Battery including an on-cell indicator

• US 10,297,875 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2015
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Riemer, Joern, Pavlinsky, Robert John, Amann, Mathias
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, James
• Application Number:
  US14/842,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20170062880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The invention is directed toward a battery including an on-cell indicator. The battery including an on-cell indicator includes at least one electrochemical cell; at least one on-cell indicator; a printed circuit board; and at least one integrated circuit. The at least one electrochemical cell includes a first terminal and a second terminal. The at least one on-cell indicator includes at least one on-cell indicator terminal. The printed circuit board includes at least one on-cell indicator contact and at least one electrochemical cell contact. The at least one electrochemical cell contact is in electrical connection with the first terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell. At least one conductive trace includes an on-cell indicator interconnect and a printed circuit board interconnect. The on-cell indicator interconnect is in electrical connection with the at least one on-cell indicator terminal. The printed circuit board interconnect is in electrical connection with the at least one on-cell indicator terminal. At least one integrated circuit is in electrical connection with the printed circuit board.

Claims

1. A battery including an on-cell indicator comprising:

at least one electrochemical cell, the at least one electrochemical cell including a first terminal and a second terminal;

at least one on-cell indicator;

the at least one on-cell indicator comprising at least one on-cell indicator terminal and an antenna;

a printed circuit board, the printed circuit board comprising at least one on-cell indicator terminal contact and at least one electrochemical cell contact;

the at least one electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the first terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell;

at least one conductive trace, the at least one conductive trace comprising an on-cell indicator interconnect and a printed circuit board interconnect, the at least one conductive trace is positioned adjacent to the antenna;

an insulator positioned between the at least one conductive trace and the antenna;

the on-cell indicator interconnect in electrical connection with the at least one on-cell indicator terminal;

the printed circuit board interconnect in electrical connection with the at least one on-cell indicator terminal contact; and

at least one integrated circuit, the at least one integrated circuit in electrical connection with the printed circuit board.

2. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1, the printed circuit board comprising at least one spacer, the at least one spacer in electrical connection with the printed circuit board and the at least one electrochemical cell.

3. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1 comprising a first electrochemical cell contact and a second electrochemical cell contact;

the first electrochemical cell contact and the second electrochemical cell contact on a bottom surface of the printed circuit board;

the first electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the first terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell; and

the second electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the second terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell.

4. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1 comprising a first electrochemical cell contact and a second electrochemical cell contact;

the first electrochemical cell contact on a bottom surface of the printed circuit board;

the second electrochemical cell contact on a top surface of printed circuit board;

the first electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the first terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell; and

the second electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the second terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell.

5. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1 comprising a first electrochemical cell contact and a second electrochemical cell contact;

the first electrochemical cell contact on a bottom surface and a top surface of the printed circuit board;

the second electrochemical cell contact on the bottom surface and the top surface of the printed circuit board;

the first electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the first terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell; and

the second electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the second terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell.

6. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1 comprising a first electrochemical cell contact and a second electrochemical cell contact;

the first electrochemical cell contact on a bottom surface and a top surface of the printed circuit board;

the second electrochemical cell contact on the bottom surface of the printed circuit board;

the first electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the first terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell; and

the second electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the second terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell.

7. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1 comprising a first electrochemical cell contact and a second electrochemical cell contact;

the first electrochemical cell contact on a bottom surface and a top surface of the printed circuit board;

the second electrochemical cell contact on the top surface of the printed circuit board;

the first electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the first terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell; and

the second electrochemical cell contact in electrical connection with the second terminal of the at least one electrochemical cell.

8. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1, wherein the at least one integrated circuit is positioned on a bottom surface of the printed circuit board.

9. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1, wherein the at least one integrated circuit is positioned within the printed circuit board.

10. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1, wherein the at least one on-cell indicator terminal contact is positioned on a bottom surface of the printed circuit board or a top surface of the printed circuit board.

11. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1, wherein at least one tab interconnect is in electrical connection with the at least one electrochemical cell contact of the printed circuit board.

12. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1, the insulator comprising a dielectric.

13. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1 further comprising a communications circuit, the communications circuit comprising radio-frequency identification circuitry;

near field communication circuitry;

Bluetooth circuitry;

Bluetooth Low Energy circuitry;

Wi-Fi circuitry;

Zigbee circuitry;

LoRaWan circuitry;

Z-wave circuitry; and

any combination thereof.

14. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1 further comprising a magnetic diverter.

15. The battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1, the at least one integrated circuit comprising a memory.

16. A remote battery indication system, the system comprising:

at least one reader; and

at least one battery including an on-cell indicator of claim 1.

17. The remote battery indication system of claim 16, the at least one battery including an on-cell indicator comprising a magnetic diverter.