Patents Examined by Basia Ridley
  • Patent number: 10217984
    Abstract: A separator according to the embodiment includes a porous base material having a thermoplastic resin. The porous base material has a heat-resistant porous layer on at least one surface thereof. The heat-resistant porous layer contains inorganic particles, a resin, and sulfur. A lithium ion secondary battery according to the embodiment, includes: the separator interposed between a positive electrode and a negative electrode; and an electrolyte solution. The heat-resistant porous layer is disposed between the positive electrode and the porous base material. Sulfur is distributed unevenly in the heat-resistant porous layer so as to exist in larger amount near a surface thereof opposite to the porous base material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro Saegusa, Hirokazu Ohnuma, Bungo Sakurai
  • Patent number: 10199663
    Abstract: A cell structure for a fuel cell stack that is formed by stacking unit cells C each including a membrane electrode assembly 1 and a pair of separators 2 holding the membrane electrode assembly 1 therebetween. The membrane electrode assembly 1 includes a frame 3 in the periphery having such a size as to extend outward over the edges of the separators 2. Communication holes 21, 22 in communication with the front and back sides are formed in the frame 3 in an area from a sealing part 11 between frames 3 adjacent in the cell stacking direction to a sealing parts 12 between the membrane electrode assembly 1 and the separators 2. The air in a space Q formed between the inner and outer sealing parts 11, 12 is allowed to be released to the outside through the communication holes 21, 22, and a breakage of the adhesive of the sealing parts 11, 12 is thereby prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Kageyama
  • Patent number: 10193126
    Abstract: A battery terminal includes a shaft portion and a flange portion. The battery terminal is made of a clad material in which at least a first metal layer and a second metal layer are bonded to each other. Each of the shaft portion and the flange portion includes the first metal layer on a first side in a shaft direction and the second metal layer on a second side in the shaft direction. The first metal layer in the shaft portion includes a protruding portion that further protrudes to the second side in the shaft direction with respect to a surface of the first metal layer on the second side in the shaft direction in the flange portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignees: HITACHI METALS, LTD., AOYAMA SEISAKUSHO IBARAKI PLANT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshimitsu Oda, Masaharu Yamamoto, Masaaki Ishio, Naonori Ishii, Hirofumi Nakano
  • Patent number: 10186701
    Abstract: A battery separator for a lead acid (storage) battery is made from a thermoplastic sheet material. The sheet material has a central region flanked by peripheral regions. The central region includes a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs that are integrally formed from the sheet material. The peripheral regions are free of ribs and may include a densified structure. Also disclosed are a method of producing the foregoing separator, an envelope separator made from the sheet material, and a method of making the envelope separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Daramic, LLC
    Inventors: J. Kevin Whear, Eric H. Miller, Salvatore Cardillo, Daniel Dreyer
  • Patent number: 10177417
    Abstract: A battery including an anode including iron sulphide as active material, with the sulphur content being at least 5 wt. % of the total of iron and sulphur, a cathode, and an alkaline electrolyte including an alkaline component dissolved in water, with the anode including less than 50 wt. % of other active materials than iron sulphide. Preferably, the sulphur content of the anode is more than 10 wt. % of sulphur, calculated in the total of iron and sulphur and 70 wt. % or less. The use of iron sulphide in the anode provides a rechargeable electrical energy storage system which is low-cost, easy to produce, and environmental friendly, and which shows a long lifetime and has excellent electrochemical properties like high power density and good cycling efficiency. The battery according to the invention also shows superior charge/discharge behavior as compared to e.g. lead-acid and nickel-iron batteries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: E-STONE BATTERIES B.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Van Dijk, Fokko Marten Mulder
  • Patent number: 10170758
    Abstract: A composite oxide with x wt.—parts Li2TiO3, preferably in its cubic modification of space group Fm-3m, y wt.—parts TiO2, z wt.—parts of Li2CO3 or LiOH, u wt.—parts of a carbon source and optionally v wt.—parts of a transition or main group metal compound and/or a sulphur containing compound, wherein x is between 2 and 3, y is between 3 and 4, z is between 0.001 and 1, u is between 0.05 and 1 and 0?v<0.1 and the metal of the transition or main group metal compound is selected from Al, Mg, Ga, Fe, Co, Sc, Y, Mn, Ni, Cr, V or mixtures thereof. Also, a process for the preparation of a composition of non-doped and doped lithium titanate Li4Ti5O12, including secondary agglomerates of primary particles, using the composite oxide and its use as anode material in secondary lithium-ion batteries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Johnson Matthey Public Limited Company
    Inventors: Stefanie Rudenko, Manuel Pfanzelt, Andreas Laumann
  • Patent number: 10162013
    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: January 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul S. Andry, Qiang Huang, Yu Luo, Adinath S. Narasgond
  • Patent number: 10164283
    Abstract: A flow battery includes a stack of manifold plates that define first and second exclusive flow circuits through the stack between first and second stack inlets and first and second stack outlets. The manifold plates each include a frame that extends around a flow field of an electrochemically active area, with a plurality of port through-holes in the frame. The through-holes are arranged in a rotationally symmetric pattern about a center of the respective manifold plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Robert Mason Darling
  • Patent number: 10153511
    Abstract: Nanoelectrofuel compositions include a plurality of electroactive surface-treated or surface modified nanoparticles dispersed in an electrolyte or self suspended and exhibit fluid characteristics are provided. A Redox flow cell may employ the nanoelectrofuels compositions, wherein the redox flow cell includes a first inlet and a first outlet in fluid communication with a first half-cell body, a second inlet and a second outlet in fluid communication with a second half-cell body, a third cell body, and an ion-conductive membrane separating the first half-cell body from the second half-cell body and defining the second half-cell body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignees: UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC, ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Elena V. Timofeeva, John P. Katsoudas, Dileep Singh, Carlo U. Segre
  • Patent number: 10153507
    Abstract: The method of making a nanocomposite polyelectrolyte membrane is a process for forming membranes for use in hydrogen and methanol fuel cell applications, for example. A hydrophobic polymer, such as polypropylene, is blended with a nanofiller, such halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) or propylene-grafted maleic anhydride nano-layered silica (Ma-Si), to form a dry mix, which is then pelletized for extrusion in a twin-screw extruder to form a thin film nanocomposite. The thin film nanocomposite is then annealed and cold stretched at room temperature. The cold stretching is followed by stretching at a temperature ranging from approximately 110° C. to approximately 140° C. The nanocomposite is then heat set to form the nanocomposite polyelectrolyte membrane. The nanocomposite polyelectrolyte membrane may then be further plasma etched and impregnated with a sulfonated polymer, such as sulfonated melamine formaldehyde, a polycarboxylate superplasticizer or perfluorosulfonic acid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research
    Inventor: Shawqui M. Lahalih
  • Patent number: 10135082
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell outputting a current; a supply unit supplying oxidant gas; a flow-amount measurement unit measuring a flow amount of the oxidant gas; and a controller that feed-back controls the supply unit such that a measured flow-amount value converges toward a target flow-amount value, wherein the controller determines an acceptable current value in accordance with the measured flow-amount value, restricts the current to the acceptable current value or less, controls the current in accordance with a requested current value of the fuel cell; and performs a changing-suppression processing, when a condition continues for a predetermined period, the condition including that a changing width of the requested current value is equal to or less than a first value and a difference between the requested current value and the acceptable current value is equal to or less than a second value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko Kaneko, Yoshiaki Naganuma, Yutaka Tano, Yohei Okamoto
  • Patent number: 10135048
    Abstract: Provided is a lead-acid battery which includes: a power generating element; an electrolyte solution; a container which houses the power generating element and the electrolyte solution; and a lid member which is configured to seal the container and in which an exhaust space and a sleeve member are formed, the exhaust space communicating with an outside, an inside of the container being communicated with the exhaust space through the sleeve member. A bottom surface of the exhaust space is inclined such that a solution in the space returns to the inside of the container. The sleeve member has blocking elements arranged in a spaced-apart manner in an extending direction of the sleeve member. The inside of the container is communicated with the exhaust space through a space formed between the blocking elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: GS Yuasa Internationl Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Fujimoto, Kenji Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 10122186
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein relate to a battery pack that may be used in an battery energy storage system. In an embodiment, the battery pack may include an integrated battery management system (BMS) having isolated, distributed, daisy-chained battery module controllers. The daisy-chained battery module controllers may be coupled to a battery pack controller, which may charge and/or discharge the battery pack using the battery modules controllers and a balancing charger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Powin Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Patrick Joseph Nystrom, Virgil Lee Beaston, Patten Atwood Emmons
  • Patent number: 10109889
    Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode plate including a positive electrode core and a positive electrode mixture layer formed thereon; a negative electrode plate including a negative electrode core and a negative electrode mixture layer formed thereon; a wound electrode assembly in which the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate are wound with a separator therebetween so as to be insulated from each other; a nonaqueous electrolyte solution; a pressure-responsive current interruption mechanism electrically connected to at least one of the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate; and an outer casing. Excess electrolyte solution is present outside the electrode assembly in the outer casing. The liquid level of the excess electrolyte solution is at such a height that the excess electrolyte solution does not come into contact with a component of the current interruption mechanism when the outer casing is placed horizontally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takayuki Hattori, Yasuhiro Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 10103398
    Abstract: A support carbon material able to support a catalyst metal in a highly dispersed state and resistant to the flooding phenomenon and with little voltage drop even at the time of large current power generation under high humidity conditions and a catalyst using the same, specifically, a support carbon material for solid polymer type fuel cell use comprised of a porous carbon material which has a pore volume and a pore area found by the BJH analysis method from a nitrogen adsorption isotherm in an adsorption process of a radius 2 nm to 50 nm pore volume VA of 1 ml/g to 5 ml/g and a radius 2 nm to 50 nm pore area S2-50 of 300 m2/g to 1500 m2/g and a ratio (V5-25/VA) of radius 5 nm to 25 nm pore volume V5-25 (ml/g) to said pore volume VA (ml/g) of 0.4 to 0.7 and a ratio (V2-5/VA) of radius 2 nm to 5 nm pore volume V2-5 (ml/g) to the same of 0.2 to 0.5 and a catalyst using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignees: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION, NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinya Furukawa, Takashi Iijima, Masataka Hiyoshi, Katsumasa Matsumoto, Noriyuki Negi, Hiroyuki Hayashida
  • Patent number: 10103389
    Abstract: An oxidation gas discharging structure is applied to a fuel cell stack that includes an end plate arranged on an end of a fuel cell body. The oxidation gas inside the fuel cell body is discharged to the outside through a through hole extending through the end plate. A slope is formed on the bottom face of the through hole to rise toward the downstream side. The slope restricts condensed water from moving downstream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kunihiro Yamaura
  • Patent number: 10096873
    Abstract: A metal/air electrochemical cell comprising at least one air cathode, an alkaline electrolyte and at least one anode component, wherein the anode component is in the form a spatial body bounded by a surface consisting of two opposite parallel bases and lateral sides, with said lateral sides being provided thereon with a protective member comprising a resilient polymer seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: PHINERGY LTD.
    Inventors: Avraham Yadgar, Yisrael Miller, Dekel Tzidon
  • Patent number: 10096837
    Abstract: Provided are: a supporting carbon material for a solid polymer fuel cell, said supporting carbon material making it possible to produce a high-performance solid polymer fuel cell in which there is little decrease in power generation performance as a result of repeated battery load fluctuation that inevitably occurs during operation of the solid polymer fuel cell; and a catalyst metal particle-supporting carbon material. The present invention relates to: a supporting carbon material for a solid polymer fuel cell, said supporting carbon material being a porous carbon material in which the specific surface area of mesopores having a pore diameter of 2-50 nm according to nitrogen adsorption measurement is 600-1,600 m2/g, the relative intensity ratio (IG?/IG) of the peak intensity (IG?) of the G-band 2,650-2,700 cm?1 range to the peak intensity (IG) of the G-band 1,550-1,650 cm?1 range in the Raman spectrum is 0.8-2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignees: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION, NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Iijima, Masataka Hiyoshi, Katsumasa Matsumoto, Hiroyuki Hayashida, Kazuhiko Mizuuchi, Takumi Kouno, Masakazu Higuchi, Masakazu Katayama
  • Patent number: 10096867
    Abstract: A compact secondary battery module integrated with BMS is disclosed, which includes a cartridge assembly stacked and coupled with at least two or more cartridges receiving a secondary battery cell therein; and a sensing housing disposed on a side surface of the cartridge assembly, in which two or more bus bars electrically connected with an electrode of a corresponding cell are disposed in a predetermined pattern, and a BMS circuit board that can be connected with each of the bus bars is prepared integrally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Bum-Hyun Lee, Jee-Ho Kim, Jin-Kyu Shin, Ju-Han Kim
  • Patent number: 10084178
    Abstract: Provided herein a method of preparing electrode assemblies for lithium-ion batteries. The method disclosed herein comprises a step of pre-drying separator in the battery manufacturing process before the stacking step, thereby significantly lowering the water content of the separator. Therefore, separators can be used to prepare electrode assemblies regardless of conditions under which they are stored or transported. In addition, the peeling strength between the porous base material and protective porous layer is largely unaffected by the drying process disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: GRST International Limited
    Inventors: Kam Piu Ho, Ranshi Wang, Peihua Shen