Methods for determining and controlling battery expansion

A rechargeable battery for a portable electronic device, the rechargeable battery comprising:

• a rechargeable battery module comprising one or more rechargeable battery cells;
• a housing containing the rechargeable battery module;
• a processing unit;
• an expansion detector electrically coupled to the processing unit and comprising:
• a first comb element positioned on a surface of the housing;
• a second comb element interlaced with the first comb element, wherein the first comb element is configured to move away from the second comb element in response to expansion of the housing, the expansion detector configured to:
• detect the expansion of the housing by detecting a change in an electrical resistance between the first comb element and the second comb element based on the first comb element moving away from the second comb element;
• and
• send an expansion signal to the processing unit in response to detecting the expansion;
• wherein:
• in response to receiving the expansion signal, the processing unit modifies one or more characteristics of an electrical input to the rechargeable battery.

A rechargeable battery package of an electronic device comprising:

• a rechargeable battery;
• an expansion detector operably coupled to the rechargeable battery and configured to determine a change in a dimension of the rechargeable battery by detecting a change in a resistance between a first comb element and a second comb element;
• and
• a power management unit operably coupled to the rechargeable battery and the expansion detector, the power management unit configured to control an electrical input to the rechargeable battery:
• wherein:
• the expansion detector is further configured to send an expansion signal to the power management unit in response to the expansion detector determining that the dimension of the rechargeable battery exceeds an expansion threshold;
• and
• the power management unit is further configured to modify the electrical input in response to receiving the expansion signal.