Construction of non-rectangular batteries

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8940429-B2
Application number	US-83793210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2010
Priority date	Jul 16, 2010
Publication date	Jan 27, 2015
Grant date	Jan 27, 2015

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 electrode sheets are electrically coupled in parallel and arranged in a stacked configuration;
a pouch enclosing the electrode sheets; and
a rigid plate beneath the stacked configuration of electrode sheets and within the pouch, wherein the rigid plate provides structural support for the stacked configuration of electrode sheets and wherein the set of electrode sheets has a hollow interior portion.

2. The battery cell of claim 1 , 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.

3. The battery cell of claim 2 , 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.

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

5. The battery cell of claim 4 , 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.

6. The battery cell of claim 1 , wherein at the hollow interior portion of the set of electrode sheets is configured to house components of an electronic device.

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, wherein the set of electrode sheets has a hollow interior portion;
disposing a rigid plate beneath the stacked configuration of electrode sheets, wherein the rigid plate provides structural support for the stacked configuration of electrode sheets;
enclosing the electrode sheets and the rigid plate in a pouch; and
electrically coupling the electrode sheets in a parallel configuration.

8. The method of claim 7 , 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.

9. The method of claim 8 , 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.

10. 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.

11. A battery pack, comprising:
a set of electrode sheets of different dimensions electrically coupled in parallel and arranged in a stacked configuration, wherein the set of electrode sheets has a hollow interior portion;
a rigid plate disposed beneath the stacked configuration of electrode sheets; and
a pouch enclosing the stacked configuration of electrode sheets and the rigid plate.

12. The battery pack of claim 11 , 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.

13. The battery pack of claim 12 , 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.

14. The battery pack of claim 11 , 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.

15. The battery pack of claim 11 , wherein the electrode sheets are arranged in the stacked configuration to accommodate a shape of the portable electronic device.

16. A portable electronic device, comprising:
a set of components powered by a battery pack, the battery pack comprising:
a set of electrode sheets of different dimensions electrically coupled in parallel and arranged in a stacked configuration, wherein the set of electrode sheets has a hollow interior portion configured to receive at least one component of the set of components powered by the battery pack;
a rigid plate disposed beneath the stacked configuration of electrode sheets; and
a pouch enclosing the stacked configuration of electrode sheets and the rigid plate.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16 , 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.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 17 , 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.

19. 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.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the electrode sheets are arranged in the stacked configuration to accommodate a shape of the portable electronic device.

Assignees

• Spare Bradley L
• 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