Discharge Device having a Short-Circuiting Element, and Discharge Method

Abstract

A discharge device for discharging a plurality of battery cells having an unknown state-of charge is disclosed. The discharge device includes a contact-connection element for the electrical contact-connection of respective battery cells in the plurality of battery cells, and a short-circuiting element. The contact-connection element includes, for each individual battery cell in the plurality of battery cells, an electrical contact having a non-return device. Each of the non-return devices is configured to prevent any return flow of electricity from the respective battery cells, via the contact-connection element, into a battery cell which is assigned to the respective non-return device such that electricity is removed in a unidirectional manner from the respective battery cell. Respective electrical contacts of the contact-connection element are electrically coupled in the direction of flow of electricity, down-circuit of the respective non-return devices. The short-circuiting element is configured to short-circuit the plurality of battery cells.

Claims

1. A discharge device for discharging a plurality of battery cells having an unknown state-of-charge, comprising: a contact-connection element configured for electrical contact-connection of respective battery cells in the plurality of battery cells, and a short-circuiting element, wherein the contact-connection element comprises, for each individual battery cell in the plurality of battery cells, an electrical contact having a non-return device, wherein each of the non-return devices is configured to prevent any return flow of electricity from the respective battery cells, via the contact-connection element, into a battery cell which is assigned to the respective non-return device such that electricity is removed in a unidirectional manner from the respective battery cell, wherein respective electrical contacts of the contact-connection element are electrically coupled in the direction of flow of electricity, down-circuit of the respective non-return devices, and wherein the short-circuiting element is configured to short-circuit the plurality of battery cells.

2. The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the short-circuiting element includes a plurality of cut-outs for the feedthrough of electrical contacts of the contact-connection element.

3. The discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the respective cut-outs assume a cross-section which is smaller than a cross-section of an electric pole of a respective battery cell.

4. The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the short-circuiting element is pivotable between a first specific position relative to the contact-connection element and a second specific position relative to the contact-connection element.

5. The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein: the short-circuiting element comprises a plurality of electrical short-circuiting contacts configured for electrical coupling of the short-circuiting element with respective battery cells, and the electrical short-circuiting contacts are moveable between a first position in which the electrical short-circuiting contacts are electrically isolated from the respective battery cells and a second position in which the electrical short-circuiting contacts are electrically coupled with the respective battery cells.

6. The discharge device according to claim 5, wherein the short-circuiting element comprises an actuator, by way of which the short-circuiting element and/or the short-circuiting contacts is/are moveable between the first position and the second position.

7. The discharge device according to claim 6, further comprising a control device and a voltage sensor, wherein: the control device is configured to actuate the actuator in order to move the short-circuiting element and/or the short-circuiting contacts from the first position to the second position and short-circuit respective battery cells in the event that the voltage delivered by the battery cells undershoots a specified short-circuiting threshold value.

8. The discharge device according to claim 7, wherein the actuator is configured, firstly to move the contact-connection element into a position in which the electrical contacts of the contact-connection element are electrically isolated from the battery cells, and thereafter to move the short-circuiting element and/or the short-circuiting contacts from the first position to the second position.

9. A discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge device includes a cooling device which is thermally coupled to the short-circuiting element and/or to the battery cells in order to evacuate thermal energy generated in conjunction with a short-circuit from the discharge device.

10. The discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the short-circuiting element includes a current source by way of which electrical energy can be introduced into a current circuit which is short-circuited by way of the short-circuiting element.

11. A method for discharging a plurality of battery cells having an unknown state-of-charge, comprising: arranging the plurality of battery cells on the discharge device according to claim 1; connecting the plurality of battery cells by way of the contact-connection element, wherein (i) the contact-connection element, for each individual battery cell in the plurality of battery cells includes an electrical contact having a non-return device, (ii) the non-return device is configured to prevent any return flow of electricity which is conducted by the contact-connection element back into the respective battery cell such that electricity is unidirectionally removed from the respective battery cell, and (iii) respective electrical contacts of the contact-connection element are electrically coupled in the direction of flow of electricity, down-circuit of the respective non-return devices; and short-circuiting the plurality of battery cells by way of the short-circuiting element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Further advantages, features and details of the disclosure proceed from the following description, in which exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail with reference to the drawings. Features mentioned in the description can be essential to the disclosure, either individually per se, or in any arbitrary combination.

[0050] In the drawings:

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a potential configuration of the proposed discharge device,

[0052] FIG. 2 shows a side view of the discharge device according to FIG. 1,

[0053] FIG. 3 shows the discharge device according to FIG. 1, in a first state,

[0054] FIG. 4 shows the discharge device according to FIG. 1, in a second state,

[0055] FIG. 5 shows an overhead view of the discharge device according to FIG. 1,

[0056] FIG. 6 shows a schematic representation of a potential configuration of the proposed discharge method.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] FIG. 1 represents a discharge device 100. The discharge device 100 comprises a contact-connection element 101 having electrical contacts 103 for the electrical contact-connection of battery cells 105.

