MXPA00009691A - Primary battery having a built-in controller (dc/dc converter) to extend battery run time - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery having a built-in controller is disclosed that extends the run time of the battery. The controller may extend the run time of the battery, for example, by converting the cell voltage to an output voltage that is greater than a cut-off voltage of an electronic device, by converting the cell voltage to an output voltage that is less than the nominal voltage of the electrochemical cell of the battery, or by protecting the electrochemical cell from current peaks. The controller may also include a ground bias circuit that provides a virtual ground so that a converter may operate at lower cell voltages. The battery may be a single-cell battery, a universal single-cell battery, a multiple-cell battery or a multiple-cell hybrid battery.

Description

PRIMARY BATTERY THAT HAS AN INTEGRATED CONTROLLER (DIRECT CURRENT / DIRECT CURRENT CONVERTER) TO EXTEND BATTERY SERVICE TIME FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to primary batteries and more particularly to primary batteries having an integrated controller to prolong the service life of the battery.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Consumers use primary consumer batteries in portable electronic devices such as radios, CD players, cameras, cell phones, electronic games, toys, pagers and computer devices, etc. When the service time of these batteries is over, the batteries are normally discarded. In that time only about 40 to 70% of the total storage capacity of a typical battery has been used. Once that portion of the initial stored energy has been used, the battery in general can not supply enough voltage to drive the electronic device. In this way, consumers normally dispose of these batteries even though the battery still contains between 30 and 60% of its storage capacity. Extending the service life of these batteries by providing a more secure deep discharge will reduce waste by allowing electronic devices to utilize the full storage capacity of the battery before disposing of it. In addition, consumers are constantly demanding smaller and lighter portable electronic devices. One of the main obstacles to making these devices smaller and lighter is the size and weight of the batteries required to supply power to the devices. In fact, as electronic devices become faster and more complex, they typically require even more current than previously, and, therefore, the demands on the batteries are even greater. Consumers, however, will not accept more powerful and miniaturized devices if the increased functionality and speed require them to replace or recharge batteries much more frequently. Therefore, in order to manufacture faster and more complex electronic devices without diminishing their useful life, electronic devices need to use the batteries more efficiently and / or the batteries themselves need to provide a larger utilization of the stored energy. Some more expensive electronic devices include a voltage regulator circuit such as a switch converter (e.g., a direct current / direct current converter) in the devices for converting and / or stabilizing the output voltage of one or more batteries. In those devices, multiple single cell batteries are generally connected in series, and the converter converts the voltage of the batteries to a voltage required by the charging circuit. A converter can extend the battery service time by decreasing the battery output voltage in the initial portion of the battery discharge where otherwise the battery would supply more voltage, and therefore more power, than the charging circuit requires, and / or increasing the output voltage of the battery in the last portion of the battery discharge where otherwise the battery would be spent because the output voltage is less than the circuit requires of cargo. The method of having the converter in the electronic device, however, has several disadvantages. First, converters are relatively expensive to place in electronic devices because each device manufacturer has specific circuit designs that are manufactured in a relatively limited amount and, therefore, have a higher individual cost. Second, battery suppliers have no control over the type of converter that will be used with a particular battery. Thus, the converters are not optimized for the specific electrochemical properties of each type of battery cell. Third, different types of battery cells such as alkaline and lithium cells have different electrochemical properties and nominal voltages and, therefore, can not be easily exchanged. Additionally, converters take up valuable space in electronic devices and add weight to electronic devices. In addition, some electronic devices may use linear regulators instead of more efficient switch converters such as DC / DC converters. In addition, electronic devices that contain switch converters can create electromagnetic interference (EMI) that can adversely affect adjacent circuitry in the electronic device such as a radio frequency transmitter ("rf")). By placing the converter in the battery, however, the EMI source can be placed further away from other EMI-sensitive electronics and / or could be protected by a conductive battery container. Another problem with current voltage converters is that they typically need multiple electrochemical cells connected in series, in order to provide sufficient voltage to drive the converter. Then, the converter can decrease the voltage to a level required by the electronic device. Therefore, due to the input voltage requirements of the converter, the electronic device must contain several electrochemical cells, even though the electronic device itself may require a single cell to operate. This results in wasted space and weight and prevents further miniaturization of electronic devices. Therefore, there is a need to further utilize the charging capacity of primary batteries for the consumer before discarding the batteries and using less space and weight for the batteries in order to additionally miniaturize portable electronic devices. Additionally, there is a need to reduce the cost of DC / DC converters for electronic devices by designing more universal circuit designs.

There is also a need to design a converter that can take advantage of the specific electrochemical properties of a particular type of electrochemical cell. In addition, there is also a need to develop interchangeable batteries that have electrochemical cells with different nominal voltages or internal impedances without altering the cell chemistry of the electrochemical cells themselves. Moreover, there is a need to develop hybrid batteries that allow the use of different types of electrochemical cells to be packed in the same battery. Additionally, it also exempts a need to protect sensitive circuitry of an electrical or electronic EMI interference device caused by a breaker converter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a primary battery that provides a longer service time through more use of its stored energy. The battery has an integrated controller that includes a direct current / direct current converter that may be able to operate below the voltage threshold of typical electronic devices. The controller more efficiently regulates the cell voltage and allows a safe deep discharge of the battery in order to utilize more of the stored energy of the battery. The controller is preferably arranged on a mixed-mode silicon chip which is of customary design for operation with a particular type of electrochemical cell such as an alkaline cell, zinc-carbon, NiCd, lithium, silver oxide or hybrid cell or with a particular electronic device. The controller preferably monitors and controls the power supply to the load to optimally prolong the battery service time by (1) turning the direct current / direct current converter off and on; (2) maintaining a minimum required output voltage when the input voltage is below the cut-off voltage of the electronic devices to which the battery is designed to supply power; and (3) decrease the output impedance of the battery. In a preferred embodiment, the controller is mounted within a single cell primary battery such as a standard AAA, AA, C or D battery (for example, in the container), or inside each cell of a primary cell battery multiple such as a standard 9-volt battery. This provides several distinct advantages. First, it allows the battery designer to take advantage of particular electrochemical characteristics of each type of electrochemical cell. Second, it allows different types of electrochemical cells to be used interchangeably by either altering or stabilizing the output voltage and / or the output impedance to meet the requirements of electronic devices designed to operate with a standard electrochemical cell. For example, a battery designer can design a super efficient lithium battery that contains a lithium electrochemical cell such as an Mn? 2 lithium cell that meets the packaging and electrical requirements of a standard 1.5 volt AA battery by lowering the voltage of nominal cell from the scale of approximately 2.8 to approximately 4.0 volts to approximately 1.5 volts without reducing the energy storage of the lithium cell. By using the highest cell voltage of a lithium cell, the designer can substantially increase the service life of the battery. Third, by placing the converter circuit in a single-cell or multi-cell battery, electronic devices without regulators or internal converters are designed. This can help reduce the size of electronics and provide cheaper, smaller and lighter portable electronic devices. In addition, a conductive container containing the electrochemical cell also provides a cover layer around the controller circuit to protect nearby electronic circuits such as radio frequency transmitters and receivers ("rf") from electromagnetic interference ("EMI") caused by the converter direct current / direct current controller.By providing a controller in each electrochemical cell, a much safer and more effective control is provided over every other electrochemical cell that is currently available. The controllers can monitor conditions in each electrochemical cell and ensure that each electrochemical cell has been exhausted as completely as possible before the electronic device is turned off. The controllers also allow the use of the batteries of the present invention in a wide variety of devices. The batteries of the present invention provide advantages over known batteries regardless of whether they are used with electrical or electronic devices that have a cutoff voltage such as those listed above or with an electrical device that does not have a cutoff voltage such as a flashlight. . Controller chips can also be manufactured much more economically because the large volume of battery sales allows much less expensive production of the chips that can be made by individual converter or regulator designs for each type of electronic device. A preferred embodiment of the direct current / direct current converter is a high efficiency, high frequency, low input, low input voltage, no inductor, which uses a pulse width and shift modulation control scheme of phase. Other features and advantages of the present invention are described with respect to the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Although the specification concludes with claims that distinguish and distinctly claim the subject matter that is considered as the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from the following description, which is taken in conjunction with the drawings appended . Figure 1 is a perspective view of a typical cylindrical battery structure. Figure 2 is a perspective view of another typical cylindrical battery structure. Figure 3 is a sectional view of yet another typical cylindrical battery structure. Figure 4 is a block diagram of a battery of the present invention. Figure 4A is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the battery shown in Figure 4. Figure 4B is a block diagram of another preferred embodiment of the battery shown in Figure 4. Figure 5 A is a sectional view, partially broken away of a preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention. Figure 5B is a sectional view, partially exploded of another preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention. Figure 5C is a perspective, partly exploded view of yet another preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention. Figure 6 is a perspective view, partially in section, of a preferred embodiment of a multi-cell battery of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a block diagram of another preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention. Figure 8 is a block diagram of yet another preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention. Figure 9 is a block diagram of another preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention. Figure 9 A is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an aspect of the preferred embodiment of the battery of Figure 9. Figure 9B is a block diagram of yet another preferred embodiment of an aspect of the preferred embodiment of the battery of Figure 9. Figure 10 is a block diagram of yet another preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention. Figure 11 is a block diagram of another preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention. Figure 12 is a block diagram of yet another preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention. Figure 13 is a combination of a block diagram and a schematic diagram of another preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 14 is a graph of characteristic discharge curves for a typical battery and two preferred modes different from batteries of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to single-cell or multi-cell batteries. The term "primary" is used in this application and refers to a battery or an electrochemical cell that is designed to be disposed of after its usable electrical storage capacity has been exhausted (i.e., it is not designed to be recharged or reused). some other way). The term "consumer" in this application refers to a battery that is designed to be used in an electronic or electrical device purchased or used by a consumer. The term "a single cell" refers to a battery having a single electrochemically packed cell such as a standard AA, AAA, C or D battery, or a single cell in a multiple cell battery (e.g. such as a standard 9-volt battery or a battery for a cell phone or laptop). The term "battery", as used in this application, refers to a container having terminals and a single electrochemical cell, or a housing having terminals and at least substantially containing two or more electrochemical cells (e.g., a standard battery) of 9 volts or a battery for a cell phone or laptop). Electrochemical cells do not need to be completely enclosed by the housing if each cell has its own individual container. A portable telephone battery, for example, it may contain two or more electrochemical cells each having its own individual container and packed together in a vacuum-packed plastic material that holds the individual containers together but can not completely enclose the individual containers of the cells. As used in this application, the term "hybrid battery" includes a multiple cell battery that contains two or more electrochemical cells of which at least two of those cells have different electrochemical elements such as a different electrode, a different pair of electrodes or a different electrolyte. The term "controller" as used in this application refers to a circuit that accepts at least one input signal and provides at least one output signal that is a function of the input signal. The terms "direct current / direct current converter" and "converter" are used interchangeably in this application and refer to a switch type, that is, a direct current / direct current converter controlled by a knife, which converts a DC input voltage to a DC output voltage required. DC / DC converters are electronic power circuits that often provide regulated output. The converter can provide an increased voltage level, a decreased voltage level, or a regulated voltage of approximately the same level. Many different types of DC / DC converters are well known in the art. The present invention contemplates the use of known converters or linear regulators as possible, although less advantageous, substitutes for the preferred converters described in this application that are capable of operating at low voltage levels below where typical electronic devices can operate.

