IoT is one of the hottest technological applications at present, and numerous IoT devices must adopt batteries to provide electric power (like sensors). Since the size is usually not big and traditional cylindrical dry batteries are not suitable, micro batteries have become the first choice. This text will introduce the categories of micro batteries for you and the characteristics of various micro batteries for your reference.
Providing various battery characteristics to satisfy diversified demands
Micro batteries have various categories, called button batteries or coin batteries due to their appearance. The size and thickness are also different. Divided by manufacturing ingredients, common button batteries include lithium batteries, alkaline batteries, and silver oxide batteries, etc. This text will take the micro battery launched by Murata as an example to analyze the characteristics of these micro batteries.
Coin manganese dioxide lithium batteries are a kind of small primary battery applied in various applications, such as used for smart entry systems or TPMS (tire pressure monitoring systems) for automobile, IoT devices, and backup power source for memory. With the characteristics of being light weight, high voltage, and high-energy density, it has a battery voltage of 3V, which is almost twice that of normal alkaline or manganese batteries. It indicates that the quantity of batteries required by the device can be halved and it can save space and reduce weight to the utmost. Having excellent discharge characteristics, it can keep voltage characteristic stable even under the conditions of long period of discharge, which greatly improves the reliability of devices using batteries and endows them with maintenance-free characteristics (rarely needs to change batteries).
Coin manganese dioxide lithium batteries also have excellent temperature characteristics. The original organic electrolyte from Murata can provide superb characteristics in various temperature ranges from low to high with excellent leakage protection characteristics. Newly developed battery structures and electrolytes have the maximum leakage resistance over a very long time.
Silver oxide cells from Murata are a kind of small primary battery with high power capacity and stable discharge characteristics, which are suitable for quartz watches, medical devices, and precise instruments. They have a high-energy density, which is achieved by Murata’s original high precision material mixing technique. Using an antioxidant and high-performance separator is also helpful to improve storage characteristics. This kind of battery has excellent stable discharge characteristics and can provide constant voltage output during the process of discharge, which can be applied in electric watches, medical devices, IoT devices, and precise instruments.
Murata’s alkaline manganese batteries are a kind of small primary battery with high performance, which is suitable for various applications like toys, medical devices, and health appliances. Due to the usage of manganese dioxide as the cathode material, it has excellent cost performance. It can provide stable voltage output during the process of high-drain pulse discharging, which can be applied in medical devices, electric thermometers, crime prevention buzzer, and toys.
In addition to micro batteries with standard specifications, Murata also produces Extended Temperature, Heat-resistant, and High drain batteries. Standard/High drain batteries can operate in the temperature between -30°C to +70°C, while Extended Temperature batteries can operate between -40°C to +85°C, and Heat resistance batteries can operate between -40°C to +125°C.
Standard products have 11 models from small size, thin models to high-capacity models. Extended Temperature batteries can support an ordinary IC operation temperature range up to 85°C and can be stored for 100 days or longer below 85°C. Excellent storage characteristics can maximally reduce the voltage drop compared to standard voltages. It maintains a high voltage compared to Standard batteries and reduces costs compared to Heat-resistant batteries, which achieves excellent cost performance and is mainly used in automobile devices and outdoor IoT systems (including smart electric meters and factory automatic control systems). With a high capacity, the CR3677X Extended Temperature battery is helpful to achieve miniaturization and thinning of electronic devices and can be treated as a solution to replace traditional lithium cylindrical batteries with smaller and thinner batteries.
Heat resistance batteries are suitable for devices used in severe operating temperature environments, including automobiles and factory automation, etc.
High drain batteries are suitable for devices using a low power wide area (LPWA) network (like LoRa and SIGFOX), outdoor infrastructure, automatic factory control system, and environmental monitoring sensor. The maximum pulse discharge current (50mA) is about twice that of the standard ones, which can be used in LPWA communication devices like “LoRa” with a high peak current that cannot be applied before. With triple the discharge time, it can also effectively reduce the replacement frequency of batteries. High drain lithium button batteries are also the best choice for logistics and asset management tracking equipment.
All types of Murata micro batteries are very environment-friendly (0% mercury) because elaborately selected active materials are adopted as the electrolytes. Innovative technology from Murata is used to seal these materials in order to maximally reduce the self-discharge of batteries. In the conditions of indoor temperature and normal humidity, the annual self discharge rate of CR batteries is smaller than 1% of the rated capacity. With excellent long-term reliability, it has passed UL certification and accords with RoHS standards without any mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), or lead (Pb).