Patents Examined by Carlos Barcena
  • Patent number: 10559856
    Abstract: A battery comprises: a plurality of cells each of which has two electrodes; a control unit with a circuit board; and a housing that contains the cells and the control unit. The housing is provided with a first terminal and a second terminal. The cell, which is disposed closest to the first terminal, is connected to the first terminal; and the cell, which is disposed adjacent to the control unit, is connected to the second terminal via the control unit. Among the cells and the control unit, the control unit is disposed closest to the second terminal. A bus bar is provided between the cell and the cell so as to serve as a folding portion that folds back the current path between the first and second terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignees: AutoNetworks Technologies, Ltd., Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiromichi Yasunori
  • Patent number: 10547052
    Abstract: The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to transition metal-containing composite hydroxides, their use, and manufacturing methods thereof. More particularly, the subject matter describes a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that uses a transition metal-containing composite hydroxide as a precursor and a manufacturing method thereof. In some embodiments, the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery uses a positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery as a positive electrode material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: SUMITOMO METAL MINING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Toma, Taira Aida, Tetsufumi Komukai, Yasutaka Kamata
  • Patent number: 10541445
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an additive for a non-aqueous electrolyte solution including a compound represented by Formula 1 below, a non-aqueous electrolyte solution for a lithium secondary battery including the same, and a lithium secondary battery including the non-aqueous electrolyte solution. NC—(R)n—CN??[Formula 1] (in Formula 1, R is a cycloalkylene group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms in which at least one cyano group (—CN) is substituted or unsubstituted, a haloalkylene group having 2 to 5 carbon atoms in which at least one cyano group (—CN) is substituted or unsubstituted, or an alkylene group having 2 to 5 carbon atoms in which at least one cyano group (—CN) is substituted, and n is an integer of 1 to 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung Hoon Yu, Yoo Sun Kang, Kyung Mi Lee
  • Patent number: 10541435
    Abstract: A flow battery includes: a liquid including a redox mediator; an electrode; a second electrode; an active material; and a circulator that circulates the liquid between the electrode and the active material. The redox mediator includes a tetrathiafulvalene derivative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yu Otsuka
  • Patent number: 10535870
    Abstract: An electrical device having a power generating element which includes a positive electrode containing a positive electrode active material, a negative electrode containing a negative electrode active material, and a separator, in which the coating amount of a negative electrode active material layer is set at 4 to 11 mg/cm2, the negative electrode active material represented by Formula (1), the positive electrode active material represented by Formula (2), and in that case, as a solid solution positive electrode active material to be contained in a positive electrode active material layer, a material represented by Formula (3) and having a particle surface that is provided with a certain amount of coating layer which is formed of an oxide or complex oxide of a metal that is selected from the group consisting of Al, Zr and Ti is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chihiro Honda, Shinji Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10522815
    Abstract: In some embodiments, lithium-sulfur electrochemical cells, fabrication methods thereof, and methods useful to enable improvement of one or more performance characteristics in lithium-sulfur electrochemical cells are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method to enable improvement of one or more performance characteristics in a lithium-sulfur electrochemical cell(s) is disclosed, wherein a conductive network is formed within the lithium-sulfur electrochemical cell(s) by applying a voltage thereto for a threshold time period. The one or more performance characteristics of the lithium-sulfur electrochemical cell increase as a result of the presence of the conductive network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Inventors: James Allen Turney, Roger L Aronow, Sea Park, Joseph D Roy-Mayhew
  • Patent number: 10522843
    Abstract: A supported bi-metallic non-platinum catalyst that is capable of oxidizing hydrazine to produce, as by-products of energy production, nitrogen, water, and zero or near-zero levels of ammonia is described. The catalyst is suitable for use in fuel cells, particularly those that utilizes an anion-exchange membrane and a liquid fuel such as hydrazine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: STC. UNM
    Inventors: Alexey Serov, Plamen B Atanassov, Tomokazu Sakamoto, Hirohisa Tanaka, Koichiro Asazawa
  • Patent number: 10511048
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of preparing a negative electrode active material for a secondary battery which may prevent oxidation during the preparation of nano-sized silicon particles, a negative electrode active material for a secondary battery prepared thereby, and a negative electrode for a secondary battery and a lithium secondary battery including the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Rae Hwan Jo, Yong Ju Lee, Eun Kyung Kim
  • Patent number: 10505220
    Abstract: A negative electrode active material includes a compound represented by a composition formula of MgxMe1-xO1-xH2x, where Me is at least one selected from the group consisting of Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu, and 0.5?x?0.9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuko Asano, Akira Kano, Kensuke Nakura
  • Patent number: 10505166
    Abstract: An energy storage apparatus includes one or more energy storage devices, and an outer housing that houses the one or more energy storage devices. The outer housing includes an outer housing main body, a cover that closes an opening of the outer housing main body, an outer terminal disposed on the cover, and a communication part defining a passageway allowing a communication between an interior and an exterior of the outer housing. The communication part includes a functional membrane. A ventilation hose for passage of a gas, which has passed the functional membrane, is connected to an end of the communication part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: GS YUASA INTERNATIONAL LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiki Kusunoki, Osamu Ushijima
  • Patent number: 10505209
