Supercapacitor Assembly Permanently Bonded to Substrate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices with removable and rechargeable batteries are vulnerable to having their supercapacitors easily removed or stolen, which can deprive them of a reserve power source, making it difficult to locate or recover the device if the battery is dead or removed.
Innovation Solution
A portable electronic device with a supercapacitor assembly permanently bonded to a substrate, comprising a two-dimensional material and an electrolyte, integrated into the main circuit board outside the battery-accommodating area, which provides electrical power to the position-locating and telecommunications modules, preventing easy removal and ensuring continued functionality even without a functioning battery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the supercapacitor is made removable like the battery, then it can be easily replaced and maintained, but it can also be easily removed by thieves to deprive the device of reserve power
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power storage system into two distinct components: a removable battery and a permanently integrated supercapacitor. The supercapacitor is bonded to the substrate in the battery compartment, creating a fixed segment that cannot be easily removed, while the battery remains a separate, replaceable segment. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing easy battery replacement while preventing supercapacitor removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the supercapacitor with the substrate using permanent bonding methods (adhesive bonding, soldering, or welding), creating an integrated assembly that combines the supercapacitor with the device structure. This merging ensures the supercapacitor cannot be easily separated from the device, while the battery compartment remains accessible for battery replacement.
2Reliability
If the supercapacitor is permanently bonded to the substrate, then it cannot be easily removed, but it also cannot be easily replaced if faulty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent treats the supercapacitor as a long-lasting, maintenance-free component that remains permanently installed. Unlike the battery which has a limited lifespan and needs regular replacement, the supercapacitor is designed to remain functional for the lifetime of the device, eliminating the need for replacement and resolving the contradiction between permanent installation and ease of repair.
3Reliability
If the supercapacitor is integrated outside the battery area, then it cannot be removed with the battery, but it occupies additional space on the circuit board
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the supercapacitor in the vertical dimension within the battery compartment space, rather than expanding horizontally across the circuit board. By utilizing the available vertical space in the battery area, the design achieves permanent integration without significantly increasing the circuit board footprint, resolving the contradiction between retention and area occupation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The supercapacitor assembly provides power to the device's location and communication modules for an extended period, enhancing the device's recoverability and security by making it difficult to tamper with, and ensuring uninterrupted operation even when the battery is removed or dead.
Implementation Method 1
Supercapacitors differ from conventional capacitors (including electrolytic capacitors) in having an electrode with an electrolytic or ionic material in contact with the electrode
Implementation Method 2
the ions are able to be transported between the two electrodes across the ion-permeable membrane
Implementation Method 3
The supercapacitor comprises a layer of two-dimensional material and an electrolyte in contact therewith
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The present invention provides a supercapacitor assembly (2), which at least comprises a substrate (4), a supercapacitor (6) formed on the substrate, and a planar electrically conducting contact (8) formed on the supercapacitor (6). The substrate (4) is able to have an electrical circuit formed thereon. The supercapacitor (6) comprises a layer of two-dimensional material and an electrolyte in contact therewith, and is permanently bonded to the substrate (4). This arrangement prevents the supercapacitor (6) from being removed from the substrate (4) without destroying the supercapacitor and/or damaging the substrate and any electrical circuit formed thereon. Thus the supercapacitor cannot be easily removed from a portable electronic device comprising such a supercapacitor assembly without significantly damaging or destroying both the value of the device and the ability of the device to function normally. In a second aspect, the invention also provides a portable electronic device (10) at least comprising an enclosure containing a main circuit board (12) comprising such a supercapacitor assembly (2). The invention further provides a method of operating such a portable electronic device which also comprises a removable and rechargeable battery and a position-locating module, such as a GPS receiver, and a radio-frequency telecommunications module, such as a cellular telephone transceiver, which may therefore be used to find and transmit the location of the device using electrical power supplied by the supercapacitor, even if the battery is removed from the device or is dead, with a very much reduced risk that the supercapacitor will be removed from the device as well.