Abstract:
A power supply including: a reserve power source for providing power, the reserve power source including: a liquid reserve battery which requires activation to produce power; an activator having a liquid electrolyte for activating the liquid reserve battery upon a mechanical activation such that the liquid electrolyte is forced from the activator into the liquid reserve battery through a communication between the activator and the liquid reserve battery; a pair of terminals operatively connected to the liquid reserve battery for outputting the produced power; and a mechanical stop for preventing the activator from activating the liquid reserve battery, the stop being selectively removable when activation is desired. Where the activator includes a container having the liquid electrolyte contained therein and the activator further includes: a top and a bellow attached on one end to the top and to a portion of the liquid reserve battery at an other end.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/032,631 filed on Feb. 22, 2011, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates in general to very long lasting reserve power sources for powering devices, such as emergency medical devices and their means of activation and electrical storage and regulation, and more particularly to provide highly reliable reserve power sources for automated external defibrillators and the like. 
         [0004]    2. Prior Art 
         [0005]    An automated external defibrillator or AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the potentially life threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and ventricular fibrillation in a patient, and is able to treat them through defibrillation, the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm. AEDs are designed to be simple to use for the layman, and the use of AEDs is taught in many first aid, first responder and basic life support (BLS) level CPR classes. Uncorrected, these cardiac conditions (ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, asystole) rapidly lead to irreversible brain damage and death. After approximately three to five minutes, irreversible brain/tissue damage may begin to occur. 
         [0006]    An AED is external because the operator applies the electrode pads to the bare chest of the victim, as opposed to internal defibrillators, which have electrodes surgically implanted inside the body of a patient. Automatic refers to the unit&#39;s ability to autonomously analyze the patient condition, and to assist this, the vast majority of units have spoken prompts, and some may also have visual displays to instruct the user. 
         [0007]    The first commercially available AEDs were all of a monophasic type, which gave a high-energy shock, up to 360 to 400 Joules depending on the model. This caused increased cardiac injury and in some cases second and third-degree burns around the shock pad sites. Newer AEDs have tended to utilize biphasic algorithms which give two sequential lower- energy shocks of 120-200 joules, with each shock moving in an opposite polarity between the pads. This lower-energy waveform has proven more effective in clinical tests, as well as offering a reduced rate of complications and reduced recovery time. 
         [0008]    Most manufacturers recommend checking the AED before every period of duty or on a regular basis for fixed units. Some units need to be switched on in order to perform a self check; other models have a self check system built in with a visible indicator. 
         [0009]    Almost all portable AEDs, like those mounted on walls of offices, schools, airports, etc., are powered by regular primary or rechargeable batteries. The amount of charge available by such batteries and their performance, however, deteriorates over time. This is particularly a problem with AEDs provided for use in offices, schools and other public and private places, which may be used only once every several years. Such AEDs may very seldom be tested to ensure that their batteries can still be fully functional and the tests without the full load may not be reliable. 
         [0010]    For an emergency medical device such as an AED, it is therefore highly desirable to provide power sources that are very long lasting without any degradation of their performance—preferably over the practical life of the device—and that can very reliably and rapidly provide adequate enough of electrical energy to power such medical devices. 
         [0011]    In the disclosed embodiments of the medical devices such as AEDs, the power sources that are equipped with at least one reserve battery (such as the so-called liquid reserve or thermal battery with shelf life of up to 20 years or even longer) are utilized to ensure that the device can be powered reliably with the required amount of power in emergency situations. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    Accordingly, an automated external defibrillator is provided. The automated external defibrillator comprising: a reserve power source for providing power to defibrillate a patient, the reserve power source comprising: a reserve battery which requires activation to produce power; an activator for activating the reserve power upon one of an electrical or mechanical activation; a pair of terminals operatively connected to the reserve battery for outputting the produced power to electrode pads configured to supply the produced power to a surface of the patient; and a stop for preventing the activator from activating the reserve power source, the stop being selectively removable when activation is desired. 
         [0013]    The automated external defibrillator can further comprise conditioning circuitry for conditioning the produced power prior to output at the terminals. 
