Battery technology
Stryker developed battery technology for its medical devices which ensured reliability in the operating room and ability to be processed through a high temperature and pressure sterilization process. This IP may be useful to the automotive, oil/gas, and defense industries. In more detail our portfolio includes the following patents:
Newly Issued US Patent 9,496,729, "Battery with internal current limiter that is selectively actuated as a function of the device to which the battery is connected" teaches a battery including a housing that contains at least one cell, a current limiter and a control circuit. When a device is first connected to the battery, the control circuit actuates the current limiter so that only a current limited voltage is sourced to the device. This current limited signal only supplies sufficient current for energizing a circuit internal to the device. This current limited signal is not able to power the device. The control circuit waits to receive if the powered on device transmits a recognition code. If the recognition code is received, the control circuit sources current to from the cell to the device along a path that bypasses the current limiter. This current, not being current limited is able to power the components internal to the connected device. Another embodiment of "smart" batteries which may be useful to the automotive, aerospace, and defense industries.
US Patent 5,977,746, “Rechargeable Battery Pack and Method for Manufacturing Same” teaches of a battery pack which simplifies and reduces the costs of manufacturing, and which utilizes materials and a design that are compatible with autoclaving or other harsh treatments. Though particularly useful for surgical tools, the field of use is relevant for battery packs subjected to sustained stresses, and where both reliability and durability are key criteria. Fields of use meeting these criteria include electric/hybrid vehicles. Assignees of 70 total citing patents cover a broad spectrum of industries, and include Johnson Controls, Ford Global Technologies, and Tesla Motors.
US Patents 6,018,227, 6,160,376 and 6,331,761 define ways of testing batteries and battery packs to optimize the charging process, to determine the energy stored in each battery after charging, to store a historical record of energy stored after charging, and to display a battery utility showing energy stored relative to a fully charged battery. Key elements of this technology include a microprocessor on the charger, and memory elements associated with each battery. Additional elements include temperature sensors associated with each individual battery, and load-resistors and switches allowing the voltage at load to be determined for each battery. The microprocessor on the charger communicates with the temperature and voltage sensors, controls charging sequences to individual batteries and reads and writes to the battery memory elements. Taken together these elements provide a smart battery charging system that provides essential diagnostics for rugged battery packs subject to harsh environmental conditions where performance and reliability are crucial. The importance of such smart charging approaches is reflected in the 161 total forward citations, which include patents from Robert Bosch.
