Why do we need to consider future-oriented medical equipment energy solutions
Why do we need to consider future-oriented medical equipment energy solutions
We all know how portable consumer electronic devices have changed our daily life. This may be a cliche, but without the batteries that power them, these portable devices would not exist. Here, Neil Oliver, Technical Marketing Manager of Accutronics, explained how designers can build future-oriented medical equipment and its energy supply.
When told that battery technology is keeping up with the pace of technological development, many users will shake their heads disapprovingly, because at first glance, it does not seem to do so. However, I am sure that even Gordon Moore himself understands the technical challenges of providing such a large amount of chemical energy in a narrow space, while ensuring its safety, reliability, cost-effectiveness and reusability.
Today, everyone wants to be portable in their career, because we are all trying to improve flexibility and operability. An important area of the surge in battery-powered portable devices is the healthcare industry.
There are many reasons for using existing medical equipment and providing it with battery power, but the most common is to choose to carry it with you and use it at the time and place you need it. Battery-powered portable medical devices provide greater flexibility and freedom, whether for clinicians to work more effectively or for patients not to leave the hospital bed.
There are many other medical devices that need batteries, but not for portability. Patient transfer machines and emergency ventilators are typical examples of portable medical devices that require reliable batteries. For these applications, high voltage and discharge rate capability are the most important performance attributes. In this regard, medical equipment OEMs are abandoning the old nickel-based and lead-based chemicals because of their low energy density and great impact on the environment.
At present, the focus is shifting to the lithium ion (Li-Ion) chemical which is specially developed for high power consumption applications. Lithium ion cathode chemistry using nickel, cobalt and manganese mixtures provides an enviable combination of performance characteristics, such as capacity, power transmission and safety, making it an ideal choice for these demanding applications.
Life cycle of medical devices
In the past decade, the pace of technological change in consumer electronic devices is indeed astonishing. However, the rate of change is a double-edged sword. The product life cycle of mobile phones may be 12 to 18 months, while the service life of medical devices often exceeds 10 years.
Although it is only a part of the whole medical equipment, the impact of component obsolescence, especially the impact of battery supply, cannot be ignored. Until the beginning of this century, battery manufacturers manufactured batteries according to the defined international mechanical standards, and equipment manufacturers designed their equipment around batteries.
This change occurred after the technological invention of lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries and the trend of vertically integrating batteries into equipment manufacturing. This transformation has led to the development of customized batteries, which in turn provides medical equipment manufacturers with the option of producing ideal equipment for customers according to their specifications. However, the relentless pursuit of smaller devices means that millions of batteries produced last year are likely to become obsolete and unavailable next year.
For medical equipment OEMs, this raises a real question: how to use the latest battery technology and still be able to support the device for a long time in the next 10-15 years. The answer is to work closely with battery developers who monitor battery and device trends, and to be truly impartial in providing customers with battery selection recommendations.
Lithium-ion battery technology enables medical device OEMs to free their devices from the main power supply and provide clinicians and patients with the flexibility and freedom they experience when using consumer devices.
If we focus on the future development of battery technology at the beginning, it is possible to design a battery platform that can be continuously upgraded within the product life cycle of the device, even if it may not conform to Moore's Law.
We all know how portable consumer electronic devices have changed our daily life. This may be a cliche, but without the batteries that power them, these portable devices would not exist. Here, Neil Oliver, Technical Marketing Manager of Accutronics, explained how designers can build future-oriented medical equipment and its energy supply.
When told that battery technology is keeping up with the pace of technological development, many users will shake their heads disapprovingly, because at first glance, it does not seem to do so. However, I am sure that even Gordon Moore himself understands the technical challenges of providing such a large amount of chemical energy in a narrow space, while ensuring its safety, reliability, cost-effectiveness and reusability.
Today, everyone wants to be portable in their career, because we are all trying to improve flexibility and operability. An important area of the surge in battery-powered portable devices is the healthcare industry.
There are many reasons for using existing medical equipment and providing it with battery power, but the most common is to choose to carry it with you and use it at the time and place you need it. Battery-powered portable medical devices provide greater flexibility and freedom, whether for clinicians to work more effectively or for patients not to leave the hospital bed.
There are many other medical devices that need batteries, but not for portability. Patient transfer machines and emergency ventilators are typical examples of portable medical devices that require reliable batteries. For these applications, high voltage and discharge rate capability are the most important performance attributes. In this regard, medical equipment OEMs are abandoning the old nickel-based and lead-based chemicals because of their low energy density and great impact on the environment.
At present, the focus is shifting to the lithium ion (Li-Ion) chemical which is specially developed for high power consumption applications. Lithium ion cathode chemistry using nickel, cobalt and manganese mixtures provides an enviable combination of performance characteristics, such as capacity, power transmission and safety, making it an ideal choice for these demanding applications.
Life cycle of medical devices
In the past decade, the pace of technological change in consumer electronic devices is indeed astonishing. However, the rate of change is a double-edged sword. The product life cycle of mobile phones may be 12 to 18 months, while the service life of medical devices often exceeds 10 years.
Although it is only a part of the whole medical equipment, the impact of component obsolescence, especially the impact of battery supply, cannot be ignored. Until the beginning of this century, battery manufacturers manufactured batteries according to the defined international mechanical standards, and equipment manufacturers designed their equipment around batteries.
This change occurred after the technological invention of lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries and the trend of vertically integrating batteries into equipment manufacturing. This transformation has led to the development of customized batteries, which in turn provides medical equipment manufacturers with the option of producing ideal equipment for customers according to their specifications. However, the relentless pursuit of smaller devices means that millions of batteries produced last year are likely to become obsolete and unavailable next year.
For medical equipment OEMs, this raises a real question: how to use the latest battery technology and still be able to support the device for a long time in the next 10-15 years. The answer is to work closely with battery developers who monitor battery and device trends, and to be truly impartial in providing customers with battery selection recommendations.
Lithium-ion battery technology enables medical device OEMs to free their devices from the main power supply and provide clinicians and patients with the flexibility and freedom they experience when using consumer devices.
If we focus on the future development of battery technology at the beginning, it is possible to design a battery platform that can be continuously upgraded within the product life cycle of the device, even if it may not conform to Moore's Law.