WO2009017406A2

WO2009017406A2 - Battery and charger for a battery and system of the battery and a charger

Info

Publication number: WO2009017406A2
Application number: PCT/NL2008/050519
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johannes Alphonsus Maria Hoebink; Eric Venema
Original assignee: N.V.Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek Nedap
Priority date: 2007-07-27
Filing date: 2008-07-25
Publication date: 2009-02-05
Also published as: NL1034203C2; WO2009017406A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery provided with a housing, connecting contacts, and a cell arranged for generating an electrical voltage which is supplied to the connecting contacts, wherein the cell is provided inside the housing and wherein the connecting contacts are accessible from an outside of the housing for making electrically conductive connections with the connecting contacts. The battery is further provided with an electronic circuit provided inside the housing, which is provided with a firs voltage converter for receiving the electrical voltage from the cell and changing the voltage received from the cell, which changed voltage is supplied to the connecting contacts. The invention further relates to a charger for charging at least one battery and a system provided with a battery and a charger.

Description

Title: Battery and charger for a battery and system of the battery and a charger

The invention relates to a battery provided with a housing, connecting contacts, and a cell arranged for generating an electrical DC voltage, wherein the cell is provided inside the housing and wherein the connecting contacts are accessible from an outside of the housing for making electrically conductive connections with the connecting contacts.

The invention further relates to a charger provided with a charging station, wherein the charging station is arranged for charging at least one battery, wherein the charging station is arranged to supply mutually different charging voltages as desired to the at least one battery. The invention further relates to a system provided with at least one battery of a first type and a charger for charging the battery, wherein the at least one battery of the first type is provided with a housing with standardized dimensions, electrical connecting contacts, and a cell arranged for generating an electrical DC voltage, wherein the cell is provided inside the housing and is a rechargeable cell, such as a lithium ion cell, which, by its nature, supplies a voltage with a magnitude which deviates from a standard for a DC voltage of a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, wherein the electrical connecting contacts are accessible from an outside of the housing for making an electrically conductive connection for drawing energy from the battery of the first type.

Such a battery where the electrical voltage of the cell is supplied to the connecting contacts is known per se and may be designed as a non- rechargeable battery or a rechargeable battery. The cell may, for instance, be an electrochemical cell, but may, for instance, also be a fuel cell. In case of a non-rechargeable battery, the cell may inter alia be designed as a cell of the carbon zinc type. In case of a rechargeable battery, the cell may inter alia be designed as a cell of the lithium ion type or nickel metal hydride type. The invention contemplates improving above-mentioned batteries, such that the batteries may, in addition, be used as standard batteries. The battery according to the invention is characterized in that the battery is further provided with an electronic circuit provided inside the housing, which is provided with a first voltage converter for converting the electrical DC voltage generated by the cell to a changed electrical DC voltage supplied to the connecting contacts. The advantage of the battery a 1ccording to the invention is that, for a particular use of the battery, the best available cell can be chosen without needing to take into account the voltage supplied by the cell by its nature. The DC voltage supplied by the cell by its nature (of course in predetermined conditions such as the ambient temperature) is also referred to as the nominal voltage of the cell.

In particular, it holds that the battery is provided with a housing with standardized dimensions, wherein the cell preferably is a rechargeable cell, such as a lithium ion cell, with the property that, by its nature, it supplies a DC voltage with a magnitude which deviates from a standard for a DC voltage of a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, wherein the electronic circuit is, on the one hand, electrically conductively connected with the cell and is, on the other hand, electrically conductively connected with the connecting contacts, wherein the first voltage converter is arranged for converting the electrical DC voltage generated by the cell to a converted electrical DC voltage, wherein the converted electrical voltage is a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for a DC voltage of a standard battery with the housing with the standardized dimensions when the cell supplies the voltage by its nature (Le. the nominal voltage), which converted voltage is supplied to the electrical connecting contacts. The battery thus supplies a DC voltage of a standard battery while the battery is not provided with a cell of a standard battery. Instead, a different cell is used which may have much better properties than the cell of the standard battery. Thus, in the used cell, more energy can be stored than in the cell of a standard battery. As a result, the life of the battery is improved. Also, the used cell may, for instance, be charged more often than the cell of the standard battery. To this end, the cell may, for instance, be designed as a lithium ion cell which nominally supplies 3.8 V. The first voltage converter then converts this voltage to, for instance, 1.5 V, wherein the housing of the battery has dimensions according to a standard of a 1.5 V battery. Thus, the battery looks like a standard 1.5 V battery, but the battery is not provided with a rechargeable cell which supplies about 1.2 V by its nature but a rechargeable lithium ion cell which supplies about 3.7 V by its nature. Incidentally, rechargeable "1.5 V" batteries are known which are provided with a rechargeable NiMh cell. This cell supplies about 1.2 V due its nature. According to one embodiment of the invention, the battery may be provided with a lithium ion cell and then supply a voltage of, for instance, 1.2 V or 1.5 V. In both cases, the battery then meets expectations for a standard battery. Preferably, the dimensions and the supplied electrical voltage of the battery according to the invention, i.e. the changed electrical voltage supplied to the connecting contacts, correspond with those of a standard battery according to the IEC 60086-1 standard, the BS397 standard, the ANSI C 18.1 standard, or a standard which can be considered a successor of one or more of above standards. Such a standard for batteries prescribes the dimensions of the battery and the voltage generated by the battery. This offers the advantage that the battery is suitable for use in much electronic equipment. An example of a battery which falls under one or more of these standards is a battery of the AA type, with a voltage of 1.5 Volt. It can be replaced by a battery according to the invention with a housing with dimensions of an AA battery and with a cell which generates about 3.7 Volt, while the battery according to the invention supplies a voltage of about 1.5 Volt. The battery according to the invention has a better performance than known AA batteries. Preferably, it holds that the first voltage converter is arranged to receive the voltage generated by the cell and to decrease this received electrical voltage. An advantage thereof is that the battery supplies a lower voltage than the voltage of the cell. However, it is also possible that an embodiment of a battery according to the invention is provided with a cell which supplies a lower voltage than a standard for the voltage of a battery with such a housing. In that case, the first voltage converter may be arranged such that this voltage is increased, for instance up to 1.2 V, 1.5 V, 9 V, etc.

In particular, it holds that the cell of the battery according to the invention is a rechargeable cell. In this case, the battery according to the invention is a rechargeable battery. With multiple use, this rechargeable battery often offers a cost advantage for the user. The multiple use of a rechargeable battery according to the invention reduces, for instance, the number of batteries that are eventually thrown away, reduces, for instance, the costs for a user, or increases, for instance, the ease of use.

Preferably, it holds that the electronic circuit is arranged such that when, in use, the voltage of the cell decreases within a predetermined first voltage interval, the converted voltage likewise decreases. This has the advantage that, when the battery is used in an apparatus provided with an indicator which indicates a measure for the amount of energy still present in the battery or what the remaining life of the battery is, the respective indicator can still function and supply useful information. If the first voltage converter maintains the converted voltage at a fixed value, also when the voltage of the cell decreases, such an indicator cannot function anymore. If the voltage converter then supplies no voltage anymore from one moment to the next because the voltage of the cell has decreased too much, a user can be unpleasantly surprised. A photographer, for instance, wishes to replace his batteries in a camera in time when they are almost empty, so that the camera is always ready. Preferably, it holds that the electronic circuit is arranged such that when, in use, the voltage of the cell decreases within the predetermined first voltage interval, the converted voltage likewise decreases within a predetermined second voltage interval. Preferably, it further holds that the electronic circuit is arranged such that a decrease of the voltage of the cell when the voltage of the cell is within the first predetermined voltage interval results in a decrease of the converted voltage. The battery thus behaves like a standard battery with an associated standard cell.

In particular, it holds that the electronic circuit is arranged such that a decrease of the voltage of the cell when the voltage of the cell is within the first predetermined voltage interval results in a decrease of the converted voltage while the converted voltage is within the second predetermined voltage interval. In particular, it holds that the first voltage converter is arranged such that there is a linear relation between the voltage of the cell and the converted voltage when the voltage of the cell is within the first predetermined voltage interval.

