MXPA01010716A - Consumer battery having a built-in indicator - Google Patents

Abstract

A built-in battery integrated circuit (50) in the form of a flexible circuit board (70) of a consumer battery (10) senses a voltaic cell electrode (32", 34") voltage, and when the voltage is indicative of a low state of charge, activates an indicating system (11), alerting a user to the impending battery failure. In addition, a tester actuator button (15) is placed exteriorly on the battery container (12) to manually activate the indicating system (11) to verify that the battery has not become so low of charge as to prevent the indicating system from functioning. Advantageously, the tester actuator button (15) may further enable the built-in battery integrated circuit, thushaving all internal electronics unpowered until a user decides to use the battery (10). The indicating system (11) includes an analog indicator such as a bargraph and/or a pulse indicator (64) such as an LED or LCD.

Description

BATTERY FOR THE CONSUMER WHO HAS AN INTEGRATED INDICATOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to batteries, and more particularly to batteries that have an integrated indicator to communicate the state of charge of the battery.

Reference With Related Pending Requests This application is related to the following pending and common property applications, all filed on April 2, 1998: Application of the United States of America Serial Number 09 / 054,192, entitled PRIMARY BATTERY HAVING TO BUILT- IN CONTROLLER TO EXTEND BATTERY RUN TIME, which names Vladimir Gartstein and Dragan D. Nebrigic; Application of the United States of America with serial number 09 / 054,191, entitled BATTERY HAVING A BUILT-IN CONTROLLER TO EXTEND BATTERY SERVICE RUN TIME, which names Vladimir Gartstein and Dragan D. Nebrigic; Application of the United States of America with serial number 09 / 054,087, entitled BATTERY HAVING TO BUILT-IN CONTROLLER, which names Vladimir Gartstein and Dragan D. Nebrigic; and Provisional Application of the United States of America with Serial Number 60 / 080,427, entitled BATTERY HAVING A BUILT-IN CONTROLLER TO EXTEND BATTERY SERVICE RUN TIME, which names Dragan D. Nebrigic and Vladimir Gartstein.

All of the above-mentioned applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Consumers use batteries in many applications, such as portable electronic devices, including radios, reflectors, watches, CD players, cameras, cell phones, electronic games, toys, pagers, computer devices, and so on. The operation of these devices requires having sufficiently charged batteries in the device, or replacements available. Cheap electronic devices usually give no indication of the remaining life of the batteries. Therefore, the consumer in general does not have a warning of the imminent failure of the battery before the device stops operating. Consumer batteries are generally used in these devices, the consumer's batteries being characterized as having a standard size and a nominal terminal voltage, and being relatively inexpensive. Examples of consumer batteries include batteries normally designated AAAA, AAA, AA, C, D, 9-volt prismatic battery, and may also include larger batteries generally used in vehicles. A characteristic of consumer batteries is that they are designed in general for a wide range of devices, rather than for a specific device. Some consumer batteries provide simple thermochromatic labels to test the state of charge of the battery. However, these integrated battery testers have a number of drawbacks. First, thermochromatic labels have limited accuracy, sometimes marking as much as 20 percent less of the battery's charge state, due to factors such as manufacturing variability and battery temperature. Second, thermochromatic labels dissipate significant amounts of energy, and therefore, are only made to provide an indication when they are manually activated by the consumer by pressing the label. Therefore, the consumer can not easily inspect a battery, but must go through the inconvenience of removing a battery from its packaging or a device, and firmly press the thermochromatic label for a period of time. More complex battery management functions have been developed for use in battery electronic devices. For example, video recorder cameras and portable personal computers usually give a warning of imminent deactivation due to a discharged battery, and can even estimate the remaining time in the battery. Nevertheless, these indication functions are relatively expensive and complex electronic circuits that can be added in a significant way to the cost of the electronic device. For example, the cost of a low-performance microprocessor generally used in these circuits, would generally be a prohibitive cost on batteries for the consumer, as well as being included in many inexpensive battery devices. In addition, these circuits are generally applicable only to one type of battery, are too large to be incorporated into the battery itself, and require that the electronic apparatus be available and operable to provide an indication with respect to the battery. In some exotic applications, such as aerospace vehicles, battery management functions may be incorporated into a system or battery pack. Although space, weight, and energy consumption may be a concern in these applications, the limitations imposed by the size restrictions of a battery for the consumer are generally more demanding. Moreover, the cost of these circuits is usually not a concern in exotic applications. However, for low-cost consumer batteries, this functionality is not supported. U.S. Patent No. 5,747,189 discloses a battery and circuit for monitoring the state of charge of the battery housed in a single housing. A visual display can be provided to display an indication of the state of charge. The Patent of the United States of North America Number 5,645,949 discloses a battery cell having a positive terminal, a negative terminal, and an energy producing core section. The battery cell includes an internal circuit to monitor the battery cell. The circuit can control the battery cell. U.S. Patent No. 5,537,024 discloses a circuit configuration for detecting a voltage (U). The voltage is applied to the input of a voltage detector (VD), through a voltage divider (Rl, R4). The output signal from the voltage detector (VD) is applied to the base of a transistor (TI) whose collector-emitter circuit, together with a capacitor connected in series (Cl), is connected in parallel with the voltage (U) that it will be detected. The junction of the capacitor (Cl) and the transistor (TI) is connected to the input of the voltage detector (VD) through a resistor (R5, R6). The output of the voltage detector (VD) is further applied to the input of a component (C) that supplies different output signals, depending on whether its input receives a constant signal level or a variable signal level.

