Self-Programming Fuse for Battery Short Circuit Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Energy storage devices are rendered inoperational by short circuit failures, which existing technologies fail to address effectively, leading to reduced useful lifetime and capacity.
Innovation Solution
A series connection of a battery cell and a self-programming fuse, where the fuse is made of a metal semiconductor alloy that electromigrates and opens when the battery cell is electrically shorted, allowing for parallel expansion of energy storage capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If batteries are parallel connected to increase energy storage capacity, then the energy storage capacity and redundancy are improved, but the device becomes vulnerable to short circuit failures that render the entire device inoperational
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the energy storage device into independent series modules, each containing a battery cell and its dedicated self-programming fuse. This segmentation isolates potential failure modes, so that a short circuit in one battery cell only affects its own series module rather than the entire parallel connection, thereby maintaining device reliability while preserving energy storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The self-programming fuse acts as an intermediary component between the battery cell and the parallel connection network. It automatically detects short circuit conditions and opens the circuit to isolate the faulty battery cell, preventing the failure from propagating to other parallel-connected batteries and maintaining overall device operational status.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a battery cell is electrically shorted, then the immediate effect is detected, but the entire energy storage device becomes electrically shorted and inoperational
Solution Approach 1:
The self-programming fuse performs self-service by automatically detecting short circuit conditions through electromigration effects and autonomously opening the circuit to isolate the faulty battery cell. This self-actuating mechanism eliminates the need for external detection systems or manual intervention, quickly preventing device-wide failure while maintaining reliability.
3Reliability
If parallel connections are used to provide redundancy, then failure redundancy is improved, but short circuit in one battery still causes complete device failure
Solution Approach 1:
By organizing batteries into separate series modules with dedicated fuses, the invention segments the electrical pathways so that short circuits cannot propagate between parallel-connected batteries. This segmentation preserves the redundancy benefit of parallel connections while preventing harmful short circuit effects from spreading across the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The self-programming fuse serves as a protective intermediary that intercepts and contains short circuit effects within individual series modules. It prevents the harmful electrical propagation that would otherwise traverse the parallel connection network and cause complete device failure, thereby maintaining true redundancy.
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 self-programming fuse automatically disconnects upon electrical shorting, preventing device failure and extending the useful lifetime of energy storage devices by isolating the shorted battery cell, thus maintaining operational integrity and expanding capacity.
Implementation Method 1
Each self-programming fuse can be a strip of a metal semiconductor alloy material, which electromigrates when a battery cell is electrically shorted and causes increases in the amount of electrical current therethrough.
Data Source
AI summary
A useful lifetime of an energy storage device can be extended by providing a series connection of a battery cell and an self-programming fuse. A plurality of series connections of a battery cell and an self-programming fuse can then be connected in a parallel connection to expand the energy storage capacity of the energy storage device. Each self-programming fuse can be a strip of a metal semiconductor alloy material, which electromigrates when a battery cell is electrically shorted and causes increases in the amount of electrical current therethrough. Thus, each self-programming fuse is a self-programming circuit that opens once the battery cell within the same series connection is shorted.