Removable battery pack

Abstract

A battery for a mobile device includes: a battery housing including an inner wall, an opposing outer wall, a rear wall, and an opposing front wall, the rear wall and the front wall respectively connecting the inner wall and the outer wall; an electrical contact disposed on the inner wall, the electrical contact being configured to engage an electrical interface within the device housing; a seal on the inner wall surrounding the electrical contact and another portion of the inner wall, and configured to engage complementary surfaces within the device housing; a hook extending from the front wall, configured to engage the device housing during insertion and removal of the battery to establish a pivot axis of the battery housing; and a latch extending from the rear wall, biased toward an extended position to secure the battery within the device housing, and movable to a retracted position to release the battery from the device housing.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Mobile devices such as mobile computers, barcode scanners, and printers may be equipped with removable battery packs. The ease of removal of such battery packs may conflict with access protection in mobile devices (e.g., dust and / or water resistance), making battery removal a time-consuming process or leading to direct battery replacement, which is not ideal for environmental protection. Attached Figure Description

[0002] The accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used throughout the separate views to designate the same or similarly functional elements, together with the following detailed description, are incorporated into and form part of the specification and serve to further illustrate embodiments including the concepts of the claimed invention, and to explain the various principles and advantages of these embodiments.

[0003] Figure 1 This is a diagram of a mobile computing device viewed from the front.

[0004] Figure 2 It's viewed from the rear. Figure 1 An illustration of a mobile computing device with its battery removed.

[0005] Figure 3 This is a view from the top. Figure 1 and Figure 2 A diagram of the battery in a mobile computing device.

[0006] Figure 4 It's viewed from below. Figure 3 A diagram of the battery.

[0007] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 Side view of the battery.

[0008] Figure 6 yes Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the battery.

[0009] Figure 7 yes Figure 3 An exploded view of the battery.

[0010] Figure 8 It is shown in Figure 1 Installing and removing mobile computing devices Figure 3 A diagram of the battery.

[0011] Figure 9 This is the first 3D view of the example battery.

[0012] Figure 10 yes Figure 9 The second perspective view of the battery.

[0013] Figure 11 yes Figure 9 The battery's top and bottom views.

[0014] Figure 12 yes Figure 9 First side view and second side view of the battery.

[0015] Figure 13 yes Figure 9 Front and rear views of the battery.

[0016] Those skilled in the art will understand that the elements in the accompanying drawings are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to aid in understanding the embodiments of the invention.

[0017] Where appropriate, apparatus and method components are indicated by conventional symbols in the accompanying drawings, showing only those specific details relevant to understanding embodiments of the invention, so as not to obscure this disclosure due to details that would be obvious to those skilled in the art as described herein. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The examples disclosed herein relate to a battery for a mobile device, the battery comprising: a battery housing including an inner wall, an opposing outer wall, a rear wall, and an opposing front wall, the rear wall and the front wall respectively connecting the inner wall and the outer wall; an electrical contact disposed on the inner wall, the electrical contact configured to engage with an electrical interface within a device housing of the mobile device; a seal on the inner wall surrounding the electrical contact and another portion of the inner wall, and configured to engage complementary surfaces within the device housing; a hook extending from the front wall and configured to engage the device housing during battery insertion and removal to establish a pivot axis of the battery housing; and a latch extending from the rear wall, the latch biased toward an extended position to secure the battery within the device housing and movable to a retracted position to release the battery from the device housing.

[0019] Additional examples disclosed herein relate to a battery for a mobile device, the battery comprising: a battery housing including an inner wall, an opposing outer wall, a rear wall, and an opposing front wall, the rear wall and the front wall respectively connecting the inner wall and the outer wall; an electrical contact disposed on the inner wall, the electrical contact configured to engage with an electrical interface within a device housing of the mobile device; a seal on the inner wall surrounding the electrical contact; a hook extending from the front wall and configured to engage the device housing during battery insertion and removal to establish a pivot axis of the battery housing; a latch extending from the rear wall, the latch biased toward an extended position to secure the battery within the device housing and movable to a retracted position to release the battery from the device housing; and a cover defined by the upper wall and extending beyond the rear wall, wherein the cover includes a stop that defines the limits of the extended position of the latch.