International Publication Number WO 99/05745 discloses a battery tester circuit comprising a visual display circuit for a battery, and a visual display driver for receiving power from the battery to drive the visual display component. The visual display drive component is an oscillatory circuit that can also be printed on the substrate. International Publication Number WO 95/21471 discloses a battery strength tester, used in a battery having a force indicator and a switching element to complete a circuit, in order to place the indicator means through the terminals of the battery, and display the charge of the battery. International Publication Number WO 93/06474 discloses an electrochemical cell and a related indicator of the state of charge, characterized by an electrochemically generated visual display.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention satisfies these and other needs with an indicator system incorporated in a battery container, the indicating system including an indicator controller that responds to the voltage of the internal electrode of the voltaic cell also inside the battery container. The indicator system also includes an indicator that is controlled by the indicator controller. In some embodiments, an indicator system that includes a pulse indicator is provided, and in other embodiments an analogous indicator, such as a bar graph. In another aspect of the present invention, a consumer battery is provided that conforms to the standard external dimensions and a standard terminal voltage, which incorporates an indicator system that senses the voltage of an electrode of the voltaic cell and controls an indicator. In this way, the battery for the consumer incorporates these features into a container that provides the standard dimension. In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for indicating a state of charge, including detecting an electrode voltage of the voltaic cell within a battery container with an internal integrated circuit, comparing the voltage of the electrode with a voltage of reference, and indicate the state of charge when the electrode voltage falls below the reference voltage. In a more particular way, the method further provides for the elevation of the voltage of a battery terminal in response to the voltage drop of the electrode below a threshold.

In a further aspect of the invention, a battery is provided wherein a power detecting circuit senses the electrical charge stored inside the battery, and generates a conditioned voltage representative of the stored electrical load to control an externally provided indicator in the battery container. Battery. In addition, a battery is provided wherein a manually activated actuator closes an internal latch for electrically coupling the internal electrodes of a voltaic cell with the externally provided battery terminals. In addition, a battery including a power converter for raising the voltage of the battery terminal is provided, using a power state machine with a progressive stop oscillator. Each of these characteristics, individually or in different combinations, are contemplated to improve the consumer's batteries. These and other advantages of the present invention will become clearer in the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the embodiments of the invention, and, together with the general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the given modalities below, they serve to explain the principles of the present invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a battery having an integrated indicator system incorporated in a battery container, illustrating a type of indication in the form of a bar graph, and also showing an interactive user control in the shape of a button actuator of the tester. Figure 2 is a sectional view of the battery of Figure 1, showing an internal integrated circuit of the battery interposed between the electrodes of the primary and reserve voltaic cells, and the terminals of the battery. Figure 3 is a perspective view separated into parts of a partially disassembled battery without a container, showing an internal integrated circuit of the instantaneous adjustment battery which is interconnected with a primary voltaic cell, and which also shows another type of indication in the form of a pulse indicator, such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED). Figure 4 is an electrical block diagram of the battery of Figure 2, illustrating an internal integrated circuit of the battery, and its relation to other components of the battery.

