ADAPTIVE ENERGY MANAGEMENT TERMINAL FOR A BATTERY

• US 20100295550A1
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Qingguo, French, William, Hopper, Peter J., Hwang, Kyuwoon
• Application Number:
  US12/709,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20100295550A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/430
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/007 using microprocessors or computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/389 Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/04 Construction or manufacture in general H01M10/058, H01M10/12, H01M10/28, H01M10/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/448 End of discharge regulating measures
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery includes multiple conductive plates and a permeable electrolytic material and an ion membrane located between the conductive plates. The battery also includes at least one wire located within one or more of the permeable electrolytic material and the ion membrane. The at least one wire can be configured to regulate a flow of ions through the ion membrane based on an electrical signal flowing through the at least one wire. The at least one wire could also be configured to generate a magnetic field within the permeable electrolytic material based on another electrical signal flowing through the at least one wire. The battery could further include a temperature sensor wire within the permeable electrolytic material.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a battery comprising at least one wire; and

a battery discharge control circuit coupled to the at least one wire, the battery discharge control circuit configured to regulate an energy discharge rate of the battery.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery discharge control circuit is configured to provide a first electrical signal to the at least one wire in order to regulate a flow of ions through an ion membrane of the battery.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first electrical signal comprises a voltage applied to the at least one wire.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the first electrical signal comprises a current injected into the at least one wire.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising an impedance measurement circuit configured to provide a second electrical signal to the at least one wire in order to generate a magnetic field.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one wire comprises:

a first wire coupled to the battery discharge control circuit and located within a first permeable electrolytic material of the battery; and

a second wire coupled to the impedance measurement circuit and located within a second permeable electrolytic material of the battery.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery discharge control circuit is configured to:

measure an inductance of the at least one wire when a magnetic field is present within a permeable electrolytic material of the battery; and

use a measured change in the inductance of the at least one wire to obtain a measurement of a complex permeability of the permeable electrolytic material, wherein the battery discharge control circuit is configured to use the measurement of the complex permeability to determine a state of charge of the battery.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one wire comprises a wire mesh or grid.

9. A battery comprising:

multiple conductive plates;

a permeable electrolytic material and an ion membrane located between the conductive plates; and

at least one wire located within one or more of the permeable electrolytic material and the ion membrane.

10. The battery of claim 9, further comprising:

a terminal coupled to a first end of the at least one wire; and

a second terminal coupled to a second end of the at least one wire.

11. The battery of claim 9, wherein the at least one wire is configured to generate a barrier within the permeable electrolytic material based on an electrical signal flowing through the at least one wire.

12. The battery of claim 9, wherein the at least one wire is configured to regulate a flow of ions through the ion membrane based on an electrical signal flowing through the at least one wire.

13. The battery of claim 12, wherein:

the battery further comprises a second permeable electrolytic material located between the conductive plates; and

the at least one wire comprises;

a first wire located within the permeable electrolytic material; and

a second wire located within the second permeable electrolytic material.

14. The battery of claim 13, wherein the at least one wire comprises a wire mesh or grid.

15. The battery of claim 12, wherein the electrical signal comprises one of:

a voltage applied to the at least one wire, and a current injected into the at least one wire.

16. A method comprising:

applying an electrical signal to at least one wire embedded within a battery; and

regulating a rate of flow of energy from the battery using the electrical signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein regulating the rate of flow of energy comprises:

regulating a flow of ions across an ion membrane of the battery using the electrical signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein regulating the flow of ions across the ion membrane of the battery using the electrical signal comprises at least one of:

applying a voltage to the at least one wire; and

injecting a current into the at least one wire.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

measuring a change in an impedance of the at least one wire when a magnetic field is present; and

determining a state of charge of the battery based on the measured change in the impedance of the at least one wire.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein regulating the rate of flow of energy is based on the determined state of charge of the battery.