Patents Examined by Jacob Buchanan
  • Patent number: 11476492
    Abstract: The present application relates to a device for preparing an electrode assembly and a preparation method of the electrode assembly. Wherein the device for preparing the electrode assembly includes: a winding assembly; a plurality of first electrode plate unwinding apparatuses, configured to provide a plurality of first electrode plates for the winding assembly; and at least one second electrode plate unwinding apparatus, configured to provide at least one second electrode plate for the winding assembly, wherein a polarity of the first electrode plate is opposite to a polarity of the second electrode plate; and wherein the winding assembly is configured to wind the plurality of first electrode plates and the at least one second electrode plate, to form an electrode assembly. The present application is used for improving winding efficiency of the electrode assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited
    Inventors: Chengdu Liang, Yiruo Wang, Chao Yang, Minghao Tang, Xiao Wang, Jiang Lin, Chuangchuang Xiang
  • Patent number: 11469430
    Abstract: An electrode comprising galvanic membranes having a thickness defined by an average length of vectors normal to a membrane first surface and extending to where said vectors intersect a membrane uncompressed second surface; a non-porous metal sheet having first and second surfaces; a non-porous dielectric sheet having first and second surfaces; square weave metal wire screens having a wire diameter slightly greater than one half the at least one galvanic membrane thickness dimension; wherein, at least one galvanic membrane is adjacent the metal wire screen on the at least one galvanic membrane first and second surfaces in a stack of membranes and screens; the metal wire screen is adjacent the first surface of the non-porous dielectric sheet; the second surfaces of non-porous metal sheets have a sustained pressure of at least 7 million Pascal; and; the metal wire screen is collectively in incompressible vertical alignment with another metal wire screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Global Energy Science, LLC
    Inventor: Halbert P. Fischel
  • Patent number: 11456472
    Abstract: A method for generating electrical energy by a fuel cell system operated with a reformate gas is provided. According to this method, a fuel cell system is provided. The fuel cell system has a first reactor and a second reactor. A gas separation unit is also provided. A portion of a first fuel gas is fed to the gas separation unit. A target gas including N2 or CO2 is separated by the gas separation unit. The separated target gas is fed into a protective housing of the fuel cell system. An H2-enriched tail gas formed in the gas separation unit is fed as a second fuel gas for operation of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: DIEHL AEROSPACE GMBH
    Inventors: Franz Tichy, Bernd Speth, Eduard Harwardt
  • Patent number: 11450877
    Abstract: A tooling system is configured to align and assemble a battery module having a plurality of battery cells arranged in a stack. Each battery cell has a flexible electrical terminal arranged along a respective terminal axis, and wherein the terminal axes are parallel to one another. The system includes a tooling fixture defining at least one Y-shape slit having a V-collector culminating in a slot arranged along a slot axis. Each V-collector is configured to capture the terminals of at least two battery cells. Each slot is configured to group the captured terminals when the slot axis is parallel to the terminal axes and the fixture engages the battery module. The system also includes a mechanism configured to apply a first force to the fixture along the slot axis to engage the battery module with the fixture. The mechanism thereby groups and aligns the captured terminals within the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Robert H. Dietze, Christopher Brady
  • Patent number: 11450879
    Abstract: An electrode assembly in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are alternately stacked, and a separator is disposed between the positive and negative electrodes comprises: a folding unit, a negative electrode unit, and a positive electrode unit alternately inserted between layers of the separator of which one side and the other side are alternately folded in a zigzag shape in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the positive electrode and the negative electrode are stacked; and a stacking unit in which the positive electrode, the separator, and the negative electrode, each of which is cut by a predetermined size, are sequentially stacked. The folding unit having a Z-folding structure and the stacking unit having a lamination & stacking structure may be bonded to each other. Thus, the positive electrode may increase in area relative to the negative electrode in the folding unit to increase in capacity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Inventors: Shin Hwa Lee, Woo Yong Lee, Kieun Sung
  • Patent number: 11444353
    Abstract: A battery pack has bus bars, a battery stack which is an assembly of plural battery cells, a bus bar casing which supports a bus bar casing, and a cover member. Electrode terminals of battery cells adjacently arranged in the battery stack are connected together through the bus bars. An upstream side passage and a downstream side passage are formed between the bus bars and the cover member. Upstream side wall surfaces forming an inlet part of the upstream side passage or downstream side wall surfaces forming an outlet part of the downstream side passage is arranged at a location closer to the battery cell side than a location of a surface of the bus bar side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, Shota Iguchi, Koji Yamashita, Hisato Inoue, Yoshiaki Ichikawa, Katsunori Sato, Hidehiro Takasugi
  • Patent number: 11417894
    Abstract: Methods for fabricating an interconnect for a fuel cell stack that include providing a protective layer over at least one surface of an interconnect formed by powder pressing pre-alloyed particles containing two or more metal elements and annealing the interconnect and the protective layer at elevated temperature to bond the protective layer to the at least one surface of the interconnect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tad Armstrong
  • Patent number: 11411225
    Abstract: A chambered frame insert (2) for an electrolyte chamber of a battery (200) includes a plurality of ribs (4) laterally and defining a plurality of chambers (6), and a plurality of voids (8) each formed in a corresponding rib and configured to allow gas to travel between the plurality of chambers. The plurality of ribs are angled with respect to a horizontal lateral axis (H) of the frame insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: EOS Energy Storage LLC
    Inventor: Benjamin Hertzberg
  • Patent number: 11394058
    Abstract: Provided is method of preparing an alkali metal-sulfur cell, comprising: (a) combining a quantity of a cathode active material (selected from sulfur, a metal-sulfur compound, a sulfur-carbon composite, a sulfur-graphene composite, a sulfur-graphite composite, an organic sulfur compound, a sulfur-polymer composite or a combination thereof), a quantity of an electrolyte, and a conductive additive to form a deformable cathode material, wherein the conductive additive, containing conductive filaments, forms a 3D network of electron-conducting pathways and the electrolyte contains an alkali salt and an ion-conducting polymer dissolved or dispersed in a solvent; (b) forming the cathode material into a quasi-solid cathode, wherein the forming includes deforming the cathode material into an electrode shape without interrupting the 3D network of electron-conducting pathways such that the cathode maintains an electrical conductivity no less than 10?6 S/cm; (c) forming an anode; and (d) forming a cell by combining the c
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Global Graphene Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Aruna Zhamu, Bor Z. Jang
  • Patent number: 11380907
    Abstract: A substrate stainless steel sheet has [chemical form other than metal (Cr+Fe)]/[metal form (Cr+Fe)] of 12.0 or more and 200 or less, [chemical form other than metal (Cr+Fe)]/[metal form (Cr+Fe)] being a ratio of a total of Cr and Fe existing in chemical form other than metal to a total of Cr and Fe existing in metal form at a substrate stainless steel sheet surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Inventors: Takayoshi Yano, Shin Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11374264
    Abstract: A detection system includes a power generation element; a first outer cover body enveloping the power generation element; a second outer cover body located between the power generation element and the first outer cover body, and enveloping the power generation element; a first space section enclosed by the first outer cover body and the second outer cover body; a second space section enclosed by the second outer cover body; and a detector that detects a gas in the first space section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ayumu Fukuoka, Kazuyoshi Honda
  • Patent number: 11367928
    Abstract: An electrode assembly including an electrode stack including a plurality of radical units including an electrode and a separator and having a structure in which the plurality of radical units are sequentially stacked, wherein at least a portion of a circumference of the electrode stack is surrounded by the separator, a curved surface having a curvature radius is formed on a top or bottom surface of the electrode stack, and the separator surrounding at least the portion of the circumference of the electrode stack surrounds the curved surface formed on the electrode stack to maintain a relative distance between the radical units adjacent to each other is provided. A method of forming the electrode assembly is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.
