Battery cover release

• US 9,070,924 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yebka, Bouziane, Holung, Joseph Anthony, Wong, Tin-Lup
• Primary Examiner(s): HAUGHTON, ANTHONY MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/709,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20140160655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 320/114, 320/115, 320/151, 320/152, 320/156, 320/157, 320/162, 320/163, 320/164, 320/165, 320/137, 361/679.01, 361/679.02, 429/53, 429/54, 429/55
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1635 Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0565 Polymeric materials, e.g. gel-type or solid-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/211 adapted for pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

An assembly can include a chassis that includes a processor, a memory device with memory accessible by the processor, a battery bay and a cover seat; a cover securable in a seated state with respect to the cover seat to cover the battery bay; and an automatic release mechanism automatically actuatable by an increase in battery volume of a lithium battery disposed in the battery bay to release the cover from its seated state. Various other apparatuses, systems, methods, etc., are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising:

a chassis that comprises a processor, a memory device with memory accessible by the processor, a battery bay and a cover seat;

a lithium battery disposed in the battery bay;

a cover securable in a seated state with respect to the cover seat to cover the battery bay; and

an automatic release mechanism automatically actuatable by an increase in battery volume of the lithium battery disposed in the battery bay wherein the automatic release mechanism comprises an elastic bar elastically deformable responsive to an expansion force associated with an increase in battery volume of a lithium battery disposed in the battery bay and wherein the elastic bar comprises a fastener, the chassis comprises a receptacle and deformation of the elastic bar translates the fastener in the receptacle for release of the fastener from the receptacle to release the cover from its seated state.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the lithium battery comprises a lithium polymer battery.

3. The assembly of claim 1 comprising a plurality of lithium polymer batteries.

4. The assembly of claim 1 comprising a manual release mechanism to release the cover from its seated state.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the manual release mechanism comprises a member selected from a group consisting of a bolt, a screw, a lever, a knob, a button, and a latch.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the the elastic bar connects the cover to the chassis.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the elastic bar applies a biasing force to bias the cover in its seated state, the biasing force being less than an expansion force associated with an increase in battery volume of a lithium battery disposed in the battery bay.

8. The assembly of claim 1 comprising a strain gauge positioned to sense strain responsive to an increase in battery volume of a lithium battery disposed in the battery bay.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the chassis comprises a mechanical keyboard.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the chassis comprises a touchscreen display.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the assembly comprises an electric motor.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein elastic deformation of the elastic bar translates the fastener in the receptacle via elongation of the elastic bar.

13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the fastener comprises a T-shape and wherein the receptacle comprises a T-shape.

14. The assembly of claim 1 further comprising another cover securable in a seated state with respect to the another cover seat of the chassis to cover the battery bay wherein the chassis comprises opposing sides and wherein one of the cover seats is disposed in one of the opposing sides and wherein the other one of the cover seats is disposed in the other one of the opposing sides.

15. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the lithium battery comprises a width and a length, wherein the cover comprises a width and a length and wherein the width of the lithium battery exceeds the width of the cover, the length of the lithium battery exceeds the length of the cover or the width of the lithium battery exceeds the width of the cover and the length of the lithium battery exceeds the length of the cover.

16. An assembly comprising:

a processor;

a memory device with memory accessible by the processor;

a display accessible by the processor;

a chassis that comprises a battery bay and a cover seat;

a lithium battery disposed in the battery bay;

a translatable cover latch;

a cover securable by the translatable cover latch in a seated state with respect to the cover seat to cover the battery bay; and

a connector connected at a movable end to the lithium battery and at a fixed end to the chassis wherein the connector contacts and translates the translatable cover latch responsive to movement of the movable end by an increase in battery volume of the lithium battery disposed in the battery bay to release the cover from its seated state.

17. A method comprising;

in an assembly that comprises a processor, a memory device with memory accessible by the processor, a battery bay, a lithium battery disposed in the battery bay to power at least the processor and the memory device, a chassis that comprises a cover seat, a cover latch, a connector connected at a fixed end to the chassis and at a movable end to the lithium battery and a cover wherein the cover latch secures the cover in a seated state with respect to the cover seat to cover the battery bay and the lithium battery, increasing battery volume of the lithium battery;

responsive to the increasing, moving the movable end of the connector;

responsive to the moving, translating the cover latch; and

responsive to the translating, releasing the cover from its seated state.

18. The method of claim 17 comprising recharging the lithium battery.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the increasing battery volume comprises generating gas.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the assembly comprises a display and comprising sensing an increase in battery volume and issuing a notification for display to the display based at least in part on the sensing.