11288results about "Secondary cells servicing/maintenance" patented technology

A terminal and electrical water-resistance method, the terminal includes: a circuit board, a battery providing a power source for the circuit board, a housing provided with a transparent medium used for reflecting light; the circuit board includes: a detection module, configured to: emit light towards the transparent medium, receive the light reflected by the transparent medium to convert into electric signal data to send to a control module; the control module, configured to: receive the electric signal data to compare with preset data, trigger the power-off switch when a difference value between the electric signal data and the preset data reaches a preset threshold which is preset according to the light and the transparent medium, wherein, the preset data are electric signal data when the light is totally reflected by the transparent medium; a power-off switch configured to: disconnect a connection between the circuit board and the battery after triggering.

A carrier, such as a battery, that queries a memory of a charger or charging circuit, or the memory of equipment or discharging circuit powered by the battery, to determine the relative date or version of data, operating parameters and / or software on both the battery and the equipment, and either provides updated data, operating parameters and / or software to the equipment, or retrieves later dated data, operating parameters and / or software from the equipment to update the memory of the battery and / or further distribute the updated data, operating parameters and / or software to other batteries or equipment.

Provided is an anode for use in electrochemical cells, wherein the anode active layer has a first layer comprising lithium metal and a multi-layer structure comprising single ion conducting layers and polymer layers in contact with the first layer comprising lithium metal or in contact with an intermediate protective layer, such as a temporary protective metal layer, on the surface of the lithium-containing first layer. Another aspect of the invention provides an anode active layer formed by the in-situ deposition of lithium vapor and a reactive gas. The anodes of the current invention are particularly useful in electrochemical cells comprising sulfur-containing cathode active materials, such as elemental sulfur.

In an exemplary embodiment, a battery conditioning system monitors battery conditioning and includes a memory for storing data based thereon; for example, data may be stored representative of available battery capacity as measured during a deep discharge cycle. With a microprocessor monitoring battery operation of a portable unit, a measure of remaining battery capacity can be calculated and displayed. Where the microprocessor and battery conditioning system memory are permanently secured to the battery so as to receive operating power therefrom during storage and handling, the performance of a given battery in actual use can be accurately judged since the battery system can itself maintain a count of accumulated hours of use and other relevant parameters. In the case of a nonportable conditioning system, two-way communication may be established with a memory associated with the portable unit so that the portable unit can transmit to the conditioning system information concerning battery parameters (e.g. rated battery capacity) and / or battery usage (e.g. numbers of shallow discharge and recharge cycles), and after a conditioning operation, the conditioning system can transmit to the portable unit a measured value of battery capacity, for example. A battery pack having memory stores battery history and identifying data to be retrieved by a portable battery powered device. Battery status information may be utilized in conjunction with characteristic battery history data in order to optimize charging and discharging functions and to maximize the useful life of a battery pack.

Improvements both in the methods whereby existing techniques for determining the condition of a battery are communicated to a user (for example, to the owner of a private vehicle, or to the service manager of a fleet of vehicles), or the vehicle's operating system, and in the methods for evaluating the condition of the battery are disclosed. It has been discovered by the inventors that the difference in internal resistance of a fully charged battery as measured during charging and as measured after charging is greater for a battery in poor condition than for a new battery. The invention relates in part to instruments and corresponding methods for evaluating the condition of a battery utilizing this discovery.

PCT No. PCT / NZ96 / 00060 Sec. 371 Date Dec. 22, 1997 Sec. 102(e) Date Dec. 22, 1997 PCT Filed Jun. 20, 1996 PCT Pub. No. WO97 / 01103 PCT Pub. Date Jan. 9, 1997A battery monitoring system includes a circuit for use with a battery which is one of a defined (quantified re volts supplied at known current loads at known discharge levels) type of battery such as the lead-acid batteries used in vehicles. Preferred embodiments monitor at least the battery voltage under load while measuring the drawn current and use stored numerical information in order to determine whether the battery has been discharged down to a predetermined limit; one which generally retains enough charge to perform a defined act such as starting an engine. If the battery is so depleted a non-critical load (e.g. accessories) is disconnected by a switch. Changes in the non-critical load are monitored and the non-critical load is reconnected for a predetermined period when a change is detected in order to start the engine.

An electric vehicle includes plurality of batteries accommodated in a rear portion of a battery box, and an electric part is accommodated in an electric part accommodating chamber provided in a front portion of the battery box. Cooling air supplied from a cooling fan to the rear portion of the battery box cools the batteries having a large thermal resistance, while being passed through a first cooling air passage around outer peripheries of the batteries at a low flow rate. A second cooling air passage having a smaller sectional area than that of the first cooling air passage is provided below the electric part accommodating chamber, and cooling fins protruding downwards from the electric part are exposed within the second cooling air passage. The second cooling air passage extends continuously the first cooling air passage in a downstream direction of airflow, so that cooling air which has first cooled the batteries then cools the electric part having a smaller thermal resistance, while being passed through the second cooling air passage at a higher flow rate than that in the first cooling air passage.

A system and method for battery protection. In some aspects, a method of conducting an operation including a battery pack, includes the acts of monitoring a first battery pack condition at a first monitoring rate, determining when a second battery pack condition reaches a threshold, after the second battery pack condition reaches the threshold, monitoring the first battery pack condition at a second monitoring rate, the second monitoring rate being different than the first monitoring rate. In some aspects, a method of conducting an operation including a battery, the battery including a cell having a voltage, power being transferable between the cell and the electrical device, a controller operable to control a function of the battery pack, the controller being operable with a voltage at least one of equal to and greater than an operating voltage threshold, the cell being operable to selectively supply voltage to the controller, includes the act of enabling the controller to operate when the voltage supplied by the cell is below the operating voltage threshold.

An apparatus to charge a power supply inductively, with increased efficiency due to resonance, comprises an LC series resonance circuit formed by a capacitor and a primary inductive coil coupled in series with the capacitor, and a secondary inductive coil positioned such that power is inductively transferred from the primary coil to the secondary coil. The LC circuit has a natural resonant frequency, wherein the primary coil of the resonance circuit is coupled to receive power from a source oscillating at the natural resonant frequency. The secondary coil is further coupled to the power supply so that power induced in the secondary coil causes the power supply to be charged.

Provided is an anode for use in electrochemical cells, wherein the anode active layer has a first layer comprising lithium metal and a multi-layer structure comprising single ion conducting layers and polymer layers in contact with the first layer comprising lithium metal or in contact with an intermediate protective layer, such as a temporary protective metal layer, on the surface of the lithium-containing first layer. Another aspect of the invention provides an anode active layer formed by the in-situ deposition of lithium vapor and a reactive gas. The anodes of the current invention are particularly useful in electrochemical cells comprising sulfur-containing cathode active materials, such as elemental sulfur.

A method of thermal management for a thermal management system in a vehicle includes the steps of selecting a thermal management function. The method also includes the steps of adjusting a temperature within the thermal management system using the thermal management function and using the adjusted temperature within the thermal management system to control a temperature within an occupant compartment of the vehicle.

A method for predicting change in an operating state, e.g. state of life, for an electrical energy storage device includes establishing a plurality of values for an operating parameter, e.g. current, of the electrical energy storage device and, for each respective value, determining a corresponding change in the operating state for the energy storage device based upon the respective value. Preferably, change in the state of life is determined based upon an integration of electrical current, a depth of discharge of the energy storage device, and an operating temperature factor of the electrical energy storage device.

An electrochemical device has at least one carrier substrate (1) provided with a stack (2) of functional layers, including at least one electrochemically active layer (4), which is capable of reversibly and simultaneously inserting ions and electrons and is arranged between two electroconductive layers. The device can be of the electrochromic type. The functionality of at least one of the functional layers, with the exception of one of the electroconductive layers (3,8), is locally inhibited so as to delimit inactive peripheral or non-peripheral regions in the stack (2).

A system includes a thin-film battery and an activity-activated switch. The system is placed on a substrate with an adhesive backing. In some embodiments, the substrate is flexible. Also formed on the substrate is an electrical circuit that includes electronics. The activity-activated switch places the thin-film battery in electrical communication with the circuit and electronics. The battery and the circuit are formed on the substrate and may be comprised of one or a plurality of deposited layers.

A cordless power tool has a housing which includes a mechanism to couple with a removable battery pack. The battery pack includes one or more battery cells as well as a vent system in the battery pack housing which enables fluid to move through the housing. A mechanism is associated with the battery pack to dissipate heat from the battery pack.

As an alternative technique to lead-acid batteries, the present invention provides an inexpensive 2 V non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having excellent cycle life at a high rate by preventing volume change during charge and discharge. The non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery uses: a positive electrode active material having a layered structure, being represented by chemical formula Li1±α[Me]O2, where 0≦α<0.2, and Me is a transition metal including Ni and at least one selected from the group consisting of Mn, Fe, Co, Ti and Cu, and including elemental nickel and elemental cobalt in substantially the same ratio; and a negative electrode active material including Li4Ti5O12(Li[Li1 / 3Ti5 / 3]O4).

A method and apparatus of creating a dynamically reconfigurable energy source comprised of individual, isolated, controllable energy modules, supported by software to measure and manage the energy modules and facilitate the reconfiguration, where the platform consisting of hardware, based upon an inverted H-Bridge circuitry, in combination with software which allows for real-time management, control, and configuration of the modules and uses a combination of software algorithms and localized electronic switches, to achieve a performance and functionality of the invention matching, or exceeding, traditional large, heavy, and expensive power electronics-based products used for charging, energy storage management, power inverting, and motor or load control.

The invention discloses an SOC (State of Charge) and SOH (State of Health) prediction method of an electric vehicle-mounted lithium iron phosphate battery, which comprises the following steps of: (a) improving a Thevenin cell equivalent model; (b) determining the state equation and the output equation of a system; (c) identifying battery model parameters; (d) using a Kalman filter algorithm to iterate the state variables of the system, so that the predictive value of SOC is closer to the actual value; and (e) using a dual-channel Kalman filter algorithm to carry out the online predication of an internal resistance and capacity of the lithium iron phosphate battery, and simultaneously predicating the SOH of the battery according to the changes in the internal resistance and the capacity value of the battery in the current state and the initial state. With the method, the predication precision of SOH of the battery is effectively improved, the decline in battery performance can be determined more accurately, and the internal resistance and capacity information of the battery is combined to provide a basis for making the battery management strategy and maintaining and replacing the battery.

In a solid polymer fuel cell series, various circumstances can result in the fuel cell being driven into voltage reversal. For instance, cell voltage reversal can occur if that cell receives an inadequate supply of fuel (for example, fuel starvation). In order to pass current during fuel starvation, reactions other than fuel oxidation may take place at the fuel cell anode, including water electrolysis and oxidation of anode components. The latter may result in significant degradation of the anode. Such fuel cells can be made more tolerant to cell reversal by promoting water electrolysis over anode component oxidation at the anode. This can be accomplished by incorporating a catalyst composition at the anode to promote the water electrolysis reaction, in addition to the typical anode electrocatalyst for promoting fuel oxidation.

The present invention pertains to composite cathodes suitable for use in an electrochemical cell, said cathodes comprising: (a) an electroactive sulfur-containing cathode material, wherein said electroactive sulfur-containing cathode material, in its oxidized state, comprises a polysulfide moiety of the formula —Sm—, wherein m is an integer equal to or greater than 3; and, (b) an electroactive transition metal chalcogenide composition, which encapsulates said electroactive sulfur-containing cathode material, and which retards the transport of anionic reduction products of said electroactive sulfur-containing cathode material, said electroactive transition metal chalcogenide composition comprising an electroactive transition metal chalcogenide having the formula MjYk(OR)l wherein: M is a transition metal; Y is the same or different at each occurrence and is oxygen, sulfur, or selenium; R is an organic group and is the same or different at each occurrence; j is an integer ranging from 1 to 12; k is a number ranging from 0 to 72; and l is a number ranging from 0 to 72; with the proviso that k and l cannot both be 0. The present invention also pertains to methods of making such composite cathodes, cells comprising such composite cathodes, and methods of making such cells.

The invention relates to an intelligent battery management system of an electric car. In the invention, a core control module is connected with N battery data collecting modules via a K bus and is connected with a charging module, a battery pack monitoring module and a touch screen display system; the battery management system comprises a database management module, the battery pack monitoring module, a self-checking control module and an abnormal control module; the battery data collecting modules are provided with a plurality of battery data collecting control chips; and the core control module is connected to computer control software by utilizing a universal serial bus (usb) interface. The battery management system provided by the invention has the advantage of solving the problems that real-time and dynamic comparison cannot be carried out, a corresponding fault processing function and a mutual information platform are lacked and the like in the past. The invention realizes that data such as voltage, current, temperature and the like of a battery are subjected to acquisition, SOC (State of Charge) estimation, real-time communication, equalization and insulation monitoring and compared with each standard datum in a database, so that a dynamic contrast model is established; and due to the adoption of a layered pattern, the control modules are used for controlling the voltage, the current and the temperature. The interaction with users and the warning are carried out through a touch screen.

A method and apparatus is provided for determining how a vehicle battery would perform when used to start a vehicle. A discharge voltage / current of the battery is predicted as a function of a battery dynamic parameter, an open circuit voltage of the battery, a battery temperature and a fixed current / voltage value at which the battery is to be discharged. This discharge voltage / current value is compared to a minimum starting voltage / current required to start the vehicle in which the battery is employed and an output indicative of a starting capability of the battery is provided.

The present invention provides a high-capacity and low-cost non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising: a negative electrode containing, as a negative electrode active material, a ssubstance capable of absorbing / desorbing lithium ions and / or metal lithium; a separator; a positive electrode; and an electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode active material contained in the positive electrode is composed of crystalline particles of an oxide containing two kinds of transition metal elements, the crystalline particles having a layered crystal structure, and oxygen atoms constituting the oxide forming a cubic closest packing structure.

A redox chemical shuttle comprising an aromatic compound substituted with at least one tertiary carbon organic group and at least one alkoxy group (for example, 2,5-di-tert-butyl-1,4-dimethoxybenzene) provides repeated overcharge protection in rechargeable lithium-ion cells.

An implantable medical device includes an energy storage device with an internal component and an outer case that encloses the internal component. The outer case is electrically connected to the internal component. The energy storage device includes a first electrode that is electrically connected to the internal component. Furthermore, the device includes a control assembly with a control component and a control case that encloses the control component. The control case is coupled to and electrically connected to the outer case. The control component is electrically coupled to the first electrode and the outer case to be powered by the internal component of the energy storage device. The control component controls transmission of an electrical signal between the implantable medical device and biological tissue. Also, an outer surface of the outer case and the outer surface of the control case are exposed to the biological material.

Apparatus and methods for determining the individual states of charge of electrolytes in a redox battery with mixed or unmixed reactants by optical absorption spectrophotometry are disclosed. The state of charge thus obtained may serve as a gauge for the amount of electro-chemical energy left in the system. Further, the information on anolyte and catholyte charge states may be used for any rebalancing mechanism if the states are different.

An energy storage system includes a vanadium redox battery that interfaces with a control system to optimize performance and efficiency. The control system calculates optimal pump speeds, electrolyte temperature ranges, and charge and discharge rates. The control system instructs the vanadium redox battery to operate in accordance with the prescribed parameters. The control system further calculates optimal temperature ranges and charge and discharge rates for the vanadium redox battery.

The battery pack is provided with a battery block, a case, and a circuit board. The battery block has a plurality of batteries lined up in a horizontal row with the same orientation, and lead plates connect to terminals of those batteries to form a parallel unit. A plurality of parallel units are stacked in the vertical direction with different orientation, and battery terminals are connected by lead plates in the vertical direction to connect parallel units in series. Lead plates have projections which protrude horizontally beyond the confines of the battery block and connect with the circuit board, and the battery block and circuit board are connected as a unit.