Figure 5 is an implementation of the power converter referenced in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a specific implementation of the energy control state machine with the progressive stop oscillator of Figure 5. Figure 7 is an implementation of the indicator controller referenced in the internal integrated circuit of the battery of Figure 4, which provides a control for a pulse type indicator, such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED) indicator, or a Glass Screen indicator Liquid (LCD). Figure 8 is another implementation of the indicator controller shown as a major component of the internal integrated circuit of the battery of Figure 4, which provides control for a bar graph type indicator, and which provides an indication of pressing to test . Figure 9 is an illustrative graph of the voltage across time for the battery of Figures 2 and, where the battery voltage is initially that of the voltage of the primary voltaic cell that first declines below a reference voltage, and finally under a cut-off voltage, at which time, the battery voltage is switched to a voltage of the backup voltage cell. Figure 10 is an illustrative graph of the voltage for the internal integrated circuit of the battery of Figures 7 and 9, which emits an indication of increasing frequency pulses when the voltage of the primary voltage cell decreases from the reference voltage to the voltage of cut. Figure 11 is an illustrative voltage graph for the internal integrated circuit of the battery of Figures 8 and 9, wherein a stored voltage of the primary voltaic cell is converted to a calibrated signal corresponding to the corresponding range of the bar graph indicator during the time when the voltage of the primary voltaic cell is between the reference voltage and the cut-off voltage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to Figure 1, a battery 10 is shown having an indicating system 11 incorporated in a container 12, specifically a side wall 14 which is hereinafter referred to as a "label". The illustrative example shown is a cylindrical battery for the consumer 10, such as AAAA, AAA, AA, C, or D, although the indicator system 11 can be incorporated in other types of batteries 10, such as prismatic batteries or other battery packs. multiple cells. The externally visible portions of the first example of the indicator system 11 include an analogous indicator 13 in the form of a bar graph of primary voltaic cell 13a, labeled as "FULL" and "EMPTY" in its limits. The analogous indicator 13 is also shown including a bar chart of reserve voltaic cell 13b labeled "RESERVE", although this separate indication may be a calculated portion of a primary energy source (not shown). In addition, multiple energy sources (not shown) can be added to the primary bar graph 13a without having a reserve bar graph 13b. The tag 14 is also shown including a tester actuator button 15, which conveniently provides manual control of the indicator system 11, as will be described later, although it will be appreciated that the embodiments of the present invention may be entirely automatic. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the container 12 also includes an upper lid 16 and a lower lid 18 on the opposite ends, the outermost surface of the upper lid 16 forming a positive terminal 20, and forming the externally extended surface of the container. the lower lid 18 a negative terminal 22. The container 12, as shown, encloses other portions of the battery 10, where the other portions are surrounded by, or incorporated in, the strip 14. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that others. containers 12 can substantially enclose the other portions of the battery. For example, a cordless telephone handset may include a dual-cell battery (not shown), wherein the two cells, which have their own individual containers, are wrapped together, where portions of the individual containers are visible. Referring to Figure 2, a perspective cut view of the battery 10 of Figure 1 is shown, illustrating different aspects of the present invention. Only the internal structure of the battery 10 is shown, such as a primary voltaic cell 30, because the indicating system 11 is intended for a wide range of batteries. The primary voltaic cell 30 can be electrochemical, such as zinc-carbon, lithium, alkaline, nickel-cadmium, and the like. In addition, the primary voltaic cell 30 can have other elements for storage or generation of electrical energy, such as electromechanical, solar, and so on. Moreover, the primary voltaic cell 30 may comprise a plurality of separate energy sources. The primary voltaic cell 30 includes a positive electrode of primary voltaic cell 32 (cathode) ', and a negative electrode of primary voltaic cell 34 (anode), the negative electrode 34 being electrically grounded with the negative terminal 22. A separator is provided 28 between the anode 34 and the cathode 32. The primary voltaic cell positive electrode 32 is electrically coupled to an internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, by means of a primary insulated positive conductor 52. The battery 10 of Figure 2 is illustrative , and can be modified for different energy sources, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art. For example, additional structures may be required, such as current collectors (not shown). The specific implementation shown in the Figure 2 includes a backup voltage cell 30 'inside the container 12. The backup voltage cell 30 includes a positive electrode of backup voltage cell 32, electrically coupled with the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, by means of an isolated positive conductor. reserve 54. The backup cell 30 'also includes a negative reserve voltaic cell electrode 34', which is electrically grounded to the negative terminal 22. Although the reserve voltaic cell 30 'is shown to be of appreciable size , it will be appreciated that the backup cell 30 'may be of a small size, performing a short duration increase for the service life of the battery after the automatic or manual command. A manual switch may be convenient to force a user to recognize that the battery 10 will soon be exhausted, especially in appliances where the battery 10 is not easily visible for inspection of the tag 14. In this implementation, the tag 14 may including an activating element, such as an actuator button of the tester 15, although the implementation described below contemplates an automatic switch. The small intended size of the backup voltage cell 30 'allows the primary voltaic cell 30 to be approximately the typical size of a consumer battery cell voltaic. The service life of the battery is not degraded significantly by providing space for the indicator system 11, because the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 is partially enclosed by the positive terminal 20, which is wider than the nipple. of a typical battery, forming an elongated cavity 51 for enclosing at least a portion of the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, and thereby maintaining the height of the primary voltaic cell 30. The operational advantages of the described illustrative circuits further forward they will also show mitigation characteristics of the power consumption of the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, as well as energy conversion capabilities, which extract additional energy from the battery 10, especially in the sub-volt region, exceeding life expectancy of battery service. Accordingly, the automatic features of the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 often do not significantly degrade the service life. Referring to Figure 3, a partially disassembled battery 10 with the container 12 removed is shown, to illustrate an internal integrated instantaneous battery circuit 50 'for the primary voltaic cell 30. Note that this implementation of the battery 10 does not include a reserve voltaic cell 30 '. The illustration suggests a standard AA-size consumer battery; however, this assembly would be appropriate for a wide range of battery types, such as AAAA, AAA, C, D, or prismatic cells. In some implementations, the top cap 16 is a false top portion linked (at three points) to the label 14 of the battery 10. The internal instantaneous battery circuit 50 'makes operative contact with the top cap 16 when assembled the battery 10. In the illustrative implementation, the internal instantaneous integrated battery circuit 50 'is instantly adjusted, by causing a positive conductive plate 56 to make contact with the positive primary electrode 32, and a negative conductive plate 58 to contact with the negative primary electrode 34, the positive and negative conducting plates 56, 58 being physically coupled by a ground strap 60, which may be a portion of the tag 14. The ground strap 60 also includes a signal conductor 62, such that a pulse indicator 64 can be energized, such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED), or alternatively a Lead Crystal Display liquid, using the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 ', the pulse indicator 64 being placed to ground, with a ground conductor 66 on the ground strap 60. The pulse indicator 64 would be at least partially externally visible when the battery 10 is assembled. The internal integrated circuit of the adjustment battery 50 'also includes an insulating layer 68 between the positive conductor plate 56 and a flexible circuit board 70. The ground conductor 66 and the positive conductor plate 56 are electrically coupled to the flexible circuit board 70 by means of the lines 72, 74, respectively. A reserve volcanic cell 30 '(not shown) can be incorporated by instantaneous adjustment, in a similar manner or in other manufacturing techniques that would be apparent to one skilled in the art. The internal integrated circuit of the instantaneous setting battery can be permanently adhered to other portions of the battery 10 by techniques including, but not limited to: (1) fusion; (2) conductive adhesive; (3) fastening; (4) connection of metallic sailboat-sailboat; or (5) battery case assembly.

The flexible circuit board 70 comprising a set of conductors (not shown) bonded to a thin flexible dielectric film (or layer 76), for example polyester or polyimide, such as Kapton of 25.4 microns, is formed from a single layer , or by a double-sided flexible circuit technique, although additional layers can also be used. In applications that use flexible circuits, in general the circuit is designed specifically for the intended application. By arranging the components and connections on a circuit board, the number of mechanical connections is reduced, which results in lower noise, and reliability is increased. Also, the approach of the flexible circuit improves the efficiency of the system, in such a way that clock speeds in the gigahertz range can be achieved. The electronic elements of the integrated circuit 50 of the flexible circuit board 70 can conveniently be of a silicon chip construction, which can be surface mounted or die-injected into the layer 76 for protection, and for more economical packaging. The reduced volume of the integrated circuit is convenient. In this way, flexible circuits provide high packing density, dynamic bending, link and contact sites for analog or digital devices, and reliability of a complex geometric design. Being flexible and thin, flexible circuit board 70 is also allowed to be incorporated into other portions of battery 10, including tag 14. Referring to Figure 4, an electrical block diagram for battery 10 is shown. Figures 1 and 2. The primary voltaic cell 30 is electrically in parallel with the reserve voltaic cell 30 ', having the respective negative electrodes 34, 34' electrically coupled to a ground conductor 34"(or negative electrode), and having the respective positive electrodes 32, 32 'linked to a reserve switch 78. The reserve switch 78 works by default to pass the voltage from the positive electrode of the primary voltaic cell 32, and in response to a command from the circuit integrated circuit of the battery 50, changes its state to pass the voltage from the positive electrode of the backup cell 32 'The output of the reserve switch 38 forms an electrode po Resulting device 32"which is electrically coupled to the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, and more specifically, is electrically coupled to both a latch 88 and an energy converter 90 inside the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50. The latch 88 conveniently it is included to prolong the shelf life for the battery 10. Prior to the first use, the latch 88 is initially opened, preventing the power from enabling the rest of the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, with a resultant loss of energy. An example of a lock 88 is a single shot multivibrator. The lock 88 is conveniently controlled by a tester actuator 92. The tester driver 92 electrically couples both the ground conductor 34"and the resulting positive electrode 32". In response to the actuation by a user, the tester driver 92 provides an output to the latch 88, which will close the latch 88. Then, the latch 88 remains closed. The actuator of the tester 92 also provides an output to the indicator system 11, as reflected in Figure 4 by a connection shown towards an indicator controller 100. This manual input to the indicator system 11 by the actuator of the tester 92, can be used. to enable, or bounce, the indicator system 11, which does not have an automatic enabling element, for the purpose of enabling or bouncing an indicating system in situations where the indicating system would otherwise be disabled (such as in high load states) ), or to derive the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 by providing a signal directly to the analog indicator 13, as described herein for Figure 8, or in other applications that would be apparent to one skilled in the art.

Once the lock 88 is closed, then the resulting positive electrode 32"is electrically coupled to a pre-pump 102, a power source based on a charge pump intended to provide power to the other components of the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, such as the indicator controller 100, and a voltage reference 104, for example, an integrated band gap voltage reference.The voltage reference 104 produces a continuous voltage reference signal to the indicator controller 100 and to the power converter 90. The indicator controller 100 is electrically coupled to the analog indicator 13, and provides a forward control signal 106 to the power converter 90. The power converter 90 is electrically coupled to the positive terminal 20 and the negative terminal 22 of the battery 10. In addition, the power converter 90 provides a surge input to the pre-pump 102 d during startup, as will be described in connection with Figure 6. For the implementations of the present invention wherein the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 does not contain a power converter 90, by causing the lock 88 to open to disable the pre-pump 102, the indicator system 11 is disabled. In the implementation shown in Figures 4 to 6, the positive terminal 20 also does not receive power from the battery in addition to the indicator system 11, which is inoperative when the pre-pump is disabled 102. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 performs an energy sensing circuit function, in this case by detecting the electrode voltage, as may be appropriate for some electrochemical voltage cells. However, other approaches to energy detection would be employed, for example when electrical energy is stored in the form of an electromagnetic field, a volume of fuel, or kinematic energy. Many forms of energy sources are candidates for these indicator systems 11, because the indicator 13 does not need to be directly energized by the electrode voltage but instead is energized by a conditioned voltage. Referring to Figure 5, an implementation of the power converter 90 of Figure 4 is shown in greater detail and includes an input capacitor Cl, the inductor L, the MOSFET switch 2 ("SW2"), the MOSFET switch 3 ( "SW3") (which would normally be a Schottky diode for the energy converter 90 intended to raise the voltage), the output capacitor C2, and the power control state machine with the progressive stop oscillator 110. The converter energy 90 receives an input voltage from the resulting positive and negative electrodes 32", 34", through which the input capacitor Cl is connected to provide input stability, especially if the voltage cells 30, 30 'are distant from the energy converter 90. A typical capacitor Cl may be of a tantalum ether construction, or a polymeric capacitor. The power converter 90 provides an output voltage to the positive and negative terminals 20, 22, through which the output capacitor C2 remains, which may be a type of low ESR tantalum capacitor, or a polymer capacitor or another type of capacitor that has a low equivalent series resistance (ESR). It will be appreciated that the energy converter 90 can be formed inside a package having capacitance to provide the output capacitor C2. The inductor L has a first end connected to the positive electrode 32"and a second end connected to the drain of the SW2 and to the drain of the SW3 The collector and the substrate of the SW2 are connected to the negative electrode 34". The energy control status machine with the progressive stop oscillator 110, has connections with the gate and the drain of the SW2; the gate of SW3; the negative electrode 34"; the drain, substrate, and collector of the SW3, as well as external inputs to the power converter 90, including the aforementioned pre-pump 102, voltage reference 104, and forward control 106, which will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 6. Referring to Figure 6, an implementation of the power control state machine is shown with the progressive stop oscillator 110 of Figure 5, including a start circuit with the charge pump accumulator 112, oscillator 114, error amplifier 116, 0-volt output detector of step-start control logic 118, modulator 120, SR 122 flip-flop, and driving stage of the multiplexer, logic changer, and anti-crossover 124. Each component of the energy control state machine with the progressive stop oscillator 110, is also partially biased by reference to the negative electrode. I'm 34". It is desirable that the power converter 90 can handle a surge in demand from a load (not shown) connected to the battery 10, even when the battery 10 is not fully charged, so that the voltage of the positive electrode passing through the inductor L goes to the starting circuit with the accumulator of the charge pump 112, which in turn energizes the oscillator 114, the 0 volt output detector of the start-up control logic 118, and the driving stage of the multiplexer, logic changer, and anti-crossover. Otherwise, the power control state machine with the progressive stop oscillator 110 may act in an unpredictable manner, if the demands result in improperly energizing the internal integrated circuit of the battery. The oscillator 114 provides a stable frequency for the clock components of the energy control state machine with the progressive stop oscillator 110, specifically the 0 volt output detector of the progressive start control logic 118, and the modulator 120. The error amplifier 116 compares a VSai? Da signal from the positive terminal 20 with the reference voltage from the voltage reference 104, providing an error signal to the 0 volt output detector of the progressive start control logic 118. The 0 volt output detector of the start-up control logic 118 modulates a duty cycle signal to the SR 122 flip-flop in correlation with the error signal, increasing the duty cycle by one step when the error signal is positive, and reducing the signal of the duty cycle by one step when the error signal is negative. In addition, the 0-volt output detector of the step-start control logic 118 receives a signal V3a from the positive terminal 20 for the purpose of detecting a voltage 0 (ie, truncated battery condition), as such way that the output of the battery can be reduced by reducing the signal of the duty cycle. The stop controller of the progressive start control logic performs a long-discontinuous mode for light loads, in such a way that efficiency is not impaired. The SR 122 flip-flop generates an impulse signal by the duty cycle signal at the input S, and by causing the modulator 120 to provide a modulating signal of the same clock speed as the oscillator 114 to the R input. The driving stage of the multiplexer, logic changer, and anti-crossover 124 receives the impulse signal to prepare an output signal in order to completely propel the gates of SW2 and SW3 to the saturation region. The anti-crossover conduction stage dynamically adjusts the dead time between the gates, based on the forward control signal and the signal Vout • Referring to Figure 7, an implementation of the flag controller 100a referenced in Figure 4 is shown, configured for a pulse indicator 64, as shown in Figure 3. The flag controller 100a comprises a threshold detector voltage 130 which monitors the electrode voltage, producing a threshold signal when the voltaic cell falls below a voltage threshold for a predetermined period of time. The threshold signal enables or rebounds the remaining portions of the indicator system 11, such that a pulse indication is provided. The voltage of the electrode that is being detected by the voltage threshold detector 130 may fluctuate due to changes in a load (not shown) to the battery 10. For example, a large current peak for a surge interval such as of a duration of about 100 milliseconds, with a corresponding drop in electrode voltage, is typical for many devices, especially during start-up. In order to prevent a false alarm from the indicator system 11, the voltage threshold detector 130 comprises a Trigger - Differential input hysteretic Schmitt A, which compares the positive electrode 32"with the reference voltage, such as 1.4 volts, from the voltage reference 104. The electrode voltage is detected from a voltage divider of the resistors Ra and Rb , wherein a first end of the resistor Ra and a first end of the resistor Rb are electrically coupled with the positive input to the hysteretic Schmitt Trigger A, and wherein a second end of the resistor Ra is electrically coupled to the positive electrode 32"and a second end of the resistor Rb is electrically coupled to the negative electrode 34. "The junction of the resistors Ra and Rb is also defined as the source for the above-mentioned forward control 106, provided to the power converter 90. The values of Ra and Rb they are selected in such a way that the energy dissipation is low through the series combination of Ra and Rb, and in such a way that the activation voltage is reached. desired ion for indicator system 11 when compared to the reference voltage. The output of the hysteretic Schmitt Trigger A is connected to the gate of a MOSFET switch SW4, whose drain is energized by the pre-pump 102. The substrate and the switch manifold SW4 are electrically coupled to polarize the remaining portion of the indicator controller 100a , specifically an inverted hysterical Schmitt Trigger of a single B input, a hysteretic Schmitt Trigger of differential input C, and an operational amplifier (Amp Op) D. The operational amplifier D receives an input from the positive electrode 32", and provides a voltage of positive electrode damped as an output to the positive input of the Schmitt hysterical Trigger of differential input C. The negative input of Trigger Schmitt C is electrically coupled to the input of the inverted Schmitt Trigger B. A resistor Rl has a first end connected between the input and the inverted Schmitt Trigger output B. Also, a capacitor is connected C3 between the inverted Schmitt Trigger input B and the negative electrode 34". The values of the resistor Rl and C3 are selected in such a way that the combination with the Schmitt Trigger B forms a low frequency oscillator 132, providing a frequency input of the pulse indicator to the negative input of the Schmitt Trigger C. As When the positive electrode damped voltage drops at the positive input to the Schmitt C trigger, the output pulse train from the Schmitt C trigger has an increasing duty cycle, which is used to control the gate of a MOSFET switch 5. The substrate and the collector of the MOSFET switch 5 are connected to the negative electrode 34", and the drain of the MOSFET switch 5 is connected to the pulse indicator 64. The switch SW5 is a high impedance switch, in such a way that it can be connected directly to the pulse indicator 64, such as a light emitting diode or a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), without the need for a current limiting resistor. Referring to Figure 8 there is shown a second indicator controller 100b for an analogous indicator, such as the analogous indicator 13 of Figure 1. The previous description of Figure 7 is also applicable in Figure 8 for the Schmitt A Trigger, the switch 4 (SW4), and the operational amplifier D. Instead of having a low frequency oscillator 132, the damped voltage of the positive electrode is electrically coupled from the operational amplifier D, with the positive input of a Schmitt Trigger hysteretic differential input E. The negative input to the hysteretic Schmitt trigger of differential input E is electrically coupled to the reference voltage 104. The output of the differential hysteretic Schmitt trigger E is electrically coupled to the analog indicator 13. Also in the Figure 8 shows another implementation of the tester actuator 92 referenced in Figure 4. The actuator of the pro bador 92 connects directly to the bar graph indicator 13 at the output of the indicator controller 100b, (i.e., the output of the operational amplifier E). In a specific manner, an actuator button of the tester 15 (Figure 1) electrically closes a first contact 136 and a second contact 138. The first contact 136 electrically couples the positive electrode 32"with the bar graph indicator 13. The second contact electrically couples the bar graph indicator 13 with a first end of a resistor Rt, while a second end of the resistor Rt is electrically coupled with the negative electrode 34". Accordingly, in the event that the battery 10 is outside its socket, or when there is no external load on the battery 10, the actuator of the tester 92 imposes an optimum artificial load (resistor Rt), such that the voltage of the The electrode will reflect the state of charge of the battery 10. The resistor Rt can be printed on the label 14, or it can be integrated into the flexible circuit board 70, and cut to the proper calibration for a specific bar graph indicator. Referring both to Figure 7 and Figure 8, in a convenient manner, the output of the hysteretic Schmitt Trigger A is also connected to the reserve switch 78, such that, when a low electrode voltage is detected, it is used the reserve voltaic cell 30 '. Referring to Figure 9, a voltage chart illustrates the operation of an internal integrated circuit of the battery, as shown in Figure 4. In Phase 1, immediately after manufacture, the battery 10 has an internal voltage of the electrode of the primary cell ("Primary Cell") fully charged, which is electrically disconnected from the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, and preferably also from the terminals of the battery 20, 22 ("terminal"). This last isolation of the terminals 20, 22, not only reduces the possibility of an energy leak during the prolonged shelf life, but also provides security. For example, lithium batteries can heat up and explode during a rapid discharge, such as if terminals 20, 22 were inadvertently cut off during storage. At the time