         [0014]    The reserve battery can be a liquid reserve battery. The liquid reserve battery can include an opening, and the activator can comprise a container having a liquid electrolyte contained therein and a member for releasing the liquid electrolyte into the opening upon activation of the member. The container can be disposed in a sealed cavity. The container can be sealed. 
         [0015]    The reserve battery can be a thermal battery. The thermal battery can include an opening, and the activator can comprise a flammable material and generates one or more of a spark or flames in the flammable material and providing one of the flames or sparks into the opening. The thermal battery can comprises an opening, and the activator can comprises at least a single part pyrotechnic material that provides one or more of a spark and flames into the opening upon initiation of the pyrotechnic material. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the apparatus of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic of the first embodiment of the power sources for an AED. 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic of a typical liquid reserve battery with a mechanical activation mechanism for use in power sources for the AED of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic of the cross-section of the view “A” of  FIG. 2 , showing an embodiment of the electrolyte storage and mechanical activation mechanism that is equipped with an accidental activation prevention mechanism. 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  illustrates a schematic of an accidental activation “pin” for the liquid reserve battery of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic of the cross-section of the view “A” of  FIG. 2 , showing another embodiment of the electrolyte storage and mechanical activation mechanism that is equipped with an accidental activation prevention mechanism. 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  illustrates a schematic of the electrolyte storage and activation mechanism portion of the liquid reserve battery of  FIG. 1  after rupture of the membrane to release the electrolyte into the battery cell for activation. 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  illustrates a schematic of a typical reserve thermal battery with an electrically initiated igniter for use in power sources for the AED of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  illustrates a schematic of the cross-section of the view “B” of  FIG. 7 , showing a preferred embodiment of the thermal battery activation device. 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  illustrates a schematic of a typical reserve thermal battery equipped with a piezoelectric igniter for initiating the thermal battery used in power sources for the AED of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 10  illustrates a schematic of the cross-section of the view “C” of  FIG. 9 , showing another embodiment of the thermal battery activation device. 
           [0027]      FIG. 11  illustrates a schematic of a reserve thermal battery equipped with an impact and pyrotechnic material based igniter for initiating the thermal battery used in the AED of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 12  illustrates a schematic of the cross-section of the view “D” of  FIG. 11 , showing another embodiment of the thermal battery activation device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0029]    A schematic of a first embodiment  10  of the power source for an AED is shown in  FIG. 1 . The power source  10  consists of at least one reserve battery  11 , such as a thermal battery, with an activation device  12 , such as a mechanical initiator (described later in the description) or electrical initiator and terminals  13  and  14 . The cables  15  and  16  with corresponding electrode pads  17  and  18 , respectively, are then used to transfer any resulting charge to the patient&#39;s chest. The terminals  13 ,  14 , cables  15 ,  16 , and electrode pads  17 ,  18  are shown schematically. The specific configuration thereof is well known in the art of AED devices, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,041,255 and 6,408,206, the contents of which are incorporated herein by their reference. 
         [0030]    In general, depending on the type, voltage level and the amount of electrical power that the reserve batteries  11  can provide, the power source  10  may require power regulation and capacitance storage elements (hereinafter referred to collectively as “conditioning”) to provide the proper voltage and current to the electrode pads  17 ,  18 . When the above is the case, the power can be routed from the terminals  13  and  14  via wires (not shown) to the regulation (and if needed capacitance storage) unit  19 . The cables  15  and  16  are then output from the regulation unit  19 . The conditioning of the electrical power from the reserve batteries is well known in the art. 
         [0031]    In the following, the reserve power sources that can be used in the power source  10  of  FIG. 1  and initiation methods and devices are described. 
         [0032]    Reserve batteries are widely used in military applications, particularly in munitions of various types. Reserve batteries are inactive and inert when manufactured and become active and begin to produce power only when they are activated. Reserve batteries are routinely designed for shelf life of  10 - 20  years and even longer. Reserve batteries are divided into the following two main types. 
         [0033]    A first type includes liquid reserve batteries, in which the electrolyte is stored in a separate compartment such as in a glass ampoule or behind a membrane, etc., and is released into the battery cell when the battery is desired to be activated. In general and for rapid activation, certain means have to be provided to help distribute the electrolyte within the battery cell. Liquid reserve batteries usually use certain mechanism to break the aforementioned glass ampoule or membrane, etc. to release the electrolyte to activate the reserve battery. In many munitions applications, the firing (setback) acceleration is used to break the aforementioned glass ampoule or membrane to release the stored electrolyte to activate the reserve battery. Wicks or spinning of the projectile is then usually used to distribute the electrolyte inside the battery cell. 
         [0034]    A second type of reserve batteries are thermal batteries. This class of reserve batteries operates at high temperature. Unlike liquid reserve batteries, in thermal batteries the electrolyte is already in the cells and therefore does not require a distribution mechanism. In thermal batteries, the electrolyte is dry, solid and non-conductive, thereby leaving the battery in a non-operational and inert condition. These batteries incorporate pyrotechnic heat sources to melt the electrolyte just prior to use in order to make them electrically conductive and thereby making the battery active. A common internal pyrotechnic is a blend of Fe and KClO 4 . Thermal batteries utilize a molten salt to serve as the electrolyte upon activation. The electrolytes can be mixtures of alkali-halide salts and can be used with Li(Si)/FeS 2  or Li(Si)/CoS 2  couples. Some thermal batteries also employ anodes of Li(Al) in place of the Li(Si) anodes. Insulation and internal heat sinks are used to maintain the electrolyte in its molten and conductive condition during the time of use. 
         [0035]    Reserve batteries, particularly thermal batteries have long been used in munitions and other similar applications to provide a relatively large amount of power during a relatively short period of time, mainly during the munitions flight. Thermal batteries have high power density and can provide a large amount of power as long as the electrolyte of the thermal battery stays molten, thereby conductive. The batteries are usually encased in a hermetically-sealed metal container that is usually cylindrical in shape. 
         [0036]    Thermal batteries generally use some type of igniter to provide a controlled pyrotechnic reaction to produce output gas, flame or hot particles to ignite the heating elements of the thermal battery. There are currently two distinct classes of igniters that are available for use in thermal batteries. The first class of igniter operates based on electrical energy. Such electrical igniters require electrical energy, such as a separate battery, mechanical to electrical conversion mechanism (such as a crank), or other power sources to operate the electrical igniter and initiate the thermal battery. The second class of igniters, commonly called “inertial igniters”, are widely used in gun-fired munitions and operate based on the firing acceleration. In these igniters, the firing (setback) acceleration is generally used to accelerate a “striker mass” to initiate the igniter pyrotechnic material upon impact, generally at provided pinching points. The inertial igniters do not require additional batteries or other power sources for their operation and are thereby often used in high-G munitions applications such as in gun-fired munitions and mortars. 
         [0037]    The aforementioned characteristics of liquid reserve and thermal batteries indicate that for most AED applications, thermal batteries can be used as a power source ( 11  in  FIG. 1 ). Although thermal batteries are used in the construction of the present power sources  10 , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that liquid reserve batteries can also be used. 
         [0038]    When being used in an AED device, the battery based power source is highly desirable to be capable of being easily activated without requiring external power sources or requiring the operation of a complex device. The activation device of the battery is also highly desirable to be equipped with safety “locks” such that the battery may not be accidentally activated. 
         [0039]    As previously mentioned, liquid reserve batteries are initiated by the release of the electrolyte into the battery cell. The electrolyte is usually stored in a glass ampoule or in a separate compartment and is provided with a membrane or the like in the battery assembly and released into the battery cell by breaking the glass ampoule or rupturing the said membrane. Many other designs of liquid reserve batteries assemblies for keeping the electrolyte out of the battery cell and releasing it into the battery cell are also known in the art. For the present application, the method of activating such liquid reserve thermal batteries is manually and via mechanical actuation. Numerous such mechanical devices of various types can be constructed depending on the liquid reserve battery design. The following are a few types of mechanical liquid reserve battery activation devices. 
         [0040]    Consider a basic liquid reserve battery shown by the schematic of  FIG. 2 . In the schematic of  FIG. 2 , the liquid reserve battery  20  (no terminals are shown for simplicity) is shown to consist of the battery cell  21  and the compartment  22  (which also includes the mechanical initiation mechanisms  23 ), in which the liquid electrolyte is stored. Noting that many different liquid electrolyte storage methods and means are possible—many of which are known in the art, and also noting that many different methods and means of releasing the stored electrolyte are possible—also many of which are known in the art, the embodiment that is presented in the schematic of  FIG. 2  and is described below is considered to be for illustration purposes only of the characteristics of such liquid reserve battery designs, and is considered to be capable of being constructed with any appropriate means of mechanical activation. 
         [0041]    In the schematic of  FIG. 2 , the liquid reserve battery  20 , including its cell portion  21  and its electrolyte compartment  22  is considered to be cylindrical in shape, but can take many shapes. The cross-section of the view “A” ( FIG. 2 ) of the aforementioned compartment  22  of the electrolyte storage and mechanical activation mechanism  23  is shown schematically in  FIG. 3 . The compartment  22  consists of a bellow  24  which is attached on one end to the top cap  25  of the cell portion  21  of the liquid reserve battery and to the top element  26  on the other end. The bellow  24  is preferably welded, soldered or brazed to the top cap  25  and the top element  26  (or attached using any other available method) such that it would form a sealed seam and render the liquid reserve battery  20  hermetically sealed. The liquid electrolyte  27  is considered to be stored in a sealed container  28 . A pin element  29  with a sharp tip  30  is fixed to the top element  26  as shown in  FIG. 3 . A safety pin  33  ( FIG. 4 ) with a handle  34  and a two-prong fork  32  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ) is generally positioned between the top cap  25  and the top element  26  to prevent accidental activation of the liquid reserve battery  20  as described below. 
         [0042]    To activate the liquid reserve battery  20 , the user would first pull out the safety pin  33 . As a result, the bellow  24  becomes free to displace downwards. The bellow  24  is preferably at or close to its free length with the safety pin  33  in place as shown in  FIG. 3  so that it would not suddenly displace downward upon removal of the safety pin  33 . To activate the liquid reserve battery, the user must then press down the element  23  (rigid button in this case), thereby causing the bellow  24  to compress, moving the pin element  29  down towards the electrolyte container  28 , and eventually pressing the sharp tip  30  of the pin element  29  to the surface of the electrolyte container  28  and causing it to break, if it is made as a glass ampoule, or rupture, if it is made as a relatively thin metal or the like membrane, in which case the pin element  29  is preferably made to be long enough to reach the opposite side of the electrolyte container  28  above the top cap  25  and also rupture the electrolyte container  28  over the hole  31  which is provided in the top cap  25  as shown in  FIG. 3 . As a result, the electrolyte liquid  27  is released and by the force of gravity would pour into the cell  21  cavity and activate the liquid reserve battery  20 . 
         [0043]    Alternatively, the compartment  22  ( FIG. 2 ) can be constructed as shown in the schematic of the cross-section view shown in  FIG. 5  (replacing the view “A” of  FIG. 2  shown in  FIG. 3 ). In this embodiment, the compartment  22  consists of the bellow  24  which is attached on one end to the top cap  25  of the cell portion  21  of the liquid reserve battery and to the top element  26  on the other end. The bellow  24  is preferably welded, soldered or brazed to the top cap  25  and the top element  26  (or attached using any other available method) such that it would form a sealed seam and render the liquid reserve battery  20  hermetically sealed. The hole  31  which is provided in the top cap  25  is covered by a membrane  35  to seal the hole  31 . The volume inside the bellow  24  is filled with the liquid electrolyte  36 , with the membrane  35  ensuring that the liquid electrolyte  36  would not leak into the interior of the cell  21  of the liquid reserve battery  20 . The pin element  29  with a sharp tip  30  is still fixed to the top element  26  as shown in  FIG. 5 . A safety pin  33  ( FIG. 4 ) with a handle  34  and a two-prong fork  32  ( FIGS. 4 and 5 ) is generally positioned between the top cap  25  and the top element  26  to prevent accidental activation of the liquid reserve battery  20  as described below. 
         [0044]    To activate the liquid reserve battery  20 , the user would first pull out the safety pin  33 . As a result, the bellow  24  becomes free to displace downwards. The bellow  24  is preferably at or close to its free length with the safety pin  33  in place as shown in  FIG. 5  so that it would not suddenly travel downward upon removal of the safety pin  33 . To activate the liquid reserve battery, the user must then press down the element  23  (rigid button in this case), thereby causing the bellow  24  to compress, moving the pin element  29  down towards the membrane  35 , and eventually pressing the sharp tip  30  of the pin element  29  and puncturing the membrane  35 . Once the user releases the bellow  24 , the electrolyte liquid  36  would freely flow into the cell  21  cavity by the force of gravity and/or the pressure exerted on the element  23 , and activates the liquid reserve battery  20 . 
         [0045]    It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that the element  23  is not necessary for the embodiments of  FIGS. 2-5 . The element  23  may, however, be constructed with a lever mechanism connecting the top element  26  to the body of the cell  21 , thereby providing for mechanical advantage to amplify the force applied by the user to drive the pin element  29  down to release the liquid electrolyte  27  and  36  of  FIGS. 3 and 5 , respectively. Many such lever type mechanisms are well known in the art and can be used in the embodiments of  FIGS. 2-5 . 
         [0046]    Alternatively, the bellow  24  may be preloaded in tension in the configuration shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5  with the safety pin  33  in place. The said tensile preloading may be provided by the flexibility of the bellow  24  or by additional helical springs (not shown) that are attached to the top cap  25  on one side and to the top element  26  on the other. The helical spring may be positioned either inside or outside the bellow  24 . 
         [0047]    For such embodiment, the user can activate the liquid reserve battery  20  by simply pulling the safety pin  33  out. The tensile preloading will then force the bellow  24  to displace downwards, moving the pin element  29  down towards the membrane  35 , and eventually pressing the sharp tip  30  of the pin element  29  against the membrane  35  and puncturing it. The stem  37  of the pin element  29  behind its sharp tip  30  is preferably provided with a narrow section so that after the sharp tip  30  has passed through the membrane  35  as shown in  FIG. 6 , the electrolyte liquid  36  can more freely flow into the cell  21  cavity by the force of gravity and/or by the aforementioned tensile preloading of the bellow  24  and activates the liquid reserve battery  20 . 
         [0048]    In an embodiment of the power source  10 ,  FIG. 1 , the reserve battery  11  can be a thermal battery. The basic structure of a typical reserve thermal battery is shown in the schematic of  FIG. 7  (again, the terminals and cables are not shown for simplicity). In the schematic of  FIG. 7 , the reserve thermal battery  50  includes the battery cell  51  and the compartment  52 , which includes the battery initiation device. As previously described, two basic types of initiators are commonly use and may also be used to activate thermal batteries, i.e., to ignite their so-called heat pallets, namely electrical initiators and those that rely on impact (and generally local temperature rise at the site of impact) at pinching points in (one part or two part) pyrotechnic materials. 
         [0049]    A third type of initiator that can also be used to similarly initiate the present thermal batteries consist of the use of piezoelectric materials to generate a relatively high voltage upon sudden application of force (impact force) to provide a spark to activate the thermal battery. 
         [0050]    The disclosed power source  10 , may use either one (or combination) of the above three types of initiation mechanisms to activate the device reserve (in this case thermal) battery  11 . 
         [0051]    In the schematic of  FIG. 7 , the reserve thermal battery  50  (no power source terminals are shown), including its battery cell portion  51  and the compartment  52  which houses the battery initiation (activation) elements are shown. The thermal batteries are generally designed in cylindrical shapes mainly from heat retention and manufacturing considerations, but may be formed in almost any other practical shapes. In the following description, thermal batteries with the aforementioned three initiation options are described. It is, however, appreciated by those skilled in the art that more than one initiator of one type or different types may also be used (such as being assembled in the compartment  52 ) to ensure reliability of thermal battery activation and the ease with which the thermal battery can be activated by the user. 
         [0052]    In one embodiment, the thermal battery  50  is activated electrically using an electrical initiator  53  (igniter) mounted in the compartment  52  as shown in the cross-section of the view “B” ( FIG. 7 ) shown in  FIG. 8 . Such electrical igniters are well known in the art and usually consist of a heating wire (heating element)  54 , which is heated by an electrical current (the so-called electric match). In  FIG. 8 , the terminals  57  and  58  are considered to be for connection to the aforementioned power source that is used to activate the thermal battery. The heating element  54  is usually surrounded by pyrotechnic or other easy to ignite material  55  that are first ignited by the heating element  54  and generate flames and spark that enter the thermal battery cell to initiate the battery heat pallets through a provided opening  56  as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0053]    Alternatively, the heating element  54  of the electrical igniter  53  is positioned inside the thermal battery cell and is in direct contact with the heat pallets of the thermal battery via certain easier to ignite medium such as the so-called heat paper. 
         [0054]    In this embodiment, an outside power source is required to supply the required current to the electrical igniter  53  to activate the thermal battery  50 . Electric igniters require very small amount of electrical energy to ignite their pyrotechnic material (the amount of electrical energy may be as low as 3-4 milli-Joules). In such cases, the electrical igniter  53  may be powered by a battery for thermal battery activation. 
         [0055]    Where a battery is provided for thermal battery activation, considering the goal of eliminating the need for any type of power source other than very long lasting and highly reliable reserve (liquid reserve and thermal) batteries, such option is not preferred unless a similarly very long lasting (low power) battery that can provide enough power to ignite an electrical initiator is used. 
         [0056]    Alternatively, a piezoelectric-based power generator may be used to generate enough electrical energy to power the electrical igniter  53  to activate the thermal battery. Such piezoelectric-based generators have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,312,557; 7,701,120, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0057]    In the embodiment  50  of  FIG. 7  and for the aforementioned type of initiators used to activate the thermal battery, a safety pin or cap or switch (not shown) can be used to prevent unintended activation of the thermal battery. Such devices for preventing unintended actuation of a switch or caps that have to be removed or displaced to access activation switches or levers are well known in the art and may be used for this purpose. 
         [0058]    In another embodiment, an aforementioned piezoelectric type of initiator (hereinafter referred to as “piezo initiator”) is used to activate the thermal battery by generating sparks upon actuation. Piezoelectric ignition is a type of ignition that is commonly used in gas stoves, portable camping stoves, gas grills and some other types of lighters. It consists of a small, spring-loaded hammer which, when a button is pressed, hits a crystal of piezoelectric element (PZT) or quartz crystal. This sudden forceful deformation (impact) produces a high voltage and subsequent electrical discharge, which ignites the gas. 
         [0059]    In this embodiment  60 , a “piezo initiator”  61  is attached to the thermal battery cell  62  as shown in the schematic of  FIG. 9 . For the sake of simplicity, a button type “piezo igniter” (button indicated by numeral  63 ) is shown in the schematic of  FIG. 9 . The schematic of the cross-section of the view “C” ( FIG. 9 ) shown in  FIG. 10 . In  FIG. 10 , the “piezo initiator” portion  61  is shown to consist of a chamber  64 , in which certain pyrotechnic material with or without certain intermediate and more easily ignited material such as the so-called heat papers  65  is provided. 
         [0060]    To activate the thermal battery  60 , the user would press on the “piezo igniter” button  63 , thereby causing the igniter to generate an electrical discharge  66 , which would in turn ignite the pyrotechnic material  65 . The flame and sparks generated by the pyrotechnic material  65  would then enter the thermal battery cell  62  through the provided hole  67 , and ignite the thermal battery heat pallets. As previously indicated, intermediate materials such as heat papers may also be provided inside the thermal battery cell  62  to help and ensure that the thermal battery heat pallets are ignited. 
         [0061]    In another embodiment  70 , which is shown schematically in  FIG. 11 , employs an impact based initiator  71  to initiate the thermal battery. The basic mechanism of operation of this initiator is similar to the aforementioned “inertial igniters”, with the difference being that the impact is achieved by a spring that is preloaded and then released by pushing a button (similar to the aforementioned “piezo igniter”), pulling a lever or handle (to preload a spring in tension or compression and then release it upon further pulling of the lever or handle), or rotation of a lever (to similarly preload a spring in either tension or compression and then release it upon further rotation of the lever), or the like. A “hammer” or “striker mass” is attached to the releasing end of the spring and is thereby released upon the release of the spring. The “hammer” or “striker mass” would then strike an “anvil” (a base striking element). One part or two part pyrotechnic materials are at the point of impact, preferably as provided protrusions on one or preferably both surfaces, thereby pinching the pyrotechnic material(s) between the pinching points during the impact, and thereby initiating the pyrotechnic material. The flame and sparks generated by the ignited pyrotechnic material is then guided through provided ports into the thermal battery cell to ignite the heat pallets in the thermal batter (directly or via other easy to ignite materials such as the so-called heat papers). 
         [0062]    In the schematic of the embodiment  70 , which is shown schematically in  FIG. 11 , an impact based initiator  71  is used for activation of the thermal battery. The cross-section of the view “D” ( FIG. 11 ) of the impact based initiator  71  is shown schematically in  FIG. 12 . The impact based initiator  71  is shown to consist of an impact generating component  73  (in this case and as an example, a button type—similar to that of  63  for the “piezo-igniter” of the embodiment of  FIGS. 9 and 10 ), with an impact hammer  74 . The anvil portion is the base of the housing  77 , which is provided with a protrusion  76 , which faces the tip (protrusion)  75  of the hammer  74 . A one part pyrotechnic material  78  is provided over and around the protrusion  76 . If a two part pyrotechnic material is used, then one part will be used to cover the protrusion  75  and the other part will be used to cover the protrusion  76 . 
         [0063]    To activate the thermal battery  70 , the user would press on the button  73  (the impact generating component of the initiator  71 ), thereby causing the spring in the impact generating initiator (not shown) to compress (or extend) and then release and thereby propel the impact hammer  74  forwards towards the pyrotechnic material  78 . The tip  75  of the impact hammer  74  will then impact over the protrusion  76  on the base of the housing  77 , thereby pinching a portion of the pyrotechnic material  78  between the protrusions  75  and  76 , thereby causing it to ignite. The pyrotechnic material  78  is thereby ignited. The resulting flames and sparks would then enter the thermal battery cell  72  through the provided hole  79  provided into the thermal battery cell, and ignite the thermal battery heat pallets. As previously indicated, intermediate materials such as heat papers may also be provided inside the thermal battery cell  72  and/or inside the housing  77  to help and ensure that the thermal battery heat pallets are ignited. 
         [0064]    It is appreciated by those skilled with the art that the disclosed power source  10  for AED&#39;s may be provided with more than one reserve power source, which may be a combination of different types of reserve power sources such as a combination of at least one liquid reserve battery and at least one thermal battery. Alternatively, the disclosed power source  10  for AED&#39;s may also be provided with rechargeable batteries and/or capacitors that are kept charged by a building power supply so that the reserve batteries (liquid reserve and/or thermal battery) are used only if the rechargeable batteries and/or capacitors used are discharged to the point that they cannot provide enough power for the intended use of the AED. In any of the above combinations, the entire power source and its components shown in  FIG. 1  can be used. 
         [0065]    The regulation unit  19  consists of the one of the commonly used electrical and electronics circuitries that are used to condition the voltage and current (power) output of the at least one (liquid or thermal) reserve batteries  11  to match the requirements for an AED. The unit  19  may also use at least one relatively high capacitance capacitor to allow the power source  10  to output enough current to enable it to supply the required charge. Such capacitors may be necessary to allow the use of relatively smaller reserve batteries and extend the amount of time that the power source  10  is capable of being used to defibrillate the patient. Such capacitors may particularly be required when liquid reserve are used in the power source  10 , since unlike thermal batteries, such batteries are usually not capable of providing high currents. 
         [0066]    While there has been shown and described what is considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes in form or detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.