Patent ID: 8673469
Filing Date: 2014-03-18
Classification: H01M,H02J,Y02E

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for protecting a secondary battery, the apparatus consisting of: a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the secondary battery and generating a control current when the detected temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature; and a switching element for shorting an anode and a cathode of the secondary battery and forcibly discharging the secondary battery when the control current is supplied, wherein the switching element consists essentially of a thyristor having a gate, an anode and a cathode, the anode and the cathode of the thyristor for connecting to the anode and the cathode of the secondary battery respectively, wherein the temperature sensor consists essentially of a metal insulator transition (MIT) thermistor, one end of which for connecting directly to the cathode of the secondary battery, and another end of which is connected directly to the gate of the thyristor, wherein the MIT thermistor supplies a control current from the secondary battery to the gate of the thyristor when heat generated by the secondary battery at a predetermined temperature lowers a resistance value of the MIT thermistor to a predetermined resistance value wherein the thyristor shorts the anode and the cathode of the secondary battery when the control current is supplied to the gate of the thyristor.