[0020] Figure 1 A mobile computing device 100, also referred to herein as a mobile device 100 or simply as device 100, is depicted. The device 100 may be a handheld computer, for example, for use in retail facilities, transportation and logistics facilities, healthcare facilities, etc. The device 100 includes a housing 104 that supports various other components of the device 100, including a display 108, a keyboard 112, etc. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the housing 104 also contains various internal components of the device 100, including integrated circuits such as controllers, memory devices, etc. The housing 104 may be attached to an accessory such as a pistol grip (not shown) for holding the device 100.

[0021] The components of the power-requiring device 100 are powered by a battery pack 116, also simply referred to herein as battery 116, which is removably connected to the housing 104. For example... Figure 1 As shown, a portion of battery 116 is exposed to the outside of device 100. In other words, when battery 116 is installed, it forms part of the externally facing surface area of ​​device 100. As will be discussed in more detail below, battery 116 includes various structural features to facilitate its removal and installation while providing at least a degree of protection against the ingress of environmental factors (such as water and dust) that could negatively affect the internal electrical components of device 100.

[0022] Go to Figure 2 From and Figure 1 The device 100 is shown on the rear side opposite to the side shown. Furthermore, Figure 2 The image shows device 100 with battery 116 removed to expose battery compartment 200. Compartment 200 is a cavity defined within housing 104, in which a portion of battery 116 is received. Figure 2 As shown, various internal components of device 100 are exposed in compartment 200, such as integrated circuit 204 and electrical interface 208 for connecting battery 116 to the electrical components of device 100. Interface 208 and circuit 204 are surrounded by a sealing surface 206 extending around the perimeter of compartment 200. Battery 116 not only powers device 100 but also interacts with sealing surface 206 to enclose interface 208 and circuit 204, thereby protecting these components from the ingress of water and / or dust.

[0023] Compartment 200 includes certain structural features that enable the battery 116 to be coupled to and removed from device 100, while mitigating the possibility of accidental removal of the battery 116 from device 100. Specifically, compartment 200 includes recesses 212-1 and 212-2 extending into the front surface 216 of compartment 200. (For illustrative purposes only, according to...) Figure 2 The forward / rear axis is also shown in the diagram, with the forward surface 216 referred to as "forward". The rearward portion of the wall defining the compartment 200 includes a cutout 220 to accommodate a portion of the battery 116.

[0024] As will be discussed below, the battery 116 itself includes various features that interact with the sealing surface 206, the recess 212 and the cutout 220 to removably connect the battery 116 to the device 100 while providing a degree of access protection for the interface 208 and the circuitry 204.

[0025] Go to Figure 3 Battery 116 is shown independently, and is positioned such that battery 116 will be installed as... Figure 2 The device 100 shown has substantially the same orientation. Battery 116 includes a battery housing 300 that includes enclosures for one or more battery cells (in...). Figure 3 Multiple walls (not visible in the interior). Specifically, the battery housing 300 includes an outer wall 304, referred to as the exterior, because when the battery 116 is installed, the outer wall 304 faces away from the interior of the device 100 (i.e., outwards). It will be clear that when the battery 116 is installed, the outer wall 304 forms part of the outer surface of the device 100.

[0026] The battery housing 300 also includes opposing sidewalls 308. Figure 3(As can be seen in one of them), opposite sidewalls connect the upper wall 304 to the opposite lower wall. Furthermore, the battery housing 300 includes a rear wall 312 and an opposite front wall. The battery 116 also includes a latch 316 extending from the rear wall 312. The latch 316 is movable between an extended position in which it holds the battery 116 within the compartment 200, and in the retracted position in which it releases the battery 116 from the compartment 200 for removal from the device 100. The latch 316 may be coupled to the rear wall 312, for example, via a movable hinge. The latch 316 includes at least one locking surface 318 extending rearward therefrom for engaging with a lip or protrusion within the compartment 200 to retain the battery 116 within the compartment 200.

