Battery MCU Integrating Sensor and Memory for Operating Condition Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power storage devices, such as lithium-ion secondary batteries, face challenges in analyzing operating conditions, preventing explosions and ignitions, and maintaining reliability, especially when detached from electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a sensor, microcontroller unit (MCU), and nonvolatile memory with oxide semiconductor elements into the power storage device to measure and store operating conditions, allowing for easy analysis and reducing the risk of explosions and ignitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If operating condition data is stored only in the electronic device's memory, then the data can be stored during operation, but the data cannot be obtained when the electronic device is broken or detached
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the memory function into the power storage device itself by integrating an MCU and memory unit directly into the battery structure. This allows the battery to independently store and retain operating condition data even when detached from the electronic device, ensuring data accessibility and preventing information loss.
2Measurement precision
If sensors and processing units are added to the power storage device, then operating condition analysis is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The MCU in the power storage device serves multiple functions: it controls charging/discharging operations, processes sensor data from the electronic device, determines operating conditions, and stores data in memory. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If nonvolatile memory with oxide semiconductor elements is used, then data retention without power is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs oxide semiconductor elements with specific physical parameters (such as low off-state current characteristics and stable electrical properties) to achieve nonvolatile memory functionality. By selecting materials with appropriate parameters, the system achieves long data retention without power while maintaining compatibility with existing semiconductor manufacturing processes, thus balancing performance improvement with manufacturing feasibility.
Data Source
AI summary
To provide a power storage device, an operation condition of which is easily analyzed. A secondary battery includes a sensor that is a measurement unit, a microcontroller unit that is a determination unit, and a memory that is a memory unit. With the sensor, conditions of the secondary battery such as the remaining battery power, the voltage, the current, and the temperature are measured. The microcontroller unit performs arithmetic processing of the measurement results and determines the operation condition of the secondary battery. Further, the microcontroller unit stores the measurement result in the memory in accordance with the operation condition of the secondary battery.