According to a very advanced embodiment, it holds that the electronic circuit is arranged such that any voltage of the first voltage interval is lower than the nominal voltage value generated by the cell by its nature, wherein the nominal value of the cell is a voltage supplied by the cell in predetermined conditions of use when it is completely charged, and that the converted voltage remains at least virtually constant when the voltage of the cell is between the nominal voltage of the cell and the first voltage interval. This has the advantage that the battery supplies a fixed voltage for a long period so that apparatuses running on this battery keep functioning optimally and do not notice during this long period that the cell is already becoming empty. Preferably, it further holds that the electronic circuit is arranged such that the converted voltage becomes at least virtually zero when the voltage of the cell becomes lower than the voltages within the first voltage interval. This results in a remaining amount of energy remaining in the cell after the battery cannot be used anymore. This has the advantage that the cell, when it is rechargeable, can be charged better and more often. According to a special embodiment, it holds that the battery is further provided with a power indicator which can be observed from an outside of the battery and which is electrically conductively connected with the electronic circuit, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with a measuring circuit for determining a measure of the amount of electrical energy present in the cell by measuring on the cell, wherein the electronic circuit is arranged for controlling the power indicator so that the power indicator indicates above-mentioned measure, wherein the electronic circuit is further provided with a motion sensor and is arranged such that, when the motion sensor detects a predetermined movement, the measuring circuit measures the above-mentioned measure which is then shown by the power indicator. A user can activate the power indicator and read out the measured measure in a simple manner, for instance by shaking the battery. In particular, it holds that the electronic circuit is further provided with a second voltage converter which is arranged to receive an electrical voltage supplied to the battery over the connecting contacts and to convert this received electrical voltage to an electrical voltage suitable for charging the cell. This has the advantage that the battery according to the invention can be charged with a charger which generates a voltage which is different from the voltage suitable for charging the cell.

In particular, it holds that the cell of the battery according to the invention is of the lithium ion type. Further, the housing preferably has the dimensions according to the AA type and the cell is preferably the only cell of the battery. Preferably, the first voltage converter receives the DC voltage of about 3.7 Volt generated by the cell and converts it to a DC voltage of about 1.5 Volt. This has the advantage that this batter can be used in much electronic equipment, and, in addition, has a larger capacity than a known battery with a single cell of the nickel metal hydride type. Preferably, the second voltage converter receives a voltage of about 1.5 Volt and converts it to a voltage of about 4.2 Volt. This has the advantage that the battery can be charged with a voltage supplied by chargers which are arranged for charging a battery with a cell of the nickel cadmium type, which chargers are common. The first voltage converter is, for instance, a synchronous step- down (buck) voltage converter. The second voltage converter is, for instance, a synchronous step-up (boost) voltage converter. It will be clear that the cell may, for instance, also be of the lithium polymer type or a different lithium- based type, or of the nano titanate type, nickel metal hydride type, nickel iron type, nickel cadmium type, nickel zinc type, rechargeable alkaline, or a different type.

In particular, the electronic circuit is arranged for communication via RF (Radio Frequency) or 1-wire technology with a charger, which charger is arranged to charge the battery. This offers the advantage that the charger can recognize the battery, and can thus, for instance, supply a first charging voltage to a battery according to the invention (hereinafter also referred to as the battery of the first type) which differs from a second charging voltage which is supplied to another battery. This other battery may then be a standard battery, hereinafter also referred to as a battery of the second type. In particular, the electronic circuit of the battery of the first type is provided with an electronic safety circuit, which at least serves to protect the cell during charging. This circuit may then, for instance, be arranged to prevent too high a voltage or current from being supplied to the cell during charging. In particular, the electronic circuit is provided with an electronic filter which is in contact with the connecting contacts and which is arranged to filter a supplied undesired electrical voltage over the connecting contacts and to prevent the undesired electrical voltage from being passed on to the other part of the electronic circuit. Such undesired voltages may, for instance, be sudden voltage peaks. These could, for instance, damage components in the other part of the electronic circuit.

The housing may be a housing in one piece, but may optionally also consist of multiple parts which are rigidly interconnected and/or are provided with recesses.

With the use of electrical apparatuses, mutually different rechargeable batteries can be used. In particular, these rechargeable batteries can differ in the voltage needed for charging, while the dimensions are substantially equal. In many battery chargers, such batteries can be received, but without both receiving a suitable charging voltage.

The invention also contemplates obviating above-mentioned problem. The charger according to the invention is characterized in that the charger is provided with a communication means for obtaining at least identification information from a battery, wherein, when the identification information from a battery is obtained, the charging station is arranged to supply a charging voltage depending on the obtained identification information to the identified battery and wherein, when the identification information from a battery is not obtained, the charging station is arranged to supply a predetermined charging voltage to the non-identified battery. The charger according to the invention offers the advantage that a known rechargeable battery and an embodiment of the battery according to the invention can both be charged in the same charger and can thus be used randomly, which offers an important advantage to the user. The embodiment of the battery according to the invention is then such that the charger can recognize this battery, for instance in that the respective embodiment of the battery can send identification information to the charger. Here, the charging voltage supplied to the battery is chosen on the basis of obtaining or not obtaining the identification information and optionally the identification information, i.e. optionally on the basis of the content of the identification information. If no identification information has been received, then a standard battery may be involved and a standard charging voltage may be chosen by the charger. If identification information from a battery has been received by the charger, then a special predetermined charging voltage can be chosen. The choice of the special charging voltage may then particularly still depend on the content of the identification information. The latter is in turn important when there are different types of batteries which are provided with above-mentioned cell and associated electronic circuit, wherein different types of these batteries have different types of cells and therefore require different charging voltages. In these cases, the charger according to the invention will facilitate the introduction of batteries according to the invention on the market because the charger according to the invention can charge both special embodiments of identifiable batteries according to the invention and standard batteries. Here, the identification information may, for instance, comprise a parameter of the battery, such as a desired charging voltage, capacity, supplied voltage, voltage generated by the cell, type of the cell, number of times that the cell has already been charged, number of times that the cell can still be charged, manufacturer, etc., or information associated therewith.

Charging is understood to mean restoring the ability of the battery to supply voltage and current.

A charging station is understood to mean a device comprised by the charger, which device is suitable to receive a battery and to supply a charging voltage to the connecting contacts of the battery with the purpose to charge the battery.

In particular, it holds that the charger supplies a higher charging voltage to the identified battery than to the non-identified battery. For instance, the charging voltage for the identified battery is suitable for charging a battery with a cell of the lithium ion type, and the charging voltage for the non-identified battery is suitable for charging a battery with a cell of the nickel metal hydride type. The dimensions of the identified and the non-identified battery are, for instance, substantially equal and are, for instance, according to the IEC 60086-1 standard, the BS397 standard, the ANSI C18.1 standard, or a standard which can be considered the successor of one or more of above standards. This offers the advantage that it is possible to charge both a battery according to the invention provided with a single lithium ion cell and a known rechargeable battery, for instance with a single cell of the nickel metal hydride type in the same charger.

In particular, it holds that the charger is arranged for separately obtaining identification information for each battery of a plurality of batteries and for charging each battery of the plurality of batteries with a correct charging voltage depending on the respective identification information. This allows charging mutually different batteries, wherein, for instance, a battery from the plurality of batteries is prevented from receiving a charging voltage which is based on the identification information of another battery of the plurality of batteries.

In particular, it holds that the charging station is provided with a temperature sensor, which serves to measure the temperature of a battery in the charging station during the charging process to control the charging process. Also, a special embodiment of the battery according to the invention may be provided with a temperature sensor for measuring preferably the temperature of the battery and/or for measuring the temperature of the cell of the battery. Preferably, these measurements are calculated during charging. The battery can pass on this information to the charger. The charger may, for instance, control the charging process on the basis of this information. When the temperature of the battery and/or the temperature of the cell for the battery becomes, for instance, too high, the charger can reduce the charging current for the battery so that the temperature decreases again.

In particular, it holds that the charger is provided with a display to show information about the battery to a user. The information may, for instance, comprise the number of times that the battery has been charged. The information may further comprise, for instance, a condition of the battery, such as the capacity of the battery. The information may also comprise one or more of many other data of the battery.

More in general, the system according to the invention is characterized in that it is provided with at least one battery of a first type and a charger for charging the battery, wherein the at least one battery of the first type is provided with a housing with standardized dimensions, electrical connecting contacts, and a cell arranged for generating an electrical voltage, wherein the cell is provided inside the housing and is a rechargeable cell, such as a lithium ion cell, which, by its nature, supplies a voltage with a magnitude which deviates from a standard for a voltage of a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, wherein the electrical connecting contacts are accessible from an outside of the housing for making an electrically conductive connection for drawing energy from the battery of the first type, and wherein the at least one battery of the first type is further provided with an electronic circuit provided inside the housing which is, on the one hand, electrically conductively connected with the cell and is, on the other hand, electrically conductively connected with the connecting contacts, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with a first voltage converter for converting an electrical voltage generated by the cell to a converted electrical voltage, wherein the converted electrical voltage is a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, which converted electrical voltage is supplied to the electrical connecting contacts, wherein the system is arranged such that the charger can also charge a battery of a second type, wherein the battery of the second type is a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions and a cell which supplies a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with the housing with the standardized dimensions to electrical connecting contacts of the battery of the second type. Thus, no mistakes can be made in charging. A user can charge both the battery of the first type (the battery according to the invention) and the battery of the second type (the standard battery) with the charger without the user needing to ask himself whether he is charging a battery of the first type or a battery of the second type. According to a first possible further elaboration of the system, it holds that the charger is provided with recognition means for recognizing batteries of the first type to be charged. Here, it particularly holds that the charger is arranged to supply a standardized charging voltage for charging a battery of the second type when no battery of the first type is recognized by the recognition means of the charger and to supply a special charging voltage which corresponds with the cell of the at least one battery of the first type for charging the cell of the at least one battery of the first type when the recognition means recognize the at least one battery of the first type. Thus, special measures are taken on the side of the charger. However, it is also possible that the at least one battery of the first type is arranged to send predetermined information about the type of battery, such as an identity of the first type of battery, to the charger and wherein the charger is arranged to receive this predetermined information and wherein, upon receiving this predetermined information, the charger supplies the special charging voltage associated with the at least one battery of the first type and, upon not receiving this predetermined information, supplies a charging voltage which is suitable for charging a battery of the second type. Thus, special measures are taken on the side of the battery of the first type. In this application, voltage of a cell, converted voltage, charging voltage and the like are understood to mean DC voltages.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a possible embodiment of a battery according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of a cell, a microcontroller, and three functions of an electronic circuit in the battery according to the embodiment of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a possible embodiment of a part of the electronic circuit which performs the three functions shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows a possible embodiment of a charger according to the invention;

Fig. 5 shows a schematic representation of a possible embodiment of the system according to the invention; Fig. 6 shows the system of Fig. 5 in more detail;

Fig. 7 shows a special embodiment of a battery according to the invention; and

Fig. 8 shows a relation between the voltage of the cell and the converted voltage of the battery of Fig. 7. Fig. 1 shows a possible embodiment of a battery 2 according to the invention. The battery will hereinafter also be referred to as a battery of the first type. In Fig. I₁ a schematic representation in longitudinal section is shown of the battery 2. In this section, electrical connecting contacts 4, 6 are shown. In this embodiment, the electrical connecting contacts form a positive pole 4 and a negative pole 6 of the battery 2. Further, Fig. 1 shows a cell 8 arranged for generating electrical DC voltage. In this embodiment, the cell 8 is an electrochemical cell, in particular a ceE of the lithium ion type. Such a cell of the lithium ion type comprises, for instance, lithium carbon as anode material, for instance lithium cobalt oxide as cathode material, and an electrolyte. Further, Fig. 1 schematically shows an electronic circuit 10 and a housing 12. A possible embodiment of the electronic circuit 10 will be explained further in Figs. 2 and 3.

The cell 8 and the electronic circuit 10 are substantially inside the housing 12. The housing 12 is preferably substantially made of a rigid material which is resistant to manual use, to increased mechanical stress, and to elevated temperature. This elevated temperature may, for instance, be caused by processes in the cell 8 of the battery 2, or by the environment in which the battery 2 is used. This increased mechanical stress may, for instance, be caused by processes in the battery 2, or by the environment in which the battery is used. Examples of such a rigid material are steel and a hard plastic. The housing 12 is preferably provided with a print which shows the data of the battery 2. These data are, for instance, the type of the cell 8, the dimensions of the battery 2, the voltage supplied by the battery 2, the manufacturer of the battery 2, and/or the type of the battery 2, such as for instance the AA type. In the embodiment according to Fig. 1, the housing 12 of the battery 2 is preferably substantially cylindrical. In this possible embodiment, the dimensions of the battery 2 comply with, for instance, the regulations for a battery of the AA type according to one or more of the following standards: the IEC 60086-1 standard, the BS397 standard, the ANSI C 18.1 standard, or a standard which can be considered a successor of one or more of above standards.

The cell 8 in the battery 2 according to Fig. 1 is connected with the electronic circuit 10 via first conducting means 14, 16, in this example two electrically conductive wires 14, 16. Here, for instance, a positive pole of the cell 8 may be connected with the wire 14, and a negative pole of the cell may be connected with the wire 16. It will be clear that it is also possible that one of the poles of the cell is directly connected with a connecting contact 4, 6. The wires 14, 16 are preferably made of a metal, such as for instance copper, and are preferably provided with an insulating sheath. The electronic circuit 10 is connected with the connecting contacts 4, 6 via second conducting means, in this example two electrically conductive wires 18, 20. These wires 18, 20 are preferably made of a metal, such as for instance copper, and are preferably provided with an insulating sheath. In the example of Fig. 1, the electronic circuit 10 of the battery 2 provided inside the housing 12 is provided with a voltage converter. The voltage converter converts the electrical voltage generated by the cell 8, in this example about 3.7 V, to a changed electrical DC voltage supplied to the connecting contacts 4, 6, in this example about 1.5 V, as prescribed for the battery of the AA type. Further, the electronic circuit 10 may be in connection with the cell 8 via a sense connection 22. The conducting means 16 and/or the cell 8 may, for instance, be provided with a current measuring resistance (shunt) (not drawn), wherein the measured voltage over this current measuring resistance is available on sense connection 22. It is readily apparent to a skilled person how such a sense connection can be designed.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of the cell 8, a microcontroller 38, and three functions of the electronic circuit 10 in the battery 2 according to the embodiment of Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, the three functions of the electronic circuit 10 are represented by three blocks, namely a safety block 32, a voltage converting block 34, and a filter and communication block 36. Here, the voltage converting block 34 may, for instance, comprise the voltage converter as described with reference to Fig. 1. It will be clear that the function of the electronic circuit of the battery according to the invention is not limited to the three functions described herein. The microcontroller 38 is inter alia in connection with the cell and, in this embodiment, controls the communication with a charger. Due to this communication, the charger can recognize the battery and supply a charging voltage which is suitable for charging the cell. A possible embodiment of the electronic circuit which performs at least one of the functions represented by the blocks 32, 34, 36 is shown in Fig. 3. Here, it is noted that the circuit of Fig. 3 does not perform the communication function. This communication function could, for instance, be performed by providing the electronic circuit 10 with an RF label. It is readily apparent to a skilled person how this could be designed.

Fig. 3 shows a possible embodiment of a part of the electronic circuit 10 performing the three functions represented by the blocks 32, 34, 36 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 shows a step-down voltage converter 42 in combination with a step-up voltage converter 44. In this example, the step- down voltage converter 42 comprises a step-down IC (integrated circuit) 43, a first coil 46, a first decoupling capacitor 61 and a first buffer/smoothing capacitor 50. In this example, the step-up voltage converter 44 comprises a step-up IC 45, a second coil 54, a second decoupling capacitor 56 and a second buffer/smoothing capacitor 64. Here, it is noted that the capacitors 50, 56, 61, 64 can further, at least partly, perform the filter function, represented by the filter block 36 in Fig. 2.

A first protection diode 48 protects the voltage converter 42 when the voltage converter 44 is active. A second protection diode 58 protects the voltage converter 44 when the voltage converter 42 is active. Thus, in this embodiment, an electronic safety circuit comprising the first and second protection diode 48, 58 performs inter alia a safety function, represented by safety block 32 in Fig. 2. Here, it is noted that the safety function may alternatively or additionally also be performed in the cell 8, for instance by a PTC resistance included in the cell, as is known to a skilled person. The cell 8 supplies an electrical voltage to the voltage converter 42. The voltage converter 42 serves to receive a voltage generated by the cell 8 and to then decrease this received voltage, which decreased voltage is finally supplied to the connecting contacts 4, 6. The voltage converter 42 thus converts the electrical voltage generated by the cell 8 to the changed electrical voltage supplied to the connecting contacts 4, 6. The voltage converter 44 serves to receive a voltage supplied to the connecting contacts 4, 6 and to then increase it, which increased voltage is finally supplied to the cell 8 when charging the cell. The voltage converters 42, 44 convert a DC voltage to a DC voltage.

The voltage converters 42, 44 may be switched on or off by means of switching means 47, 49. When the voltage converter 42 is switched off, the voltage supplied to the connecting contacts is equal to zero. When the voltage converter 44 is switched off, it is not possible to charge the battery. A possible embodiment of these voltage converters is known to a skilled person. The voltage converters 42, 44 are, for instance, synchronous voltage converters.

It is also possible not to equip the battery with voltage converter 44. In that case, cell 8 is charged directly via the diode 58. A charging voltage then supplied by a charger then preferably needs to be somewhat higher than the desired charging voltage of the cell (about 4.2 Volt), in order to compensate the diode forward voltage.

The arrow 60 indicates the electrical current direction in a live branch during discharging of the cell 8. The arrow 62 indicates the electrical current direction in a live branch during charging of the cell 8.

It will be clear that the embodiments shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of a part of the electronic circuit 10 according to Fig. 1 are not limited to the example of the battery 2 shown in Fig. 1, but are also applicable to a different battery according to the invention. Fig. 4 shows a possible embodiment of the charger 72 according to the invention. In this embodiment, the charger 72 is provided with three charging stations 74, 76, 78 for a battery. At least one of these charging stations is suitable for charging an embodiment of a battery 2 according to the invention. It will be clear that the invention is neither limited in the number of charging stations nor in the form of the charging stations nor in the number of batteries each charging station can contain. In this embodiment, each of the charging stations is provided with a temperature sensor 80, 82, 84. The charging station is further provided with a display 86. This display gives information about one or more of the batteries in the charging stations 74, 76, 78 and/or about the charging process.

The charger 72 is further provided with communication means 88 which are arranged to communicate with the battery 2. These communication means are schematically shown by the part with reference numeral 88. This communication may, for instance, take place via EF or 1-wire technology. In this exemplary embodiment, these means 88 are arranged to communicate wirelessly. In case these means are arranged to communicate non-wirelessly, the battery according to the invention may be provided with at least one first extra connecting contact, and the charger according to the invention may likewise be provided with at least one second extra connecting contact, which at least one first connecting contact and at least one second connecting contact correspond with one another and make contact with one another when the battery is placed in a charging station. Fig. 5 shows a schematic representation of a possible embodiment of the system according to the invention. The system is characterized by the presence of an embodiment of a battery 2 according to the invention and by a charger 106. In this embodiment, the charger 106 and the electronic circuit of the battery 104 are provided with communication means 112, 114 for communication via RF. As said, the battery 2 will hereinafter also be referred to as a battery of the first type. Suitable examples of embodiments of the communication means 112, 114 are known to a skilled person. By means of these communication means 112, 114, firstly, transmission may take place of information 108 with regard to the battery 104, such as identification information and/or information about a temperature of the battery and/or a temperature of the cell of the battery to the charger 106. This identification information comprises, for instance, the DC voltage desired by the battery 104 during charging and/or information associated with the desired voltage during charging. It is also possible that the identification information is such that the charger can associate data with regard to the battery with the identification information. The identification information may, for instance, comprise a type code, wherein the charger associates data, for instance stored in a memory of the charger, with regard to the battery associated with this type code, such as for instance a desired charging voltage and/or capacity, with the received type code. The identification information may also contain actual information with regard to the status of the battery, for instance an amount of electrical charge still or already present in the battery. This information 108 may, for instance, be refreshed during charging. Secondly, by these means 112, 114, transmission of information 110 can take place from the charger 106 to the battery 104. This information comprises, for instance, information about the charging process of the battery 104, such as for instance the time the charging has taken. In particular, it holds that the charging station 74, 76, 78 of the charger is arranged to supply a predetermined charging voltage to a non-identified battery when the identification information of a battery is not obtained. Such a battery is designated by reference numeral 122 in

Fig. 5 and will hereinafter also be referred to as a battery of the second type. The embodiment of the charger according to the invention offers the advantage that a known standard rechargeable battery 122 (battery of the second type) and the battery 2 of the first type can both be charged in the same charger and can therefore by used randomly, which offers an important advantage to the user. Here, the charging DC voltage supplied to the battery 2, 122 is chosen by the charger on the basis of obtaining or not obtaining the identification information and optionally the identification information, i.e. optionally the content of the identification information. Fig. 6 shows the system of Fig. 5 in slightly more detail. For the system shown in Fig. 6, it thus holds that the system is provided with at least one battery of a first type 2 and a charger 106 for charging the battery 2. The battery of the first type 2 is provided with a housing 12 with standardized dimensions, electrical connecting contacts 4, 6 and a cell 8 arranged for generating an electrical voltage, wherein the cell 8 is provided inside the housing 12 and is a rechargeable cell, such as a lithium ion cell, which, by its nature, supplies a voltage with a magnitude which deviates from a standard for a voltage of a standard battery 122 with a housing 12' with the standardized dimensions. The electrical connecting contacts 4, 6 are accessible from an outside of the housing 12 for making an electrically conductive connection for drawing energy from the battery of the first type 2. The battery of the first type 2 is further provided with an electronic circuit 10 provided inside the housing which is, on the one hand, electrically conductively connected with the cell 8 and, on the other hand, electrically conductively connected with the connecting contacts 4, 6, wherein the electronic circuit 10 is provided with a first voltage converter 42 for converting an electrical voltage generated by the cell 8 to a converted electrical voltage. The converted electrical voltage is a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery 122 with a housing 12' with the standardized dimensions. The converted electrical voltage is supplied to the electrical connecting contacts 4, 6. In particular, it further holds in this example that the system is arranged such that the charger 106 can also charge a battery of the second type 122, wherein the battery of the second type 122 is a standard battery with a housing 12' with the standardized dimensions and a cell 8' which supplies a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with the housing with the standardized dimensions to electrical connecting contacts 4', 6' of the battery of the second type. In this example, it holds that the charger 106 is provided with recognition means for recognizing the batteries of the first type 2 to be charged. The charger 106 is arranged to supply a standardized charging voltage for charging a battery of the second type 122 when no battery of the first type is recognized by the recognition means 114 of the charger and to supply a special charging voltage which corresponds with the cell 8 of the at least one battery of the first type 2 for charging the cell 8 of the at least one battery of the first type 2 when the recognition means 114 recognize the at least one battery of the first type. In this example, it holds that the battery of the first type 2 is arranged to send predetermined information about the type of battery, such as an identity of the first type of battery, to the charger; in this example, to this end, the battery is provided with an RFID chip 112 (also shown in Fig. 1) which can be read out with an RFID reader 114 of the charger. The charger 106 is thus arranged to receive this predetermined information and wherein, upon receiving this predetermined information, the charger supplies the special charging voltage associated with the at least one battery of the first type 4 and, upon not receiving this predetermined information, the charger supplies a charging voltage which is suitable for charging a battery of the second type 122.

In this case, the charger according to the invention will facilitate the introduction of the battery according to the invention on the market. However, it is also possible that the charger 9 is (only) arranged for supplying a charging voltage suitable for charging a battery of the second type 122. In that case, the electronic circuit of the battery of the first type 2 may, for instance, further be provided with a second voltage converter 44 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6) which is arranged to receive the charging voltage supplied to the connecting contacts 4, 6 of the battery of the first type 2, which is suitable for charging a battery of the second type 122, from the charger 106 and to convert it to an electrical voltage which is suitable for charging the cell 8 of the battery of the first type 2. Such a battery has been discussed with reference to Fig. 3. In each of the exemplary embodiments of the battery 2 discussed hereinabove, it preferably holds that the standard dimensions and a voltage of the battery of the first type 2 correspond with the IEC 60086-1 standard, the BS397 standard, the ANSI C18.1 standard, or a standard which can be considered the successor of one or more of the above standards. It also preferably holds for each of the exemplary embodiments discussed hereinabove that the battery of the first type 2 has the standard dimensions and supplies a voltage according to the A, AA, AAA, AAAA, D, C, N or 9V type.