[0027] The latch 316 is biased toward the extended position (rearward) and can be moved to the retracted position by applying pressure in the forward direction to the contact surface 320 of the latch 316 (e.g., a button integrally formed with the latch 316).

[0028] Go to Figure 4 The image shows the battery 116 as viewed from below, the inner wall 400 as described above, and the latch 316 in more detail. Specifically, the latch 316 extends from the rear wall 312 adjacent to the inner wall 400 (e.g., near the lower wall 400 or at the intersection of the lower wall 400 and the rear wall 312). The latch 316 extends rearward and outward, and in the illustrated example, the latch includes a pair of locking surfaces 318 extending rearward therefrom (e.g., on either side of the latch 316).

[0029] The inner wall 400 includes a set of electrical contacts 404 configured to engage with the interface 208 to deliver power from the battery 116 to the device 100. Furthermore, the inner wall 400 includes a seal 408 that surrounds not only the contacts 404 but also another portion of the inner wall 400. In this example, the seal 408 forms a perimeter extending around the edge of the inner wall 400 (i.e., adjacent to the rear wall 312, side walls 308, and front wall of the battery housing 300). Therefore, the seal 408 surrounds both the contacts 404 and the other portion 412 of the inner wall 400. It will now be clear that the other portion 412 of the inner wall 400 is associated with… Figure 2 The circuit 204 shown is adjacent. Therefore, when the battery 116 is installed, the seal 408 surrounds the contact 404 and the interface 208, as well as the circuit 204. The seal 408 may be formed of a compressible material such as rubber or silicone.

[0030] The battery 116 also includes at least one hook 416 extending from its front wall (in this example, the battery 116 includes two hooks 416-1 and 416-2) to engage with the recess 212, which will be described in further detail below.

[0031] Figure 5 A side view of the battery 116 is shown, in which the outline of the hook 416-1 is visible along with the front wall 500 of the battery housing 300. The hook 416 extends forward from the front wall 500 and is configured to extend into a recess 212 of the compartment. When the hook 416 engages the recess 212, the hook 416 establishes a pivot axis of the battery 116 relative to the device 100. That is, in order to install the battery 116, the hook 416 is first inserted into the recess 212, and then the battery 116 is pivoted about the hook 416 into the compartment 200.

[0032] like Figure 5 As shown (and in Figure 3 and Figure 4 As can also be seen in the image, the outer wall 304 of the battery housing 300 includes a cover 504 extending rearward relative to the rear wall 312. Specifically, the cover 504 extends over the contact surface 320 and covers the button that provides the contact surface 320. Thus, the cover 504 performs several functions. For example, the cover 504 protects the contact surface 320 from accidental contact, such as when the device 100 is dropped. An accidental impact to the rear of the device 100 may strike the cover 504 instead of the contact surface 320, thereby preventing the battery 116 from being accidentally ejected. In other cases, such an accidental impact may affect the contact surface 320, but may not cause sufficient movement of the contact surface 320 (and therefore the latch 316 integrally formed with the contact surface 320) to allow the battery to be accidentally ejected before the cover 504 is impacted.

[0033] The cover 504 also functions as a gripper for removing the battery 116 from the device 100. Specifically, to remove the battery 116, pressing the contact surface in the forward direction shifts the latch 316 from an extended position toward the rear wall 312 to a retracted position. For example, the contact surface retracts beneath the cover 504 by pushing the contact surface 320 in the forward direction with one or more fingers of the operator of the device 100. The operator's fingers can then grip the underside (i.e., the inside) of the cover 504 and pull the cover 504 outward to lift the battery 116 out of the compartment.

[0034] Figure 6 It shows having along Figure 5 The cross-section of battery 116 shown by line 6-6 exposes the individual cell 600 of battery 116 within battery casing 300. Furthermore, as... Figure 6As shown, the cover 504 includes at least one stop to limit the range of motion of the latch 316. Specifically, the cover 504 includes a pair of stops 604, and the latch 316 includes a corresponding pair of tabs 608. If the latch 316 extends rearward beyond the indicated extension position (e.g., if the contact surface 320 is stuck on an external object), the tabs 608 impinge on the stops 604, preventing further extension and possible breakage of the latch 316. It will also be clarified that the rear wall 312 itself establishes a limitation on the forward movement of the latch 316, as the latch 316 impinges on the rear wall 312, thereby preventing further forward movement.

