Patents Examined by Michael Dignan
  • Patent number: 9985278
    Abstract: Disclosed is a high energy density lithium secondary battery including a cathode. The cathode contains, as cathode active materials, a first cathode active material having a layered structure and a second cathode active material having a spinel structure. The amount of the first cathode active material is between 40 and 100 wt % based on the total weight of the cathode active materials. The high density lithium secondary battery further comprises an anode, including crystalline graphite having a specific surface area (with respect to capacity) of 0.005 to 0.013 m2/mAh as an anode active material, as well as a separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chang Joo Han, KyungHee Han, Su-min Park, JiEun Lee
  • Patent number: 9981541
    Abstract: A battery module is mounted in the rear of a vehicle body and attached to at least one rear side frame extending rearward in the vehicle body such that the rear side module protrudes rearward beyond the battery module. One or a plurality of slope members is provided at the rear of the battery module. Each of the slope members forms a frontward rising inclined surface that protrudes above the rear side frame at the rear of the battery module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yu Onodera, Junya Okamura, Takayuki Tokunaga, Yasunori Mashio
  • Patent number: 9985273
    Abstract: A preparation method of a three-dimensional nanosized porous metal oxide electrode material of lithium ion battery, which soaks a dried polymer colloidal crystal microsphere template in a metal salt solution as a precursor solution for a period of time, and obtains a precursor template complex after filtration and drying; heats the precursor template complex to a certain temperature at a low heating rate and keeps the temperature, and then obtains the three-dimensional nanosized porous metal oxide electrode material of lithium ion battery after cooling to room temperature. A metal oxide electrode material is manufactured, with the three-dimensional nanosized porous metal oxide electrode material thereby improving the ionic conductivity of the negative electrode material of lithium ion battery, and shortens the diffusion path of the lithium ions during an electrochemical reaction process, and improves the rate discharge performance of lithium ion battery greatly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: SHANGHAI ZHONGKE SHENJIANG ELECTRIC VEHICLE CO., LTD
    Inventors: Jiangming Sun, Tiepeng Zhao, Zhigang Xu, Yanbing Wang, Gang Wang, Ming Zhang, Shirong Xie
  • Patent number: 9985265
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes a battery module having a housing with a cell receptacle region defined by walls of the housing and configured to enable passage of electrochemical cells therethrough. The battery module also includes a bus bar carrier sealed in the cell receptacle region. The bus bar carrier includes a perimeter having flexible ribs extending along at least a majority of the perimeter and configured to enable intimate contact between the walls of the housing and the perimeter of the bus bar carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Matthew R. Tyler, Christopher M. Bonin, John P. Dinkelman, Richard M. DeKeuster, Dale B. Trester
  • Patent number: 9985292
    Abstract: A class of polymeric phosphorous esters can be used as binders for battery cathodes. Metal salts can be added to the polymers to provide ionic conductivity. The polymeric phosphorous esters can be formulated with other polymers either as mixtures or as copolymers to provide additional desirable properties. Examples of such properties include even higher ionic conductivity and improved mechanical properties. Furthermore, cathodes that include the polymeric phosphorous esters can be assembled with a polymeric electrolyte separator and an anode to form a complete battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Seeo, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell Clayton Pratt, Scott Allen Mullin, Hany Basam Eitouni
  • Patent number: 9979002
    Abstract: Disclosed are a separator for an electrochemical device substantially comprising inorganic particles to provide an excellent mechanical strength, an electrochemical device comprising the same, and a method of manufacturing the separator using a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignees: LG Chem, Ltd., TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Jin-Woo Kim, Joo-Sung Lee, Jong-Hun Kim
  • Patent number: 9853311
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: an external load connected to a fuel cell; an electric power adjusting unit configured to adjust a generated electric power of the fuel cell in accordance with electric power consumption of the external load; a humidity control unit configured to control humidity of an electrolyte membrane in the fuel cell on the basis of the generated electric power of the fuel cell; an output voltage detecting unit configured to detect an output voltage of the fuel cell; and a cross leakage determining unit configured to cause the humidity control unit to increase the humidity of the electrolyte membrane when the fuel cell generates the electric power, the cross leakage determining unit being configured to determine whether a cross leakage amount increases or not on the basis of a change in the output voltage at that time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takehiko Okui
  • Patent number: 9853294
