Patents Examined by Jonathan Jelsma
  • Patent number: 9887047
    Abstract: The described embodiments provide an energy storage device that includes a positive electrode including an active material that can store and release ions, a negative electrode including an active material that is a lithiated nano-architectured active material including tin and at least one stress-buffer component, and a non-aqueous electrolyte including lithium. The negative electrode active material is nano-architectured before lithiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: IMRA AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Bing Tan, Zhendong Hu, Guanghui He, Yong Che
  • Patent number: 9882226
    Abstract: The compact fuel cell which can efficiently perform heating and can be repeatedly used includes a solid electrolyte, an anode that is formed on one surface of the solid electrolyte, a cathode that is formed on another surface of the solid electrolyte, an anode fuel material, a heating portion for heating and maintaining the solid electrolyte and the anode fuel material at a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined level, and a sealing portion that is installed in the solid electrolyte, forms a sealed space sealing the anode and the anode fuel material together with the solid electrolyte and the heating portion, and can repeatedly open and close, in which a helium leak rate of the sealed space is maintained at 1×10?2 Pa·m3/sec or a lower rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Connexx Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Naoyoshi Kachi
  • Patent number: 9882182
    Abstract: A cell housing is disclosed. The cell housing may include a case extending between a first side, a second side, an open top end and an integrated bottom end. The cell housing may additionally include a body extending between an inner surface and an outer surface and the body may include a first layer comprising a first three-dimensional network of fibers including ?-glucan and chitin, a second layer comprising a second three-dimensional network of fibers including ?-glucan and chitin and include a plurality of cellulosic fibers positioned between the first layer and the second layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth Stonecipher
  • Patent number: 9882177
    Abstract: The invention relates to an energy storage module for a device for supplying voltage, in particular, of a motor vehicle, comprising a plurality of in particular prismatic storage cells, which are stacked together at least in one row, are arranged one behind the other and are braced between at least two end plates by means of at least one tie rod or a wrapping, wherein at least one of the end plates comprises a layer structure of at least three layers and/or the tie rod consists of a fiber composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Markus Thurmeier, Hubertus Goesmann, Robert Lustig, Eva Vietze, Stephan Zuegner
  • Patent number: 9882228
    Abstract: The invention describes an air-breathing fuel cell for the oxidation of ions with air or oxygen, having an anode half cell and a cathode half cell. A first ion-conducting membrane and a second ion-conducting membrane is introduced between the half cells, and the second ion-conducting membrane is coated at least in regions on the side orientated towards the cathode half cell with a catalyst for the reduction of oxygen. According to the invention, the air-breathing fuel cell is characterised in that an oxidation zone for the oxidation of ions with negative standard electrode potential is provided between the ion-conducting membranes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.
