Battery with electronic compartment

• US 8,093,864 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monterey Research, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Wright, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIGGUSH, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US12/118,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20080206627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/108, 320/114, 429/96, 429/98
• US Class Current: 320/134
• 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 battery form factor;

a battery section 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;

measure current drain from the power source by an Infra Red (IR) device, and responsive to measuring the current drain, generate a voltage signal having an amplitude that varies proportionally in response to the measured current drain;

generate a Radio Frequency (RF) signal in response to the generated voltage; and

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

2. An apparatus for inserting into a battery compartment of a host device comprising:

a battery module to provide current to the host device through terminals in the battery compartment of the host device; and

an electronic module having an attachment region structured to detachably couple to the battery module, wherein the electronic module is configured to draw power from the detachably coupled battery module, measure a current drain from the battery module by the host device, and in response to measuring the current drain, generate a voltage signal having an amplitude that varies proportionally in response to the measured current drain;

wherein the battery module has a first shape that is smaller than a battery form factor, and the electronic module has a second shape that is substantially similar in shape to the first shape, the second shape corresponding to the first shape such that, when the modules are detachably coupled, a combined shape of the detachably coupled modules corresponds to the battery form factor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the combined shape is a cylindrical shape.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the first and second shapes are both non-cylinders.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the electronic module includes circuitry operable to:

generate a Radio Frequency (RF) signal in response to the generated voltage; and

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

6. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the electronic module includes circuitry operable to:

detect inputs triggering Infra Red (IR) transmissions from the host device;

generate a Radio Frequency (RF) signal based on the detected inputs; and

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

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the electronic module comprises:

a first curved surface having a curvature corresponding to the battery form factor; and

a second non-curved surface having the attachment region.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

connector slots located on a surface of the battery module; and

mating connectors located in the attachment region of the electronic module.

9. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the form factor is a AAA battery form factor.

10. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the battery module is rechargeable.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a battery section; and

an electronic section connected to the battery section, the electronic section to draw power from the battery section;

wherein the connected sections have a combined shape that corresponds to a battery form factor;

wherein the electronic section is operable to;

monitor a current flowing from the battery section;

generate an output based on the monitored current, the output representing a status of, or activity in, the battery section or a host device;

measure a current drain from the battery section by the host device, and in response to measuring the current drain, generating a voltage signal having an amplitude that varies proportionally in response to the measured current drain.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the battery section and the electronic section are detachably coupled.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the electronic section is further operable to:

sense a charge of the battery section based on the monitored current; and

wirelessly transmit a communication to a base station, the communication based on the sensed charge of the battery section.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the electronic section is further operable to:

determine whether the sensed charge is below a threshold; and

wirelessly transmit the communication only if the sensed charge is below the threshold.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the electronic section is further operable to:

determine whether the host device is in an operational mode according to the monitored current; and

output the indication according to whether the host device is in an operational mode.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the electronic section is further operable to:

detect when the host device is activated according to the monitored current; and

output the indication only if the host device is activated.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the current drain is caused by an Infra Red (IR) transmitter of the host device, and wherein the electronic section is further operable to:

generate a Radio Frequency (RF) signal based on the generated voltage signal; and

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

19. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the electronic section is further operable to:

identify an input into the host device according to the monitored current; and

wirelessly transmit a communication to the base station, the communication identifying the input into the host device.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a battery section; and

an electronic section connected to the battery section, the electronic section to draw power from the battery section;

wherein the connected sections have a combined shape that corresponds to a battery form factor;

wherein the electronic section is operable to;

monitor a current flowing from the battery section;

generate an output based on the monitored current, the output representing a status of, or activity in, the battery section or a host device;

detect a current drain from the battery section by the host device, and in response to detecting the current drain, generating a voltage signal that is proportional to the detected current drain, and wherein the electronic section is further operable to;

detect when the apparatus is removed from a battery compartment of the host device according to the monitored current; and

output an indication according to whether the apparatus is removed from the battery compartment.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a battery section; and

an electronic section connected to the battery section, the electronic section to draw power from the battery section;

wherein the connected sections have a combined shape that corresponds to a battery form factor;

wherein the electronic section is operable to;

monitor a current flowing from the battery section;

generate an output based on the monitored current, the output representing a status of, or activity in, the battery section or a host device;

detect a current drain from the battery section by the host device, and in response to detecting the current drain, generating a voltage signal that is proportional to the detected current drain wherein the current drain is caused by an Infra Red (IR) transmitter of the host device, and wherein the electronic section is further operable to;

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.