Abstract: A current collecting lead is interposed between a sealing body and a positive electrode current collector for connecting the sealing body and the positive electrode current collector, the sealing body including a positive electrode terminal, the positive electrode current collector being attached to an electrode group, the current collecting lead including: a top wall portion positioned on the side of the sealing body; leg portions positioned on the side of the positive electrode current collector and that face the top wall portion; and a pair of side wall portions that extend between side edges of the top wall portion and side edges of the leg portions and that face each other, a first corner portion and a second corner portion formed by the top wall portion and the side wall portions and a third corner portion and a fourth corner portion formed by the leg portions and the side wall portions being rounded corners that are curved.

Abstract: A nickel hydrogen secondary battery accommodates an electrode group including a positive electrode and a negative electrode which are stacked one on top of another through a separator, together with an alkaline electrolyte. The battery contains Li, with a total amount of Li in the battery 2 of 15 to 50 mg/Ah, as determined as the mass in terms of LiOH per Ah of the positive electrode capacity. The negative electrode includes particles of rare earth-Mg—Ni-based hydrogen storage alloy which contains a rare earth element, Mg and Ni. The hydrogen storage alloy particles 44 includes, on the surface thereof, a rare earth hydroxide which is the hydroxide of a rare earth element and has a specific surface area of 0.1 to 0.5 m2/g.

Abstract: A switching power supply includes an insulated transformer, a full-bridge circuit which converts input DC power into AC power and outputs the AC power to a primary-side coil, an output circuit which converts AC power input from secondary-side coils into DC power and outputs the DC power, and a control circuit which controls the full-bridge circuit by using a phase shift method based on voltage output by the output circuit. When a measured value of the amount of phase shift determined from at least one of the voltage and current output by the output circuit is smaller than a theoretical value of the amount of phase shift corresponding to the switching power supply operating in a continuous current mode, the control circuit prolongs dead time used in the full-bridge circuit in accordance with the difference between the measured value and the theoretical value.

Abstract: An externally-attached PTC element attachable to one electrode terminal of a tubular battery with electrode terminals on both end surfaces, the externally-attached PTC element including: a bottom plate made of a metal plate; a plate-shaped PTC element; and a top panel made of a metal plate, the plate-shaped PTC element and the top panel being stacked in that order above the bottom plate disposed below, the PTC element being disposed in an opposed area between the top panel and the bottom plate, the top panel projecting and extending in one direction with respect to a planar area of the bottom plate, the top panel having a distal end formed into a lead terminal shape mountable to a circuit board.

Abstract: A conductive auxiliary agent for an electrode slurry for a battery. The electrode slurry contains an electrode active material and a conductive auxiliary agent, and is applied to a sheet-shaped current collector. The conductive auxiliary agent is a carbon paste produced by dispersing a carbon powder in a solvent. The carbon paste has a viscosity of at least 20 Pa·s and not more than 40 Pa·s. The carbon material can be acetylene black.

Abstract: A sealing body for sealing an upper opening of a battery can having a tube shape with a closed bottom includes an electrode terminal, a sealing plate, and gaskets. The electrode terminal includes a flat plate-shaped stepped portion in an area of a lower surface of a flat plate-shaped terminal portion. The electrode terminal has an inserting portion extending downward in a columnar shape on a lower surface of the stepped portion, and a protrusion in a non-circular planar shape that goes around the inserting portion. The sealing plate has an opening, and has an upper surface and a lower surface on which a non-circular sealing-plate recessed portion and a sealing-plate protruding portion are formed. The gaskets have a shaft portion inserted through the opening of the sealing plate, and a protruding portion that engages the sealing-plate recessed portion and a recessed portion that engages the sealing-plate protruding portion.

Abstract: A laminated power storage element includes: an exterior body shaped into a flat bag shape by laminating a pair of laminated films to weld a peripheral edge region; an electrode body sealed within the exterior body; a positive and a negative electrode terminal portion allowed to project outside the exterior body from a predetermined margin of the exterior body; and a pair of tab films welded on surfaces where the pair of laminated films oppose one another in a region along the predetermined margin to mutually weld the pair of laminated films, and the tab film covers an end surface of the laminated film while deviating outward from the exterior body from the predetermined margin, and covers both front and back surfaces of each of a base end of the positive electrode terminal portion and a base end of the negative electrode terminal portion.

Abstract: A laminate-type power storage element has a flat body and an interior layered flat plate-shaped electrode body. A positive electrode terminal plate is mounted to a positive electrode of the electrode body and is guided outside from a predetermined margin of the body. A negative electrode terminal plate is mounted to a negative electrode of the electrode body and guided in the same direction. A film member spans across both electrode terminal plates. The film member is made by layering an insulating heat-resistant film and an adhesive to thermocompression bond the heat-resistant film to a matter to be adhered to. The film member is thermocompression bonded to the electrode terminal plate at a region facing principal surfaces of the positive and the negative plates, and is thermocompression bondable to the matter to be adhered to in a region that does not face the respective principal surfaces.

