Patents Examined by Jonathan G Leong
  • Patent number: 10333164
    Abstract: Methods and systems for removing impurities from electrolyte solutions having three or more valence states. In some embodiments, a method includes electrochemically reducing an electrolyte solution to lower its valence state to a level that causes impurities to precipitate out of the electrolyte solution and then filtering the precipitate(s) out of the electrolyte solution. In embodiments in which the electrolyte solution is desired to be at a valence state higher than the precipitation valence state, a method of the disclosure includes oxidizing the purified electrolyte solution to the target valence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Vionx Energy Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph T. Sullivan
  • Patent number: 10326139
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell includes an anode configured to produce multivalent cations during a discharge process, and a cathode comprising a catechol-bearing melanin. The cathode is configured to reversibly oxidize a catechol of the catechol-bearing melanin into a quinone by an extraction of the multivalent cation during a recharge process and reduce the quinone to the catechol by an insertion of the multivalent cation during the discharge process. The electrochemical cell includes an aqueous electrolyte solution in which the anode and the cathode are disposed, wherein the aqueous electrolyte solution is configured to transport the multivalent cations between the anode and the cathode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
    Inventors: Young Jo Kim, Jay F. Whitacre, Christopher J. Bettinger
  • Patent number: 10319953
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a battery cell configured to have a structure in which a stacked structure including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode is mounted in a receiving part of a battery case, one or more holes are formed from the battery case to the positive electrode or the negative electrode of the electrode assembly, and a transparent window is formed in a portion of the battery case corresponding to the holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jung Woo Yoo, Je Young Kim, Geun Chang Chung
  • Patent number: 10297846
    Abstract: An operation control method of a fuel cell system is provided that increases the output of a fuel cell stack by detecting and overcoming the cause of a performance limit when the stack reaches the performance limit during high-altitude operation of a fuel cell vehicle, thereby achieving higher stack performance and vehicle power performance. The method includes determining whether an operation state of the stack corresponds to a predetermined condition in which a stack output limit occurs by determining current operation state information of the stack. Additionally, operating pressure of an air pole is adjusted by changing an opening degree of an air pressure adjusting valve to a control command value based on the operation state of the stack when the operation state corresponds to the predetermined condition in which the stack output limit occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Hyo Jin Park, Bon Yong Koo, Sang Soo Eun, Ki Chang Kim, Seong Cheol Jeong
  • Patent number: 10297824
    Abstract: Provided is a positive electrode active material which is useful for a lithium secondary battery having a battery resistance lower than that of the conventional positive electrode active material below freezing point. The positive electrode active material for a lithium secondary battery contains at least one element selected from a group consisting of nickel, cobalt and manganese, the positive electrode active material having a layered structure and satisfying all of the following requirements (1) to (3): (1) a primary particle size is 0.1 ?m to 1 ?m and a secondary particle size is 1 ?m to 10 ?m; (2) in an X-ray powder diffraction measurement using CuK? radiation, a crystallite size in the peak within 2?=18.7±1° is 100 ? to 1200 ? and a crystallite size in the peak within 2?=44.6±1° is 100 ? to 700 ?; and (3) in a pore distribution obtained by a mercury intrusion method, a pore peak exists in a range where the pore size is 10 nm to 200 nm and a pore volume in the said range is 0.01 cm3/g to 0.05 cm3/g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignees: Tanaka Chemical Corporation, Sumitomo Chemical Company, Limited
    Inventors: Yasutaka Iida, Daisuke Yamashita, Takaaki Masukawa, Hiroyuki Ito, Hiroyuki Kurita, Kenji Takamori, Yuichiro Imanari
  • Patent number: 10297859
    Abstract: An all-solid-state secondary battery includes a positive electrode active substance layer; a negative electrode active substance layer; and an inorganic solid electrolyte layer, in which at least one of the positive electrode active substance layer, the negative electrode active substance layer, or the inorganic solid electrolyte layer contains an inorganic solid electrolyte having conductivity of ions of metal belonging to Group 1 or 2 of the periodic table and a cellulose polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Mochizuki, Tomonori Mimura, Masaomi Makino, Katsuhiko Meguro
  • Patent number: 10294245
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a compound of general Formula (1) which can be used as an electrode material, an electrode comprising said compound, and a battery cell comprising at least one of said electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie
    Inventors: Maximilian Fichtner, Zhirong Zhao-Karger, Ping Gao, Zhi Chen, Mario Ruben
  • Patent number: 10290891
