SMART BATTERY WITH INTEGRATED SENSING AND ELECTRONICS

• US 20170092994A1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Canfield, Dwayne E., Iyer, Ravishankar, Keates, Andrew W., Peek, Gregory A., Pontarelli, Mark C.
• Application Number:
  US14/866,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20170092994A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0562 Solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0565 Polymeric materials, e.g. gel-type or solid-type
• 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 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• 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 10/486 for measuring temperature
• 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: H01M 2300/0065 Solid electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/107 having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/103, H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/202 Casings or frames around the primary casing of a single cell or a single battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/233 characterised by physical properties of casings or racks, e.g. dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/284 with incorporated circuit boards, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB]
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/548 on opposite sides of the cell

Abstract

A battery includes integrated circuitry. The battery may include, for example, a substrate with a battery cell including an anode and a cathode. One or more electrical devices may be integrated on or within the substrate and configured to receive power from the anode and cathode. A package containing the substrate and the one or more electrical devices may include a first battery terminal electrically coupled to the anode and a second battery terminal electrically coupled to the cathode. The one or more electrical devices may include sensing circuitry to generate sensor data, and communication circuitry to provide the sensor data external to the package.

Claims

1. A battery comprising:

a substrate comprising a battery cell including an anode and a cathode;

one or more electrical devices integrated on or within the substrate and configured to receive power from the anode and cathode; and

a package containing the substrate and the one or more electrical devices, the package comprising a first battery terminal electrically coupled to the anode and a second battery terminal electrically coupled to the cathode,

wherein the one or more electrical devices comprise;

sensing circuitry to generate sensor data; and

communication circuitry to provide the sensor data external to the package.

2. The battery of claim 1, wherein the one or more electrical devices further comprise processing circuitry to process the sensor data.

3. The battery of claim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control power provided by the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal based on the processed sensor data.

4. The battery of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to communicate the sensor data through at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal.

5. The battery of claim 4, wherein the communication circuitry is further configured to receive signals through at least one of the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal.

6. The battery of claim 1, further comprising at least one electrical terminal separate from the first battery terminal and the second battery terminal, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to communicate the sensor data through the at least one electrical terminal.

7. The battery of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry is configured to wirelessly transmit the sensor data.

8. The battery of claim 1, wherein the sensing circuitry includes one or more sensors selected from a group comprising an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a global positioning system receiver, a temperature sensor, a microphone, an image sensor, an electrical load sensor, a light sensor, and a pressure sensor.

9. The battery of claim 1, wherein the one or more electrical devices further comprise at least one of a memory device and an input/output (I/O) interface.

10. The battery of claim 1, wherein the package is sized and configured to conform to a standard form factor for replaceable batteries.

11. The battery of claim 1, wherein the package is sized and configured as a replaceable module in a modular mobile user device.

12. The battery of claim 1, wherein the package is integrated with a host device, and wherein the sensor data is associated with use of the host device.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a package comprising a first electrode and a second electrode to provide power to a host device;

a battery cell within the package to provide the power to the first electrode and the second electrode; and

circuitry integrated with the battery cell within the package to communicate data through at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

receive data through the first electrode;

process the data; and

transmit the processed data through the second electrode.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data comprises sensor data, and wherein the circuitry is configured to process the sensor data to determine one or more parameters associated with operation of the host device or a surrounding environment.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more parameters are selected from a group comprising motion, use, frequency of use, location, orientation, power consumption, exposure to moisture, humidity, vibration, temperature, atmospheric pressure, air quality, water quality, audio, radiation, visible light, and infrared (IR) light.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the circuitry is configured to, in response to a determination that the one or more parameters are at or above a threshold level, trigger a function.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the function includes one or more operations selected from a group comprising selection of a power mode, adjustment of the power provided to the first electrode and the second electrode based on the power mode, communication of the power mode through at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode, communication of a wireless message, activation of a light emitting diode, activation of a microphone, activation or deactivation of a sensor, and transmission of a command through at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode to activate or deactivate a sensor.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the circuitry further comprises one or more sensor.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the package is sized and configured to conform to a standard form factor for replaceable batteries.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the package is sized and configured as a replaceable module in a modular mobile user device.

22. A modular system comprising:

a plurality of battery modules comprising integrated circuitry to respectively perform a function of the modular system; and

a frame configured to selectively secure and detach the plurality of battery modules thereto, the frame to provide electrical connection between the plurality of battery modules.

23. The modular system of claim 22, further comprising a display device coupled to the frame and configured to receive power from one or more of the plurality of battery modules.

24. The modular system of claim 22, further comprising one or more non-battery modules configured to perform another function of the modular system, the one or more non-battery modules to receive power through the electrical connection provided by the frame from at least one of the plurality of battery modules.

25. The modular system of claim 22, wherein the function of the modular system respectively performed by each of the plurality of battery modules is selected from a group comprising digital camera, speaker, processor, memory, game controller, night vision sensor, pico projector, laser pointer, receipt printer, medical device, wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, and a wireless wide area network (WWAN) interface.