TO, the electrodes of the primary cell 32, 34 are electrically coupled to the terminals 20, 22, respectively, such as by the latch 88, whereby also energy is provided to at least a portion of the internal integrated circuit of the the battery 50, such as the pre-pump 102, the voltage reference 104, and the Schmitt Trigger A. Because the electrode voltage is above a reference voltage, the terminal voltage tracks the voltage of the cell primary voltaic through the rest of Phase 1. In time IT, Phase 2 begins, the electrode voltage going below the reference voltage, thus making both the power converter 90 and the indicator system 11 activate in an automatic way. Accordingly, the electrode voltage continues to decline, while the terminal voltage is maintained by the relatively constant power converter 90, at a higher voltage. The examples of the indicator system 11 are described below with respect to Figures 10 and 11. Any cell is absent. With the reserve voltage, the electrode voltage will be reduced until a cut-off voltage is reached, such as 0.7 volts, after which the internal integrated circuit of the battery no longer has enough voltage to operate. Depending on the implementation, the terminal voltage in this way would resume electrode voltage tracking, or it would be electrically disconnected from electrodes 32, 34. Figure 9, however, shows an implementation that includes a reserve voltage cell. 30 '. At time T2, the electrode voltage reaches a reserve trigger voltage, which is higher than the cut-off voltage, and the backup voltage cell 30 'starts supplying power to terminals 20, 22. During Phase 3, the voltage of the reserve electric electrode declines in a manner similar to that previously described for the voltage of the primary voltaic cell, although generally faster, so that the energy converter 90 and the indicating system 11 can be fired again. the time T3, the voltage of the reserve voltaic cell electrode reaches the cut-off voltage, and then, in Phase 4, the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 is deactivated. Referring to Figure 10, the Phase 2 for a pulse indicator 64, as described above for FIGS. 8 and 10, where a pulse train begins in TI, and continues to increase its frequency up to time T2, when the resulting flashes of the i Pulse driver 64, such as a light emitting diode, alerts a user to an imminent battery failure. Referring to Figure 11, Phase 2 is shown for a bar graph indicator 13, as described above for Figures 9 and 10, where the electrode voltage is converted (ie, the output of the operational amplifier). damped E), by means of the operational amplifier E, up to a corresponding range for the bar graph indicator 13. This calibration can accommodate the lack of linearity in the calibration of the electrode voltage towards the state of charge, as well as in the range of operational input of the analogous indicator 13. The invention, in its broader aspects, therefore, is not limited to details, representative apparatuses, and specific methods, nor to the illustrative examples shown and described. In accordance with the above, a departure from these details can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept of the applicants. For example, although an energy converter 90 is conveniently illustrated as a part of the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, the indicator system 11 can be incorporated into a battery 10 where the voltages of the voltage cell are supplied directly to the battery terminals. the battery 20, 22. Alternatively, an energy converter 90 can regulate the total time of the terminal voltage, including increasing or decreasing the voltage across the electrodes 32, 34. As another example, although the proportions and the typical structures of an electrochemical voltaic cell 30, the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 can be applied to a wide range of voltaic cells 30, including solar, hybrid, electrochemical, and so on. Moreover, a battery 10 can have any number of primary voltaic cells 30 and / or reserve 30 'voltage cells., these cells 30, 30 'being in an electrical combination in series or in parallel. As a further example, the tag 14 may incorporate different types of indications in addition to, or instead of, an analogous indicator, such as the bar graph indicator 13 or the pulse indicator 64. For example, the status information Load can be converted to a corresponding digital representation that indicates a number or percentage. In addition, the charging state information can be further converted to a corresponding time measurement, such as the time remaining until the battery 10 is discharged, these calculations being based on an average, instantaneous, or previously determined discharge rate. As yet another example, the description herein provides a battery 10 with a tester actuator button 15, which conveniently provides a plurality of functions, such as initially enabling the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 to prolong the shelf life, and manually activates the indicator system 11 to confirm the state of charge when the indicating system would otherwise be inactive. Other implementations of the battery 10 may not have this interface, or may assign fewer functions, such as not having the latch 88, and therefore, the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50 would be activated in an automatic manner. As yet a further example, the tester driver 92 can activate the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, instead of connecting an electrode voltage to the bar graph indicator 13, and connecting a calibrated resistor Rt between the indicator of the graph of bar and land. As another example, the indicator system 11 may include an audio communicator in place of, or in addition to, a visual indication. Therefore, an audible tone modulated in its frequency or duration, can transmit information regarding the imminent failure of the battery. It will be appreciated that the lock 88 may be omitted which initially disables the internal integrated circuit of the battery 50, allowing the battery 10 to be fully operational. Alternatively, the latch 88 may also interrthe electrical coupling of the resulting positive electrode 32"with the power converter 90, and therefore, with the positive terminal 20. Although this requires a manual step by a user to make the battery 10 operational, this inconvenience would be guaranteed if a prolonged shelf life were desired.In addition, some voltage cells, such as lithium batteries, become unsafe during a rapid discharge. positive 20 is initially electrically decoupled, provides a measure of safety of a short of the battery against inadvertent charging, such as if the battery is dropped into the sludge.For the implementations of the present invention without an energy converter 90, therefore , the lock 88 would be coupled directly to the positive terminal 20, to achieve the same security improvement.