    Inventors: Jens Noack, Thomas Berger, Jens Tuebke, Karsten Pinkwart
  • Patent number: 9876246
    Abstract: In one aspect of the present invention, a method of fabricating a fuel cell membrane-electrode-assembly (MEA) having an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and a membrane disposed between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, includes fabricating each of the anode electrode, the cathode electrode, and the membrane separately by electrospinning; and placing the membrane between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, and pressing then together to form the fuel cell MEA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Peter N. Pintauro, Jason Ballengee, Matthew Brodt
  • Patent number: 9865905
    Abstract: A battery pack for an electric vehicle may include a plurality of battery cells arranged into at least a first row and a second row. The first row may be parallel to the second row. The battery pack may also include a coolant loop with at least one channel through which liquid can flow. The coolant tube may run between the first row and the second row. The battery pack may additionally include a thermal pad comprising a first side and a second side. The first side of the thermal pad may be shaped to conform to the coolant loop and the second side of the thermal pad may be shaped to conform to curvatures of the first row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: THUNDER POWER NEW ENERGY VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventor: Yung-Kang Yang
  • Patent number: 9865893
    Abstract: This invention is directed to aqueous redox flow batteries comprising ionically charged redox active materials and separators, wherein the separator is about 100 microns or less and the flow battery is capable of (a) operating with a current efficiency of at least 85% with a current density of at least about 100 mA/cm2; (b) operating with a round trip voltage efficiency of at least 60% with a current density of at least about 100 mA/cm2; and/or (c) giving rise to diffusion rates through the separator for the first active material, the second active material, or both, of about 1×10?7 mol/cm2-sec or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Advanced Energy Storage, LLC
    Inventors: Arthur J. Esswein, Steven Y. Reece, Thomas H. Madden, Thomas D. Jarvi, John Goeltz, Desiree Amadeo, Evan R. King, Nitin Tyagi
  • Patent number: 9853328
    Abstract: Disclosed are an electrolyte for lithium secondary batteries including 10 wt % to 90 wt % of an ester based solvent and 10 wt % to 90 wt % of a carbonate based solvent with respect to the total weight of a non-aqueous solvent, and a lithium secondary battery including the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Young Geun Choi, Jong Mo Jung, Jonghyun Chae, Chul Haeng Lee, Geun Chang Chung, Yourim Yoon, Young Cheol Choi, Seung Jae Yoon
  • Patent number: 9853266
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a vent and a cap assembly of a power battery. The vent comprises a vent body and a vent body protective sheath having a wall portion and a hollow portion, the vent body is fixedly connected to a lower portion of the wall portion and sealing the hollow portion from below, an upper portion of the wall portion is fixedly connected to a cap plate for sealing a vent hole. The cap assembly of the power battery comprises a cap plate provided with a vent hole and an electrolyte-injection hole; a first electrode post connected to the cap plate; a second electrode post connected to the cap plate; and a vent fixedly provided to the vent hole; wherein the vent is the above vent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: NINGDE AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
    Inventors: Quankun Li, Pinghua Deng, Peng Wang, Jibin Geng, Kai Wu
  • Patent number: 9847521
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a casing, first and second batteries and a conductive plate. The first and second batteries are disposed in a battery slot of the casing. The conductive plate is clamped between the first and second batteries, and has a mounting portion that is mounted pivotally into a mounting groove of the casing such that the conductive plate is pivotable between a clamped position where a conductive body of the conductive plate is clamped between the first and second batteries, and an unclamped position where the conductive body is spaced apart from the first and second batteries for removal and installment of one of the first and second batteries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Bionime Corporation
    Inventors: Chun-Mu Huang, Chieh-Hsing Chen, Hsi-Wen Huang
  • Patent number: 9847523
    Abstract: The battery pack includes a battery cell for supplying electric power to an external device connected thereto, a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of a place on which the temperature sensor is arranged, a switch member for making and breaking an electric path between the external device and the battery cell; and a controller configured to control the switch member to turn on and off according to the temperature sensed by the temperature sense. The temperature sensor is arranged on a position between the battery cell and the switch member so as to be affected by the temperatures of both of the battery cell and the switch member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norihiro Iwamura, Masaaki Sakaue, Masaki Ikeda, Naoki Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9837683
