Mobile computer workstations are desirable in numerous settings to make computer use more convenient and to make computers more accessible. For example, mobile workstations in the form of mobile medical carts are used in hospitals so that nurses and technicians may continually update patient information and treatment information from a variety of locations. In the hospital setting, for example, mobile workstations or mobile medical carts allow nurses to input changes in patient treatment or otherwise dispense patient care throughout the hospital environment while they are making their rounds.
Powering such mobile workstations, however, has proven troublesome. As will be readily appreciated, it is undesirable to plug such workstations into a standard wall outlet, as power will be interrupted when moving from room to room or patient to patient. Battery powered systems have attempted to solve this problem, however, even known battery powered systems have objectionable shortcomings. For example, known battery-powered workstations provide a fixed battery system, mounted underneath the cart/workstation, having a single cell chemistry battery and charging technology. Such systems use a single battery and a “bucket” concept to swap out the single battery. These known batteries for powering mobile workstations, however, are difficult to replace when spent. Moreover, existing systems make it is necessary to interrupt power to the cart when changing such batteries, therefore interrupting work flow and potentially resulting in the loss of data.
In view of the problems associated with known mobile workstations and systems for powering mobile workstations, there is a need for an improved battery system and, more particularly, for an intelligent battery system for powering mobile workstations wherein batteries may be swapped out without interrupting power to the workstation.