GB2120003A - Improvements in battery-powered equipment - Google Patents

Improvements in battery-powered equipment Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2120003A
GB2120003A GB08212673A GB8212673A GB2120003A GB 2120003 A GB2120003 A GB 2120003A GB 08212673 A GB08212673 A GB 08212673A GB 8212673 A GB8212673 A GB 8212673A GB 2120003 A GB2120003 A GB 2120003A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
battery
compartment
equipment
switch
actuating
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB08212673A
Other versions
GB2120003B (en
Inventor
Robin Bransbury
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to GB08212673A priority Critical patent/GB2120003B/en
Publication of GB2120003A publication Critical patent/GB2120003A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2120003B publication Critical patent/GB2120003B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
    • H01M50/50—Current conducting connections for cells or batteries
    • H01M50/572—Means for preventing undesired use or discharge
    • H01M50/574—Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current
    • H01M50/583—Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current in response to current, e.g. fuses
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
    • H01M50/00—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the non-active parts of electrochemical cells other than fuel cells, e.g. hybrid cells
    • H01M50/20—Mountings; Secondary casings or frames; Racks, modules or packs; Suspension devices; Shock absorbers; Transport or carrying devices; Holders
    • H01M50/204—Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
    • Y02E60/10—Energy storage using batteries

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Electrochemistry (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)

Abstract

To prevent reuse of an already used battery with battery-powered equipment (4) the battery (1) is provided with a frangible member (2) which actuates an equipment- enabling switch (7) when present on the battery. When a battery is removed from the battery compartment (3) of the equipment, the frangible member is broken off so that on subsequent insertion the switch (7) will not be actuated. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in batter-powered equipment This invention relates to improved batterypowered equipment and in particular to an improved method of safeguarding such equipment against use with an already-used battery. The invention also extends to a battery for use in the above-stated method.
Battery-powered equipment exists (e.g. in the medical or military fields) where it is highly desirable (if not essential) to ensure that there is an adequate power reserve in the battery at all times. Such equipment is known to include some power consumption sensing means which is set to give an alarm signal (e.g. audible or visual) when a pre-set proportion of (say) a minimum specification of the available power capacity of a battery has been expended. Such an arrangement is quite satisfactory provided the battery inserted on the occasion of the last batter change is a new one having its full rated power capacity. It is, however, possible with a prior art arrangement, to use an already-used battery on the occasion of a battery change, and such a mistake can occasion a failure of the equipment with possibly disastrous consequences.
According to one aspect of the invention a method of safeguarding a piece of batterypowered equipment against use with an already-used battery, which equipment comprises a battery compartment, and contact means in the compartment to place a battery inserted therein in circuit with at least one electrical component of the equipment via a switch means, the switch means having an actuating means accessible from said compartment, comprises providing a member, on each battery intended for insertion in the compartment, which will engage said actuating means on first insertion but which becomes ineffective for a subsequent such engagement following removal from the compartment.
Suitably the said member on the battery is frangible and engages the actuating member in such wise that it is broken off by the actuating member when the battery is removed from the compartment.
According to a further aspect of the invention, battery-powered equipment comprises a battery compartment, a battery for insertion in the compartment to power the equipment, power consumption sensing means to provide a measure of the power drawn by the equipment from the battery, actuating means accessible from the compartment to actuate said sensing means, and means on the battery, effective only following first insertion of the battery into the compartment, to actuate said actuating means.
The actuating means can be the switch arm of a microswitch in circuit with the powerconsuming components of the equipment and in circuit with said sensing means. Suitably the switch arm is hooked to interlock with a hook-like member on the battery following first insertion of the latter in the compartment, the hook-like member being broken off by the switch arm when the battery is removed from the compartment.
According to a still further aspect of the invention a battery is provided with a swichactuating member which is effective to actuate the switch only on first insertion of the battery into a compartment in a battery powered equipment designed to receive it.
In one simple arrangement, the casing of the battery is provided with a frangible projectiion which engages with the switch-actuating member to actuate the swich on first insertion of the battery in the compartment, and which is broken off when the battery is subsequently removed from the compartment. Such a simple arrangement can be employed with negligible increase in battery cost and has the advantage that if the said switch is part of the power supply to the equipment not only will a battery devoid of the projection fail to energise the equipment but its absence can give an easy visual indication that the battery has previously been used.
One embodiment according to the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing, the sole Figure of which shows a battery located in a battery compartment of a piece of equipment.
1 designates a battery pack having a hook 2 moulded thereon. When the pack 1 is correctly located in a compartment 3 of the equipment 4, the hook 2 is disposed behind a bent-down end 5 of the moving arm 6 of a micro-switch 7. With the hook 2 present on the pack 1, the arm 6 is held in the full line positiion shown in the drawing so that contacts in the switch 7 are closed to permit power from the pack 1 to be fed to the electrical system (schematically indicated at 8) of the equipment and to a timing circuit (generally designated 9) which assesses the current drain taken by the system 8 from the pack 1 and sounds an alarm (not shown) when the battery has provided 75% of its minimum specification.
Since the hook 2 becomes located behind the end 5 of the arm 6 when the pack 1 is inserted (i.e. in the direction A) into the compartment 3, when the pack 1 is removed, the interengagement between 2 and 5 has to be broken and it is an easy matter to shape the hook 2 so that it inevitably breaks (e.g. at the line 10 of weakness) when the pack 1 is removed, leaving a stub on the pack 1 which is too short to move the arm 6 up from its dotted line position on subsequent insertion of the pack 1 into the compartment 3, which dotted line position of the arm 6 leaves the system 8 and circuit 9 disconnected from the pack 1.
The provision of the hook 2 is just one arrangement within the scope of the invention and other means for ensuring that removal of a pack 1 after first insertion in the compartment 3 will render it ineffective to power the equipment 4 on subsequent insertion are, of course, possible.
The invention has applications in a wide range of electronic equipment where the use of partly-used battery packs could be detrimental.