    Inventors: Mi Jung Yoo, Byung Heon Shin, Woo Yong Lee
  • Patent number: 11355774
    Abstract: Provided herein is a fiber having a fiber body including fiber body material with a longitudinal-axis fiber body length. A plurality of gel domains is disposed within the fiber body along at least a portion of the longitudinal-axis fiber body length. Each gel domain includes a porous host matrix material and a liquid gel component that is entrapped in the molecular structure of the host matrix material and that is disposed in interstices of the host material matrix. At least two of the gel domains within the fiber body are disposed directly adjacent to each other in direct physical contact with each other. This fiber can include polymeric fiber body material and gel domains including a porous polymer host matrix material and an ionically conducting liquid solvent that is entrapped in the molecular structure of the polymer host matrix material and disposed in interstices of the polymer host material matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Jung Tae Lee, Benjamin Jean-Baptiste Grena, Tural Khudiyev, Chong Hou, Yoel Fink
  • Patent number: 11335915
    Abstract: An activation mechanism for a battery for an electronic ignition mechanism contains an ampoule filled with an electrolyte. The mechanism for breaking has a snap spring element to which the ampoule is attached in a freely suspended manner. The snap spring element snaps from a first shape into a second shape when a force due to acceleration is applied, thereby severing the attachment of the ampoule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Diehl & Eagle Picher GmbH
    Inventor: Roland Hein
  • Patent number: 11335921
    Abstract: A method of setting a cutting time of a gasket during manufacture of a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is provided. The method includes: moving a reaction sheet, in which electrode layers are formed on an electrolyte membrane with a predetermined interval; photographing a boundary area between the electrolyte membrane and the electrode layer in the moving reaction sheet by using a fixed vision; setting a front end reference line and a rear end reference line between a front-most end and a rear-most end in the boundary area; calculating a trigger reference line between the front end reference line and the rear end reference line, except for a front portion of the front end reference line and a rear portion of the rear end reference line; and calculating a cutting time of a gasket based on the trigger reference line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sun Ho Lee, Sunha Hwang
  • Patent number: 11329338
    Abstract: A rechargeable battery according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: an electrode assembly formed by spirally winding a first electrode, a separator, and a second electrode; and a pouch that forms a sealing portion by thermally bonding an outer edge of a first external material and an outer edge of a second external material that receive the electrode assembly to withdraw tabs respectively connected to the first electrode and the second electrode to the outside, wherein the electrode assembly includes first curved portions that are convex at opposite sides of a first planar portion in a spiral-wound cross-section, the pouch includes a second planar portion corresponding to the first planar portion, and second curved portions that are connected to the second planar portion corresponding to the first curved portions, and the sealing portion is disposed in spaces, each set by an extension plane set in an extension direction of the first planar portion, external surfaces of the second cu
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jaewook Lee, Kyongjin Kim, Jinhwan Kim, Junhyoung Park
  • Patent number: 11329339
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a battery cell (1) and a battery cell (1) comprises providing a battery housing (3) and introducing electrodes (5) and an electrolyte (9) into the battery housing (3). At least partial regions (23) of a surface, in particular an outer surface, of the battery housing (3) are coated with a diffusion barrier layer (25) made of a polymer material (27) and then the polymer material (27) of the diffusion barrier layer (25) is oxidized at least on the surface to form an oxide layer (29). The polymer material (27) may be in particular silicone so that the oxide layer (29) consists of silicon dioxide. An oxide layer (29) thus generated increases a barrier effect of the diffusion barrier layer (25) considerably and may be generated using technically simple means, such as for example an atmospheric pressure plasma.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Andreas Ringk
  • Patent number: 11329336
    Abstract: In a laser welding step, a laser beam is irradiated fin a thickness direction of an external terminal from a side of a front surface of a bus bar toward a space. This irradiation melts a separated portion of the external terminal, i.e., a portion located apart from the insulating part by the space between the insulating part and the separated portion in the thickness direction, and an opposed portion of the bus bar, i.e., a portion opposed to the space via the separated portion in the thickness direction, thereby forming a welded portion including the separated portion and the opposed portion melted together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Yamazaki, Syoma Minami
  • Patent number: 11322765
    Abstract: Methods for optimizing, designing, making, and assembling various component parts and layers to produce optimized MEAs. Optimization is generally achieved by producing multi-layered MEAs wherein characteristics such as catalyst composition and morphology, ionomer concentration, and hydrophobicity/hydophilicity are specifically tuned in each layer. The MEAs are optimized for use with a variety of catalysts including catalysts with specifically designed and controlled morphology, chemical speciation on the bulk, chemical speciation on the surface, and/or specific hydrophobic or hydrophilic or other characteristics. The catalyst can incorporate non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) and/or platinum group metal (PGM) materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: UMM Rainforest Innovations
    Inventors: Alexey Serov, Plamen B. Atanassov
  • Patent number: 11316200
    Abstract: A method for drying and purifying a lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide salt. Also, a method for producing a lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide salt which is then dried and purified by the method. Further, a composition containing lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide salt having a water content by mass of between 5 and 45 ppm. And, the use of the composition C in Li-ion batteries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: ARKEMA FRANCE
    Inventors: Grégory Schmidt, Rémy Teissier