    Abstract: Metal-halogen flow battery cell, stack, system, and method, the stack including flow battery cells that each include an impermeable first electrode, an insert disposed on the first electrode and comprising sloped channels, a cell frame disposed around the insert and including a cell inlet manifold configured to provide a metal halide electrolyte and an opposing cell outlet manifold configured to receive the electrolyte, a porous second electrode disposed on the insert, such that sloped separation zones are formed between the second electrode and the channels, conductive connectors electrically connecting the first and second electrodes, and ribs disposed on the second electrode and extending substantially parallel to the channels of the insert. A depth of the channels increases as proximity to the cell outlet manifold increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: PRIMUS POWER CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul Kreiner, Simo Alberti, Kyle Haynes, Timothy Bekkedahl, Andrew Choi, Tom Stepien
  • Patent number: 10290842
    Abstract: During joining, while the inversion plate is inserted in a recessed portion of the connecting member and an opening of the recessed portion faces upward in a vertical direction, a boundary at which an inner wall surface of the recessed portion faces an outer side surface of the inversion plate is continuously radiated with a laser beam from above by one round or more. The inner wall surface in a circular shape of the connecting member is an inclined surface inclined further apart from the outer side surface of the inversion plate as the inclined surface is located closer to the laser beam radiation side, and the inclined surface satisfies w/(h·D)?0.002 (w: a length of the inclined surface in a radial direction, h: a height of the inclined surface, D: a diameter of the inclined surface on an opposite side to the laser beam radiation side).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroya Umeyama, Ichiro Murata
  • Patent number: 10283755
    Abstract: A battery module includes a cell assembly comprising a plurality of cells; a module housing including an upper housing having a closed inner space accommodating the cell assembly and a lower housing air-tightly attached to a lower end of the upper housing; and an air vent member air-tightly disposed at one side of the module housing to discharge inner gas of the module housing to the outside, the air vent member being configured to block external gas from entering into the module housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hae Kyu Lim, Yong Hwan Choi, Yoon Cheol Jeon
  • Patent number: 10276873
    Abstract: Provided are a current collector for a battery, including: a base material; adhesive layers positioned on the base material; and metal mesh layers positioned on the adhesive layers, in which the metal mesh layer includes a plurality of metal mesh patterns, and holes positioned between the metal mesh patterns, and a method of manufacturing the same. An active material is applied onto the metal mesh layer through the holes of the metal mesh layer, and thus a contact area of the metal mesh layer and the active material is increased, so that it is possible to restrict the active material from being deintercalated from the current collector and improve a cycle lifespan property of a battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: KOREA INSTITUTE OF MACHINERY & MATERIALS
    Inventors: Man Kim, Joo Yul Lee, Sang Yeoul Lee, Yong Soo Jeong, Do Yon Chang, Kyu Hwan Lee, Cheol Nam Yang, Chang Rae Lee, Seong Bong Yim, Dong Chan Lim, Jae Hong Lim, Young Sup Song, Sung Mo Moon, Su Sub Cha
  • Patent number: 10276843
    Abstract: A battery module includes a plurality of battery cells each having a safety mechanism, a cell case having a plurality of battery housing parts for housing the plurality of battery cells respectively in a predetermined arrangement, an insulating member disposed on one side of each of the battery cells, and a duct serving as a route for exhausting exhaust gas discharged from the battery cells. The battery housing parts have a plurality of openings for housing the battery cells. The insulating member has a through hole formed at a position facing an opening of the plurality of openings that houses corresponding one of the battery cells, and a lid part for closing an opening of the plurality of openings that houses no battery cell. The exhaust gas is discharged to the route of the duct through the through hole of the insulating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Oose Okutani, Shinya Geshi, Hiroshi Takasaki
  • Patent number: 10270085
    Abstract: A secondary battery negative electrode material comprises a framework, a chelating/adsorption group and an active substance. The framework does not participate in electrochemical reaction, and only provides a carrier for the chelating/adsorption group (represented by iminodiacetic acid chelating groups in Figure), which contains N, S, P, O atoms having lone pair electrons in outer electrons and has chelating/chemical adsorption bonds formed between it and bivalent/polyvalent metals. The active substance is bivalent/polyvalent metal ion that can be reduced into lower valence states. The active substance metal ion is reduced, during charging, to metal in a lower valence/metal elemental state, which reversely forms, during discharging, the metal ion and has chelating/chemical adsorption bonds formed between it and the chelating/adsorption group. The negative electrode material can form a battery together with positive electrode materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Nanjing Jingyan New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jing Yan
  • Patent number: 10270134
