Patents Examined by Jacob Buchanan
  • Patent number: 10128549
    Abstract: An electrical energy store for a motor vehicle has multiple battery cells oriented in the same direction. Each battery cell has two parallel sides and a cell terminal with one plus pole and one minus pole. The battery cells are in the form of pouch cells between which there is arranged a cooling foil that comprises graphite particles and a cooling duct connected in heat-transmitting fashion to the cell terminal and to the foil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Bender, Bjoern Pehnert
  • Patent number: 10103392
    Abstract: A membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) for fuel cells includes an electricity-generating array including an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte membrane. A subgasket array includes an anode subgasket surrounding a periphery of the anode and a cathode subgasket surrounding a periphery of the cathode. A junction array includes a polar junction and a nonpolar junction surrounding a periphery of the electrolyte membrane and attaching the anode subgasket and the cathode subgasket to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Bo Ki Hong, Kook Il Han, Ji Yeon Park, Byeong Heon Jeong, Sang Hyun Cho, Chae Won Lim
  • Patent number: 10096820
    Abstract: In an aspect, a negative active material for a rechargeable lithium battery including surface modified silicon oxide particles is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang-Eun Park, Young-Ugk Kim, Jae-Myung Kim, Deok-Hyun Kim, Yeon-Gap Kim, Kyu-Nam Joo
  • Patent number: 10096844
    Abstract: An assembly has a plurality of fuel cell stacks with at least one wall. At least one manifold portion is provided outwardly of the at least one wall of each of the fuel cell stacks. The at least one manifold portion for a pair of the plurality of fuel cell stacks is on facing surfaces with an intermediate wall between the at least one of the manifold portions on the pair of the plurality of fuel cell stacks. A method of forming an assembly of a plurality of fuel cell stacks is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan Daniel O'Neill, Guillaume Michael Kurczko Brousseau
  • Patent number: 10079375
    Abstract: A method of forming a flexible microbattery and battery is provided. The method including: forming a film with a cavity therein; applying a first outer flexible substrate to a first side of the film; applying a second outer flexible substrate to a second opposite side of the film, wherein a cathode, an anode, a separator and an electrolyte are located within the cavity and the film provides a first seal about the cathode, the anode, the separator and the electrolyte and wherein the first seal extends between the first outer flexible substrate and the second outer flexible substrate; cutting a trench through the first outer flexible substrate, the film and the second outer flexible substrate after the first seal is formed; disposing a curable material in the trench; curing the curable material to provide a second seal, wherein the first seal is located between the cavity and the second seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Paul S. Andry, Joana S. Branquinho Teresa Maria, Jeffrey Gelorme, Jae-Woong Nah, Adinath S. Narasgond, Bucknell C. Webb
  • Patent number: 10079393
    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: January 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Avinash Verma, Ravi Oswal, Brandon Dawson, Brian Bollinger, Harald Herchen, Tad Armstrong
  • Patent number: 10074865
    Abstract: To provide technology that is capable of inhibiting a decrease in starting properties of a pump in a low-temperature environment. A fuel cell system is equipped with a control unit, a fuel cell, and a pump. The control unit acquires the temperature of the fuel cell as a parameter expressing the temperature of the pump while operation of the fuel cell is stopped. The control unit rotates rotation body of the pump when it is detected that the temperature of the pump is a threshold value or less set within a predetermined range lower than the freezing point based on the detected temperature of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Toida, Yoshiaki Naganuma, Tomohiro Ogawa, Tsuyoshi Maruo
  • Patent number: 10044006
    Abstract: A crash elements structure in an electric vehicle for reducing the damage to a vehicle battery caused by a vehicle collision. The crash elements structure may be situated near a corner of the vehicle battery, and may channel energy received by the vehicle away from the vehicle battery. The crash elements structure includes an upper structure positioned above and laterally offset from a lower structure, and a “W” structure that interfaces between the vehicle battery and the upper and lower structures. The upper and lower structures include several shells coupled together to form hexagonal apertures. The specific arrangement of the shells and the upper and lower structures influences the transfer of energy through the crash elements structure in the event of a collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
