Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Current producing cell – elements – subcombinations and... – Cell enclosure structure – e.g. – housing – casing – container,...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-24
2002-05-21
Maples, John S. (Department: 1745)
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Current producing cell, elements, subcombinations and...
Cell enclosure structure, e.g., housing, casing, container,...
C429S177000, C429S178000, C429S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06391490
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a battery and a battery holder that can be used with a different type of battery having a different voltage as current sources for various electric devices while preventing troubles caused by misuse of battery wherein a wrong type of battery is used either alone or in combination or a battery is reversely oriented.
BACKGROUND ART
The battery that is most commonly used in recent years is generally of cylindrical shape as shown in FIG.
11
. Most of such cylindrical batteries Ba
1
are configured such that a projection formed on a sealing assembly (not shown) for sealing an open end of a cylindrical cell casing
1
at one end thereof in a lengthwise direction (axial direction) serves as a positive terminal
2
and a flat surface at the other end of the cell casing serves as a negative terminal
3
. Cylindrical cell of such type is widespread and has found a variety of applications in various sizes of IEC standard AAA, AA, A, C, and D. Typically, manganese dry cell batteries and alkaline manganese dry cell batteries are available on the market and widely used in the form of such cylindrical cell Ba
1
for various general purpose applications. All of these various dry cell batteries generate electricity of 1.5V, because of which they are manufactured with the same outer dimensions and in the same configuration of the cylindrical shape and sold, for the purpose of enjoying the advantage of interchangeability between different types of cylindrical cells.
Meanwhile, lithium batteries are known to have outstanding characteristics such as light weight, high voltage, high energy density, and long life, and have been mass-produced and widely used for specific purposes as current sources for liquid crystal digital watches, memory backup of electronic instruments, and automatic compact cameras. Since lithium has a poor potential of about −3V, a lithium battery has an output voltage of 3V that is twice as high as the output voltage of the above mentioned various dry cell batteries and other aqueous electrolyte cells such as nickel cadmium cells. Specifically, a lithium battery constructed with manganese dioxide or fluorinated graphite for the positive electrode is most widely known as a 3V output voltage cell and has found wide applications.
However, the lithium battery cannot be used interchangeably with aqueous electrolyte cells because of its 3V output voltage that is twice as high as that of the aqueous electrolyte cells. That is, if a 3V lithium battery as described above and a 1.5V dry cell battery are mistakenly inserted together in an electric device which requires a rated voltage of 3V and has a configuration which is intended for receiving two series-connected aqueous electrolyte cells, and if these batteries are connected in series, it will not only deteriorate the performance of the batteries but also cause a serious trouble such as damage to or impairment of the electric device. For that reason those batteries of which output voltage is 3V such as the lithium battery have been developed in sizes and forms that are different from those of the 1.5V aqueous electrolyte batteries in order to avoid misuse.
If, for a portable electric device that needs a power source of more than 3 volts, a lithium battery can be used interchangeably with an aqueous electrolyte cell such as a dry cell, it will be very convenient since the user can use a lithium battery when he/she has no dry cells in stock. There will be another advantage that the lithium battery, that has various excellent characteristics as listed above, can be used not only for specific purposes but for a wide range of applications. In addition, a considerable decrease achieved by mass-production is expected since the existing equipment and metal molds for manufacturing aqueous electrolyte cells can be utilized for the production of lithium cells having the same outer dimensions as those of the aqueous electrolyte cells for the purpose of interchangeable use. Similarly, a decrease in cost during the distribution on the market can also be expected. To achieve such objects, a lithium battery must be realized which has a configuration and a structure such that the trouble caused by misuse wherein a wrong type of battery is used either alone or in combination or a battery is reversely oriented is reliably prevented, while having the same outer dimensions as those of the different type of battery.
A cylindrical secondary battery having a configuration that is different from that of the general cylindrical cell Ba
1
shown in
FIG. 11
is known as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 8-96793. As shown in
FIG. 12A
, this cell
4
has a projection on a sealing assembly (not shown) for sealing one open end of a metallic cell casing
10
as the positive end terminal
7
while the other end surface is electrically insulated, and two opposite, spaced negative electrode side terminals
8
,
9
on the exterior surface of the cell casing
10
. This secondary cell
4
is intended for interchangeable use with a primary cell that generates the same voltage as the secondary cell
4
and not for interchangeable use with a different type of battery with a different output voltage.
One of the side terminals
8
of this secondary cell
4
is given for charging purpose while the other side terminal
9
is used for detection of whether or not it is a secondary cell and for discharge to a load. The other end of the cell casing opposite the positive terminal is electrically insulated so that the secondary cell
4
is prevented from being connected in series to a primary cell that is mistakenly inserted together with the secondary cell
4
in a battery compartment. Thereby, only when either one of primary cells or secondary cells
4
are inserted in an end-to-end configuration in the battery compartment of an electric device are the cells connected in series, by which even if a primary cell without the side terminals
8
,
9
is inserted mistakenly, it is prevented from being charged, and also, even if primary cells and secondary cells having the same output voltage are mixedly inserted, overdischarge of a secondary cell is prevented.
Referring to
FIG. 12B
which shows a production process of the above secondary cell
4
, an insulation plate
13
having a projection
12
for determining the orientation of the secondary cell
4
and an insulation plate
17
having an insertion hole
14
for passing the projected positive terminal
7
therethrough are respectively bonded to the bottom and the top of an unjacketed cell that is obtained by inserting an electrode assembly into the cell casing
10
, filling an electrolyte, and sealing the open end with a sealing assembly
11
. A shrink-and-tack label
18
having terminal apertures
19
is then wound around and bonded to the exterior surface of the unjacketed cell, whereby the two portions of the exterior surface of the cell casing
10
corresponding to the terminal apertures
19
are left exposed as the side terminals
8
,
9
. The secondary cell
4
is inserted in the battery compartment with the projection
12
or the elongated, projected end terminal
7
aligned with a mark provided on the device side. When the cell is mounted, the side terminals
8
,
9
situated on both sides of a width direction of the projection
12
are properly located in position where they contact charging element and detection or load element of the device side. The end terminal
7
and the projection
12
, both being of elongated shape, are provided in parallel arrangement with each other as shown in the top plan view of FIG.
12
C and the bottom plan view of FIG.
12
D.
The structure of the above second cell
4
is, however, not suitable for manufacture in a high-speeded production line and its practicability is low, since it is necessary to align the terminal apertures
19
,
19
of the shrink-and-tack label
18
and the insertion hole
14
of the upper insulation plate
13
and the projection
12
of the lower insulation plate
17
with each other, and to posit
Aoi Takayuki
Ebi Ryuichiro
Hitomi Toru
Inui Takeshi
Tanahashi Takayuki
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Maples John S.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
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