Battery Self-Warming Using Pulsed Short Circuits in Extreme Cold
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery-powered devices, such as video doorbells, experience performance degradation in extreme temperatures, particularly low temperatures, leading to diminished battery capacity and inability to recharge, which hinders their functionality in outdoor environments.
Innovation Solution
A system that rapidly warms the batteries in battery-operated devices using a power discharge circuit that forms a temporary short circuit between the positive and negative electrodes, generating heat to raise the battery temperature quickly, and a temperature sensor to monitor and control the heating process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a temporary short circuit is formed between battery electrodes to rapidly warm the battery, then the battery temperature increases quickly, but the risk of fuse activation and battery damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic pulsed short circuits instead of continuous short circuiting. The controller activates the short circuit for brief intervals (e.g., 0.5-2 seconds) followed by rest periods, allowing the battery to warm up gradually while preventing excessive heat accumulation that would trigger the fuse or damage the battery. This periodic action resolves the contradiction by providing rapid warming capability while maintaining safety through controlled duty cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses temperature sensors to continuously monitor battery temperature and feeds this information back to the controller. Based on the feedback, the controller dynamically adjusts the short circuit activation duration and frequency, stopping the short circuit when the battery reaches the target temperature range. This feedback mechanism prevents overheating and fuse activation while ensuring rapid warming, thus resolving the safety-temperature contradiction.
2Loss of time
If the battery is warmed using a power discharge circuit, then the operational capacity is restored quickly, but energy is consumed during the warming process
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the battery's own stored energy to warm itself through internal resistance heating during the short circuit periods, rather than requiring an external power source. The battery discharges through its internal resistance, converting chemical energy directly into thermal energy within the battery cells. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate heating elements and minimizes additional energy consumption, resolving the contradiction between rapid warming and energy efficiency.
3Speed
If the short circuit duration is increased to warm the battery faster, then the warming speed increases, but the fuse may activate and prevent further operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic pulsed short circuits with optimized duty cycles that balance warming speed and fuse safety. By activating the short circuit in controlled pulses (e.g., 0.5-2 seconds on, several seconds off), the system achieves rapid warming through cumulative heating effect while allowing the fuse to cool down between pulses, preventing activation. This periodic approach resolves the contradiction between warming speed and operational continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller dynamically adjusts the short circuit pulse duration and frequency based on real-time battery temperature feedback. As the battery warms up, the system automatically reduces the pulse duration or increases the rest periods, adapting the warming rate to the current thermal state. This dynamic control ensures maximum warming speed at each temperature stage while maintaining a safe margin below the fuse activation threshold, resolving the speed-operability contradiction.
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
The system effectively warms the batteries within seconds, restoring their operational capacity and enabling devices to function even in extreme cold, such as -30°C, ensuring continuous operation and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
A power discharge circuit (or heating element) may be used to heat the battery's core directly and internally by forming a temporary (or pulsed) short circuit between a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the battery
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for warming one or more batteries in a battery-operated device, such as a video doorbell. The battery's core may be internally heated by periodically forming a temporary short circuit between a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the battery. Such heating may warm the battery to a minimum operational temperature within seconds, so that the video doorbell is able to use its camera shortly after a motion is detected.