Patents Assigned to VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
  • Patent number: 12149114
    Abstract: An appropriate upper limit voltage is set to enable maximum charging performance of a secondary battery to be exhibited while effectively suppressing degradation of the secondary battery. An assembled battery control unit determines an upper limit voltage during charge of the secondary battery and calculates chargeable power of the secondary battery based on the upper limit voltage. The assembled battery control unit has an upper limit voltage calculating unit which calculates a voltage history of the secondary battery based on time series data of a voltage of the secondary battery and which calculates the upper limit voltage based on the voltage history.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Ryohhei Nakao, Keiichiro Ohkawa, Yasuo Arishima, Hironori Sasaki
  • Patent number: 12148948
    Abstract: Provided is a battery pack capable of accumulating gas released from a battery cell in the battery pack as much as possible while suppressing the other battery cells from becoming hot due to the gas. The battery pack 100 includes a battery module 30, an electrical unit 50, and a housing 70. The housing 70 internally has a first storage space 70a that stores the battery module 30 and a second storage space 70b that stores the electrical unit 50. A part of the housing 70 defining the second storage space 70b includes a duct 80 that communicates the second storage space 70b with an outside of the housing 70. The duct 80 includes a filter 91 that closes a gas flow path 80a of the duct 80. In response to a gas pressure in the second storage space 70b reaching a predetermined value or more relative to an atmospheric pressure outside the housing 70, the filter 91 opens the flow path 80a of the duct 80.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventors: Masashi Naitoh, Masayuki Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20240380057
    Abstract: A battery pack 1 includes: a plurality of stacked batteries 100; a spacer (a cell spacer 202, a first intermediate spacer 203, and a second intermediate spacer 204) which is provided between the batteries 100 adjacent to each other along the stacking direction X of the battery 100 and holds the adjacent batteries 100; and a holding member (a first side plate 231 and a second side plate 232) which holds the plurality of batteries 100 along the stacking direction X. For example, the cell spacer 202 includes a convex portion 202a projecting from the battery 100 toward, for example, the second side plate 232. For example, the second side plate 232 includes an accommodating portion 232d having a recessed depression to accommodate the convex portion 202a.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2022
    Publication date: November 14, 2024
    Applicant: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Masayuki NAKAMOTO, Takayuki NAKAJIMA
  • Publication number: 20240363974
    Abstract: A current collection foil (for example, a positive electrode current collection layer) of an electrode includes a current collection section joined with an active material and wound and a plurality of terminal sections provided at a side edge extending in a winding direction of the current collection section. The terminal sections adjacent to one another in the winding direction include the terminal sections formed with relatively longer intervals on a side close to another end portion at a winding end than a side close to one end portion at a winding start of the current collection section. The plurality of terminal sections overlap in a state in which the current collection section is wound. At least one of the terminal sections and the current collection section 11a includes a mark for distinguishing any one terminal section of the current collection section and the other terminal sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Publication date: October 31, 2024
    Applicant: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventor: Takayuki Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20240347865
    Abstract: A battery includes a charge/discharge body including an electrode including an electrode tab, a cover that faces a side section of the charge/discharge body, from which the electrode tab projects, and covers and insulates the charge/discharge body, and a container that houses the charge/discharge body covered by the cover and has conductivity. The cover includes a main body section that covers the side section of the charge/discharge body, an insertion section formed in a cutout shape including an opening at an outer edge of the main body section, the electrode tab being inserted into the insertion section, and a wall section that extends in a direction further away from the side section than the main body section and separates an inner surface of the container and the insertion section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Publication date: October 17, 2024
    Applicant: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Egawa
  • Patent number: 12117499
    Abstract: A battery management apparatus 102 is an apparatus which manages a chargeable and dischargeable battery, and includes: a battery state calculation unit 501 which calculates a state of charge SOC representing the state of charge of the battery, and a charge capacity fade SOHQ representing a deterioration degree; a mid voltage calculation unit 502 which calculates a mid voltage that is present between the discharge voltage in a current state of charge of the battery, and a voltage value representing the discharge voltage in a minimum state of charge of the battery; a remaining capacity calculation unit 503 which calculates a remaining capacity of the battery, based on the state of charge SOC and the charge capacity fade SOHQ; and an available energy calculation unit 504 which calculates available energy of the battery, based on the mid voltage and the remaining capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventors: Fanny Matthey, Ryohhei Nakao, Keiichiro Ohkawa, Yosuke Wada
  • Patent number: 12117497
    Abstract: An apparatus coupled to an assembled battery with a plurality of serially-connected cells and for setting any one of the plurality of cells as a target cell and estimating a state of charge of the target cell includes: a cell voltage acquisition unit that acquires a measurement result of a closed circuit voltage of the target cell; a reference cell information acquisition unit that sets a reference cell with respect to the plurality of cells and acquires a closed circuit voltage and an open circuit voltage of the reference cell and a reference SOC value representing a state of charge of the reference cell; a temporary SOC operation unit that finds a temporary SOC value representing a temporary state of charge of the target cell on the basis of the closed circuit voltage of the target cell and the closed circuit voltage and the open circuit voltage of the reference cell; and an SOC operation unit that finds an SOC value representing the state of charge of the target cell by using a result of smoothing processi