It will be clear that the charger for charging a plurality of batteries according to the invention can be arranged for separately obtaining identification information for each battery of a plurality of batteries and for charging each battery of the plurality of with a correct charging voltage depending on the respective identification information. To this end, the charger 72 may, for instance, be provided with a plurality of communications means 88. In the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 5, the system is further provided with an output unit 118. Via this output unit 118, information 116 can be shown to a user 120. This output unit 118 may, for instance, be a display. This information 116 may, for instance, be the number of charging stations being occupied in the charger 106. The electronic circuit of the battery 2 may also be provided with an electronic safety circuit 112, 115 which at least serves to protect the cell during charging, wherein this safety circuit is provided with a temperature sensor 115 for measuring the temperature of the battery and/or the temperature of the cell of the battery, preferably during charging. The information about the measured temperature is then passed on to the charger 106 with the aid of the communication means 112. The communication means 112 may, for instance, be provided with an RFID chip which responds when it is placed in an electromagnetic interrogation field generated by a communication means 114 of the charger. The RFID then modulates the interrogation field with above-mentioned information. On the basis of this received information, the charger can then control the charging process. If, for instance, the temperature of the battery and/or the temperature of the cell of the battery becomes too high during charging, the charger can reduce the charging current supplied to the battery by the charger so that the temperature decreases again. Also, the RFID chip can modulate the interrogation field with the identification information (including information about the type of the battery) from the battery which is received by the charger as discussed hereinabove.

With reference to Fig. 7, hereinafter, a special embodiment of the battery of the first type 2 will be discussed. In Fig. 7, parts corresponding with Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 are designated by same reference numerals. The battery of the first type 2 is thus provided with a cell 8 and an electronic circuit 10. The electronic circuit 10 is provided with a voltage converter 42 and all this completely analogously to what was discussed hereinabove. The electronic circuit 10 is further provided with a microprocessor or microcontroller which can control the voltage converter 42. The battery is again provided with the housing 12 with standardized dimensions. In this example, cell 8 is again a rechargeable cell, in this example a lithium ion cell. This cell has the property that, by its nature, (in the predetermined conditions such as an ambient temperature), it supplies the DC voltage with a magnitude (in this example 3.8 Volt) which deviates from the standard for voltage of a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions. So, the normal voltage of a cell is 3.0 Volt. In this example, the standard for the DC voltage of the standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimension is about 1.5 Volt. The electronic circuit 10 is, on the one hand, conductively connected with the cell 8 hy the wires 14 and 16 and, on the other hand, electrically conductively connected with the connecting contacts 4, β.The first voltage converter 42 is arranged for converting the electrical voltage generated by the cell to a converted electrical DC voltage, wherein the converted electrical voltage is a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with the housing with the standardized dimensions when the cell supplies the nominal voltage (3.8 Volt). The converted DC voltage V-out is supplied to the electrical connecting contacts 4, 6. The first voltage converter 42 is arranged such that when a DC voltage V-in supplied by the cell 8 decreases within a predetermined first voltage interval Vl -V2, the converted voltage V-out over the connecting contacts 4, 6 also decreases. All this is brought about in that the microprocessor 202 measures the voltage V-in supplied by the cell 8 and then control the voltage V-out supplied by the voltage converter 200. In particular, it holds that, in this example, the first voltage converter is arranged such that when, in use, the voltage V-in of the cell decreases within the predetermined first voltage interval Vl -V2, the converted voltage V-out also decreases within a predetermined second voltage interval V3-V4. The first voltage converter is arranged such that a decrease of the voltage V-in of the cell, when the voltage of the cell is within the first predetermined voltage interval Vl -V2, results in a decrease of the converted voltage V-out. More in particular, it holds that the voltage converter is arranged such that a decrease of the voltage of the cell V-in, when the voltage of the cell is within the predetermined first voltage interval Vl -V2, results in a decrease of the converted voltage V-out while the converted voltage V-out is within the second predetermined voltage interval V3-V4. In Fig. 8, an example is shown. Here, the first voltage interval is designated by A. So, it holds that Vl - 3.0 Volt and V2 = 3.2 Volt. The second voltage interval is designated by B. So, here is holds that V3 = 0.8 Volt and V4 = 1.5 Volt. As long as the voltage V-in of the cell is between 3.2 and 3.8 Volt, the voltage converter will generate an output voltage V-out of V4 = 1.5 Volt. When, conversely, the voltage V-in of the cell 8 drops below the V2 = 3.2 Volt, the converted voltage V-out will decrease. This decrease continues until V-in = 3.0 Volt. In that case, V-out has decreased to V3 = 0.8 Volt. It also appears from Fig. 8 that the first voltage converter is arranged such that any voltage of the first voltage interval A is smaller than the known nominal voltage value (3.8 Volt) generated by the cell by its nature (in predetermined conditions of use such as room temperature), wherein the nominal voltage of the cell is the voltage supplied by the cell in predetermined conditions of use when it is completely charged. The converted voltage remains at least virtually constant when the voltage of the cell is between the nominal voltage (3.8 Volt) of the cell and the first voltage interval A. In other words, this means that the converted voltage remains at least virtually constant at 1.5 Volt when the voltage V-in supplied by the cell is between 3.2 and 3.8 Volt. It also appears from the drawing that the first voltage converter is arranged such that the converted voltage V-out becomes at least virtually equal to 0 when the voltage V-in of the cell becomes lower than any of the voltages within the first voltage interval A. In other words, the first voltage converter is arranged such that the converted voltage V-out becomes at least virtually equal to 0 when the voltage drops below Vl = 3.0.

In this example, it further holds that the first voltage converter thus suggests that there is a linear relation between the voltage of the cell V-in and the converted voltage V-out when the voltage of the cell is within the first predetermined voltage interval A. The advantage of the battery of Fig. 7 is that, in use, also when the voltage V-in of the cell 8 starts to decrease, a voltage of 1.5 Volt is supplied by the battery. However, when the voltage of the cell decreases to below a value of 3.2 Volt, then converted voltage V-out will also decrease. This has the advantage that an apparatus provided with a power indicator can indicate that the battery starts to run low on the basis of the decreasing converted voltage. If the converted voltage does not decrease despite the voltage of the cell 8 beginning to decrease, then the power indicator of an apparatus will not be able detect this. Then a situation can arise where, at any moment, the battery completely unexpectedly supplies no voltage anymore. This has the drawback that the user cannot replace the battery in time.

It further appears from Fig. 8 that, when the voltage V-in supplied by the cell decreases to below 3.0 Volt, the converted voltage becomes equal to 0. In that case, no energy can be drawn from the cell. This has the advantage that the cell can then be charged better and is not adversely affected when the cell will be discharged completely. When the voltage converter just supplied 1.5 Volt in the voltage interval A, where it thus holds that V-out = 0, when V-in is between 0 and 3.0 Volt, and V-out is 1.5 when V-in is between 3.0 and 3.8 Volt, indeed the advantage would be achieved that the cell 8 will not be discharged completely, but a user will not be able to verify that the battery needs to be charged immediately when the voltage V-in of the cell has decreased to a value just above 3.0 Volt. Of course, other developments are possible of the converted voltage as a function of the voltage of the cell, of which one possibility is shown in Fig. 8 in a dotted line.

