Patents Examined by Christian Roldan
  • Patent number: 11631899
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a solid electrolyte using water as a solvent. The method includes dissolving a precursor in water to form a slurry, drying the slurry to form granules, pressing the granules to form a pressed solid body, and sintering the pressed solid body to manufacture a solid electrolyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: UNIST (ULSAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY)
    Inventors: Youngsik Kim, Wooseok Go, Jin Ho Pyo
  • Patent number: 11621431
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a hydrogen tank, a hydrogen supply passage connecting the hydrogen tank and the fuel cell, a cutoff valve configured to cut off circulation of hydrogen in the hydrogen supply passage, a detection unit configured to detect a start of filling of the hydrogen tank with hydrogen, and a purge controller configured to close the cutoff valve in a case where the fuel cell system is stopped and the detection unit detects the start of filling with hydrogen in a state in which purge processing of purging the in-cell hydrogen flow passage is to be executed, and to execute processing of purging the in-cell hydrogen flow passage by causing hydrogen remaining on a downstream side of the cutoff valve in a hydrogen flow in the hydrogen supply passage to flow in the in-cell hydrogen flow passage as the purge processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Ito, Masashi Toida, Hiroyuki Tsunekawa, Tsuyoshi Maruo
  • Patent number: 11616260
    Abstract: Disclosed is a cartridge for battery cells, which includes: an upper cooling plate and a lower cooling plate having a plate shape and spaced to face each other, a cooling channel is formed between the upper cooling plate and the lower cooling plate; a main frame surrounding an outer circumference of the upper cooling plate and an outer circumference of the lower cooling plate with battery cells placed on an upper portion and a lower portion of the main frame; and a support portion disposed at the cooling channel and having at least one support rib protruding in at least one of an upper direction and a lower direction, the at least one support rib supporting the upper cooling plate and the lower cooling plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.
    Inventors: Yong-Joon Choi, Hwa-Joong Kim, Jun-Yeob Seong, Sung-Chun Yu
  • Patent number: 11600873
    Abstract: A high-voltage accumulator includes at least one battery module which has at least two battery cells and a cooling module through which a coolant or refrigerant flows and which is provided for cooling the battery cells. The cooling module has a first fluid connection point for coolant or refrigerant. A first fluid channel is provided, which is fluidically connected to the first fluid connection point. The first fluid channel has a cross-section that deviates from a circular shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Florian Einoegg, Michael Huber, Jan Feddersen, Andreas Ring
  • Patent number: 11600879
    Abstract: The present invention provides a battery module which includes: a battery stack formed by stacking a plurality of battery cells on each other, each of which includes electrode tabs; a first case unit including a bottom section which surrounds one side of the battery stack and a pair of first sidewalls located on both sides of the battery stack in a direction in which battery cells are stacked; and a second case unit including a top section which surrounds the other side of the battery stack and a pair of second sidewalls located on both sides of the battery stack in the direction in which battery cells are stacked, wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall are located on both sides of the battery stack in the direction in which battery cells are stacked, in a state in which at least portions thereof are overlapped with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: SK ON CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Young Ki Kim, Ju Yong Park
  • Patent number: 11594716
    Abstract: A negative electrode active material containing a negative electrode active material particle which includes a silicon compound particle containing a silicon compound (SiOx: 0.5?x?1.6). The silicon compound particle has three or more peaks in a chemical shift value ranging from ?40 ppm to ?120 ppm but has no peak in a chemical shift value within a range of ?65±3 ppm in a spectrum obtained from 29Si-MAS-NMR of the silicon compound particle. This provides a negative electrode active material capable of improving cycle characteristics when it is used as a negative electrode active material for a secondary battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takakazu Hirose, Kohta Takahashi, Takumi Matsuno, Reiko Sakai, Yusuke Osawa
  • Patent number: 11575143
    Abstract: At a position between a fuel offgas inlet portion and a fuel gas inlet portion in a main body portion in the facing direction where a first end faces a second end, a fluid confluence joint is provided with at least either one of (i) at least one step formed over a whole circumference of an inner wall of the main body portion by reducing the passage sectional area on a fuel gas passage portion side to be smaller than the passage sectional area on a confluence passage portion side, and (ii) at least one partition wall formed over the whole circumference so as to project inwardly from the inner wall of the main body portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takanao Tomura, Yushi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11569553
    Abstract: A battery system includes a battery module, a housing, a gas conveyor, and a gas sensor. The battery module is interconnected between a first system terminal and a second system terminal by a plurality of high current connectors, and the housing includes: a plurality of exterior walls enclosing the battery module and the plurality of high current connectors; and a partition wall within the housing. The gas conveyor is configured to circulate a gas flow through a flow channel loop formed within the housing by the partition wall and the exterior walls, and the gas sensor is arranged in the flow channel loop and is configured to detect an excess concentration of a gas species in the gas flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Andrej Golubkov
  • Patent number: 11552360
    Abstract: A cartridge including a body having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first surface being configured to seat at least a portion of a first battery cell, and a first supporting pattern disposed in a first area along an edge of the first surface of the body and corresponding to a gas pocket of the first battery cell is provided. A battery module having a plurality of such cartridges is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.
    Inventors: Won-Kyoung Park, Seong-Tae Kim, Jun-Kyu Park, Jun-Yeob Seong, Gyo-Eun Lee
  • Patent number: 11552317
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for generating green electrical power. During a hydrogen gas storage mode, an electrolyzer generates a stream of hydrogen gas from water supplied by a water source and using power from an input power source. A hydrogen tank temporarily stores the stream of hydrogen. During a power generation mode, a fuel cell converts the stream of hydrogen gas from the tank into output electrical power by combining the hydrogen with oxygen. An inverter conditions and supplies the electrical power to a local load. A controller circuit uses a system parameter to adaptively switch between the storage mode and the power generation mode. In some cases, external power is supplied during the generation and storage of the hydrogen gas from an electrical grid or a local renewable source such as a set of solar panels. Respective grid-tied, solar-tied, grid-only, off-grid, and electric vehicle charging configurations are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: ElektrikGreen, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher N. Allo
  • Patent number: 11545684
    Abstract: A system for capturing carbon dioxide in flue gas includes a fuel cell assembly including at least one fuel cell including a cathode portion configured to receive, as cathode inlet gas, the flue gas generated by the flue gas generating device or a derivative thereof, and to output cathode exhaust gas and an anode portion configure to receive an anode inlet gas and to output anode exhaust gas, a fuel cell assembly voltage monitor configured to measure a voltage across the fuel cell assembly, and a controller configured to receive the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly from the fuel cell assembly voltage monitor, determine an estimated carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly based on the measured voltage across the fuel cell assembly, and reduce the carbon dioxide utilization of the fuel cell assembly when the determined estimated carbon dioxide utilization is above a predetermined threshold utilization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: FuelCell Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Michael Daly, Stephen Jolly, Ramakrishnan Venkataraman, Eric Nuhfer
  • Patent number: 11522171
    Abstract: A rechargeable battery includes at least an electrolyte layer, a cathode layer and an anode layer. The electrolyte layer includes a lithium salt compound arranged between a cathode surface of the cathode layer and an anode surface of the anode layer. The anode layer is a nanostructured silicon containing thin film layer including a plurality of columns, wherein the columns are directed in a first direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the anode surface of the silicon thin film layer. The columns are arranged adjacent to each other while separated by grain-like column boundaries running along the first direction. The columns include silicon and have an amorphous structure in which nano-crystalline regions exist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: NEDERLANDSE ORGANISATIE VOOR TOEGEPAST-NATUURWETENSCHAPPELIJ ONDERZOEK TNO
    Inventor: Wilhelmus Jozef Soppe
  • Patent number: 11509027
    Abstract: A battery includes an electrode layer, a counter electrode layer, and a solid electrolyte layer between the electrode layer and the counter electrode layer. The solid electrolyte layer has a first region containing a first solid electrolyte material and a second region containing a second solid electrolyte material. The first region is within a region where the electrode layer and the counter electrode layer face each other. With respect to the first region, the second region is positioned on an outer peripheral side of the region where the electrode layer and the counter electrode layer face each other, and is in contact with the first region. A second density, which is the density of the second solid electrolyte material in the second region, is higher than a first density, which is the density of the first solid electrolyte material in the first region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Eiichi Koga, Kazuhiro Morioka, Yasutaka Tsutsui
  • Patent number: 11495816
    Abstract: A method for producing a liquid composition containing a fluoropolymer having sulfonic acid groups, trivalent cerium ions and water, by (1) irradiating a solution containing at least one cerium compound selected from cerium carbonate, cerium hydroxide and cerium oxide, the fluoropolymer and the water, with light at least partially in a wavelength region from 300 to 400 nm so that the ultraviolet irradiance on the surface of the solution is at least 0.1 mW/cm2 or (2) adding a reducing agent to a solution containing at least one cerium compound selected from cerium carbonate, cerium hydroxide and cerium oxide, the fluoropolymer and the water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Hirokazu Wakabayashi, Satoru Hommura, Atsuyoshi Takenaka
  • Patent number: 11489181
    Abstract: A pressure control system of a fuel cell stack includes: an air supply control unit for controlling a revolutions per minute (RPM) of an air compressor for supplying air to a cathode side of the fuel cell stack based on a required output of the fuel cell stack; a hydrogen supply control unit for controlling a pressure at an anode side of the fuel cell stack with a target pressure based on the required output of the fuel cell stack; and a differential pressure control unit for controlling the air supply control unit or the hydrogen supply control unit to calculate a differential pressure between the anode side and the cathode side of the fuel cell stack, and to modify the target pressure or the RPM of the air compressor based on the calculated differential pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeong Kyu Park, Seung Yoon Lee, Sae Byeok Seung, Sang Chui Yeom
  • Patent number: 11476485
    Abstract: A polyaromatic electrolyte for a fuel cell electrode includes a structure represented by Formula 1, wherein in Formula 1, Ar is a neutral unit represented by one of Formula 2A and Formula 2B: The fuel cell electrode may include a catalyst suspended in the polyaromatic electrolyte.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TRIAD NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: Eun Joo Park, Yu Seung Kim, Sandipkumar Maurya
  • Patent number: 11450876
    Abstract: A porous electrode for electrochemical cells, methods of making the same and its application are described. The porous electrode is comprised of a porous conductive layer and an insulating layer, whereas the pores inside the conductive layer function as mini-containers for the active metal for rechargeable batteries, and the insulating material covers the top conductive surface of the conductive layer and blocks the sites where active metal dendrite would otherwise preferentially grow. An example of such electrodes is a porous copper foil with top surface coated with polyvinylene difluoride (PVDF). Electrochemical cells containing the invented electrode, such as rechargeable lithium batteries, sodium batteries and aluminum batteries, have good cycle life and safety performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Inventor: Wentao Li
  • Patent number: 11450874
    Abstract: A fuel cell unit includes a fuel cell stack, an electrical device, a harness connected to the electrical device, and a casing incorporating the fuel cell stack, the electrical device, and the harness. The casing includes a first accommodation portion, a second accommodation portion, and a partition wall provided with a first communication hole through which the harness passes, the first accommodation portion accommodating the fuel cell stack, the second accommodation portion accommodating the electrical device, the partition wall partitioning the first accommodation portion and the second accommodation portion, and the partition wall is provided with at least one second communication hole through which the first accommodation portion and the second accommodation portion communicate with each other, in addition to the first communication hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Sumikawa, Hiroyuki Sekine, Masahiro Katayama, Masahiko Morinaga
  • Patent number: 11444273
    Abstract: A method for preparing a lithium electrode, and in particular, a lithium electrode having a thin and uniform thickness may be prepared by forming a protective layer capable of protecting lithium metal on a substrate first, depositing lithium metal on the protective layer, and then transferring the deposited lithium metal layer on a current collector, for instance a Cu current collector, when preparing a lithium electrode, and a lithium secondary battery using the lithium electrode prepared as above may have enhanced energy density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.
    Inventors: Suk Il Youn, Byoungkuk Son, Junghun Choi, Minchul Jang
  • Patent number: 11444349
    Abstract: The present application discloses a battery to alleviate the impact on the main body of the battery and for improving the safety performance of the battery. The battery comprises a package case and a circuit board, wherein the package case forms a first surface and a buffer member is arranged between the circuit board and the first surface. In the present application, the buffer member between the circuit board and the first surface may alleviate the force received on the first surface, thereby alleviating the impact on the electrode assembly of the battery, avoiding the damage of the positive and negative electrode plates and the short circuit caused by the contact between the positive and negative electrodes, and improving the safety of battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Inventors: Jiaxin An, Jinhua He, Wei Gao, Jinhui Chen, Kun Wang