Talkative batteries: Researchers develop a new communication system
In the future, batteries could provide information about their own condition, making them cheaper and safer
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In the future, batteries may be able to "tell" us when something changes inside them – for example, when temperatures rise or gases begin to form. A research team at Kiel University has developed a new communication principle that makes this possible. The system does not require additional data cables and could make battery management systems simpler, more cost-effective and, in the long term, safer.
Dr. Hamzeh Beiranvand (left) holds the battery cell, while Johannes Diers (right) presents the custom-developed electronic circuit. Together, they demonstrate the prototype of a "talkative battery".
Christina Anders, Uni Kiel
A battery that "talks" does not use words – it communicates through data. Researchers at Kiel University have demonstrated how sensors inside a battery cell can transmit measurement data to the outside without the need for additional communication wires. Instead, the system uses the existing power connections as well as the electronics that already control the battery's charging and discharging process. The team therefore refers to it as a "talkative battery" – a battery that can communicate information from its interior on its own. Dr. Hamzeh Beiranvand from the Chair of Power Electronics recently presented the concept in the journal Communications Engineering.
Sensors inside the battery instead of only on the surface
Modern batteries, such as those used in electric vehicles or stationary energy storage systems, consist of many individual cells. Today, temperature sensors are typically placed only on the outside of these cells. The challenge is that dangerous heat often develops first inside a battery cell, where it initially remains undetected. While sensors can in principle be placed inside the cell, they currently require additional electronics and data cables that occupy valuable space within the tightly packed battery.
The new approach is designed to overcome this limitation. The researchers integrated a small electronic circuit directly into the battery cell. It requires very little space and converts the temperature sensor's readings into a digital signal. This signal then leaves the battery through the same terminals already used for charging and discharging. No additional communication wiring is required.
"Our work is a first step towards intelligent batteries that continuously monitor and report their own condition," says Beiranvand. "This could make battery systems both safer and more economical." Another advantage is that the new communication principle makes double use of components that are already present. Based on an initial cost assessment by the team, the system could reduce costs by around 35 percent compared with conventional solutions that rely on separate sensor wiring.
According to the researchers, the electronic circuit could be miniaturized even further in the future or integrated directly into new battery materials. Because the sensors measure processes inside the battery cell itself, they could also help researchers better understand and systematically improve next- generation battery materials.
"In principle, the concept is not limited to temperature sensors," says Johannes Diers, a doctoral researcher in the Chair of Power Electronics and first author of the study. "Pressure, gas or other types of sensors could also transmit information from inside the battery in exactly the same way."
In the long term, the researchers envision applications wherever high- performance battery systems are used – from electric vehicles and stationary storage for wind and solar energy to residential battery storage systems.
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Topic World Battery Technology
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Topic World Battery Technology
The topic world Battery Technology combines relevant knowledge in a unique way. Here you will find everything about suppliers and their products, webinars, white papers, catalogs and brochures.