The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with Lenovo today announced a voluntary recall of the nine-cell extended batteries for laptops sold between November 2005 and February 2007 with ThinkPad R series, T series and Z series, because of accidents caused by battery overheating.
“If the battery in the laptop is struck forcefully on the corner, such as from a direct fall to the ground, the battery pack can overheat and pose a fire hazard to users,” CPSC says.
A portable power solutions provider Boston-Power today announced its next-generation Sonata lithium-ion batteries for laptops, enhancing “both performance and safety”.
Sonata’s proprietary safety features include slower chemical kinetics, novel current interrupt devices, new thermal fuses, unique pressure relief vents and safer pack configuration.
Samsung has demonstrated a docking station incorporating a 1,200-watt-hour fuel cell for laptop computers. When powered by presented fuel cell, Samsung Sense Q35 notebook can work without recharging up to one month, assuming it runs for eight hours a day five days a week.
Fuel cells use state-of-the-art energy-generating technology that sparks a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen won through the electrolyzation of water to produce electricity, according to the reports.
Samsung also developed a smaller fuel cell, which can operate a laptop for 15 hours with around 100 cc of fuel, “less than the size of a paper cup”.
The company’s reporesentatives say Samsung will spearhead efforts to introduce fuel cells into the market by the end of next year, when all safety standards are established.
Besides the advantage of much longer battery life, fuel cells are claimed to have other advantages, such as very short recharging time by simply adding more fuel.
http://www.sec.co.kr/
Researchers from the University of Tokyo are developing inductive power transfer methods that will allow charging of mobile devices wirelessly. Although similar systems are already close to commercial roll-out, such as UK-based SplashPower, the Japanese technology would seem to promise very thin and flexible charging mats that could be integrated into everyday materials. For example, it could be possible to produce mouse pad that charges battery of laptop and cell phone just by putting mobile device on that pad or near it, the reports say.
However, Japanese researchers say the gadgets would need to be equipped with a coil and special power-harvesting circuitry to use the power pad. As the notebook or the cell phone gets closer to the pad, the electrical resistance of the pad’s coils decreases. The array of transistors detects the exact position of the change in resistance and directs the power flow, which is provided by devices on the second sheet of plastic.
The benefit of sensing the position of the object and selectively feeding power to that area in increased efficiency, explained Dr Takao Someya from University of Tokyo. “Net power-coupling efficiency is 62.3 per cent. Power levels as high as 29.3W have been transferred in this fashion.”
BBC earlier reported, according to the researchers, that the wireless battery charging concepts exploit century-old physics (invented by Nikola Tesla) and “could work over distances of many meters”.
BBC: How Wireless Power Could Work
1) Power from mains to antenna, which is made of copper
2) Antenna resonates at a frequency of 6.4MHz, emitting electromagnetic waves
3) ‘Tails’ of energy from antenna ‘tunnel’ up to 5m (16.4ft)
4) Electricity picked up by laptop’s antenna, which must also be resonating at 6.4MHz. Energy used to re-charge device
5) Energy not transferred to laptop re-absorbed by source antenna. People/other objects not affected as not resonating at 6.4MHz
Matsushita Electric Industrial, best known for its Panasonic brand, today announced the establishment of a mass-production system for a lithium-ion battery that incorporates the heat resistance layer (HRL) technology. The HRL has enabled Matsushita to increase energy density and mass-produce safer lithium-ion batteries, the Matsushita’s press release says.
The company began shipping the industry’s first 2.9 Ah high capacity batteries in April this year and is now ready to mass-produce those products made for use with devices such as laptops, mobile phones and digital cameras.
“Matsushita has succeeded in improving the safety by forming a heat resistance layer consisting of an insulating metal oxide on the surface of the electrodes. Lithium-ion batteries contain a thin polyolefin separator to insulate the cathode from the anode. When a separator is pierced by an electrically conductive material such as a metal particle, a short-circuit develops, causing the battery to overheat and, in the worst case, catch fire. The HRL used in the Panasonic battery, however, has better insulating and heat-resistant characteristics than polyolefin. Even if a short-circuit occurs, it will cease without causing the battery to overheat,” according to Matsushita.
Laptop makers will “likely” soon choose to incorporate lithium polymer batteries over the current commonly used lithium ion batteries, Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow said during a meeting with reporters Wednesday.
Notebook battery manufacturers have pushed the energy density (or capacity) of lithium ion batteries, with lithium packed into cells. When an internal short occurs, it can set off a chain reaction and start a fire. This was a cause of massive notebook-use lithium ion batteries recalls recently. On the other side, lithium in lithium polymer batteries is contained in a polymer gel.
The massive laptop battery recalls, caused by Sony’s faulty Li-Ion cell units, haven’t put most business buyers and consumers off from buying laptop. But the recalls may push some buyers to switch brands, according to a new IDC’s study.
Some 85% of respondents said the widespread battery recalls won’t affect their future notebook purchasing decisions, according to a survey. But, 15% of both buyers said it will change their buying plans.
