is flexible. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device of  claim 11  wherein the housing has an inverted tray shape including a top surface and four sides, each side attached to the top surface of the housing. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device of  claim 11  wherein the battery portion is located between a top surface and four sides of the battery pack housing and a top side of the main logic board. 
     
     
       15. The electronic device of  claim 11  wherein the battery portion is a lithium-ion battery. 
     
     
       16. The electronic device of  claim 11  wherein the power control module is not located in the battery portion. 
     
     
       17. The electronic device of  claim 11  wherein a top side of the power control module is attached to a top side of the electrode. 
     
     
       18. The electronic device of  claim 17  further comprising electronic circuitry attached to a bottom side of the main logic board.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/199,943, filed Mar. 6, 2014, which is incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The described embodiments relate generally to a battery pack system. More particularly, the present embodiments relate to improvements in packaging lithium-ion battery packs used in electronic devices to reduce the battery pack size and to improve system performance. 
     Recent advances in portable computing have utilized lithium-ion batteries to provide power to laptops computers, portable media players, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, tablets and other electronic equipment. Lithium-ion batteries are favored because, pound for pound, they are some of the most energetic rechargeable batteries available. They have a number of important advantages over competing technologies. They are generally much lighter than other types of rechargeable batteries of the same size because the electrodes of a lithium-ion battery are made of lightweight lithium and carbon. 
     In addition to consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries are also popular for use in military, electric vehicle and aerospace applications. Lithium-ion batteries may be used in place of lead acid batteries in golf carts and utility vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries provide similar voltage levels as lead acid batteries so no modification of the vehicle&#39;s drive system is needed. The batteries could also be used for electric tools, medical equipment and other uses. 
     Lithium is a highly reactive element, meaning that a lot of energy can be stored in its atomic bonds. This translates into a very high energy density for lithium-ion batteries. For example, a typical lithium-ion battery can store 150 watt-hours of electricity in 1 kilogram of battery. A NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) battery pack can store perhaps 100 watt-hours per kilogram, although 60 to 70 watt-hours might be more typical. A lead-acid battery can store only 25 watt-hours per kilogram. Using lead-acid technology, it takes 6 kilograms to store the same amount of energy that a 1 kilogram lithium-ion battery can handle. For lightweight electronic devices, this is a significant advantage. 
     In addition to being lightweight, a lithium-ion battery pack may lose only about 5 percent of its charge per month, compared to a 20 percent loss per month for NiMH batteries. Lithium-ion battery packs have no memory effect, which means that a user does not have to completely discharge them before recharging, as with some other battery types. Lithium-ion batteries can also be recharged hundreds of times while other battery types may have more limited useful lives. 
     While lithium-ion batteries have many positive advantages, there are some disadvantages also. For example, lithium-ion battery packs require that a protection circuit be included to maintain voltage and current within safe limits. It is possible that failure of the battery pack due to overheating could cause harm to the accompanying electronic device, possibly even melting the device housing in certain instances. In order to avoid such situations, a protection circuit is generally included in a lithium-ion battery pack. Built into each pack, the protection circuit limits the peak voltage of each cell during charge and prevents the cell voltage from dropping too low on discharge. In addition, the cell temperature is monitored to prevent temperature extremes. With these precautions in place, the possibility of metallic lithium plating occurring due to overcharge may be greatly reduced. 
     However, while the protection circuits are included for safety reasons they tend to make the battery packs relatively more expensive and the inclusion of protection circuits make the battery pack larger than it would otherwise be. This increase in size may ameliorate some of the advantages discussed above as electronic devices become increasingly smaller and more compact. 
     A jelly roll design is the design used in many rechargeable batteries, and often for those batteries used in portable electronic devices. In this design, an insulating sheet is laid down, then a thin layer of an anode material is laid down, a separator layer is applied, and a cathode material is layered on top. This sandwich is then rolled up and inserted into a hollow casing. The battery, once wrapped, may be sealed in a flexible container. The container may have a tail or seam where the flexible material seals to itself in order to encompass the battery. Electrodes may extend through the tail in order to provide an electrical connection between the battery and internal components. The electrodes may exit the flexible container, bend, and be electrically connected to various components as desired. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to have a battery pack for an electronic device which is more compact, while still including the safety features associated with a protection circuit built into the battery pack. 