The "cut-off voltage" of an electronic device is the voltage below which an electrical or electronic device connected to a battery can not operate. Therefore, the "cut-off voltage" depends on the device, that is, the level depends on the minimum operating voltage of the device (the functional end point), or the operating frequency (for example, it must be able to charge the capacitor inside). of a given period of time). Most electronic devices have a cut-off voltage in the range of 1 volt to approximately 1.2 volts, with some electronic devices having a cut-off voltage as low as approximately 0.9 volts. Electronic devices that have movable mechanical parts, such as electric clocks, motors and electromechanical relays also have a cutoff voltage that is necessary to provide sufficient current to create an electromagnetic field strong enough to move the electrical parts. Other electrical devices, such as a flashlight, do not generally have a device cutoff voltage, but as the voltage of the battery power decreases, the output power (eg, focus intensity) will also decrease. One aspect of the present invention is to extend the "service time" of a battery. The "battery service time" and "battery service time" are interchangeable and are defined as the discharge cycle time until the battery output voltage drops below the minimum operating voltage of the device as the battery is supplying power, that is, the cut-off voltage of that device. Although the "cell service time" depends on the electrochemical cell itself, that is, all the electrochemical energy in the cell is exhausted, the "battery service time" depends on the device in which it is used. An electronic device having a cut-off voltage of approximately 1 volt, for example, will be turned off when the output voltage of the battery drops below 1 volt although the electrochemical cell can still have at least 50% remaining of its storage capacity. Energy. In this example, the "battery service time" has been exhausted because it can no longer supply voltage high enough to drive the electronic device and in general the battery is discarded. However, the "cell service time" has not been exhausted because the cell still has electrochemical energy remaining. In this application, the terms "electrochemical cell life" or "cell life" are also used regardless of whether the electrochemical cell is a disposable or rechargeable cell, and corresponds to the battery service time in which the "cell life" is the time until the cell is no longer useful in a particular discharge cycle because the electrochemical cell can no longer supply enough voltage to drive the device it is supplying power to. If the "cell service time" in a single cell battery is extended or reduced, then the "cell lifetime" and the "battery service time" necessarily also extend or reduce, respectively. Additionally, the terms "battery service time" of a single-cell battery and "cell lifetime" are interchangeable in that if any of the "battery service time" of the single-cell battery, or the "cell life" are extended or reduced, then the other will also be extended or reduced respectively. However, in contrast, the term "cell life" of a particular electrochemical cell in a multi-cell battery is not necessarily interchangeable with the term "battery service time" for that multiple cell battery because the The particular electrochemical cell may still have remaining service life even after the service time of the multi-cell battery has run out. Equally, if the "cell service time" of a particular electrochemical cell in a multi-cell battery is extended or reduced, the "battery service time" is not necessarily extended or reduced because the "service time of battery "may depend on the cell voltage of one or more of the other cells in the battery. The terms "electrically connected" and "electrical connection" refer to connections that allow the continuous flow of current. The terms "electronically connected" and "electronic connection" refer to connections in which an electronic device such as a transistor or a diode is included in the current path. "Electronic connections" are considered in this application to be a sub set of "electrical connections" so that although all "electronic connection" is considered to be an "electrical connection", not every "electrical connection" is considered to be an "electrical connection". electronic connection ". Figures 1-3 show typical cylindrical battery structures 10 that are simplified for discussion purposes. Each cylindrical battery structure 10 has the same basic structural elements arranged in different configurations. In each case, the structure includes a container having a cover or side wall 14, an upper cover 16 that includes a positive terminal 20, and a lower cover 18 that includes a negative terminal 22. The container 12 encloses a single electrochemical cell 30 Figure 1 shows a configuration that can be used for a cylindrical battery 10 of a single electrochemical cell 30 of zinc-carbon. In this configuration, the entire top cap 16 is conductive and forms the positive terminal 20 of the battery 10. The washer or insulating seal 24 isolates the conductive top cap 16 from the electrochemical cell 30. The electrode or current collector 26 electrically connects the positive external terminal 20 of the battery 10 and the cathode (positive electrode) 32 of the electrochemical cell 30. The lower cover 18 is also completely conductive and forms the negative external terminal 22 of the battery 10. The lower cover is electrically connected to the anode (negative electrode) 34 of the electrochemical cell 30. The separator 28 is disposed between the anode and the cathode and provides the means for ion conduction through the electrolyte. A zinc-carbon battery, for example, is typically packaged in this type of arrangement. Figure 2 shows an alternate battery design in which an insulating flange or seal 24 is shown insulating the lower cover 18 of the electrochemical cell 30. In this case, the entire upper cover 16 is conductive and forms the positive terminal 20 of the battery. The upper cover 16 is electrically connected to the cathode 32 of the electrochemical cell 30. The lower cover 18, which is also conductive, forms the negative terminal of the battery. The lower cover 18 is electrically connected to the anode 34 of the electrochemical cell 30 through the current collector 26. The separator 28 is disposed between the anode and the cathode and provides the means for ion conduction through the electrolyte. An alkaline battery (zinc / manganese dioxide), for example, is typically packaged in this type of arrangement. Figure 3 shows another alternate battery design in which the electrochemical cell 30 is formed into a "spiral entangled roll" structure. In this design, four layers adjacent to one another are disposed in a "laminate type" structure. This "laminated type" structure may contain, for example, the following order of layers: a cathode layer 32, a first separator layer 28, an anode layer 34 and a second separator layer 28. Alternatively, the second Separator layer 28 which is not disposed between cathode 32 and anode 34 layers can be replaced by an insulating layer. This "laminated type" structure is then rolled into a cylindrical configuration of spiral wound roll and is placed in the container 12 of the battery 10. A washer or insulating seal 24 is shown insulating the top cover 16 of the electrochemical cell 30. In this case, the entire upper cover 16 is conductive and forms the positive terminal 20 of the battery 10. The upper cover 16 is electrically connected to the cathode layer 32 of the electrochemical cell 30 through the current collector 26. The lower cover 18, also conductive, it forms the negative terminal 22 of the battery. The lower cover 18 is electrically connected to the anode 34 of the battery cell 30 through the lower conductive plate 19. The layers of separator 28 are disposed between the cathode layer 32 and the anode layer 34 and provide the means for ion conduction through the electrolyte. The side wall 14 is shown connected to the top cover 16 and the bottom cover 18. In this case, the side wall 14 is preferably formed of a non-conductive material such as a polymer. However, the side wall can also be made of a conductive material such as a metal if the side wall 14 is isolated from at least the positive terminal 20 and / or the negative terminal 22 so as not to create a short circuit between the two terminals. A lithium battery such as a lithium manganese dioxide (MnO2) battery, for example, is often packaged in this type of arrangement. Each of these cells can also include several forms of security windows, operative windows for electrochemical cells that need air exchange for operation, capacity indicators, brands, etc., which are well known in the art. In addition, the cells can be constructed in other structures known in the art such as button cells, coin cells, prismatic cells, flat plate, bi polar plate, etc. For the purpose of the present invention, the "container" 12 of the battery houses a single electrochemical cell 30. The container 12 includes all the necessary elements to isolate and protect the two electrodes 32 and 34, the separator and the electrolyte of the cell electrochemistry from the environment and from any other electrochemical cells in a multi-cell battery and provide electrical energy from the electrochemical cell 30 outside the container.

In this manner, the container 12 in Figures 1 and 2 includes a side wall 14, top 16 and bottom 18, and positive 20 and negative 22 that provide electrical connection to the cell 30. In a multiple cell battery, the The container can be an individual structure containing a single electrochemical cell 30, and this container 12 can be one of multiple individual containers within the multiple cell battery. Alternatively, the container 12 can be formed by a housing portion of a multi-cell battery if the housing completely insulates the electrodes and the electrolyte from an electrochemical cell 30 from the environment and from each other cell in the battery. The container 12 can be manufactured from a combination of conductive materials, such as metal, and insulating material, such as a plastic or a polymer. However, the container 12 must be distinguished from a multi-cell battery housing containing individually separate isolated cells each containing their own electrodes and electrolytes. For example, a housing of a standard 9-volt alkaline battery encloses six individual alkaline cells, each having its own container 612, as shown in Figure 6. In some 9-volt lithium batteries, however, the housing The battery is formed so that it has individual chambers that isolate the electrodes and the electrolyte from the electrochemical cells, and therefore the housing comprises the individual containers 12 for each cell and the housing for the entire battery.

