Cableless battery integration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9735528-B2
Application number	US-201313854820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2013
Priority date	Jun 7, 2012
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

An interposer for electrically coupling a battery-management circuit board in a power supply and a motherboard is described. The interposer includes: a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface; first spring connectors, disposed on the top surface, which electrically couple to the battery-management circuit board; and second spring connectors, disposed on the bottom surface and electrically coupled to the first spring connectors, which electrically couple to the motherboard. Spring connectors in a first subset of the first and second spring connectors that convey power signals have a first vertical height, and spring connectors in a second subset of the first and second spring connectors that convey monitoring signals for the power supply have a second, smaller vertical height. In this way, the first subset is activated before the second subset is activated, thereby ensuring that an electrical path for the power signals is established first.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An interposer, comprising:
a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface;
first spring connectors, located at the top surface and configured to couple to a battery-management circuit board in a power supply; and
second spring connectors, located at the bottom surface and electrically coupled to the first spring connectors, and configured to couple to a motherboard, wherein: i) a first subset of the first spring connectors has a first vertical height when not in contact with the battery-management circuit board, ii) a second subset of the first spring connectors has a second vertical height when not in contact with the battery-management circuit board, iii) the first subset is associated with power signals and the second subset is associated with monitoring signals for the power supply, and iv) the first vertical height is larger than the second vertical height.

2. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes vias that electrically couple the first spring connectors and the second spring connectors.

3. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein the power supply comprises a battery.

4. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein the first subset is divided into power spring connectors and ground spring connectors.

5. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein the second subset is disposed proximate to peripheries of the top surface and the bottom surface.

6. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein the second subset of the first spring connectors are electrically coupled to each other so that, when the second subset of the first spring connectors are in contact with the battery-management circuit board, an electrical path is completed indicating that the interposer and the battery-management circuit board are fully mated and planar.

7. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein a subset of the second spring connectors are electrically coupled to each other so that, when the subset of the second spring connectors are in contact with the motherboard, an electrical path is completed indicating that the interposer and the motherboard are fully mated and planar.

8. The interposer of claim 1 , wherein the top surface and the bottom surface include mechanical features configured to align the interposer and the battery-management circuit board, and to align the interposer and the motherboard.

9. A portable electronic device, comprising:
a power supply, wherein the power supply includes a battery-management circuit board having a bottom surface that includes electrical connectors;
a motherboard, positioned beneath the battery-management circuit board, having a top surface that includes electrical connectors; and
an interposer, wherein the interposer includes:
a substrate having a top surface and a bottom surface;
first spring connectors, located at the top surface of the interposer, and configured to couple to the electrical connectors on the battery-management circuit board; and
second spring connectors, located at the bottom surface of the interposer and electrically coupled to the first spring connectors, and configured to couple to the electrical connectors on the motherboard, wherein: i) a first subset of the first spring connectors has a first vertical height when not in contact with the battery-management circuit board, ii) a second subset of the first spring connectors has a second vertical height when not in contact with the battery-management circuit board, iii) the first subset is associated with power signals and the second subset is associated with monitoring signals for the power supply and iv) the first vertical height is larger than the second vertical height.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the substrate includes vias that electrically couple the first spring connectors and the second spring connectors.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the power supply comprises a battery.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the power supply further includes battery cells, in separate housings, electrically coupled to the battery-management circuit board; and
wherein the battery-management circuit board includes an integrated circuit with control logic configured to monitor the battery cells and to regulate charging and discharging of the battery cells.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the first subset is divided into power spring connectors and ground spring connectors.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the second subset is disposed proximate to peripheries of the top surface and the bottom surface of the interposer.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the second subset of the first spring connectors are electrically coupled to each other so that, when the second subset of the first spring connectors are in contact with the battery-management circuit board, an electrical path is completed indicating that the interposer and the battery-management circuit board are fully mated and planar.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , wherein a subset of the second spring connectors are electrically coupled to each other so that, when the subset of the second spring connectors are in contact with the motherboard, an electrical path is completed indicating that the interposer and the motherboard are fully mated and planar.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the top surface and the bottom surface of the interposer include mechanical features configured to align the interposer and the battery-management circuit board, and to align the interposer and the motherboard.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 9 , further comprising stiffener mechanisms disposed on a top surface of the battery-management circuit board and a bottom surface of the motherboard;
wherein the stiffener mechanisms distribute a compressive mechanical coupling force over the top surface of the battery-management circuit board and the bottom surface of the motherboard.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hopkinson Ron A
• Knopf Eric A
• Kim Eugene
• Arnold Peter M
• Hwang Jim
• Casebolt Matthew P

Classifications

• H01M50/224

  Metals · CPC title

• H01M50/204

  Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells · CPC title

• H01M2010/4278

  Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller · CPC title

• H01R31/06 Primary

  Intermediate parts for linking two coupling parts, e.g. adapter (with a holder adapted for supporting apparatus to which its counterpart is attached H01R33/94) · CPC title

• H01M2/1022

  Electricity · mapped topic