[0058] Each of the electrical contacts 103 comprises a non-return device 107, which prevents any flow of electricity from the contact-connection element 101 in the direction of the respective battery cells 105, and correspondingly dictates a unidirectional discharge, as indicated by the arrow 109.

[0059] In the present case, the non-return devices 107 are arranged between the respective battery cells 105 and electrical conductors 111 for the evacuation of electrical energy from the contact-connection element 101.

[0060] The electrical conductors 111 are electrically coupled to optional electrical interfaces 113 for the electrical coupling of the discharge device, for example, with an electrical load such as, for example, a power supply grid.

[0061] In order to prevent any heat-up of the discharge device 100 in excess of a critical value, the discharge device 100 optionally comprises a cooling element 115 such as, for example, a metal plate, around which a coolant flows and which is in thermal contact with a heat sink.

[0062] FIG. 1 further represents optional compression elements 117 in the form of mechanical springs, by way of which the battery cells 105 are compressed against the electrical contacts 103 of the contact-connection element 101, in order to constitute a reliable electrical coupling.

[0063] FIG. 1 further represents a short-circuiting element 119, by way of which the battery cells 105 are short-circuited or are short-circuitable. By way of this short-circuit, the battery cells 105 are irreversibly destroyed, and cannot be regenerated.

[0064] For the short-circuiting of battery cells, the short-circuiting element 119 can electrically couple the respective poles of battery cells 105, or can electrically couple a respective pole of the battery cells to ground, particularly to a ground constituted by a housing of the discharge device 100.

[0065] For the electrical coupling of respective battery cells 105 with a ground of the discharge device 100, the discharge device 100 comprises an optional ground point 125, to which the short-circuiting element 119 is automatically electrically coupled, when the latter is electrically coupled with the poles of the respective battery cells 105.

[0066] For the supply of an AC voltage load, the discharge device can be connected to a DC-AC converter, or can optionally comprise a DC-AC converter.

[0067] FIG. 2 represents a side view of the discharge device 100. It can clearly be seen here that the short-circuiting element 119, with its short-circuiting contacts 123, is pivotably coupled to a location device 121 of the discharge device, such that the short-circuiting element 119 is moveable in a specific trajectory between two specific end positions relative to the location device 121 and the battery cells 105 arranged therein.

[0068] FIG. 3 represents a form of embodiment of the discharge device 100, in a state in which the short-circuiting contacts 123 of the short-circuiting element 119 are spaced from respective poles of the battery cells 105, such that the battery cells 105 are not short-circuited and, for example, are discharged via the contact-connection element 101.

[0069] In the present case, a clearance between the short-circuiting contacts 123 of the short-circuiting element 119 is, for example, 10 millimeters, as indicated by arrows 127.

[0070] In FIG. 4, the short-circuiting element 119 is in electrical contact with the battery cells and with a ground point 125 of the discharge device 100, such that the battery cells 105 are short-circuited to ground. The battery cells 105 are thus rendered unusable by the short-circuiting element 119, and can be safely delivered to a further processing step such as, for example, a crusher.

[0071] FIG. 5 represents an overhead view of the discharge device 100. It can be seen here that the short-circuiting element 119 comprises a plurality of cut-outs 129 for the feedthrough of electrical contacts of the contact-connection element 101. Accordingly, the short-circuiting element 119 can be moved independently of the contact-connection element 101 on the discharge device 100, such that any removal or fitting of the short-circuiting element 119, or any exchange of the contact-connection element 101 with the short-circuiting element 119 can be omitted. Conversely, the cut-outs 129 permit the parallel or simultaneous presence of the short-circuiting element 119 and the contact-connection element 101 in or on the discharge device 100.

[0072] FIG. 6 represents a discharge method 600. The discharge method 600 comprises an arrangement step 601, in which the plurality of battery cells are arranged in accordance with a potential configuration of the proposed discharge device, a contact-connection step 603, in which the plurality of battery cells are electrically contact-connected by way of a contact-connection element of the discharge device, wherein the contact-connection element, for each individual battery cell in the plurality of battery cells, comprises an electrical contact having a non-return device, wherein the non-return device prevents any return flow of electricity which is conducted by the contact-connection element back into the respective battery cell, such that electricity is unidirectionally removed from the respective battery cell, and wherein respective electrical contacts of the contact-connection element are electrically coupled in the direction of flow of electricity, down-circuit of the respective non-return devices. The discharge method further comprises a short-circuiting step 605, wherein the plurality of battery cells are short-circuited by way of a short-circuiting element of the discharge device.