Multilayer electrode connector designs and applications thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9350009-B1
Application number	US-201414498756-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 26, 2014
Priority date	Sep 26, 2014
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

In an implementation, a battery package includes alternating electrodes. Each electrode includes a recessed region of electrode material layers that expose a conductive layer. Each electrode also includes openings within the electrode material layers and the conductive layer, where the openings are adjacent to the recessed regions. Multilayer electro-mechanical connectors couple exposed portions of the conductive layers of alternating electrodes to thereby electrically couple electrodes that have the same polarity. Each electrode is separated from an adjacent electrode by a separator layer. The multilayer electro-mechanical connectors can pierce the separator layers and thus, the separator layers do not require additional processing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery package comprising:
a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are separated by and coupled to a first separator layer;
a third electrode and a fourth electrode, wherein the third electrode and the fourth electrode are separated by and coupled to a second separator layer, and wherein the third electrode and the second electrode are separated by and coupled to a third separator layer;
a first electro-mechanical connector; and
a second electro-mechanical connector,
wherein each electrode comprises:
a metal layer including a plurality of openings;
a first electrode material layer disposed above the metal layer and having (i) a first recessed region that exposes a first portion of the metal layer to form a first exposed portion of the metal layer and (ii) a first opening adjacent to the recessed region aligned with a corresponding opening in the metal layer; and
a second electrode material layer disposed under the metal layer and having (iii) a second recessed region that exposes a second portion of the first metal layer to form a second exposed portion of the metal layer and (iv) a second opening adjacent to the second recessed region aligned with a corresponding opening in the metal layer,

wherein the first and the second exposed portions of the metal layer of the first electrode and the third electrode are aligned with each other and are aligned with the first and the second openings of the second electrode and the first and the second openings of the fourth electrode,
wherein the first and the second exposed portions of the metal layers of the second electrode and the fourth electrode are aligned with each other and are aligned with the first and the second openings of the first electrode and the first and the second openings of the third electrode,
wherein the first electro-mechanical connector electrically couples the metal layers of the first and the third electrodes and mechanically couples the first, the second, the third and the fourth electrodes, and
wherein the second electro-mechanical connector electrically couples the metal layers of the second and the fourth electrodes and mechanically couples the first, the second, the third and the fourth electrodes.

2. The battery package of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first external contact, wherein a portion of the first external contact is exposed with respect to the battery package and is coupled to the first electro-mechanical connector; and
a second external contact, wherein a portion of the second external contact is exposed with respect to the battery package and is coupled to the second electro-mechanical connector,
wherein the first and the second external contacts are configured to couple the battery package to an electronic device.

3. The battery package of claim 2 , wherein the first and the second external contacts each comprise one of a flat tab contact, a pig-nose contact, or an L-shaped tab contact.

4. The battery package of claim 2 , wherein the first and second external contacts each comprise an L-shaped tab contact and the battery package further comprises a protection circuit module located on the batter package and welded to each L-shaped tab contact, wherein the protection circuit module is configured to provide protection for the battery package from potential overcharging, overdischarging, overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent, external short, and overtemperature considerations.

5. An electronic device comprising:
a battery package comprising:
first, second, third and fourth electrodes, each of the first, second, third and fourth electrodes including a conductive layer and each electrode of the first, second, third and fourth electrodes being separated from an adjacent electrode by a separator layer;
a first connector;
a second connector;
a first contact coupled to the first connector; and
a second contact coupled to the second connector,
wherein the first connector extends through aligned exposed portions of conductive layers of the first and third electrodes, aligned openings within conductive layers of the second and fourth electrodes and portions of the separator layers, wherein the aligned exposed portions of conductive layers of the first and third electrodes are aligned with the aligned openings within the conductive layers of the second and fourth electrodes,

wherein the second connector extends through aligned exposed portions of conductive layers of the second and fourth electrodes, aligned openings within conductive layers of the first and third electrodes and portions of the separator layers, wherein the aligned exposed portions of conductive layers of the second and fourth electrodes are aligned with the aligned openings within conductive layers of the first and third electrodes.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first and third electrodes are cathodes and the second and fourth electrodes are anodes.

7. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first and the second connectors each comprise a staple.

8. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first and the second connectors each comprise a screw/serrated washer combination.

9. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first and the second contacts each comprise one of a flat tab contact, a pig-nose contact, or an L-shaped tab contact.

10. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first and second contacts each comprise an L-shaped tab contact and the battery package further comprises a protection circuit module located on the battery package and welded to each L-shaped tab contact, wherein the protection circuit module is configured to provide protection for the battery and the electronic device from potential overcharging, overdischarging, overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent, external short, and overtemperature considerations.

11. The electronic device of claim 5 , further comprising:
a third contact coupled to a bottom of the first multilayer electro-mechanical connector; and
a fourth contact coupled to a bottom of the second multilayer electro-mechanical connector,
wherein the first, second, third and fourth contacts each comprise a pig-nose contact.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , further comprising either (i) a first L-shaped tab contact welded to the first contact and a second L-shaped tab contact welded to the second contact or (ii) a first L-shaped tab contact welded to the third contact and a second L-shaped tab contact welded to the fourth contact.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the battery package further comprises a protection circuit module welded to the first and second L-shaped tab contacts, and wherein the protection circuit module is configured to provide protection for the battery and the electronic device from potential overcharging, overdischarging, overvoltage, undervoltage, overcurrent, external short, and overtemperature considerations.

14. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the electronic device comprises one of an electronic book reader, a tablet computing device, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a portable digital assistant, a media player, a wearable computing device, an automotive display or a robotic device.

15. A battery comprising:
a plurality of electrodes;
first and second connectors;
a first contact coupled to the first connector; and
a second contact coupled to the second connector,
wherein the first connector extends through aligned exposed portions of conductive layers of a first set of electrodes and aligned openings within conductive layers of a se

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Lim James Jimmy Robert
• Yeh Yuting Tim
• Santos Adrian Roy Ramiscal
• Li Christopher Thomas

Classifications

• H01M10/0436 Primary

  Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment · CPC title

• H01M50/536

  characterised by the method of fixing the leads to the electrodes, e.g. by welding · CPC title

• H01M50/54

  Connection of several leads or tabs of plate-like electrode stacks, e.g. electrode pole straps or bridges · CPC title

• H01M2220/30

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

• H01M10/4257

  Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries · CPC title