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus are provided for controlling a cooling system of a fuel cell, wherein an output of the cooling system is determined by varying rising/falling gain values of a cooling system according to irreversible/reversible degradation degrees of the fuel cell and an output demand degree, whereby the cooling system is controlled according to the determined output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Seong Cheol Jeong, Dong Hun Lee
  • Patent number: 10490827
    Abstract: To spread the use of catalysts for fuel cells, there is a demand to develop a catalyst that uses less Pt and has a high power generation efficiency. An electrode catalyst includes a support particle containing a metal oxide and a precious-metal alloy supported on the support particle. The support particle includes multiple branches, a hole between the branches, and a pore. The pore is surrounded by the branches and the hole. The precious-metal alloy includes a precious metal element and at least one or more transition elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF YAMANASHI
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Kakinuma, Makoto Uchida, Akihiro Iiyama
  • Patent number: 10487235
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a battery pack component including a self-healing coating. The self-healing coating is disposed on at least a portion of a surface of the battery pack component. The self-healing coating includes a first precursor including a cyclic ether capable of reacting in a self-healing cationic ring-opening polymerization reaction. The self-healing coating further includes an initiator including an alkali metal salt. The self-healing cationic ring-opening polymerization reaction occurs when a defect is present in the self-healing coating. In certain aspects, the cyclic ether may include 1,3-dioxolane (C3H6O2) and the initiator may include lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (F2NaNO4S2). In other aspects, the self-healing coating may include a second precursor that is capable of copolymerizing with the first precursor. In still other aspects, the present disclosure provides a method of making a self-healing coating for a battery pack component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Fang Dai, Mei Cai, Tao Wang, Mohammed Bahauddin, Sherman Zeng
  • Patent number: 10490872
    Abstract: An aspect of the present invention is an electrical device, where the device includes a current collector and a porous active layer electrically connected to the current collector to form an electrode. The porous active layer includes MgBx particles, where x?1, mixed with a conductive additive and a binder additive to form empty interstitial spaces between the MgBx particles, the conductive additive, and the binder additive. The MgBx particles include a plurality of boron sheets of boron atoms covalently bound together, with a plurality of magnesium atoms reversibly intercalated between the boron sheets and ionically bound to the boron atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
    Inventors: Yufeng Zhao, Chunmei Ban, Daniel Ruddy, Philip A. Parilla, Seoung-Bum Son
  • Patent number: 10490867
    Abstract: A vehicle electrical system for a motor vehicle. An electrical energy store and at least one component of the vehicle electrical system, this component being connected to the energy store by at least one connection providing at least one electrical line connection to the energy store. A temperature-control fluid can be transported to and/or from the component of the vehicle electrical system that is associated with it by the at least one connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventor: Roman Straßer
  • Patent number: 10490850
    Abstract: New poly(ketone)-based polymers have been synthesized. When these polymers are combined with electrolyte salts, such polymer electrolytes have shown excellent electrochemical oxidation stability in lithium battery cells. Their stability along with their excellent ionic transport properties make them especially suitable as electrolytes in high energy density lithium battery cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignees: SEEO. INC, Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Malar Azagarsamy, Kulandaivelu Sivanandan, Hany Basam Eitouni, Jonathan P. Mailoa, Georgy Samsonidze, Karim R. Gadelrab, Boris Kozinsky
  • Patent number: 10483569
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system and a method for eliminating reverse current decay in the fuel cells. According to the invention, the system comprises a fuel cell having an anode and a cathode; a fuel feed system for supplying the anode of the fuel cell with fuel and forming an anode system; a bypass line fitted in parallel and in flow connection with said anode system and capable of circulating fuel past the anode; an oxygen reduction unit; and a pressure unit for circulating gas in at least part of said anode system and said bypass line. The bypass line is adapted to receive and circulate a flow of hydrogen during a fuel cell shutdown in order to mix the hydrogen with any oxygen present in the anode system, and to remove the oxygen from the anode system in said oxygen reduction unit by catalytic conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Teknologian tutkimuskeskus VTT Oy
    Inventor: Jari Ihonen
  • Patent number: 10483546
    Abstract: Xanthan gum has been found to be a superior binder for binding an electrode, especially an anode, in a lithium-ion or lithium-sulfur battery, being able to accommodate large volume changes and providing stable capacities in batteries tested with different types of anode materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: National Research Council of Canada
    Inventors: Fabrice Courtel, Yaser Abu-Lebdeh
  • Patent number: 10483561
    Abstract: A flat plate-shaped solid oxide fuel cell having a porous ceramic support, a fuel electrode provided on the porous ceramic support, an electrolyte layer provided on the fuel electrode, an air electrode provided on the electrolyte layer, and a fuel electrode current collector connected to the fuel electrode and extending in a direction way from the air electrode is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Yeonhyuk Heo, Kwangwook Choi, Sanghyeok Im, Takkeun Oh, Jeong Mi Choi, Tai Min Noh
  • Patent number: 10483524
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, there is provided a nonaqueous electrolyte battery. The nonaqueous electrolyte battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator sandwiched between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a nonaqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode contains a negative electrode active material having a Li-absorbing potential of 1 V vs. Li/Li+ or more. An electrical resistance of the negative electrode in a discharged state is within a range of 100 ?·cm to 100000 ?·cm. A pore volume ratio of pores having a pore diameter of 1 ?m or more in the separator is more than 70%. The pore volume ratio is determined from a cumulative pore volume frequency curve of the separator obtained by a mercury intrusion porosimetry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hidesato Saruwatari, Masataka Shikota, Dai Yamamoto