The IEEE will revise its laptop battery standard, IEEE 1625, “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 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, we will leverage the streamlined corporate standards process and incorporate lessons learned in developing the IEEE 1725 standard for cellular telephone batteries,” says Edward Rashba, manager, new technical programs at the IEEE-SA. “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 and enable marking for consumer recognition,” 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
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 (SA), 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/.
In addition, the IEEE-SA and IEEE-ISTO are partnering on post-development activities in support of approved IEEE standards, including conformance and compliance programs.
About IEEE-ISTO
The IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization was established in 1999 to offer the standards industry flexible operational forum support for development and post-development technology development initiatives. It provides comprehensive management, legal and operational support for creating industry standards, as well as activities that support the implementation and acceptance of standards in the marketplace. It is an independent 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization affiliated with the IEEE and the IEEE-SA. The IEEE-ISTO website is www.ieee-isto.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.
