Rechargeable battery having charging indicating means
View Patent ↗A system for detecting information about rechargeable batteries having standard form factors, e.g. AA, C, D, etc., is disclosed. In one preferred embodiment, the invention includes a battery having a layer of insulating material with selective apertures. A charger is provided that senses the number and placement of the apertures to determine the particular battery configuration. Once the battery configuration is determined, the charger then charges the battery to apply a charging algorithm in accordance with the particular configuration. If a recognized battery configuration is not detectable, the charger does not charge, so as not to compromise the reliability of the battery.
1. A battery comprising:
a. at least one rechargeable cell having an anode and a cathode;
b. a housing disposed about the at least one rechargeable cell; and
c. an electrically insulating material disposed on the housing;
d. wherein the electrically insulating material includes at least one aperture therein, wherein the electrically insulating material is selected from the group consisting of adhesive labels, paint and ink.
2. The battery of claim 1 , wherein the at least one aperture is arranged in a predetermined pattern so as to correspond to a preferred charging algorithm.
3. The battery of claim 2 , wherein the housing is manufactured from an electrically conductive material.
4. The battery of claim 3 , wherein the housing is electrically coupled to the anode of the at least one rechargeable cell.
5. A system for charging a battery, the system comprising:
a. a battery, the battery comprising:
i. at least one rechargeable cell having an anode and a cathode;
ii. a housing disposed about the at least one rechargeable cell; and
iii. an electrically insulating material disposed on the housing;
iv. wherein the electrically insulating material includes at least one aperture therein;
v. wherein the electrically insulating material is selected from the group consisting of adhesive labels, paint and ink;
b. an electronic device, the electronic device comprising:
i. at least one sensor;
ii. a sensing circuit; and
iii. a charging circuit;
wherein the sensing circuit is responsive to the at least one sensor;
further wherein the sensing circuit instructs the charger to charge in accordance with the preferred charging algorithm.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of chargers, power supplies, personal data assistants, radios, phones, pagers, MP3 players, compact disk players, and portable computers.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the sensing circuit enables charging when the battery is inserted in a first geometric orientation, further wherein the sensing circuit disables charging when the battery is inserted in a second geometric orientation.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the sensing circuit comprises a look-up table for associating a set of predetermined aperture configurations with a set of predetermined charging algorithms.
9. A battery comprising:
a. at least one rechargeable cell having an anode and a cathode;
b. a housing disposed about the at least one rechargeable cell; and
c. an electrically insulating label disposed on the housing;
wherein the electrically insulating material includes at least one electrically conductive region disposed thereon.
10. The battery of claim 9 , wherein the at least one electrically conductive region is arranged in a predetermined pattern so as to correspond to a preferred charging algorithm.
11. The battery of claim 10 , wherein the label includes an electrically conductive tab capable of connecting to the anode of the rechargeable cell.
12. The battery of claim 11 , wherein the at least one electrically conductive region is electrically coupled to the electrically conductive tab.