Battery pack housing and packaging

• US 7,463,007 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2005
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Black & Decker Incorporated (Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.)
• Inventors: Trinh, Danh Thanh, Carrier, David A., Brotto, Daniele C., Phillips, Steven J., Seman, Andrew E. Jr., Yahnker, Christopher R., Campbell, Harry J., Francis, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah; Akm E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang; Jue
• Application Number:
  US11/071,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20050253553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 320111-114, 320/116, 320/135
• US Class Current: 320/114
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/42 Grouping of primary cells into batteries H01M6/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5016 Multimode utilisation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack with a first battery and a second battery, wherein each battery is a plurality of cells connected in series, and operable in a storage mode and a use mode, a storage mode defined by isolating the first battery from the second battery, and a use mode defined by electrically connecting the first battery to the second battery. The storage mode may include: electrically isolating said first plurality of cells from said second plurality of cells or physically isolating said first plurality of cells from said second plurality of cells.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a first battery disposed in a first housing part and including a first plurality of cells connected in series;

a second battery disposed in said a second housing part and including a second plurality of cells connected in series;

wherein said first battery and said second battery are operable in a storage mode and a use mode, said storage mode including isolating said first plurality of cells from said second plurality of cells, said use mode including electrically connecting said first plurality of cells to said second plurality of cells and defining a voltage and a storage capacity for the battery pack; and

a mechanical interface that couples said first housing part directly to said second housing part to form the battery pack;

wherein at least a portion of said mechanical interface is formed on said first housing part and a remainder of said mechanical interface is formed on said second housing part, and said mechanical interface enables said first housing part to be physically disconnected from said second housing part in said storage mode, and said first housing part and said second housing part to be physically connected in said use mode.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1 wherein said first plurality of cells includes a first positive terminal and a first common terminal, said second plurality of cells includes a second positive terminal and second common terminal.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2 further comprising a terminal block and wherein said first positive terminal, said first common terminal, said second positive terminal and said second common terminal terminate in said terminal block.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1 further comprising a controller electrically connected to at least one of said first plurality of cells and said second plurality of cells and disposed in a corresponding one of said first housing part and said second housing part.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4 wherein said controller controls one or more of the following functions:

charging, discharging, communication, identification, status, diagnostic, logging and switching.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5 wherein said controller is electrically isolated from said second plurality of cells in said storage mode and electrically connected to said second plurality of cells in said use mode.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1 further comprising a first controller and a second controller each disposed in a corresponding one of said first housing part and said second housing part, wherein said first controller is electrically connected to said first plurality of cells and said second controller is electrically connected to said second plurality of cells.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7 wherein said controller controls one or more of the following functions:

charging, discharging, communication, identification, status, diagnostic, logging and switching.

9. The battery pack according to claim 7 wherein said first controller is electrically isolated from said second controller in said storage mode and electrically connected to said controller in said use mode.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1 further comprising a separator material between said first housing part and said second housing part.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10 wherein said separator material is operable to separate said first housing part from said second housing part in said storage mode.

12. The battery pack according to claim 10 wherein said separator material is operable to retard flame.

13. The battery pack according to claim 1 wherein said first housing part and second housing part includes flame retardant material.

14. The battery pack according to claim 13 wherein at least one of said first housing part or said second housing part includes at least one of the following materials:

steel, sheet metal, aluminum, magnesium or titanium.

15. The battery pack according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said first housing part or said second housing part includes intumescent material.

16. The battery pack according to claim 15 wherein at least one of said first housing part or said second housing part includes an aperture and said intumescent material is disposed adjacent said aperture.

17. The battery pack according to claim 15 wherein said intumescent material is a coating.

18. The battery pack according to claim 15 wherein said intumescent material is a caulk.

19. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein said first housing part and said second housing part are separate discrete parts.