Rechargeable Power

Electrochem offers custom rechargeable medical batteries based on all commercially available chemistries. As OEMs strive to differentiate in competitive markets, Electrochem has increasingly addressed our customers' needs with the highest performance Li-ion chemistry. Choosing the optimal cell can contribute to the success or failure of a product in the field and requires extensive knowledge of the performance profile of the cells under consideration. The first step in ensuring a proper battery choice is to fully describe the "real world usage profile" of the device. Then, a choice can be made among the leading cell chemistries listed below. Three cell chemistries that dominate are, Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), Li-ion and Li-polymer.

• NiMH batteries have an average energy density of 200 Wh/L, and deliver 500 duty cycles
• Li-ion battery characteristics include 1000 duty cycles per lifetime, higher load currents, and an average energy density of 500 Wh/L
• Li-polymer cells have similar specifications to Li-ion, but they feature a semi-rigid and thin form factor

Lithium Ion
Lithium Ion Polymer
Nickel Metal Hydride
Nickel Cadmium
Sealed Lead Acid

Safety Features

Electrochem offers medical OEM customers a high-performance solution with a customized, but most importantly, safe battery system that is resistant to dangerous malfunctions. Electrochem's customized battery pack technology and specialized manufacturing processes produce the safest and most reliable Li-ion solutions. The following features and processes accompany these designs:

• Safest, high quality Li-ion cells from tier one cell suppliers
• Testing incoming cells for electrical performance
• Thermal Protection Circuit (TPC) to prevent over-heating
• Protection circuit that prevents over-voltage, over-current, and under-voltage
• Support for the release of vented gasses
• Electrical tests include continuous charge, over-discharge, over-charge, and short-circuit tests
• Mechanical tests include shock, vibration, altitude, thermal exposure, and mould stress

For the most demanding medical requirements, Electrochem offers additional safety precautions such as:

• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) of the battery system design or manufacturing process
• Redundant protection circuit to ensure device operation
• Authentication of the battery pack to eliminate the use of after-market alternatives
• Cell balancing for packs with high number of cells in series
• Plastics with fire resistant additives

SMART Batteries

Electrochem's advanced SMART medical battery packs communicate status to the portable device via an integrated circuit in the battery pack. This information might include: type, model number, manufacturer, characteristics, discharge rate, predicted remaining capacity, almost-discharged alarm, temperature and voltage. Electrochem's partners provide the most advanced fuel gauging that calculates changes in impedance caused by battery age, temperature and cycle patterns to predict remaining run-time within 99% accuracy throughout the entire life of the battery. It maximizes system run-time by enabling use of the full chemical capacity available in the battery pack. Communication is delivered to the portable device via a communication bus (such as SMBus, I2C, or HDQ), and delivered to the user with LEDs.

Mechanical Options for Medical Batteries

Like its host device, medical battery packs are designed with mechanics that are adapted for the specific environment in which it will be used. Electrochem provides custom battery packs that are assembled in plastic shrink wrap and fully enclosed in the portable device. For user replaceable batteries, the best choice is a battery pack with a hard plastic enclosure. Electrochem provides enclosures that meet the needs of the most demanding environments while augmenting your product's aesthetics and industrial design. Typical plastic choices include PolyCarbonate (PC), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), PC/ABS blends, Nylon, or Acrylic. Plastic enclosures will be sealed with ultrasonic welding for ease of manufacture and cost savings, but Electrochem also offers the option of glue or screws for the most robust seals. The electrical connector is selected to be the most compatible with your device such as Molex, Tyco, Mill-Max pogo-pins or Samtec PCB headers. A custom battery pack offers the best physical integration with your portable device, in addition to the highest electrical performance.

Sterilization of Medical Battery Packs

Electrochem is proud to offer medical battery packs, specially designed for the surgical tool market that can withstand various sterilization techniques without disabling performance degradation. We can design battery packs to withstand the most common sterilization techniques including autoclave for rechargeable batteries and gamma sterilization for disposable batteries. These medical batteries allow a portable surgical tool manufacturer to offer the run time and power to complete major surgeries.

Live: Watch Electrochem in the ER
Portable Medical Capabilities Brochure: Available for download
Product Solutions: Learn more about our pack capabilities
Technical Datasheets: Available for download
MSDS Documents: Available for download
Battery Academy: Learn key industry facts