Apple looking to sweeten battery life with redesigned 'jelly rolls'
Battery life in future iPhones and MacBook Pros could be improved with Apple's concept for a new, redesigned battery containing multiple "jelly rolls" enclosed in a single pouch.
Jelly rolls, also known as Swiss rolls, are found in cylindrical, rechargeable batteries, like a typical AA, AAA or D batteries. In the design, anode and cathode material is laid down and divided by a separator, and then rolled up into a hollow cylinder.
Apple is now looking to expand on the jelly roll design, according to a new patent application discovered this week by AppleInsider. The filing, dubbed "Battery with Multiple Jelly Rolls in a Single Pouch," aims to improve the existing lithium batteries found in most electronic devices, including the iPhone, iPad and portable Macs.
The application notes that lithium-polymer batteries are convenient, because they include cells that are packaged in flexible pouches that can be tailored to fit into small portable electronic devices.
A lithium-polymer battery can achieve a packaging efficiency of between 90 percent and 95 percent if a jelly roll is enclosed in a foil pouch. Multiple pouches can be placed side by side in order to form a battery.
But to further improve the efficiency of batteries, making them smaller and even more efficient, Apple has proposed a new kind of battery cell with a set of jelly rolls found in a foil pouch, rather than just one.
Just like in a rechargeable AA, Apple's concept includes a cathode and anode divided by a separator. Conductive tabs within the battery cell would connect cathodes and anodes from the jelly rolls found in the pouches.
"The use and placement of multiple jelly rolls of different lengths and thicknesses within a pouch may allow the creation of a custom battery cell that maximizes the use of free space within a portable electronic device and provides greater capacity, packing efficiency, and/or voltage than battery cells that contain only one jelly roll per pouch," the application reads.
This kind of custom battery could be designed to specifically fit the needs of the device in which it is found. In one example, Apple describes a laptop with a battery pouch and multiple thin jelly rolls housed behind the display of a laptop computer.
"Along the same lines, jelly rolls of various thicknesses and lengths may be sealed in a pouch to create an asymmetric battery cell that fits around other components (e.g., processors, printed circuit boards (PCBs), memory, storage, etc.) inside the enclosure of a mobile phone," it states.
The application made public this week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was first filed by Apple on Jan. 26, 2010. The proposed invention is credited to Ramesh C. Bhardwaj, Taisup Hwang, and Richard M. Mank.
Apple's interest in improving batteries is not new. Earlier this year, a separate filing described a concept for dense lithium cells that could increase the capacity of rechargeable batteries without increasing their size.
The company has also expressed interest in building its own external battery pack that would allow for recharging when a power outlet may not be available. In one example, the company described a battery pack built into its standard charging cable for devices like an MacBook Pro or iPhone.
Jelly rolls, also known as Swiss rolls, are found in cylindrical, rechargeable batteries, like a typical AA, AAA or D batteries. In the design, anode and cathode material is laid down and divided by a separator, and then rolled up into a hollow cylinder.
Apple is now looking to expand on the jelly roll design, according to a new patent application discovered this week by AppleInsider. The filing, dubbed "Battery with Multiple Jelly Rolls in a Single Pouch," aims to improve the existing lithium batteries found in most electronic devices, including the iPhone, iPad and portable Macs.
The application notes that lithium-polymer batteries are convenient, because they include cells that are packaged in flexible pouches that can be tailored to fit into small portable electronic devices.
A lithium-polymer battery can achieve a packaging efficiency of between 90 percent and 95 percent if a jelly roll is enclosed in a foil pouch. Multiple pouches can be placed side by side in order to form a battery.
But to further improve the efficiency of batteries, making them smaller and even more efficient, Apple has proposed a new kind of battery cell with a set of jelly rolls found in a foil pouch, rather than just one.
Just like in a rechargeable AA, Apple's concept includes a cathode and anode divided by a separator. Conductive tabs within the battery cell would connect cathodes and anodes from the jelly rolls found in the pouches.
"The use and placement of multiple jelly rolls of different lengths and thicknesses within a pouch may allow the creation of a custom battery cell that maximizes the use of free space within a portable electronic device and provides greater capacity, packing efficiency, and/or voltage than battery cells that contain only one jelly roll per pouch," the application reads.
This kind of custom battery could be designed to specifically fit the needs of the device in which it is found. In one example, Apple describes a laptop with a battery pouch and multiple thin jelly rolls housed behind the display of a laptop computer.
"Along the same lines, jelly rolls of various thicknesses and lengths may be sealed in a pouch to create an asymmetric battery cell that fits around other components (e.g., processors, printed circuit boards (PCBs), memory, storage, etc.) inside the enclosure of a mobile phone," it states.
The application made public this week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was first filed by Apple on Jan. 26, 2010. The proposed invention is credited to Ramesh C. Bhardwaj, Taisup Hwang, and Richard M. Mank.
Apple's interest in improving batteries is not new. Earlier this year, a separate filing described a concept for dense lithium cells that could increase the capacity of rechargeable batteries without increasing their size.
