Battery with integrated voltage converter

• US 7,932,700 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2007
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Duracell U.S. Operations, Inc. (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Batson, David C., Pinnell, Leslie J., Cintra, George M., Riemer, Joern, Kaplan, Alexander, Kressmann, Frank, DeMuth, David Leigh, Nanjundaswamy, Kirakodu S., Faranda, Leo
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar; Richard V
• Application Number:
  US11/776,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20080238369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 320/112, 320/134, 320/136, 320/133, 320/135, 320/140, 320157-158, 429/7
• US Class Current: 320/135
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• 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 10/058 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0587 of accumulators having only wound construction elements, i.e. wound positive electrodes, wound negative electrodes and wound separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/5825 Oxygenated metallic salts or polyanionic structures, e.g. borates, phosphates, silicates, olivines
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/14 Cells with non-aqueous electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A battery that includes an electrochemical cell having an internal bore therethrough is described herein. The battery also includes a voltage converter module electrically coupled to the electrochemical cell and disposed within a portion of the internal bore The voltage converter is configured to convert a first voltage produced by the electrochemical cell into a second, different voltage.

Claims

1. A battery comprising:

an electrochemical cell having an internal bore therethrough, the electrochemical cell including a jelly roll filled with an electrolyte solution, the jelly roll defining the internal bore passing through the electrochemical cell;

a voltage converter module electrically coupled to the electrochemical cell and disposed within a portion of the internal bore that extends through the electrochemical cell, the voltage converter configured to convert a first voltage produced by the electrochemical cell into a second, different voltage; and

a case enclosing the electrochemical cell and voltage converter, the case supporting a set of external terminals disposed on the case to which the second voltage is provided.

2. The battery of claim 1 wherein the electrochemical cell is configured to be charged to a charge level of at least 90% capacity in fifteen minutes or less.

3. The battery of claim 1, wherein the electrochemical cell includes a lithium-iron-phosphate cell.

4. The battery of claim 1, further comprising:

a set of tabs coupled between the electrochemical cell and voltage converter module; and

a second set of tabs coupled between the voltage converter module and external terminals supported by the battery case.

5. The battery of claim 1 wherein the voltage converter module comprises:

an electronic switching device; and

a controller electrically coupled to the electronic switching device, the controller configured to control the electronic switching device.

6. The battery of claim 5 wherein the controller is configured to:

monitor a voltage level at the set of external terminals; and

cause the electronic switching device to be switched based on the monitored voltage level so that the voltage level at the external terminal is substantially equal to a predetermined voltage level.

7. A battery comprising:

at least one electrochemical cell configured to be charged to a charge level of at least 90% capacity in fifteen minutes or less the electrochemical cell including a jelly roll filled with an electrolyte solution, the jelly roll defining an internal bore passing through the electrochemical cell;

a voltage converter module disposed within a portion of the internal bore that extends through the electrochemical cell and electrically coupled to the at least one electrochemical cell and configured to convert a first voltage produced by the at least one electrochemical cell into a second, different voltage;

a battery case that houses the at least one electrochemical cell and the voltage converter; and

a set of external terminals disposed on the battery case to which the second voltage is provided.

8. The battery of claim 7 wherein the voltage converter module comprises:

an electronic switching device; and

a controller electrically coupled to the electronic switching device, the controller configured to control the electronic switching device.

9. The battery of claim 8 wherein the controller is configured to:

monitor a voltage level at the set of external terminals; and

cause the electronic switching device to be switched based on the monitored voltage level so that the voltage level at the external terminal is substantially equal to a predetermined voltage level.

10. The battery of claim 7 wherein the at least one electrochemical cell includes a Li-Ion cell.

11. The battery of claim 10 wherein the Li-Ion cell includes a lithium-iron-phosphate cell.

12. The battery of claim 7 wherein the first voltage produced by the at least one electrochemical cell is greater than 1.8V.

13. The battery of claim 7 further comprising:

at least one additional terminal configured to receive charging current to recharge the battery and direct the charging current to electrodes coupled to the at least one electrochemical cell.

14. A method comprising:

converting, by a voltage converter module disposed within a portion of an internal bore that extends through an electrochemical cell, the electrochemical cell including a jelly roll filled with an electrolyte solution, the jelly roll defining the internal bore passing through the electrochemical cell, a first voltage at electrodes coupled to the electrochemical cell to a second, different voltage, with the electrodes and the electrochemical cell disposed in a battery case, the at least one electrochemical cell configured to be charged to a charge level of at least 90% capacity in fifteen minutes or less; and

providing the second voltage at external terminals disposed on the battery case.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein converting the first voltage comprises:

controlling an electronic switching device.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein controlling the electronic switching device comprises:

monitoring a voltage level at the external terminals; and

causing the electronic switching device to be switched based on the monitored voltage level so that the voltage level at the external terminals is substantially equal to a predetermined voltage level.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein converting the first voltage at the electrodes of the at least one electrochemical cell comprises:

converting the first voltage at the electrodes of at least one lithium-iron-phosphate cell.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining a current level to apply to the at least one electrochemical cell such that the at least one electrochemical cell achieves a charge level of at least 90% of the charge capacity of the at least one electrochemical cell in fifteen minutes or less; and

applying a charging current substantially equal to the determined current level to the at least one electrochemical cell.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein applying the charging current comprises:

applying the charging current to the set of external terminals.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein applying the charging current comprises:

applying the charging current to at least one additional charging terminal disposed on the battery case, the at least one additional charging terminal coupled to the electrodes coupled to the at least one electrochemical cell.