In the example of Fig. 7, the battery is also provided with a power indicator 250 which can be observed from the outside of the battery. In this example, the power indicator is provided with 4 LEDs 252-258. The power indicator 250 is electrically conductively connected with the electronic circuit. The electronic circuit 10 is provided with a measuring circuit 260 for determining a measure for the amount of electrical energy present in the cell by measuring on the cell 8. The electronic circuit is arranged for controlling the power indicator 250 so that the power indicator indicates the measured measure. The electronic circuit 10 is further provided with a motion sensor 262 and is arranged such that, when the motion sensor 262 detects a predetermined movement, the measuring circuit 260 measures the above-mentioned measure. So, the motion sensor activates the measuring circuit when the motion sensor detects a predetermined movement. By means of measurements, the measuring circuit then determines the above- mentioned measure, which is then shown by the power indicator 250. The measured measure is shown by means of a number of LEDs emitting light. Thus, for instance, 4 LEDs can light up when the cell is at least virtually completely filled with energy, 3 LEDs can light up when the cell is filled with energy for 75%, 2 LEDs can light up when the cell is filled for 50%, 1 LED can light up when the cell is still filled for 25% and no LED can light up when the cell is almost empty. In the example hereinabove, the energy content of the cell may, for instance, be measured by measuring the magnitude of the voltage V-in. When the voltage of V-in decreases to below 3.0 Volt, no LED will light up. When the voltage of V-in is between 3.0 and 3.2 Volt, 1 LED will light up, when the voltage of V-in is between 3.2 and 3.4 Volt, 2 LEDs will light up, when the voltage of V-in is between 3.4 and 3.6 Volt, 3 LEDs will light up and when the voltage of V-in is between 3.6 and 3.8 Volt, 4 LEDs will light up. Of course, it is also conceivable that the power indicator is, for instance, provided with only 1 LED, which can emit different colors of light, wherein the measured measure is shown in the LED by means of the selected color of the light that is emitted. Thus, for instance, green may mean that the cell is still completely filled, red that the cell is empty, and orange that the cell is filled for 50%. It is also conceivable that the measured measure is shown by a LED by means of the number of times the LED flashes, wherein the number of times of flashing represents the measured measure. The measuring unit 260 is arranged such that it can control the power indicator in accordance with what is described hereinabove. In this example, the motion sensor is arranged such that the above- mentioned measure is measured and is made known by means of the power indicator when the battery is shaken a number of times. The electronic circuit with the motion sensor may be arranged such that the above- mentioned measure is only measured and made known by means of the power indicator when the battery is shaken a number of times with at least an acceleration of 2 G. This shaking then for instance needs to be done in the longitudinal direction of the battery. It is also conceivable that the electronic circuit with the motion sensor is arranged such that the above - mentioned measures are only measured and made known by means of the power indicator when the battery is shaken at least for a minimum period of time, for instance 10 seconds or at least a predetermined number of times, for instance 4 times. Such variants are each understood to be within the framework of the invention. The motion sensor may, for instance, be provided with an acceleration sensor. Other known acceleration sensors are, for instance, LIS331AL, LIS302ALK, ADXL320, MMA6270Q, MXC6262 and the like. These are 2 or 3-axis G force sensors. Instead of LEDs, the power indicator may also be provided with a loudspeaker for generating a signal representing the above - mentioned measure. For instance, a number of beeps may be generated, the number representing the measure. Such variants are each understood to be within the framework of the invention. The information obtained with the aid of the temperature sensor 113 may, for instance, also be passed on to the microcontroller 202. The microcontroller 202 may, for instance, (also) control the second voltage converter 44. If, for instance, the measured temperature of the battery and/or the measured temperature of the cell of the battery becomes too high, the microcontroller 202 can control the second voltage converter such that the charging voltage running through the battery is reduced so that the temperature decreases. In that case, the battery controls the charging current instead of or in addition to the control of the charging current by the charger. Such a control may also be used where the microcontroller does not control the first voltage converter 42 as discussed hereinabove.

The above-mentioned embodiments are each understood to fall within the framework of the invention. It will be clear that the invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments.

Claims

1. A battery provided with a housing, connecting contacts, and a cell arranged for generating an electrical voltage, wherein the cell is provided inside the housing and wherein the connecting contacts are accessible from an outside of the housing for making electrically conductive connections with the connecting contacts, characterized in that the battery is further provided with an electronic circuit provided inside the housing, which is provided with a first voltage converter for converting the electrical voltage generated by the cell to a changed electrical voltage supplied to the connecting contacts.

2. A battery according to claim 1, characterized in that the battery is provided with a housing with standardized dimensions, wherein the cell is a rechargeable cell, such as a lithium ion cell, with the property that, by its nature, it supplies a voltage with a magnitude which deviates from a standard for a voltage of a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, wherein the electronic circuit is, on the one hand, electrically conductively connected with the cell and is, on the other hand, electrically conductively connected with the connecting contacts, wherein the first voltage converter is arranged for converting the electrical voltage generated by the cell to a converted electrical voltage, wherein the converted electrical voltage is a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with the housing with the standardized dimensions when the cell supplies the voltage by its nature, which converted voltage is supplied to the electrical connecting contacts.

3. A battery according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the electronic circuit is arranged such that when, in use, the voltage of the cell decreases within a predetermined first voltage interval, the converted voltage likewise decreases.

5

4. A battery according to claim 3, characterized in that the electronic circuit is arranged such that when, in use, the voltage of the cell decreases within the predetermined first voltage interval, the converted voltage likewise decreases within a predetermined second voltage interval. 0

5. A battery according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the electronic circuit is arranged such that a decrease of the voltage of the cell when the voltage of the cell is within the first predetermined voltage interval results in a decrease of the converted voltage. 5

6. A battery according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the electronic circuit is arranged such that a decrease of the voltage of the cell when the voltage of the cell is within the first predetermined voltage interval results in a decrease of the converted voltage while the converted0 voltage is within the second predetermined voltage interval.

7. A battery according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that the electronic circuit is arranged such that there is a linear relation between the voltage of the cell and the converted voltage when the voltage of the cell is 5 within the first predetermined voltage interval.

8. A battery according to any one of the. preceding claims 3-7, characterized in that the electronic circuit is arranged such that any voltage of the first voltage interval is lower than the nominal voltage value o generated by the cell by its nature, wherein the nominal value of the cell is a voltage supplied by the cell in predetermined conditions of use when it is completely charged, and that the converted voltage remains at least virtually constant when the voltage of the cell is between the nominal voltage of the cell and the first voltage interval.

9. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims 8, characterized in that the electronic circuit is arranged such that the converted voltage becomes at least virtually zero when the voltage of the cell becomes lower than any of the voltages within the first voltage interval.

10. A battery according to any one of claims 3-9, characterized in that the cell is a lithium ion battery, the nominal value of the cell is about 3.7 V, the standard voltage of the standard battery is about 1.5 V and the first voltage interval is about from 3.2-3.0 V.

11. A battery according to any one of claims 4 or 6, characterized in that the cell is a lithium ion battery, the nominal value of the cell is about 3.7 V, the standard voltage of the standard battery is about 1.5 V and the first voltage interval is about from 3.2-3.0 V and the second voltage interval is about 1.5-0.8 V.

12. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the battery is further provided with a power indicator which can be observed from an outside of the battery and which is electrically conductively connected with the electronic circuit, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with a measuring circuit for determining a measure of the amount of electrical energy present in the cell by measuring on the cell, wherein the electronic circuit is arranged for controlling the power indicator so that the power indicator indicates said measure, wherein the electronic circuit is further provided with a motion sensor and is arranged such that, when the motion sensor detects a predetermined movement, the measuring circuit measures the said measure which is then indicated by the power indicator.

13. A battery according to claim 12, characterized in that the power indicator is provided with at least one LED.

14. A battery according to claim 13, characterized in that the measured measure is shown by the LED by means of a number of times the LED flashes, wherein the number of times of flashing represents the measured measure.

15. A battery according to claim 13, characterized in that the power indicator is provided with an LED which can emit different colors of light, wherein the measured measure is shown by the LED by means of the color of the light that is emitted,

16. A battery according to claim 13, characterized in that the power indicator is provided with a plurality of LEDs, wherein the measured measure is shown by means of the number of LEDs emitting light.

17. A battery according to any one of claims 12-15, characterized in that the electronic circuit with the motion sensor is arranged such that said measure is measured and made known by means of the power indicator when the battery is shaken a number of times.

18. A battery according to claim 17, characterized in that the electronic circuit with the motion sensor is arranged such that said measure is only measured and made known by means of the power indicator when the battery is shaken a number of times with at least an acceleration of 2 G.

19. A battery according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the electronic circuit with the motion sensor is arranged such that said measure is only measured and made known by means of the power indicator when the battery is shaken at least for a minimum period of time and/or at least a predetermined number of times.

20. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic circuit is further provided with a second voltage converter which is arranged to receive an electrical voltage supplied to the battery over the connecting contacts and to convert an electrical voltage supplied to the battery over the connecting contacts to an electrical voltage suitable for charging the cell.

21. A battery according to claim 20, wherein the second voltage converter converts a supplied electrical voltage to a voltage which is higher than the supplied voltage.

22. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims 20 or 21, characterized in that the second voltage converter is arranged to receive a charging voltage supplied to the connecting contacts of the battery which is suitable for charging the standard battery with the standardized dimensions and to convert it to the electrical voltage which is suitable for charging the cell.

23. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the battery has dimensions and supplies a voltage to the connecting contacts according to the IEC 60086-1 standard, the BS397 standard, the ANSI

C 18.1 standard, or a standard which can be considered a successor of one or more of above standards.

24. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the battery has dimensions and supplies a voltage to the connecting contacts according to the A, AA, AAA, AAAA, D, C, N or 9V type.

25. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first voltage converter converts a supplied electrical voltage to a voltage which is lower than the supplied voltage.

26. A battery according to claim 2, wherein the cell is a rechargeable cell, such as a cell of the lithium ion type.

27. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cell generates a voltage which is higher than 1.6 Volt.

28. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cell is a cell of the lithium ion type, or lithium polymer type, or of a different composition.

29. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with a microcontroller, which at least serves to control the charging.

30. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with an electronic safety circuit, which at least serves to protect the cell during charging.

31. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with an electronic filter which is in contact with the connecting contacts and which is arranged to filter a supplied undesired electrical voltage over the connecting contacts and to prevent the undesired electrical voltage from being passed on to the other part of the electronic circuit and/or that the electronic circuit is provided with a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the battery and/or the temperature of the cell of the battery, preferably during charging.

32. Abattery according to at least claim 1 or 26 of the claims 1-31, wherein the electronic circuit is arranged for communication via, for instance, RF or 1-wire technology with a charger, which charger is arranged to charge the battery.

33. A battery according to claim 32, wherein the battery is provided with memory means and is arranged to receive first information from the charger and to store it in the memory means, wherein the first information is information which, for instance, relates to the charging process and/or the number of times that the battery has already been charged before.

34. A battery according to claim 32 or 33 and optionally 31, wherein the battery is arranged to send second information to the charger, which second information is, for instance, information about the battery, such as information about how the charger is to control the charging process, the fact that the battery is a battery of a particular type and/or information about the type of cell of the battery and/or information about a desired charging process of the battery and/or information about the number of times that the battery has already been charged before and/or information about a measured temperature of the battery and/or the measured temperature of the cell of the battery with the temperature sensor of the battery according to claim 31.

35. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims 32-34, wherein the battery is arranged to receive first information, which first information comes from the charger, relates to the charging process and is intended to store data about the charging of the battery.

36. A battery according to any one of claims 32-35, wherein the battery is arranged to send second information to the charger, which second information relates to the battery and is intended to control the charging process, wherein the second information may, for instance, receive information about information obtained with the temperature sensor of the battery according to claim 31 about the temperature of the battery and/or the temperature of the cell of the battery, preferably during charging.

37. A battery according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing is substantially cylindrical.

38. A charger provided with a charging station, wherein the charging station is arranged for charging at least one battery, wherein the charger is arranged to supply mutually different charging voltages as desired to the at least one battery via the charging station, characterized in that the charger is provided with a communication means for obtaining at least identification information from a battery, wherein, when the identification information from a battery is obtained, the charging station is arranged to supply a charging voltage depending on the obtained identification information to the identified battery and wherein, when the identification information from a battery is not obtained, the charging station is arranged to supply a predetermined charging voltage to the non-identified battery.

39. A charger according to claim 38, wherein the charger is arranged to supply the mutually different charging voltages simultaneously to respective mutually different charging stations.

40. A charger according to claim 38 or 39, wherein the charger is arranged for separately obtaining identification information for each battery of a plurality of batteries and for charging each battery of the plurality of batteries with a correct charging voltage depending on the respective identification information.

41. A charger according to any one of claims 38-40, wherein the charging station is arranged to receive two substantially equal batteries per pair.

42. A charger according to any one of the preceding claims 38-41, wherein the charger supplies a higher charging voltage to the identified battery than to the non-identified battery.

43. A charger according to any one of the preceding claims 38-42, wherein the charger is arranged for charging a battery according to at least claim 1 or 26 of claims 1-37.

44. A charger according to any one of the preceding claims 38-43, wherein the battery has dimensions according to the A, AA, AAA, AAAA, D, C, N or 9V type.

45. A charger according to any one of the preceding claims 38-44, wherein the communication means is arranged for communication with the battery via RF or 1-wire technology.

46. A charger according to claim 45, wherein the charger is arranged to send first information to the battery, which first information comes from the charger, relates to the charging process and is intended to store data about the charging of the battery.

47. A charger according to claim 45 or 46, wherein the charger is arranged to receive second information from the battery, which second information relates to the battery and is intended to control the charging process.

48. A charger according to any one of the preceding claims 38-47, wherein the charging station is provided with a temperature sensor, which serves to measure the temperature of the battery in the charging station during the charging process to control the charging process.

49. A charger according to any one of the preceding claims 38-48, wherein the charger is provided with an output unit to give third information about the battery to a user.

50. A charger according to claim 49, wherein the output unit comprises a display.

51. A charger according to claim 49 or 50, wherein the third information comprises the number of times that the battery has been charged, and/or comprises the number of times that the battery is still suitable to be charged, and/or comprises the occupancy of the charging station, and/or comprises a condition of the battery, such as a capacity of the battery.

52. A system provided with a battery according to at least claim 1 or 26 of claims 1-37, characterized in that the system is further provided with a charger for charging the battery.

53. A system according to claim 52, wherein the system is provided with a communication means for transmitting data between the electronic circuit of the battery and the charger, in order to at least control the charging process of the battery.

54. A system according to claim 53, wherein the communication means is wireless.

55. A system according to claim 53 or 54, wherein the communication means is arranged have the communication between the battery and the charger proceed with the aid of RF or 1-wire technology.

56. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 52-55, wherein the charger is arranged to send first information to the battery, which first information comes from the charger, relates to the charging process and is intended to store data about the charging of the battery.

57. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 52-56, wherein the charger is arranged to receive second information from the battery, which second information relates to the battery and is intended to control the charging process.

58. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 52-57, wherein the second information comprises the type of the cell in the battery.

59. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 52-58, wherein the charger is a charger according to any one of the preceding claims 38-51.

60. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 52-59, wherein 5 the charger is provided with a temperature sensor, which serves to measure the temperature of the battery in order to control the charging process of the battery.

61. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 52-60, wherein0 the charger is provided with an output unit to give third information about the battery to a user.

62. A system according to claim 61, wherein the output unit comprises a display. 5

63. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 61 or 62, wherein the third information comprises the number of times that the battery has been charged, and/or comprises the number of times that the battery is still suitable to be charged, and/or comprises the occupancy of the0 charging station, and/or comprises a condition of the battery, such as a capacity of the battery.

64. A system provided with at least one battery of a first type and a charger for charging the battery, wherein the at least one battery of the first5 type is provided with a housing with standardized dimensions, electrical connecting contacts, and a cell arranged for generating an electrical voltage, wherein the cell is provided inside the housing and is a rechargeable cell, such as a lithium ion cell, which, by its nature, supplies a voltage with a magnitude which deviates from a standard for a voltage of a standard o battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, wherein the electrical connecting contacts are accessible from an outside of the housing for making an electrically conductive connection for drawing energy from the battery of the first type, and wherein the battery of the first type is further provided with an electronic circuit provided inside the housing, which is, on the one hand, electrically conductively connected with the cell and is, on the other hand, electrically conductively connected with the connecting contacts, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with a first voltage converter for converting an electrical voltage generated by the cell to a converted electrical voltage, wherein the converted electrical voltage is a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for a voltage of the standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, which converted electrical voltage is supplied to the electrical connecting contacts, wherein the system is arranged such that the charger can also charge a battery of a second type, wherein the battery of the second type is a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions and a cell which supplies a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with the housing with the standardized dimensions to electrical connecting contacts of the battery of the second type.

65. A system according to claim 64, wherein the charger is provided with recognition means for recognizing batteries of the first type to be charged.

66. A system according to claim 65, wherein the charger is arranged to supply a standardized charging voltage for charging a battery of the second type when no battery of the first type is recognized by the recognition means of the charger and to supply a special charging voltage which corresponds with the cell of the at least one battery of the first type for charging the cell of the at least one battery of the first type when the recognition means recognize the at least one battery of the first type.

67. A system according to claim 65 or 66, characterized in that the at least one battery of the first type is arranged to send predetermined information about the type of battery, such as an identity of the first type of battery, to the charger and wherein the charger is arranged to receive this predetermined information and wherein, upon receiving this predetermined information, the charger supplies the special charging voltage associated with the at least one battery of the first type and, upon not receiving this predetermined information, supplies a charging voltage which is suitable for charging a battery of the second type.

68. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64 or 65, wherein the charger is arranged for supplying a charging voltage suitable for charging a battery of the second type and wherein the electronic circuit of the at least one battery of the first type is further provided with a second voltage converter which is arranged to receive the charging voltage supplied to the connecting contacts of the at least one battery of the first type, which is suitable for charging a battery of the second type, from the charger and to convert it to an electrical voltage which is suitable for charging the cell of the at least one battery of the first type.

69. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-68, wherein the standard dimensions and a voltage of the at least one battery of the first type correspond with the IEC 60086-1 standard, the BS397 standard, the ANSI C 18.1 standard, or a standard which can be considered a successor of one or more of above standards.

70. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-69, wherein the at least one battery of the first type has the standard dimensions and supplies a voltage according to the A, AA, AAA, AAAA, D, C, N or 9V type.

71. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-70, wherein the first voltage converter converts a supplied electrical voltage to a voltage which is lower than the supplied voltage.

72. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-71, wherein the cell of the first type of battery is a lithium cell.

73. A system according to claim 72, characterized in that the lithium cell is a rechargeable cell of the lithium ion type.

74. A system according to any one of claims 64-73, wherein the second voltage converter converts a supplied electrical voltage to a voltage which is higher than the supplied voltage.

75. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-74, wherein the cell of the first type of battery generates a voltage which is higher than 1.6 VoIt.

76, A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-75, wherein the cell of the first type of battery is a cell of the lithium ion type or lithium polymer type or a different composition.

77. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-76, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with a microcontroller, which at least serves to control the charging of the cell of the at least battery of the first type.

78. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-77, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with an electronic safety circuit, which at least serves to protect the cell of the at least one battery of the first type during charging.

79. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-78, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with an electronic filter which is in contact with the connecting contacts of the at least one battery of the first type and which is arranged to filter a supplied undesired electrical voltage over the connecting contacts and to prevent the undesired electrical voltage from being passed on to the other part of the electronic circuit and/or that the electronic circuit is provided with a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the battery and/or the temperature of the cell of the battery, preferably during charging.

80. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-79, wherein the electronic circuit and the charger are arranged for communication with each other, for instance by means of a singleplex or duplex connection.

81. A system according to claim 80, characterized in that the communication is via RF or 1-wire technology.

82. A system according to claim 80 or 81 and optionally 79, wherein the first type of battery is provided with memory means and is arranged to receive first information from the charger and to store it in the memory means, wherein the first information is information which, for instance, relates to the charging process and/or the number of times that the battery has already been charged before and/or information about a measured temperature of the battery and/or the measured temperature of the cell of the battery with the temperature sensor of the battery according to claim 79.

83. A system according to claim 80, 81 or 82, wherein the at least one battery of the first type is arranged to send second information to the charger, which second information is, for instance, information about the at least one battery of the first type, such as the fact that the battery is a battery of the first type and/or information about the type of cell of the at least one battery of the first type and/or information about a desired charging process of the at least one battery of the first type and/or information about the number of times that the at least one battery of the first type has already been charged before.

84. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-83, wherein the standard housing is substantially cylindrical.

85. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-84, wherein the charging station is provided with a temperature sensor, which serves to measure the temperature of a battery in the charging station during the charging process to control the charging process, wherein the second information may, for instance, receive information about information obtained with the temperature sensor of the battery according to claim 79 about the temperature of the battery and/or the temperature of the cell of the battery, preferably during charging.

86. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-85, wherein the charger is provided with an output unit to disclose third information about a battery which is charged by the charger to a user.

87. A system according to claim 86, wherein the output unit comprises a display.

88. A system according to claim 86 or 87, wherein the third information comprises the number of times that the battery has been charged, and/or comprises the number of times that the battery is still suitable to be charged, and/or comprises the occupancy of the charging station, and/or comprises a condition of the battery, such as a capacity of the battery.

89. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-88, wherein the system is provided with a communication means for transmitting data between the electronic circuit of the battery and the charger, in order to at least control the charging process of the battery.

90. A system according to claim 89, wherein the communication means is wireless.

91. A system according to claim 89 or 90, wherein the communication means is arranged have the communication between the battery and the charger proceed with the aid of RF or 1-wire technology.

92. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-91, wherein the charger is provided with at least one charging station, wherein the charging station is arranged for receiving the at least one battery of the first type and a battery of the second type for charging the at least one battery of the first type and a battery of the second type, respectively.

93. A system according to claims 67 and 92, characterized in that the system is arranged such that the battery of the first type supplies the information when the battery of the first type is received in the at least one charging station.

94. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 92 or 93, wherein the charger is provided with at least one charging station for receiving a battery to be charged with the charger, wherein the at least one charging station is provided with a temperature sensor, which serves to measure the temperature of the battery in the charging station during the charging process to control the charging process.

95. A system according to any one of claims 92-94, wherein the charger is provided with a plurality of charging stations for possibly simultaneously charging a plurality of batteries, respectively, wherein the charger is arranged to simultaneously supply the mutually different charging voltages in mutually different charging stations for charging mutually different types of batteries such as the at least one battery of the first type and a battery of the second type.

96. A system according to claim 95, wherein the charger is arranged for separately obtaining predetermined information from batteries which are in the charging stations, respectively, and is arranged to supply, on the basis of the received predetermined information, a charging voltage for each battery which is suitable for charging the respective battery.

97. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 92-96, wherein the at least one charging station is arranged to receive two substantially equal batteries per pair of batteries.

98. A system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-97, wherein the charger supplies a higher charging voltage to a battery from which the predetermined information is received than to a battery from which no information is received.

99. A battery of the first type of the system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-98.

100. A battery of the first type according to claim 99, wherein the battery of the first type is provided with a housing with standardized dimensions, at least one pair of electrical connecting contacts, and a cell arranged for generating an electrical voltage, wherein the cell is provided inside the housing and is a rechargeable cell, such as a lithium ion cell, which, by its nature, supplies a voltage with a magnitude which deviates from the standard for a voltage of a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, wherein the electrical connecting contacts are accessible from an outside of the housing for making an electrically conductive connection for drawing energy from the battery of the first type and wherein the battery of the first type is further provided with an electronic circuit provided inside the housing which is, on the one hand, electrically conductively connected with the cell and is, on the other hand, electrically conductively connected with the connecting contacts, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with a first voltage converter for converting an electrical voltage generated by the cell to a converted electrical voltage, wherein the converted electrical voltage is a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, wherein the converted electrical voltage is supplied to the electrical connecting contacts and wherein the electronic circuit of the battery of the first type is further provided with a second voltage converter which is arranged to convert a charging voltage supplied to the connecting contacts of the battery of the first type, which is suitable for charging a second type of battery, to an electrical voltage which is suitable for charging the cell of the battery of the first type, wherein the battery of the second type is a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions and a cell which supplies a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with the housing with the standardized dimensions to electrical connecting contacts of the battery of the second type.

101. A charger of the system according to any one of the preceding claims 64-98.

102. A charger according to claim 101, wherein the charger is arranged for charging at least one battery of a first type, wherein the battery of the first type is provided with a housing with standardized dimensions, at least one pair of electrical connecting contacts, and a cell arranged for generating an electrical DC voltage, wherein the cell is provided inside the housing and is a rechargeable cell, such as a lithium ion cell, which, by its nature, supplies a voltage which deviates from a standard for a voltage of a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, wherein the electrical connecting contacts are accessible from an outside of the housing for making an electrically conductive connection for drawing energy from the battery of the first type, and wherein the at least one battery of the first type is further provided with an electronic circuit provided inside the housing which is, on the one hand, electrically conductively connected with the cell and is, on the other hand, electrically conductively connected with the connecting contacts, wherein the electronic circuit is provided with a first voltage converter for converting the electrical voltage generated by the cell to a converted electrical voltage, wherein the converted electrical voltage is a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions, wherein the converted electrical voltage is supplied to the electrical connecting contacts, wherein the charger can also charge a battery of a second type, wherein the battery of the second type is a standard battery with a housing with the standardized dimensions and a cell which supplies a voltage with a magnitude according to the standard for the voltage of the standard battery with the housing with the standardized dimensions to electrical connecting contacts of the battery of the second type, wherein the charger is provided with recognition means for recognizing the batteries of the first type to be charged and wherein the charger is arranged to supply a standardized charging voltage for charging a battery of the second type when no battery of the first type is recognized by the recognition means and to supply a special charging voltage which corresponds with the cell of the at least one battery of the first type for charging the at least one battery of the first type when the recognition means recognize the at least one battery of the first type.

103. A charger according to claim 102, wherein the charger is arranged to supply a higher charging voltage to a battery with a standardized housing identified by the charger than to the non -identified battery with standard housing