Patents Examined by Archer Dudley
  • Patent number: 9017885
    Abstract: The object of this invention is to provide a fuel supply system capable of reducing the quantity of a fuel to be discharged from a plurality of fuel tanks connected in parallel is provided. The fuel supply system includes a plurality of the fuel tanks for storing a fuel, on-off valves provided individually for the fuel tanks, and a control unit which controls the opening and closing of the on-off valves. The control unit changes the number of the on-off valves to be simultaneously opened according to a situation. The control unit may reduce the number of the on-off valves to be simultaneously opened after a failure is detected or at the time of maintenance of the fuel supply system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoki Kanie
  • Patent number: 8993193
    Abstract: New proton conducting membranes are made of perfluorosulfonic acid polymers films that have been treated by exposing them to a chlorosulfonating agent. The membranes are used as a proton exchange membrane in PEM fuel cells operating at temperatures above 95° C., or at low relative humidity. In various embodiments, the treated films have superior physical properties such as tensile strength, when compared to an untreated film. In some embodiments, the ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the treated films is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Timothy J. Fuller, Beba T. Dobulis
  • Patent number: 8980489
    Abstract: A fuel cell type power generation device including: a fuel cell extracting electric power by an electrochemical reaction of a fuel; a first combustor burning an unreacted fuel exhausted from the fuel cell; and a second combustor burning an unburned fuel exhausted from the first combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshihito Terada
  • Patent number: 8962198
    Abstract: A power generator includes a hydrogen producing fuel in a first high pressure chamber. A fuel cell having a proton exchange membrane is disposed in a second low pressure chamber. A water absorbing material provides water vapor to the hydrogen producing fuel, and a plurality of valves control hydrogen provided to the fuel cell from the first high pressure chamber, and exposure of the water absorbing material to ambient and the high pressure chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Steven J. Eickhoff
  • Patent number: 8956779
    Abstract: A water vapor transfer unit assembly is disclosed, the water vapor transfer unit assembly including a plurality of water vapor transfer units having a fluid permeable membrane and a plurality of supports disposed within a sealing frame adjacent an end plate of a fuel cell stack, wherein the sealing frame is adapted to provide support to the end plate and a fuel cell stack of the fuel cell stack system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Benno Andreas-Schott, Glenn W. Skala, Thomas P. Migliore, Ian R. Jermy
  • Patent number: 8956780
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell has a stack structure in which sheet bodies and separators for separating air and fuel gas are stacked in alternating layers. Each of the sheet bodies includes an electrolyte layer, a fuel electrode layer formed on the upper surface of the electrolyte layer, and an air electrode layer formed on the lower surface of the electrolyte layer, wherein these layers are stacked and fired in such a manner that the electrolyte layer is sandwiched between the fuel electrode layer and the air electrode layer. The thickness of the electrolyte layer is 0.3 ?m or more and 5 ?m or less, and the electrolyte layer is composed of a single particle of YSZ in the thickness direction. Thus, the electrolyte layer is extremely thin, and further, the grain boundary in the thickness direction is small. Accordingly, the IR loss (electric resistance) of the electrolyte layer can remarkably be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Ohmori, Natsumi Shimogawa, Toshiyuki Nakamura, Tsutomu Nanataki
  • Patent number: 8945755
    Abstract: The disclosure discusses a secondary battery with superior durability and a vehicle configured to mount the same. The secondary battery comprises an electrode structure wherein a cathode is formed at one side of a base material layer having electrical insulating property and an anode is formed at another side of the base material layer. A plurality of electrode structures are stacked with an electrolyte layer interposed therebetween such that the cathode and anode of adjacent electrode structures are on opposite sides of the electrolyte layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Yanagihara, Hideaki Horie, Yoshio Shimoida, Kyouichi Watanabe, Osamu Shimamura, Yuichiro Yamamura
  • Patent number: 8871405
    Abstract: When assembly is carried out by clamping a stacked product made up of a plurality of unit cell modules, paired end plates respectively disposed on both the sides thereof and the like by a plurality of fastening members, first coupling portions of one end portion of each of such plurality of fastening members and second coupling portions of the other end portions are combined to each other, and coupled with one pin member. Thus, a plurality of such fastening members are coupled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Yoko Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8871392