Claims (8)

1. A method of safeguarding a piece of battery-powered equipment against use with an already-used battery, which equipment comprises a battery compartment, and contact means in the compartment to place a battery inserted therein to circuit with at least one electrical component of the equipment via a switch means, the switch means having an actuating means accessible from said compartment, which method comprises providing a member, on each battery intended for insertion in the compartment, which will engage said actuating means on first insertion but which becomes ineffective for a subsequent such engagement following removal from the compartment.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the member on the battery is frangible and engages the actuating member in such wise that it is broken off by the actuating member when the battery is removed from the compartment.
3. Battery-powered equipment comprising a battery compartment, a battery for insertion in the compartment to power the equipment, power consumption sensing means to provide a measure of the power drawn by the equipment from the battery, actuating means accessible from the compartment to actuate said sensing means, and means on the battery, effective only following first insertion of the battery into the compartment, to actuate said actuating means.
4. Equipment as claimed in claim 3, in which the actuating means is the switch arm of a microswitch in circuit with the powerconsuming components of the equipment and in circuit with said sensing means.
5. Equipment as claimed in claim 4, in which the switch arm is hooked to interlock with a hook-like member on the battery following first insertion of the latter in the compartment, the hook-like member being broken off by the switch arm when the battery is removed from the compartment.
6. Battery-powered equipment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the acompanying drawing.
7. A battery provided with a switch-actuating member which is effective to actuate the switch only on first insertion of the battery into a compartment in a battery-powered equipment designed to receive it.
8. A battery as claimed in claim 7, in which the casing of the battery is provided with a frangible projection which engages with the switch-actuating member to actuate the switch on first insertion of the battery in the compartment, and which is broken off when the battery is subsequently removed from the compartment.
GB08212673A 1982-04-30 1982-04-30 Improvements in battery-powered equipment Expired GB2120003B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08212673A GB2120003B (en) 1982-04-30 1982-04-30 Improvements in battery-powered equipment

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08212673A GB2120003B (en) 1982-04-30 1982-04-30 Improvements in battery-powered equipment

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB2120003A true GB2120003A (en) 1983-11-23
GB2120003B GB2120003B (en) 1985-06-26

Family

ID=10530115

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08212673A Expired GB2120003B (en) 1982-04-30 1982-04-30 Improvements in battery-powered equipment

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2120003B (en)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0275213A2 (en) * 1987-01-16 1988-07-20 Pacesetter Infusion Ltd. Medication infusion system
EP0447909A1 (en) * 1990-03-23 1991-09-25 Asulab S.A. Portable pump for the administration of therapeutic liquids
EP0521184A1 (en) * 1991-07-05 1993-01-07 Asulab S.A. Portable pump for the administration of therapeutic liquids
GB2266003B (en) * 1992-03-31 1995-08-16 Sony Corp Rechargeable battery status indicators
GB2336214A (en) * 1998-01-16 1999-10-13 David William Taylor Preventionof multiple use of limited use devices
WO2001089008A1 (en) * 2000-05-16 2001-11-22 Flexcon Company, Inc. First use indicator label

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0275213A2 (en) * 1987-01-16 1988-07-20 Pacesetter Infusion Ltd. Medication infusion system
EP0275213A3 (en) * 1987-01-16 1989-03-22 Pacesetter Infusion Ltd. Medication infusion system
EP0447909A1 (en) * 1990-03-23 1991-09-25 Asulab S.A. Portable pump for the administration of therapeutic liquids
FR2659856A1 (en) * 1990-03-23 1991-09-27 Asulab Sa PORTABLE PUMP FOR ADMINISTERING A LIQUID THERAPEUTIC SUBSTANCE.
US5266013A (en) * 1990-03-23 1993-11-30 Asulab S.A. Portable pump for the administration of a therapeutic
EP0521184A1 (en) * 1991-07-05 1993-01-07 Asulab S.A. Portable pump for the administration of therapeutic liquids
GB2266003B (en) * 1992-03-31 1995-08-16 Sony Corp Rechargeable battery status indicators
GB2336214A (en) * 1998-01-16 1999-10-13 David William Taylor Preventionof multiple use of limited use devices
WO2001089008A1 (en) * 2000-05-16 2001-11-22 Flexcon Company, Inc. First use indicator label

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2120003B (en) 1985-06-26

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PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee