초록 ▼

A self-warming battery for use in tactical electronics systems, having a housing containing one or more commercially available alkaline manganese dioxide battery cells, a temperature sensor disposed adjacent to the battery cells for monitoring the temperature thereof, load resistors disposed adjacen

A self-warming battery for use in tactical electronics systems, having a housing containing one or more commercially available alkaline manganese dioxide battery cells, a temperature sensor disposed adjacent to the battery cells for monitoring the temperature thereof, load resistors disposed adjacent to the battery cells for cell warming, and a battery self-warming circuit disposed in the housing. The battery self-warming circuit is coupled to the battery cells and the temperature sensor, and selectively causes current flow through the battery cells in an initializing mode when the temperature sensor detects that the battery cells are below a predetermined temperature. The battery self-warming circuit also selectively operates one or more resistors disposed adjacent to the battery cells, the resistors being powered by and warming the battery cells, in a warming mode, to a setpoint temperature at which the battery cell's power delivery capability is substantially increased over the battery cell's power delivery capability when the battery cells are near the predetermined temperature; whereby the initializing mode and the warming mode enable the battery to be used in substantially less than an hour, and in extremely cold ambient environments in which alkaline manganese dioxide cells would not otherwise be capable of performing at required current and/or power delivery rates.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A self-warming battery comprising:at least one battery cell for storing electrical energy; andbattery self-warming circuit means coupled to said at least one battery cell for selectively causing current flow through said at least one battery cell in an initialization mode

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A self-warming battery comprising:at least one battery cell for storing electrical energy; andbattery self-warming circuit means coupled to said at least one battery cell for selectively causing current flow through said at least one battery cell in an initialization mode when said at least one cell is below a predetermined temperature;wherein said current flow through said at least one battery cell during said initializing mode, stimulates further current flow in said at least one battery cell, said circuit means is activated only when an external demand for current is made on said battery.