Battery with built-in load leveling

• US 20040038087A1
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GAINIA INTELLECTUAL ASSET SERVICES, INC
• Original Assignee: Luxon Energy Devices Corporation
• Inventors: Shiue, Lih-Ren, Sun, Abel, Chung, Hsing-Chen
• Granted Patent: US 7,186,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/7
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4264 with capacitors
• 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: H01M 12/06 with one metallic and one gaseous electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2200/00 Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/50 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance, e.g. for maintaining operating temperature 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: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An integrated battery by incorporating battery elements, supercapscitors elements, and miniaturized electronic controllers within a single housing is devised. The supercapacitors provide a load leveling for the battery elements at both charging and discharging. So long as the rated working voltage of supercapacitor is complied, the capacitor can be charged with charging currents of any magnitude. Then, the energy stored in the supercapacitors can be transferred from the capacitors to the batteries resulted in fast charging and energy conservation. With load leveling provided by the supercapacitors, the batteries are set to constantly discharge at 1C or lower rates and their residual energy near the end of discharge cycle can become useful as well. Therefore, the service run time, cycle life, and energy utilization of the batteries integrated are improved. In addition, the supercapacitor can be a built-in actuator to provide powers to in-cell air management systems for generating air draft inside metal-air batteries and fuel cells to increase their shelf life and power density.

Claims

1. A battery with built-in load leveling, comprising:

a battery element;

a capacitor element;

an electronic controller to control complementary charge and complementary discharge between said battery element and said capacitor element;

a single housing to adapt said battery element, said capacitor element, and said controller to provide a hermetic encapsulation; and

two terminals by one positive terminal and one negative terminal, on the exterior of said housing for charging and for discharging.

2. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said battery element includes a primary electrochemical cell selected from the group consisting of Zn/MnO₂, Zn/Ag₂O, and Zn-air batteries.

3. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said battery element includes a rechargeable electrochemical cell selected from the group consisting of lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, lithium ion, and lithium polymer batteries.

4. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said capacitor element has an energy density of 0.15F per 1 cm² of electrode area or greater than 0.15F/cm².

5. The capacitor element as claim 4, wherein said capacitor includes an electrochemical cell selected from the group consisting of supercapacitor, ultracapacitor, and electric double layer capacitor.

6. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said battery element and said capacitor element both use the same aqueous electrolyte including one salt selected from the group consisting of KOH, NaOH, H₂SO₄, and H₃PO₄ dissolved in water.

7. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said battery element and said capacitor element both use the same organic solvent selected from the group consisting of acetonitrile, propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, diethyl carbonate, and dimethyl carbonate.

8. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said battery element and said capacitor element both use a polymeric electrolyte.

9. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said controller regulates said battery element to discharge at 1C or a lower rate.

10. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said controller regulates said capacitor element to provide a power gap between a load demand and a power provided by said battery element.

11. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said controller regulates said capacitor element to extract all stored energy of said battery element before arriving at a cut-off voltage of said battery element.

12. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein said controller regulates said capacitor element to receive a charging current of any magnitude without exceeding an open cell voltage of said capacitor element.

13. The battery with built-in load leveling as claim 1, wherein while in a charging mode, said controller regulates said capacitor element to charge said battery element within an open cell voltage and an acceptable current level of said battery element.

14. An air-driven energy apparatus, comprising:

a fuel used as reactant at an anode;

an air cathode that uses oxygen as reactant;

an in-cell air management system;

a rechargeable electrochemical cell;

a capacitor element, used to boost a power output of said rechargeable electrochemical cell to actuate said air management system;

an electronic controller that first detects a load, then requests said rechargeable electrochemical to charge said capacitor element, and then requests said capacitor element to provide peak powers to actuate said air management system to generate an air draft in said air-driven energy apparatus; and

a single container to adapt said anode, said cathode, said air management system, said rechargeable electrochemical cell, said capacitor element, and said electronic controller.

15. An air-driven energy apparatus as claim 14, wherein said fuel for said anode includes a chemical selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methanol and ethanol.

16. An air-driven energy apparatus as claim 14, wherein said fuel for said anode includes a metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, zinc, and iron.

17. An air-driven energy apparatus as claim 14, wherein said air management system includes:

at least two micro fans, at least two air inlets, and at least two air channels that are formed by pressing at least two protruding dots against said air cathode.

18. An air-driven energy apparatus as claim 17, wherein the air management system can generate an air draft ≧

10 ml/min in said air-driven energy apparatus.

19. An air-driven energy apparatus as claim 14, wherein said electrochemical cell is selected from the group consisting of Zn/NiOOH, Zn/MnO₂, and Zn/Ag ₂O.

20. An air-driven energy apparatus as claim 19, wherein the electrochemical cell, with assistance of said capacitor element, can provide a power ≧

0.5W.

21. An air-driven energy apparatus as claim 14, wherein said capacitor element includes one selected from the group consisting of supercapacitor, ultracapacitor, and electric double layer capacitor.