Battery pack for portable electronic device

• US 5,736,271 A
• Filed: 06/28/1996
• Issued: 04/07/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telxon Corporation (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Leppo, Lee E., Cisar, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skapars, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US08/672,740
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 429/96-100, 429/123, 361/730, 361/814, 307/150
• US Class Current: 429/96
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack adapted to be removably inserted into a battery receiving compartment of a portable electronic device for supplying power to the device is disclosed. The battery pack includes a plurality of cylindrically shaped battery cells and an elongated casing having two spaced apart ends and defining an interior region in which the plurality of battery cells are disposed. Outer cylindrical surfaces of first and second cells and an inner surface of the casing define two elongated open regions extending away from the first end of the casing. The battery pack also includes an integrated circuit board disposed intermediate a first end of the casing and negative and positive connector plates of the cells and includes conductive traces electrically coupled to the connector plates of the first and second cells. The battery pack further includes a pair of open ended elongated sockets adapted to receive respective housing terminal pins when the battery pack is inserted into the housing interior region, the sockets are affixed to the circuit board and extend though the apertures in the board and into the elongated open regions.

Claims

1. A battery pack adapted to be removably inserted into a battery receiving compartment of a portable electronic device for supplying power to the device, the device housing including two substantially parallel electrical terminal pins extending into the battery receiving compartment from a portion of a wall defining the compartment, the terminal pins electrically connected to power supply circuitry of the device, the battery pack comprising:

a) a plurality of cylindrically shaped battery cells for providing power to the device;

b) an elongated casing having two spaced apart ends and defining an interior region in which the plurality of battery cells are disposed along two substantially parallel longitudinal axis such that a first cell includes a positive connector plate near a first end of the casing and second cell includes a negative connector plate near the first end of the casing, outer cylindrical surfaces of the first and second cells and an inner surface of the casing defining two elongated open regions extending away from the first end of the casing, the casing further including two spaced apart apertures through the first end of the casing sized to accepting the housing terminal pins;

c) an integrated circuit board disposed intermediate the first end of the casing and the negative and positive connector plates and including conductive traces electrically coupled to the connector plates of the first and second cells;

d) a pair of open ended elongated sockets adapted to receive respective housing terminal pins when the battery pack is inserted into the housing battery receiving compartment, the sockets being affixed to the circuit board and extending though the apertures in the board and into the elongated open regions in a direction substantially parallel to the two longitudinal axis of the cells; and

e) the conductive traces of the board electrically coupling one socket to the positive connector plate and electrically coupling the other socket to the negative connector plate such that a first housing terminal pin is electrically coupled to the positive connector plate and a second housing terminal pin is electrically coupled to the negative connector plate when the battery pack is inserted into the housing battery receiving compartment.

2. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the casing is comprised of plastic.

3. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the sockets are affixed to the integrated circuit board by soldering.

4. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the integrated circuit board includes voltage and current regulating circuitry coupled to the conduction traces.

5. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein each of the sockets includes an enlarged end portion which fits into respective different ones of the two spaced apart apertures.

6. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the first and second battery cells are comprised of a rechargeable lithium ion composition.

7. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein each of the two elongated open regions is substantially triangular in shape when viewed in section perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the casing.

8. A battery pack adapted to be removably inserted into a battery receiving compartment of a portable electronic device, the battery pack comprising:

a) a plurality of cylindrically shaped battery cells, wherein the plurality of battery cells includes a first battery cell having a first outer cylindrical surface and a second battery cell having a second outer cylindrical surface;

b) a battery pack casing having a front face and an interior region, the front face having a first aperture and a second aperture, and the interior region housing the plurality of battery cells, the first battery cell and the second battery cell being situated such that a plane defined by the outer surface of the first battery cell is substantially parallel to a plane defined by the outer surface of the second battery cell and each of the first and second outer surfaces are substantially tangential to the front surface of the battery pack casing, whereby a pair of triangular shaped open regions are formed by the outer surface of the first battery cell, the outer surface of the second battery cell and the interior region of the battery pack casing;

c) a first socket for receiving a first terminal housing pin through the first aperture in the front facing of the battery casing when the battery pack is inserted into the receiving compartment, the first socket providing an anode connection receptacle between the portable electronic device and the battery pack and the first socket substantially located within one of the pair of triangular shaped open regions; and

d) a second socket for receiving a second terminal housing pin through the second aperture in the front face of the battery casing when the battery pack is inserted into the receiving compartment, the second socket providing a cathode connection receptacle between the portable electronic device and the battery pack and the second socket substantially located within one of the pair of triangular shaped open regions.

9. The battery pack of claim 8 wherein said first battery cell has a positive connector plate near said front face of said battery casing and said second battery cell has a negative connector plate near said front face of said battery casing, said battery pack further comprising:

a) a circuit board disposed within said battery pack casing and positioned intermediate said front face and said positive and negative connector plates, said circuit board having an anode aperture and a cathode aperture, said anode aperture electrically coupled to said positive connector plates via a first conductive trace and said cathode aperture electrically coupled to said negative connector plate via a second conductive trace; and

b) wherein said first socket is electrically coupled to the circuit board at the anode aperture and said second socket is electrically coupled to the circuit board at the cathode aperture.

10. The battery pack of claim 8 wherein said first socket is located in a first one of the pair of said triangular shaped open regions and said second socket is located in a second one of the pair of triangular shaped open regions.

11. The battery pack of claim 8 wherein said first battery cell and said second battery cell are connected in series.

12. The battery pack of claim 8 wherein said plurality of battery cells are rechargeable.

13. A portable electronic device comprising:

a) a housing defining a battery pack receiving compartment;

b) a pair of spaced apart terminal pins extending into the battery pack receiving compartment, the pair of pins being electrically coupled to power supply circuitry of the device;

c) a rechargeable battery pack adapted to slidingly interfit into the battery pack receiving compartment, the rechargeable battery pack including;

i) an elongated casing having a first end and a second end spaced apart by a body portion, the casing defining an interior region and including a spaced apart pair of apertures in the first end sized to accept the pair of spaced apart terminal pins;

ii) two elongated, rechargeable battery cells disposed in the casing interior region, a longitudinal axis of each cell being substantially parallel and substantially orthogonal to a first end of the casing, the cells being electrically coupled; and

iii) a pair of elongated, spaced apart terminal pins receiving sockets, coupled to a charge conducting ends of the cells disposed adjacent the first end of the casing, one of the ends being positively charged and the other end being negatively charged, at least one socket positioned to extend from one of the pair of apertures of the casing into a first open region in the casing interior region substantially bounded by a portion of an outer surface of each cell and a portion of an inner surface of the casing body portion adjacent the casing first end, a longitudinal axis of the at least one socket being substantially orthogonal to the first end of the casing the sockets receiving a respective one of the pair of terminal pins to electrically couple the battery cells to the power supply circuitry.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 13 wherein the other socket of the pair of sockets is positioned to extend from the other of the pair of apertures of the casing into a second open region in the casing interior region substantially bounded by a portion of an outer surface of each cell and a portion of an inner surface of the casing body portion adjacent the casing first end, a longitudinal axis of the other socket of the pair of sockets being substantially orthogonal to the first end of the casing.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 13 wherein the casing is comprised of plastic.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 13 wherein an integrated circuit board is disposed intermediate the first end of the casing and the battery cells and includes conductive traces electrically coupled to the cells.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16 wherein the sockets are affixed to the integrated circuit board by soldering.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 16 wherein the integrated circuit board includes voltage and current regulating circuitry coupled to the conductive traces.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 13 wherein each of the sockets includes an enlarged end portion which fits into respective different ones of the two spaced apart pair of apertures.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 13 wherein the battery cells are comprised of a rechargeable lithium ion composition.

21. The portable electronic device of claim 14 wherein each of the two elongated open regions is substantially triangular in shape when viewed from a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the casing.