Talkative Batteries: Internal Sensor Data Transmission

The green circuit board contains the electronic circuit developed by the researchers to transmit sensor data through the existing power terminals of a battery cell. The battery cell is shown in the background.
 Photo Credit: © Christina Anders, Uni Kiel

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Talkative Batteries

The Core Concept: A "talkative battery" is an intelligent energy storage system equipped with internal sensors that transmit measurement data using existing power connections. This eliminates the need for additional communication wires, allowing the battery to independently report its interior condition.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike conventional batteries that rely on exterior sensors or require separate data cables for internal monitoring, this system integrates a miniaturized electronic circuit directly inside the cell. This circuit converts analog sensor readings into digital signals that exit through the standard charging and discharging terminals.

Major Frameworks/Components:

• Internal sensors (e.g., temperature, pressure, and gas detectors) located directly within the battery cell.
• A miniaturized internal electronic circuit designed for signal conversion.
• Existing power terminals repurposed for dual use (power transmission and digital data communication).

Branch of Science: Electrical Engineering, Power Electronics, and Materials Science.

Future Application: The technology is targeted for high-performance battery systems, including electric vehicles, stationary storage for wind and solar energy, and residential battery storage networks. It also provides a tool for analyzing and improving next-generation battery materials.

Why It Matters: Internal sensors can detect dangerous heat accumulation before it becomes critical, drastically improving battery safety. Additionally, by utilizing existing components, the system reduces the cost of sensor wiring by approximately 35 percent and saves valuable space within tightly packed battery configurations.

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", which transmits sensor data from inside the cell without additional communication wiring. In the background are a battery tester (right) and a climate chamber (left), which the team used to characterize the battery cells and carry out the experiments for the study.
Photo Credit: © 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 processes. 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 of 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 toward 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.

Published in journal: Communications Engineering

Title: Talkative battery: super-safe batteries with power-modulation based internal and external sensor data collection

Authors: Johannes Diers, and Hamzeh Beiranvand

Source/Credit: Kiel University

Edited by: Scientific Frontline

Reference Number: eng070726_01

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