1. A battery pack comprising:
a first battery, with an aperture of a battery casing being closed by a sealing plate, and a secondary battery, the first battery and the second battery being placed in a linear relationship with each other; and
a connector made of a metallic plate, the connector being disposed between the first battery and the second battery so as to couple the battery pack via the connector, with the connector being welded to the sealing plate of the first battery and to a battery casing of the second battery, so that the adjoining first battery and second battery are linearly disposed to be connected in series;
wherein the connector, being made of the metallic plate, is in a form of a tube with a bottom, being composed of a bottom portion and a side wall;
wherein, in regard to the bottom portion of the connector, an outer periphery is welded to a bottom wall of the battery casing of the second battery, while an inner periphery at an interior side of the outer periphery is welded to the sealing plate of the first battery;
wherein the side wall of the connector, being protruded toward the first battery, has an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter at an end portion of the first battery, so that the first battery is inserted inside the side wall in a non-contact state; and
wherein the end portion of the first battery is inserted inside the side wall of the connector in a non-contact state, with the bottom portion being welded to the first battery and the second battery, so that the first battery is coupled to the second battery by means of the connector.
2. The battery pack as recited in claim 1, wherein the battery has the sealing plate fixed to the aperture of the battery casing by mechanically caulking a periphery of the aperture, and also provided with a mechanically caulked ridge at the circumference of the sealing plate, and wherein the connector is provided with a recess at the bottom portion as the inner periphery, so that such recessed inner periphery is welded to the sealing plate of the first battery and that the outer periphery is welded to the bottom wall of the battery casing of the second battery.
3. The battery pack as recited in claim 1, wherein the bottom portion of the connector, being larger than the outer diameter of the battery casing of the first battery, has the side wall coupled to the outer periphery of the bottom portion.
4. The battery pack as recited in claim 1, wherein an insulation ring is disposed between the outer periphery and side wall of the connector and the first battery, so that the insulation ring may insulate the connector from the battery casing of the first battery.
5. The battery pack as recited in claim 4, wherein the first battery has a mechanically caulked ridge at the circumference of the sealing plate, with the insulation ring being disposed between the mechanically caulked ridge and the bottom portion of the connector.
6. The battery pack as recited in claim 5, wherein the insulation ring is coupled to an insulation plate, for insulating the bottom portion of the connector from the mechanically caulked ridge, and to the outer side of the insulation plate, and is integrally structured with an insulation tube for covering the outer side of the battery casing.
7. The battery pack as recited in claim 6, wherein the insulation plate, along the inner periphery, is integrally structured with a ring ridge for covering the inner face of the mechanically caulked ridge.
8. The battery pack as recited in claim 7, wherein the ring ridge is so configured as to be fitted inside the mechanically caulked ridge.
9. The battery pack as recited in claim 8, wherein the ring ridge is placed between the inner periphery of the connector and the mechanically caulked ridge, so that the bottom portion is insulated from the mechanically caulked ridge.
10. The battery pack as recited in claim 4, wherein that the insulation ring is provided, at the outer periphery thereof, with a fitting-in groove for allowing a lip of the side wall to be fitted in.
11. The battery pack as recited in claim 1, wherein the bottom portion of the connector, being larger than the outer diameter of the battery casing of the first battery, has the side wall coupled to the outer periphery of the connector.
12. The battery pack as recited in claim 1, wherein the first battery has the mechanically caulked ridge at the circumference of the sealing plate, and the outer diameter of the inner periphery of the connector is smaller than the inner diameter of the mechanically caulked ridge of the first battery.
13. The battery pack as recited in claim 12, wherein the connector has a step between the outer periphery and the inner periphery, and the step is larger than the amount of protrusion of the mechanically caulked ridge.
14. The battery pack as recited in claim 1, wherein the connector is provided, at the inner periphery of the bottom portion, with a welding projection protruding toward the sealing plate of the first battery, and the outer periphery is provided with a welding projection protruding toward the bottom wall of the second battery.
15. The battery pack as recited in claim 14, wherein, in regard to the connector, the welding projections on the inner periphery and the welding projections on the outer periphery are disposed in the same radial direction.
16. The battery pack as recited in claim 1, wherein, in regard to the bottom portion of the connector, the inner periphery and the outer periphery are divided by a cutout into a plurality of regions.
