Battery pack including battery gauge

• US 9,112,246 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Kim, Eunyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruddock, Ula C
• Assistant Examiner(s): GATEWOOD, DANIEL S
• Application Number:
  US12/762,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20110007501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/106 PTC
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack including a battery gauge. The battery gauge includes a circuit board, light emitting devices electrically connected to a battery cell on the circuit board and turned on or off according to a voltage of the battery cell, a display unit disposed outside a pack case at positions corresponding to the light emitting devices, and a partition wall guiding light of the light emitting device to a part of the display unit corresponding to the light emitting device. Since the partition wall prevents light of the light emitting device from affecting the neighboring light emitting device, an on/off operation of the light emitting device is accurately displayed on the display unit, so that a battery discharge level can be accurately detected.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising:

at least one rechargeable battery cell;

a protective circuit module electrically connected to the battery cell;

a pack case accommodating the battery cell and the protective circuit module; and

a battery gauge, the battery gauge comprises;

a circuit board;

a plate on the circuit board having an approximate + shape;

a plurality of light emitting devices electrically connected to the battery cell on the circuit board and turned on or off according to a voltage of the battery cell;

a display unit disposed outside the pack case at positions corresponding to the light emitting devices; and

a plurality of partition wall guiding lights extending at 90 degrees from the plate, each of the plurality of partition wall guiding lights has three walls with a center wall attached to two outer walls at angles of greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees,

wherein the three walls of each of the plurality of partition wall guiding lights partially surrounds one of the plurality of light emitting devices,

wherein the outer walls of adjacent partition wall guiding lights do not connect with any other structure except the plate and the center wall and form an open portion corresponding to a region without light emitting devices where extensions of the approximate + shaped plate exist.

2. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall has an end fixed on the circuit board, and another end protruding to the display unit.

3. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall has an end fixed on a lower side of the display unit, and another end protruding to the circuit board.

4. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall is connected to a neighboring partition wall through a plate to form a single piece.

5. The battery pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein the plate comprises a through hole.

6. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall is separated from a neighboring partition wall.

7. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition wall is disposed between neighboring light emitting devices of the light emitting devices.

8. The battery pack as claimed in claim 2, wherein the partition wall is fixed through one of an adhesive, heat welding, an adhesive tape, and a screw member.

9. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit board comprises a switch, and the battery gauge turns the light emitting device on or off according to a voltage of the battery cell when the switch is turned on.

10. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch has an upper end exposed outside the pack case.

11. The battery pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the circuit board is electrically connected to the protective circuit module, so that the circuit board is electrically connected to the battery cell.

12. The battery pack as claimed in claim 3, wherein the partition wall is fixed through one of an adhesive, heat welding, an adhesive tape, and a screw member.