Patents Examined by Helen Oi K Conley
  • Patent number: 11489171
    Abstract: This disclosure provides a manufacturing method for manufacturing a fuel cell separator. The manufacturing method includes: providing a material sheet including a fiber sheet, carbon particles, and a resin, the carbon particles and the resin being applied to the fiber sheet; and pressing the material sheet into a recess-projection shape by which a gas circulation passage is to be formed, and forming a top portion and a shift portion. In the pressing of the material sheet, the material sheet is pressed such that a draft of the top portion is higher than a draft of the shift portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuaki Nonoyama, Tomoko Kozaki
  • Patent number: 11476472
    Abstract: The invention relates to a separator plate for an electrochemical system, comprising: at least one first through-opening for conducting a reaction medium through the separator plate; an active region having structures for guiding a reactor medium along a flat side of the separator plate; and a first sealing structure, surrounding the first through-opening, for sealing the first through-opening. The first sealing structure has a first passage for conducting a reaction medium through the first sealing structure, which passage points in a direction facing away from the active region. The invention also relates to a bipolar plate for an electrochemical system, which bipolar plate comprises the described separator plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Reinz-Dichtungs-GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Stoehr, Andre Speidel
  • Patent number: 11469424
    Abstract: A fuel cell catalyst which has high power output characteristics and suppresses degradation of power generation performance due to starting, stopping or load variation; a manufacturing method thereof; a membrane electrode assembly for fuel cell; and a fuel cell including the same. The fuel cell catalyst includes at least catalytically active species and a carrier supporting the catalytically active species. The catalytically active species are at least one selected from the group consisting of platinum, a platinum alloy, and a core-shell catalyst in which a core of a metal different from platinum is coated with a shell containing platinum, the carrier is a carbon material, and at least one of the catalytically active species and the carrier contain(s) fluorine atoms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Inventors: Sojiro Kon, Natsuki Mine, Yoshinori Sato, Masashi Yamamoto, Tetsuo Nishida
  • Patent number: 11456449
    Abstract: An electrode for a secondary battery comprises a current collector; and an active material-containing layer has active materials which comprise titanium-containing composite oxide having an orthorhombic crystal structure and represented by a general formula Li2+aM12?bTi6?cM2dO14+?; wherein the active material-containing layer has intensity ratio Ia/Ib in an X-ray diffraction pattern of the active material-containing layer, the Ia and the Ib are obtained by powder X-ray diffraction method using Cu-K? ray, the intensity ratio is within a range of 0.5?Ia/Ib?2, the Ia is the strongest intensity of a diffraction peak among diffraction peaks appearing within a range of 42°?2??44°, and the Ib is the strongest intensity of a diffraction peak among diffraction peaks appearing within a range of 44°<2??48°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Sasakawa, Wen Zhang, Yasuhiro Harada, Norio Takami
  • Patent number: 11450853
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a carbon material for negative electrodes of non-aqueous secondary batteries having a high capacity, a high output, excellent cycle characteristics and a low irreversible capacity. The present invention relates to a carbon material for negative electrodes of non-aqueous secondary batteries, the carbon material comprising: (1) a composite carbon particles (A) containing elemental silicon, and (2) amorphous composite graphite particles (B) in which graphite particles (C) and amorphous carbon are composited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Daigo Nagayama, Tooru Fuse, Hisako Kondo
  • Patent number: 11437633
    Abstract: A fuel cell seal structure includes stacked fuel cells and an electrolyte membrane or a film supported between the neighboring metal separators. Each of the stacked fuel cells includes neighboring metal separators each including a plate portion having a plate portion surface, a bead seal portion projecting from the plate portion surface and including a distal end having a distal end surface, an elastic body disposed on the distal end surface, and a stopper disposed on the plate portion surface and away from the elastic body. The neighboring metal separators are disposed such that elastic bodies are located opposed to each other in a stacking direction with the electrolyte membrane or the film supported in between the elastic bodies and face each other, and such that stoppers are located neighboring to each other in the stacking direction with the electrolyte membrane or the film supported in between the stoppers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: NOK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo Tomita, Hajime Yui
  • Patent number: 11437690
    Abstract: A nonaqueous battery includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode. At least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode includes a current collector, an intermediate layer, and an active material layer. The intermediate layer is interposed between the current collector and the active material layer and includes graphite particles and insulating particles. In a cross section of the intermediate layer in a thickness direction, a major axis diameter of the graphite particles is equal to or greater than the thickness of the intermediate layer. In X-ray diffraction measurement of the intermediate layer by an out-of-plane method, a ratio of an intensity of an 110 diffraction line of a graphite crystal to an intensity of a 002 diffraction line of the graphite crystal is 0.0011 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Torita, Akihiro Ochiai, Yusuke Fukumoto, Harunari Shimamura
