Battery Fast-Charging Heat Spreader Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery charging systems for electric vehicles are slow at low temperatures, leading to range anxiety due to lithium plating and safety hazards from internal resistance heating, which requires complex temperature control and can cause overheating.
Innovation Solution
A battery charging system that uses a heat spreader element with high thermal conductivity, such as graphene or flexible graphite, to preheat the battery to a desired temperature before charging, eliminating the need for internal resistance heating and reducing charging time without overheating risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If internal resistance heating is used to heat the battery, then the battery temperature increases to enable fast charging, but local hot spots are created that can degrade or damage battery components and cause safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a heat spreader element as an intermediary component between the heating source and the battery. This heat spreader rapidly distributes the generated heat uniformly throughout the battery, preventing local hot spots while maintaining the necessary temperature for fast charging. The heat spreader acts as a thermal mediator that decouples the heating function from the battery components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional electrical resistance heating method with a mechanical/physical heat spreading mechanism. Instead of using electrical current to generate heat directly in the battery (which causes localized overheating), the system uses a dedicated heat spreader element that conducts and distributes heat mechanically through the battery structure, eliminating the hot spot problem.
2Temperature
If electrical current is used for resistance heating of the battery, then the battery can be heated to enable fast charging, but a complex battery management system is required to control temperature sensing and switching between heating and charging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heating function from the battery management system by introducing a separate, dedicated heat spreader element. This allows the heating process to be independently controlled and simplified, removing the need for complex temperature sensing and switching logic that would be required if heating were integrated into the existing battery management architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the battery system into distinct functional components: a dedicated heating system with heat spreader element, and the charging system. This segmentation allows each subsystem to operate independently with simplified control, avoiding the need for a complex integrated battery management system that would coordinate temperature sensing and switching between heating and charging modes.
3Loss of time
If fast charging is attempted at low temperatures, then charging time is reduced, but lithium plating occurs on the anode surface causing capacity loss and safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary heating action before initiating the fast charging process. The heat spreader element pre-heats the battery to the optimal temperature range, ensuring that when fast charging begins, the battery is already at the correct temperature to accept high current without lithium plating. This preliminary temperature preparation eliminates the harmful effects of cold-temperature fast charging.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables fast charging of batteries across various temperatures, enhancing safety and reducing charging time to under 15 minutes, while maintaining battery health and avoiding lithium plating issues.
Implementation Method 1
a heat source to provide heat that is conducted through a heat spreader element (implemented fully or partially inside said battery cell) to heat up the battery cell
Implementation Method 2
One approach to solving this issue entails introducing electrical current into the battery cell for resistance heating of the battery cell
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a rechargeable battery comprising an anode, a cathode, an electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode, a protective housing that at least partially encloses the anode, the cathode and the electrolyte, a heat-spreader element disposed at least partially inside the protective housing and configured to receive heat from an external heat source at a desired heating temperature Th to heat up the battery to a desired temperature Tc for battery charging. Preferably, the heat-spreader element does not receive an electrical current from an external circuit (e.g. battery charger) to generate heat for resistance heating of the battery. Charging the battery at Tc enables completion of the battery in less than 15 minutes, typically less than 10 minutes, and more typically less than 5 minutes without adversely impacting the battery structure and performance.