Patents Examined by Adam A Arciero
  • Patent number: 11611225
    Abstract: A detecting device detects at least one battery characteristic of at least one battery cell of a battery plane of a battery stack. A carrier has at least one electrical lead element and at least one contact element having a contact section for contacting a mating contact section of the at least one battery cell. The contact element has a sensor section for detecting the at least one battery characteristic of the battery cell. The sensor section is connected by data-communicating to the at least one line element for forwarding the at least one detected battery characteristic. Furthermore, the invention relates to a battery stack having at least one battery plane with at least one battery cell and a detection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Lion Smart GmbH
    Inventors: Tobias Mayer, Daniel Ostermeier, Christian Behlen, Daniel Quinger, Michael Zettel
  • Patent number: 11611122
    Abstract: A battery coolant heater assembly including a coolant manifold having liquid coolant pathways and a heat transfer surface for transferring heat to liquid coolant flowable within the coolant manifold, an electric heater element thermally contacted to the heat transfer surface of the manifold, and a cover sealably enclosing the heating element between the heat transfer surface and the cover via a gasket. The electric heater element is electrically connected via an electrical connector extending through and formed integrally with the gasket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Dana Automotive Systems Group, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy W. Daughrity, Christopher M. Cook
  • Patent number: 11611095
    Abstract: A battery and a load device are connected to a fuel cell stack. Electric power is supplied from the battery to fuel cell auxiliary equipment. A controller of a fuel cell system has stored therein a desired output of the fuel cell stack. The controller predicts auxiliary equipment power consumption, which is the amount of electric power that is consumed by the fuel cell auxiliary equipment for operation of the fuel cell stack, and determines estimated input and output power of the battery. The controller determines a requested output, which is an output requested for the fuel cell stack, based on the predicted auxiliary equipment power consumption and the estimated input and output power. The controller determines an operating point of the fuel cell stack based on the desired output. The load device controls its operation so that the difference between the requested output and the desired output becomes zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomoya Ogawa
  • Patent number: 11611110
    Abstract: A method for producing an all-solid-state battery, comprising the following steps (a) to (d), which are performed in the order of (a), (b), (c), and (d) or in the order of (a), (b), (d), and (c): (a) introducing the all-solid-state battery laminate into the metal case, (b) welding a protruding part of the positive electrode current collector layer or the negative electrode current collector layer and the folding margin part of the metal case, (c) folding the folding margin part, and the protruding part of the positive electrode collector layer or the negative electrode current collector layer, which has been welded to the folding margin part toward the inside of the metal case together, and (d) injecting a sealing resin into the metal case from the opening part of the metal case and then curing the sealing resin to seal the all-solid-state battery laminate in the metal case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yushi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11577627
    Abstract: A control device for a fuel cell vehicle includes a power limiter limiting power of a fuel cell when a temperature correlation value correlated to a temperature of the fuel cell indicates that the temperature is equal to or higher than a temperature threshold, a calculation unit calculating a weight of a towed vehicle, a gradient acquirer acquiring upward gradients at respective points on a planned traveling route, a predictor predicting whether the power of the fuel cell is limited when the fuel cell vehicle is traveling along the planned traveling route in a towing travel state, and a controller issuing, when the predictor predicts that the power of the fuel cell is limited, an alert that a vehicle speed of the fuel cell vehicle is expected to decrease when the fuel cell vehicle is traveling along the planned traveling route in the towing travel state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiromichi Sato
  • Patent number: 11581563
    Abstract: A zinc-iron chloride flow battery relies on mixed, equimolar electrolytes to maintain a consistent open-circuit voltage of about 1.5 V and stable performance during continuous charge-discharge. Considering the good performance relative to the low-cost materials, zinc-iron chloride flow batteries represent a promising new approach in grid-scale and other energy storage applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Steven Selverston, Jesse Wainright
  • Patent number: 11569512
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a membrane electrode unit comprising a polymer membrane doped with a mineral acid as well as two electrodes, characterized in that the polymer membrane comprises at least one polymer with at least one nitrogen atom and at least one electrode comprises a catalyst which is formed from at least one precious metal and at least one metal less precious according to the electrochemical series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: BASF FUEL CELL GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Schmidt, Oemer Uensal, Mathias Weber, Isabel Kundler, Gordon Calundann, Jochen Baurmeister