[0035] Go to Figure 7 Battery 116 is shown in an exploded view. (See attached image.) Figure 7 As shown, in this example, the battery housing 300 is implemented as an outer shell portion 700 and an inner shell portion 704. The outer shell portion 700 defines the outer portion of the outer wall 304 and the rear wall 312, and may also define the outer portions of the front wall 500 and the side wall 308. Meanwhile, the inner shell portion 704 defines the inner wall 400, and may define the inner portions of the rear wall 312, the front wall 500, and the side wall 308.

[0036] As shown in the figure, in this example, both hook 416 and latch 316 are connected to the inner housing portion 704. It will be clear that in order to compress the seal 408 against the sealing surface 206 within the compartment 200, hook 406 and latch 316 apply downward (i.e., inward) pressure to the battery housing 300. Housing portions 700 and 704 can be joined, for example, by ultrasonic welding, adhesives, etc. To reduce stress on the welds and / or adhesives, placing hook 416 and latch 316 on the same housing portion (housing portion 704 in this example) applies this pressure to the individual housing portion.

[0037] Go to Figure 8 A simplified illustration of battery 116 and compartment 200 is shown to illustrate the installation and removal of battery 116. To install battery 116, hook 416 is placed in recess 212. The rear end of battery 116 is then rotated into compartment 200 in direction 800 (i.e., about hook 416). Latch 316 impacts the rear wall of compartment 200 and compresses towards rear wall 312 in doing so. Latch 316 thus moves to a retracted position and engages with the rear wall of compartment 200 (e.g., with protrusion 804).

[0038] To remove battery 116, press latch 316 in the forward direction 808 until locking surface 318 disengages from protrusion 804. Battery 116 is then rotated outward in direction 812, for example, by gripping cover 504, as previously described.

[0039] Figure 9 , 10 11, 12 and 13 show various views of battery 116 implemented according to the example.

[0040] Specific embodiments have been described in the foregoing specification. However, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Therefore, the specification and drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this teaching.

[0041] No benefit, advantage, solution to a problem, or any element(s) that may lead to or make any benefit, advantage, or solution appear or become more apparent shall be construed as a critical, essential, or necessary feature or element of any or all claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims, including any modifications made during the pending period of this application and all equivalents of those claims.

[0042] Furthermore, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, etc., may be used only to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between these entities or actions. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “containing,” “encompassing,” “containing,” “comprising,” or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such as a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes, has, or contains a list of elements, including not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further constraints, an element beginning with “comprising…a,” “having…a,” “containing…a,” or “comprising…a” does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes, has, contains, or contains that element. Unless otherwise expressly stated herein, the terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more. The terms “substantially,” “essentially,” “approximately,” “about,” or any other version thereof are defined as close to what a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand, and in one non-limiting embodiment, the term is defined as within 10%, in another within 5%, in yet another within 1%, and in still another within 0.5%. The term “connection” as used herein is defined as a link, although not necessarily direct and not necessarily mechanical. A device or structure “constructed” in a certain way is constructed at least in this manner, but may also be constructed in ways not listed.

[0043] It should be understood that some embodiments may include one or more dedicated processors (or "processing devices"), such as microprocessors, digital signal processors, custom processors, and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and unique stored program instructions (including software and firmware) that control one or more processors to implement some, most, or all of the functions of the methods and / or devices described herein in conjunction with some non-processor circuitry. Alternatively, some or all of the functions may be implemented by a state machine without stored program instructions, or by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), wherein each function or some combinations of certain functions is implemented as custom logic. Of course, a combination of both approaches may be used.

[0044] Furthermore, embodiments can be implemented as computer-readable storage media on which computer-readable code for programming a computer (e.g., including a processor) to perform the methods described and claimed herein is stored. Examples of such computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, hard disks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, ROMs (read-only memories), PROMs (programmable read-only memories), EPROMs (erasable programmable read-only memories), EEPROMs (electrically erasable programmable read-only memories), and flash memory. Moreover, it is expected that those skilled in the art, guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein, will readily produce such software instructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation, despite the considerable effort and numerous design choices that may be required, such as those dictated by available time, current technology, and economic considerations.