  • Patent number: 11431003
    Abstract: A separator assembly used for a fuel cell includes one pair of metal separators joined together and including a bead seal section including one pair of seal bead portions projecting in opposite directions respectively, an elastic body disposed in the bead seal section, and a first communication hole which extends through the separator assembly in a thickness direction of the separator assembly and which allows a reaction gas or a coolant to flow through the separator assembly. The bead seal section is disposed along an outer periphery of the separator assembly and along a shape of the first communication hole. The elastic body of a predetermined length is disposed in the bead seal section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Inventors: Kento Suzuki, Kentaro Ishida, Kazuo Nunokawa, Akihito Giga
  • Patent number: 11424506
    Abstract: The invention relates to a rechargeable battery transportation device (10) for a re-chargeable battery (22), in particular a lithium rechargeable battery, with (a) an external case (12) which has (i) a base body (16) with a filling opening (20), (ii) a cap (18) for creating an air-tight seal of the filling opening (20), and (iii) a ventilation opening (28), and (b) an inner tank (14) which (i) is arranged in the external case (12) and (ii) encloses an accommodation space (30) for accommodating the rechargeable battery (22). According to the invention, between the external case (12) and the inner tank (14) there is at least one flow path (S) from the accommodation space (30) to the ventilation opening (28), and a heat absorption material (36) is arranged along the flow path (S).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: STOEBICH TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Sascha Bruns, Stefan Tappe, Marc Dinse, Frank Krüger
  • Patent number: 11424478
    Abstract: A solid battery that includes a positive electrode terminal, a negative electrode terminal spaced apart from the positive electrode terminal, a positive electrode layer electrically connected to the positive electrode terminal, a negative electrode layer electrically connected to the negative electrode terminal, a first solid electrolyte layer between the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer and containing a first solid electrolyte, and a second solid electrolyte layer between the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode terminal or between the negative electrode layer and the positive electrode terminal, and containing a second solid electrolyte having a glass transition temperature lower than a crystallization temperature of the first solid electrolyte and having a crystallization temperature equal to or higher than a glass transition temperature of the first solid electrolyte, and the second solid electrolyte layer having an ion conductivity lower than that of the first soli
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koichi Nakano, Sumito Shiina
  • Patent number: 11417892
    Abstract: Provided is a highly reliable fuel cell that improves power generation efficiency of the fuel cell and that is less likely to cause damage to an electrode and an electrolyte film. The fuel cell includes a support substrate (2, 3) having a region in which a support portion having a mesh-like shape in a plan view is provided, a first electrode 4 on the support substrate, an electrolyte film 5 on the first electrode, and a second electrode 6 on the electrolyte film. The first electrode includes a first thin film electrode 4A formed in a manner of covering at least the region, and a first mesh-like electrode 4B connected to the first thin film electrode and provided corresponding to the support portion. The first mesh-like electrode 4B has a film thickness larger than that of the first thin film electrode and has a mesh-like shape in a plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation
    Inventors: Noriyuki Sakuma, Yoshitaka Sasago, Aritoshi Sugimoto, Nobuyuki Mise, Seiichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11404705
    Abstract: A plurality of channel elements provided in a bipolar plate have different widths depending on positions, so that the velocity of flow of the fluid increases from an inlet toward an outlet of the bipolar plate and water generated when the fluid is condensed on the downstream side of the bipolar plate can be discharged more smoothly. In addition, a plurality of channel elements have different contact angles depending on positions of the plurality of channel elements so that the contact angle increases toward the outlet side of the bipolar plate. Thus, the reaction gas can be more concentrated on the surface of a gas diffusion layer. Even if the concentration of the reaction gas is reduced at the outlet side of the bipolar plate, the diffusion of the reaction gas is well performed, so that performance reduction can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY R&DB FOUNDATION
    Inventors: Min Soo Kim, Sung Hoon Choi, Dong Gyun Kang, In Seop Lim
  • Patent number: 11387465
    Abstract: A cathode, a membrane electrode assembly, and a battery, each has excellent durability. The cathode is a cathode of a battery including an electrolyte membrane, the cathode including: a first layer which contains 0.3 mg/cm2 or more and 9.0 mg/cm2 or less of a carbon catalyst; and a second layer which is arranged between the electrolyte membrane and the first layer in the battery, and which contains 0.002 mg/cm2 or more and 0.190 mg/cm2 or less of platinum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: NISSHINBO HOLDINGS INC.