    Abstract: A secondary battery includes an electrode assembly having a relatively large capacity due to reducing a width of an uncoated portion and increasing a width of a coated portion by improving welding strength through a combination of ultrasonic welding and laser welding, and a manufacturing method thereof. The manufacturing method of the secondary battery includes preparing at least one electrode assembly including an uncoated portion, provisionally welding the uncoated portion by ultrasonic welding, coupling a current collector having an elastic property to the provisionally welded uncoated portion, and welding the uncoated portion and the current collector by laser welding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Junyong Lee, Huijun Lee, Seungyeol Yoo
  • Patent number: 9806322
    Abstract: The invention relates to a battery cell connector with a first and a second substantially flat limb (1, 2), wherein the first limb (1) has a connecting side (3) for connection to a plurality of electrodes of a battery, the second limb (2) is arranged at an angle with respect to the first limb (1) and extends from that side (4) of the first limb which is opposite the connection side (3), wherein a shoulder (5) is provided which extends from the first to the second limb. Against this background, the invention specifies a battery cell connector with a high current-carrying capacity which is improved in comparison with the known battery cell connectors. For this purpose, the invention provides that the profile of the height (h) of the shoulder (5) from the first limb (1) towards the second limb is nonlinear and is convex with respect to the first and the second limb (1, 2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Autobatterie GmbH & Co. KGAA
    Inventors: Ingo Koch, Peter Streuer, Andreas Dudenbostel, Anja Schwarze, Dirk Stellfeldt, Peter Schellenberg
  • Patent number: 9780358
    Abstract: Improved high energy capacity designs for lithium ion batteries are described that take advantage of the properties of high specific capacity anode active compositions and high specific capacity cathode active compositions. In particular, specific electrode designs provide for achieving very high energy densities. Furthermore, the complex behavior of the active materials is used advantageously in a radical electrode balancing design that significantly reduced wasted electrode capacity in either electrode when cycling under realistic conditions of moderate to high discharge rates and/or over a reduced depth of discharge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Zenlabs Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Charan Masarapu, Yogesh Kumar Anguchamy, Yongbong Han, Haixia Deng, Sujeet Kumar, Herman A. Lopez
  • Patent number: 9748569
    Abstract: A porous thin film battery is described herein. The battery includes a substrate, a porous thin film cathode formed on the substrate, an electrolyte layer formed on the porous thin film cathode and a porous thin film anode formed on the electrolyte layer. The porous thin film cathode includes a first set of pores initially filled with a quantity of a first polymer material and then the first polymer material is removed to form the first set of pores. The porous thin film anode includes a second set of pores initially filled with a third polymer material and then the third polymer material is removed to form the second set of pores. A method of forming the porous thin film battery is also described. A system for forming the porous thin film battery is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: APPLEJACK 199 L.P.
    Inventors: Wenming Li, Byunghoon Yoon, Ann Koo
  • Patent number: 9748529
    Abstract: A rechargeable battery including an electrode assembly including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, a case configured to encase the electrode assembly, a cap plate coupled to the case, a gasket between the case and cap plate and configured to insulate the case from the cap plate, and a heat-resistant member between an upper portion of the gasket and an outer surface of the cap plate and having a higher melting point than the gasket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hyun-Ki Jung
  • Patent number: 9741985
    Abstract: A sealing plate for a prismatic secondary battery includes a pair of mouths for attaching a negative and positive electrode terminals, one mouth being formed near one end in a longitudinal direction of the sealing plate, and the other mouth being formed near the other end, coining areas used for positioning of an insulating member and formed around the pair of mouths on a front face of the sealing plate, a gas release valve and an electrolyte pour hole formed between the pair of mouths, and grooves formed between the respective coining areas and the long side edge of the sealing plate. The groove has a smaller depth near the gas release valve than the depth near the coining area. Even when the sealing plate is produced through forging, the front face has good flatness and the coining areas are unlikely to have a sink mark or a shear drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Okutani, Yoshinori Yokoyama, Takayuki Hattori, Yasuhiro Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 9735403
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a battery module assembly including (a) two or more battery modules having cell units, each of which includes one or more battery cells, connected in parallel to one another, (b) a pair of an upper case and a lower case to surround an upper part and a lower part of the battery modules in a state in which the battery modules are erected on their sides, (c) a bus bar assembly disposed at a front of the battery modules to electrically connect the battery modules to one another in parallel, and (d) a fastening hole formed at a front of the upper case and/or a front of the lower case to position or fix the battery module assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: BumHyun Lee, JiYoung Choi, DalMo Kang, JunYeob Seong