Figures 5A, 5B and 5C show partially broken-away views of three embodiments of the present invention for primary single-cylinder cylindrical batteries. In Figure 5A, the controller 240 is positioned between the top cover 210 and the insulating flange 224 of the battery 210. The positive output 242 of the controller 240 is electrically connected to the positive terminal 220 of the battery 210, which is directly adjacent to controller 240, and negative output 244 of controller 240 is electrically connected to negative terminal 222 of battery 210. In this example, negative output 244 of controller 240 is electrically connected to negative terminal 222 of battery 210 through the conductive side wall 214, which is in electrical contact with the negative terminal 222 of the conductive bottom cover 218 of the battery 210. In this case, the conductive side wall must be electrically isolated from the top cover 216. The entry positive 246 of the controller 240 is electrically connected to the cathode 232 of the electrochemical cell 230 through the current collector 226. The negative input 248 of the The driver 240 is electrically connected to the anode 234 of the electrochemical cell 230 through the conductive band 237. Alternatively, the controller 240 can be placed between the lower cover 218 and the insulator 225, or be adhered, fixed or attached to the outside of the container or the brand of the battery. In Figure 5B, the controller 340 is placed between the lower cover 318 and the isolator 325 of the battery 310. The negative output 344 of the controller 340 is electrically connected to the negative terminal 322 of the battery 310, which is directly adjacent to the controller 340, and the positive output 342 of the controller 340 is electrically connected to the positive terminal 320 of the battery 310. In this example, the positive output 342 of the controller 340 is connected to the positive terminal 320 of the battery 310 through the conductive side wall 314, which is in electrical contact with the positive terminal 320 of the conductive top cover 316 of the battery 310. The positive input 346 of the controller 340 is electrically connected to the cathode 332 of the electrochemical cell 330 through the conductive band 336. The negative input 348 of the controller 340 is electrically connected to the anode 334 from the electrochemical cell 330 through the current collector 326, which extends from the bottom plate 319 to the anode 334 of the electrochemical cell 330. In such cases, the current collector 326 and the negative input 348 of the controller 340 must be isolated from the negative terminal 322 of the container 312 and the negative output 344 of controller 340 if controller 340 uses a virtual earth. Alternatively, the controller 340 may be placed between the top cover 316 and the insulator 324, or be adhered, fixed or attached to the outside of the container 312 or the battery mark. In Figure 5C, the controller 440 is formed on a sleeve 441 that uses thick film printing technology, or flexible printed circuit boards ("PCBs"), and is placed inside the container between the side wall 414 and the cathode 432 of the battery 410. The positive output 442 of the controller 440 is electrically connected to the positive terminal 420 of the battery 410 through the top cover 416 of the battery 410, and the negative output 444 of the controller 440 is electrically connected to the terminal negative 422 of the battery 410 through the lower plate 419 and the upper cover 418. The positive input 446 of the controller 440 is electrically connected to the cathode 432 of the electrochemical cell 430, which in this example is directly adjacent to the jacket 441 which contains the controller 440. The negative input 448 of the controller 440 is electrically connected to the anode 434 of the electrochemical cell 430 through the contact plate 431 and the current collector 426, which extends from the contact plate 431 to the anode 434 of the electrochemical cell 430. The insulating collar 427 isolates the contact plate 431 from the cathode 432. As shown in FIG. 5C, the insulating collar can be also extend between the anode 434 and the contact plate 431 because the current collector 426 provides the connection from the anode 434 to the contact plate 431. If the controller 440 uses a virtual ground, the contact plate 431 is also It must be insulated from the bottom plate 419 and the negative terminal 422 as by the insulating collar 425. Alternatively, the sleeve 441 can also be arranged on the outer side of the container 412, wrapped around the outside of the side wall 414. In such cases modalities, the brand can cover the shirt, or the brand can be printed on the shirt itself as the controller itself. Figure 6 shows a perspective view, partially in section, of a multi-cell 9 volt 9-cell battery 610 of the present invention in which each electrochemical cell 630 has a controller 640 within the individual cell container 612. In this embodiment, the battery 610 contains six individual 630 electrochemical cells, each having a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts. The battery 610, for example, could also contain three lithium cells, each having a nominal voltage of 3 volts per piece. Figures 4, 4 A and 4B show block diagrams of different embodiments of the battery 110 of the present invention. Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a mode of a battery of the present invention using an integrated driver circuit 140 embedded. This mode preferably uses a mixed-mode integrated circuit having analog and digital components. The controller circuit could alternatively be manufactured using a specific application integrated circuit ("ASIC"), a hybrid chip design, a PC card or any other form of circuit fabrication technology known in the art. The controller circuit 140 may be placed within the battery container 112 between the positive 132 and negative electrodes 134 of the electrochemical cell 130 and the positive 120 and negative terminals 122 of the battery. In this way, the controller 140 can connect the electrochemical cell 130 to or disconnect the electrochemical cell 130 from the terminals 120 and 122 of the container 112.altering or stabilizing the output voltage or output impedance of the cell 130 that is applied to the battery terminals 120 and 122. FIG. 4A shows a preferred embodiment of the battery 110 of the present invention shown in FIG. Figure 4. In Figure 4 A, the controller 140 is connected between the positive electrode (cathode) 132 of the electrochemical cell 130 and the positive terminal 120 of the battery container 112. The negative electrode 134 (anode) of the electrochemical cell 130 and the negative terminal 122 of the battery container 112 share a common ground with the controller 140. Figure 4B, however, shows a preferred alternate embodiment of the battery 110 of the present invention wherein the controller 140 operates on a virtual ground and isolates the negative electrode 134 from the electrochemical cell 130 from the negative terminal 122 of the container 112 in addition to isolating the positive electrode 132 from the electrochemical cell 130 from the positive terminal 120 of the container 112. Each of the modalities shown in Figures 4 A and 4B have their own advantages and disadvantages. The configuration of Figure 4A, for example, allows for a simpler circuit design having a common ground for the electrochemical cell 130, the controller 140 and the negative terminal 122 of the battery container 112. However, the configuration of Fig. 4 A has the disadvantage that it requires a converter to work under real levels of electrochemical cell voltage and may require the use of a discrete inductor element. In the configuration of Figure 4B, the virtual ground applied to the negative terminal 122 of the battery container 112 isolates the negative electrode 134 from the electrochemical cell 130 from the load and allows the use of a direct current / direct current converter almost without inductor. This configuration, however, has the disadvantage that it requires the increased circuit complexity of a virtual ground in order to allow a voltage from the controller 140 to continue to operate more efficiently when the cell voltage is below the voltage level. nominal of the electrochemical cell.

