Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to shock isolation for a battery. Specifically, a shock isolator is disposed within a battery housing to increase a ruggedness of the battery. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    A mobile unit (MU) may be used in a variety of environments. The varying conditions of these environments make the MU easily susceptible to damage. The MU may include a housing that is rugged to cope with the various conditions of the environments. For example, the MU may be dropped causing internal components of the MU to be damaged. The rugged housing may cushion the MU, for example, from a fall. Thus, components like the processor or the memory may stay intact. 
         [0003]    However, for removable components such as a battery, the rugged housing may be insufficient to protect it from shock events such as dropping the MU. The removable component is separate from the housing and may not be afforded the protection thereof. Furthermore, the removable component may be susceptible to a greater shock as it is often placed in a recess of the MU. That is, the removable component further collides with the housing of the MU itself. Therefore, when the MU is subject to a shock event, the components of the MU may be safe, but the battery may be damaged. For example, the cells or circuitry of the battery may break. Aside from the battery having to be replaced, when the MU loses power (e.g., the battery no longer provides energy due to the damage), data and/or settings that are currently being used on the MU may become corrupted or lost. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to a battery which includes a housing; a cell arrangement situated within the housing and storing a power; and a shock isolator disposed within the housing. The shock isolator absorbs an energy of a shock event upon the battery to prevent damage to the cell arrangement. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows a battery according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  shows a first configuration of components for the battery of  FIG. 1  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  shows a second configuration of components for the battery of  FIG. 1  according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0008]    The exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings, wherein like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention describe a shock isolation arrangement for a battery. The shock isolation arrangement may be configured to absorb energy from a shock event (e.g., drop) occurring on an electronic device in which the battery is housed. Specifically, the shock isolation arrangement protects a cell assembly/arrangement of the battery so that energy may continue to be provided to the electronic device. The battery, the shock isolation arrangement, and the cell assembly will be discussed in further detail below. 
         [0009]    It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be embodied in a battery for any electronic device. For example, the electronic device may be portable or stationary. That is, the shock isolation arrangement may be used for a battery that is removably connected to the electronic device where the electronic device may be susceptible to any shock event. For example, a portable device (e.g., a personal digital assistant) may be dropped or inadvertently hit; a stationary device (e.g., a computer tower) may be hit (e.g., kicked); etc. The battery may be disposed within a housing of the electronic device, in particular in a recess configured to receive the battery. 
         [0010]    It should also be noted that the term “battery” may represent any portable power supply capable of supplying energy to an electronic device. The portable power supply may also include, for example, a capacitor or supercapacitor. That is, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may also be embodied in other forms of portable power supplies with corresponding components to the battery being protected with the shock isolation arrangement. 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  shows a battery  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically,  FIG. 1  illustrates an outer view of the battery  100 . The outer view of the battery  100  shows a housing  105 , contacts  130 , and a locking mechanism  140 . The contacts  130  will be discussed in further detail below with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
         [0012]    The housing  105  may be a casing in which components of the battery  100  may be at least partially disposed. That is, the components of the battery  100  may be wholly or partially within the housing  105 . As will be described in further detail below, the battery  100  may include, for example, power cells, a circuitry, the contacts  130 , etc. The power cells and the circuitry may be wholly disposed within the housing  105 . The contacts  130  may be disposed partially within the housing  105  so that a portion of the contacts  130  are disposed on a periphery of the housing  105  (e.g., may be recessed in the housing  105 ). Thus, the contacts  130  may couple to corresponding contacts of an electronic device. 
         [0013]    The locking mechanism  140  may be any arrangement used to secure the battery  100  with the housing  105  (e.g., to have a proper orientation with respect to the electronic device in which the battery  100  provides energy. The locking mechanism  140  may be part of a mechanical lock, an electrical lock, or a combination thereof. For example, the locking mechanism  140  may be a recess in which a latch (not shown) disposed on the electronic device is received. Specifically, the latch may be disposed in a recess in which the battery  100  is to be received. In another example, the locking mechanism  140  may be a pin recess in which a locking pin adjusted by a solenoid may be received. It should be noted that the battery  100  including the locking mechanism  140  is only exemplary. In other exemplary embodiments, the battery  100  may not include the locking mechanism  140 . For example, the electronic device may include a recess to receive the battery  100 . The electronic device may also include a lid to cover the recess upon reception of the battery  100 . 
         [0014]      FIG. 2  shows a first configuration of components for the battery  100  of  FIG. 1  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As discussed above, the battery  100  may include the housing  105  in which components of the battery  100  are encased. Furthermore, the battery  100  may include the shock isolation arrangement. According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the components of the battery  100  may include the housing  105 , a cell assembly  110 , a shock isolator  125 , the contacts  130 , and connector  135 . 
         [0015]    The cell assembly  110  may include a single cell (not shown) or a plurality of cells  115  and a circuitry  120 . The plurality of cells  115  may be the component of the battery  100  that stores energy to be provided to the electronic device. The plurality of cells  115  may be rechargeable. For example, the plurality of cells  115  may be Ni—Cd, Ni—H, Li—H, LitIon, etc. The circuitry  120  may be a component of the battery  100  that controls output of the energy stored in the plurality of cells  115 . Specifically, the circuitry  120  may convert the energy from the plurality of cells  115  into power signals. For example, depending on the voltage of the battery  100 , a corresponding voltage may be output from the battery  100  to the electronic device. The circuitry  120  may also control a recharging of the plurality of cells  115 . That is, when the battery  100  is being recharged, energy drawn may be stored in the plurality of cells  115  upon a conversion through the circuitry  120 . 