The company has also expressed interest in building its own external battery pack that would allow for recharging when a power outlet may not be available. In one example, the company described a battery pack built into its standard charging cable for devices like an MacBook Pro or iPhone.
Comments
Let me tell you I don't mean no wrong
I will learn you something if you listen to this song
I ain't here to try to save your soul, just want to teach you how to save your good jelly roll
When your man come home evil, tell you you are getting old
That's a true sign he's got someone else bakin' his jelly roll
How in the world is this eligible for a patent? You're going to put 2 jelly beans in a bag instead of 1? It's not inherently obvious that you could do this?
Read the full patent application, as there is more to it than just stuffing 2 in 1
*Removes sunglasses*
... u jelly?
And I am SO HUNGRY NOW!
How in the world is this eligible for a patent? You're going to put 2 jelly beans in a bag instead of 1? It's not inherently obvious that you could do this?
Plus I have to imagine it has been done before. Even if it hasn't it is pretty obvious from the design of lithium batteries that they can be packaged to fit almost anywhere.
Read the full patent application, as there is more to it than just stuffing 2 in 1
Don't have time to fully analyze it, but just browsing it seems full of standard battery constructs -- cathodes, anodes, separators,tabs,seals,pouches...
Since you've noticed the innovation, can you summarize what it is?
Rather than allowing a laptop to have 15 hour battery life, apple would put in a more powerful processor that would create only 10 hour battery life, but you would get improved performance. Which is always a positive trade off.
I only hope that they release their latest laptop battery designs on their next available devices and don't make us wait too long!
How in the world is this eligible for a patent? You're going to put 2 jelly beans in a bag instead of 1? It's not inherently obvious that you could do this?
You have vastly oversimplified the situation, using vastly incomplete information. Read the patent application.
Currently Apple has only applied for a patent on the claims described in their application. The application has been published by the US PTO 18 months after filing as required by law. The PTO has yet to make a determination as to whether any of the claims in the application will be allowed.
If any of the claims are allowed by the PTO, prior art (existing prior to the filing date of Jan. 26, 2010) held privately by any company would allow said company to utilize the method(s) without a license. Meanwhile, the patent holder maintains all other rights to the invention for a limited time, in exchange for their having shared their ideas with the public. That pretty much obliterates the argument that, if the claims are thought by lay persons to be obvious, someone must have thought of them before, even if they hadn't to date published their work or put it into practice for the public good.
Dang you Apple! You copy everything! (NOT)
Don't have time to fully analyze it, but just browsing it seems full of standard battery constructs -- cathodes, anodes, separators,tabs,seals,pouches...
Since you've noticed the innovation, can you summarize what it is?
Just a quick perusal of the claims (and it's only the claims that matter) shows that the "jelly rolls" are not necessarily of the same size, which seems unusual. The rolls are also not necessarily packed side-by-side, which is unusual. The cathodes and anodes are not necessarily connected to one another inside, which is unusual.
That's just for starters! And this was all evident to begin with just from viewing the images posted on AI.
BTW, are you on Google's legal team?
Now Apple can fit the battery around the circuit board and vice versa. The battery is just another component to be optimized, not a monolith that the other components need to fit around.
Of course one of the best ways to improve battery life is to come up with innovative shapes and packaging methods like this to maximize your battery capacity within the same device size.
Apple's use of non-user replaceable batteries has been controversial, but they've done it to maximize the battery life and have come up with really interesting packaging methods for batteries, like what the Macbook Air uses.
When Apple announced the first MacBook Pros with non-removable batteries, one of the executives mentioned that the battery had "smart charging" of individual cells within it. Now that announcement makes sense. Smaller rolls might take less time to charge than larger ones, and the power management firmware can detect that. Nice.
Now Apple can fit the battery around the circuit board and vice versa. The battery is just another component to be optimized, not a monolith that the other components need to fit around.
Interesting. I never really caught that information.
You have vastly oversimplified the situation, using vastly incomplete information. Read the patent application.
Currently Apple has only applied for a patent on the claims described in their application. The application has been published by the US PTO 18 months after filing as required by law. The PTO has yet to make a determination as to whether any of the claims in the application will be allowed.
If any of the claims are allowed by the PTO, prior art (existing prior to the filing date of Jan. 26, 2010) held privately by any company would allow said company to utilize the method(s) without a license. Meanwhile, the patent holder maintains all other rights to the invention for a limited time, in exchange for their having shared their ideas with the public. That pretty much obliterates the argument that, if the claims are thought by lay persons to be obvious, someone must have thought of them before, even if they hadn't to date published their work or put it into practice for the public good.
Sorry to have insulted your vast intellect with my lay questions.
Smaller rolls might take less time to charge than larger ones, and the power management firmware can detect that. Nice.
Not sure how that would affect how long of a charge you would get versus one single battery of the same capacity. Can see however how that might affect the overall longevity (read years of life) of the jelly roll design by intelligently conditioning by topping off and draining specific ones.
Sorry to have insulted your vast intellect with my lay questions.
Huh? If I was at all offended, it was my sensibilities, by an apparent rush to judgment.
I am not a lawyer.