A primary battery of the present invention includes a controller for prolonging the service life of the battery. Electrochemical cells can be packed in single-cell or multi-cell batteries. Multiple cell batteries can include two or more electrochemical cells of the same type, or include two or more different types of electrochemical cells in a hybrid battery. The multi-cell battery of the present invention may contain electrochemical cells arranged electrically in series and / or in parallel. The controller (s) of a single-cell battery can be electrically connected in series and / or in parallel with the electrochemical cells within a cell container, and packaged within a housing that at least partially contains the container of the cell, or attached to the container, the housing, or to a mark or any other structure fixed to the container or housing. The controller (s) of a multi-cell battery may be packaged together with one or more of the individual cells as described with respect to a single-cell battery, and / or may be packaged together with a combination of multiple cells of so that the controller is connected in series or in parallel with the combination of electrochemical cells. The controller may extend the service time of a primary battery of the present invention in one of several ways. First, the controller can allow one or more of the electrochemical cells in the battery to be discharged more deeply by an electronic device than would otherwise be possible. In this application, the term "deep discharge" refers to allowing the electrochemical cell (s) to discharge to at least 80% of the determined capacity of the electrochemical cell (s). In addition, the term "substantial discharge" in this application refers to allowing the electrochemical cell (s) to discharge to at least 70% of the determined capacity of the electrochemical cell (s). "Over discharge" is referred to in this application as the discharge of the electrochemical cell (s) beyond 100%, which can lead to reverse voltage. A typical alkaline battery in the current market, for example, is generally capable of supplying approximately 40 to 70% of its stored energy capacity before the voltage level of the electrochemical cell drops to a voltage level that is not enough to power a typical electronic device. Therefore, a controller of the present invention preferably provides an alkaline cell that is capable of a larger discharge of 70% before the battery is turned off. More preferably, the controller provides a discharge level greater than 80%. Even more preferably, the controller provides a discharge level greater than 90%, with approximately greater than 95% being most preferred. The controller may include a converter that converts the cell voltages to the desired output voltage for a battery in order to allow a deeper discharge of the electrochemical cell (s) and thereby prolong the service life of the battery. When the cell voltage falls to the level of the cutoff voltage of the device where the battery discharge would normally be cut off, the converter is increasing, or increasing, the cell voltage to a level at the battery output which is sufficient to follow driving the device until the voltage level drops below the minimum voltage required to drive the controller. In this way, a battery having a controller design that is capable of operating at a lower voltage level than the controller of another battery will provide a battery that is capable of being discharged more deeply. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the converter operates only when the cell voltage drops to or below a predetermined voltage level. In such modalities, the internal losses of the converter are minimized because the converter operates only when necessary. The predetermined voltage level is preferably on the scale from the nominal voltage of the electrochemical cell to the highest cut-off voltage of the class of devices for which the battery is designed to operate. More preferably, the predetermined voltage level is slightly larger than the highest cut-off voltage of the class of devices for which the battery is designed to operate. For example, the predetermined voltage level may be on the scale from about the highest cut-off voltage of the class of devices for which the battery is designed to operate to approximately 0.2 volts more than that cut-off voltage, preferably on the scale from about the highest cut-off voltage of the class of devices for which the battery is designed to operate up to about 0.15 volts more than that cut-off voltage, more preferably on the scale from about the highest cut-off voltage of the class of devices for which the battery is designed to operate up to approximately 0.1 volts more than that cut-off voltage, and even more preferably in the scale from approximately the highest cut-off voltage of the class of devices for which the battery is designed to operate up to approximately 0.05 volts more than that cut-off voltage. For example, an electrochemical cell having a nominal voltage of about 1.5 volts generally has a predetermined voltage that is on the scale between about 0.8 volts and about 1.8 volts. Preferably, the predetermined voltage is in the range between about 0.9 volts and about 1.6 volts. More preferably, the predetermined voltage is in the range between about 0.9 volts and about 1.5 volts. Even more preferably, the predetermined voltage is in the range between about 0.9 volts and about 1.2 volts, with the scale between about 1.0 volts and about 1.2 volts being even more preferred. With the voltage level of slightly greater than or equal to the highest cut-off voltage of the class of devices for which the battery is designed to operate being the most preferred. However, a controller designed for operation with an electrochemical cell having a nominal voltage of about 3.0 volts, can generally have a predetermined voltage level that is in the range of about 2.0 volts to about 3.4 volts. Preferably the predetermined voltage is in the range of about 2.2 volts to about 3.2 volts. More preferably, the predetermined voltage is in the range of about 2.4 volts to about 3.2 volts. Even more preferably, the predetermined voltage is in the range from about 2.6 volts to about 3.2 volts, with the scale from about 2.8 volts to about 3.0 volts being even more preferred. With the voltage level of slightly greater than or equal to the highest cut-off voltage of the class of devices for which the battery is designed to operate being the most preferred. When the cell voltage drops to or below the predetermined voltage level, the controller turns on the converter and drives the cell voltage to a desired output voltage sufficient to drive the load. This eliminates converter losses that are not necessary when the cell voltage is high enough to drive the load, but also allows the electrochemical cell to continue discharging even after the cell voltage drops to a level below that required to drive the cell. load. The controller can use one or more of a number of control mechanisms from a simple combination of voltage comparator and electronic switch that turns on the converter when the cell voltage falls to the predetermined voltage level, even more complex control schemes such as those described below. A universal battery of the present invention that is designed for a given output voltage is preferably capable of extending the service life of the battery when it is used to supply power to a device. As used in this application, a "universal" battery is a battery that can provide a uniform output voltage regardless of the electrochemistry of the cell. In this way, the battery of the present invention is preferably designed to extend its service time by keeping the battery output voltage at a level greater than or equal to the highest cut-off voltage of the electronic devices in that class until that the integrated controller shuts down when the voltage of the electrochemical cell (s) drops to a level below which the controller can no longer operate. A battery of the present invention that is designed to supply power to a specific electronic device or a limited class or electronic devices having similar cut-off voltages can be specifically designed to operate more efficiently by more closely matching the predetermined voltage level. to the cutting voltage of those devices. Second, the controller may also decrease the cell voltage of electrochemical cell (s) having a nominal voltage greater than the desired output voltage and / or alter the output impedance of the electrochemical cell (s) ( s) of a battery. This not only prolongs the service life of the batteries, but also allows a higher exchange capacity between electrochemical cells that have different nominal voltages than is otherwise possible, allows designers to take advantage of the larger storage potential of electrochemical cells that have a higher nominal voltage, and allows designers to alter the output impedance of a certain electrochemical cell in order to equalize the impedance to a desired level either to increase the exchange capacity of the electrochemical cell with other types of electrochemical cells and / or increase the efficiency of the electrochemical cell with a particular type of load. In addition, electrochemical cells that are inefficient, environmentally damaging, costly, etc., and are generally used only because a particular nominal voltage is required, such as a cadmium mercury cell, can be replaced by more electrochemical cells. safe, more efficient or cheaper that have their nominal voltage increased or decreased or their output impedance altered in order to equal the required nominal voltage or output impedance required by the application. For example, an electrochemical cell having a nominal voltage of approximately 1.8 volts or higher can be packaged with a controller that decreases this higher nominal voltage to the standard nominal level of approximately 1.5 volts so that the battery can be used in a manner interchangeable with a battery that has a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts. In a specific example, a standard lithium cell such as a primary lithium cell Mn? 2 having a nominal voltage of approximately 3.0 volts can be packed in a battery with a downward controller so that the battery having the cell and The controller has a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts. This provides a battery that has at least twice as much capacity as a battery that has an electrochemical cell with a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts and the same volume. In addition, it also provides a lithium cell that is truly interchangeable with a standard single cell alkaline or zinc carbon battery, without the need to chemically alter the chemistry of the lithium cell, which decreases the chemical energy storage of the cell . Additionally, batteries that have electrochemical cells such as magnesium, magnesium air and aluminum air also have nominal voltages above approximately 1.8 volts and can be used interchangeably with a standard battery that has a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts. Not only can different types of electrochemical cells be used interchangeably, but different types of electrochemical cells can be packed together in a hybrid battery. In this way, different types of batteries having different electrochemical cells with various nominal voltages or internal impedances can be used interchangeably, or hybrid batteries having different types of electrochemical cells can be manufactured. Alternatively, electrochemical cells having nominal voltages below which a typical electronic device will operate can be used, with a controller having a built-in boost converter for increasing the rated voltage. This allows a battery that has this type of electrochemical cell to be used with a device that requires a higher voltage level than would otherwise be provided by the cell. In addition, the battery that has this type of cell can also be used interchangeably with a standard alkaline or zinc-carbon electrochemical cell. This can provide usable, commercially viable batteries that have electrochemical cells that have not been considered otherwise for consumer use because the nominal voltages were too low to be practical. The zinc-carbon, alkaline and lithium batteries are discussed as examples of types of batteries that can be used in the present invention. Other types of batteries such as, but not limited to, primary batteries shown in Table 1 may also be used in a primary battery of the present invention. Secondary electrochemical cells can also be used in combination with a primary electrochemical cell in a hybrid battery. In fact, the present invention allows a larger exchange capacity between various types of electrochemical cells, and between electrochemical cells and alternate power supplies such as fuel cells, capacitors, etc., than ever before. By placing a controller in each electrochemical cell, the electrical characteristics such as the nominal voltage and the output impedance of different types of electrochemical cells can be adjusted in order to allow a larger variety of cells to be used when manufacturing size batteries interchangeable standard. The batteries can be designed specifically to take advantage of the particular advantages of an electrochemical cell, while still allowing the exchange capacity with batteries that use other types of cells. In addition, the present invention can be used to create new levels of standard voltages by converting the nominal voltages of electrochemical cells to the voltage levels of the standard ones.

TABLE 1 Types of electrochemical cell and nominal voltages In addition, otherwise incompatible electrochemical cells can be used in hybrid batteries designed especially for particular types of applications. For example, a zinc-air electrochemical cell can be used either in parallel or in series with a lithium cell in a hybrid battery. The zinc-air cell has a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts and a very high energy density, but can only provide low levels of direct current. However, the lithium cell has a nominal voltage level of approximately 3.0 volts and can provide short discharges of high current levels. The controllers of each electrochemical cell provide the same nominal output voltage and allow an electrical configuration arrangement in series or in parallel. When the cells are in a parallel configuration, the controllers also prevent the cells from loading one another. The controller for each cell can be used to connect or disconnect any or both of the cells as needed by the load. In this way, when the load is in a low energy mode, the zinc-air cell can be connected to provide a low, continuous current, and, when the load is in a high energy mode, the lithium cell or the lithium and zinc-air cells in combination can provide the necessary current to supply the load with energy. Hybrid batteries can also contain many different varieties of electrochemical cells such as alkaline and metal-air cells, metal-air and secondary cells, metal-air cells and a super capacitor. In addition, a hybrid battery can also contain combinations of primary and secondary cells, primary and reserve cells, secondary and reserve cells, or primary, secondary and backup cells. A hybrid battery can also contain a combination of one or more electrochemical cells and one or more power supplies such as a fuel cell, a conventional capacitor or even a super capacitor. Moreover, hybrid batteries can also contain any combination of two or more of the cells or power supplies mentioned above. In addition, the controller can also prolong the service life of a battery by protecting the electrochemical cell (s) against current peaks that can impair the operation of the electrochemical cell components and decrease the cell voltage. For example, the controller can prevent the high current demands from creating a memory effect in the cell and decreasing the service time of the battery. Current peaks are also detrimental to electrochemical cells such as alkaline, lithium and zinc-air cells. A controller that protects the electrochemical cell against current peaks can provide a temporary storage of electrical charge at the output of the controller so that this temporary storage can be used immediately with the demand. Therefore, a peak current demand can be completely eliminated or significantly reduced before it reaches the electrochemical cell. This allows a battery to provide higher current peaks than the electrochemical cell (s) can provide directly and protects the electrochemical cell (s) from current peaks that can be deleterious to the cell components. The temporary storage element is preferably a capacitor. This capacitor can be any type of capacitor that is known in the art, such as a conventional capacitor, a capacitor printed on thick film or even a "super-capacitor". Figure 13, for example, shows the capacitor Cf connected through the output terminals 1320 and 1322 of the container 1312. A single controller will preferably prolong the service life of the battery by protecting the cell against current peaks and when converting. the cell voltage to a desired output voltage. For example, a preferred mode of the controller can turn on a converter when the cell voltage drops to a predetermined voltage in order to minimize losses associated with the converter. The same controller can monitor the cell voltage and the output load current and turn on the converter if the cell voltage reaches the predetermined voltage level or the current load reaches a predetermined current level. Alternatively, the controller can monitor the cell voltage and the output load current and determine whether the required load current supply will drop the cell voltage below a cut-off voltage level. In the last example, the controller operates with two combined input signals in an algorithm to determine if the converter should turn on. In the first example, however, the controller turns on the converter if the cell voltage drops to a predetermined voltage level, or the output load current rises to a predetermined current level. These, together with other possible control schemes, are discussed in more detail below. The present invention relates to specialized primary batteries as well as to normal primary consumer batteries, such as AAA, AA, C or D batteries, single-cell and multi-cell 9-volt batteries. The invention contemplates the use of specialized primary batteries, and hybrid batteries that could be used in various applications. It is anticipated that those specialized primary batteries and hybrid batteries could be used to replace rechargeable batteries for uses such as for cell phones, laptops, etc., which are currently limited by the ability of primary batteries to provide the current velocity required during a period of time. enough period of time. In addition, being able to individually control the output voltage and output impedance of the cells will allow battery designers to design completely new types of hybrid batteries that use different types of cells in combination or alternate power supplies, such as cells of fuel, conventional capacitors or even "super-capacitors", in the same hybrid battery. The increase in interchangeable types of electrochemical cells allows designers to provide standard batteries to decrease dependence on customary batteries designed for particular devices such as cell phones, laptops, video recorders, cameras, etc. A consumer would simply buy standard batteries to supply power to a cell phone, similar to how a consumer would currently buy for a flashlight or audio recorder, instead of having to buy a battery manufactured especially for the particular type, brand and / or electronic device model. In addition, as the number of standard batteries manufactured increases, the cost per unit would decrease rapidly, resulting in much more accessible batteries that would eventually replace specially designed rechargeable batteries. The technology of electronic marking such as that used on photographic film, etc. it could also be used to designate the exact type of cell (s) in the battery, rated and / or remaining capacity of the cell (s), optimum and peak current supply capacities, current load level, internal impedance , etc., so that an "intelligent" device could read the electronic brand and optimize its consumption to improve the performance of the device, to prolong the service time of the battery, etc. For example, a camera, which already uses electronic marking to determine film speed, etc., could also use electronic dialing technology with its batteries to allow a slower flash charging time, stop flash usage, etc., in order to optimize the service time of a particular battery. A laptop could also use electronic dialing technology to determine the most efficient operating parameters for particular batteries by, for example, changing its operating speed in order to better utilize the remaining charge in the battery for a desired duration by a user, or using power on / off technology to conserve battery power. In addition, video recorders, cell phones, etc. they could also use electronic dialing to optimize the use of batteries. In addition, the primary batteries could also be used interchangeably with different types of primary batteries or even rechargeable batteries depending on the needs of the consumer. For example, if the rechargeable battery of a laptop runs out, the user would simply purchase primary batteries that would last for several hours of use until the user can charge the rechargeable batteries. A user, for example, could also buy less expensive batteries if the user not need certain higher performance levels that could be provided by the device with more expensive batteries. The present invention also relates to standard primary consumer batteries such as single-cell AAA, AA, C or D batteries and multi-cell 9-volt batteries. For example, in a preferred embodiment, the controller can be designed to operate with a battery having a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts so that the controller can operate at voltage levels as low as approximately 1.0 volts in a carbide mode of silicon ("SiC"), approximately 0.34 volts in a gallium arsenide mode ("GaAs"), and approximately 0.54 volts in a conventional silicon-based mode. Also, as the print size decreases, those minimum operating voltages will also decrease. In silicon, for example, decreasing the circuit print to 0.18 micron technology would decrease the minimum operating voltage from about 0.54 to about 0.4 volts. As described above, the lower the required minimum operating voltage of the controller, the less the controller can regulate the cell voltage in order to provide the deepest possible discharge of the primary electrochemical cell. Thus, it is within the understanding of this invention to use different circuit fabrication advances to increase the use of the battery to approximately 100% of the stored charge of the electrochemical cell. However, the present silicon-based mode provides up to 95% utilization of battery storage potential, which is quite high compared to 40-70% average usage without a controller. For example, in a preferred silicon-based embodiment, the controller is designed to operate at voltages as low as approximately 1 volt, more preferably approximately 0.85 volts, still more preferably approximately 0.8 volts, even more preferably approximately 0.75 volts, even more preferably approximately 0.7 volts, still more preferably about 0.65 volts, still more preferably about 0.6 volts, with about 0.54 volts being the most preferred. In a controller designed for an electrochemical cell having a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts, the controller is preferably capable of operating at an input voltage at least as high as approximately 1.6 volts. More preferably, the controller is preferably capable of operating at an input voltage of at least as high as about 1.8 volts. Therefore, a preferred controller must be capable of operating on a voltage scale from a minimum of approximately 0.8 volts to at least 1.6 volts. Nevertheless, the controller can also operate, and preferably does, outside of that scale.

However, in a preferred embodiment of a controller of the present invention designed to be used with an electrochemical cell having a nominal voltage of approximately 3.0 volts, the controller must be capable of operating at a voltage level higher than that required for a controller that is used in conjunction with an electrochemical cell that has a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts. In the case of an electrochemical cell having a nominal voltage of approximately 3.0 volts, the controller is preferably capable of operating in the range of 2.4 volts to approximately 3.2 volts. More preferably the controller is capable of operating on a voltage scale from about 0.8 volts to at least about 3.4 volts. Even more preferably the controller is capable of operating with an input voltage in the range of about 0.6 volts to at least about 3.4 volts. Even more preferably the controller is capable of operating with an input voltage in the range of about 0.54 volts to at least about 3.6 volts, with the scale of about 0.45 volts to at least about 3.8 volts being the most preferred. However, the controller can also operate, and preferably does, outside of that scale. An alternate embodiment that is preferred is capable of operation with an electrochemical cell having a nominal voltage of either approximately 1.5 volts or approximately 3.0 volts. In this embodiment, the controller is capable of operating with a minimum input voltage of about 0.8 volts, preferably about 0.7 volts, more preferably about 0.6 volts, and more preferably about 0.54 volts, and a maximum input voltage of at least about 3.2. volts, preferably about 3.4 volts, more preferably about 3.6 volts, and more preferably about 3.8 volts. For example, the controller may be capable of operating in the range of about 0.54 volts to about 3.4, or from about 0.54 volts, to about 3.8 volts, or from about 0.7 volts to about 3.8 volts, etc. The batteries of the present invention also provide distinct advantages over typical batteries when used with electrical devices such as instant lights, etc., which do not have a cut-off voltage. With a typical battery, as the battery is discharged, the output voltage of the battery decreases. Because the output power of the electrical device is directly proportional to the voltage supplied by the battery, the output of the electrical device decreases proportionally with the output voltage of the battery. For example, the intensity of an instantaneous light source will fade as the battery output voltage decreases until the battery is fully discharged. However, the battery of the present invention has a controller that regulates the cell voltage at a controlled, relatively constant voltage level throughout the battery discharge cycle until the cell voltage decreases to a level of below which the controller is able to operate. At that time, the battery will shut down, and the electrical device will stop its operation. However, during the discharge cycle, the electrical device will continue to provide a relatively continuous output (eg, focus intensity) until the battery is turned off. A preferred embodiment of a battery of the present invention also includes a low remaining charge warning to the user. The controller, for example, can disconnect and reconnect the electrochemical cells from the battery output terminals intermittently for a short duration of time when the electrochemical cell voltage reaches a predetermined value. This can provide a visible indication, audible, or readable by device, that the battery is close to shutting down. Additionally, the controller could also artificially recreate the conditions of an accelerated battery discharge condition by decreasing the battery output voltage at the end of the battery service time. For example, the controller could begin to decrease the output voltage when the battery storage capacity is at 5% of its set capacity. This could provide an indication to the user such as a decrease in volume in a tape or compact disc player, or provide an indication to the device, which could warn the user accordingly. Fig. 7 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention in which the direct current / direct current converter 750 is connected, electrically, or preferably electronically, between the positive electrodes 732 and negative 734 of the electrochemical cell 730 and the positive 720 and negative 722 terminals of the container 712. The direct current / direct current converter 750 converts the cell voltage through the positive electrodes 732 and negative 734 of the electrochemical cell 730 to the output voltage at the positive terminals 720 and the negative 722 of the container 712. The direct current / direct current converter 750 can provide upward conversion, downward conversion, both conversions up and down, or voltage stabilization at the output terminals 720 and 722. In this mode , the direct current / direct current converter 750 operates in a continuous mode in which the voltage output of the electrochemical cell 730 will be converted into a stable output voltage at the terminals 720 and 722 of the container during the battery service time. This mode stabilizes the output voltage of the container 712 at the output terminals 722 and 722. Providing a stable output voltage allows designers of electronic devices to reduce the complexity of the power management circuits of electronic devices, and, in correspondingly, also decrease the size, weight and cost of the devices. The direct current / direct current converter 750 will continue to operate until the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell 730 drops below the minimum forward bias voltage of the electronic components, Vfb, of the 750 converter. To the degree that it is lower the minimum minimum switch voltage, Vfb, of the direct current / direct current converter 750, than the cutoff voltage of the electronic device to which the battery 710 is supplying power, the 740 controller will also extend the service life of the battery 710 beyond the cut-off voltage of the electronic device as long as the stabilized output voltage at terminals 720 and 722 of container 712 is above the cut-off voltage of the electronic device. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in Fig. 7, the direct current / direct current converter 750 operating in a continuous mode can be a down converter that decreases the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell 730 to a output voltage of container 712. In a mode of a controller that includes a converter down, the converter decreases the voltage of a first type of electrochemical cell 730 to an output voltage of container 712 that is approximately the nominal voltage level of a second type of electrochemical cell so that the battery containing the first type of electrochemical cell 730 is interchangeable with a battery containing the second type of electrochemical cell. For example, an electrochemical cell having a higher nominal voltage than a standard 1.5 volt cell can be used in combination with a down converter that operates continuously to provide a cell that is interchangeable with the standard cell without the need to chemically alter the cell. electrochemical cell. This modality allows a greater degree of exchange capacity between different types of electrochemical cells than is otherwise possible without chemically altering the structure of the electrochemical cell itself and decreasing the storage of chemical energy in the cell.

A lithium cell, for example, can be used in a standard AA battery pack to provide at least twice as much capacity as an alkaline battery of the same volume. A lithium cell such as a lithium cell Mn02 has a nominal voltage of approximately 3.0 volts and can not normally be used interchangeably with a standard AA alkaline battery having a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts. However, battery designers have altered the chemistry of the lithium electrochemical cell to create lithium batteries that have a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts in order to create a lithium battery that can be used interchangeably, for example , with a standard AA alkaline battery. Although this 1.5-volt lithium battery still has the ability to supply high levels of current to instant photo light charging circuits, the 1.5 volt lithium electrochemical cell does not provide a substantial increase in the storage of total chemical energy over a cell alkaline of the same volume. However, the present invention provides the ability to use a standard lithium electrochemical cell having a nominal voltage of about 3 volts and a controller to convert that nominal voltage down to approximately 1.5 volts. In this way, the battery provides just twice the chemical energy storage of a battery that contains the 1.5 volt lithium cell, chemically altered or a 1.5 volt alkaline cell in a battery that is completely interchangeable with any 1.5 volt battery . Additionally, the lithium battery of the present invention would provide the same high levels of high current as a battery containing the 1.5 volt lithium cell chemically altered. Additionally, the controller 740 also optimizes the performance of an electrical device such as an instantaneous light using the battery 710. Although an electrical device will not be turned off as an electronic device at a minimum operating voltage, the performance of the electrical device, such as the The intensity of the instantaneous light source will decrease as the input voltage decreases. In this manner, a stable battery output voltage 710 allows the performance of the electrical device to remain constant during the service life of the battery without decreasing the performance of the device as the voltage of the electrochemical cell 730 decreases. The current converter direct / direct current 750 may use one or more of many control schemes that are known such as pulse modulation, which may also include pulse width modulation ("PWM"), pulse amplitude modulation ("PAM"), pulse frequency modulation ("PFM"), and pulse phase modulation ("P? M"), resonant converters, etc., to control the operating parameters of the converter 750. A preferred embodiment of the converter 750 of the present invention uses pulse width modulation. A more preferred embodiment uses a combination of pulse width modulation and pulse phase modulation, which is described in detail below. In a preferred embodiment of the direct current / direct current converter 750 for use in a battery of the present invention, the converter is controlled by a pulse width modulator to drive the direct current / direct current converter 750. The width modulator pulse generates a fixed frequency control signal in which the duty cycle is varied. For example, the duty cycle can be zero when the direct current / direct current converter is off, 100% when the converter is operating at full capacity, and varied between zero and 100% depending on the demand of the load and / or the remaining capacity of the electrochemical cell 730. The pulse width modulation scheme has at least one input signal that is used to generate the duty cycle. In a modality, the output voltage at terminals 720 and 722 of container 712 is sampled and compared continuously to a reference voltage. The error correction signal is used to alter the duty cycle of the direct current / direct current converter. In this instance, the negative feedback loop of the output voltage at terminals 720 and 722 of the container 712 allows the direct current / direct current converter 750 to provide a stabilized output voltage. Alternatively, the direct current / direct current converter 750 can use multiple input signals such as the cell voltage, i.e., the voltage across the positive electrodes 732 and negative 734 of the electrochemical cell 730, and the current output to generate the work cycle. In this mode, the cell voltage and the output current are monitored, and the direct current / direct current converter 750 generates a duty cycle which is a function of those two parameters.

