Method and system for evaluating an electrochemical cell for use with an implantable medical device
First Claim
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1. A method of identifying a defective electrochemical cell after assembly, said cell having an anode, a solid cathode and a liquid electrolyte, comprising the steps of:
- storing the cell without burn-in at an elevated temperature for a storage time;
testing the cell at the end of the storage time period by measuring a parameter of the cell related to cell voltage; and
determining whether the cell is defective based upon the measured parameter.
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Abstract
A method of evaluating an electrochemical cell for a metallic contaminant-caused defect. The electrochemical cell is configured for use with an implantable medical device and includes an anode, a solid cathode and a liquid electrolyte. The method includes storing the cell at an elevated temperature following assembly for accelerating corrosion of possible metallic contaminants. A parameter of the cell related to cell voltage is then measured. An evaluation is made as to whether the cell is defective based upon this measured parameter.
54 Citations
55 Claims
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1. A method of identifying a defective electrochemical cell after assembly, said cell having an anode, a solid cathode and a liquid electrolyte, comprising the steps of:
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storing the cell without burn-in at an elevated temperature for a storage time;
testing the cell at the end of the storage time period by measuring a parameter of the cell related to cell voltage; and
determining whether the cell is defective based upon the measured parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of evaluating an electrochemical cell for metallic contaminant-caused defect, the electrochemical cell configured for use with an implantable medical device and including an anode, a solid cathode and a liquid electrolyte, the method including:
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following assembly of the cell, storing the cell without burn-in at a temperature of approximately 60°
C. for a storage time period in the range of approximately 1-3 days;
measuring a parameter of the cell related to cell voltage following the storage time period; and
evaluating whether the cell is defective based upon the measured parameter.
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20. A method of manufacturing an electrochemical cell for use with an implantable medical device, the method including:
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assembling the cell such that the cell includes an anode, a solid cathode and a liquid electrolyte;
storing the cell at an elevated temperature selected to accelerate corrosion of metallic contaminants;
measuring a parameter of the cell related to cell voltage, wherein the cell is not at least partially discharged prior to measuring the parameter; and
determining whether the cell is defective by evaluating whether the measured parameter is indicative of a presence of a metallic contaminant in the cell. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method of manufacturing an electrochemical cell for use with an implantable medical device, the method including:
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assembling a cell such that the cell includes an anode, a solid cathode and a liquid electrolyte;
following assembly of the cell, storing the cell at a temperature of approximately 60°
for a time period in the range of approximately 1-3 days;
measuring a parameter of the cell related to cell voltage; and
evaluating whether the cell has a metallic contaminant-caused defect based upon the measured parameter.
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40. An electrochemical cell testing system for detecting presence of a metallic contaminant-caused defect in an electrochemical cell configured for use with an implantable medical device, the electrochemical cell including an anode, a solid cathode and a liquid electrolyte, the system comprising:
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means for storing the cell at an elevated temperature to accelerate corrosion of metallic contaminants;
means for sensing a parameter of the cell related to cell voltage following storage, said sensing means being configured to produce a value indicative of a presence of a metallic contaminant in the cell; and
means for evaluating whether the cell has a metallic contaminant-caused defect based upon the measured parameter. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. An electrochemical cell testing system for detecting the presence of a metallic contaminant-caused defect in an electrochemical cell configured for use within an implantable medical device, the electrochemical cell including an anode, a solid cathode and a liquid electrolyte, the system comprising:
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a storage device configured to store the cell at an elevated temperature for accelerating corrosion of metallic contaminants;
a sensor configured to sense a parameter of the cell related to cell voltage following storage and produce a value indicative of a presence of a metallic contaminant in the cell; and
an analyzer configured to determine the presence of a metallic contaminant-caused defect in the cell based upon the value produced by the sensor. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification