The invention is related to an apparatus comprising a switch configured to variably connect a device circuit of an electronic device to a battery, a cutout control circuit connected to the switch and comprising a supply power input and a cutout activation input, wherein the cutout control circuit is configured to turn the switch on when a supply voltage is connected to the supply power input. The invention is further related to a drug delivery device for delivering at least one drug agent comprising an apparatus of the aforementioned kind, a charging connector for a drug deliver device of the aforementioned kind, and a method for manufacturing a drug delivery device of the aforementioned kind.

Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and apparatus for a battery. The apparatus may provide a fuel gauge circuit that operates in conjunction with a charger to perform a pre-charging operation of the battery in the event the battery has experienced an over-discharge. The pre-charging operation is defined by a period of time selected according to a measured state of charge and/or an internal resistance of the battery.

A battery system includes a battery pack including a plurality of cells, and an ECU. The ECU calculates a current distribution in each cell using a ladder circuit network model, the ladder circuit network model being obtained by geometrically modeling an interior of the cell using a plurality of resistance elements and a plurality of power storage elements. The ECU calculates the current distribution in the cell by applying, to the ladder circuit network model, a resistance distribution in the cell calculated based on a salt concentration distribution in the cell.

A power tool includes: a rechargeable battery; a motor; a drive circuit; an operation unit; a battery state detection circuit; a control circuit; and an interruption circuit. The battery state detection circuit detects a battery voltage, and when the detected battery voltage is lower than or equal to a prescribed voltage, the battery state detection circuit outputs a low-voltage signal. The control means outputs a control signal to the drive circuit instructing to drive the motor when the operation unit is operated and halts the output of the control signal to the drive circuit instructing to halt driving the motor in response to the low-voltage signal. The interruption circuit outputs an interruption signal to the drive circuit in response to the low-voltage signal to thereby interrupt the drive circuit and halt driving the motor irrespective of whether or not the control signal is outputted to the drive circuit.

Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and apparatus for a battery system. The apparatus may provide a fuel gauge circuit that operates in conjunction with a protection circuit to control discharging and/or current leakage at exposed terminals of the apparatus.

A battery diagnosis apparatus includes a voltage sensor to generate a voltage signal indicating a battery voltage of a battery, a current sensor to generate a current signal indicating a battery current of the battery and a control circuit. The control circuit determines a capacity curve indicating a relationship between the battery voltage and a charge capacity in a set voltage range based on the voltage signal and the current signal collected at each unit time for a constant current charging period. The control circuit determines a differential curve indicating a relationship between the battery voltage and a differential capacity in the set voltage range based on the capacity curve. The control circuit determines an approximate straight line of the differential curve using a linear approximation algorithm, and determines whether lithium deposition is present in the battery based on the approximate straight line.

A lithium-ion battery and a method for pre-lithiating a silicon-containing anode for use therein. The method includes providing a lithium-ion battery including a cathode having a lithium transition metal oxide, an anode, a separator, and an organic electrolyte. Where the end voltage during a battery charging cycle procedure U1 is between 4.35 V and 4.80 V. During subsequent battery charging cycles, the end voltage during discharging of the battery U2 does not drop below 3.01 V and where during subsequent battery charging cycles, the end voltage during charging of the lithium-ion battery U3 is lower than the end voltage during charging of the lithium-ion battery U1. The lithium-ion battery is charged by the cc/cv method and the end voltage during subsequent discharging of the lithium-ion battery U4 is lower than the end voltage during discharging of the lithium-ion battery U2 and does not drop below 3.01 V.

A battery management system includes a sensing unit to generate a sensing signal indicating a battery voltage and a battery current of a battery, a memory unit to store a charge map recording first to n.sup.th reference currents, first to n.sup.th reference voltage ranges, first to n.sup.th reference states of charge (SOCs) and first to n.sup.th reference voltage curves for multi-stage constant-current charging, and a control unit to command constant-current charging to a charging circuit using a k.sup.th reference current corresponding to a k.sup.th reference voltage range to which the battery voltage belongs, and update the charge map by comparing a k.sup.th measured voltage curve indicating a correlation between the battery voltage and the SOC of the battery over a charging period of the constant-current charging with a k.sup.th reference voltage curve in response to the battery voltage having reached an upper limit of the k.sup.th reference voltage range.

A method is provided for activating a secondary battery having a negative electrode, a positive electrode, and a microporous separator between the negative and positive electrodes permeated with carrier-ion containing electrolyte, the negative electrode having anodically active silicon or an alloy thereof. The method includes transferring carrier ions from the positive electrode to the negative electrode to at least partially charge the secondary battery, and transferring carrier ions from an auxiliary electrode to the positive electrode, to provide the secondary battery with a positive electrode end of discharge voltage V.sub.pos,eod and a negative electrode end of discharge so voltage V.sub.neg,eod when the cell is at a predefined V.sub.cell,eod value, the value of V.sub.pos,eod corresponding to a voltage at which the state of charge of the positive electrode is at least 95% of its coulombic capacity and V.sub.neg,eod is at least 0.4 V (vs Li) but less than 0.9 V (vs Li).

An electrochemical cell management system comprising an electrochemical cell and at least one controller configured to control the cell such that, for at least a portion of a charge cycle, the cell is charged at a charging rate or current that is lower than a discharging rate or current of at least a portion of a previous discharge cycle. An electrochemical cell management method. An electrochemical cell management system comprising an electrochemical cell and at least one controller configured to induce a discharge of the cell before and/or after a charging step of the cell. An electrochemical cell management method. A electrochemical cell management system comprising an electrochemical cell and at least one controller configured to: monitor at least one characteristic of the cell and, based on the at least one characteristic of the cell, induce a discharge and/or control a charging rate or current of the cell.