Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/54—Reclaiming serviceable parts of waste accumulators
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
  • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
  • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
  • B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
  • B07C5/344—Sorting according to other particular properties according to electric or electromagnetic properties
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
  • G01R31/36—Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
  • G01R31/385—Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
  • H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
  • H01M10/42—Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells
  • H01M10/4221—Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells with battery type recognition
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
  • G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
  • G01R31/36—Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
  • G01R31/389—Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
  • Y02E60/10—Energy storage using batteries
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
  • Y02W30/84—Recycling of batteries or fuel cells

Definitions

• a method and device for sorting batteries are provided.
• the invention relates to a method for sorting batteries based on their composition, comprising the determination of at least one property characteristic of the composition of a battery, and the subsequent separation of batteries on the basis of the at least one property.
• the invention further relates to a device for implementing the method. Such method, as well as devices for the implementation thereof, are generally known.
• Used batteries constitute an ever increasing threat to the environment.
• the substances present in the batteries are often harmful and cannot simply be dumped. Recycling or removing such substances is often basically possible but in practice runs up against great problems, since different battery types contain a great diversity of substances. Recovering certain substances is feasible only if such substances are well capable of being separated. For this purpose, it is required to effectively sort batteries prior to the recovering process.
• WO 92/17791 discloses a method and device for sorting used batteries, with the batteries first being mechanically sorted on the basis of shape and size, and subsequently being sorted on the basis of their chemical composition. In WO 92/17791, it is proposed to determine the chemical composition by conducting the battery through a coil and using the resulting distribution of the ferromagnetic mass as a separation criterion.
• GB 2 130 735 [Reference 3] discloses an apparatus in which a capacitor is discharged through a battery in order to determine its internal resistance.
• this prior art apparatus is designed to test batteries in use, i.e. batteries in operating conditions, not discarded used batteries.
• the object of the invention is to eliminate the above and other drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide a method which makes it possible to separate various battery types in an effective manner, i.e., with a very small error probability, and thus to sort them.
• a specific object of the invention is to provide a method which makes it possible to effectively separate rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries, particularly nickel-cadmium batteries and other batteries.
• a method of the type referred to in the preamble is characterised, according to the invention, in that said at least one property comprises the internal electrical resistance, measured by applying to the battery at least a first and a second pulse and measuring the resulting current through the battery, said first and second pulse having opposite polarities.
• An electrical property may be determined by applying to the battery a varying voltage and measuring the resulting current through the battery.
• a very useful property is obtained, namely, the (dynamic) internal resistance of the battery.
• Such a varying voltage may be an AC voltage, but preferably the varying voltage is formed by one or several pulses. Thereby it is avoided that, by applying a large series of pulses (as in the event of an AC voltage), the battery is heated, as a result of which the electric properties of the battery might be affected.
• a first pulse and a second pulse which pulses have an opposite polarity.
• two pulses with an opposite polarity a very effective determination of the battery type may be obtained, since the (dynamic) internal resistance of some battery types turns out to depend on the direction of the current.
• a pulse is advantageously generated by discharging a capacitor.
• a pulse may be generated with a relatively high current intensity during a brief period of time.
• the high current intensity provides a reliable determination of the (dynamic) internal resistance, while the short duration prevents overload of the battery.
• GB 2 130 735 [Reference 3] teaches away from the present invention in that said reference discloses a polarity detector capable of de-activating the means for discharging the capacitor in response to reverse connection of the battery to be tested in the apparatus. That is, according to the above-mentioned reference a battery to be tested should not be supplied a pulse in reverse direction.
• the present invention is based on the insight that two (or more) pulses having different polarities, i.e. different directions, yield highly useful test results.
• the invention further provides a device for implementing the inventive method.
• Fig. 1 schematically shows a circuit for implementing the method according to the invention.
• Fig. 2 schematically shows measurement results obtained with the help of the circuit of Fig. 1.
• Fig. 3 schematically shows a device for determining supplementary properties of batteries.
• the circuit 1 for executing the method according to the invention shown by way of example in Fig. 1 comprises a capacitor 2, a voltage source 3, a first switch 4, a second switch 5, a resistor 6, a measuring instrument 7, and contacts 8 and 9. Between the contacts 8 and 9, there is mounted a battery 10 with a battery contact (positive terminal) 11.
• both switches 4 and 5 are opened.
• the second switch 5 is closed, the capacitor 2 is charged from the voltage source 3.
• the switch 5 is opened and the circuit is operational.
• the capacitor 2 discharges by way of the switch 4, the first contact 8, the battery 10, the second contact 9, and the resistor 6, and in this circuit there will start to run a current which depends on electric properties of the battery 10.
• said current discharge current
• the measuring instrument 7 may, e.g., be a voltmeter or an oscilloscope, but also a digital signal-processing device.
• the voltage gradient measured by the measuring instrument 7 is therefore indicative of electric properties of the battery 10.
