Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WO97t39491 PCT~S96/10822
INTEGRATED POWER SOURCE
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST
The Government has rights in this invention pursuant to
Contract No. FA8002-96-C-0301 awarded by the Department of the
.5 Air Force.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to power supplies and,
particularly, to a small, lightweight, portable, rechargeable
and modular integrated power source of the solar cell variety.
Description of the Prior Art
With the ever expanding use of the conventional battery in
many types of equipment which rely on batteries for electrical
power, the advantages of a portable, renewable, self-contained
power source which is integrated within applications are self-
evident, especially if during actual delivery of current the
changing of depleted battery cells is eliminated. A power-on-
demand capability, where maintenance can be held to a minimum,
is extremely attractive when supplying power to emergency
communication equipment. Never having to replace batteries,
for example, in walkie-talkie radios, modular cellular
telephones, pagers, radios, data recording devices and other
hand-held portable equipment, offers money-saving operations
and consequently a lower cost. With the advent of
environmentally friendly, form malleable polymer battery,
technology now exists to design and develop self-contained,
energy-renewable power sources for all types of portable
applications.
One prior art power source battery is disclosed in U.S.
Patent No. 3,005,862 wherein a solar battery can have its
elements shaped or curved to desired configurations. In one
embodiment, the solar panel itself can form a wall of a
satellite. The preferred material of which the panelling is
made is aluminum, although other materials such as stainless
steel, beryllium, magnesium, or titanium, or even plastic may
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be reduced to its essential elements. Patent No. '862 merely
demonstrates another way for mounting a solar battery.
U.S. Patent No. 5,180,645 carries the principles of
Patent No. '862 one step further by recognizing the importance
of providing an integrated battery into or part of an equipment
housing. Patent No. '645 is primarily directed, however, to a
battery formed of first and second current collectors separated
by a solid state electrolyte. Fig. 2 of Patent '645 shows such
a battery embedded in a radio housing with the traditional role
of the housing as a separate element intact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention of a self-contained,
energy renewable power source, recent advances in technology
have centered on the following achievements:
l. Improved performance and stability of polymer anode
and cathode materials such as polypyrrole through
improved electrolytic drying procedures and
processing conditions.
2. Incorporated solid polymer electrolytes in prototype
all-polymer batteries and modified solvents used in
preparation of electrolytes such as polyacrylonitrile
to achieve improved electrolyte performance.
3. Expanded class of solids used as polymer anodes and
cathodes to include promising candidate materials
including redox-couple substituted thiophenes to
achieve higher cell potentia}s and stability.
The recent developments, moreover, in polymer batteries
now provide a technology in which a battery can be integrated
within the mech~nical supporting structure for an application
circuit. No longer will conventional restraints require a
battery as a separate add-on component thereby dispensing with
the need for a separate battery compartment and the cables
historically necessary to connect the power source to the
electronic components. The invention further considers the
development of a novel and unique integration of a polymer
battery coupled with miniaturized integrated electronics. With
the ability to take on a shape malleable to a particular
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application, an environmentally friendly polymer battery can
potentially incorporate solar cells, SRAMS, DRAMS and IC's to
provide power source and nonvolatile memory data collection and
storage. In one preferred application, solar cells backed with
a thin film polymer battery at the component level can supply a
self-contained, lightweight, and fully integrated power source.
Beyond the chip level, polymer batteries can be incorporated
into devices as the mechanical backing and structures for
multi-layer printed circuit board technology. In its most
general sense, the nature of polymer battery technology is such
that a chassis or housing can be molded into a desired shape
using the battery material itself and still incorporate a power
source for the intended application.
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to assemble a
polymer battery as the structural casing of an electronic unit
so that interconnecting wires between the battery, a charging
unit, and a regulating circuit are eliminated.
Another object of the invention is a power source
consisting of solar cells, RF charging unit or microwave energy
charging means which are integrated structurally with a polymer
battery.
Yet another object of the invention is the integration of
a polymer battery as the principal structural element in the
formation of a solar-powered electronic unit.
A further object of the invention is an implementation for
integrated power management electronics offering voltage
regulation, under/over voltage control, under/over current
control and polymer battery charging control utilizing polymer
and other semiconductor circuitry.
Still another object of the invention is an integrated
power source stacked on top of the integrated power management
circuit layer which incorporate additional applications
circuitry such as SRAM (static random access memory), DRAM's
(dynamic random access memory) for data storage purposes.
Yet another object of the invention is to laminate an
integrated applications electronics layer onto the integrated
power source thereby implementing miniaturization beyond the
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volumetric reduction gained by housing an applications board
within an integrated power source enclosure.
