PISCATAWAY, N.J., USA, 7 November 2006 The IEEE will revise its
laptop battery standard, IEEE 1625(TM), “IEEE Standard for Rechargeable Batteries
for Portable Computing”, which was approved in 2004. This update targets
an improvement in the overall performance of laptop battery systems and seeks
to address recent calls to make these systems more reliable and robust.
The
revised standard, a part of the IEEE Livium(TM) family of battery standards, will
be created within the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA) Corporate Program.
The project is expected to be completed within 18 months.
IEEE 1625 guides
the industry in planning and implementing controls for battery design and manufacture.
It also defines approaches for evaluating and qualifying such batteries, verifying
their quality and reliability, and educating and communicating with end users.
“In
revising IEEE 1625 to further safeguard the reliability of these batteries,”
says Edward Rashba, Manager, New Technical Programs at the IEEE-SA, “we will
leverage the streamlined corporate standards process and incorporate lessons learned
in developing the IEEE 1725(TM) standard for cellular telephone batteries. We
have an opportunity to further strengthen the Livium portfolio, which already
incorporates hundreds of man-hours of technical work and represents consensus
views on best practices from leading industry experts.”
The IEEE 1625
working group is considering updates to the existing IEEE 1625 laptop battery
specification that will help establish compliance to the standard.
“We
believe that the IEEE-SA and its 1625 Working Group, working with IEEE-ISTO (IEEE
Industry Standards and Technology Organization) and other organizations, should
evaluate compliance,” says Chuck Adams of IBM who chairs the Corporate Advisory
Group at IEEE-SA. One potential partner is the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association (CTIA), which recently created a compliance program for cell phone
batteries based on IEEE 1725.
IEEE 1625 adopts a systems approach by addressing
the battery envelope from cells to the mobile computers they power, both alone
and in concert. It encompasses such areas as battery pack electrical and mechanical
construction, cell chemistries, packaging, pack and cell controls, and overall
system considerations.
“The 1625 update will be a global effort,”
says Rashba. “The leading laptop OEMs and battery manufacturers such as Apple,
Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Lenovo, Panasonic, Sanyo, and Sony
have indicated strong interest to participate.” The group will meet bi-monthly
in the U.S. and Asia to complete the work. The first working group meeting is
scheduled for 15 and 16 November at the Intel Corporation Santa Clara 12 Campus
in Santa Clara, California. Those interested in attending should email t.steenweg@ieee.org
or call +1 732 562-3836 by 10 November to register. A follow-on meeting is planned
for 16 to 18 January 2007 in Japan.
Completed standards in the IEEE Livium
family include the original IEEE 1625™ mobile computer battery standard and
the IEEE 1725™ the mobile cell phone battery standard. Another Livium standard,
IEEE P1825™, has been initiated for mobile batteries in digital cameras and
camcorders.
IEEE Livium standards are developed within the IEEE Corporate
Standards Program which involves company-based working groups in which each organization
has one vote. This industry-oriented program is focused on rapid standards development
and has an average standard completion time of 16 months. IEEE 1625 and the other
IEEE Livium™ standards are sponsored by the Stationary Batteries Committee
of the IEEE Power Engineering Society, with support from the IEEE-SA Corporate
Advisory Group.
About the IEEE Standards Association The
IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body, develops
consensus standards through an open process that brings diverse parts of an industry
together. These standards set specifications and procedures based on current scientific
consensus. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of more than 870 completed standards and
more than 400 standards in development. For information on IEEE-SA see: http://standards.ieee.org/.
About the IEEE The IEEE has more than 375,000 members in approximately
150 countries. Through its members, the organization is a leading authority on
areas ranging from aerospace, computers and telecommunications to biomedicine,
electric power and consumer electronics. The IEEE produces nearly 30 percent of
the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering, computing
and control technology fields. This nonprofit organization also sponsors or cosponsors
more than 300 technical conferences each year. Additional information about the
IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org.
