If the smart battery is a safety issue, then the smart battery fit should be different (by industry standard) than a dumb battery replacement, so that the consumer is unable to accidentally or even intentionally replace the battery incorrectly.
From: "Haynes, Tim (SELEX) (UK Capability Green)" <[email protected]> List-Post: [email protected] Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 09:20:32 +0100 To: <[email protected]> Subject: Product Safety - "Smart Batteries" Dear PSTC'ers I have just read an article that describes the various safety elements of mobile phone batteries and I would like to hear views on one aspect. The aspect in question is the use of "smart batteries" that "talk" to the "smart charger" and the "smart phone" via a communications link (presumably superimposed upon the dc voltages) to ensure that the battery is safe and not over-charged. The article stresses that this is one of the reasons that an original maker replacement battery or charger must be used - and not a "cheap" copy that has no smart function. If I were a mobile phone manufacturer [ I am not] should I hold the view that people will be people - and that they are likely to think that a battery is a battery and a charger is a charger (as long as it fits and is the right voltage!) - so are likely to use the wrong device? Is this a case of foreseeable misuse - leaving the phone manufacturer with the liability if harm is caused? In fact - is the use of distributed (battery, phone, charger) electronics making the phone more dangerous rather than more safe? Should there be high visibility warnings on the battery and charger - or are warnings in the handbook saying "only use genuine ***** (insert maker) replacement parts" sufficient to reduce the liability? After all, we know that everybody reads the whole manual before using the product - don't we... :-) What view do you hold on this approach to safety? Thanks for your time. The replies should be interesting. Regards Tim Haynes Electromagnetic Engineering Specialist SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems 300 Capability Green Luton LU1 3PG ( Tel : +44 (0)1582 886239 7 Fax : +44 (0)1582 795863 ) Mob : +44 (0)7703 559 310 * E-mail : [email protected] P Please consider the environment before printing this email. SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems Limited Registered Office: Sigma House, Christopher Martin Road, Basildon, Essex SS14 3EL A company registered in England Wales. Company no. 02426132 ******************************************************************** This email and any attachments are confidential to the intended recipient and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose or distribute its contents to any other person. ******************************************************************** - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to [email protected] Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas [email protected] Mike Cantwell [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: [email protected] David Heald: [email protected] All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc ______________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email ______________________________________________________________________ - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to [email protected] Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas [email protected] Mike Cantwell [email protected] For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: [email protected] David Heald: [email protected] All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc
