All medical credit card batteries accepted

Over the past decade, developments in rechargeable lithium ion battery technology have permitted consumer electronic devices to become smaller and lighter whilst running for longer. This same technology has allowed medical devices to become portable, allowing both equipment and patients to roam freely around hospitals.  But did you know that a convergence of consumer and medical devices, utilising wireless sensors are poised to reinvent how we view both of these groups of devices. 

Convergence of medicine and electronics 

The reason engineers don’t make good surgeons is their tendency to shut things down when they go wrong - something you can’t do with the human body! Portable medical devices are already used extensively by some of us at home, including blood pressure monitors or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machines to relieve muscular aches and pains. Chances are you’re more likely to be in the ‘senior’ age range if you are buying such machines, but they save a trip to the doctor or hospital.

Portable medical devices cover the application spectrum from wearable wireless products and chronic disease monitors to pulse oximeters. According to IMS Research, current wearable devices are concentrated around a few products mainly in the healthcare and medical, and fitness and wellness application areas.

In these areas, there is a greater use-case for wearable technology, to transmit data such as vital signs, and track user performance. In the case of pulse oximetry, this is a non-invasive method of allowing the monitoring of the saturation of a patient's haemoglobin. A sensor is placed on a thin part of the patient's body, usually a fingertip or earlobe, or in the case of an infant, across a foot.

The right battery 
Batteries used in such applications, have to be light and small, with enough capacity to do the job required and come with the right certification for a safety conscious world. They must be able to accurately report their state of charge and be furnished with internal protection devices. Lithium ion batteries are correctly aligned to this requirement which is why Accutronics developed the CC2300 and CC3800 credit card batteries.

Both models have a footprint identical to that of a credit card and they are available in two thicknesses, are approved to IEC and UL standards and can have their case colour, fuel gauge firmware, labelling and packaging customised to suit particular customer requirements.

So next time your doctor mentions ‘terminal malfunction’, don’t panic! He may just be referring to his computer. And when you ask medical staff to shut a window, make sure they don’t think you mean clicking on the ‘x’ at the top right of the computer screen. This is what happens when the worlds of medicine and electronics converge!

Image courtesy of stockimages, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Happy birthday Alessandro Volta

Alessandro Volta

Today marks the birthday of Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist who is commonly credited as the inventor of the electric battery. He was born on February 18 in 1745 in Como, Northern Italy.

The date is also known as National Battery Day, which is close to our hearts here at Accutronics. The first battery designed by Volta and credited as the first electrochemical cell, consisted of two electrodes: one made of zinc, the other of copper. The electrolyte is either sulphuric acid mixed with water or a form of saltwater brine.

The zinc electrode, which is at a higher potential than both copper and hydrogen in the electrochemical series, reacts with the negatively charged sulphate. The positively charged hydrogen ions (protons) capture electrons from the copper, forming bubbles of hydrogen gas. This makes the zinc rod the negative electrode and the copper rod the positive electrode.

Naturally, it’s horrifically dangerous, as it’s rammed full of sulphuric acid and the charge dissipates much too fast for practical, modern use, because the hydrogen gas isn't released.

A landmark year
Given that’s its National Battery Day; we thought we would take a moment to look back on our own achievements since this time twelve months ago.

The year began with a bang last March, when Accutronics won the British Business Award for small business of the year from The Sentinel newspaper. We picked up the trophy at a glittering ceremony in Stoke. Perhaps the most pleasing thing is that organic growth this year means we are now too large to be eligible for the same award in 2013.

Next was our most significant product launch of the year. The Accutronics CC2300 and CC3800 credit card batteries allow device designers to integrate a smart Lithium ion battery into new handheld portable products with minimal effort and cost. Each model has been designed to provide a high level of functionality and safety, reducing time to market while eliminating tooling and qualification costs.

In September we launched the Intelligent Power Vault; a multi-battery power source that incorporates the latest Lithium-ion smart battery technology, intelligent charging circuitry and efficient, regulated power control. It’s a high energy, rechargeable battery system that is easily designed into professional transportable and power backup devices across medical and industrial markets.

Autumn brought with it the heavily contested Lombard Award for Innovation in Products and Processes at the Manufacturing Excellence Awards. It was presented by Michael Portillo, the former Conservative Party politician and Cabinet Minister. The important thing here isn’t the trophy though, it’s the fact that we have proven that our production process are efficient, allowing us to provide the best service and the best price to our customers.

Finally, the twelve month period marked by Volta’s birthday also ended on a high note, when we were shortlisted for The Sentinel newspaper’s international trade award.

Volta may have invented the battery in Italy, but we are certainly doing our best to design, develop and manufacture high-performance batteries efficiently here in the UK and couple the process with outstanding levels of customer service. And, as the international trade award short-list demonstrates, we want to share these innovations with the rest of the world!

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