Patents Examined by Miriam Stagg
  • Patent number: 9853262
    Abstract: An exemplary assembly includes an extrusion providing a channel that receives a portion of a battery cell frame. The extrusion is securable to a support to secure the battery cell frame relative to the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Rajaram Subramanian, Tom M. Gunther, Saravanan Paramasivam, Steve Droste, Rohit Gunna
  • Patent number: 9853253
    Abstract: A secondary battery includes a can having an opening at one end, an electrode assembly accommodated in the can through the opening, a cap plate that seals the opening, and an insulation plate below the cap plate. The can includes: a first surface that is convex; a second surface that faces the first surface and is concave; a third surface that is curved and connected to the first surface and the second surface to form a bottom surface; a first connection portion that connects the first surface and the third surface and has a round form having a first radius of curvature; and a second connection portion that connects the second surface and the third surface and has a round form having a second radius of curvature. At least one of the first radius of curvature and the second radius of curvature varies along a length of the third surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jae-Il Seong
  • Patent number: 9847537
    Abstract: A system and method of controlling an air blower for a fuel cell vehicle are provided. The method includes determining an operation amount of an air blower to secure a sufficient air flow rate under present operating conditions and obtaining information regarding clogging of an air channel or information regarding a back pressure using the operation amount of the air blower. In addition, a maximum operating range of the air blower is changed based on whether a present state is an air channel-clogged state or a back pressure-increased state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Sang Uk Kwon, Nam Woo Lee, Heon Joong Lee
  • Patent number: 9847540
    Abstract: A fuel cell unit has a structure that enables the maximum use of a cell monitor in the height direction (vertical direction). In order to achieve this, the fuel cell unit comprises a fuel cell stack (3) including a cell stack body in which unit cells are stacked; and a cell monitor (6) for monitoring a voltage of the unit cells, wherein the cell monitor (6) is arranged so as to be inclined relative to a vertical direction. The cell monitor is inclined by providing a part of the cell monitor in the vicinity of a heat-generating part in a fuel cell on an opposite side of the heat-generating part relative to a central part in the vertical direction of the cell monitor and providing a part of the cell monitor in an area other than the heat-generating part in the fuel cell on a heat-generating part side relative to the central part in the vertical direction of the cell monitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsutomu Shirakawa, Hiroyuki Imanishi, Noboru Usami
  • Patent number: 9847544
    Abstract: Ion conductive organic-inorganic composite particles are particles that have an organic group on the surface of inorganic particles and have at least a configuration that does not allow the inorganic particles to contact with each other by steric hindrance of the organic group, the organic group containing an ion conductive group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Hatakeyama, Hideyuki Emori, Hiroyuki Nishii, Junichi Nagase, Shusaku Shibata, Saori Fukuzaki, Tatsuki Nagatsuka, Takahiro Fukuoka
  • Patent number: 9837644
    Abstract: A battery assembly includes a housing defining a plenum having an inlet, and a row of battery cells disposed within the housing. Each adjacent pair of the cells defines a gap in fluid communication with the plenum. The gaps proximate to the inlet are narrower than the gaps distant from the inlet to promote generally equalized flow of fluid through the gaps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Thomas A. Wagner
  • Patent number: 9837688
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a battery temperature adjusting system including: a battery unit having a heating pad; a leading wire connected to the battery unit; and a current induction unit surrounding the leading wire, wherein the current induction unit is electrically connected to the heating pad. The battery temperature adjusting system according to the present invention generates the induced current by applying the current induction unit surrounding the leading wire connected to the battery unit, and increases the temperature of the battery unit by supplying the induced current to the heating pad, thereby obtaining a desired battery output in a low-temperature region even without the use of an external power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Seung Su Cho, Seung Don Choi, Dae Sik Choi, Chang Moon Jeong, Hong Sin Kim, You Rim Yoon
  • Patent number: 9833770