Another object is a power source which combines on a
layered p or n- doped polymer substrate resistive, capacitive
components, semiconductors laminate layer on to another layer
consisting of the solid polymer battery, all integrated onto a
base material to provide a structural shell for an electronics
unit.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become
apparent to those skilled in the art in the course of the
following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. l shows one form of the integrated power source
embodying the invention.
Fig. 2 shows the integrated power source of Fig. l but
depicting the individual laminations and their structural
relationship to each other.
Fig. 3(a)-3(d) shows the integrated power source of the
invention as applied to a conventional cordless telephone
system.
Fig. 4 shows an application of the integrated power source
of the invention to a vehicle such as a passenger automobile.
Fig. 5 shows an application of the integrated power source
of the invention to a lap top computer.
Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show, respectively, applications of the
integrated power source of the invention to an emergency sun
shield message communication wireless panel, a residential or
commercial structure such as a building or the like, and
highway signs.
Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along the lines IX-~X of
Fig. 8, both signs pictured being represented.
Fig. lO is a block diagram of a circuit which carries out
the operation of the integrated power source of the invention.
Fig. ll is a cross section of multiple laminations showing
an alternate embodiment of the integrated power source of the
invention.
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The same reference characters refer to the same elements
throughout the several views.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to Fig. 1, an integrated power source is
indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 and includes as
one of its components an essentially flat, planar and malleable
polymer battery 12 which offers structural support for a
plurality of electronic components of eclectic choice. Battery
12 may be any one of a number of solid state polymer batteries
which have existed in the art for several years. One type of
polymer battery believed to be appropriate for use in
connection with the device illustrated in Fig. 1 is described
and claimed in U.S. Patent application Serial No.
entitled "A Completely Polymeric Charge Storage Device and
Method for Producing Same", filed , and
assigned to the assignee of the instant application. It will
thus be understood that battery 12 will comprise in a preferred
form an ionically conducting gel polymer electrolyte layer
separating opposing surfaces of electronically conducting
conjugated polymeric anode and cathode elements supported on a
lightweight porous substrate. Symbolically in Fig. 1, the
electrical function of battery 12 is represented by the
conventional symbol 14. Battery 12 thus will be understood to
comprise the main power source which will power the stack and
the applications lo~d.
Other components selected for incorporation into the
integrated power source of Fig. 1 include the following
elements: a solar energy system 15 which comprises an array of
conventional solar cells two of which 18 and 20 are shown
connected by diodes 22 and 24, respectively, to a battery
charge regulator 26, an optional battery life indicator 28, an
RF charging circuit 30 connected between coil 31 and diode 33,
and an internal applications load shown as consisting of a
resistor 32. The representative solar cells 18 and 20 can be
in rigid form or flexible form depending on the application
requirement. As will be appreciated, solar energy system 15
converts solar energy to electrical energy and typically would
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be expected to deliver electrical current to a battery, such as
the battery 14.
The actual physical characteristics of integrated power
source 10 may best be appreciated by reference to Fig. 2. The
polymer battery 12, the solar cells 18 and 20, and the polymer
semiconductor circuitry 17 comprising the regulator 26, the
indicator 28, charging circuit 30, and applications load
resistor 32 have previously been discussed in connection with
the device shown in Fig. 1. Capping the device in direct
abutting relationship with one side of the solar cells is a
protective cover 34 transparent to solar radiation and having
the primary function of protecting the solar cells from
physical damage. Cover 34 may advantageously incorporate if
desired an infrared filter in an effort to reduce to a minimum
heat buildup in the integrated power source caused by infrared
heating. Supporting the integrated power source 10 and in
direct abutting relationship with one side of the polymer
semiconductor circuitry-17 is a base structure material 36.
The base material adds an optional foundation for supporting
integrated power source 10 and it has, if desired, such
optional uses as electrical isolation, electrical grounding,
and antenna for the stack when required. Base material 36
equally can be a separate layer or be integrated with the
layers above it.
From the description of the invention to this point, it
will be appreciated that the integrated power source embodying
the invention results in a self-contained, thin, lightweight,
modular, easily portable, and renewable source of power with
diverse application in such fields as telecommunications
equipment, portable tools, portable PC's, vehicles, crafts,
spacecraft, consumer electronics and toys. It will be evident
that no separate enclosure or battery compartment is required
since the source of electrical current readily is fed to
polymer battery 12 from solar energy system 15. The
capacitance, resistors, diodes and other electronic components
are placed on the polymer substrate, or made part of the
substrate to implement the charging circuit of battery 12.
, .. .. ,, . , . .. .. . . , . ... , ~ , .
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Alternatively, the electronics components layer may be
implemented by other technologies such as by adopting chip-on-
board techniques. That is, interconnections can be expected to
be traces on the substrate between the solar cells, charging
circuits and battery 12 for electrical power flow between them.
