Construction of non-rectangular batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10135097-B2
Application number	US-201514606975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2015
Priority date	Jul 16, 2010
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to a battery cell which includes a set of electrode sheets of different dimensions arranged in a stacked configuration to facilitate efficient use of space inside a portable electronic device. For example, the electrode sheets may be arranged in the stacked configuration to accommodate a shape of the portable electronic device. The stacked configuration may be based on a non-rectangular battery design such as a toroidal design, an L-shaped design, a triangular design, a pie-shaped design, a cone-shaped design, and/or a pyramidal design.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery cell, comprising:
a set of electrode sheets of different dimensions,
wherein the set of electrode sheets is arranged in a stacked configuration, and
wherein the set of electrode sheets has a hollow interior portion, the hollow interior portion comprising a sidewall formed from the set of electrode sheets;

a pouch enclosing the set of electrode sheets; and
a first and second battery terminal, the first and second battery terminal extending through the pouch and within the hollow interior portion, wherein the hollow interior portion is entirely surrounded by the set of electrode sheets along the sidewall of the hollow interior portion.

2. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrode sheets are arranged in the stacked configuration based on a non-rectangular battery design.

3. The battery cell of claim 2 , wherein the non-rectangular battery design is at least one of a toroidal design, a triangular design, a pie-shaped design, a cone-shaped design, and a pyramidal design.

4. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein the electrode sheets are electrically coupled in parallel.

5. The battery cell of claim 4 , wherein electrically coupling the electrode sheets in parallel comprises: electrically coupling a first set of conductive tabs, wherein each of the first set of conductive tabs is coupled to a cathode of one of the electrode sheets; and electrically coupling a second set of conductive tabs, wherein each of the second set of conductive tabs is coupled to an anode of one of the electrode sheets.

6. The battery cell of claim 5 , wherein the first set of conductive tabs is electrically coupled using at least one of a wire-bonding technique, a spot-welding technique, a crimping technique, a riveting technique, and an ultrasonic-welding technique.

7. A method for providing a power source for a portable electronic device, comprising:
arranging a set of electrode sheets of different dimensions in a stacked configuration to form a battery cell, wherein the set of electrode sheets has a hollow interior portion the hollow interior portion comprising a sidewall formed from the set of electrode sheets;
enclosing the electrode sheets in a pouch; and
disposing a first and second battery terminal through the pouch and within the hollow interior portion, wherein the hollow interior portion is entirely surrounded by the set of electrode sheets along the sidewall of the hollow interior portion.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the electrode sheets are arranged in the stacked configuration based on at least one of a toroidal design, a triangular design, a pie-shaped design, a cone-shaped design, and a pyramidal design.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising electrically coupling the electrode sheets in a parallel configuration.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein electrically coupling the electrode sheets in the parallel configuration involves: electrically coupling a first set of conductive tabs, wherein each of the first set of conductive tabs is coupled to a cathode of one of the electrode sheets; and electrically coupling a second set of conductive tabs, wherein each of the second set of conductive tabs is coupled to an anode of one of the electrode sheets.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first set of conductive tabs is electrically coupled using at least one of a wire-bonding technique, a spot-welding technique, a crimping technique, a riveting technique, and an ultrasonic-welding technique.

12. A portable electronic device, comprising
a set of components powered by a battery pack, the battery pack comprising:
a battery cell, comprising:
a set of electrode sheets of different dimensions arranged in a stacked configuration, wherein the set of electrode sheets has a hollow interior portion, the hollow interior portion comprising a sidewall formed from the set of electrode sheets;
a pouch enclosing the stacked configuration of electrode sheets; and
a first and second battery terminal, the first and second battery terminal extending through the pouch and within the hollow interior portion, wherein the hollow interior portion is entirely surrounded by the set of electrode sheets along the sidewall of the hollow interior portion.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the set of electrode sheets are electrically coupled in parallel.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the electrode sheets are arranged in the stacked configuration to accommodate a shape of the portable electronic device.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 13 , wherein electrically coupling the electrode sheets in parallel comprises: electrically coupling a first set of conductive tabs, wherein each of the first set of conductive tabs is coupled to a cathode of one of the electrode sheets; and electrically coupling a second set of conductive tabs, wherein each of the second set of conductive tabs is coupled to an anode of one of the electrode sheets.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the first set of conductive tabs is electrically coupled using at least one of a wire-bonding technique, a spot-welding technique, a crimping technique, a riveting technique, and an ultrasonic-welding technique.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the electrode sheets are arranged in the stacked configuration based on at least one of a toroidal design, a triangular design, a pie-shaped design, a cone-shaped design, and a pyramidal design.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Spare Bradley L

Classifications

• H01M50/178

  for pouch or flexible bag cells · CPC title

• H01M50/105 Primary

  Pouches or flexible bags · CPC title

• H01M50/553

  Terminals adapted for prismatic, pouch or rectangular cells · CPC title

• H01M50/55

  on the same side of the cell · CPC title

• H01M50/129

  with two or more layers of only organic material · CPC title