Figures 8-11 show block diagrams of additional embodiments of integrated controller circuits of the present invention. In each of these embodiments, the integrated controller circuit includes at least two main components: (1) a direct current / direct current converter, and (2) a converter controller that electrically, or preferably electronically, connects and disconnects the converter. direct current / direct current between the electrodes of the electrochemical cell and the output terminals of the container so as to incur internal losses of the direct current / direct current converter only when it is necessary for the direct current / direct current converter to convert the cell voltage at a voltage necessary to drive the load. The direct current / direct current converter, for example, can be turned on only when the cell voltage drops to a predetermined level below which the load can no longer operate. Alternatively, if the electronic device requires an input voltage within a specific scale such as ± 10% of the nominal voltage of the battery, for example, the converter controller can "turn on" the direct current / direct current converter when the Cell voltage is outside the desired scale, but can "turn off" the converter when the cell voltage is within the desired range. In Figure 8, for example, the direct current / direct current converter 850 is electrically connected between the positive electrodes 832 and negative 834 of the electrochemical cell 830 and the positive terminals 820 and negative terminals 822 of the container 812. The converter controller 852 also is electrically connected between the positive electrodes 832 and negative 834 of the electrochemical cell 830 and the positive terminals 820 and negative 822 of the container 812. In this example, the converter controller acts as a switch that connects the electrochemical cell 830 directly to the terminals of output 820 and 822 of the container 812, or connect the direct current / direct current converter 850 between the electrochemical cell 830 and the output terminals 820 and 822 of the container 812. The converter controller 852 continuously samples the output voltage and compares it to one or more voltage thresholds generated internally. If the output voltage of the container 812 falls below the threshold of the voltage level or is outside a desired range of voltage thresholds, for example, the converter controller 852"turns on" the direct current / direct current converter 850 electrically connecting , or preferably electronically the direct current / direct current converter 850 between the electrochemical cell 850 and the output terminals 820 and 822 of the container 812. The voltage threshold is preferably on the scale from approximately the nominal voltage of the electrochemical cell 830 to approximately the highest cut-off voltage of the class of electronic devices with which the battery is designed to operate. Alternatively, the converter controller 852 can continuously sample the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell 830 and compare that voltage with the voltage threshold in order to control the operation of the direct current / direct current converter 850.

The controller 940 of FIG. 9 may include the elements of the controller 840 shown in FIG. 8, but further includes a ground-bias circuit 980 electrically connected between the electrodes 932 and 934 of the electrochemical cell 930, and the converter direct current / direct current 950, converter controller 952 and terminals 920 and 922 of container 912. Ground bias circuit 980 provides a negatively biased voltage level, Vnb, to the direct current / direct current converter 950 and to the terminal negative output 922 of container 912. This increases the voltage applied to the direct current / direct current converter 950 of the cell voltage to a voltage level of the cell voltage plus the absolute value of the voltage level deviated negatively, Vnb. This allows the 950 converter to operate at an efficient voltage level until the current cell voltage drops to a voltage level below the minimum forward bias voltage necessary to drive the 980 grounding circuit. In this way, the converter 950 can more efficiently pull a higher current level of the electrochemical cell 930 than would be possible with only the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell 930 driving the converter 950. In a preferred embodiment of the 940 controller for a 910 battery of the present invention having an electrochemical cell with a nominal voltage of about 1.5 volts, the negatively biased voltage, Vnb, is preferably on the scale between about 0 volts and about 1 volt. More preferably, the negatively deviated voltage, Vnb, is about 0.5 volts, with 0.4 volts being most preferred. Therefore, the ground bias circuit 980 allows the converter to discharge more deeply the electrochemical cell 930 and increase the efficiency of the converter 950 to extract the current from the electrochemical cell 930 when the cell voltage drops below 1 volt to an electrochemical cell having a nominal voltage of approximately 1.5 volts. An illustrative embodiment of a charge pump 988 that can be used as a ground bias circuit 980 in a battery 910 of the present invention is shown in Fig. 9 A. In this embodiment, when the switches S1 and S3 are closed and S2 and S4 are open, the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell 930 charges to the capacitor Ca. Then, when the switches S1 and S3 are open, and S2 and S4 are closed, the load on the capacitor Ca is inverted and transferred to the capacitor Ca. capacitor Cb, which provides an inverted output voltage of the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell 930. Alternatively, the charge pump 988 shown in FIG. 9A can be replaced by any suitable charge pump circuit known in the art. . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the ground bias circuit 980 includes a charge pump circuit 986. The charge pump circuit 986 is shown in FIG. 9B and includes a clock generator 987, and one or more pumps 988. In a preferred embodiment of the load pump circuit 986 shown in Fig. 9B, for example, the load pump includes a two-tier configuration including four mini pumps 989, and one main pump 990. However, it is they can use any number of mini pumps 989. A preferred embodiment of load pump circuit 986, for example, includes twelve mini pumps 989, and one main pump. The mini pumps 989 and the main pump 990 of this mode are driven by four different phase control signals, 991a, 991 b, 991c, and 991 d, generated by a clock generator 987 each having the same frequency, but they are rotated in phase one of another. For example, control signals 991a through 991 d can be rotated by ninety degrees of phase from one another. In this mode, each of the mini pumps 989 provides an inverted output voltage of the control signals 991a through 991 d that are generated by the clock generator. The main pump 990 adds the outputs of the multiple mini pumps 989 and provides an output signal for the load pump circuit 986 which is at the same voltage level as the individual output voltages of the 989 mini pumps, but is at a highest current level which is the total current provided by all twelve mini pumps 989. This output signal provides the virtual ground for the direct current / direct current converter 950 and the negative output terminal 922 of the container 912. In a further aspect of the invention, the charge pump circuit further includes a charge pump controller 992 that turns on the charge pump circuit 986 when the cell voltage drops to a predetermined voltage level in order to minimize losses associated with the charge pump circuit 986. The predetermined voltage level for the charge pump controller 992, for example, could be on the scale of approximately the nominal voltage of the electrochemical cell 930 to approximately the highest cut-off voltage of the group of electronic devices for which the battery 910 is designed to supply power. The predetermined voltage level is more preferably slightly larger than the highest cut-off voltage of the class of electronic devices for which the battery 910 is designed to supply power. For example, the predetermined voltage level is preferably approximately 0.2 volts larger than the highest cut-off voltage of the class of electronic devices for which the battery 910 is designed to operate. More preferably the predetermined voltage level is approximately 0.15 volts larger than that cut-off voltage. Even more preferably, the predetermined voltage level is approximately 0.1 volts larger than that cut-off voltage, with approximately 0.05 volts larger than that cut-off voltage being most preferred: Alternatively, the load pump circuit 986 could be controlled by the same control signal that turns on the direct current / direct current converter 950 so that the load pump circuit 986 operates only when the 950 converter is operating. Further, when the ground bias circuit 980 is turned off, the virtual ground, which is applied to the negative output terminal 922 of the container 912, preferably collapses to the voltage level of the negative electrode 934 of the electrochemical cell 930. In this way , when the ground-bias circuit is not operating, the battery operates in a standard ground configuration provided by the negative electrode 934 of the electrochemical cell 930. Alternatively, the ground-bias circuit 980 could comprise a second ground-to-ground converter. direct current / direct current such as a Buck-Boost converter, a Cuk converter, or a linear regulator. In addition, the direct current / direct current converter 950 and the ground bias circuit 980 can be combined and replaced by a single converter such as a Buck-Boost converter, a pull-push converter, or a return flight converter. which will change the positive output voltage upwards and change the negative polarity downwards. Figure 10 shows still another embodiment of a controller circuit 1040 of the present invention. In this mode, the direct current / direct current converter 1050 is able to accept a correction control signal from an external source such as the phase change detector circuit 1062. As described above with reference to FIG. 7, the direct current / direct current converter 1050 uses a control scheme such as a pulse width modulator to control the operating parameters of the converter 1050. In this mode, the controller circuit 1040 includes the same elements as the controller 940 shown in the figure 9, but additionally includes a phase change detector circuit 1062 which measures the instantaneous phase change,?, Between the AC components of the cell voltage at the electrode 1032 and the current drawn from the electrochemical cell 1030 measured through the Rc resistor current detector. The 1050 direct current / direct current converter uses this signal in combination with other control signals generated internally or externally to generate the duty cycle. The controller 1140 of the embodiment shown in Fig. 11 may include the same elements as the controller 1040 shown in Fig. 10, but further includes an emergency disconnect circuit 1182 electrically connected to the current sensing resistor Rc, and the positive electrodes 1132 and negative 1122 of the electrochemical cell 1130 and further connected to the converter controller 1152. The emergency disconnect circuit 1182 can send signal to the converter controller 1152 with respect to one or more safety-related conditions that require disconnecting the cell electrochemical (s) 1130 of the output terminals 1120 and 1122 of the container 1112 to protect the consumer, to an electrical or electronic device, or to the electrochemical cell itself. For example, in the event of a short circuit or reverse polarity, the emergency disconnect circuit 1182 sends a signal to the converter controller 1152 to disconnect the electrodes 1132 and 1134 from the electrochemical cell 1030 from the terminals 1120 and 1122 of the container 1112. In addition, the emergency disconnect circuit 1182 can also provide an indication of the end of the discharge cycle of the electrochemical cell 1130 to the converter controller 1152 by detecting the voltage and / or the internal impedance of the electrochemical cell 1130. For example, the controller 1140 can decrease the current when the remaining capacitance of the electrochemical cell 1130 drops to a predetermined level, intermittently disconnect and reconnect the electrodes 1132 and 1134 of the electrochemical cell 1030 from the output terminals 1120 and 1122 for a short duration when the remaining capacity of the electrochemical cell 1130 reaches a predetermined value etermined, or provides any other visible, audible or machine-readable indication that the battery is about to shut down. At the end of the discharge cycle, the emergency disconnect circuit 1182 can also send a signal to the converter controller 1152 to disconnect the electrochemical cell 1030 from the terminals 1120 and 1122 of the container 1112 and / or cut the output terminals 1120 and 1122 for to prevent the discharged electrochemical cell 1130 from consuming current from other cells connected in series with the electrochemical cell 1130 discharged. A preferred controller 1240 shown in Figure 12 includes a direct current / direct current converter 1250 having a synchronous rectifier 1274 which can electronically connect and disconnect positive electrode 1232 from positive terminal 1220 of container 1212. The rectifier switch synchronous 1274 eliminates the need for an additional switch such as the converter controller 852, which is described above with respect to Figure 8, in the direct electrical path between the positive electrodes 1232 or the negative 1234 of the electrochemical cell 1230 and the terminals output 1220 and 1222 of the container. Additionally, synchronous rectifier 1274 increases the efficiency of direct current / direct current converter 1250 by reducing internal losses. The converter controller 1252 of this embodiment also allows additional input signals for direct current / direct current converter control 1250. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the converter controller 1252 monitors the internal environment of the electrochemical cell through detectors such as temperature, pressure and concentration of hydrogen and oxygen in addition to the phase shift measurements that are described at the beginning with respect to Figure 10. Figures 7-12 show circuit designs progressively more complexes of the present invention. They are given in this order in order to provide an orderly description of different elements that can be included in an integrated controller circuit in addition to the direct current / direct current converter which is the central element of the controller of the present invention. The order of presentation does not mean that it implies that the elements that subsequently appear in circuits that combine multiple different elements, must have all the characteristics described with respect to the previous figures in order to be within the scope of the present invention. For example, an emergency disconnect circuit, a charge indicator circuit, a phase detector circuit, and / or a ground bias circuit may be used in combination with the circuits of FIGS. 6-11 without the converter driver. or other elements that are shown in the figures that show these elements. A preferred embodiment of the integrated controller circuit 1340 for use in a battery 1310 of the present invention includes the direct current / direct current converter 1350 and the converter controller 1352 and is shown in FIG. 13. The converter 1350 is preferably a high frequency converter. performance, and of medium energy, which can operate below the voltage threshold of most electronic devices. The discharge sub controller 1302 preferably includes a charge pump such as that shown in FIG. 9B for supplying a virtual earth having a potential below that of the negative electrode 1334 of the electrochemical cell 1330 to the current converter. direct / direct current 1350 and output terminal 1322 of container 1312. The virtual ground provides an increased voltage differential available to drive the direct current / direct current converter 1350 and allows the 1350 converter to more efficiently extract a level of higher current of the electrochemical cell 1330 than it could with only the cell voltage that drives the converter. In this embodiment, the converter controller 1352 preferably utilizes a pulse width and pulse phase modulation control scheme. The phase shift detector circuit 1362 measures the cell voltage and the current that is drawn from the electrochemical cell 1330 at the positive electrodes 1332 and negative 1334 of the electrochemical cell 1330 and the instantaneous and / or continuous phase shift between the voltage and the current. This phase shift defines the internal impedance of the electrochemical cell 1330, which is a load capacity function of the electrochemical cell 1330. After approximately 50% discharge of the electrochemical cell 1330, which is determined by the voltage drop Closed circuit cell, the increasing internal impedance indicates the remaining capacitance of the electrochemical cell 1330. The phase shift detector circuit 1362 provides those signals to the linear phase controller 1371. The linear phase controller 1371 then provides the voltage Vs detected by the phase shift detector circuit 1362 and an output voltage control signal V (PS¡) which is linearly proportional to the phase shift to the pulse modulator 1376 using a combination of width modulation control schemes of pulse and pulse phase modulation. The pulse modulator 1376 also receives the voltage drop across the resistor Rs as a voltage control signal. The pulse modulator 1376 uses the voltage control signals in combination to drive the direct current / direct current converter 1350. When the voltage Vs is above a predetermined voltage level threshold, the pulse modulator 1376 maintains the transistor of metal oxide semiconductor field effect ("MOSFET) M3 in a closed state and MOSFET M4 in an open state." In this way, the current path from electrochemical cell 1330 to the load is maintained through MOSFET In addition, the losses associated with the direct current / direct current converter 1350 and the converter controller 1352 are minimized because the duty cycle is effectively maintained at zero percent, in this case, the DC losses of the M3 closed MOSFET and resistor Rs are extremely low Resistor Rs, for example, is preferably in the range of 0.01 to about 0.1 ohms.