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electrode assembly includes a first step of forming one kind of a radical unit or at least two kinds of radical units having an alternately stacked structure of a same number of electrodes and separators; and a second step of forming a cell stack part by repeatedly stacking one kind of the radical units, or by stacking at least two kinds of the radical units. Edge of the separator is not joined with that of adjacent separator. One kind of radical unit has a four-layered structure in which first electrode, first separator, second electrode and second separator are sequentially stacked together or a repeating structure in which the four-layered structure is repeatedly stacked, and at least two kinds of radical units are stacked by ones to form the four-layered structure or the repeating structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji Won Park, Seung Jae You, Myung Hoon Ko, Jin Ho Ban, Hyang Mok Lee
  • Patent number: 10263224
    Abstract: To improve the flexibility of a power storage device, or provide a high-capacity power storage device. The power storage device includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an exterior body, and an electrolyte. The outer periphery of each of the positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer is a closed curve. The exterior body includes a film and a thermocompression-bonded region. The inner periphery of the thermocompression-bonded region is a closed curve. The electrolyte, the positive electrode active material layer, and the negative electrode active material layer are in a region surrounded by the thermocompression-bonded region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Kimura, Junya Goto
  • Patent number: 10256450
    Abstract: A laminated porous membrane includes a polyolefin porous membrane, on one surface of which projections that are made of a polyolefin and satisfy 5 ?m?W?50 ?m (W: projection size) and 0.5 ?m?H (H: projection height) are irregularly scattered at a density of 3/cm2 to 200/cm2, and a modifying porous layer laminated on the surface of the polyolefin porous membrane having the projections, wherein the modifying porous layer includes a binder with a tensile strength of at least 5 N/mm2 and inorganic particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Naoki Mizuno, Koichi Matano, Ken Shimizu
  • Patent number: 10256484
    Abstract: A fuel cell system supplies anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell and generates electric power in accordance with a load. The fuel cell system configured to include a cathode gas control unit controls a pressure of the cathode gas on the basis of the load, an anode gas control unit configured to cause a pressure of the anode gas to pulsate on the basis of the pressure of the cathode gas and a pulsation amplitude. The pulsation amplitude is determined on the basis of an operating condition of the fuel cell. The fuel cell system includes an anode gas partial pressure maintenance control unit configured to increase the pressure of the anode gas in accordance with a condition of an impurity within the fuel cell. The cathode gas control unit configured to make the pressure of the cathode gas higher when a pressure difference between the pressure of the anode gas and the pressure of the cathode gas is large than when the pressure difference is small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hayato Chikugo
  • Patent number: 10247785
    Abstract: An assembled-battery system, a semiconductor circuit, and a diagnostic method enables appropriate self-diagnosis of a measuring unit. An output value (A-B) output from an analog-to-digital converter through power-supply lines, a cell-selection switch, and a level shifter is summed with an output value (B-VSS) obtained by a directly input reference voltage B being output from the analog-to-digital converter. When the summed value is considered equal the reference voltage A—the voltage VSS, it is diagnosed that an abnormality such as a breakdown has not occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: LAPIS SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoaki Sugimura, Takaaki Izawa
  • Patent number: 10249917
    Abstract: A power source device includes: a battery assembly including a plurality of battery cells which are aligned; a bus bar module formed by linking a plurality of bus bar storing portions which store a plurality of bus bars which link and connect electrodes of the battery assembly; a smoke exhausting duct provided on one side of the battery assembly; and a control board provided on the smoke exhausting duct and electrically connected to a voltage detection terminal for detecting a voltage of each of the battery cells. In the smoke exhausting duct, a portion where the control board is provided is in a flattened shape having a smaller height and a larger width in comparison with another portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignees: YAZAKI CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Ichikawa, Koji Koizumi, Takenori Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 10236478
    Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a lithium ion cell having an outer container composed of a resin molded article, and the method for producing a lithium ion cell includes a current collector forming process of forming, on the inner side of an outer container, each of a first electrode current collector and a second electrode current collector composed of an electrically conductive polymer composition by using a molding die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: SANYO CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Shindo, Yusuke Mizuno, Kenichi Kawakita, Yasuhiko Ohsawa, Yuki Kusachi, Hajime Satou, Hiroshi Akama, Hideaki Horie