Arrangement and Method for Monitoring Pressure within a Battery Cell

• US 20080097704A1
• Filed: 01/16/2006
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Hetzendorf, Georg, Riemschneider, Karl-Ragmar, Notten, Peter
• Application Number:
  US11/814,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097704A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/42
• 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 10/445 in response to gas pressure
• 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: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The invention relates to an arrangement for monitoring pressure within a battery cell, comprising: at least one battery cell, and at least one strain gauge for monitoring mechanical deformation of the battery cell. The invention also relates to a method of monitoring internal pressure of a battery cell, preferably by making use of such an arrangement.

Claims

1. Arrangement for monitoring pressure within a battery cell, comprising:

at least one battery cell, and

at least one strain gauge for monitoring mechanical deformation of the battery cell,

characterized in that said strain gauge is at least partially wound around a cell casing of said battery cell.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said strain gauge is at least partially wound helically around said cell casing.

3. Arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that said strain gauge is at least substantially coil-shaped.

4. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said strain gauge is electronically coupled to a processing unit attached to the cell casing for processing the mechanical deformation monitored by the strain gauge.

5. Arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that said processing unit is adapted to communicate with an external device.

6. Arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that said processing unit is adapted to communicate wirelessly with the external device.

7. Arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that said processing unit is powered by means of induced electricity.

8. Arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that said processing unit is powered by the battery cell.

9. Arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that said strain gauge is also adapted for use as an antenna to allow the processing unit to communicate with the external device.

10. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said battery cell comprises an outer hull, wherein the strain gauge is substantially positioned between the cell casing and the outer hull.

11. Arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that said arrangement comprises multiple battery cells, wherein the strain gauge is at least partially wound around the cell casing of each battery cell.

12. Method of monitoring pressure within a battery cell, comprising the steps of:

measuring the mechanical deformation of a battery cell by at least one strain gauge attached to an outer surface of a cell casing of said battery, and

processing the mechanical deformation monitored by the strain gauge by means of a processing unit electronically coupled to said strain gauge to obtain pressure related data, and

allowing the processing unit to communicate with an external device for wireless transmission of the pressure-related data from the processing unit to said external device.

13. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that communication between the processing unit and the external device according to step C) is realized by means of the strain gauge acting as antenna.