    Abstract: A method for producing a catalyst supporting a metal or an alloy on a support, including: independently controlling a temperature of a first supercritical fluid to be first temperature, the first supercritical fluid containing a precursor of the metal or precursor of the alloy that is dissolved in a supercritical fluid; independently controlling a temperature of the support to be a second temperature higher than the temperature of the first supercritical fluid; and supplying the first supercritical fluid controlled to the first temperature to the support, to cause the metal or the alloy to be supported on the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigeki Hasegawa, Satoru Aizawa
  • Patent number: 9831509
    Abstract: A device for separating a fluid having a water and gas portion in a fuel cell system includes a fluid inlet an a fluid outlet with an outlet valve. The separating device includes a first reservoir region for collecting the water portion of the fluid. The first reservoir region includes a first outlet to feed the water portion in the direction of the fluid outlet. The separating device also includes a second reservoir region having a second outlet that feeds the water portion in the direction of the fluid outlet so that the first reservoir region 19 is connected in series in terms of flow via the second reservoir region with the fluid outlet. In an installation position of the separating device the first outlet is arranged lower than the second outlet so that deposits of the water portion completely covering the first outlet are prevented from flowing away.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: DAIMLER AG
    Inventors: Michael Procter, Richard Fellows
  • Patent number: 9831518
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate generally to electrochemical cells having high rate capability, and more particularly to devices, systems and methods of producing high capacity and high rate capability batteries having relatively thick semi-solid electrodes. In some embodiments, an electrochemical cell includes an anode and a semi-solid cathode. The semi-solid cathode includes a suspension of an active material of about 35% to about 75% by volume of an active material and about 0.5% to about 8% by volume of a conductive material in a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte. An ion-permeable membrane is disposed between the anode and the semi-solid cathode. The semi-solid cathode has a thickness of about 250 ?m to about 2,000 ?m, and the electrochemical cell has an area specific capacity of at least about 7 mAh/cm2 at a C-rate of C/4. In some embodiments, the semi-solid cathode slurry has a mixing index of at least about 0.9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: 24M Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yet-Ming Chiang, Mihai Duduta, Richard Holman, Pimpa Limthongkul, Taison Tan
  • Patent number: 9831519
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate generally to electrochemical cells having high rate capability, and more particularly to devices, systems and methods of producing high capacity and high rate capability batteries having relatively thick semi-solid electrodes. In some embodiments, an electrochemical cell includes an anode, a semi-solid cathode that includes a suspension of an active material and a conductive material in a liquid electrolyte, and an ion permeable membrane disposed between the anode and the cathode. The semi-solid cathode has a thickness in the range of about 250 ?m-2,500 ?m, and the electrochemical cell has an area specific capacity of at least 5 mAh/cm2 at a C-rate of C/2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: 24M Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Yet-Ming Chiang, Mihai Duduta, Richard Holman, Pimpa Limthongkul, Taison Tan
  • Patent number: 9831483
    Abstract: A cathode element is formed as a continuous single element with a plurality of cathode leaves connected by cathode bridges. An anode element is similarly formed as a continuous single element with a plurality of anode leaves connected by anode bridges. The cathode element and anode element can be aligned and interleaved at spaces between adjacent leaves. The resulting battery pre-stack can then be folded along its bridges in alternating directions to form a battery stack whose layers alternate between an anode and cathode, and which requires minimal components and minimal or no welds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Pacesetter, Inc.
    Inventor: Russell Bruch
  • Patent number: 9831481
    Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The separator includes a substrate layer and a surface layer formed on at least one principal plane of the substrate layer, the surface layer contains polyvinylidene fluoride and an inorganic material particle, and an amount of deformation against pressure of the surface layer is larger than that of the substrate layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hironori Sato
  • Patent number: 9831503
    Abstract: Dual use gas diffusion-gas evolution electrodes containing diamond-like carbon are described, which can act as gas diffusion electrodes during discharge, and gas evolution electrodes during recharge. Electrodes of the disclosed materials are electrochemically robust, inhibit multi-step reactions, and have high, isotropic thermal conductivity. The disclosed electrodes can be used as air electrodes of rechargeable metal-air batteries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: COULOMBIC, INC.
