Battery with electronic compartment

• US 7,388,350 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Wright, David G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Bao Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIGGUSH, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US10/839,822
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/107, 320/108, 320/110, 320/115, 320/114, 429/96, 429/98
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An electronic containment battery includes a battery section and an electronic section that together form a standard battery form factor that allows insertion into conventional electronic devices. The electronic section can include Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry that enables electronic operations in the electronic containment battery to be communicated or controlled wirelessly.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a housing having a shape corresponding to a first battery form factor and an opening for a battery section;

the battery section located inside the opening and detachably coupled to the housing, the battery section containing a power source; and

an electronic section integrally formed with the housing and containing electronic circuitry that draws power from the detachably coupled battery section, wherein the electronic circuitry is operable to;

detect current drain from the power source by an Infra Red (IR) device, and responsive to detecting the current drain, generate a voltage signal that that is proportional to the detected current drain;

mix the generated voltage signal with a frequency signal to generate a Radio Frequency (RF) signal; and

transmit the RF signal to a base station for controlling a remote device.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the electronic circuitry comprises RF circuitry.

3. The device according to claim 2 including sensing circuitry coupled to the RF circuitry for wirelessly transmitting charge status information for the battery.

4. The device according to claim 1 including an annunciation device located in the electronic section, the annunciation device to generate an annunciation signal responsive to receiving a wireless signal.

5. The device according to claim 1 including switching circuitry in the electronic section configured to disconnect the battery in response to a wireless signal received by the electronic circuitry.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the device has a AA, AAA, D, C or watch battery form factor.

7. The device according to claim 1 wherein the battery section is shaped according to a second battery form factor that is smaller than the first battery form factor.

8. The device according to claim 7 wherein the first battery form factor is a AA or D battery form factor and the second battery form factor is a AAA or C battery form factor.

9. A device, comprising:

a battery section containing a power source;

an electronic section containing electronic circuitry, the battery section and the electronic section forming a battery form factor;

wherein the power source comprises a battery and the electronic circuitry includes Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry, and

wherein the device is insertable into a battery compartment of an Infra-Red (IR) remote control device, and wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to;

identify a command that is sent using an IR signal by monitoring current drain on the battery, to generate a voltage signal that is proportional to the monitored current drain;

mix the generated voltage signal with a frequency signal to generate a Radio Frequency (RF) signal representing the identified command; and

transmit the generated RF signal to a base station for controlling a remote device.

10. The device according to claim 9 where the battery section of the device has a smaller form factor than the battery form factor.

11. A battery-shaped device insertable into a host device, comprising:

means for housing a battery for powering the battery-shaped device and at least partially powering the host device;

means for monitoring a current drain on the battery, the current drain attributable to operation of the host device, and generating a voltage signal that is proportional to the monitored current drain;

means for mixing the generated voltage signal with a frequency signal to generate a Radio Frequency (RF) signal that corresponds with Infra-Red (IR) signaling generated by the host device; and

means for transmitting the generated RF signal to a base station for controlling a remote device.

12. The battery-shaped device according to claim 11 wherein the battery is located in a first section and the means for monitoring and means for mixing are located in a second section, the first and second sections forming opposite halves of the battery-shaped device.

13. The battery-shaped device according to claim 12 wherein the first section contains a rechargeable battery material.

14. The battery-shaped device according to claim 12 wherein the first section is a replaceable or rechargeable Direct Current (DC) battery that is detachably coupled to the housing.

15. The battery-shaped device according to claim 11 wherein the battery is a AA, AAA, D, C or watch battery form factor battery.

16. The battery-shaped device according to claim 12 wherein the first section and the second section are both electrically coupled on opposite ends to a positive battery terminal and a negative battery terminal located on the battery-shaped device.

17. A method, comprising:

inserting a containment device with a battery section and an electronic section that together conform to a shape of a standard battery form factor into a battery slot of a battery powered device;

positioning a battery into the battery section of the containment device for powering the electronic section and at least partially powering the battery powered device;

monitoring a current drain on the battery, the monitored current drain attributable to the battery powered device communicating an Infra Red (IR) signal, and generating a voltage signal that is proportional to the monitored current drain;

generating a Radio Frequency (RF) signal corresponding to the IR signal by mixing the generated voltage signal with a reference frequency signal; and

transmitting the generated RF signal to a base station for controlling a remote device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising programming an annunciator in the base station to a threshold value that is used for computing a distance between the base station and the containment device.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising calculating a distance between the base station and the containment device by bouncing a received wireless signal to the base station.