Claims (9)

1. A battery characterized by: a primary voltaic cell that includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode, the primary voltaic cell storing an electrical charge, resulting in an electrode voltage across the positive and negative electrodes; an indicator system that includes an indicator and an indicator controller, the indicator controller interposing between the electrodes and the indicator, the indicator controller responding to the electrode voltage to control this indicator; a container substantially enclosing the primary voltaic cell and the indicating system; and wherein the indicator controller includes a voltage threshold detector electrically coupled to the electrodes, the voltage threshold detector responding to the voltage drop of the electrode up to a voltage threshold, after which the voltage threshold detector activates the indicator system to activate this indicator in this way.

2. The battery according to claim 1, further characterized in that the indicating system includes a voltage reference, and wherein the voltage threshold detector includes a trigger coupled with the electrodes, and coupled with this voltage reference. .

3. The battery according to claim 1, further characterized in that the voltage threshold detector is further characterized by a hysteretic differential input Schmitt trigger having first and second inputs and a trigger output, coupling the first input electrically with the voltage of the electrode, and the second input being coupled electrically with a voltage divider polarized by the voltage reference, the voltage divider generating a predetermined voltage threshold, this output controlling the energy of the battery to the remaining portion of the voltage. indicator system The battery according to claim 1, further characterized in that the indicator controller is further characterized by a slow pulse oscillator electrically enabled by the voltage threshold detector, and which controls this indicator. 5. The battery according to claim 4, characterized in that the indicator includes a pulse indicator. The battery according to claim 5, characterized in that the pulse indicator comprises one of a Light Emitting Diode and a Liquid Crystal Display. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that it also includes a reserve switch and a reserve voltage cell substantially enclosed by the container, the reserve switch between the primary voltage cell and the backup voltage cell interposing. , and controlled by the indicator system to selectively increase the electric charge of the primary voltaic cell. The battery according to claim 7, characterized in that the backup voltage cell includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode, the negative electrode being coupled electrically with the primary negative electrode, and wherein the reserve switch It switchably connects the primary positive electrode and the positive reserve electrode to the indicator system. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that the indicating system further includes a positive conductor, a negative conductor, and a ground strap, and wherein said indicator controller comprises a flexible circuit board, coupling the positive conductor electrically with the positive electrode of the primary voltaic cell, and the negative conductor being coupled electrically with the negative electrode of the primary voltaic cell, the flexible circuit board being coupled electrically with the positive conductor and with the ground strap, coupling the ground strip electrically with the negative conductor, where this indicator is placed externally on the container, also including the container a positive terminal and a negative terminal, coupling the flexible circuit board electrically with the positive terminal, and coupling the negative terminal electrically with the negative electrode Iivo, the negative conductor, and the ground strap.