    Inventor: David Andrew Sopchak
  • Patent number: 9825284
    Abstract: A doped spinel comprising the formula: Li1±wMe1vMe2x-vMn2-x-yTiyO4-zFz where, 0?w<1, 0.3<x?0.7, 0.3?v<0.7, x>v, 0.0001?y?0.35, and 0.0001?z?0.3. Me1 is a metal selected from a group of elements consisting of Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn. Me2 is a metal selected from a group of elements consisting of Ni, Fe, Co, Mg, Cr, V, Ru, Mg, Al, Zn, Cu, Cd, Ag, Y, Sc, Ga, In, As, Sb, Pt, Au, and B.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: KARLSRUHER INSTITUT FUER TECHNOLOGIE
    Inventors: Joachim Binder, Sven Glatthaar, Melanie Schroeder
  • Patent number: 9825281
    Abstract: A lithium secondary battery is produced by employing a charging method where a positive electrode upon charging has a maximum achieved potential of 4.3 V (vs. Li/Li+) or lower. The lithium secondary battery contains an active material including a solid solution of a lithium transition metal composite oxide having an ?-NaFeO2-type crystal structure. The solid solution has a diffraction peak observed near 20 to 30° in X-ray diffractometry using CuK? radiation for a monoclinic Li[Li1/3Mn2/3]O2-type before charge-discharge. The lithium secondary battery is charged to reach at least a region with substantially flat fluctuation of potential appearing in a positive electrode potential region exceeding 4.3 V (vs. Li/Li+) and 4.8 V (vs. Li/Li+) or lower. A dischargeable electric quantity in a potential region of 4.3 V (vs. Li/Li+) or lower is 177 mAh/g or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: GS YUSA INTERNATIONAL LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke Endo, Miki Yasutomi, Yoshihiro Katayama, Toshiyuki Nukuda
  • Patent number: 9818996
    Abstract: Provided are: a solid battery which has been sealed in an exterior material under a reduced pressure, wherein gas in the exterior material can be fully removed when depressurizing the inside of the exterior material; and a method of manufacturing the solid battery, the solid battery having a single cell having: a laminated body having a cathode layer, an anode layer, and an electrolyte layer disposed between the cathode layer and the anode layer; an insulating part disposed on an outer perimeter of the laminated body in a cross-sectional view of the laminated body in a direction orthogonal to a lamination direction thereof, and a pair of current collectors sandwiching the laminated body and the insulating part, wherein the single cell has been sealed in an exterior material under a reduced pressure; and the insulating part has vent holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hideaki Miyake
  • Patent number: 9799869
    Abstract: The following disclosure relates to a microporous polyolefin composite film having excellent heat resistance and thermal stability, and a method for manufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a microporous polyolefin composite film capable of improving stability and reliability of a battery by heat sealing an edge of a microporous film provided with a coating layer that includes a polymer binder and inorganic particles, and a method for manufacturing the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: SK Innovation Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yong Kyoung Kim, Jae Woong Kim, Young Jun Woo, Jang-Weon Rhee, Dong Jin Joo
  • Patent number: 9793524
    Abstract: A water resistant battery box for use with electronic faucets. The battery box includes a lower housing, a cover supported by the lower housing, and an upper housing positioned between the lower housing and the cover. The upper housing includes a lip seal cooperating with the lower housing to prevent water from leaking into the housing while permitting for internal pressure within the battery box to be relieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Delta Faucet Company
    Inventors: Kurt Thomas, Derek Brown, Joel Sawaski
  • Patent number: 9780417
    Abstract: A system and method for increasing the operating time of electronic devices, such as a point of view camera, are provided. The system includes a connector block sized to be received within a battery chamber of an electronic device. A battery pack is then attached to the connector block for providing power to the electronic device. The battery pack includes an outer battery housing, one or more batteries and an inner battery housing. The outer battery housing includes a cavity adapted to receive the one or more batteries. The opening of the cavity is sized to receive the inner battery housing and retain the inner battery housing with a friction fit, thereby retaining the outer battery housing and the inner battery housing together. When the battery pack is attached to a front housing portion of an electronic device housing, power is provided to the electronic device via the connector block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: MIZCO INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventor: Maurice Mizrahi