         [0016]    The contacts  130  may provide a first part for electrically connecting the battery  100  to the electronic device. The contacts  130  may couple to corresponding contacts of the electronic device to establish the connection. The corresponding contacts may also be disposed in a recess of the electronic device that receives the battery  100 . The contacts  130  may be conducting areas shaped as, for example, flat heads, pins, recesses, etc. The corresponding contacts may exhibit a respective shape with respect to the contacts  130 . 
         [0017]    The connector  135  may electrically connect the circuitry  120  to the contacts  130 . Specifically, the connector  135  may be a conduit in which energy converted by the circuitry  120  is transmitted to the contacts  130 , or vice versa. According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the connector  135  may be a flexible printed circuit. The flexibility of the connector  135  enables the cell assembly  110  to “float” within the housing  105 . As will be explained in detail below, when the cell assembly  110  is cushioned, the cell assembly  110  may slightly move. A rigid connection from the circuitry  120  to the contacts  130  may cause a break in the connector  135 . The flexibility of the connector  135  may allow slight movements in the cell assembly  110  to be compensated. 
         [0018]    The shock isolator  125  may be a component of the shock isolation arrangement. The shock isolator  125  may absorb any energy from a shock event such as a dropping or banging of the battery pack or indirectly through a dropping or banging of the electronic device. The shock isolator  125  is configured to protect the cell assembly  110  from receiving the energy of the shock event, thereby preventing any damage thereto. 
         [0019]    The shock isolator  125  may be manufactured using a variety of materials. In a first example, the shock isolator  125  may be a stamped/diecut foam part. In a second example, the shock isolator  125  may be an injection molding thermoplastic part. In a third example, the shock isolator is an injection/compression molded silicon part. In a fourth example, a combination of the above described materials may be used for the shock isolator  125 . Any of these materials may enable the cell assembly  110  to “float” within the housing  105 . For example, if the battery  100  is dropped, the cell assembly  110  may push against the shock isolator  125  (in the direction of the fall). The energy from the pushing due to the drop may be absorbed by the shock isolator  125 . The cushioning of the cell assembly  110  prevents damage thereto. 
         [0020]    According to the exemplary embodiment of the battery  100  illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the shock isolator  125  may be disposed within the housing  105 . Specifically, the shock isolator  125  may surround (i.e., fully wrap) the cell assembly  110 . The shock isolator  125  may also include a recess in which the contacts  130  are disposed. However, because the shock isolator  125  is flexible or if the contacts  130  are disposed outside the housing  105 , the shock isolator  125  may not include the recess. The shock isolator  125  may also include a via in which the connector  135  is disposed. For example, a slit via  140  may extend from an inner wall of the shock isolator  125  (i.e., near the circuitry  120 ) to an outer wall of the shock isolator  125  (i.e., near the contacts  130 ). The connector  135  may be within the slit via  140 . Any of the materials described above for the shock isolator  125  may also facilitate the “floating” of the cell assembly  110  as the connector  135  may move within the slit via  140 . 
         [0021]    It should be noted that the shock isolator  125  surrounding the cell assembly  110  may be configured in a variety of ways. For example, a complete surrounding of the shock isolator  125  may entail covering the cell assembly  110  in between any area in which the cell assembly  110  may contact an inner wall of the housing  105 . In another example, a surrounding of the shock isolator  125  may entail covering a predetermined number of sides of the cell assembly  110  such as on a top and bottom face, all four side faces, etc. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows a second configuration of components for the battery  100  of  FIG. 1  according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The second configuration of components may be substantially similar to the first configuration of components of  FIG. 1 . Specifically, the types of components may be identical. That is, the second configuration may also include the housing  105 , the cell assembly  110  (including the plurality of cells  115  and the circuitry  120 ), the shock isolator  125 , the contacts  130 , and the connector  135 . However, the second configuration illustrates another form of the shock isolator  125 . 
         [0023]    The shock isolator  125  of the second configuration includes a plurality of parts that are disposed in predetermined locations around the cell assembly  110 . For example, as illustrated, the shock isolator  125  includes four parts where each part is disposed at each corner of the cell assembly  110 . It may be determined during a testing phase that cushioning selected areas of the cell assembly  110  during a shock event prevents most or all damage thereto. Thus, the second configuration may be a result of the testing. 
         [0024]    It should be noted that the second configuration including a part of the shock isolator  125  at each corner of the cell assembly  110  is only exemplary. Specifically, the second configuration may represent the shock isolation arrangement using a predetermined setting for the cell assembly. That is, other settings determined, for example, during the testing phase, may be used and represented with the second configuration. For example, the shock isolator  125  may again include four parts. However, the parts may be disposed on the sides of the cell assembly  110  but not at the corners where the shock isolator  125  is disposed in the second configuration of  FIG. 3 . This setting may also be used when it is determined that such a configuration also prevents most or all damage during a shock event. 
         [0025]    It should also be noted that the shock isolator  125  being disposed only between the housing  105  and the cell assembly  110  is only exemplary. In other embodiments, the shock isolator  125  may be placed in other locations. For example, the shock isolator  125  may additionally be placed outside the housing  105 . A layer of the shock isolator  125  around the housing  105  may decrease an energy from a shock event to the housing  105  which would further decrease the energy from the shock event to the cell assembly  110  as the shock isolator  125  is disposed therebetween. In another example, the shock isolator  125  may be manufactured of an insulating material and disposed within the cell assembly  110 . Thus, an additional cushioning of the components of the cell assembly  110  may be had, thereby substantially ensuring a prevention of damage to the components. 
         [0026]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present invention, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Technology Category: 5