  • Patent number: 9685669
    Abstract: A power generation characteristic estimation device for fuel cell includes a reference characteristic setting unit for setting a reference power generation characteristic of a fuel cell, a current detection unit for detecting an actual current of the fuel cell, a voltage detection unit for detecting an actual voltage of the fuel cell, and a characteristic estimation unit for estimating an actual power generation characteristic of the fuel cell based on a voltage difference between a voltage on the reference power generation characteristic and an actual voltage at the actual current. The characteristic estimation unit estimates the power generation characteristic during a warm-up operation of the fuel cell when a pressure of a gas supplied to the fuel cell is not lower than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michihiko Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9673447
    Abstract: A method of operating a lithium-ion cell comprising (a) a cathode comprising a carbon or graphitic material having a surface area to capture and store lithium thereon; (b) an anode comprising an anode active material; (c) a porous separator disposed between the two electrodes; (d) an electrolyte in ionic contact with the two electrodes; and (e) a lithium source disposed in at least one of the two electrodes to obtain an open circuit voltage (OCV) from 0.5 volts to 2.8 volts when the cell is made; wherein the method comprises: (A) electrochemically forming the cell from the OCV to either a first lower voltage limit (LVL) or a first upper voltage limit (UVL), wherein the first LVL is no lower than 0.1 volts and the first UVL is no higher than 4.6 volts; and (B) cycling the cell between a second LVL and a second UVL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Nanotek Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Guorong Chen, Yanbo Wang, Qing Fang, Xiqing Wang, Aruna Zhamu, Bor Z. Jang
  • Patent number: 9666917
    Abstract: In air cells which are stacked on one another and used as an assembled battery, an electrolytic solution layer is formed between a positive electrode material and a negative electrode material, and one or two or more deformation prevention materials are arranged for preventing deformation by abutting the positive electrode material or the negative electrode material or abutting both of them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Miyazawa, Keita Iritsuki, Tomokatsu Himeno, Mori Nagayama, Yoshiko Tsukada
  • Patent number: 9640334
    Abstract: A flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell comprising: (A) A sheet of graphene paper as first electrode comprising nano graphene platelets having a platelet thickness less than 1 nm, wherein the first electrode has electrolyte-accessible pores; (B) A thin-film or paper-like first separator and electrolyte; and (C) A thin-film or paper-like second electrode which is different in composition than the first electrode; wherein the separator is sandwiched between the first and second electrode to form a flexible laminate configuration. The asymmetric supercapacitor cells with different NGP-based electrodes exhibit an exceptionally high capacitance, specific energy, and stable and long cycle life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Nanotek Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Zhenning Yu, Jinjun Shi, Chen-guang Liu, Bor Z. Jang, Aruna Zhamu
  • Patent number: 9601723
    Abstract: Electrochemical device and method. The electrochemical device has an electrochemical module and an enclosure configured to enclose the electrochemical module. The enclosure has an electrically conductive first housing portion forming a first rim and an electrically conductive second housing portion forming a second rim, the first housing portion and the second housing portion, when the first rim of the first housing portion substantially abuts the second rim of the second housing portion, forming, at least in part, a volume configured to enclose the electrochemical device. The enclosure further has a substantially non-conductive grommet positioned between the first rim and the second rim, and a crimp ring engaging the first rim and the second rim, the crimp ring being configured to secure the first housing portion with respect to the second housing portion. The grommet is further positioned between the crimp ring and the first rim and the second rim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventor: Christian S. Nielsen
  • Patent number: 9595733
    Abstract: A battery module is provided. The battery module includes a first battery cell; a heat transfer plate contacting the first battery cell and defining a perimeter, the heat transfer plate having a first thickness; a heat transfer fin extending from the perimeter of the heat transfer plate, the heat transfer fin having a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness; and a fluid conduit coupled to the heat transfer fin, whereby, during operation, heat is transferred from the first battery cell, to the heat transfer layer, to the heat transfer fin, and to the fluid conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Pablo Valencia, Jr., Kanthasamy Elankumaran