Battery pack

• US 5,999,102 A
• Filed: 03/24/1998
• Issued: 12/07/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Koyama, Toshio, Mitsui, Hidero
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/047,110
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 340/635, 340/636, 320/30, 320/5, 429/90, 429/96, 429/97, 429/98
• US Class Current: 340/636.1
• 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 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/296 characterised by terminals of battery packs terminals of batteries H01M50/543
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/597 Protection against reversal of polarity
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5066 Type recognition
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

In a battery pack, it is difficult that information on a contained battery of the battery pack, such as the accurate state of charge of the battery, is detected at an external equipment. A communication terminal which can communicate the state of charge of the contained battery to the external equipment is provided on the installation surface on which power supply terminals of the battery pack are provided or on the surface adjacent to the installation surface. This allows the corresponding electrodes or the like of the external equipment to be concentrated at one place, so that the space required to arrange the corresponding electrodes or the like is reduced, thus downsizing the equipment.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a microcomputer and means of communicating the state of charge of a contained battery detected by said microcomputer through a communication terminal, wherein

said communication terminal is positioned selectively on a first surface or on a second surface, and

said battery pack is installed using one of said surfaces in accordance with a selected one of plural arrangements.

2. A battery pack according to claim 1, wherein

said first surface is provided with positive and negative power supply terminals and said communication terminal is provided near the negative power supply terminal of said first surface.

3. A battery pack according to claim 1, wherein

said communication terminal is formed to lie on both said first surface and said second surface.

4. A battery pack according to claim 1, further comprising

determining means for determining whether the battery pack is a lithium battery or not.

5. A battery pack according to claim 4, wherein

said determining means is a groove which is provided on a surface of a case.

6. A battery pack according to claim 5, wherein

said groove is substantially greater in length than a standard groove length provided on a surface of a case.

7. A battery pack according to claim 6, wherein said groove extends nearly the length of said case.