Electrical device-battery assembly and the method to make the same

• US 8,734,980 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Spark Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Blue Spark Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Tucholski, Gary R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilliam, Barbara
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARTIN, ANGELA J
• Application Number:
  US13/455,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 762 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 429/162
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0702 the arrangement including a battery
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07718 the record carrier being manufactured in a continuous process, e.g. using endless rolls
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/0495 Nanobatteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/40 Printed batteries , e.g. thin film batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0393 Flexible materials H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/16 incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistor, capacitor, inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1545 Continuous processing, i.e. involving rolls moving a band-like or solid carrier along a continuous production path
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Printed electronics are increasingly becoming an important industry, thus innovations to integrate the various components and processes would be very useful to expand this industry. Disclosed are innovational concepts that would be very useful to accelerate this industry. Webs of printed electronics, antennas, power sources (cells/batteries), and assembly substrates can be merged together to form a completed electronic assembly that could be, for example, in label form or in a stand alone electronic device.

Claims

1. An electrical device comprising:

an electrical apparatus including;

an apparatus substrate having a first side and an opposite second side,

an active electrical component provided on said first side of said apparatus substrate,

a flexible flat battery fixedly connected to said opposite second side of said apparatus substrate, wherein said battery is for providing electrical energy to said active electrical component,

a first electrical contact electrically connected to said active electrical component and printed on said second side of said apparatus substrate, and

a second electrical contact electrically connected to said active electrical component and printed on said second side of said apparatus substrate;

wherein said flexible flat battery including at least one electrochemical cell including a printed electrochemical layer comprising a cathode layer including a first dried or cured ink, and an additional electrochemical layer comprising an anode layer located adjacent to said printed electrochemical layer,

wherein both said printed electrochemical layer and said additional electrochemical layer are each at least partially covered by a same liquid electrolyte layer in contact with both said printed electrochemical layer and said additional electrochemical layer, and

wherein both of the cathode layer and anode layer are provided on a same battery substrate layer such that the cathode layer and the anode layer are thereby arranged substantially co-planar,

said battery having a first side and a second side, with said first side of said battery fixedly connected to said second side of said apparatus substrate, said battery further including;

a first electrode contact printed on said second side of said apparatus substrate and connected to said first electrical contact, and

a second electrode contact printed on said second side of said apparatus substrate and connected to said second electrical contact;

wherein said first and second electrode contacts are each connected to a selected one of the electrochemical layer and additional electrochemical layer of the electrochemical cell.

2. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein said flat battery is comprised of at least two electrochemical cells connected in series.

3. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein said printed electrochemical layer being printed on a collector layer including a second dried or cured ink, said collector layer being printed on said battery substrate layer.

4. The electrical device of claim 3, wherein said battery substrate layer is comprised of a plurality of layers laminated together.

5. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein said additional electrochemical layer is a strip including zinc that is laminated to said battery substrate layer.

6. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein said electrical component includes an RFID antenna.

7. The electrical device of claim 6, wherein said flexible substrate includes a second adhesive on an outer layer such that said electrical device can be applied to a surface as a label using said second adhesive.

8. A roll including a plurality of the electrical devices as defined in claim 7, wherein said plurality of said electrical devices are provided with said flexible substrate of each of said devices connected together in a linear web that are formed into said roll.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said battery is fixedly connected to said second side of said apparatus substrate using an intermediate adhesive.

10. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein said electrical component includes an RFID antenna.

11. The electrical device of claim 10, wherein said device substrate includes a second adhesive on an outer layer such that said electrical device can be applied to a surface as a label using said second adhesive.

12. A roll including a plurality of the electrical devices as defined in claim 11, wherein said plurality of electrical devices are provided with said flexible substrate of each of said devices connected together in a linear web that are formed into said roll.

13. A device having one of said electrical devices removed from the roll of claim 12 applied thereon.

14. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein one or both of:

said first electrode contact is connected to said first electrical contact via a first conducting adhesive; and

said second electrode contact is connected to said second electrical contact via a second conducting adhesive.

15. A roll including a plurality of the electrical devices as defined in claim 1, wherein said plurality of electrical devices are provided with said flexible substrate of each of said devices connected together in a linear web that are formed into said roll.

16. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein said flat battery is comprised of a single electrochemical cell.

17. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein said flat battery is comprised of at least two electrochemical cells connected in parallel.

18. An electrical device comprising:

an apparatus substrate having a first side and an opposite second side,

an active electrical component provided on said first side of said apparatus substrate,

a flexible flat battery fixedly connected to said opposite second side of said apparatus substrate, wherein said battery is for providing electrical energy to said active electrical component,

wherein said flexible flat battery includes;

at least one electrochemical cell including a printed electrochemical layer comprising a cathode layer including a first dried or cured ink, and

an additional electrochemical layer comprising an anode layer located adjacent to said printed electrochemical layer,

wherein both said printed electrochemical layer and said additional electrochemical layer are each at least partially covered by a same liquid electrolyte layer in contact with both said printed electrochemical layer and said additional electrochemical layer, and

wherein both of the cathode layer and anode layer are provided on a same battery substrate layer such that the cathode layer and the anode layer are thereby arranged substantially co-planar;

first and second electrical contacts electrically connected to said active electrical component and printed on said second side of said apparatus substrate;

first and second electrode contacts also printed on said second side of said apparatus substrate and connected to said first and second electrical contacts, respectively,

wherein said first and second electrode contacts are each connected to a selected one of the electrochemical layer and additional electrochemical layer of the electrochemical cell so that electrical energy from the battery is provided to the active electrical component via the first and second electrical contacts.

19. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein said additional electrochemical layer includes a dried or cured ink.

20. The electrical device of claim 18, wherein said additional electrochemical layer includes a dried or cured ink.