[0045] An abstract of this disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly determine the nature of the technical disclosure. It should be understood that this abstract is not intended to interpret or limit the scope and meaning of the claims. Furthermore, it can be seen in the foregoing detailed description that various features are combined in various embodiments to simplify this disclosure. The method of disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than expressly described in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the following claims, the subject matter of the invention lies in fewer than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the following claims are incorporated herein by reference to the detailed description, while each claim itself can be considered as a separately claimed subject matter.

Claims

1. A battery for a mobile device, the battery comprising: A battery housing, the battery housing including an inner wall, opposing outer walls, a rear wall and opposing front walls, the rear wall and the front wall respectively connecting the inner wall and the outer wall; An electrical contact is disposed on the inner wall and configured to engage with an electrical interface within the device housing of the mobile device; A seal on the inner wall, the seal surrounding the electrical contact and another portion of the inner wall, and configured to engage complementary surfaces within the device housing; A hook, extending from the front wall and configured to engage the device housing during battery insertion and removal to establish a pivot axis of the battery housing; as well as A latch extending from the rear wall, the latch being biased toward an extended position to secure the battery within the device housing, and movable to a retracted position to release the battery from the device housing. The outer wall defines a cover that extends beyond the rear wall; and The cover includes a stop that defines the limits of the extended position of the latch.

2. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The seal defines the perimeter of the inner wall, which extends around the edges of the inner wall adjacent to the rear wall, the front wall, and the side walls.

3. The battery according to claim 2, characterized in that, The other portion of the inner wall is configured to be adjacent to additional equipment components, such that the seal protects the electrical contacts, the electrical interface, and the additional equipment components from environmental intrusion.

4. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The latch includes a tab extending between the rear wall and the stop.

5. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the latch is in the extended position, the cover extends to the front surface of the latch.

6. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rear wall defines the limits of the retracted position of the latch.

7. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The latch is connected to the rear wall via a movable hinge.

8. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The latch includes a contact surface to receive pressure for moving the latch to the retracted position; and The contact surface is configured to have a cutout extending through the rear portion of the device housing when the battery is installed.

9. The battery according to claim 8, characterized in that, The latch includes a button that defines the contact surface.

10. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The latch includes a plurality of locking surfaces configured to engage with a protrusion within the device housing.

11. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery casing includes: (i) an inner housing that defines the inner wall and the interior portions of the rear wall, the front wall, and the side walls, and (ii) An outer casing connected to the inner portion, the outer casing defining the outer wall and the outer portions of the rear wall, the front wall and the side wall.

12. The battery according to claim 11, characterized in that, The inner shell and the outer shell are connected by welding.

13. The battery according to claim 11, characterized in that, The latch and the hook are integrally formed with the inner housing.

14. A battery for a mobile device, the battery comprising: A battery housing, the battery housing including an inner wall, opposing outer walls, a rear wall and opposing front walls, the rear wall and the front wall respectively connecting the inner wall and the outer wall; An electrical contact is disposed on the inner wall and configured to engage with an electrical interface within the device housing of the mobile device; A seal, which surrounds the electrical contact on the inner wall; A hook, extending from the front wall and configured to engage the device housing during battery insertion and removal to establish a pivot axis of the battery housing; as well as A latch extending from the rear wall, the latch being biased toward an extended position to secure the battery within the device housing, and movable to a retracted position to release the battery from the device housing; as well as A cover, defined by the outer wall and extending beyond the rear wall, wherein the cover includes a stop that defines the limits of the extended position of the latch.

15. The battery according to claim 14, characterized in that, The latch includes a tab extending between the rear wall and the stop.

16. The battery according to claim 14, characterized in that, When the latch is in the extended position, the cover extends to the front surface of the latch.

17. The battery according to claim 14, characterized in that, The seal surrounds the electrical contact and another portion of the inner wall.

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