     SUMMARY 
     A battery pack includes a power control module to protect the battery from being overcharged or improperly discharged. The power control module is located on the battery pack in a location that permits the space for the battery portion itself to be utilized to maximum efficiency. By locating the power control module on the side of the battery pack housing opposite to the battery portion, improved overall power performance of the system may be achieved. In some embodiments, increased battery performance and power may be achieved without increasing the overall size of the battery pack. In another embodiment the overall battery pack size may be reduced while maintaining the same power performance as with the conventionally sized battery pack. 
     A system including an electronic device which utilizes various embodiments of the battery back is disclosed. The electronic device may be a laptop computer, tablet, smartphone or the like and the power needs of the device may be met in a more efficient manner utilizing disclosed embodiments. The battery pack may be made smaller thus reducing the amount of space which must be allocated in the electronic device for the battery pack. In another embodiment, increased battery size may be achieved while maintain the size of the allocated space for the battery pack. By reducing required space or increasing the amount of power supplied to the electronic device from the battery pack for a given size, improved efficiency and performance as well as increased convenience to a user of the electronic device may be achieved with disclosed embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of an electronic device; 
         FIG. 2  shows the underside of an electronic device; 
         FIG. 3  shows a side view of a conventional battery pack; 
         FIG. 4  shows a side cutaway view of an electronic device including a conventional battery pack; 
         FIG. 5  shows a side view of a battery pack in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  shows a side cutaway view of an electronic device including a battery pack in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 7  shows a side view of a battery pack in accordance with another embodiment; 
         FIG. 8  shows a side cutaway view of an electronic device including a battery pack in accordance with another embodiment; 
         FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a conventional battery pack housing; 
         FIG. 10  shows a perspective view of a battery pack housing in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 11  shows a perspective view of a battery pack housing in accordance with another embodiment; and 
         FIG. 12  shows a flow chart illustrating a method for making a battery pack. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the appended claims. 
     The following disclosure relates to a battery pack which may be used in conjunction with an electronic device such as a laptop computer, portable media player, personal digital assistant (PDA), cell phone, tablet or other electronic equipment. In a particular embodiment, the battery pack includes a lithium-ion battery and a power control module or safety circuit which is included to maintain voltage and current within safe limits. Built into each pack, the protection circuit limits the peak voltage of each cell during charge and prevents the cell voltage from dropping too low on discharge. In addition, the cell temperature may be monitored to prevent temperature extremes which could damage the battery or the electronic device. 
     These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 1-7 . However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these Figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a laptop computer  11  which may include a screen  12  and a keyboard  13  as well as a mouse pad  14 . Laptop computer  11  may also include a battery pack (not shown) which is generally located on the underside  15  of laptop computer  11 . The battery pack is used to provide power to laptop computer  11  and its electronic components. As stated above, the electronic device in this embodiment could also be a portable media player, cell phone, or other 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the underside  15  of laptop computer  11  is shown which includes a battery pack  16  inserted into a compartment  17  in the underside  15  of laptop computer  11 . Battery pack  16  may be electromagnetically connected to the main logic board (not shown) and other electronic circuit board or components. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a side view of a conventional battery pack  16  is shown. Battery pack  16  includes battery portion  19 , a power control module  23  and an electrode attachment portion  20  which attaches electrode  21  to battery portion  19 . Power control module  23  is shown mounted adjacent to battery portion  19  and electrode attachment portion  20 . Depending upon the size and power rating of battery portion  19 , battery portion  19  has a length of B 1 . Power control module  23  also has a dimension of length PCM  1 . This configuration results in an overall length of battery pack  16  of L 1  which is B 1 +PCM 1 =L 1 . L 1  is the approximate length of compartment  17  in electronic device  11  as shown and described in  FIG. 4  below. 
     The power control module  23  shown in  FIG. 3  is included for safety reasons as described above. That is, in certain battery types, such as lithium-ion batteries, it is important to control the charge and discharge rate of the lithium-ion battery to prevent inadvertent failure of the battery portion  19  which could damage electronic device  11  and/or its electronic circuitry  22 . In addition, as discussed above, power control module  23  may monitor the temperature of battery portion  19  in order to prevent inadvertent overheating of battery portion  19  which could result in failure of battery portion  19 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a cutaway side view of electronic device  11  includes a housing  18 . Housing  18  includes a compartment  17  which contains battery pack  16  described above with respect to  FIG. 3 . Battery pack  16  includes a battery  19  which is connected through electrode connection  20  to electrode  21 . Electrode  21  connects battery pack  16  to a main logic or circuit board  22 . In this conventional battery pack, a power control module  23  is included in battery pack  16  and is positioned adjacent to electrode attachment portion  20 , electrode  21  and battery portion  19  above the main logic board  22  and other electronic components. Battery portion  19  may be a lithium-ion battery or other battery type. Compartment  17  in housing  18  is defined by a width (measured from above and not shown), depth (D 1 ) and length (L 1 ) which is sized to allow insertion and removal of battery pack  16  as will be discussed in more detail below. That is, a cover portion  24  in underside  15  of electronic device  11  may be opened to allow access to battery pack  16 . Battery pack  16  may be removed by a user and replaced or recharged as needed. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a side view of an embodiment of a battery pack  24  is shown which includes power control module  23  mounted below electrode  21 . By locating power control module  23  below electrode  21 , battery portion  19  may be made larger with a length of B 2  as shown in  FIG. 5  while still maintain an overall length for battery pack  24  of L 1 . By making battery portion  19  larger, an increase in power may be achieved. That is more space may be provided for the three primary functional components of a lithium-ion battery: the positive and negative electrodes; and the electrolyte. The overall length L 1  of battery pack  24  remains the same as with battery pack  16  described above such that battery pack  24  may fit into compartment  17  in electronic device  11  as described above but the increased power increases the usefulness of electronic device  11  by enabling more capabilities. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the battery pack  16  of  FIG. 5  is shown in a cutaway view of compartment  17  of electronic device  11 . The overall length of battery pack  16  is L 1  as was the case with the conventional battery pack  16  shown in  FIG. 4 . Power control module  23  is shown mounted below electrode attachment portion  21  as described above with respect to  FIG. 5 . Thus, in this embodiment, battery portion  19  may be made larger resulting in more power to electronic device  11  and/or longer battery life between recharging of battery portion  19 . That is, battery portion  19  has a length B 2  as described above with respect to  FIG. 5 . Thus, while the overall length L 1  of battery pack  24  is the same as that of conventional battery pack  16  in  FIG. 4 , the larger battery portion length B 2  results in additional amount of battery power which may be delivered to electronic device  11  which can result in improved performance and enabling additional capabilities. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , another embodiment of a battery pack is shown. In this embodiment, a battery pack  25  includes a battery portion  19  which includes a length B 1  as was shown in the embodiment described in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . However, because power control module  23  is located on the underside of electrode attachment portion  21 , the overall length of battery pack  25  is L 2  which is less than length L 1  of the battery packs described in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Thus battery pack  25  has the same battery power level as battery pack  16  shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  because it has the same sized battery portion  19 . However, battery pack  25  has a length L 2  that is less than length L 1  of battery pack  16  and thus may allow a reduction in the size of electronic device  11 . As the size of electronic devices continues to decrease, reducing the size of a battery pack while maintaining the same power capabilities may be significant. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the battery pack  25  of  FIG. 7  is shown in a compartment  26  of electronic device  11 . The overall length of battery pack  25  is L 2  as shown in  FIG. 7  which is less than the length L 1  of the battery pack shown in  FIG. 3 . Power control module  23  is shown mounted below electrode  21  as described above with respect to  FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, battery portion  19  has a length B 1  as described above in  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 3 . This means that battery pack  25  may provide the same power performance as battery pack  19  shown in  FIG. 3 . However, because the length L 2  of battery pack  25  is less than the length L 1  of battery pack  16 , the length of compartment  26  may be smaller than the length of compartment  17  in  FIGS. 4 and 6 . Thus, the same battery power level can be provided to electronic device  11  as with the battery pack  16  of  FIGS. 3 and 4  but, because the length L 2  of compartment  26  in  FIG. 7  is less than length L 1  of compartment  17  in  FIG. 4 , the size of electronic device may either be reduced or, if the size of electronic device is maintained, additional components may be added resulting in increased performance or convenience to a user. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , a perspective view of a housing for conventional battery pack  16  is shown. Housing  27  is a tray like structure that contains the battery portion (not shown) adjacent upper surface  28 . The length B 1  of tray in housing  27  is sufficient to contain the battery portion of a size having a particular power capability. In this conventional battery pack, housing  27  has power control module  23  located adjacent to electrode portion  21  and upper surface  28 . A main logic board or other circuitry may connect to electrode portion  21  at flexible attachment point  31  on lower surface  29 . Battery pack  16  has an overall length of L 1  as shown. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , a perspective view of an embodiment is shown including housing  27  as described in  FIG. 9  above. That is, a power source, which may be a battery portion is contained on the upper surface  28  of housing  27  and an electrode  21  is connected to the power source. In this embodiment, power control module  23  is moved adjacent to electrode portion  21  and lower surface  29 . Flexible attachment point  31  may be extended as necessary or desirable to provide sufficient connection to main logic board or other circuitry (not shown). By moving power control module  23  to this location adjacent lower surface  29 , the amount of space to contain battery portion (not shown) is increased from that shown in  FIG. 9 . That is, the length B 2  of the space to contain battery portion  19  is increased from length B 1  shown in  FIG. 9 . Thus, a larger battery portion  19  having higher power capability may be included in housing  27  without increasing the overall length L 1  of the battery pack which remains the same as L 1  in  FIG. 9 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , an alternate embodiment of a battery pack is shown. In this embodiment, power control module  23  is moved adjacent to flexible attachment point  31  on electrode portion  21  as is described above with respect to  FIG. 10 . As with the embodiment shown in  FIG. 10  attachment point  31  may be extended as necessary or desirable to provide sufficient connection to main logic board or other circuitry (not shown). In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 11 , however, housing  27  has been shortened such that the overall length L 2  of the battery pack is less than length L 1  of the battery pack described in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The length B 1  of the tray portion in housing  27  is maintained as in  FIG. 9  such that the same sized battery portion as is used in  FIG. 9  may be included in this embodiment. Thus a more compact battery pack having a shorter overall length L 2  may be used to provide power to electronic device  11  without reducing the amount of such provided power. With this embodiment, either the overall size of electronic device could be reduced, or additional components could be added to electronic device  11  without increasing the overall size of electronic device  11 . That is, the size of battery compartment  17  in  FIG. 2  could be reduced without sacrificing power capabilities or device performance. By adding additional components to the freed space, improved performance and/or increased convenience to a user of electronic device  11  may be accomplished. Similarly, reducing the size of electronic device  11  would also result in increased convenience to a user of the device. 
     As discussed above, (for example with respect to  FIG. 4 ) both conventional battery packs and embodiments of battery packs disclosed herein may be inserted into and removed from electronic devices such as laptop computers. The battery packs may then be replaced, recharged or repaired as needed. The embodiments disclosed herein do not add any complexity to this removal process but do allow for increased efficiency or reduction in size of the device as discussed above. The absolute amount of reduction in size from, for example, L 1  to L 2 , is provided for illustrative purposes only. It is the relocation of power control module  23  to a bottom surface of the battery pack that permits the increased efficiency or reduced size. The electrodes  21  on the battery packs may interface with electrical connections such as the main logic boards and other electronic circuitry. While lithium-ion batteries have been discussed as the power source in battery portions  19  and  25 , it can be appreciated that embodiments described herein could be employed with battery portions employing other battery chemistries which utilize power control modules to control battery pack functionality for safety and efficiency improvements. 
     Referring to  FIG. 12 , a flow chart for a method of making a battery pack is shown. In step  32 , a housing having an upper and a lower surface is provided. In step  33 , a power source is contained adjacent to the upper surface in the housing. An electrode is connected to the power source in step  34 . A power control module is attached adjacent to the lower surface of the housing in step  35 . The power source may be a lithium-ion battery and the power control module is attached adjacent the lower surface such that it is contained with a battery pack length defined by the battery portion and the attached electrode. 
     It can be appreciated from the above description that moving power control module  23  on a lithium-ion or other battery type, may result in improved efficiencies to battery packs and to the electronic or other devices that utilize them. By improving such efficiencies, greater performance and convenience may be provided to a user of electronic devices. However, embodiments disclosed herein could be used in other than electronic devices. For example, electric powered automobiles or other electric powered forms of transportation such as utility vehicles utilize battery packs and may benefit from implementation of the embodiments disclosed herein. In addition, electric tools, medical equipment and other uses may benefit from these embodiments. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specific embodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not target to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20170321
Publication Date: 20200421
Grant Date: 20200421
Priority Date: 20140306
Inventors: DABOV, TEODOR
Assignee: APPLE INC
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Family ID: 54018288