  • Patent number: 11565588
    Abstract: A fuel cell vehicle includes a travel prohibition control unit. In the case where a lid sensor detects an open state of a lid, the travel prohibition control unit performs travel prohibition control to prohibit travel of the fuel cell vehicle. In the case where the number of shift control operations has reached a release number within release time, the travel prohibition control unit releases the travel prohibition control, and in the case where the number of shift control operations has not reached the release number within the release time, the travel prohibition control unit continues the travel prohibition control. The release number is two or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Taruya, Yasushi Shionoya
  • Patent number: 11563221
    Abstract: A plug connector is provided for making electrical contact with a multiple number of bipolar plates having a contact groove. The plug connector includes a plug body formed from electrically insulating material, through which plug body a multiple number of electrically separated contact elements are guided, one contact element of each of which engaging in a corresponding contact groove of one of the bipolar plates and thereby making electrical contact with the bipolar plate. Each of the contact elements takes the form of an elastically deformable wire bracket engaging in the contact groove. A bipolar plate may be combined with a plug connector and other components of a fuel cell stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventor: Sebastian Gehres
  • Patent number: 11557800
    Abstract: A cold plate for a battery may comprise channels that extend from a first end of the plate to a second end of the plate or from a first side of the plate to a second side of the plate, the channels are located in parallel with each other and between the top surface and the bottom surface. The channels may be separated from each other by walls. The plate may be milled to form a first manifold on each end. The plate may also be milled to form notches in the surface(s) over the manifold. A port for the inlet and a port for the outlet of a working fluid may be inserted into the notches. The plate may have end caps, and the end caps and the ports may be welded or brazed to form a sealed enclosure. In various embodiment, the plate is an extruded plate, a cast plate, or a stamped/formed plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: ROMEO SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY, LLC
    Inventors: W. Porter Harris, Umran Ashraf, Robert Wesley Thibault, Nick Certo, Prahit Dubey, Karlo Galvan
  • Patent number: 11552347
    Abstract: An apparatus and method, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a battery pack having a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet, a coolant source to cool the battery pack, and a proportional valve in communication with the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet, and in communication with the coolant source. A battery control module controls the proportional valve such that a direction of flow is switchable at the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet based on temperatures at the coolant inlet and the coolant outlet to provide bi-directional cooling flow through the battery pack. The battery control module directly connects the coolant outlet to the coolant inlet via the proportional valve to bypass the coolant source in response to a predetermined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Suriyaprakash Ayyangar Janarthanam, Abdul Lateef, John Sturza, Philip Michael Gonzales, Chuck Honick
  • Patent number: 11552367
    Abstract: A battery holder structure is disposed on an electric wrench which includes a battery unit, and the battery holder structure includes a back cover assembly. The back cover assembly is assembled on an end of the electric wrench, and the back cover assembly includes a cover, a supporting member, a first elastic member and a second elastic member. The cover has an accommodating space. The supporting member is disposed in the accommodating space. The first elastic member is assembled on an end of the supporting member, an end of the first elastic member contacts with the cover, and another end of the first elastic member contacts with the supporting member. The second elastic member is assembled on another end of the supporting member, an end of the second elastic member contacts with the supporting member, and another end of the second elastic member contacts with the battery unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: KABO TOOL COMPANY
    Inventor: Chih-Ching Hsieh
  • Patent number: 11522236
    Abstract: A battery pack for an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle may include a housing, a stack of battery cells disposed within the housing, and a cooling subassembly. The housing typically holds the cell stack together, and the cooling subassembly typically cools the cell stack to prevent damage to the battery cells and to maintain the performance of the battery cells. The cooling subassembly may include a cold plate defining a liquid flow channel and one or more thermoelectric devices (TEDs) that are operable to cool the cell stack when current is supplied thereto. Heat spreaders may be employed within the battery pack, and exemplary configurations of components to thermally and mechanically couple the cooling subassembly are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: HYLIION INC.
