Lithium Ion/Polymer

Battery Assembly
Design and Trends
Presented by Brion Munsey
Western Regional Sales Manager

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 Overview

 Background

 Lithium Cell Types

 Safety Circuits

 Charging

 Storage

 Packaging

 Shipping/RoHs

 Qualifying Assemblers

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 Background

 Lithium is the lightest metal and has the most electrical

potential

 Lithium-ion/polymer cells are a large family of cells

 Different Anode and Cathode materials are used to achieve

different performance characteristics

 Most Lithium cells are 3.6 volts

 Cells can be engineered for specific performance

advantages

 After 25 years in the commercial market, lithium ion cells

are now the dominant technology for portable electronics.
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Energy Density Improvements and Cost
Reduction for Lithium Ion

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Lithium Ion Safety

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 Lithium Ion/Polymer Advantages

 High energy density - potential for yet higher capacities.

 Active development - significant investment into further
improvements

 Does not need prolonged priming when new. One regular charge is
all that's needed.

 Relatively low self-discharge - self-discharge is less than half that

of nickel-based batteries.

 Low Maintenance - no periodic discharge is needed; there is no

memory effect.

 Environmentally Friendly (free of metals such as mercury, lead,

and cadmium)

 Specialty cells can provide very high current to applications such as

power tools.
 Large number of mechanical cell sizes available

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 Lithium Ion/Polymer Limitations

 Requires protection circuit to maintain voltage and current

within safe limits.

 Can be subject to aging, even if not in use - storage in a cool

place at 40% charge reduces the aging effect.

 Perceived not to be as safe as other chemistries due to

small number of well publicized incidents

 Transportation regulations require cells and batteries to be

tested

 Expensive to manufacture – due to added safety and

regulatory requirements.

 Fast moving technology means that products are replaced

regularly
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 Cell Types:
 Cobalt based
 Manganese (Spinel)
 Nickel-Cobalt Manganese
 Nickel-Cobalt Aluminum
 Polymer
 Lithium Iron Phosphate

 New Developments:
 Capacity Improvements
 Lower Costs
 Hi Drain Cells
 Safer Cells

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Lithium Cobalt Oxide LiCoO2

 Voltage: 3.7/cell

 Pro:
 High Capacity

 Con:
 Moderate Drain Rate Capability
 Moderate Safety
 Moderate Life Span

 Applications:
 Cell Phones, Laptops, Cameras

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Lithium Manganese Oxide LiMn2O4

 Voltage: 3.7/cell

 Pro:
 Safe
 High Power
 Long Life

 Con:
 Lower Capacity

 Applications:
 Power Tools, EV, Medical, Hobby

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Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide

LiNiMnCoO2

 Voltage: 3.7/cell

 Lower 4.1V charge

 Pro:
 Safe
 Can be High Power
 Long Life

 Con:
 Lower Capacity

 Applications:
 Power Tools, EV, Medical, Hobby

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Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide

LiNiCoAlO2

 Voltage: 3.7/cell

 Pro:
 High Capacity
 High Power
 Long Life Span
 Con:
 Higher Cost
 Not as Safe as LiMn2O4 & LiFePO4

 Applications:
 Portable and EV
 Smart Grid

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Lithium Iron Phosphate LiFePO4

 Voltage: 3.2/cell

 Pro:
 Good Thermal Stability
 Tolerant of Abuse
 High Power
 Long Cycle/Calendar Life
 Large Format Available

 Con:
 Lower Voltage
 Lower Capacity

 Applications:
 Power Tools, EV, Medical, Hobby,
Back Up Power

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Lithium Titanate Li4Ti5O12

 Pro:
 High Power
 Fast Charge (10C) less than 10
min
 Good Low Temp Performance
 Long Cycle Life (6000)
 Con:
 Lower Cell Voltage (2.4)

 Applications:
 Buses, Grid, Forklift

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Lithium-Ion Polymer

 Voltage: 3.7/cell

 Pro:
 Flexible Packaging
 Thin Form Factors
 Low Cost
 Lightweight

 Con:
 Less Durable
 Lower Cycle Life
 Cells Swell Over Time

 Applications:
 Mobile, Medical, Military, EV

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 Typical Energy Densities of Rechargeable
Battery Chemistries

Wh/Kg
300
Lead Acid
250 NiCd
MiMh
200
Li-Phosphate
150 Li-Manganese
NMC
100
Li-Cobalt
50 NCA

Lithium-cobalt has the highest specific energy

Manganese and phosphate are superior
in terms of power and thermal stability and cycle life.

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Lithium Ion Safety

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 Safety Circuit (BMS)Features

 Overcharge Protection
 Limit the charge voltage

 Over-discharge Protection
 Designed to cut off the current path if the battery is discharged below the
manufacturer's recommended voltage

 DO NOT rely on the BMS as the primary method of disconnecting the application load
from the battery.

