Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus – product – and – Current producing cell – elements – subcombinations and... – Plural cells
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-21
2001-10-02
Brouillette, Gabrielle (Department: 1745)
Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and
Current producing cell, elements, subcombinations and...
Plural cells
C429S160000, C429S159000, C429S170000, C429S178000, C439S500000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296970
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a connector assembly and more specifically to a connector assembly for connecting a plurality of battery cells in a battery pack.
Rechargeable cylindrical battery cells have been widely employed as a power source for various portable apparatus. These battery cells have included nickel cadmium and nickel metal hydride cells. In a typical battery pack, a plurality of battery cells are retained in an end-to-end configuration to form a battery stick. Some battery packs include multiple battery sticks connected in a serial/parallel manner. U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,392 entitled “CYLINDRICAL CELL, A CELL PACK, AND A CELL HOLDER,” discloses a terminal made of an electrically conductive material that included a face portion having either a female threaded hole or a male threaded protrusion. The terminal included legs, which were welded to an end of a battery cell. A conductive connecting member was then utilized to connect multiple cells in a serial/parallel arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,332 entitled “CONNECTION STRUCTURE FOR JOINING BATTERIES,” discloses a connector for connecting battery cells of a battery pack in series. The connector was welded to a face (positive terminal) of one battery cell and welded to the side (negative terminal) of a second battery cell. In this manner, two battery cells were coupled in series. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,900,332 also discloses a connector with a slit in a side wall of the connector. The slit functioned to provide an elastic force to a side of the cylindrical battery cell when the cell engaged the connector. The disclosed connector also included a plurality of first projections on a second flat portion of the connector and a plurality of second projections located on an inside surface of a side wall of the connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a connector assembly for connecting a plurality of battery cells in a serial/parallel arrangement. The connector assembly includes a conductive weld cup. The conductive weld cup includes a bordered portion and recessed portion. The bordered portion has a first side wall, a ledge, and an integrated tab projecting from the first side wall. The ledge and the integrated tab are disposed at an angle to the first side wall. The recessed portion is recessed within the ledge. The recessed portion includes a second side wall and a floor that is bounded by the second side wall. An inner surface of the bordered portion engages an outer surface of a side and a bottom of a canister of an upper adjacent battery cell. An outer surface of the floor engages a cover of a lower adjacent battery cell. The integrated tab is provided for coupling the battery cells of two adjacent battery sticks in parallel.
These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3615867 (1971-10-01), Cich et al.
patent: 3923549 (1975-12-01), Mabuchi et al.
patent: 4873160 (1989-10-01), Miyazaki et al.
patent: 5578392 (1996-11-01), Kawamura
patent: 5659946 (1997-08-01), Harima et al.
patent: 5900332 (1999-05-01), Marukawa et al.
patent: 5985480 (1999-11-01), Sato et al.
patent: 6224997 (2001-05-01), Papadopoulos
patent: 0717453 (1996-06-01), None
patent: 0771038 (1997-05-01), None
patent: 59224055 (1984-12-01), None
patent: 59224056 (1984-12-01), None
patent: 63105460 (1988-10-01), None
Photograph #1: Battery sticks, 1998 Toyota Prius No month.
Photograph #2: Opposing battery stick terminals, 1998 Toyota Prius No month.
Photograph #3: Opposing battery stick terminals, 1998 Toyota Prius No month.
Photograph #4: Battery stick, 1998 Toyota Prius No month.
Photograph #5: Battery stick, 1998 Toyota Prius No month.
Photograph #6: Positive end of battery stick, 1998 Toyota Prius No month.
Photograph #7: Negative end of battery stick, 1998 Toyota Prius No month.
Brown James R.
DeVries David L.
Hilderbrand Harvey C.
Killebrew Daniel
Orler Martin C.
Brouillette Gabrielle
Dove Tracy
Moltech Power Systems, Inc.
LandOfFree
Connector assembly for connecting battery cells does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Connector assembly for connecting battery cells, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Connector assembly for connecting battery cells will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2579951