U.S. Philips Corporation

Robert E Einerhand

Johann R Van Beek

Gerardus J Lippits

Adriaan Netten

Petrus H Notten

Maarten Barmentlo

Paul A Ackermans

Jan Peter Elkhuizen

Jean N Patillon

Gerrit Bijker

Johannes L Daams

A battery-powered electrical device comprising a switchable voltage drain (3,5) and a rechargeable battery (1), and further comprising means for measuring the voltage V across the terminals of the battery (1) as a function of cumulative discharge time t, and for determining the cumulative discharge time t.sub.p corresponding to the attainment of the local extremum of least magnitude in the derivative dV/dt. In a particular embodiment, the device contains means for interrupting the voltage drain (3,5) upon expiry of a cumulative discharge time t.sub.e =nt.sub.p, whereby n is a fixed, pre-selected real number. In addition, it is possible to calculate and display the remaining discharge time t.sub.rem =m.sub.o t.sub.o -t, where m.sub.o is a fixed, pre-selected real number. The values of n and m.sub.o will generally be chosen to lie in the range 1.2-6.

Battery-powered electrical device with improved calculation of discharge

The recharging time for reheating the soleplate of an iron can considerably be reduced by accumulating energy from an energy supply, e.g. the mains, in a stand for the iron and by transferring this energy to the iron when the iron is attached to the stand. The iron is reheated very quickly, e.g. by exchanging cooled down liquid from the iron with hot liquid accumulated in the stand every time the iron is put back in the stand.

Iron and accumulated energy transferring stand

A rechargeable electrochemical cell having a negative electrode, whose electrochemically active material comprises an intermetallic compound having the CaCu.sub.5 -structure which forms a hydride with hydrogen, obtains a high loadability and a long life cycle by virtue of the fact that the intermetallic compound comprises a non-stoichiometric metastable phase. The intermetallic compound is, preferably, of the type having the composition AB.sub.m, where m exceeds 5.4.

Electrochemical cell comprising a hydride-forming intermetallic compound

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Robert E Einerhand