Battery pack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9023514-B2
Application number	US-201013514653-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2010
Priority date	Dec 29, 2009
Publication date	May 5, 2015
Grant date	May 5, 2015

Abstract

[Object] To prevent elements in a pack main body and an electronic apparatus from malfunctioning even if the pack main body having an outer shape line-symmetric in up and down directions and left- and right-hand directions is incorrectly attached.
[Solving Means] There are provided a pack main body 11 installing the battery cell 29 and a terminal portion 12 constituted of a plus terminal 12 a, a minus terminal 12 b, and a control terminal 12 c that are provided on a front surface 11 c of the pack main body 11. The plus terminal 12 a, the minus terminal 12 b, and the control terminal 12 c are provided so as to be deviated to one end portion 11 f in a width direction of the front surface 11 c and arranged in an order of the plus terminal 12 a, the control terminal 12 c, and the minus terminal 12 b. The sizes of the control terminal 12 c, the plus terminal 12 a, and the minus terminal 12 b are increased in an order of the control terminal 12 c, the plus terminal 12 a, and the minus terminal 12 b such that the control terminal 12 c is formed to be the smallest. While being attachable to various electronic apparatuses, the pack main body can ensure a sufficient mechanical strength.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery pack, comprising:
a window frame portion disposed on a first end side of a pack body and provided with terminal windows including a first terminal window through which a plus terminal of a terminal portion is exposed to an outside, a second terminal window through which a minus terminal of the terminal portion is exposed to the outside, and a third terminal window through which a communication terminal of the terminal portion is exposed to the outside;
wherein the terminal windows are deviated to a first side in a width direction in the window frame portion and are arranged in an order of the first terminal window, the third terminal window, and the second terminal window from the first side,
wherein a size of the third terminal window is smaller than each of the first and second terminal windows, and
wherein at least one of two side portions of the battery pack has at least one curved surface, the two side portions being disposed at the first side and at a second side of the battery pack opposite the first side.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein
the terminals are exposed to the outside through the terminal windows each having a substantially rectangular shape, and
each of the terminal windows is, at least in a side thereof in the width direction of the window frame portion, provided with a taper portion.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2 , wherein
a side on the first terminal window on the first side and a side on the second terminal window on the second side are steeper than the other sides of the first and second terminal windows.

4. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein
to a substrate portion to which a lead terminal of a battery cell is connected, a holder that holds the substrate portion, and the window frame portion to cover the substrate portion held by the holder are attached,
the window frame portion is provided with a rib to be integrated with the holder, and the rib has a flat portion in an inside of the battery pack and a curved surface opposite the flat surface.

5. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the first terminal window and the first side is shorter than a distance between the second terminal window and the second side.

6. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the plus terminal, the minus terminal, and the communication terminal are disposed along a line extending in the width direction.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein sizes of the plus terminal, the minus terminal, and the communication terminal are increased in an order of the communication terminal, the plus terminal, and the minus terminal.

8. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second terminal windows do not overlap with a mirror image of the first and the second terminal windows with respect to a center line in the width direction of the window frame portion.

9. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second terminal windows are arranged asymmetrically to each other with respect to a center line in the width direction of the window frame portion.

10. The battery pack according to claim 1 , further comprising a second end portion disposed on a second end side of the pack body, opposite the first end side, the second end portion having a recess portion deviated to a first side in a width direction of the second end portion, the width direction being a direction in which the terminals are aligned.

11. The battery pack according to claim 10 , wherein the recess portion is further deviated to a direction perpendicular to the width direction of the second end portion.

12. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein an external shape of the battery pack is symmetrical with respect to a center line in the width direction of the window frame portion, as viewed from the first end side of the battery pack.

13. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the window frame portion covers the terminal portion.

14. The battery pack according to claim 10 , wherein a thickness of the window frame portion in a longitudinal direction of the battery pack is greater than a thickness of the second end portion in the longitudinal direction.

15. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the window frame portion includes a first level portion deviated to the second side.

16. The battery pack according to claim 15 , wherein the first, second, and third terminal windows are provided in the window frame portion between the first level portion and the first side.

17. The battery pack according to claim 16 , wherein an area of a surface of the window frame portion between the first level portion and the second side is smaller than an area of a surface of the window frame portion between the first level portion and the first side.

18. The battery pack according to claim 10 , wherein the second end portion includes second level portions.

19. The battery pack according to claim 18 , wherein the recess portion is located in the second end portion between the second level portions and the second side.

20. The battery pack according to claim 18 , wherein the second end portion comprises two level portions located on opposite sides of a center line in the width direction of the second end portion.

21. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the communication terminal comprises a terminal adapted to communicate with an electronic device to output information.

22. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the communication terminal comprises a terminal adapted for an electronic device to obtain information.

23. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one curved surface comprises a substantially circular arc surface, and the side portions of the battery pack are substantially symmetric to each other.

24. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one curved surface comprises a first curved surface connected with a first portion of the battery pack and a second curved surface connected with a second portion of the battery pack, the first and second portions being disposed on opposite sides of the battery pack.

25. The battery pack according to claim 24 , wherein the pack body comprises the first portion, the second portion, and the side portions.

26. The battery pack of any of claims 1 - 4 and 5 - 25 , wherein the terminal portion consists of the plus terminal, the minus terminal, and the communication terminal.

Assignees

• Tatehata Shoji
• Suzuki Hideyuki
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Tatehata Shoji
• Suzuki Hideyuki

Classifications

• H01M10/0585 Primary

  of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators · CPC title

• H01M50/55

  on the same side of the cell · CPC title

• H01M50/555

  Window-shaped terminals · CPC title

• H01M50/267 Primary

  having means for adapting to batteries or cells of different types or different sizes · CPC title

• H01M2220/30

  Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop · CPC title