However, when the voltage Vs is below a predetermined voltage level threshold, the pulse modulator 1376 is turned on and modulates the duty cycle of the direct current / direct current converter 1350 based on the combination of the control signals of voltage. The amplitude of Vs operates as the primary control signal that controls the duty cycle. The voltage drop across the resistor Rs current detector, which is a function of the output current, operates as the second control signal. Finally, the signal V (psi) generated by the linear phase controller 1371, which is linearly proportional to the phase shift between the AC components of the cell voltage and the current drawn from the electrochemical cell 1330, is the third signal of control. In particular, the V (psi) signal is used to alter the duty cycle in response to changes in internal impedance during the battery service time, which affects the efficiency of the converter and the battery service time. The pulse modulator increases the duty cycle if the instantaneous and / or continuous amplitude of Vs decreases, or if the voltage drop across the resistor Rs is increased, and / or if the instantaneous and / or continuous amplitude of the signal of V control (psi) is increased. The contribution of each variable is evaluated according to an appropriate control algorithm. When the pulse modulator 1376 is turned on, its oscillator generates trapezoidal or square wave control pulses that preferably have a 50% duty cycle and a frequency in the range of 40 KHz to about 1 MHz, more preferably in the scale of 40 KHz to approximately 600 KHz, with approximately 600 KHz being in general the most preferred. The pulse modulator 1376 alters the duty cycle of the output control signal for the M3 and M4 MOSFETs using a suitable control algorithm. More generally, the control algorithm operates M3 and M4 with the same duty cycle but the opposite phase. The MOSFET M3 and M4 are preferably high power complementary transistors in which M3 is preferably a N MOSFET channel, and M4 is preferably a P MOSFET channel. In essence, the configuration of the direct current / direct current converter 1350 is a direct current / direct current increase converter with a rectifier synchronized at the output. In addition, the 1350 converter minimizes AC and DC losses by using MOSFET M3 instead of a non-synchronous Schottky diode. Separate control signals drive M3 and the M4 MOSFET energy. If the phase and / or work cycle between the control signals M3 and M4 is altered, the output voltage is altered through terminals 1320 and 1322 of container 1312. Pulse modulator 1376 can control the M3 and M3 MOSFETs. M4 based on one or more voltage control signals such as the voltage Vs, the voltage drop across the resistor Rs, or the internal impedance of the electrochemical cell 1330. For example, if the load current consumption is low , the pulse modulator 1376 generates a duty cycle of the direct current / direct current converter 1350 close to zero percent. However, if the load current consumption is high, the pulse modulator 1376 generates a duty cycle of direct current / direct current converter 1350 close to 100%. As the load current consumption varies between these two extremes, the pulse modulator 1376 varies the duty cycle of the DC / direct current converter 1350 in order to supply the current that the load requires. Figure 14 compares illustrative discharge curves for a battery B1 that does not have a controller of the present invention, a battery B2 of the present invention having a controller in which the converter operates in a continuous mode, and a battery B3 of the present invention, having a controller in which the converter is turned on above the cut-off voltage of the battery for a given electronic device for which the battery is designed. As shown in figure 14, battery B1 that does not have a controller of the present invention will fail in an electronic device having a cutoff voltage Ve at time t1. However, the battery controller B2 continuously increases the output voltage of the battery to a voltage level V2 during the battery service time. When the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell of the battery B2 drops to the voltage level Vd, the minimum operating voltage of the controller, the battery controller B2 will turn off and the battery output voltage drops to zero at time t2 , ending the effective service time of the B2 battery. As shown in the graph of Fig. 14, the effective prolongation of service time of battery B2 having a controller in which the converter operates in a continuous mode, is t2-11. However, the battery controller B3, does not start to increase the battery output voltage until the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell reaches a predetermined voltage level Vp3. The predetermined voltage level Vp3 is preferably in the scale between the nominal voltage level of the electrochemical cell and the highest cut-off voltage of the class of electronic devices that the battery is designed to supply with power. More preferably, the predetermined voltage level Vp3 is approximately 0.2 volts larger than the highest cutoff voltage, Ve, of the class of electronic devices that the battery is designed to supply with power. Even more preferably, the predetermined voltage level Vp3 is approximately 0.15 volts larger than the highest cutoff voltage, Ve, of the class of electronic devices that the battery is designed to supply with power. Even more preferably, the predetermined voltage level Vp3 is approximately 0.1 volts larger than the highest cutoff voltage, Ve, of the class of electronic devices that the battery is designed to supply with power, with approximately 0.05 volts larger than being the most preferred. When the cell voltage reaches the predetermined voltage level Vp3, the converter of the battery B3 begins to increase or stabilize the output voltage at a level of Ve +? V. The voltage level? V is represented in FIG. 14 and represents the voltage difference between the increased output voltage of the battery B3 and the cut-off voltage Ve. The voltage level? V is preferably on the scale of 0 volts at approximately 0.4 volts, with approximately 0.2 volts being the most preferred. Battery B3 then continues to provide an output until the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell drops to a voltage level Vd, the minimum operating voltage of the converter, the battery controller B3 will turn off. At that time, the battery output voltage drops to zero at time t3, ending the effective service time of battery B3. As shown in the graph of Figure 14, the effective prolongation of service time of battery B3 on battery B1 that does not have a controller of the present invention is t3-11. Figure 14 also shows that battery B3 will last longer than the B2 battery when connected to the same electronic device. Because the converter of the battery B2 operates continuously, the internal losses of the converter consume some of the energy capacity of the electrochemical cell of the battery B2, and, therefore, the cell voltage of the battery B2 will reach the minimum operating voltage Vd of the converter in a shorter period compared to that of battery B3 in which the controller is operational for only a portion of the discharge cycle. In this way, optimizing the selection of the predetermined voltage Vp3 of battery B3 so close to the cut-off voltage of the electronic device that the battery is supplying power will result in the most efficient use of the electrochemical cell and results in a greater prolongation of time of battery service. In this way, the predetermined voltage Vp3 of the battery B3 is preferably equal to or slightly larger than the cut-off voltage of the electrical or electronic device to which it is designed to supply power. For example, the predetermined voltage Vp3 may be approximately 0.2 volts larger than the cut-off voltage. More preferably, the predetermined voltage Vp3 may preferably be about 0.15 volts larger than the cutoff voltage. Even more preferably, the predetermined voltage Vp3 may be approximately 0.1 volts larger than the cut-off voltage, with approximately 0.05 volts larger than the cut-off voltage being the most preferred. However, if the battery is designed as a standard battery for a variety of electronic devices, the predetermined voltage Vp3 is preferably selected to be equal to or slightly larger than the highest cut-off voltage of that group of electronic devices. For example, the predetermined voltage Vp3 may preferably be about 0.2 volts larger than the highest cut-off voltage of that group of electronic devices. More preferably, the predetermined voltage Vp3 may be preferably about 0.15 volts larger than the highest cut-off voltage of that group of electronic devices. Even more preferably, the predetermined voltage Vp3 can be preferably about 0.1 volts larger than the highest cut-off voltage of that group of electronic devices, with about 0.05 volts larger than the highest cut-off voltage of that group of electronic devices being the one that is preferred The graphs of Figure 14 also show that while the minimum operating voltage Vd of the converter is lower, the service time extension will be larger compared to battery B1 that does not have a controller of the present invention. Furthermore, if the difference between the cut-off voltage Ve, of the electronic device, and the minimum operating voltage Vd, of the converter is larger, the controller of the present invention will provide a longer extension of the service time of the battery due to the fact that the cell voltage of the electrochemical cell is increased.

