Battery and connection apparatus

• US 9,917,285 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2017
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Group Corp.
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Motoyama, Shigeki, Kumagai, Atsuhiro, Mitani, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruddock, Ula C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Ben
• Application Number:
  US15/468,570
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/103 prismatic or rectangular H01M50/109, H01M50/11 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/247 specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/548 on opposite sides of the cell
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/597 Protection against reversal of polarity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery includes: a casing that houses a cell inside; and a terminal part that has connection terminals connected to electrode terminals of a connection apparatus, in which the casing includes a top face and a bottom face positioned on opposite sides in a height direction and two side faces positioned between the top face and the bottom face on opposite sides in a widthwise direction, a notch is formed by a level difference face that is continuous from the side face and a groove forming face that is continuous from the bottom face, and a guided groove that is open to the groove forming face is formed in the casing, and the guided groove is positioned on a further bottom face side than the level difference face.

Claims

1. A battery comprising:

a casing configured to house a battery cell; and

a terminal part including connection terminals configured to connect to electrode terminals of a connection apparatus,

wherein the casing includes

a top face and a bottom face positioned on opposite sides of the casing in a first direction and first and second side faces positioned between the top face and the bottom face on opposite sides of the casing in a second direction,

a front face and a rear face positioned on opposite sides of the casing in a third direction, the third direction being orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction,

a first notch formed by a first surface that extends from an edge of the first side face in the second direction and a second surface that extends from an edge of the bottom face in the first direction,

a first guided groove that is open along the third direction and into the second surface, wherein the first guided groove is positioned closer to the bottom face than to the first surface, and

a second guided groove that is open along the third direction and into the second surface, wherein the second guided groove is positioned closer to the bottom face than to the first surface,

wherein a portion of the second surface that is between the first guided groove and the second guided groove extends continuously from the bottom face to the first surface, such that the portion of the second surface separates the first guided groove and the second guided groove, and

wherein a first end of the first guided groove and a first end of the first surface end at the front face of the casing.

2. The battery according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second notch formed by a third surface that extends from an edge of the second side face in the second direction and a fourth surface that extends from an edge of the bottom face in the first direction.

3. The battery according to claim 2, further comprising:

a main body part that includes the first surface, the top face, and the first and second side faces; and

a bottom part that includes the second surface and the bottom face,

wherein a distance between the first and second side faces in the second direction is longer than a distance between the second surface of the first notch and the fourth surface the second notch in the second direction.

4. The battery according to claim 2, wherein the casing includes a third guided groove that is open along the third direction and into the fourth surface, wherein the third guided groove is positioned closer to the bottom face than to the third surface, and wherein a first end of the third guided groove and a first end of the third surface end at the front face of the casing.

5. The battery according to claim 4, wherein the casing includes a fourth guided groove that is open along the third direction and into the fourth surface, wherein the second guided groove is positioned closer to the bottom face than to the third surface, and wherein a portion of the fourth surface that is between the third guided groove and the fourth guided groove extends continuously from the bottom face to the third surface, such that the portion of the fourth surface separates the third guided groove and the fourth guided groove.

6. The battery according to claim 5, wherein the casing includes engagement concave parts configured to receive engagement protruding parts, the engagement concave parts being open along opposite sides of the casing.

7. The battery according to claim 6, wherein the engagement concave parts include a first engagement concave part and a second engagement concave part, the first concave engagement part being located in an area of the second guided groove, and the second engagement concave part being located in an area of the fourth guided groove.

8. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the first guided groove and the second guided groove are among a plurality of guided grooves spaced apart from each other along the third direction, the third direction being a connection direction of the connection terminals and the electrode terminals.

9. The battery according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of guided grooves includes at least three guided grooves.

10. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the second surface extends from the front face to the rear face in the third direction.

11. The battery according to claim 1, wherein first surface extends from the front face to the rear face in the third direction.

12. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the casing includes an upper case that includes the top face and parts of the first and second side faces and a lower case that includes the bottom face, the other parts of the first and second side faces, and the second surface.

13. The battery according to claim 1,

wherein a terminal arrangement groove in which the connection terminals are arranged is formed in the casing, and

a top-most face among faces forming the terminal arrangement groove is positioned closer to the bottom face than to the first surface.

14. The battery according to claim 1,

wherein the casing includes a front face and a rear face that are positioned on opposite sides in third direction of the casing,

a terminal arrangement groove, in which the connection terminals are arranged, open at least to the front face is formed in the casing, and

a top-most face among faces forming the terminal arrangement groove is positioned closer to the bottom face than to an end edge, which is positioned on the most top face side, of the first guided groove.

15. The battery according to claim 1,

wherein the casing includes a front face and a rear face that are positioned on opposite sides in a third direction of the casing,

a terminal arrangement groove, in which the connection terminals are arranged, open at least to the front face is formed in the casing, and

a top-most face among faces forming the terminal arrangement groove is positioned closer to the top face than to an end edge, which is positioned on the most bottom face side, of the first guided groove.

16. The battery according to claim 1,

wherein the casing includes a front face and a rear face that are positioned on opposite sides in a third direction of the casing,

a functional groove that is open at least to the front face and has a predetermined function is formed in the casing, and

a top-most face among faces forming the functional groove is positioned closer to the bottom face than to the first surface.

17. The battery according to claim 1,

wherein the casing includes a front face and a rear face that are positioned on opposite sides in a third direction of the casing,

a functional groove that is open at least to the front face and has a predetermined function is formed in the casing, and

a top-most face among faces forming the functional groove is closer to the bottom face than to a face, which is positioned on the most top face side, of the first guided groove.

18. The battery according to claim 1,

wherein the casing includes a front face and a rear face that are positioned on opposite sides in a third direction of the casing,

a functional groove that is open at least to the front face and has a predetermined function is formed in the casing, and

a top-most face among faces forming the functional groove is close to the top face than to a face, which is positioned on the most bottom face side, of the first guided groove.

19. A battery comprising:

a casing configured to house a battery cell; and

a terminal part including connection terminals configured to connect to electrode terminals of a connection apparatus,

wherein the casing includes

a top face and a bottom face positioned on opposite sides of the casing in a first direction and first and second side faces positioned between the top face and the bottom face on opposite sides of the casing in a second direction,

a first notch formed by a first surface that extends from an edge of the first side face in the second direction and a second surface that extends from an edge of the bottom face in the first direction,

a first guided groove that is open along a third direction of the casing and into the second surface, wherein the first guided groove is positioned closer to the bottom face than to the first surface, and

engagement concave parts configured to receive engagement protruding parts, the engagement concave parts being open along faces at opposite sides of the casing.

20. The battery according to claim 19, wherein the engagement concave parts are also open along at least one additional face orthogonal to the faces at opposite sides of the casing.

21. The battery according to claim 19, wherein at least one of the engagement concave parts is formed in an area in which the first guided groove is present.

22. The battery according to claim 21,

wherein the first guided groove is one of a plurality of guided grooves spaced apart from each other along a third direction, the third direction being a connection direction of the connection terminals and the electrode terminals, and

at least one of the engagement concave parts is formed in an area in which at least one of the guided grooves is formed in an end portion of a side, on which the connector is positioned.

23. The battery according to claim 19, wherein the electrode terminals and the connection terminals are connected when the engagement protruding parts are engaged with the engagement concave parts.