Among six tested notebooks which were not affected by massive Sony laptop battery recall, Panasonic Toughbook CF-51 is the best choice for all around value in a notebook computer, and one that runs a lot cooler than most, delivering incredible battery life. But for those users who prefer a cool-running notebook with a more powerful processor and a widescreen display, the Jetbook 9700P delivers the best value, says CRN Test Center.
Along with Panasonic Toughbook CF-51 and Jetta International’s Jetbook 9700P, the tested notebooks were HP Compaq nw8440, Velocity NoteMagix L80, Asus F3Jv and Twinhead Durabook D13RI. Those notebooks were evaluated everything from battery and air vent temperatures, AC power draw and battery life to performance and price. Test Center engineers then set out to determine which of them runs the coolest and draws the least amount of power, the reports says.
Six Notebooks That Don’t Burn – Panasonic, Jetta, Velocity, HP Compaq, Asus, Twinhead – CRN
The USA based Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation, a subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, reported that on October 24, in Japan, a battery pack in a Fujitsu mobile computer (a Japanese market model equivalent to the Fujitsu LifeBook model P7120 notebook PC sold in the United States) overheated and damaged the computer. Japan’s Fujitsu Ltd. said on Friday its laptop with a Sony-made battery overheated and sparked earlier this week in Japan, causing minor burns to the hand of a user, the Reuters reports.
“The cause is under investigation, but because the Sony battery within the LifeBook P7120 notebook PC is subject to the previously announced U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Sony Battery Recall program, customers with LifeBook P7120 notebook PCs and all other LifeBook models included in this recall are advised to continue using their Fujitsu notebook PC safely only after turning the system off, ejecting the battery, and using the AC adapter and power cord originally supplied with the LifeBook to power the system until their replacement battery is received”, Fujitsu Computer Systems published.
According to the press release, Fujitsu Computer Systems in cooperation with Sony and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, has voluntarily recalled approximately 40,000 Fujitsu-branded lithium-ion batteries with cells manufactured by Sony.
Fujitsu sold or provided the recalled laptop batteries from June 2005 through October 2006. The batteries were sold with the following Fujitsu notebook PCs: C1320D, P1510/P1510D, P7120/P7120D, Q2010, S7020/S7020D, and the T4210. Additional recalled batteries were sold as accessories for use in the aforementioned models, with the following part numbers shown on the battery: CP229720-01, CP229725-01, CP234003-01, CP234019-01, CP255100-01, CP255108-01, CP267910-01, CP267915-01, CP283030-01 and CP293420-01.
Sony today announced the recall of the additional 250,000 Vaio laptop batteries worldwide, after the company recalled 90,000 Vaio battery units in the Asia Pacific.
In the United States, the affected Sony Vaio batteries were sold from December 2004 through October 2006. In the Vaio FE series, the recalled batteries were sold with Vaio VGN-FE550G and VGN-FE570G notebooks. In T series, Sony recalled battery units sold with VGN-T240P, VGN-T250, VGN-T250P, VGN-T260P, VGN-T270P, VGN-T340P, VGN-T350, VGN-T350P, VGN-T360P, VGN-T370P laptops. It is possible that some of the affected batteries were sold separately.
A voluntary recall of 340,000 laptop batteries made by Sony was officially announced in the United States today. The latest-recalled lithium ion batteries containing Sony cells were used in Fujitsu’s, Gateway’s, Sony’s, and Toshiba’s notebook computers. These lithium ion batteries can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) published.
According to the CPSC’s press release, consumers should stop using the recalled batteries immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Gateway announced today a voluntary recall of approximately 35,000 notebook-use lithium ion batteries containing battery cells manufactured by Sony.
“Under very rare circumstances, these batteries can overheat and create a potential fire hazard. While Gateway has not identified any failures of this type in Gateway systems using the recalled batteries, the company is cooperating with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Sony to act in the interest of customer safety”, Gateway published.
Sony Japan has announced the Vaio laptop battery recall. The recalled batteries are sold in laptops or on their own in the Asia Pacific region. Sony today asked anyone who owns a VGP-BPS2B or VGP-BPS3A battery pack to return the unit to the company. There is no info about Vaio battery replacement program in the United States, but it is reported that other Sony subsidiaries have yet to announce recalls of their own.
Sony Japan said it expects to replace around 90,000 batteries in the Asia Pacific. The recall only applies to certain battery-pack serial numbers.
Japanese newspaper the Nihon Keizai Shimbun today put the total at 300,000 Vaio batteries to be recalled worldwide.
Fujitsu announced today a worldwide recall of an additional 51,000 Sony-made laptop batteries, after it recalled 287,000 battery units last week.
It is reported that recalled batteries are used in three Fujitsu’s Japanese notebook models and nine models sold outside Japan.
A worldwide recall of about 8 million laptop batteries using lithium-ion cells made by Sony creates a battery shortage that’s driving up prices and causes delays in shipments, Bloomberg.com reports according to executives from Taiwanese manufacturers.
The notebook battery shortage may last until next June and customers are waiting an extra two months for shipments, said managers at manufacturers which make battery packs from cells supplied by companies such as Sony, Sanyo and others.
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