BATTERY CELL STRUCTURE WITH LIMITED CELL PENETRATIONS

摘要

Light is transmitted from a light source through or from a separator of a battery cell and received by one or more light detectors. The light that is normally transmitted through the separator is scattered, absorbed, wavelength-shifted or otherwise distorted by an impending fault in the vicinity of or within the separator. The change in light due to the impending fault is measured by a detector and a signal from the detector is processed to identify the impending fault so that a warning can be generated indicative of the impending fault. In particular, one or both of the light source and detector are enclosed within a battery cell housing and receive power from the electrodes of the battery cell.

主权项

1. A battery structure for monitoring development of impending faults of a battery cell, the battery structure comprising:
a cell housing; a battery cell separator, located within the cell housing, formed of a light transmitting material that has light transmission characteristics that are a function of a state of impending faults of the battery cell; a first electrode on a first side of the battery cell separator; a second electrode on a second side of the battery cell separator; a light source, located within the cell housing, for transmitting light into said battery cell separator; and a light detector, located within the housing, for receiving light transmitted through the battery cell separator, wherein a fault state of a portion of the battery cell associated with the light detector can be determined based on the received light.