BATTERY PACK INCLUDING BATTERY GAUGE

• US 20110007501A1
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Kim, Eunyoung
• Granted Patent: US 9,112,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/184
• 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 2200/106 PTC
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack including a battery gauge. The battery gauge includes a circuit board, light emitting devices electrically connected to a battery cell on the circuit board and turned on or off according to a voltage of the battery cell, a display unit disposed outside a pack case at positions corresponding to the light emitting devices, and a partition wall guiding light of the light emitting device to a part of the display unit corresponding to the light emitting device. Since the partition wall prevents light of the light emitting device from affecting the neighboring light emitting device, an on/off operation of the light emitting device is accurately displayed on the display unit, so that a battery discharge level can be accurately detected.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising:

at least one rechargeable battery cell;

a protective circuit module electrically connected to the battery cell;

a pack case accommodating the battery cell and the protective circuit module; and

a battery gauge,

wherein the battery gauge includes;

a circuit board;

a plurality of light emitting devices electrically connected to the battery cell on the circuit board and turned on or off according to a voltage of the battery cell;

a display unit disposed outside the pack case at positions corresponding to the light emitting devices; and

a partition wall guiding light of the light emitting device to a part of the display unit corresponding to the light emitting device.

2. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall has an end fixed on the circuit board, and another end protruding to the display unit.

3. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall has an end fixed on a lower side of the display unit, and another end protruding to the circuit board.

4. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall is connected to a neighboring partition wall through a plate to form a single piece.

5. The battery pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plate comprises a through hole.

6. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall is separated from a neighboring partition wall.

7. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall is disposed between neighboring light emitting devices of the light emitting devices.

8. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall is disposed between neighboring light emitting devices of the light emitting devices, and is open in a region without the neighboring light emitting devices.

9. The battery pack as claimed in claim 8, wherein the partition wall has a cross section that is parallel to the circuit board and that includes one of a straight line, an arc with an open portion, and a polygon with an open portion.

10. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall surrounds the light emitting device.

11. The battery pack as claimed in claim 10, wherein the partition wall has an open upper surface and an open lower surface.

12. The battery pack as claimed in claim 10, wherein the partition wall comprises a guide hole in a lower surface to transmit light from the light emitting device upward.

13. The battery pack as claimed in claim 10, wherein the partition wall has a cross section that is parallel to the circuit board and that includes one of a circle and a polygon.

14. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light emitting devices are fixed in a single row.

15. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least three of the light emitting devices are fixed at corners of a polygon.

16. The battery pack as claimed in claim 2, wherein the partition wall is fixed through one of an adhesive, heat welding, an adhesive tape, and a screw member.

17. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit board comprises a switch, and the battery gauge turns the light emitting device on or off according to a voltage of the battery cell when the switch is turned on.

18. The battery pack as claimed in claim 15, wherein the switch has an upper end exposed outside the pack case.

19. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit board is electrically connected to the protective circuit module, so that the circuit board is electrically connected to the battery cell.

20. The battery pack as claimed in claim 3, wherein the partition wall is fixed through one of an adhesive, heat welding, an adhesive tape, and a screw member.