• the gradient of said so-called discharge voltage is shown in Fig. 2.
• the exact duration and amplitude of the discharge voltages will depend on the value of the capacitor 2 and the resistor 6, and on the (dynamic) internal resistance of the battery 10. Suitable values of the capacitor 2 and of the resistor 6 are 1000 ⁇ F and 0.1 ⁇ , respectively, but other values are also possible, of course.
• the voltage of the voltage source 3 may, e.g., be 15 V.
• a pulse As a function of the way in which the batteries are connected (i.e., the polarity of the pulse).
• Fig. 2 A the voltage gradient is shown for a nickel-cadmium battery.
• the switch 4 is closed and the battery 10 is connected in the manner shown in Fig. 1, i.e., with the positive terminal ( 1 1 in Fig. 1 ) to the first (positive) contact 8.
• the first switch 4 is closed once again, after the polarity of the battery 10 has first been reversed and after the capacitor 2, by means of (temporarily) closing the second switch 5, has been charged once again. Reversing the polarity of the battery may take place in the diagram of Fig. 1 by removing the battery 10 and remounting it between the contacts 8 and 9, but this time with the positive terminal 11 against the contact 9.
• the capacitor 2 is discharged once again and the discharge current runs through the battery 10 in the opposite direction.
• the principle of the invention now lies in the fact that different battery types, particularly after reversing their polarity, show different discharge currents and therefore show a different (dynamic) internal resistance.
• the discharge current, and therefore the discharge voltage measured in the measuring instrument 7, from the point in time t2 onwards runs in the opposite direction (case II), substantially the same as after the point in time tl in the original direction (case I). In both cases, the discharge voltages measured amount to (approximately) V v In Fig.
• the discharge voltage in case II is considerably lower than in case I, and may even be substantially equal to zero.
• the lithium battery turns out to operate as a diode, at any rate for pulses.
• the discharge voltage in case II (V 2 )
• a resistor may be included to limit the charge current of the capacitor.
• the contacts 8 and 9 are preferably constructed in pointed shape in order to obtain a low contact resistance.
• differences may occur in amplitude, i.e., the values V 1 (which are indicative of the internal resistance of the batteries) may differ between the battery types.
• Such differences may also be applied as a property, preferably in combination with the differences in the internal resistance described above, which depend on the direction of the current.
• the residual voltage of the battery may also be applied as a supplementary electric property, i.e., the terminal voltage of the battery which may be measured by connecting the terminals of the battery to a measuring instrument. This residual voltage is preferably measured before the internal resistance is determined, in order to prevent mutual influencing.
• a combination of electric properties may therefore be advantageously used to sort batteries on the basis of their composition.
• the means shown in Fig. 3, by way of example, for carrying out a supplementary sorting step (prior or post-selection) on the basis of visual properties comprise an inclined plane 12, a first conveyor belt 13, a second conveyor belt 14, a light source 15 and an optical sensor 16, which is connected to a processing device (computer) 17.
• a battery 10 rolls down along the inclined plane 12, while a next battery 10' is supplied by the first conveyor belt 13.
• the arrows indicate the direction of movement of the batteries.
• the centre lines of the light source 15 and the sensor 16 are indicated by dotted lines.
• the optical sensor 16 may comprise one or more optical detectors (e.g., light-sensitive cells) provided with a colour filter for selectively observing colours of the battery.
• the light source 15 and the sensor 16 are positioned in such a manner that light originating from the light source may reach the sensor 16 by way of the battery 10 (as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3). In the event that sufficient ambient light is available and no specific requirements are imposed on the colour of the light, the light source 15 may be omitted.
• the sensor 16 is preferably constructed and mounted with respect to the rolling batteries in such a manner that at least once the entire circumference of a battery may be observed by the sensor 16.
• the optical sensor 16 may comprise a CCD, so that in processing device 17 an analysis on shape and/or colour may be carried out (image recognition).
• a data file with colour and/or shape properties of batteries may advantageously be composed, preferably in a self-learning system. If necessary, an image analysis may also be carried out completely independently from the determination of electric properties, so that batteries are sorted exclusively on the basis of their shape, if necessary supplemented by their colour.
• a device for implementing the method according to the invention comprises means for contacting batteries, means for applying test pulses, means for processing responses, as well as mechanical means for separating batteries.
• such device also comprises means (known per se) for carrying out a mechanical preselection, such as a sieve having openings with various diameters.
• a device may carry out, e.g., the following process steps: 1. determining a supplementary property, such as the size of the battery, with the help of, e.g., grids (known per se) having openings with various diameters, or the colour of the battery with the help of a light source and an optical sensor;

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Electrochemistry (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Secondary Cells (AREA)
• Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
• Testing Of Coins (AREA)
• Fixed Capacitors And Capacitor Manufacturing Machines (AREA)
• Primary Cells (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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ID=19760998

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (11)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (4)

• 1995
  • 1995-05-08 NL NL1000317A patent/NL1000317C2/nl not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1996
  • 1996-05-08 EP EP19960919723 patent/EP0825905A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-05-08 AU AU58162/96A patent/AU5816296A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-05-08 CA CA 2220364 patent/CA2220364A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-05-08 WO PCT/EP1996/001940 patent/WO1996035522A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
• 1997
  • 1997-11-07 NO NO975123A patent/NO975123L/no unknown

Patent Citations (4)

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