    Inventors: Takeaki Kishimoto, Yoshikazu Kobayashi, Chihiro Fujii, Siyu Ye, Dustin William H Banham
  • Patent number: 11387461
    Abstract: A positive electrode includes at least a positive electrode current collector, a conductive material, and a positive electrode active material. The positive electrode active material is disposed on a surface of the positive electrode current collector. The positive electrode current collector includes an aluminum foil and an aluminum oxide hydrate film. The aluminum oxide hydrate film covers a surface of the aluminum foil. The aluminum oxide hydrate film has a thickness not smaller than 10 nm and not greater than 500 nm. The aluminum oxide hydrate film has a porosity not lower than 10% and not higher than 50%. At least part of the conductive material is disposed within pores in the aluminum oxide hydrate film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Torita, Akihiro Ochiai, Yusuke Fukumoto, Harunari Shimamura, Takuya Asari
  • Patent number: 11380909
    Abstract: A method includes a forming step of forming a first metal separator and a second metal separator each including a protruding sealing bead portion and a protruding stopper bead portion; a joining step of joining surfaces of the first metal separator and the second metal separator on sides opposite to sides on which their respective sealing bead portions protrude, and attaching seal members in an extension direction or on distal ends of the sealing bead portion; and a preload applying step of applying preload to a bead seal section formed of one pair of the sealing bead portions and the seal members and a stopper section formed of one pair of the stopper bead portions in a height direction thereof, thereby plastically deforming the bead seal section and the stopper section simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Inventors: Yohei Sano, Shigeru Watanabe, Akihito Giga, Suguru Ohmori
  • Patent number: 11380897
    Abstract: Disclosed in the present disclosure is a preparation method of a graphene flower, mainly lying in spray-drying graphene oxide solution to obtain a graphene oxide flower and then performing reduction on the same to obtain a graphene flower. Also disclosed in the present disclosure is use of the graphene flower in a lithium sulfur battery. The present disclosure is easy to operate, low cost, and suitable for scaled production, can improve the rate capability of a lithium sulfur battery while ensuring the high energy ratio of the lithium sulfur battery, thus greatly improving the energy density thereof, and can be applied in the field of high energy storage material and devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Chao Gao, Hao Chen
  • Patent number: 11374262
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a solid electrolyte battery including a negative electrode including: a negative electrode current collector; a first negative electrode active material layer formed on at least one surface of the negative electrode current collector and including a first negative electrode active material, a first solid electrolyte and a first electrolyte salt; and a second negative electrode active material layer formed on the first negative electrode active material layer and including a second negative electrode active material, a second solid electrolyte, a second electrolyte salt and a plasticizer having a melting point of 30-130° C., the solid electrolyte battery is activated at a temperature between the melting point of the plasticizer and 130° C., and a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer is formed on the surface of the second negative electrode active material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Inventors: Ji-Hoon Ryu, Jung-Pil Lee, Sung-Joong Kang, Eun-Bee Kim, Ji-Young Kim, Suk-Woo Lee, Jae-Hyun Lee
  • Patent number: 11374240
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a fuel-cell unit cell, at a first part of which: the fuel-cell unit cell has a bonding layer; between an outer peripheral edge portion of a first gas diffusion layer and a portion of a membrane-electrode assembly on an inner side from an outer peripheral edge portion thereof, the bonding layer bonds these portions together; between a first separator and the outer peripheral edge portion of the membrane-electrode assembly, the bonding layer is bonded to at least the outer peripheral edge portion of the membrane-electrode assembly; and between the first separator and a support frame and/or between a second separator and the support frame, the bonding layer bonds these parts together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuaki Nonoyama
  • Patent number: 11361910
    Abstract: A power storage module includes an electrode laminate in which bipolar electrodes are laminated and a sealing body formed of a resin. The bipolar electrode includes an electrode plate, a positive electrode provided on one surface of the electrode plate, and a negative electrode provided on another surface of the electrode plate. The sealing body is provided on a side surface of the electrode laminate to surround an edge portion of the bipolar electrode. The sealing body includes a first resin portion and a second resin portion. The first resin portion is welded to the edge portion of the bipolar electrode. The second resin portion surrounds the first resin portion from an outer side along the side surface. A mold shrinkage factor of the first resin portion is lower than a mold shrinkage factor of the second resin portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA JIDOSHOKKI, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakamura, Yuki Chujo, Masahiro Yamada, Takayuki Hirose, Nobuyasu Haga, Motoyoshi Okumura
  • Patent number: 11355753
    Abstract: A negative electrode used in a nickel metal hydride secondary battery includes a negative electrode core body and a negative electrode mixture carried on the negative electrode core body. The negative electrode mixture includes hydrogen storage alloy powder which is an aggregate of hydrogen storage alloy particles, a binder, and a thickener. The hydrogen storage alloy particles have a volume mean particle size of 40 ?m or less and a concentration of chlorine of not less than 180 ppm to not more than 780 ppm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: FDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun Ishida, Akira Saguchi, Shota Ohata