Provided are a voltage sensing circuit, including a first sub-sensing circuit including a light emitting device, and electrically connected in parallel to a battery, and a second sub-sensing circuit including a light receiving device optically coupled to the light emitting device, and electrically isolated from the first sub-sensing circuit. The light emitting device is for generating an optical signal in response to a voltage across the light emitting device. The second sub-sensing circuit is for outputting a voltage sensing signal indicating a level of voltage across the battery in response to the optical signal. When the voltage across the battery is equal to a first reference voltage indicating an overvoltage state of the battery, a second reference voltage which is lower than the first reference voltage is applied across the light emitting device. The second reference voltage is lower than a threshold voltage of the light emitting device.

A vehicle includes a battery that is mounted as a power source in the vehicle and an instrument panel that displays, to a user of the vehicle, an index (a capacity retention ratio Q or an electric vehicle (EV) travelable distance) indicating a larger value as deterioration of the battery progresses less. The instrument panel displays a maximum value of the index until a predetermined condition has been satisfied.

A battery pack includes a battery cell and a casing configured to receive the battery cell. The casing has a vent configured to allow gas generated in the battery cell to be discharged therethrough, and a sound generator installed in the vent so as to block the vent hole. The sound generator is configured to allow the gas to pass therethrough, and generate a sound by the flow of the gas when the gas is discharged from the casing through the vent hole.

Systems and methods for monitoring the health of a vehicle battery are described, in which an example vehicle includes a vehicle battery, one or more vehicle battery sensors, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine a battery health metric of the vehicle battery, wherein the battery health metric is based on a battery service time, a battery state of charge, and a battery temperature. The processor is also configured to perform a battery refresh operation on the vehicle battery responsive to determining that the battery health metric is above a refresh threshold. And the processor is further configured to activate a vehicle alert responsive to determining that the battery health metric is above an end-of-life threshold.

Methods and systems are provided for cloud processing data streamed from a vehicle and a home (e.g., any location) associated with a user account. One method includes receiving a data stream from the vehicle entity, where the data stream from the vehicle entity includes metadata from one or more data producing objects of the vehicle entity. And, receiving a data stream from the home entity, where the data stream from the home entity includes metadata from one or more data producing objects of the home entity. The method includes accessing action conditions associated with a user account. The action conditions identify a position where at least one or more states of the metadata from each of the home entity and the vehicle entity intersect. And, each action condition identifies a type or types of control information to be processed. The method includes processing the received metadata from the vehicle entity and the home entity. The processing identifies metadata of the home entity and the vehicle entity that includes an intersection of said at least one or more states of said respective metadata of the home entity and the vehicle entity. The intersection is indicative that a specific action condition being satisfied. The method includes sending, in response to the specific action condition being satisfied, control information to the user account. The logic associated with the user account determines when the control information is sent to the vehicle entity or the home entity for surfacing information or making a setting regarding the satisfied specific action condition. Intersections can also be identified with user devices that may be associated with the user account.

The present disclosure provides an energy storage system comprising a plurality of input ports connectable to receive electrical power from one or more energy sources, a plurality of output ports connectable to deliver electrical power to one or more loads, a plurality of battery modules, a switching matrix connected between the plurality of battery modules and the plurality of inputs, and between the plurality of battery modules and the plurality of outputs, the switching matrix configured to selectively connect each battery module to any number of the plurality of input ports or any number of the plurality of output ports, each input port to any number of battery modules, and each output port to any number of battery modules, and a main battery management controller operably coupled to the switching matrix for controlling connections between each battery module and any number of the plurality of input ports or any number of the plurality of output ports.

A portable electronic device may include a battery assembly and a battery swell detection unit in proximity to the battery assembly. The battery swell detection unit may include an electrode, a dome made of an electrically conductive material positioned between the battery assembly and the electrode, a processor, and memory having programmed instructions that cause the processor, when executed, to detect battery swelling based on a depression of the dome.

One embodiment provides a method, including: monitoring, using a battery management unit, a condition of one or more cells within a block of a battery, wherein the monitoring comprises capturing, using a camera associated with the battery management unit, an image of an exterior of the one or more cells; determining, using a processor, that the condition of at least one of the one or more cells has fallen below a predetermined threshold, wherein the determining comprises identifying that the exterior of the at least one of the one or more cells has undergone a color change event; and providing, responsive to the determining, a notification. Other aspects are described and claimed.

An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a secondary battery in which deterioration of charge-discharge cycle characteristics is suppressed, to suppress generation of defects caused by expansion and contraction of an active material in a negative electrode, or to prevent deterioration caused by deformation of a secondary battery. To prevent deterioration, a material that can be alloyed with lithium and fluidified easily is used for a negative electrode. To hold a negative electrode active material over a surface of a current collector, a covering layer that covers the negative electrode active material is provided. Furthermore, a portion where the current collector and the negative electrode active material are in contact with each other is alloyed. In other words, an alloy that is in contact with both the current collector and the negative electrode active material is provided in the negative electrode.

An HMD includes first and second batteries mounted therein, and includes a plurality of power receivers that receive power from the first and second batteries by wireless transmission, a power supply manager that monitors states of the first and second batteries, a communication interface that performs wireless communication with the first and second batteries, and a plurality of limiters that limit the power received by the plurality of power receivers. A controller causes the limiters to limit power, which is supplied to a load, according to a power use state of the load in the device, and the power supply manager acquires information of remaining power storage amounts of the first and second batteries through the communication interface and displays the acquired information on a display. Therefore, since it is possible to supply power required for driving the device while wearing the HMD, the HMD can be continuously used.