Patents Examined by Aaron J. Greso
  • Patent number: 10601062
    Abstract: Cell and batteries containing them employing a cathode having a intercalating metal oxide in combination with a sodium metal haloaluminate. At operating temperatures, the positive electrode (cathode) of the invention comprises electroactive cathode material permeated with and in physical and electrical contact with the sodium metal haloaluminate catholyte. The positive and negative electrodes are separated with a solid alkali metal conducting electrolyte. The intercalating metal oxice is not in direct physical contact with the solid electrolyte. Electric and ionic conductivity between the solid electrolyte and the positive electrode is mediated by the sodium haloaluminate catholyte. Batteries of the invention are useful for bulk energy storage, particularly for electric utility grid storage, as well as for electric vehicle propulsion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Dynantis Corp.
    Inventor: Anthony F. Sammells
  • Patent number: 10593982
    Abstract: Disclosed is a flow-type energy storage device having an improved flow of fluid. The flow-type energy storage device stores electricity using a fluidic material, and includes a reaction region in which charge-discharge reaction of electricity is performed by the fluidic material, wherein the reaction region has an octagonal cross-section. The shape of the reaction region is controlled to thus improve the flowability of the fluidic material, thereby providing a flow-type energy storage device that has almost constant electrical properties even when a charging and discharging cycle is repeatedly performed. Further, the structures of an inlet and an outlet are not complicated and a separate part for controlling the flow of fluid is not used in the device, and accordingly, additional costs are not incurred during a process of manufacturing the flow-type energy storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: KOREA INSTITUTE OF ENERGY RESEARCH
    Inventors: Sun-Hwa Yeon, Kyoung-Hee Shin, Jae-Deok Jeon, Jung Joon Yoo, Hana Yoon, Chang-Soo Jin, Joon-Mok Shim, Jung-Hoon Yang, Kyu-Nam Jung, Dong-Ha Kim, Se-Kook Park
  • Patent number: 10505179
    Abstract: A method is provided for producing polyanionic positive electrode active material composite particles, which comprises: a step 1 wherein precursor composite granulated bodies, each of which contains a polyanionic positive electrode active material precursor particle in graphite oxide, are formed by mixing a polyanionic positive electrode active material precursor and graphite oxide; and a step 2 wherein the precursor composite granulated bodies obtained in step 1 are heated at 500° C. or higher in an inert atmosphere or in a reducing atmosphere. The maximum intensity of the X-ray diffraction peak based on the positive electrode active material is less than 50% of the maximum intensity of the X-ray diffraction peak based on the materials other than the positive electrode active material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Eiichiro Tamaki, Yasuo Kubota, Hiroaki Kawamura, Miyuki Matsushita
  • Patent number: 10483534
    Abstract: A lithium metal anode electrode includes (a) a porous conductive layer including a current collector layer that is porous and has a plurality of first pores, at least parts of the first pores extending through the current collector layer; and a conduction loading layer composed of a porous material that does not alloy with lithium, disposed proximate to the current collector layer, and that having a plurality of second pores, at least parts of the second pores extending through the conduction loading layer; and (b) a lithium metal active material layer composed of lithium metal disposed proximate to the porous conductive layer. Parts of the first and second pores are connected and expose the lithium metal active material layer for electrochemical reactions. The first and second pores have respective surface areas that are adapted for lithium deposition so that a stable SEI layer can be formed thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: PROLOGIUM HOLDING INC.
    Inventor: Szu-Nan Yang
  • Patent number: 10374269
    Abstract: A battery pack includes a plurality of battery stacks integrated by stacking a plurality of unit batteries, a fluid passage where fluid flows for cooling the unit batteries disposed between the battery stacks, a blower for circulating the fluid in the fluid passage, and a plurality of heat conducting plates. The heat conducting plate is thermally connected to an outer casing of the unit batteries constituting the battery stacks adjacent to each other, and disposed so as to constitute a plurality of cooled portions of which parts thereof exist in the fluid passage. The battery pack includes a passage forming member that demarcates the fluid passage as an independent passage from the area near the outer casing of the unit battery, and includes a partition wall for supporting the heat conducting plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki Uchiyama, Ryuichiro Shinkai, Yoshimitsu Inoue, Takahiro Souki, Kouhei Yamamoto, Kouhei Yamaguchi, Tetsuya Goto
  • Patent number: 10355288
    Abstract: A fuel cell includes a reaction layer including: a membrane electrode assembly (MEA); and gas diffusion layers (GDLs) each of which is disposed at both side surfaces of the MEA. A porous separation layer has one surface adhered to one surface of the reaction layer and supplied with reaction gas, and a cathode bipolar plate has a panel shape and adhered to another surface of the porous separation layer. A front end part of the cathode bipolar plate having a manifold that is supplied with the reaction gas and having a plurality of diffusion channels through which the reaction gas directs from the manifold toward the porous separation layer. The cathode bipolar plate has a partition wall channel which separates the porous separation layer, which extends in a direction in which the reaction gas flows, and which extends from the manifold in a diagonal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Kyung Min Kim, Yoo Chang Yang, Sang Mun Jin
  • 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: 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: 10177388
    Abstract: Provided are a cathode substrate, a high capacity all-solid-state battery, and a method for manufacturing the same. The cathode substrate includes a base in a mesh form and a cathode formed on the base, wherein the cathode is configured to overlap the base. The present invention may resolve a conventional problem of deterioration in battery efficiency, which has been caused by a long distance between an electrode and a cathode, and may produce a high capacity all-solid-state battery while suppressing or preventing an increase in the thickness of the cathode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: GACHON UNIVERSITY OF INDUSTRY—ACADEMIC COOPERATION FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Young Soo Yoon, Seung Hyun Jee, Seok Hee Lee
