A compact electronic circuit enables battery cells to transmit temperature data through charging and discharging terminals without extra communication cables.
Scientists at Kiel University have designed a battery communication technique that allows temperature sensors embedded in a battery cell to send information about the temperature through the power connections of a battery cell, thereby eliminating the need for additional communication wiring. This technology involves incorporating an electronic module within the battery cell, enabling the transmission of information through the connections that are currently used for the charging and discharging processes.
The team refers to the technology as a “talkative battery”, which addresses a limitation in current battery packs. The sensors employed in measuring the temperature of battery cells can only be attached to the external surfaces of the battery cells. Since dangerous heat often develops first inside a battery cell, it may initially remain undetected.
The recently invented circuit takes up very little space and converts temperature-sensor data into digital signals that can be transmitted via the battery’s existing terminals, without the need for additional communication cables.
“Our work is a first step toward intelligent batteries that continuously monitor and report their own condition,” said Dr. Hamzeh Beiranvand from the Chair of Power Electronics. “This could make battery systems both safer and more economical.”
As per the researchers, the circuit could be further miniaturised or incorporated directly within the next generation battery materials. This is because the sensors measure processes inside the battery cell itself.
Johannes Diers, a doctoral researcher in the Chair of Power Electronics and first author of the study, added, “In principle, the concept is not limited to temperature sensors. Pressure, gas or other types of sensors could also transmit information from inside the battery in exactly the same way.”
The researchers foresee applications in electric vehicles, stationary power storage systems for wind and solar energy, and residential battery storage.
