As lithium-ion batteries become smaller and therefore more power-dense, to fit inside compact domestic products, manufacturers are using cooling technology to ensure battery safety.
However, this adds to the overall cost of manufacture. And this, ultimately, must be met by consumers who have become used to paying more for products containing them. For manufacturers, developing more efficient battery technology could bring significant benefits and give their products a competitive edge.
Cooling technologies
With li-ion batteries being used more widely across domestic appliances, effective battery cooling techniques are needed to improve product performance, lifespan, and reduce overall costs. But what role could emerging cooling technologies play in making li-ion batteries more efficient?
There is no doubt that li-ion battery usage is set to increase. Take EVs as an example. Last year the UK market grew by 21.4% year on year, reaching a record number of EV sales. Li-ion battery packs are also being used more frequently in domestic products. These include laptops, mobiles, power tools, and smart home devices. However, there are safety risks associated with li-ion batteries. Thermal runaway, a condition where the battery overheats uncontrollably for example, can cause the battery to expand or explode. For batteries contained in a power tool, this could cause it to overheat and stop working, however, the consequences of thermal runaway in an EV could be life-threatening.
Innovation
There is a real opportunity for innovators to develop improved cooling technologies. If cooling technology across domestic products can improve, then li-ion batteries will become more cost-effective and bring benefits for OEMs. There are challenges to innovation, such as R&D costs and overall market saturation. However, the advantages such as improved charging capability, improved battery life, and reduced carbon footprint, could help manufacturers to develop products with greater commercial appeal and ultimately boost sales.
Unique battery cooling systems are already emerging and recent patent filing activity suggests that innovators are focused on optimising the technology even further in view of evolving product designs and consumer demands. The battery type and its end use will naturally dictate the cooling technology used, but there is plenty of flexibility for development and many directions for R&D teams to explore. For example, air cooling and liquid cooling technologies tend to be in products such as laptops or desktop computers, and heat-spreading materials are in smaller devices like mobile phones and smart watches. For EVs, phase change materials offer advanced thermal management and improved battery performance and safety.
Leaders in the field are already filing patents to address battery cooling concerns. Tesla Motor Inc, for example, have filed a patent [US20140178722] for a system that uses both fans and liquid coolant to manage the temperature of battery packs in domestic appliances, ensuring efficient heat dissipation and enhanced performance. Innovative material use, for example using thin layers of graphene to dissipate heat, is another area of innovation that is ripe for exploration. Tesla’s patent has already shown how a battery management system can use advanced materials and circulate liquid coolant to withdraw heat.
Purpose-built design
Innovators could also explore purpose-built designs. If a product needs to be certain size or shape, this could limit the technology available. In these situations, OEMs may be seeking a design that doesn’t impact performance. A patent filed by Kelvin Thermal Technologies Inc. [US20240369306A1] describes a thermal management plane specifically designed for use in various electronic devices. The system uses a combination of a hermetically sealed copper casing and a wicking structure. This efficiently dissipates the heat generated by electronic components. The design ensures optimal thermal management. This enhances the safety and performance of the devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and wearables.
To become a key player in this market, it’s essential that innovators protect new cooling methods and arrangements with an effective intellectual property (IP) strategy at the outset. Without this type of protection, innovative ideas could be copied by reverse engineers who could bring their own competitor products to market. To stop competitors from copying their proprietary technology, innovators can enforce their intellectual property rights – including patents, design registrations, and utilities models – in court if needed.
OEMs
OEMs investing in innovation need to know what other manufacturers are doing in the battery cooling technology space. As it is a crowded market, they should be aware of any existing IP prior to investing in their own R&D initiatives and IP landscaping could also help them to identify gaps in the market that they could aim to exploit in the future.
Another benefit of IP awareness in such a crowded technology space is that it could bring opportunities to collaborate with industry partners. Such collaborations could bring opportunities to improve operational efficiency, for example through supply chain improvements. Collaborating on R&D programmes could help businesses to accelerate the introduction of ground-breaking solutions. In turn, enabling them to sell or license the patented technology to others.
By design
In a fast-developing market, the commercial scope for battery cooling technology is huge. OEMs investing in the development of hybrid cooling systems and purpose-built technologies now could reap the rewards of owning a market-leading product that is cost-efficient and safer by design.
Dr Joanna Thurston, partner, and Ozgur Aydin, junior associate, are both patent attorneys specialising in battery technologies at European intellectual property firm, Withers & Rogers.
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