Patents Examined by Jenna Shulman
  • Patent number: 11387493
    Abstract: A secondary battery having an electrode assembly and an electrolyte in an exterior body. The electrode assembly includes a step structure including a first region and a second region lower than and adjacent to the first region. The electrode assembly includes at least one of a positive electrode side connecting portion that connects each of positive electrode side connecting tabs of all positive electrodes in the first region and a negative electrode side connecting portion that connects each of the negative electrode side connecting tabs of all negative electrodes in the first region. At least one of a positive electrode side extended tab of at least one of the positive electrodes and a negative electrode side extended tab of at least one of the negative electrodes in the second region are configured to be electrically connected to an external terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Kawai, Masahiro Otsuka, Yuji Mizuguchi
  • Patent number: 11387459
    Abstract: A positive electrode includes at least a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode active material layer. The positive electrode active material layer is formed on a surface of the positive electrode current collector. The positive electrode current collector includes an aluminum foil and a porous film. The porous film covers a surface of the aluminum foil. The porous film contains at least aluminum oxide. The porous film has a thickness not smaller than 10 nm and not greater than 800 nm. The porous film has a dynamic hardness not lower than 5 and not higher than 200.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Torita, Takuya Asari, Akihiro Ochiai, Yusuke Fukumoto, Naoyuki Wada
  • Patent number: 11367911
    Abstract: Disclosed is a cylindrical battery cell in which a heat-shrinkable tube wraps an outer surface of a cylindrical case of the cylindrical battery cell except electrode terminals, the heat-shrinkable tube including: a base material, which is a polyester resin, capable of shrinking by heat; a supplement, which is a nylon resin, capable of increasing a tensile strength and operating temperature of the heat-shrinkable tube; and an ultraviolet stabilizer capable of inhibiting a chain reaction of free radicals generated by cleavage of polymer chains of the nylon resin or the polyester resin, when the heat-shrinkable tube is exposed to an ultraviolet ray irradiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Inventors: Jun-Tak Kim, Je-Jun Lee, Kwang-Su Hwang Bo, Sang-Sok Jung, Gil-Young Lee
  • Patent number: 11362359
    Abstract: A redox flow battery system includes a redox flow battery that has a redox flow cell, and a supply/storage system external of the redox flow cell. The supply/storage system includes first and second electrolytes for circulation through the redox flow cell. At least the first electrolyte is an aqueous liquid electrolyte that has electrochemically active species with multiple, reversible oxidation states. There is a gas vent passage connected with the redox flow battery to receive water byproduct that evolves from side reaction of the first electrolyte. A bypass passage is connected with the supply/storage system to receive the aqueous electrolyte. An electrochemical recovery cell includes a first half-cell connected to the gas vent passage to receive as a reactant the water byproduct and a second half-cell connected to the bypass passage to receive as a reactant the first electrolyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael L. Perry, Robert Mason Darling, James D. Saraidaridis
  • Patent number: 11355773
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack has a prevention dam formed outside an alignment pin, such that a sealing material, which has viscosity and fluidity at a sealing temperature of a fuel cell, may be prevented from coming into contact with and adhering to the alignment pin, and pressure applied from the outside may be uniformly applied to the fuel cell stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Sanghyun Park, Kwangwook Choi, Sanghyeok Im, Tai Min Noh, Kwangyeon Park, Daehwan Kim
  • Patent number: 11349168
    Abstract: A battery pack, and more particularly, to a battery pack in which a label wrapping a battery cell coupled to a PCM has a thin shape, which does not have an overlapping portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.