    Abstract: The invention concerns a battery pack (1), comprising a plurality of electrically connected battery cells (2), wherein the battery cells (2) are substantially flat with two opposite sides (2a, 2b) and a peripheral edge (2c), and wherein the battery cells (2) are arranged side by side as to form a layered structure, and an electronic arrangement configured to monitor and control the battery cells (2). The invention is characterized in that the electronic arrangement comprises a plurality of individual electronic circuit units (30), each of which being associated with a corresponding battery cell (2), wherein each of the electronic circuit units (30) is configured to be capable of monitoring and controlling its corresponding battery cell (2), and wherein each electronic circuit unit (30) is arranged on a thin and flexible circuit carrying sheet (3) that is arranged at one of the sides (2a, 2b) of the corresponding battery cell (2). The invention also concerns a method for manufacturing of a battery pack (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: ALELION ENERGY SYSTEMS AB
    Inventor: Dag Lundström
  • Patent number: 9837664
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electrode for a secondary battery including an electrode current collector, an electrode active material combination layer formed on one or both sides of the electrode current collector, and a polyurethane-based coating layer formed on the electrode active material combination layer, and a lithium secondary battery including the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyoung Ho Ahn, Min Jung Kim, Jung Hoon Lee, Yi Jin Jung, Doo Kyung Yang, Chul Haeng Lee
  • Patent number: 9837690
    Abstract: A vehicle having: vehicle structure including a pair of opposed sides and a rear, with a floor extending horizontally between the sides and rear; a battery-pack mounted above the floor; a fan assembly having a housing with a motor mounted therein directly behind the battery-pack, with the housing including a pair of flanges having U-slots with slot openings facing downward; and fasteners extending horizontally through the U-slots and secured to the battery-pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Suriyaprakash A. Janarthanam, Masahiro Kimoto
  • Patent number: 9831484
    Abstract: A battery includes a case, first and second electrodes in the case, and a switch to change an electrical state of the case between a first state and a second state, when the first state corresponds to an electrically neutral state and the second state corresponds to an electrical polarity of the first electrode. The switch may reciprocally change the electrical state of the case between the first state and the second state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: In Kim, Jae-Kyung Kim, Sang-Won Byun, Won-Jun Lee
  • Patent number: 9825343
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes a battery system with a battery module having electrochemical cells inside of a housing. The housing includes a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. The battery module includes a heat sink coupled with the second side of the housing and a thermal interface disposed between, and in contact with, the heat sink and the electrochemical cells. The thermal interface contacts base ends of the electrochemical cells. The system includes a cage disposed about the battery module. The cage includes a cage side positioned next to the second side of the housing and having openings disposed in the cage side. The openings enable air to be drawn into the cage. The air passes over the heat sink of the battery module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company
    Inventors: Kem M. Obasih, Richard M. DeKeuster
  • Patent number: 9818998
    Abstract: A separator for a rechargeable electrochemical cell that has a conductive first layer and a non-conductive second layer. The non-conductive second layer and the conductive first layer are adhered to one another, wherein the separator has a higher threshold voltage than a threshold voltage of the conductive first layer alone. At a predetermined voltage, the separator becomes conductive and stops further ionic transfers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Freya Energy, Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew James Manning, Ethirajulu Dayalan
  • Patent number: 9812718
    Abstract: A fuel cell system that generates electric power by supplying anode gas and cathode gas to a fuel cell includes a control valve adapted to control the pressure of the anode gas to be supplied to the fuel cell; a buffer unit adapted to store the anode-off gas to be discharged from the fuel cell; a pulsation operation unit adapted to control the control valve in order to periodically increase and decrease the pressure of the anode gas at a specific width of the pulsation; and a pulsation width correcting unit adapted to correct the width of the pulsation on the basis of the temperature of the buffer unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hidetaka Nishimura, Yasushi Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 9806367
    Abstract: A fabrication process for production of planar type solid oxide fuel cell with high electrical conductivity and low fuel gas impedance is disclosed. It is a tape casting to produce an anode substrate furnished with a pore array structure on one or plurality of layers of the anode green tape on the utmost outside of the anode. It is to implement the process of solid oxide fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (SOFC-MEA) with precision abrasion to remove nickel depleted layer on the anode surface to complete the production of a unit cell. The fabrication of anode with pore array structure provides a good conduction effect for fuel gas and the solid oxide fuel cell with this treatment has features of high electrical conductivity and low fuel gas impedance to improve the performance of SOFC unit cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY RESEARCH
    Inventors: Tai-Nan Lin, Jen-Yuan Kuo, Hong-Yi Kuo, Wei-Xin Kao, Chun-Yen Yeh