TABLE 2 Example of AA alkaline battery discharge with and without power controller (resistive medium load, R = 12 ohms) Table 2 compares discharge data for an alkaline AA battery of the present invention having an integrated controller in which the converter operates in a continuous mode and increases the cell voltage to an output voltage of approximately 1.6 volts to an AA battery typical alkaline that does not have a controller of the present invention. In this table, the data shows the output voltage, the energy consumed, and the percentage of remaining capacity (total capacity = 2400 mAh) for each hour when the batteries are connected to an average resistive load of approximately 12 ohms, which draws approximately 125 mA on average, during the service time of the battery. As shown in the table, the output voltage of the battery remaining in the converter remains constant at 1.6 volts during the service time of the battery, while the output voltage of the battery that does not have a converter decreases from the nominal voltage of the battery. the battery during its time of service. Table 2 further shows that the battery of the present invention having an integrated controller provides two distinct advantages over the AA battery that does not have a controller. First, for a device that has a cut-off voltage of approximately 1 volt, the battery that has the integrated controller has a service time of approximately 10 hours, while the battery without a controller will stop its operation on the device after a maximum of 8 hours when the output voltage drops below 1 volt. Thus, in this example, the controller provides approximately a 25% prolongation of service time on the battery that does not have a controller. Second, the power supplied to the load and the percentage of established capacity of the battery that is used before the device is turned off is much larger for the battery of the present invention having an integrated controller. Under constant current drain conditions, the battery without the controller of the present invention will have an even shorter life time before the electronic device turns off because as the output voltage of this battery decreases, the ability of the cell to supply current decreases proportionally. This will result in an even bigger advantage for the battery that has the integrated controller. However, if the device has a cut-off voltage of approximately 1.1 volts, the table 2 shows that the battery of the present invention having an integrated controller operates even more advantageously on the battery AA that does not have a controller. The battery that has the integrated controller will still have a service time of approximately 10 hours, while the battery without a controller will stop its operation on the device after a maximum of approximately 6 hours when the output voltage drops below 1.1 volts . Thus, in this example, the controller provides approximately a 67% prolongation of service time on the battery that does not have a controller. Additionally, the differences in power supplied to the load and the percentage of the battery's set capacity that is used before the device is turned off is even larger than it was in the previous example. Again, under a constant current drain condition, the battery without the controller of the present invention will have an even shorter life time before the electronic device is turned off because as the output voltage of this battery decreases, the The ability of the cell to supply current decreases proportionally. This will result in an even bigger advantage for the battery that has the integrated controller.

Claims (10)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS *

1. - A useful primary battery with a device that has a voltage 5, the primary battery characterized in that it comprises (a) a container having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; (b) a primary electrochemical cell disposed within the container, said cell having a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a cell voltage that is measured through the positive and negative electrodes of said cell; and a nominal voltage; and further characterized by (c) a controller electrically connected between • the electrodes of said cell and said container terminals to create an output voltage measured through the positive and negative terminals of the container, said controller provides one or more of the following: (i) include a converter adapted to operate a cell voltage less than the voltage of 15 cutting the device, so that said controller prolongs the service time of the battery by converting the cell voltage to the output voltage, so that the output voltage is greater than the cut-off voltage of that device; (ii) include a converter that converts the cell voltage to the output voltage so that the output voltage is less than the nominal voltage of the 20 said cell; (iii) include a converter that converts the cell voltage to the output voltage and a capacitor that provides electrical charge storage to protect the cell against current peaks; further characterized in that the primary battery is selected from a single-cell battery, a single-cell universal battery, a multiple-cell battery, and a hybrid multi-cell battery.

2. The primary battery according to claim 1 further characterized in that the primary battery is adapted to be electrically connected as one of a whole number of batteries in series with the device, said output voltage is greater than or equal to the Cutting voltage of the device divided by said whole number of batteries; and / or further characterized in that the primary battery is a multi-cell battery, said primary battery further comprises a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal; the container, the cell and the controller form a first cell unit; said first cell unit being one of a whole number of cell units electrically connected in series between the positive output terminal and the negative output terminal, said output voltage is greater than or equal to the cutoff voltage of the divided device by said whole number of cell units.

3. The primary battery according to claim 1 or 2 further characterized in that said controller can regulate the cell voltage down to at least 0.6 volts.

4. The primary battery according to any of claims 1-3 further characterized in that said controller is adapted to electrically connect the converter between the electrodes of the cell and the terminals of the container when the cell voltage drops to a voltage level predetermined, said predetermined voltage level is preferably selected from the group consisting of the scale from 0.8 volts to 1.2 volts for a cell having a nominal voltage of 1.5 volts, on the scale from the cutoff voltage of the device to the cutoff voltage of the device plus 0.2 volts, in the scale from the cut-off voltage of the device to the nominal voltage of said cell, to allow a deep discharge of said cell when the cut-off voltage of the device is 1 volt for a cell having a nominal voltage of 1.5 volts, and / or to allow at least 90% discharge from said cell when said cell is a lithium cell and the voltage of The size of the device is 2.4 volts.

5. The primary battery according to any of claims 1-4 further characterized in that said converter further comprises: (i) a control circuit electrically connected to the positive and negative electrodes of the cellsaid control circuit preferably includes a pulse modulator, more preferably said pulse modulator includes a pulse width modulator having at least one input control signal, even more preferably said pulse modulator is adapted to electronically disconnect the converter of the cell and to electronically connect the converter to the cell, even more preferably said pulse modulator is adapted to electronically disconnect the converter from the cell and to electronically connect the converter to the cell based at least in part on one or more signals of control selected from the group of an internal impedance of said cell, a drain current, and said output voltage, even more preferably said pulse modulator is adapted to electronically connect the converter between the electrodes of the cell and the terminals of the container when the Cell voltage drops to a level # of predetermined voltage, said predetermined voltage level is preferably on the scale from the cutoff voltage of the device to the nominal voltage 5 of said cell; (ii) a DC / AC driver electrically connected to the control circuitry; and (iii) a synchronous rectifier electrically connected to the DC / AC impeller and to the positive and negative terminals of the container.

6. The primary battery according to any of claims 1 to 5 further characterized in that said controller further comprises: (iv) a ground bias circuit electrically connected to the positive and negative electrodes of said cell, said polarization circuit to ground provides a virtual ground to the converter and to the negative terminal of the container, said ground-bias circuit preferably includes a charge pump circuit, and said virtual ground is preferably at a level 15 voltage below the voltage level of said negative electrode of the cell.

7. The primary battery according to any of claims 1-6 further characterized in that said nominal voltage is greater than 1.5 volts. 8.- The primary battery in accordance with any of the 20 claims 1-7 further characterized in that said cell is a lithium cell, the nominal voltage of the cell is in the range of 2.

8 volts to 4.0 volts, and said controller decreases the cell voltage so that the output voltage is in the scale from 1.0 volts to 1.6 volts.

9. - The primary battery according to any of claims 1 - 8 further characterized in that it further comprises a device that includes: (a) a positive input terminal; (b) a negative input terminal electrically connected to the positive input terminal; and (c) 5 a cut-off voltage.

10. A method to prolong the service time of a battery, said method is characterized by the steps of: (a) providing a primary battery that includes: (i) a container that has a positive terminal and a negative terminal; (ii) an electrochemical cell disposed within the container, said cell having a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a cell voltage that is measured through the positive electrode and the negative electrode of said cell, and a nominal voltage; and (iii) a controller electrically connected between the electrodes of said cell and said container terminals to create an output voltage that is measured across the positive terminal and the negative terminal 15 of the container, said controller includes a converter; (b) electrically connecting said primary battery to a device having a cut-off voltage; (c) converting the cell voltage to the output voltage, so that said output voltage is larger than the cutoff voltage of the device.