    Inventor: Bum Jick Lee
  • Patent number: 11342604
    Abstract: A battery module includes a plurality of can-type secondary batteries; a cooling tray formed in a container shape and having an accommodation space capable of accommodating the plurality of can-type secondary batteries; a heatsink having a hollow structure in which a coolant flows, the heatsink being disposed in contact with an outer surface of the cooling tray; and a thermally conductive adhesive solution filled in the accommodation space of the cooling tray, wherein the plurality of can-type secondary batteries are arranged such that a lower portion thereof is immersed in the thermally conductive adhesive solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Inventors: Jae-Min Yoo, Dal-Mo Kang, Su-Chang Kim, Jeong-O Mun, Jae-Uk Ryu, Ji-Su Yoon
  • Patent number: 11342568
    Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle includes a fuel cell, a hydrogen tank, a driving motor, a power feeder and a controller. The controller is configured to: obtain current location information of the fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen supply position information, a fuel consumption of the fuel cell vehicle in a drive mode, a remaining amount of hydrogen stored in the hydrogen tank, and a consumed amount of hydrogen per unit time in a power feed mode; calculate an amount of hydrogen that is required for the fuel cell vehicle to drive from the current location to the supply position; calculate a power feedable time period when the fuel cell vehicle is operable in the power feed mode without causing the remaining amount of hydrogen to become less than the required amount of hydrogen, and display information with regard to the power feedable period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Umayahara, Shigeki Takaiwa, Masahiro Yamakawa, Hideshi Mizutani, Takao Ozawa, Shigeyuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11329322
    Abstract: A battery module is provided whereby loss of productivity can be minimized even when producing multiple exterior body parts for different battery module sizes. The battery module of the disclosure has an exterior body and an all-solid-state battery stack encapsulated in the exterior body. The exterior body has a tubular body and a pair of covers. The tubular body has flanges at both open ends. The flanges at both ends of the tubular body and the outer edge sections of the pair of covers are each joined forming joints, with the exterior body being sealed by the joints. The all-solid-state battery stack has one or multiple constituent unit cells. The direction of stacking of each of the layers of the constituent unit cell is in the axial direction of the tubular body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasumasa Oguma, Masatsugu Kawakami
  • Patent number: 11322790
    Abstract: A prismatic secondary battery including a battery container containing an electric storage element and having first and second wide surfaces and an opening; a lid having first and second through holes and a centerline extending along a length of the lid; a first and second flat plate-like current collector plate inserted into the first and second through holes made of metal materials. A first insertion position of the first current collector plate is spaced at a first distance from the centerline of the lid, the first distance extending in a direction parallel to a top surface of the lid from the centerline toward the first wide surface. A second insertion position of the second current collector plate is spaced at a second distance from the centerline, the second distance extending in a direction parallel to the top surface of the lid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Egawa, Yutaka Satou
  • Patent number: 11303001
    Abstract: A battery cell has an electrode assembly, including a positive electrode and a negative electrode stacked in the state in which a separator is interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, is mounted in a pouch-shaped cell case, wherein electrode tabs protruding outwards from a plurality of electrode plates are coupled to a first lead end of an electrode lead, a second lead end of the electrode lead, which is an opposite end to the first lead end, is located on the outer surface of the cell case in the state of being parallel to the direction in which the electrode plates are stacked, and a lead body provided between the first lead end and the second lead end is located to face the outermost surface of the electrode assembly in the state of being maintained parallel to the direction in which the electrode plates are stacked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Inventors: Jong-Pil Park, Geun-Chang Chung, Yo-Han Ko
  • Patent number: 11296333
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell that has a cathode and an anode and generates electricity by reducing a mediator at the cathode; a regenerator that oxidizes, with an oxidant, the mediator reduced by the cathode; a reformer; a combustor that heats the reformer; and a heating medium path that heats the regenerator, wherein through the heating medium path, combustion exhaust discharged from the combustor or a heat medium heated through heat exchange with the combustion exhaust flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoru Tamura, Marine Fayolle
  • Patent number: 11289735
    Abstract: An electrolyte composition, a method of fabricating the same, and an energy storage device with the electrolyte composition are provided. The method of fabricating an electrolyte composition has steps of: mixing a modified polyoxyethylene-based material and a siloxane-based material in a solvent to form a mixture in which a tail end of a group of the modified polyoxyethylene-based material has an amine group; and heating the mixture at a temperature ranging from 50 to 60° C. for a time ranging from 3 to 5 hours for obtaining an electrolyte composition, where the electrolyte composition is formed by bonding the amine group of the modified polyoxyethylene-based material to the siloxane-based material. The electrolyte composition enables conductive ions to conduct in an electrolyte easily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Shih-ting Hsu, Hsisheng Teng, Sheng-shu Hou, Yu-hsien Tseng, Bo-hsiung Wu, Subramani Ramesh, Thanh Binh Tran, Thi Tuyet Hanh Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11283099
