Patents Examined by Alex Usyatinsky
  • Patent number: 9653744
    Abstract: A method of starting a fuel cell system for a vehicle includes determining whether or not an activation signal of a fuel cell provided in the fuel cell system has been inputted, operating, if it is determined that the activation signal has been inputted, a cooling medium circulation pump to supply a cooling medium to an impurity removal mechanism for reducing a conductivity of the cooling medium, and driving an oxidant gas supply device and a fuel gas supply device in the fuel cell system to start activation of the fuel cell if it is determined that the conductivity of the cooling medium is less than or equal to a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mitsunori Matsumoto, Kazuyoshi Miyajima
  • Patent number: 9647263
    Abstract: A composition for use in a lithium ion battery includes a plurality of elongate elements and a plurality of particles. The elongate elements and particles each include a metal or semi-metal selected from one or more of the group including silicon, tin, germanium, aluminum or mixtures thereof. The composition may include additional ingredients such as a binder, a conductive material and a further electro-active material, such as graphite. The compositions can be used for the fabrication of electrodes, preferably anodes in the manufacture of lithium ion batteries and optionally batteries based on magnesium ions or sodium ions. The composition is able to intercalate and release lithium during the charging and discharging cycles respectively of a battery into which it has been incorporated. Methods of fabricating the composition and electrodes including the composition are included as well as electrodes thus prepared and devices including such electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Nexeon Limited
    Inventor: Mino Green
  • Patent number: 9647249
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a cooling system for a vehicle battery, having: a cooling plate; an inlet manifold configured to supply fluid from a heat exchanger to the cooling plate; an outlet manifold configured to return fluid to the heat exchanger; and a plurality of micro-conduits formed in the cooling plate, configured to deliver fluid between the inlet manifold and outlet manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Bhaskara Boddakayala
  • Patent number: 9647274
    Abstract: One embodiment includes a method comprising providing a first catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer, depositing a wet first proton exchange membrane layer over the first catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer to form a first proton exchange membrane layer; providing a second catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer; contacting the second catalyst coated gas diffusion media layer, or second proton exchange membrane layer, with the first proton exchange membrane layer; and hot pressing together the catalyst coated diffusion layers and proton exchange membrane layer(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Matthew J. Beutel, Timothy J. Fuller
  • Patent number: 9647268
    Abstract: Provided is a battery having a high charging/discharging capacity density as compared with a conventional one. The battery (1) is characterized by comprising a positive electrode (2), a negative electrode (3), and an electrolytic solution interposed between the positive electrode (2) and the negative electrode (3) and formed by dissolving an electrolytic solution in a solvent, wherein the positive electrode (2) includes rubeanic acid or a rubeanic acid derivative as an active material and the solvent includes an ionic liquid. In the battery (1), it is possible to neutralize, by anions present in the ions, positive charges generated when rubeanic acid or the rubeanic acid derivative is oxidized. Therefore, rubeanic acid or the rubeanic acid derivative can take three states from an oxidant to a reductant, so that a high charging/discharging capacity density can be obtained in comparison with a conventional one.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignees: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hidehisa Mokudai, Toru Sukigara, Masaharu Sato, Tomoaki Onoue
  • Patent number: 9647282
    Abstract: Provided is a method of controlling a fuel cell system including a stop command sensing process of sensing a stop command output when the fuel cell system stops, an anode pressure increasing process of increasing pressure so that the pressure of the anode reaches a first predetermined pressure value, and a stop-time discharge process of performing discharge by consuming oxygen remaining within an oxidant off-gas while driving an oxidant off-gas circulation pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koichiro Furusawa, Kaoru Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9647295
    Abstract: Provided is an electrolyte additive for a lithium ion secondary battery including an organic lithium compound and a hyper-branched structure material. The electrolyte additive enhances the decomposition voltage of the electrolyte up to 5.5 V, and increases the heat endurable temperature by 10° C. or more. The safety of the battery is thus improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Tsung-Hsiung Wang, Chung-Liang Chang, Jing-Pin Pan
  • Patent number: 9640826
    Abstract: A redox flow battery is provided. The redox flow battery involves multiple-membrane (at least one cation exchange membrane and at least one anion exchange membrane), multiple-electrolyte (one electrolyte in contact with the negative electrode, one electrolyte in contact with the positive electrode, and at least one electrolyte disposed between the two membranes) as the basic characteristic, such as a double-membrane, triple electrolyte (DMTE) configuration or a triple-membrane, quadruple electrolyte (TMQE) configuration. The cation exchange membrane is used to separate the negative or positive electrolyte and the middle electrolyte, and the anion exchange membrane is used to separate the middle electrolyte and the positive or negative electrolyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: University of Delaware
    Inventors: Yushan Yan, Shuang Gu, Ke Gong
  • Patent number: 9640800
    Abstract: Provided is a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery with improved high-rate discharge characteristics. The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode including a metal foil and a positive electrode active material layer formed thereon; a negative electrode containing a negative electrode active material; and a nonaqueous electrolyte containing a nonaqueous solvent and a solute dissolved therein. The metal foil of the positive electrode is an aluminum foil having an at least partially roughened surface adjacent to the positive electrode active material layer. The positive electrode includes a conductive layer containing a conductor and a binder in recesses in the at least partially roughened surface of the aluminum foil. The positive electrode active material layer is disposed on the conductive layer and contains a positive electrode active material, the conductor, and the binder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Takijiri, Masanobu Takeuchi, Yoshinori Kida
  • Patent number: 9620812
    Abstract: There is provided a lithium ion battery having high flame retardancy and good cycle characteristics on a long-term basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: NEC ENERGY DEVICES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shinako Kaneko, Hitoshi Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 9620818
    Abstract: An electrolyte for a rechargeable lithium battery includes a lithium salt, an organic solvent and an additive. The organic solvent includes a sulfur-containing compound represented by Chemical Formula 1, and the additive includes a phosphazene compound represented by Chemical Formula 2. A rechargeable lithium battery including the electrolyte may have improved performance and safety. In Chemical Formulae 1 and 2, the substituents are as defined in the detailed description.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-Il Han, Duck-Hyun Kim, Young Sam Park, Moon-Sung Kim, Woo-Cheol Shin, Bong-Chull Kim, Jeong-Hye Lee, E-Rang Cho, Min-Young Lee, Ho-Seok Yang, Byung-Hwa Kim, Young-Hwan Park
  • Patent number: 9608291
    Abstract: A non-aqueous liquid electrolyte secondary battery using negative-electrode active material having Si, Sn and/or Pb, with high charge-capacity, superior characteristics including discharge-capacity retention rate over long is provided. The non-aqueous liquid electrolyte of the battery contains carbonate having unsaturated bond and/or halogen and compounds such as LiPF6 and/or LiBF4 (first lithium salt) and lithium salt different from the first lithium salt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Fujii, Noriko Shima, Youichi Ohashi, Shinichi Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 9608263
    Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for producing anode materials for use in nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries. In the present invention, a metal-semiconductor alloy layer is formed on an anode material by contacting a portion of the anode material with a solution containing metals ions and a dissolution component. When the anode material is contacted with the solution, the dissolution component dissolves a part of the semiconductor material in the anode material and deposit the metal on the anode material. After deposition, the anode material and metal are annealed to form a uniform metal-semiconductor alloy layer. The anode material of the present invention can be in a monolithic form or a particle form. When the anode material is in a particle form, the particulate anode material can be further shaped and sintered to agglomerate the particulate anode material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: ENOVIX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Murali Ramasubramanian, Robert M. Spotnitz
  • Patent number: 9608287
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a nonaqueous electrolytic solution capable of improving electrochemical characteristics in a broad temperature range, an energy storage device using it. A nonaqueous electrolytic solution of an electrolyte salt dissolved in a nonaqueous solvent, which comprises at least one cyclic sulfonic acid ester compound represented by the following general formula (I), and an energy storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: UBE INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Abe, Shoji Shikita
  • Patent number: 9607777
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a separator and an electrochemical device, the separator is provided with a folded structure unit across a widthwise direction of the separator, and an overlapping part of the folded structure unit is filled with an adhesive. When the separator is applied into a production of the electrochemical device, a winding process can be performed as usual. After an electrolyte injection or high temperature aging of the electrochemical device, the adhesive filled in the folded structure unit of the separator may be dissolved into the electrolyte, the folded structure unit can be unfolded to a flat position again, so as to effectively eliminate deformation of the electrochemical device, which may be caused by thermal contraction of the separator, over stress in the separator wound in a cell, or the separator's binding on expansion of negative and positive electrodes, during operation and production of the electrochemical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: NINGDE AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Sheng Cheng, Shaojun Niu, Dongming He, Xiaowen Zhang
  • Patent number: 9525165
    Abstract: An electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery includes an electrode active material and a copolymer represented by where A is selected from —O—(CFRf3—CFRf4)—, —(CFRf4—CFRf5)— and combinations thereof, each of Rf1 through Rf5 is independently selected from fluorine, C1-C4 alkyls and C1-C4 fluorinated alkyls, and each of x and y is an integer ranging from 1 to 100,000.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong-Man Kim, Ho-Yul Baek, Jae-Rok Kim, Jake Kim, Kyeong-Beom Cheong
  • Patent number: 9520610
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a 5-layer MEA having an improved electrical conductivity capable of reducing electrical contact resistance between a catalyst layer and a micro-porous layer (MPL) by forming a new electrical conductive layer between the catalyst layer of a 3-layer MEA and the MPL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Young Soo Kim, Ki Sub Lee
  • Patent number: 9515333
    Abstract: A fluid resistance section outside a fuel cell can regulate the reactant flow against the pressure changes in the reaction zones of the electrodes, reducing the fluctuations in reactant flows to the fuel cell electrodes due to dynamic fluctuations in fluid pressure at the fuel cell electrode because of the release of gaseous products. The outside fluidic resistor can have resistance much higher than the resistance of the flow through the electrodes, thus effectively determining the amount of the reactant flow to the electrodes, independent of the electrode areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: NEAH POWER SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Tsali Cross, Derek Reiman, Matthew Carson, Joseph Schmeller
  • Patent number: 9514895
    Abstract: Provided are an electric storage device in which a current collector is not easily broken even when vibration is applied, and a vehicle having this electric storage device. This electric storage device includes a case having a first inner surface and a second inner surface adjacent to the first inner surface, an electrode assembly housed in the case and including a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate insulated from each other, an electrode terminal disposed outside the case, and a current collector housed in the case and electrically connecting the electrode assembly and the electrode terminal to each other. A distal end edge of a distal end portion of the current collector is supported on the first inner surface of the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignees: GS YUASA INTERNATIONAL LTD., HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Naganawa, Masamitsu Tononishi, Shinsuke Yoshitake, Yasunori Okuno, Masakazu Tsutsumi, Hajime Kawamoto, Tomonori Kishimoto, Jun Nakamura, Toshiyuki Nukuda
  • Patent number: 9508986
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrode mixture paste containing an electrode active material, a conductive material, a binder, and an organic solvent. The electrode active material has a sodium-containing transition metal compound, the binder has a polymer soluble to the organic solvent, and the polymer does not have a structural unit derived from vinylidene halide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventor: Jun-ichi Kageura