17. A method for manufacturing a battery pack comprising: a first battery, with an aperture of a battery case being closed with a sealing plate; a second battery placed in a linear relationship with the first battery; and a connector made of a metallic plate and disposed between the first battery and the second battery, wherein the connector is welded to the sealing plate of the first battery and to the battery casing of the second battery and wherein the adjoining first battery and second battery are linearly placed to be connected in series, the method comprising:
working the metallic plate in a form of a tube with a bottom, being composed of a bottom portion and a side wall;
providing the bottom portion with an inner periphery welded to the sealing plate of the first battery and also with an outer periphery welded to the bottom wall of the battery casing of the second battery;
forming the side wall in a shape which allows an end portion of the first battery to be inserted inside the side wall of the connector in a non-contact state, to thus make up the connector;
inserting the end portion of the first battery inside the side wall of the connector In a non-contact state;
welding the inner periphery provided at the bottom portion of the connector fixedly to the sealing plate of the first battery;
stacking the second battery on the connector so that the connector is interposed between the first battery and the second battery; and
welding the outer periphery provided at the bottom portion of the connector to the bottom wall of the battery casing of the second battery, while a welding electrode is pressed against the wall of the battery casing of the second battery and against the side wall of the connector.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for determining, in particular for calculating, an imbalance characteristic of a hairspring-balance oscillator, the method comprising:
putting the hairspring-balance oscillator into oscillating motion at two amplitudes at least;
determining for each amplitude and for at least two positions of the oscillator, data which is representative of the period of oscillation of the oscillator;
using the data from the preceding step in order to calculate the imbalance characteristic of the hairspring-balance oscillator.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determination of data which is representative of the period of oscillation of the oscillator comprises measurements.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2, which firstly comprises:
dismantling an escapement unit of the movement, or fitting the oscillator on a support which allows the oscillator to oscillate freely.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of using the data comprises calculating the imbalance characteristic from a formula which involves data determined during the step of determination.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises performing measurements on a range of amplitudes, the extreme amplitude levels of which are spaced by at least 30\xb0, at two amplitude values at least which are situated on both sides of 220\xb0, the amplitudes being included in the interval200\xb0; 280\xb0.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two positions of the oscillator are positions in which the axis of oscillation of the oscillator is horizontal or substantially horizontal.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least two positions of the oscillator are positions in which the orientation of the oscillator differs by 90\xb0 or more.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two positions of the oscillator comprise four positions of the movement in which the axis of oscillation of the oscillator is horizontal or substantially horizontal, and wherein the orientations of the movement are spaced by 90\xb0 from one another.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein use is made of one or more of the three following formulae in order to calculate the imbalance characteristic:
\ue89e
bx
=
I
\xb7
(
2
\ue89e
\u03c0
\ue89e
\ue89e
f
)
2
2
\xb7
86400
\xb7
g
\xb7
\u2211
\u03b8
\ue89e
J
1
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
\u03b8
\xb7
(
3
\ue89e
H
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
–
9
\ue89e
H
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
)
\u2211
\u03b8
\ue89e
(
J
1
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
\u03b8
)
2
\ue89e
\ue89e
\ue89e
by
=
I
\xb7
(
2
\ue89e
\u03c0
\ue89e
\ue89e
f
)
2
2
\xb7
86400
\xb7
g
\xb7
\u2211
\u03b8
\ue89e
J
1
\ue89e
\ue89e
(
\u03b8
)
\u03b8
\xb7
(
6
\ue89e
H
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
–
12
\ue89e
H
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
)
\u2211
\u03b8
\ue89e
(
J
1
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
\u03b8
)
2
\ue89e
b
=
bx
2
+
by
2
=
I
\xb7
(
2
\ue89e
\u03c0
\ue89e
\ue89e
f
)
2
\xb7
(
\u2211
\u03b8
\ue89e
J
1
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
\u03b8
\xb7
(
3
\ue89e
H
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
–
9
\ue89e
H
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
)
)
2
+
(
\u2211
\u03b8
\ue89e
J
1
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
\u03b8
\xb7
(
6
\ue89e
H
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
–
12
\ue89e
H
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
)
)
2
2
\xb7
86400
\xb7
g
\xb7
\u2211
\u03b8
\ue89e
(
J
1
\ue8a0
(
\u03b8
)
\u03b8
)
2
where:
b: the norm of the vector imbalance;
bx: the component of the vector imbalance according to the x axis;
by: the component of the vector imbalance according to the y axis;
I: the inertia of the balance;
J1: the Bessel function of the order 1;
\u03b8: the amplitude of the oscillation motion in rad;
3H(\u03b8), 6H(\u03b8), 9H(\u03b8) and 12H(\u03b8): rate values in the four vertical horology positions of the movement;
the x and y axes correspond to the directions 9H and 12H.
10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imbalance characteristic comprises:
an imbalance mass and an imbalance position on the balance; or
an imbalance vector which is expressed by its norm and its direction.
11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of putting the oscillation of the hairspring-balance oscillator into motion comprises the following sub-steps:
putting the oscillator into oscillation motion;
stopping to sustain the oscillations,
and wherein the step of determining data which is representative of the period of oscillation of the oscillator comprises the following sub-step:
measuring the data which is representative of the period whilst the amplitude of the oscillation motion of the oscillator decreases.
12. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising measuring an amplitude of the oscillation motion.
13. A method for regulation of a hairspring-balance oscillator, comprising
determining for each amplitude and for at least two positions of the oscillator, data which is representative of the period of oscillation of the oscillator, and
modifying the balance in order to eliminate some or all of this imbalance from the balance.
14. A balance or hairspring-balance oscillator obtained by implementation of the method for regulation according to claim 13.
15. A movement comprising a hairspring-balance oscillator as claimed in claim 14.
16. A horology piece comprising a movement as claimed in claim 15.
17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hairspring-balance oscillator is designed to be fitted in a horology movement.
18. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the measurements are performed with free oscillation.
19. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the escapement unit is an anchor.
20. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the extreme amplitude levels of the range are spaced by at least 50\xb0, and the two amplitude values at least are included in the interval150\xb0; 280\xb0.