Patents Examined by Basia Ridley
  • Patent number: 9627658
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a battery includes a container, an electrode group, an electrolytic solution, a sealing plate, a terminal, an injecting port, a sealing plug, a lead and a pressing member. The injecting port is opened in the sealing plate. The sealing plug closes the injecting port of the sealing plate, and is made of an elastic material. The lead electrically connects a positive electrode or a negative electrode of the electrode group to the terminal. The pressing member is integrated with the lead. The pressing member presses the sealing plug to the sealing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Yoshio Takenouchi, Kenichi Takahashi, Mitsugi Ogura
  • Patent number: 9627707
    Abstract: A device for preventing deformation of a fuel cell stack module includes vertical plates and a horizontal plate, The vertical plates and the horizontal plate are combined to form a deformation prevention frame and disposed between a plurality of fuel cell stack modules, which is vertically stacked, and on both surfaces of the respective fuel cell stack modules which are perpendicular to an end plate. Each of the plurality of fuel cell stacks includes an end plate disposed perpendicular to the vertical plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Haeng Jin Ko, Yong Suk Heo
  • Patent number: 9620824
    Abstract: Embodiments include methods and products for evaluating microbatteries. The microbattery includes a cathode layer, an anode layer physically separated from the cathode layer, and an electrolyte layer in contact with the anode and the cathode. The microbattery also includes at least one auxiliary electrode in physical contact with the electrolyte layer, the auxiliary electrode containing at least one metal coating and at least one non-conductive film, wherein the at least one metal coating is physically separated from the cathode and the anode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul S. Andry, Qiang Huang, Yu Luo, Adinath S. Narasgond
  • Patent number: 9620829
    Abstract: A cooling device for a vehicle battery includes a cooling plate (22) comprising a first plate part (24) which faces towards the battery (10) and has a first wall thickness (d1), a second plate part (30) which has a second wall thickness (d2), and a multiplicity of depressions (32) formed in the second plate part (30). The cooling plate (22) includes a multiplicity of refrigerant ducts (34) with a first duct cross section, the refrigerant ducts being formed between the first and second plate parts (24, 30) in the depressions (32) of the second plate part (30). The cooling plate (22) also includes a distributor portion (42) and a collector portion which each have at least one connection (46) for a refrigerant feed line (56) and a refrigerant return line. The wall thickness (D) of the cooling plate (22) in the distributor portion (42) and/or collector portion (44) is greater than the wall thickness (d2) of the second plate part (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: VALEO KLIMASYSTEME GMBH
    Inventor: Roland Haussmann
  • Patent number: 9620794
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell to generate electric power; a casing accommodating at least the fuel cell, the casing including an air inlet and an exhaust outlet; a supply passage connected to the air inlet, to introduce external air into the casing; an exhaust passage connected to the exhaust outlet, to exchange heat with the supply passage and discharge at least air inside the casing; an air supply device to introduce the external air into the casing; a temperature detector to detect a temperature; and a controller configured to control at least the air supply device. If the temperature detected by the temperature detector after the controller has caused the air supply device to operate is lower than or equal to a first predetermined temperature, the controller reduces an amount of air supplied by the air supply device and causes the air supply device to continue operating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junji Morita, Hiroshi Tatsui, Akinori Yukimasa, Hidetoshi Wakamatsu, Atsutaka Inoue
  • Patent number: 9620758
    Abstract: To realize high capacity of batteries, an object of the invention is to provide nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries which are unlikely to become swollen when charged to a high voltage and allowed to stand in a high temperature atmosphere. The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode including a positive electrode active material, a negative electrode including a negative electrode active material, a nonaqueous electrolyte, and a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. An inorganic particle layer is disposed between the positive electrode and the separator or between the negative electrode and the separator. The inorganic particle layer contains a polymer with a polyethylene glycol group. The polymer with a polyethylene glycol group has an average molecular weight of not less than 200.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Sakitani, Takanobu Chiga, Hiroyuki Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 9620760
    Abstract: A porous membrane for a secondary battery, including non-conductive particles and a binder for a porous membrane, wherein the non-conductive particle is a polymer particle having a core-shell structure, the non-conductive particle has a core portion having a glass transition point of 30° C. to 90° C., the non-conductive particle has a shell portion having a glass transition point higher than that of the core portion by 10° C. or higher, a thickness of the shell portion is 0.01% to 3.0% of a number average particle diameter of the non-conductive particles, and a number average particle diameter (A) of the non-conductive particle and a number average particle diameter (B) of the binder for a porous membrane satisfy (A)>(B).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: ZEON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takuya Kaneda
  • Patent number: 9620766
    Abstract: Considering that battery separators will require further thinner materials and lower costs in the future, a battery separator of the present invention, in which multi-layer polyolefin porous membrane with exceptionally high peel strength against a modified porous layer, suitable for high-speed processing during slit process and battery assembly process, and suitable for laminating on a multi-layer modified porous layer, and a multi-layer modified porous layer are laminated, is provided. A multi-layer polyolefin porous membrane comprising at least two or more layers, the multi-layer polyolefin porous membrane having a shut-down temperature in a range of 128 to 135° C., a rate of increase in air permeation resistance from 30° C. to 105° C. scaled to 20 ?m thickness less than 1.5 sec/100 cc Air/° C., and a thickness not more than 20 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: TORAY BATTERY SEPARATOR FILM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masami Sugata, Koichi Matano, Naoki Mizuno, Kosuke Harumoto
  • Patent number: 9614239
    Abstract: A separator of a fuel cell may have a planer shape, may be provided on one surface of a membrane electrode assembly, and may include a first protrusion formed over a region between a first position which is provided a first distance apart from a first hole being pierced in the separator and a second position which is provided a second distance apart from a second hole being pierced in the separator on a first surface opposed to the membrane electrode assembly, the first protrusion abutting the membrane electrode assembly. The separator further may include a second protrusion formed over a region at least between the first position and the second hole on the first surface, the second protrusion abutting the electrode membrane assembly between the first position and the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsuki Ikoma
  • Patent number: 9608279
    Abstract: Provided is a metal-air battery which has higher discharge capacity than conventional metal-air batteries. The present invention is a metal-air battery, which comprises a positive electrode layer, a negative electrode layer and an electrolyte layer that is arranged between the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer, and wherein the positive electrode layer contains a carbon material and is provided with two or more through holes that penetrate the positive electrode layer in the thickness direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yutaka Hirose
  • Patent number: 9608301
    Abstract: An electrochemical energy store including at least one anode and at least one cathode in an electrolyte, lithium peroxide being generated at the cathode by the reaction of lithium ions with oxygen. The cathode is connected to an oxygen reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Sabine Thiemann-Handler, Martin Holger Koenigsmann
  • Patent number: 9590249
    Abstract: An object is to improve characteristics of a power storage device. The present invention relates to an electricity storage device comprising a current collector and a negative electrode-active material layer formed over the current collector. The negative electrode-active material layer includes a negative electrode comprising a first negative electrode layer in contact with the current collector; a second negative electrode layer in contact with the first negative electrode layer, having a smaller capacitance than the first negative electrode layer and containing one material selected from a nitride of lithium and a transition metal represented by LiaMbNz (M is a transition metal, 0.1?a?2.8, 0.2?b?1 and 0.6?z?1.4), a silicon material, and lithium titanate; a positive electrode that is paired with the negative electrode; and a solid electrolyte interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tamae Moriwaka, Tatsuya Takahashi
  • Patent number: 9590267
    Abstract: Disclosed are a non-aqueous electrolyte for a rechargeable lithium battery and a rechargeable lithium battery including the non-aqueous electrolyte, and the non-aqueous electrolyte for a rechargeable lithium battery includes a lithium salt; a non-aqueous organic solvent; and trialkylsilyl borate as an additive, wherein the non-aqueous organic solvent may include a solvent having a low melting point of less than or equal to about ?50° C. and ionic conductivity of greater than or equal to about 6 mS/cm at 25° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Na-Rae Park, Jin-Hyunk Lim, Mi-Hyeun Oh
  • Patent number: 9590233
    Abstract: A battery cathode is made by mixing electrochemically active cathode material, graphite, water and an aqueous based binder to provide a mixture. The mixture is extruded continuously into a cathode. Water is then removed from the cathode. The cathode is cut into individual pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: DURACELL U.S. OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Yousef Georges Aouad
  • Patent number: 9583741
    Abstract: A secondary battery including an electrode assembly and a case accommodating the electrode assembly, the case including a bottom surface, a first pair of parallel sidewalls and a second pair of parallel sidewalls, connected with the bottom surface, and a corner portion formed by an intersection of each of the first pair of parallel sidewalls and the bottom surface, the corner portion having a first radius of curvature at a first region, and a second radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature at a second region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jaeil Seong, Hideaki Yoshio, Jiwon Yun
  • Patent number: 9573820
    Abstract: A rechargeable lithium battery includes a non-aqueous electrolyte, a negative electrode including a silicon-based negative active material, and a positive active material including a compound represented by a Chemical Formula 1, Li1+xCo1?yMyO2, wherein, ?0.2?x?0.2, 0<y?0.2, and M includes Ni and one selected from Mn, B, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ti, V, Cr, Fe, Cu, Al, and a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Ki Kim, Young-Hun Lee, Na-Leum Yoo, Na-Ri Park, Soon-Rewl Lee, Ick-Kyu Choi, Yong-Chul Park
  • Patent number: 9577287
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrolyte component containing one or more salts including lithium bis(oxalate)borate (LiBOB), a solvent, propylene carbonate (PC) and a crystallizable polymer wherein said LiBOB is present as a weight percentage of 0.5% or more, said propylene carbonate is present as a weight percentage of between 5% and 90% and the crystallizable polymer is present at a weight percentage of greater than 1%. It also provides a galvanic cell formed from the above and a process for forming same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
    Inventors: Ian Ward, Hugh Hubbard, Simon Charles Wellings, Jerry Barker
  • Patent number: 9564651
    Abstract: A liquid electrolyte fuel cell system (10) comprises at least one fuel cell with a liquid electrolyte chamber between opposed electrodes, the electrodes being an anode and a cathode, and means (30, 32) for supplying a gas stream to a gas chamber adjacent to the cathode and withdrawing a spent gas stream (38) from the gas chamber adjacent to the cathode, the system also comprising a liquid electrolyte storage tank (40), and means (42, 44, 47, 48) to circulate liquid electrolyte between the liquid electrolyte storage tank (40) and the fuel cells. In addition the system comprises a water storage tank (60) adjacent to the storage tank (40), and means (50, 51) for condensing water vapor from the spent gas stream (38), and for feeding (56) the condensed water vapor into the water storage tank (60). The water storage tank (60) has an overflow outlet (64); and a communication duct (68) linking the liquid electrolyte storage tank (40) and the water storage tank (60) below the level of the overflow outlet (60).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: AFC Energy plc
    Inventor: Andreas Karl Backstrom
  • Patent number: 9564626
    Abstract: A rechargeable battery includes a case having an inner space, a first electrode assembly inside the case, a second electrode assembly inside the case, a current collecting member including a first current collecting piece electrically connected to an electrode of the first electrode assembly and a second current collecting piece electrically connected to an electrode of the second electrode assembly, the electrode of the second electrode assembly having a same polarity as the electrode of the first electrode assembly, a first terminal electrically connected to the first current collecting member and protruding outside the case, wherein the first current collecting piece and the second current collecting piece have different lengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Seung-Mo Kim
  • Patent number: 9562294
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electrochemical cell comprising an anode and a cathode compartments separated by a membrane, having corresponding electrodes; said anode and cathode compartments each having an external wall, flanged areas designed like frames in the contact area of the compartments, and a gas diffusion electrode comprising a liquid-permeable carrier coated with a catalyst material; said gas diffusion electrode featuring an area not coated with catalyst at its bottom edge, said area, at the bottom end of the electrochemical cell, protruding between the flanged areas of the external wall of the cathode compartment and the flanged areas of the external wall of the anode compartment in the contact area of the compartments; a porous material arranged parallel between the gas diffusion electrode and the membrane, and devices for the supply and discharge of gas and electrolyte, with a gas space separated from an electrolyte space by appropriate means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: UHDENORA S.P.A.
    Inventors: Peter Woltering, Randolf Kiefer, Rainer Weber, Andreas Bulan