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventors: Yosuke Wada, Keiichiro Ohkawa
  • Publication number: 20240337699
    Abstract: A battery control device which obtains a state of charge of a secondary battery from characteristics representing a relationship of a state of charge and a voltage of the secondary battery comprises a calling unit which calls a first characteristic among a plurality of the characteristics stored in advance based on use history information of the secondary battery, a correction limit width designation unit which designates a correction limit width for prescribing a tolerance level of correcting the first characteristic, and a direct detection correction unit which creates a second characteristic in which the first characteristic has been corrected according to the correction limit width based on a current value and a voltage value of the secondary battery, wherein the state of charge of the secondary battery is obtained using the second characteristic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2024
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Applicant: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventors: Shunya NAITO, Ryohhei NAKAO, Daiki KOMATSU
  • Publication number: 20240339707
    Abstract: A battery having stacked batteries tied with holding members and mounted on a mounting object, wherein at least a battery bottom face is covered with an insulation member; the battery bottom face is opposite the mounting object's side; and the holding members have end members at both ends of the batteries in a stacking direction, and side members to surround, together with the end members, the batteries. Each of the end members has, on the mounting object's side, a first area having a main part, and a second area at first legs and protrudes towards the mounting object's side beyond the first area and the battery bottom face. The end member has a second area located on both sides of the first area. A spacer located between the plurality of stacked batteries protrudes towards the mounting object's side beyond the third area and the battery bottom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Applicant: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventors: Masashi NAITO, Takayuki NAKAJIMA, Masayuki NAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20240322125
    Abstract: A lithium ion secondary battery with increased durability and capacity includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator. The positive electrode includes a current collector foil and an electrode mixture layer disposed on a surface of the current collector foil. The positive electrode mixture layer includes a superficial layer portion and a deep layer portion. The superficial layer portion opposes the negative electrode via the separator. The deep layer portion is disposed between the superficial layer portion and the current collector foil. The superficial layer portion contains positive electrode active material particles having an average particle diameter larger than an average particle diameter of positive electrode active material particles contained in the deep layer portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2024
    Publication date: September 26, 2024
    Applicant: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki TOSHIRO, Yasuo ARISHIMA
  • Publication number: 20240283060
    Abstract: A solid electrolyte battery includes a charge-discharge body including a positive electrode layer, a negative electrode layer, and a solid electrolyte layer between the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer, an outer body housing the charge-discharge body, and collectors exposed to the outside of the outer body at respective one ends and electrically connected to the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer at the respective other ends. The outer body is formed of a heat welding layer covering the charge-discharge body from the outside and including an insulative, first resin, a heat-resistant layer stacked on the outside of the heat welding layer to cover the heat welding layer from the outside and including an insulative, second resin having a higher melting point than the first resin, and a metal layer stacked on the heat-resistant layer to cover the heat-resistant layer from the outside and including metal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Applicants: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc., Panasonic Holdings Corporation
    Inventors: Yuki YAMAMOTO, Ryo SUGAWARA
  • Publication number: 20240274985
    Abstract: In a battery pack with bus bars, a first conductive member includes a first joining portion joined to a first positive electrode terminal and a first extending portion extending from the first joining portion, a second conductive member includes a second joining portion joined to a second negative electrode terminal and a second extending portion extending from the second joining portion, the first conductive member and the second conductive member are made of different materials, the first conductive member and the second conductive member are connected by a third joining portion, and the third joining portion is formed on an overlapping portion of the first extending portion and the second extending portion with a distance closer to the third joining portion out of a distance between the first joining portion and the third joining portion and a distance between the second joining portion and the third joining portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Publication date: August 15, 2024
    Applicant: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Masanari ODA, Osamu KUBOTA, Koji KOSAI, Yasuyuki AIZAWA, Tatsuhiko KAWASAKI, Yoshiyuki TAKAMORI
  • Publication number: 20240266625
    Abstract: Provided are a battery module which can be efficiently inspected without applying an electrical load to the battery module and a method for inspecting the battery module. This battery module has a unit cell 13 equipped with a battery container 13a accommodating battery elements, a thermistor 23 disposed in contact with an outer surface of the battery container 13a and thermally connected thereto, and an electrically insulating, rigid insulation cover 17 partially covering the battery container 13a and pressing the thermistor 23 against the battery container 13a, wherein a through hole 26 through which a heat application means 28, 29 passes is formed in the insulation cover 17, and the thermistor 23 is disposed at a position outside a heat application area formed when the through hole 26 is orthographically projected on a planar section 21 of the battery container 13a.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2022
    Publication date: August 8, 2024
    Applicant: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Hirofumi TAKAHASHI, Osamu KUBOTA, Yoshitaka WATAHIKI
  • Patent number: 12038483
    Abstract: A battery control unit has an SOCv operation unit which calculates a state of charge SOCv based on voltage of a battery, a ?SOCi operation unit which calculates an amount of change ?SOCi of the state of charge based on current value of the battery, a weight operation unit which calculates a weight W, and an SOCc operation unit which calculates a final SOC (SOCc) based on the SOCv, the ?SOCi and the weight W. Terms forming an operational expression of the SOCc are retained, by using a determination threshold, as a sum SOCc_Big of terms of a large value group and a sum SOCc_Small of terms of a small value group, and used in calculating the SOCc of a subsequent operation period. By using the SOCc_Big and the SOCc_Small, it is possible to prevent the accumulation of errors caused by information loss that occurred when repeatedly operating the SOCc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Miyuki Akatsu, Keiichiro Ohkawa
  • Patent number: 12034150
    Abstract: A lithium ion secondary battery with increased durability and capacity includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator. The positive electrode includes a current collector foil and an electrode mixture layer disposed on a surface of the current collector foil. The positive electrode mixture layer includes a superficial layer portion and a deep layer portion. The superficial layer portion opposes the negative electrode via the separator. The deep layer portion is disposed between the superficial layer portion and the current collector foil. The superficial layer portion contains positive electrode active material particles having an average particle diameter larger than an average particle diameter of positive electrode active material particles contained in the deep layer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Toshiro, Yasuo Arishima
  • Patent number: 12021266
    Abstract: Provided is a battery module capable of keeping a joint strength high at a joint between dissimilar metals of a busbar. A battery module 100 of the present invention includes a plurality of battery cells each having cell terminals 1p and 1n, and a busbar 2A joining the terminals of the battery cells 1. The busbar 2A has a plurality of connection face portions 2c1 and 2c2 each connected to a corresponding one of the terminals 1p and 1n of the battery cells 1; a plurality of rising portions each rising from a corresponding one of the plurality of connection face portions 2c1 and 2c2; and a connection portion connecting the plurality of rising portions. The busbar includes a copper portion 2e including copper and an aluminum portion 2f including aluminum, and a joint between the copper portion 2e and the aluminum portion 2f are located on the connection face portion 2c1, 2c2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuaki Urano, Hiroaki Masuda, Tatsuhiko Kawasaki, Osamu Kubota
  • Publication number: 20240183912
    Abstract: A battery management apparatus 102 calculates a state of charge SOC representing the state of charge of a chargeable and dischargeable battery, a charge deterioration degree SOHQ and a resistance deterioration degree SOHR, corrects the calculated SOHR, corrects an mid resistance MidDCR corresponding to a mid voltage MidVoltage according to a correction coefficient in accordance with SOHR for MidDCR (corrected SOHR), calculates MidVoltage (a mid voltage present between a discharge voltage in the current state of charge of the battery, and a voltage value representing a discharge voltage in the minimum state of charge of the battery), calculates the remaining capacity of the battery based on SOC and SOHQ, and calculates the available energy of the battery based on the mid voltage and the remaining capacity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Applicant: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Fanny MATTHEY, Ryohhei NAKAO, Kei SAKABE, Hironori SASAKI
  • Publication number: 20240186664
    Abstract: A battery pack has a plurality of batteries, a bus bar connected to electrode terminals of the plurality of batteries, a terminal connected to the bus bar, and an electric wire connected to the terminal. The terminal has a first base portion, a second base portion, and a protrusion portion. The first base portion is located on one end side in a predetermined direction of the terminal and is bonded to the bus bar in a vertical direction with respect to the predetermined direction by ultrasonic welding. The second base portion is located on the other end side in the predetermined direction of the terminal and is connected to the electric wire. The protrusion portion is located between the first base portion and the second base portion and protrudes in the vertical direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Applicant: VEHICLE ENERGY JAPAN INC.
    Inventors: Akira UNNO, Tatsuo SUGAWARA, Hiroshi HOSHI
  • Publication number: 20240097141
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an electrode for a secondary battery capable of measuring the width of a first mixture layer and the width of a second mixture layer when the first mixture layer and the second mixture layer are stacked and formed on the surface of a metal foil. A positive electrode body (electrode for a secondary battery) includes a strip-like positive electrode foil and a positive electrode mixture layer provided on the positive electrode foil. The positive electrode mixture layer includes a first positive electrode mixture layer provided on the positive electrode foil and a second positive electrode mixture layer provided on the first positive electrode mixture layer. The first positive electrode mixture layer has a width greater than a width of the second positive electrode mixture layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventor: Motonari KIFUNE
  • Patent number: 11923519
    Abstract: A temperature rising between unit cells in a cell group is suppressed. A battery pack disclosed in the invention includes a case, a cell group which connects a plurality of unit cells and is disposed to abut on a bottom surface of the case, and a fixing member which fixes the cell group. The fixing member includes a heat path that links from the upper surface of a battery to the side surface of the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Takahashi