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a hydrogen path for supplying odorant-added hydrogen to the fuel cell, an estimating unit to estimate the depositing of the odorant in the fuel cell, and control unit to heat the fuel cell up to a temperature at which at least part of the odorant deposited in the fuel cell evaporates when the depositing of the odorant is estimated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuo Watanabe, Keigo Suematsu, Tatsuaki Yokoyama, Katsuhiko Hirose, Atsushi Matsuba
  • Patent number: 8835065
    Abstract: A method for starting a cold or frozen fuel cell stack as efficiently and quickly as possible in a vehicle application is based upon a state of charge of a first power source such as a high voltage battery. Power flow between the first power source and fuel cell system is coordinated in conjunction with a specific load schedule and parallel control algorithms to minimize the start time required and optimize system warm-up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Steven D. Burch, Bruce J. Clingerman, Abdullah B. Alp, David A. Arthur, Dirk Wexel, Martin Fasse
  • Patent number: 8691444
    Abstract: Protected anode architectures for active metal anodes have a polymer adhesive seal that provides a hermetic enclosure for the active metal of the protected anode inside an anode compartment. The compartment is substantially impervious to ambient moisture and battery components such as catholyte (electrolyte about the cathode), and prevents volatile components of the protected anode, such as anolyte (electrolyte about the anode), from escaping. The architecture is formed by joining the protected anode to an anode container. The polymer adhesive seals provide a hermetic seal at the joint between a surface of the protected anode and the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: PolyPlus Battery Company
    Inventors: Steven J. Visco, Yevgeniy S. Nimon, Lutgard C. De Jonghe, Bruce D. Katz, Alexei Petrov
  • Patent number: 8691424
    Abstract: A rechargeable battery includes an electrode assembly comprising a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator located between the first and second electrode plates; a case housing the electrode assembly; and at least one short circuit inducing member electrically coupled to the first electrode plate or the second electrode plate of the electrode assembly and adapted to induce a short circuit in the rechargeable battery when the shape of the rechargeable battery is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignees: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd., Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Sang-Won Byun, Jong-Seok Moon
  • Patent number: 8691467
    Abstract: A method and resulting device for metallic structures including interconnects and sealed frames for solid oxide fuel cells, particularly those with multi-cell electrolyte sheets, includes providing a high-temperature aluminum-containing surface-alumina-forming steel, forming an interconnect structure from the steel, removing any alumina layer from a surface portion of the interconnect where an electrical contact is to be formed, providing a structure having a surface portion with which electrical contact is to be made by the surface portion of the interconnect, and brazing the surface portion of the interconnect to the surface portion of the structure, and sealing fuel cell frames by brazing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventors: Dilip Kumar Chatterjee, Jeffrey Earl Cortright, Pamela Arlene Maurey, Samir Biswas
  • Patent number: 8518578
    Abstract: The electrode plate for use in an electrochemical battery is made of a casting; a planar portion; a perimeter and a bus bar extending along a portion of that perimeter. The planar portion and the bus bar are integral parts of the aforesaid casting. The electrode plate is made of lead when used in a lead-acid battery or of other electrode material capable of being formed by casting, when used in other types of batteries. More specifically, the electrode plate has a rectangular shape and a higher-current-density side, and the aforesaid bus bar extends over three adjacent sides of the rectangular shape including the higher-current-density side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Inventor: David H. Swan
  • Patent number: 8445136
    Abstract: Protected anode architectures for active metal anodes have a polymer adhesive seal that provides an hermetic enclosure for the active metal of the protected anode inside an anode compartment. The compartment is substantially impervious to ambient moisture and battery components such as catholyte (electrolyte about the cathode), and prevents volatile components of the protected anode, such as anolyte (electrolyte about the anode), from escaping. The architecture is formed by joining the protected anode to an anode container. The polymer adhesive seals provide an hermetic seal at the joint between a surface of the protected anode and the container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: PolyPlus Battery Company
    Inventors: Steven J. Visco, Yevgeniy S. Nimon, Lutgard C. De Jonghe, Bruce D. Katz, Alexei Petrov