    Abstract: A battery pack includes: a plurality of battery cells arranged in a line in one arrangement direction; a pair of end plates disposed at opposite ends of the plurality of battery cells in the arrangement direction; a pair of binding bars disposed on opposite sides of the plurality of battery cells in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction; and an insulator disposed in a gap between each of the binding bars and the battery cells. The insulator having an initial thickness larger than a thickness of the gap before insertion of the insulator into the gap in a compressed state. The end plates sandwich the battery cells therebetween in the arrangement direction, and the binding bars sandwich the battery cells therebetween in the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tsuneyuki Ejima
  • Patent number: 11283082
    Abstract: The present invention provides a gas diffusion electrode including a microporous layer, characterized in that the microporous layer includes at least a first microporous layer and a second microporous layer, wherein the first microporous layer contains a first hydrophobic polymer and is located on the outermost surface on one side of the microporous layer; wherein the second microporous layer contains a second hydrophobic polymer and is located on the outermost surface of the microporous layer on the side opposite to the first microporous layer, and is located on an outermost surface of the gas diffusion electrode; and wherein the first hydrophobic polymer is a resin having a melting point lower than the melting point of the second hydrophobic polymer. The present invention provides a gas diffusion electrode for a fuel cell, in which both high performance and durability are achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Masaru Hashimoto, Michio Wakatabe, Sho Kato
  • Patent number: 11258144
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a battery cell including an electrode assembly having a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed therebetween, a battery case including an upper case and a lower case, corresponding portions of outer edges of the upper case and the lower case being thermally fused to one another in a state in which the electrode assembly is received in a reception unit formed by the upper case and the lower case such that the battery case has a sealed portion extending around the reception unit, an electrode lead electrically connected to the electrode assembly, the electrode lead protruding outwards from the battery case through the sealed portion in the state in which insulative films are attached to opposite surfaces of the electrode lead at the sealed portion, and a shape retention member interposed between the outer edges of the upper case and the lower case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Inventors: Tai Joon Seo, Woo Yong Lee
  • Patent number: 11233287
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a modular lithium-ion battery system that can be scaled vertically and horizontally. A plurality of cell modules can combined to form stacks and layers. Each cell module has a cell body housing a plurality of battery cells. Each cell module has a positive fuse plate and a negative fuse plate connected to opposing sides of the plurality of battery cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: The United States of America, as Represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Christopher D Hacker, Tyler James Wagler, Zachary P. Steffes
  • Patent number: 11211640
    Abstract: Electrolysis of an aqueous electrolyte solution on a surface of an anode is suppressed when an aqueous lithium ion secondary battery is charged/discharged. In an aqueous electrolyte solution that is used for an aqueous lithium ion secondary battery, at least one metal cation selected from an aluminum ion, a titanium ion, a manganese ion, a zinc ion, a gallium ion, a yttrium ion, a zirconium ion, an indium ion, a lanthanum ion, a cerium ion, a neodymium ion, and a hafnium ion is contained so that its content is more than 0 mol and no more than 0.01 mol per kilogram of the aqueous electrolyte solution, in addition to a lithium ion and at least one imide based anion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroshi Suyama
  • Patent number: 11211631
    Abstract: A fuel cell system that can prevent impurities from intensively collecting near inlets of fuel cells. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack formed by stacking fuel cells, each fuel cell having a power generation portion, a stack manifold with a fuel gas inlet communication hole disposed at an end of the fuel cell stack in the stacking direction of the fuel cells, a mixed gas supply channel communicating with the fuel gas inlet communication hole for supplying a mixed gas of a fuel gas and fuel off-gas to the fuel cell stack, a stirring mixer for swirling the mixed gas provided in the mixed gas supply channel, and a guide rib provided on the inner wall of the fuel gas inlet communication hole of the stack manifold, on the side opposite to the side of the power generation portions of the fuel cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuji Kurita, Yushi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11196035
    Abstract: An anode of the lithium ion battery is provided. The anode of the lithium ion battery comprises a nanoporous copper substrate and a copper oxide nanosheet array. The copper oxide nanosheet array is disposed on one surface of the nanoporous copper substrate, and the nanoporous copper substrate is chemically bonded to the copper oxide nanosheet array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignees: Tsinghua University, HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuan-Feng Liu, Ze-Cheng Hou, Lu Chen, Lin Zhu, Wen-Zhen Li