Abstract: A battery spacer includes: a storage case having a bottomed cylindrical shape in which a battery is stored; a lid part which closes an opening of the storage case; and a positive electrode relay terminal which is provided to the lid part, a part of which protrudes from a top surface of the lid part, and which abuts on a positive electrode terminal of the battery in the storage case. The lid part has a protruding section formed which protrudes further to the battery side than a terminal contact surface at which the positive electrode terminal of the battery abuts on the positive electrode relay terminal.

Abstract: A charger includes: a charging circuit which receives an electric power from external equipment and charges a secondary battery; a control device which determines a power supply capability of the external equipment on the basis of the electric power that is supplied to the charging circuit from the external equipment; and a display device that displays the power supply capability of the external equipment, which has been determined by the control device.

Abstract: A charge control method for an alkaline storage battery includes determining whether or not a temperature T of a battery is less than 0° C.; if the temperature T is equal to or higher than 0° C., determining whether or not the battery has been considered to be charged to a maximum capacity that can be stored in the battery; if the battery has not been considered to be charged to the maximum capacity, determining the temperature T of the battery again; if the battery has been considered to be charged to the maximum capacity, finishing the charging; if it is determined that the temperature T is less than 0° C.

Abstract: A load current control apparatus according to the present invention includes a current detecting circuit adapted to detect an electric current on a power supply line used to supply electric power from a power supply unit to a load device, a field effect transistor adapted to turn on and off the power supply line, and a controller adapted to control the field effect transistor according to the electric current on the power supply line, in which the controller starts counting time from a time point when the electric current on the power supply line exceeds the overcurrent detection threshold while maintaining the field effect transistor in an ON state, sets an upper limit time corresponding to the electric current on the power supply line at that time as a time threshold based on a relationship between electric current and time set beforehand according to electrical characteristics of the field effect transistor, and turns off the field effect transistor when a time period corresponding to the time threshold el

Abstract: A protection element attachment tab made of a single flat metal plate and mounted on positive and negative electrode terminals of a cylindrical cell to connect between the positive electrode terminal formed on one end surface of the cell and the negative electrode terminal formed on another end surface of the cell with a protection element that prevents overdischarge between the electrode terminals. The protection element attachment tab includes a planar region facing the end surface when mounted on the electrode terminal; a first protrusion protruding from the planar region in a direction along the planar region, a leading end of the first protrusion protruding outward from the end surface of the cell when the planar region is mounted on the electrode terminal; and a second protrusion shorter than the first protrusion, protruding from the planar region in a direction different from the first protrusion along the planar region.

Abstract: A laminate-type power storage element is configured of an exterior body that is formed in a flat bag shape by welding a first laminated film and a second laminated film by thermocompression bonding, and an electrode body that is sealed inside the exterior body, the electrode body having a sheet-shaped positive electrode and a sheet-shaped negative electrode. The first laminated film and the second laminated film respectively includes a first resin layer that has a property of transmitting a laser beam, a metal foil that is layered to the first resin layer, and a second resin layer is layered to the metal foil and has a thermal weldability.

Abstract: A current detection circuit included in a power supply detects a current flowing to an inductance element from a detection tap of an inductance element connected between an output terminal and an output of a first switching element. A control circuit included in the power supply controls a first control terminal of the first switching element and a second control terminal of a second switching element and calculates an output current flowing to a load based on the current detected by the current detection circuit.

Abstract: A resin sealing gasket 10 to be incorporated in an alkaline battery 1 housing a power generation element (3 to 5) in a cylindrical battery can 2 closed at a bottom, the sealing gasket configured to insulate a top opening of the battery can and a negative electrode terminal plate 7 from each other. The sealing gasket includes: an outer periphery part 14 standing upward from the rim of a disc-shaped partition part 13; a boss part 11 in a hollow cylindrical shape enabling a rod-shaped negative electrode current collector 6 to stand at the center of the partition part; and a thin-walled portion 15 formed in a groove shape along the outer periphery of the boss part and being thinner than other portions of the partition part.

Abstract: A battery aligning device includes an inlet through which a first cylindrical battery is input, an outlet from which the first cylindrical battery is discharged, regulating plates constituting a slit in a path from the inlet to the outlet, and a support member which supports one end portion and the other end portion of each of the regulating plates, in the regulating plates, a length from the one end portion to the other end portion is longer than a length of the first cylindrical battery, an X-Z cross-section has a non-linear shape, in an interval between the one regulating plate and the other regulating plate, a facing interval between surfaces is larger than a diameter of the first cylindrical battery, and when a line segment having the same length as that of the first cylindrical battery is in contact with the regulating plate at two points on the X-Z cross-section, a distance between the line segment and the regulating plate is arranged at an interval smaller than the diameter of the first cylindrical ba

Abstract: A multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is ?30 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is ?8 wt % and where the alloy comprises a mischmetal where Nd in the mischmetal is <50 at % or a multi-phase hydrogen storage alloy comprising one or more rare earth elements, a hexagonal Ce2Ni7 phase and a hexagonal Pr5Co19 phase, where the Ce2Ni7 phase abundance is from about 30 to about 72 wt % and the Pr5Co19 phase abundance is ?8 wt % have improved electrochemical performance. The alloys are useful in an electrode in a metal hydride battery, a fuel cell or a metal hydride air battery.