    Inventors: David Scott Thomas, Alex Ho Yang, Timothy Hughes
  • Patent number: 11518274
    Abstract: A battery cooling system includes a cooling fan that takes in inside air of a vehicle cabin to an intake passage and sends the air to a battery communicating with the vehicle cabin through the intake passage, a battery temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the battery, an intake air temperature sensor that is disposed in the intake passage and detects a temperature of the air flowing through the intake passage, and a controller. The controller controls the cooling fan based on the detected temperatures. The controller performs a temperature check operation. Firstly, when the difference value between the detected temperatures is larger than zero, the controller repeats the temperature check operation. Afterward, When the difference value in the latest temperature check operation is smaller than the difference value in the previous temperature check operation and larger than zero, the controller repeats the temperature check operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoki Shinozaki, Ringo Shimada
  • Patent number: 11522207
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes fuel cell, an electrical storage device that stores electric power generated by the fuel cell, and a control device that controls generation of power by the fuel cell, that acquires a charging rate of the electrical storage device, when the electric power in the electrical storage device is supplied to external devices, the control device performs first control which increases a charging rate of the electrical storage device and second control which restricts a power generation amount of the fuel cell to be smaller than in the first control and decreases a charging rate of the electrical storage device, and when a temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than a predetermined temperature, a power generation amount per hour of the fuel cell in the first control is reduced in comparison when the detected temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryoji Sakai, Akihiro Matsui
  • Patent number: 11489170
    Abstract: A fuel cell separator includes a separator main body having a first surface and a second surface, and a first seal member disposed on the first surface. When a region on the first surface of the separator main body corresponding to an electrode member disposed on the second surface is defined as a power generation region, and a region on the first surface of the separator main body corresponding to an in-cell seal member is defined as a seal region, a displacement/vibration reducing member made of polymer is disposed at a part of the seal region. The displacement/vibration reducing member includes multiple protrusions and a coupling portion. When viewed in plan view, an axis line connecting the centers of the figures of the adjacent protrusions does not coincide with a center line passing through the widthwise center of the coupling portion. The coupling portion has a gate cut mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignees: Sumitomo Riko Company Limited, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideya Kadono, Shigeo Nakanishi, Shinobu Yamaguchi, Hitoshi Tamura, Shinichi Haga, Motohiro Mizuno, Kenji Sato, Takuya Kurihara, Tomohiro Mazaki
  • Patent number: 11489180
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system for determining a hydrogen supply failure of a fuel cell, the system including: a fuel cell, a plurality of hydrogen tanks having hydrogen, a hydrogen supply line connected to the hydrogen tanks and supplying hydrogen from the hydrogen tanks to the fuel cell, a plurality of tank valves mounted on the hydrogen tanks, respectively, and discharging hydrogen in the hydrogen tanks to the hydrogen supply line when opening, a pressure sensor sensing pressure in the hydrogen supply line, and a determiner determining poor opening of the hydrogen tanks on the basis of pressure information sensed by the pressure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Boung Ho Min, Dong Hun Lee, Soon Woo Kwon
  • Patent number: 11489182
    Abstract: A fuel cell system configured to supply electric power to load includes: a fuel cell; and a control unit configured to set target electric power to be generated by the fuel cell and control electric power generation by the fuel cell such that the fuel cell generates the target electric power. The control unit is configured to, when setting the target electric power using request electric power that the load requests the fuel cell to generate, execute a fluctuation suppression process for making a fluctuation of the target electric power smaller than a fluctuation of the request electric power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tetsuya Bono, Kenji Umayahara
  • Patent number: 11450863
    Abstract: A cell plate assembly of a redox flow battery has a frame body and a cell plate in fluidic communication. Cell plates, electrolyte pathways and other components of the frame plate assembly may be overmolded inside a frame. Plates, frames and tubes may all be robustly sealed. One piece bonded plug and frames enable reduced use of O-rings and other wear items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: STRYTEN CRITICAL E-STORAGE LLC
    Inventor: Garrett Scott Kato
  • Patent number: 11450868
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack, hydrogen gas system auxiliary devices disposed outside the fuel cell stack, and air system auxiliary devices disposed adjacent to the hydrogen gas system auxiliary devices. The hydrogen gas system auxiliary devices include injectors, upstream side auxiliary devices provided on the upstream side of the injectors in the flow direction of hydrogen gas, and downstream side auxiliary devices provided on the downstream side of the injectors in the flow direction of the hydrogen gas. The upstream side auxiliary devices are disposed at positions farther away from the air system auxiliary devices than the downstream side auxiliary devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ryoichi Yoshitomi