 Over-current Protection
 Discharge is stopped when output terminals are shorted
 Resettable on PCBA and one time device as backup

 Temperature Sensing
 Via Thermistor

 Redundancy
 Current limiting fuse is a good backup to the PCBA based protect circuit

 Thermal cut-off Disconnects the charge if the cell temperature approaches 90°C (194°F)

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 Safety Circuit (BMS) Options

 Fuel Gauge
 Voltage Based

 Coulomb Count

 Impedance Track

 Cell Balancing
 Passive (energy is drawn from the most charged cell and is wasted as heat, usually
through resistors)
 Active (energy is drawn from the most charged cell and transferred to the least
charged cells, usually through DC-DC converters)

 Communication with Host Device

 SMBus

 I²C

 CAN Bus

 Charge Control
 Eliminates the cost of a separate charger or can reduce the cost of the host device

 Generates Heat (Design for efficiency to avoid heat gradients)

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 Packaging

Embedded or Technician
Replaceable Only Battery Can be
a Soft Shrink Wrap Type Battery

User Replaceable Batteries Must

be Encased in a Protective
Hard-shell Enclosure
(Plastic or Metal)

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 21

Application Types

Cyclic
How many cycles are needed?
How much run time?
Build in reserve capacity

Standby
What calendar life is needed?
Charge at lower voltage
Build in reserve capacity

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 Charging

 Always use a CC/CV charger designed specifically for use with

your particular Li-ion or Li-Poly battery

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 Charging

 Lower charge voltage can increase cycle life at the expense of capacity

 Removing the battery from charge prior to the constant voltage phase
can also increase cycle life

Capacity at
Charge Time Capacity with Full
Charge V/Cell cut-off
(minutes) Saturation (Approx)
Voltage

3.8 60 120 65%

3.9 70 135 75%

4.0 75 150 80%

4.1 80 165 90%

4.2 85 180 100%

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 Storage

 Batteries should be stored at room temperature at about 30%

to 50% of capacity. Batteries should be charged about once
a year to prevent over discharge if not being used

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 Performance

 The life expectancy of batteries depends heavily on how the

batteries are used
 Different cell models are designed for specific benefits such
as high capacity, high power, or long cycle life

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 Large Cell Counts

• Thermal Management (Cooling)

• Fusing
• Shock and Vibration
• Propagation Testing
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 Large Cell Counts

• Thermal Management (Cooling)

• Liquid Cooling
• Phase Change Materials

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 Large Cell Counts (Fusing)

• BMS Overcurrent Trip

• Master Fuse

• Fused tabs
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 Large Cell Counts

• Propagation Testing
• Air Space
• Phase Change Materials
• Intumescent Materials
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 Shipping

The transport of Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries has become more regulated

over the past 5-10 years because of the potential of issues caused during the
shipping process. Incidents in the field have led to the creation of a special set
of Li-Ion battery shipping requirements.

All lithium-ion/polymer batteries must be tested and ship in accordance with

the rules outlined in and/or meet the requirements for shipping according to
International Dangerous Good Regulations and specifically those referred to in
the United Nations (UN) Manual of Tests and Criteria (specifically Part III,
section 38.3). U.S. Hazardous Materials Regulations 49 CFR sub section
173.185 for lithium batteries and cells also apply. These battery testing and
shipping requirements have been adopted by the following transportation
regulatory groups:

IATA (International Air Transport Association)

ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)
IMO (International Maritime Organization)
DOT (United States Department of Transportation)

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 Shipping

 Testing and Transportation Requirements

 All lithium and lithium ion/polymer cells and batteries

must pass the following UN38.3 Tests prior to being
transported:

 Test 1: Altitude Simulation

 Test 2: Extreme temperature changes
 Test 3: Vibration
 Test 4: Shock
 Test 5: External Short Circuit
 Test 6: Impact
 Test 7: Overcharge (Requirement for Single Cells w/Circuits)
 Test 8: Forced Discharge

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 Shipping

 Testing and Transportation Requirements

 16 batteries are submitted to the test lab

 8 batteries are cycled 50 times prior to test

 Lead time for test cycle is typically 6 weeks

 Cost ~$5K to $10K

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 Shipping

 Packaging, marking, and shipping documentation

requirements for shipments of lithium and lithium ion cells
and batteries

 Boxes must be marked appropriately

 Shipments must be accompanied by proper documentation

 Boxes must be able to pass drop test (must be certified)

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 Inexpensive, poorly designed, and cheaply
built batteries can be a source of trouble.

 Product and corporate reputation is compromised when

problems occur in the field

 Public safety is threatened when poorly designed and built

batteries malfunction to the point of presenting a hazard

 Product returns increase and extra demand is placed on

customer service

 Many major manufacturers including Sony, Apple, Nikon, and

Disney have had recalls on lithium rechargeable batteries due
to quality issues

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Pack Design Best Practices

 Qualified Cells:
 Avoid use of inexpensive, substandard
cells
 Is assembler certified by manufacturer?

 Safety Circuit:
 Avoid use of substandard
components on circuit (counterfeit)
 Back up with passives
 Do not use circuit as primary
source of discharge termination

 Packaging:
 Plastic enclosure best. Careful
layout in soft packs can be safe
 Soft packs should not be user
replaceable

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 Checklist to Qualify Assemblers:

 Engineering Resources?

 Quality System?

 Equipment?

 Authorized Assembler?

 Hazmat Shipper?

 References?

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 Contact Information

House of Batteries
10910 Talbert Ave.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708

714-962-7600
1-800-432-3385

www.houseofbatteries.com

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