    Inventor: Jens Maier
  • Patent number: 10044007
    Abstract: A crash elements structure in an electric vehicle for reducing the damage to a vehicle battery caused by a vehicle collision. The crash elements structure may be situated near a corner of the vehicle battery, and may channel energy received by the vehicle away from the vehicle battery. The crash elements structure includes an upper structure positioned above and laterally offset from a lower structure, and a “W” structure that interfaces between the vehicle battery and the upper and lower structures. The upper and lower structures include several shells coupled together to form hexagonal apertures. The specific arrangement of the shells and the upper and lower structures influences the transfer of energy through the crash elements structure in the event of a collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
    Inventor: Jens Maier
  • Patent number: 10038197
    Abstract: An electrode for electrochemical cells comprising an electrically conductive surface; an electrically conductive porous membrane having a first surface and an opposed outer second surface separated from the first surface by a thickness dimension defined by the length of a vector normal to the first surface and extending to where the vector intersects the second surface of an uncompressed portion of membrane, the membrane first surface is adjacent the electrically conductive surface and not more than 10% of the membrane second surface includes an area comprising at least one of; being compressed with sufficient sustained force toward and embedded into the electrically conductive surface so that electrical resistance between a location within a compressed outer second surface and the conducting surface is less than 10 micro-ohm and wherein no point within an uncompressed area is further from a nearest compressed area than three times the defined thickness dimension of the membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Global Energy Science, LLC
    Inventor: Halbert P. Fischel
  • Patent number: 9991059
    Abstract: The electrode (10) includes an electrically conductive surface (14) with a galvanic pellicle, or carbon nanotube mat (18), secured to the conductive surface (14). The pellicle (18) has a first surface (20) and an opposed outer surface (22) and defines an uncompressed thickness dimension (24) as a longest length of a straight axis (26) extending from the first surface (20) to the outer surface (22) of an uncompressed section (28) of the galvanic pellicle (18). Uncompressed sections (28) of the pellicle are defined between connected areas (30) and continuous connected areas (32) of the pellicle (18). Any point (35) within any uncompressed section (28) is no more distant from one of a nearest connected area (30) and/or a nearest segment (34) of a continuous connected area (32) than about ten times the uncompressed thickness dimension (24) of the pellicle (18), thereby achieving significantly reduced contact resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Global Energy Science, LLC
    Inventor: Halbert P Fischel
  • Patent number: 9982953
    Abstract: An example battery pack spacer includes a base and at least one rib extending laterally from the base. The rib is configured to turn flow of a coolant through a battery pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Evan Mascianica, Saravanan Paramasivam, LeeAnn Wang, Kimberley King, Daniel Miller, James Lawrence Swoish
  • Patent number: 9966622
    Abstract: The invention provides an electrochemical cell based on a new chemistry for a flow battery for large scale, e.g., gridscale, electrical energy storage. Electrical energy is stored chemically at an electrochemical electrode by the protonation of small organic molecules called quinones to hydroquinones. The proton is provided by a complementary electrochemical reaction at the other electrode. These reactions are reversed to deliver electrical energy. A flow battery based on this concept can operate as a closed system. The flow battery architecture has scaling advantages over solid electrode batteries for large scale energy storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: President and Fellows of Harvard College
    Inventors: Brian Huskinson, Michael Marshak, Michael J. Aziz, Roy G. Gordon, Theodore A. Betley, Alan Aspuru-Guzik, Suleyman Er, Changwon Suh
  • Patent number: 9954229
    Abstract: A device comprising: a lithium sulfur redox flow battery comprising an electrolyte composition comprising: (i) a dissolved Li2Sx electroactive salt, wherein x?4; (ii) a solvent selected from dimethyl sulfoxide, tetrahydrofuran, or a mixture thereof; and (iii) a supporting salt at a concentration of at least 2 M, as measured by moles of supporting salt divided by the volume of the solvent without considering the volume change of the electrolyte after dissolving the supporting salt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
    Inventors: Jie Xiao, Jun Liu, Huilin Pan, Wesley A. Henderson
  • Patent number: 9947932
    Abstract: A lithium-air battery cathode having increased mesopore and macropore volume and methods of making the cathode are provided. In at least one embodiment, a plurality of mesopores is present in the cathode having a porosity of 1 to 70 percent. In another embodiment, a plurality of macropores are present in the cathode having a porosity of 5 to 99 percent. In one embodiment, the mesopores and macropores are imprinted using a sacrificial material. In another embodiment, the mesopores and macropores are imprinted by applying a template. In another embodiment, the mesopores and macropores are formed by coating cathode material onto a porous substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Venkataramani Anandan, Andrew Robert Drews
  • Patent number: 9941548
    Abstract: A Nickel iron battery using a mono-block housing that has cells with leak-proof intercell connections. The intercell connections use compressed grommets to prevent fluid transfer between the cells. Each cell generates a charge that can be connected in series or parallel as required. The cells use an electrode plate that enables a manufacturing process which yields higher efficiency, higher throughput, and significantly lower battery cost. The anode composition of the cells has iron powder to increase cathode utilization, therefore lowering cathode material usage and lowering production cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Landmark Battery Innovations, Inc.
    Inventors: Viet Vu, Ajoy Datta, Lucien Paul Fontaine, Andrew James Parth
  • Patent number: 9917288
    Abstract: A lithium-iron disulfide battery with improved high temperature performance is disclosed. The separator characteristics are deliberately selected to be compatible with the electrolyte at the intended temperature. Additional or alternative modifications can be made in the form of a scaffold or laminated structure. A preferred polymer for such separators is polyimide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Energizer Brands, LLC
    Inventors: Mark A. Schubert, Matthew T. Wendling, Weiwei Huang
  • Patent number: 9911538
    Abstract: The invention concerns an electrical energy storage assembly (capacitor or battery) comprising: -an envelope (20) including: *at least one lateral wall (21), and *an open end, -an electrochemical element (30) intended to be contained in the envelope (20) and -at least one cover (40) intended to be positioned at the open end of the envelope (20), each cover (40) including: *a cover wall (41, 45) intended to cover the open end of the envelope (20), *a lateral face (42, 43) at the periphery of the cover wall (41, 45) and intended to be facing the lateral wall (21) of the envelope (20), -at least one electrically insulating elastic annular ring (50) intended to be positioned between the lateral wall (21) of the envelope (20) and the lateral wall (42, 43) of the cover (40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: BLUE SOLUTIONS
    Inventors: Arnaud Jourdren, Eric Baylard
  • Patent number: 9899668
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of preparing a positive active material for a rechargeable lithium battery that includes mixing an iron source including a carbon source, a lithium source, and a phosphoric acid source to form a positive active material precursor for a rechargeable lithium battery, the positive active material precursor including a lithium iron phosphate precursor and a carbon precursor; pulverizing the positive active material precursor for a rechargeable lithium battery; and heat-treating the pulverized positive active material precursor for a rechargeable lithium battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ji-Hyun Kim
  • Patent number: 9893377
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided a nonaqueous electrolyte battery. The negative electrode of the battery includes a negative electrode active material which can absorb and release lithium ions at a negative electrode potential of 0.4 V (V.S. Li/Li+) or more. The battery satisfying the following equations (I) and (II): 1?Q2/Q1??(I) 0.5?C/A?0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Haruchika Ishii, Toshihide Arikawa, Hirotada Tahara, Masataka Shikota, Kazuko Takanezawa, Hiroki Inagaki, Yuichi Kikuma, Yoshiaki Asami