| 摘要 |
<p>A nickel-hydrogen storage cell (12) having means within the pressure vessel (40) of the cell (12) for shorting the cell when the cell fails because of an open circuit condition, so that a battery (10) containing the failed cell continues to provide electrical storage capability at a voltage diminished only by that of the failed cell. A shorting plate set (50) within the pressure vessel (40) and in parallel with the active plate sets (18) includes a silver electrode (54) that is normally inert, but which dissolves in the electrolyte of the cell (12) when the discharge voltage across the cell increases to a large negative value, indicating open circuit failure of the cell. The silver then plates out onto the normally positive nickel electrodes (20) so that the silver eventually bridges the gap between the nickel electrode (20) and the silver electrode (54), and shorts them, thereby also shorting the cell.</p> |