Being highly malleable, the integrated power source 10 has the
ability to be adapted to multiple configurations thus being
able to take the shape of any desired application housing. It
thus has the flexibility to be molded across structural members
like spacecraft tubing, spacecraft (such as side to bottom)
panels, solar panels, spacecraft linkages, and propellant
tanks. With prudent utilization, and periodic access to solar
radiation, power exhaustion in all likelihood should never
occur.
lS Referring now to Fig. 3(a), the integrated power source lo
is shown applied to a hand-held transceiver, generally
designated 38, of a conventional cordless telephone system. In
the side view of transceiver 38 as shown in Fig. 3(a), the
transceiver incorporates protective cover 34, solar cells 18
and 20 layered under the cover, and polymer battery 12 not only
shaped or molded to conform to the design of transceiver 38 but
completely enveloping the transceiver except, as shown in front
and back views 3(b) and 3(c), for necessary perforations which
accommodate an antenna 40, viewing screen 42, and conventional
push buttons 44. From the foregoing description, it will be
understood that the mottled areas 12 as they appear in Figs.
3(a) and 3(b) represent the polymer battery 12 as a flexible
polymer material that is either n or p-doped functioning either
as cathode or anode material with the solar cells converting
photons into charge carriers in the doped polymer material
which will give rise to an electrical current. The casing of
transceiver 38, in the example given, thus will be composed of
the entire integrated power source itself, thereby dispensing
with any underlying structural frame and disposing entirely of
battery compartment or enclosure routinely encountered in
contemporary and conventional remote communication systems.
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The advantageous features of the invention described
hereinabove thus appear in the assembly of a polymer battery
which not only provides solar-converted electrical energy to an
electronic unit but simultaneously serves as the structural
casing or core of the electronic unit itself. Typical
conventional interconnecting wires extending between the
battery, a charging circuit, and a regulating circuit can be
entirely eliminated since the present invention anticipates
that polymer semiconductor circuitry 17 will consist of
integrated circuits, discrete devices, memory devices, which in
conjunction with the polymer battery powers an application
load. By integrating a flexible and malleable polymer battery
as the principal structural shell of a solar-powered electronic
unit, power should never run out with prudent utilization,
battery replacement per se becomes a thing of the past, and the
resulting reduction in weight and volume effect important
economic savings in application packaging design.
Considering Fig. 3(d) in detail, an alternative source of
power to solar radiation is provided by an RF charging cradle
46 which is connected by means of a conventional power cord 48
to a 110-120v outlet (not shown). In operation, therefore, the
choice exists of charging polymer battery 12 via either the RF
charging circuitry through inductive coupling of energy from
the charging cradle 46, noninvasively via coupling coil 31
which is integrated on the polymer battery, or by current
output when the solar cells are exposed to solar radiation.
Turning now to a discussion of Fig. 4, the integrated
power source 10 of Fig. 1 is laminated onto the structure of an
automobile 50 for providing continuous power renewal during
times when the vehicle is under exposure to solar radiation.
In Fig. 5, the integrated power source is shown applied to
a lap top electronics unit 52 which incorporates polymer
battery 12 as the shell or casing, thus eliminating the
additional bulk of the battery compartment conventionally
imposed by prior art structural enclosures to support the
display panel and operating controls.
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In the device shown in Fig. 6, a sun shield panel 60 is
shown mounted on the rear window 62 of a vehicle 64. The
polymer battery 12, solar cells 18-20, and various charging
circuits are represented by the mottled area shown covering the
window 62. Through the use of an integrated wireless
transmitter and light emitting diodes (not shown) the panel 60
may provide emergency communication wireless calls for
assistance and also a lighted display of messages in darkness
and thereby transmit customized electronic distress signals
regardless of lighting conditions. For this to occur, it will
be appreciated that the panel will absorb light energy during
the day to charge up the panel battery which can provide power
during extended periods of darkness.
Considering now Fig. 7, the integrated power source 10 of
Fig. 1 is applied to cover the roof 66 of a building 68 such as
a dwelling, factory or the like. The integrated power source
10, of course, as shown in the inset, includes cover 34, solar
cells 18-20, polymer battery 12, the polymer semiconductor
circuitry 17, all mounted on the base structure material
provided by the building 68. The roof top design, with proper
industrial sizing and planning, anticipates obviating the need
for a utility company power hook up in remote areas. Other
benefits of the roof top incorporation of the integrated power
source of the present invention include its use as an auxiliary
power source for energy saving.
- In the application of the invention embodiment shown in
Fig. 8, signs 72 and 74 are supported by a roadside support 76
having posts 78 and 80 anchored to the ground and are equipped
to deliver commandable electronic directional and or highway-
related messages to vehicles passing in the vicinity of the
signs. Rather than illuminate the signs during darkness by
conventional means such as alternating current or standby
emergency battery power, signs 72 and 74 both incorporate the
integrated power source 10 described earlier in connection with
- 35 Figs. 4-7. Accordingly, it will be understood from an
examination of Fig. 9 that each sign 72 and 74 has a
construction which not only is in accordance with the
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invention, but has been described in detail in connection with
the operation given for the embodiment shown in Fig. 2. Also,
the integrated power source can be utilized to power remotely
placed sensor and communications equipment in support of future
intelligent highways.
The integrated power source of the present invention can
also be designed to operate with a memory storage devices made
up of optional dynamic random access memory (~RAM) and static
random access memory (SRAM) that can be programmed for long
term data retention which results in nonvolatility of the
stored data. In addition to the two methods for charging the
battery 12 described hereinabove, the present invention offers
a third method utilizing a manually operated electrical
generating charging device under emergency conditions such as
might be encountered by prolonged periods of darkness or the
absence of conventional wall outlet power. An integrated power
source containing these features is shown in the block diagram
of Fig. 10.
As shown in Fig. 10, a rechargeable battery 81 of the
polymer type hereinabove described is under the control of a
micro-controller generally designated 82 which contains
conventional battery charging, discharging, and regulating
circuits to accs~odate a range of voltage outputs whose
selection is based on the voltage demands of the system.
Optionally, but not shown, micro-controller 82 may in addition
contain circuitry well known in the art for protecting battery
81 against the damage from inadvertent reverse polarity. That
is, the reverse polarity circuit may consist of semiconductors
such as diodes which prevent damage to the circuit when the
rechargeable battery is inadvertently connected in such a way
that the positive and negative terminals are interchanged.
Application electronics 84 may be considered to be the
equivalent of the polymer semi-conductor circuitry 17 described
in connection with the several applications shown in Figs. 4-9.
Likewise, battery charge state display 86 is the equivalent of
the battery life indicator 28 shown in Fig. 1 and the solar
cells 88 and induction charger 90 have also been described in
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11
depth in connection with Figs. 1 and 3, respectively.
Selection of the source of the current to be delivered to
battery 81 is under the control of auto select charging unit 92
having a third input from miniature generator 94. Auto select
charging unit 92 may be internally configured to accept
electrical current for charging battery 81 from any one of the
three sources, or from all three simultaneously. Generator 94
may assume various forms well known to those skilled in the art
but, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, one form of miniature
generator can be a hand-held generator that consists of a
motor, a gear assembly, a flywheel, a one-way clutch and an
input motion trigger. Movement of the input trigger will
generate an amplified circular motion of the motor shaft
through the gear assembly. When the motor shaft turns, it will
generate a magnetic field through the motor coils. This
magnetic field will then provide a potential voltage and
current at the motor terminals that can be used for charging of
the battery. The input motion can be a linear or a circular
motion. A DRAMS/SRAMS memory module 96 optionally may be
connected to battery 81 to store in digital form data
concerning various operational characteristics of battery 81.
Operational characteristics of the applications circuitry and
data gathered from the applications circuit can also be stored
in the non-volatile memory.
Fig. 11 shows al~other ~nd somewhat more extensive
arrangement of the integrated power source of the present
invention which offers greater resistance to mech~nical impact
and protects against abrupt changes in atmospheric pressure.
Referring now to Fig. 11, the integrated power source is made
up of multiple layers of laminations arranged in a
predetermined order inside to outside beginning with a battery
charge state display 98 and ending with a protective
transparent cover 100. Next of the electronic components in
the order shown between the two outer laminations are optional
DRAMS/SRAMS memory module 102, rechargeable battery 104,
battery electronics 106, and an array of solar cells 108.
Sandwiched between the solar cells 108 and battery electronics
. .
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12
106, between battery electronics 106 and battery 104, between
battery 104 and optional DRAMS/SRAMS memory module 102, and
between optimal DRAMS/SRAMS memory module 102 and battery
charge state display 98 are layers of structural composite 110.
The presence of the structural composite layers 110 contributes
to the overall rigidity of the integrated power so~rce thus
making it less vulnerable to me~-h~n;cal impact and sudden
pressure decompression especially in those applications where
the integrated power source serves as the housing structure of
an operational device. It will be appreciated, of course, that
the number of the composite layers 110 may be reduced, or the
number kept the same and their thickness made a matter of
adjustment, until the optimum value of structural rigidity of
the integrated power source has been attained.
It will be understood that the invention is not limited to
the embodiments described above, it being apparent to those
skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can
be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or
the scope of the appended claims.
