Conforming intelligent battery label
First Claim
1. A battery management system for attachment to a standard battery pack to form an intelligent battery pack, the battery management system comprising:
- a flexible, substantially planar battery label constructed and arranged to be securely affixed to a portion of an exterior surface of the standard battery pack,wherein said battery label conforms to the battery pack exterior surface thereby forming an intelligent battery pack having dimensions substantially the same as the standard battery pack,whereby said intelligent battery pack can be installed in a battery pocket configured to interoperate with the standard battery pack.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A thin, substantially planar intelligent battery label for attachment to an exterior surface of a standard battery pack to form an intelligent battery pack having dimensions substantially the same as the standard battery pack. The battery management system is implemented within the battery label as a circuit having a variety of components interconnected by a flex circuit. The components of the battery management system may be located on any desired surface of the standard battery pack so as to minimally interfere with the interoperation of the resulting intelligent battery pack with battery pockets designed to receive the standard battery pack. The battery label may be configured to attach to a wide variety of battery packs through the formation of appropriately placed hinge lines and battery management system components. The battery label is a layered device with battery management circuitry disposed on one surface of a flexible base substrate and covered by an impenetrable outer layer. Positive and negative power tabs are electrically connected the conductive traces and extend away from an edge of the battery label to be electrically connected to positive and negative terminals, respectively, of the standard battery pack. Various circuit components are included, such as status indicators, membrane buttons, and integrated circuits for providing a desired functionality include battery management functions. Bare metal contacts may also be included for communicating, sensing, etc.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A battery management system for attachment to a standard battery pack to form an intelligent battery pack, the battery management system comprising:
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a flexible, substantially planar battery label constructed and arranged to be securely affixed to a portion of an exterior surface of the standard battery pack, wherein said battery label conforms to the battery pack exterior surface thereby forming an intelligent battery pack having dimensions substantially the same as the standard battery pack, whereby said intelligent battery pack can be installed in a battery pocket configured to interoperate with the standard battery pack. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A thin battery label for use with a standard battery pack to be installed in a battery port comprising:
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a flex circuit having one or more electronic components and a plurality of conductive traces for electrically interconnecting said one or more components and terminals of the standard battery pack, said flex circuit performing battery management operations; and a flexible base substrate having a first surface constructed and arranged to receive securely said flex circuit and an opposing second surface constructed and arranged to be attached to a portion of an exterior surface of the standard battery pack such that said battery label conforms to the standard battery pack exterior surface to which it is attached, wherein the one or more electronic components are arranged on said flexible base substrate such that electronic components having a relatively greater dimension are attached to a side of the standard battery pack for which there is no adjacent battery port surface. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for manufacturing an intelligent battery pack comprising the steps of:
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providing a flexible base substrate having a substantially planar first surface and an opposing, substantially planar second surface; disposing a battery management circuit on said first surface of said flexible base substrate; providing a standard battery pack; and securing said second surface of said flexible base substrate to an exterior surface of said standard battery pack to form an intelligent battery pack having dimensions substantially the same as said standard battery pack. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification