Battery module with a controllable external heat sink
First Claim
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1. A battery module comprising:
- a battery cell;
an external circuit connected to the battery cell, wherein the external circuit comprises a first switch and a heat sink; and
a controller programmed to control the external circuit,wherein the controller is programmed to close the first switch in response to the controller (i) detecting an internal short circuit within the battery cell in response to a voltage of the battery cell is below a voltage threshold, and (ii) confirming the existence of the internal short circuit based on a current of the battery cell,wherein heat is generated in the heat sink as a result of the first switch being closed by the controller.
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Abstract
A battery module having a controllable external heat sink and methods of operating the battery module are provided. According to an aspect of the invention, the battery module includes a battery cell, an external circuit connected to the battery cell, and a controller that controls the external circuit. The external circuit includes a first switch and a heat sink. If an internal short circuit within the battery cell is detected, the controller closes the first switch in order to generate heat in the heat sink.
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11 Claims
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1. A battery module comprising:
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a battery cell; an external circuit connected to the battery cell, wherein the external circuit comprises a first switch and a heat sink; and a controller programmed to control the external circuit, wherein the controller is programmed to close the first switch in response to the controller (i) detecting an internal short circuit within the battery cell in response to a voltage of the battery cell is below a voltage threshold, and (ii) confirming the existence of the internal short circuit based on a current of the battery cell, wherein heat is generated in the heat sink as a result of the first switch being closed by the controller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A battery module comprising:
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a battery cell; an external circuit connected to the battery cell, wherein the external circuit comprises a first switch, a second switch and a heat sink, wherein the first switch is configured to switchably couple the battery cell to the heat sink and wherein the second switch is configured to switchably couple the battery cell to a bus of the battery module; and a controller programmed to control the external circuit, wherein the controller is programmed to close the first switch in response to an internal short circuit within the battery cell that is detected by the controller in response to a voltage of the battery cell is below a voltage threshold, wherein heat is generated in the heat sink as a result of the first switch being closed by the controller, and wherein the controller is further programmed to open and close the first switch and the second switch in an alternating fashion while the internal short circuit is not detected, whereby the first switch is only open when the second switch is closed and the second switch is only open when the first switch is closed.
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Specification