Patents Examined by Carmen Lyles-Irving
  • Patent number: 9553286
    Abstract: A battery pack includes: a core pack; a protection circuit module electrically connected to the core pack and including a connector for further electrically connecting to an external electronic device; and a metallic cover for covering the core pack and the protection circuit module while exposing the connector to the outside, the metallic cover including a protrusion adjacent to a ground portion of the connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dea-Yon Moon, Sang-Hun Park
  • Patent number: 9548484
    Abstract: A battery unit is provided which includes a control board, a storage case, a water detector, and an electrical conductor. The storage case is made of an assembly of a first and a second casing member. The first casing member has an upright wall which extends from the bottom thereof and surrounds the battery. The second casing member also has an extension which extends toward the bottom of the first casing member. The water detector is located close to the lower end of the extension of the second casing member. The electric conductor extends upward from the upper end of the extension and are electrically joined to the water detector. The electric conductor is also mechanically and electrically joined to the control board. This structure facilitates the ease with which the water detector is installed electrically and mechanically in the battery unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Tanaka, Yoshinori Yamaguchi, Hidehiro Kinoshita, Hiroaki Higuchi
  • Patent number: 9543592
    Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing an anode core-shell complex for a solid oxide fuel cell, including (A) manufacturing a stabilized zirconia (YSZ) sol by using zirconium hydroxide (Zr(OH)4) and yttrium nitrate (Y(NO3)3.6H2O) as a starting material and distilled water as a solvent by a hydrothermal method, (B) agitating nickel chloride, stabilized zirconia in a sol state, and a surfactant, (C) adding sodium hydroxide (NaOH), (D) adjusting a pH to a range of 6 to 8, and (E) sintering the nickel-stabilized zirconia core-shell powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: KOREA INSTITUTE OF CERAMIC ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Byung Hyun Choi, Mi Jung Ji, Min Jin Lee, Sun Ki Hong, Young Jin Kang
  • Patent number: 9543564
    Abstract: Battery systems using coated conversion materials as the active material in battery cathodes are provided herein. Protective coatings may be an oxide, phosphate, or fluoride, and may be lithiated. The coating may selectively isolate the conversion material from the electrolyte. Methods for fabricating batteries and battery systems with coated conversion material are also provided herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: QuantumScape Corporation
    Inventors: Rainer Fasching, Joseph Han, Jon Shan, Ghyrn E. Loveness, Eric Tulsky, Timothy Holme
  • Patent number: 9543577
    Abstract: An electrode in which a silicon layer is provided over a current collector, a thin film layer having a thickness within a certain range is provided on a surface of the silicon layer, and the thin film layer contains fluorine, is used for a power storage device. The thickness of the thin film layer containing fluorine is greater than 0 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 4 nm and less than or equal to 9 nm. The fluorine concentration of the thin film layer containing fluorine is preferably as high as possible, and the nitrogen concentration, the oxygen concentration, and the hydrogen concentration thereof are preferably as low as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazutaka Kuriki, Mitsuhiro Ichijo, Toshiya Endo
  • Patent number: 9537140
    Abstract: Provided is a new 5 V class spinel exhibiting an operating potential of 4.5 V or more (5 V class), which can suppress the amount of gas generation during high temperature cycles. Suggested is a manganese spinel-type lithium transition metal oxide represented by formula: Li[NiyMn2-(a+b)-y-zLiaTibMz]O4 (wherein 0?z?0.3, 0.3?y<0.6, and M=at least one or more metal elements selected from the group consisting of Al, Mg, Fe and Co), in which in the above formula, the following relationships are satisfied: a>0, b>0, and 3?b/a?8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Natsumi Shibamura, Yanko Marinov Todorov, Shinya Kagei, Yoshimi Hata
  • Patent number: 9537170
    Abstract: A small and high-density biofuel cell capable of easily supplying fuel; and an electronic apparatus are provided. The biofuel cell is formed using a stack in which two power generating bodies that include at least a pair of electrodes and a separator are stacked through a gas diffusion layer through which only gas is permeable, the electrodes forming an anode and a cathode and having at least one surface on which an oxidoreductase is present, the separator being arranged between the electrodes and including a proton permeable membrane. In addition, cathode-side surfaces of the respective power generating bodies of the stack are arranged in contact with the gas diffusion layer. This biofuel cell is mounted on the electronic apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroki Mita
  • Patent number: 9537159
    Abstract: In a fuel cell vehicle of the present invention, a floor panel is constructed to have a center tunnel formed to extend in a front-rear direction of the vehicle. A fluid distributor provided below the floor panel is at least partly located in the center tunnel and is operative to distribute a supply of a fluid in a vehicle width direction. At least one fuel cell stack is provided adjacent to the fluid distributor in the vehicle width direction below the floor panel and is operative to receive the distributive supply of the fluid from the fluid distributor. This fuel cell system has an efficient component layout from the total standpoint of the operability and the space efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasunobu Jufuku, Hiroshi Arisawa
  • Patent number: 9531000
    Abstract: A battery cell has at least one terminal configured to electrically connect the battery cell. The at least one terminal has at least two connection devices. Each of the at least two connection devices is configured to electrically connect the at least one terminal to one cell connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH, Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Markus Kohlberger
  • Patent number: 9502703
    Abstract: A laminated microporous film including a base which is formed from a non-woven fabric, and a surface layer which is formed on at least one of the surfaces of the base and includes a resin material and inorganic particles, wherein variation in thickness which is expressed using a standard deviation is equal to or less than 2.5%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Okamoto
  • Patent number: 9502697
    Abstract: A lid member of a battery case has a protruding section including an inside-outside direction an outside tapered surface, and a top surface between the inside tapered surface and the outside tapered surface. In a cross section, the area of a first imaginary area enclosed by a first line segment of the inside tapered surface, a first imaginary line extending downward from the top of the first line segment, and a second imaginary line extending in an inside-outside direction from the top surface, is smaller than the area of a second imaginary area enclosed by a second line segment of the outside tapered surface, a third imaginary line extending downward from the top of the second line segment, and the second imaginary line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takashi Harayama
  • Patent number: 9478821
    Abstract: A fuel cell installation includes a support structure and a cell stack assembly that is removably insertable into the support structure from an uninstalled position to an installed position during an installation procedure. The cell stack assembly includes a fitting. An interfacing structure is mounted on one of the support structure in the cell stack assembly. The interfacing structure carries a connector that is configured to receive the fitting in interconnected relationship. At least one of the fitting and the connector floats in a plane relative to the support structure during the installation procedure. In operation, the fitting engages the connector when the cell stack assembly is inserted into the support structure. The fitting is repositioned relative to the connector to ensure that the fitting and connector are aligned with one another and connected upon installation. Related methods are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Sean M. Blondin, Garrett W. Fink, Robert A. Love, Thomas Rock
  • Patent number: 9478829
    Abstract: A rechargeable battery that features two or more levels of internal resistance according to various temperature ranges is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: EC Power, LLC
    Inventors: Chao-Yang Wang, Wei Zhao
  • Patent number: 9461300
    Abstract: Provided are an electrode for a power storage device having much better charge/discharge characteristics and a power storage device using the electrode. A plurality of cavities is provided in a surface of an active material layer over a current collector. A graphene covering the active material layer facilitates rapid charge/discharge and prevents breakdown of the current collector caused by charge/discharge. With improved charge/discharge characteristics, an electrode for a power storage device which does not easily deteriorate and a power storage device using the electrode can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Osada, Ryota Tajima, Teppei Oguni, Shunpei Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9444085
    Abstract: A stack type battery includes a stack including: a plurality of cathode sheets; a plurality of anode sheets, which are alternately disposed with the cathode sheets; and a plurality of separators, where each of the separator is disposed between a corresponding cathode sheet of the cathode sheets and a corresponding anode sheet of the anode sheets, where the stack includes first to third protrusions, the first protrusion includes a portion of the cathode sheets which does not overlap the anode sheets and the separators, and the second protrusion includes a portion of the anode sheets which does not overlap the cathode sheets and the separators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignees: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Moon-seok Kwon, Seung-sik Hwang, Jeong-kuk Shon, Jae-man Choi, Jun-hwan Ku, Min-sang Song
  • Patent number: 9437873
    Abstract: Regarding spinel-type lithium manganese-based composite oxide (LMO) to be used as a positive electrode active substance material for lithium battery, a novel LMO is provided, which is capable of maintaining discharge capacity even if charging and discharging are repeated under high temperatures. An LMO in which the crystallite size is 250 nm to 350 nm, the strain is 0.085 or less and the specific surface area increase rate when placed in water at 25° and pH 7 and ultrasonically dispersed at 40 W ultrasonic intensity for 600 seconds is 10.0% or less, can prevent a decrease in the output that accompanies the repetition of charging and discharging while at a high temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoru Taniguchi, Shinya Kagei, Yoshimi Hata
  • Patent number: 9419261
    Abstract: A battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules; a housing accommodating the plurality of battery modules therein, and having an opened top; a controller on the plurality of battery modules inside the housing; and an isolation portion located between the plurality of battery modules and the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Myung-Chul Kim, Hee-Joon Jin, Jang-Gun Ahn, Young-Bin Lim
  • Patent number: 9391328
    Abstract: A composite positive electrode active material includes: a positive electrode active material which includes a transition metal; and a reaction suppressor which is formed so as to cover a surface of the positive electrode active material, and which is made of a polyanion structure-containing compound having a cation moiety composed of a metal atom that becomes a conducting ion and having a polyanion structural moiety composed of a center atom that is covalently bonded to a plurality of oxygen atoms. A transition metal-reducing layer which has self-assembled on the surface of the positive electrode active material in contact with the reaction suppressor owing to reaction of the transition metal with the polyanion structure-containing compound, has a thickness of 10 nm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasushi Tsuchida, Toshihiro Seguchi
  • Patent number: 9379400
    Abstract: The invention relates to a stack for a solid oxide fuel cell and a manufacturing method thereof, and more specifically, to a stack for a high-capacity solid oxide fuel cell and a manufacturing method thereof, in which cell modules including a fiat-tubular reformer integrated with flat-tubular reactors are electrically connected to form a cell bundle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: POSTECH ACADEMY-INDUSTRY FOUNDATION
    Inventor: Jong Shik Chung
  • Patent number: 9373855
    Abstract: Provided is a fuel-cell system having a control device which controls driving of a first fuel supply device and a second fuel supply device. The control device includes, a driving-interval setting unit which sets first driving intervals for the first fuel supply device and second driving intervals for the second fuel supply device, a first fuel-supply-device control unit which sets valve-open durations of the first fuel supply device according to the first driving intervals, and a second fuel-supply-device control unit which sets valve-open durations of the second fuel supply device according to the second driving intervals. The driving-interval setting unit sets the second driving intervals to be shorter than the first driving intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Ohgami, Koichiro Miyata, Yusai Yoshimura