  • Patent number: 10170739
    Abstract: A battery pack housing forms a container that receives battery modules. The battery pack housing includes container portion and a cover that closes an open end of the container portion. The container portion includes a base, sidewalls that surround the base, and parallel rails that protrude from the base inner surface. The rails have longitudinally-spaced slots that open facing the cover. In addition, an inner surface of the cover portion includes parallel rails having longitudinally spaced slots that open facing the base. The slots are configured to receive and retain pins provided on side surfaces of the battery module housing. The cooperation between the pins of the battery module housing and the slots of the container portion and cover portion permit modules to be easily and securely located within the battery pack housing, and to be quickly removed from the battery pack housing during maintenance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignees: Bosch Battery Systems GmbH, Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Schoenherr, Mehul Botadra
  • Patent number: 10122024
    Abstract: A bipolar plate (10) for a fuel cell, including a first half plate (20) having a first thickness (21) and a second half plate (30) having a second thickness (31), the first half plate (20) and the second half plate (30) each being situated with one of their flat sides facing one another, and the first half plate (20) forming a first flow field (22) on its outer side for a first operating medium and the second half plate (30) forming a second flow field (32) on its outer side for a second operating medium is provided. It is provided that the first thickness (21) of the first half plate (20) is on average smaller, at least in sections, than the second thickness (31) of the second half plate (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Volkswagen AG
    Inventors: Ian Stewart, Christian Martin Zillich, Torsten Schwarz
  • Patent number: 10014497
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a battery cell configured such that an electrode assembly having a positive electrode/separator/negative electrode structure is received in an electrode assembly receiving part formed in a pouch-type battery case in a sealed state together with an electrolyte, wherein the battery case is provided with sealed parts, formed by thermally welding the outer edge of the battery case in the state in which the electrode assembly is received in the battery case together with the electrolyte, one or more recesses are formed in opposite side sealed parts adjacent to an upper end sealed part, at which electrode terminals are located, and/or a lower end sealed part in a state in which the recesses are formed from outsides of the side sealed parts toward a vertical middle axis of the battery cell so as to prevent wrinkles from being formed in the sealed parts of the battery case when the battery cell is bent, and portions of the side sealed parts in which the recesses are located are sealed at a higher
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Jin Soo Lee, Joo Hwan Sung, Sung Pil Yoon, Seong Min Kim, Jung Koo Kang, Ju Bin Kim, Hae Jin Lim, Seunghe Woo
  • Patent number: 9966610
    Abstract: Provided are an electrode for fuel cell including a support with improved durability and capable of suppressing poisoning of catalyst particles by ionomer, and a method for manufacturing the same. The method at least includes: performing heat treatment of a support made of mesoporous carbon having a crystallite diameter Lc at 002 plane that is 1.5 nm or less, at 1,700° C. or more and less than 2,300° C.; supporting catalyst particles at least inside of the support subjected to the heat treatment; and applying ionomer to the support supporting the catalyst particles for coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN CHEMICAL CO., LTD
    Inventors: Mikihiro Hori, Hisao Kato
  • Patent number: 9951443
    Abstract: Electrodes, separators, half-cells, and full cells of electrical energy storage devices are made with electrospinning and isostatic compression. The electrical energy storage device may include electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs, also known as “supercapacitors”), hybrid supercapacitors (“HSCs”), Li-ion capacitors and electrochemical storage devices, Na-ion capacitors and electrochemical storage devices, polymer electrolyte fuel cells, and still other capacitors and electrochemical storage cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF TARTU
    Inventors: Enn Lust, Kerli Liivand, Ingrid Vaas, Thomas Thomberg, Indrek Tallo, Heisi Kurig, Tavo Romann, Rait Kanarbik, Tauno Tooming, Ester Tee, Alar Jänes
  • Patent number: 9929433
    Abstract: The problem is to provide a sulfide solid electrolyte material with favorable Li ion conductivity in a low-temperature environment. The problem is overcome by providing a sulfide solid electrolyte material comprising an M1 element (such as an Li element and an Mg element), an M2 element (such as a Ge element and a P element) and a S element, wherein the sulfide solid electrolyte material has a peak at a position of 2?=29.58°±0.50° in X-ray diffraction measurement using a CuK? ray, does not have a peak at a position of 2?=27.33°±0.50° or slightly having the peak, and a substituted amount ?(%) of the divalent element in the M1 element is in such a range that the sulfide solid electrolyte material exhibits higher Li ion conductance at 0° C. than the case of ?=0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignees: TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryoji Kanno, Masaaki Hirayama, Yuki Kato, Hisatsugu Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 8461231
    Abstract: A portion of the linseed oil ingredient used in fiberglass composite stains is replaced with a modified Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL) resin. As a result, the drying time of the stain is shortened considerably yet is still long enough to allow working of the stain into the composite for developing a simulated wood appearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Therma-Tru Corp.
    Inventors: Jarrod J. Buffy, William V. Pagryzinski
  • Patent number: 8455120
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a secondary battery. The present invention is aimed to provide a secondary battery having a thin upper case formed of a metal. The secondary battery includes a bare cell; a protection circuit module having a circuit board; an upper case formed of a metal and having a cover plate for covering the circuit board of the protection circuit module; and a case-insulating layer formed on an external surface of the cover plate of the upper case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seok Koh, Nohyun Kwag