Patents Examined by Lingwen R Zeng
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Patent number: 10355297Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell apparatus 1 has: multiple fuel cell units 16; a module case 8 housing multiple fuel cell units; a heat insulating material 7 disposed to cover the area around the module case 8; a reformer 20 for reforming raw fuel gas using steam, thereby producing fuel gas; a combustion chamber 18 for combusting residual fuel gas and heating the reformer 20; a heat exchanger 23 for exchanging heat between oxidant gas and exhaust gas; and a steam generator 25, disposed within the heat insulating material 7 and on the outside of the module case 8, for exchanging heat between exhaust gas and water immediately after heat is exchanged in the heat exchanger 23, thereby producing steam.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2015Date of Patent: July 16, 2019Assignee: TOTO LTD.Inventors: Yousuke Akagi, Fumio Tsuboi, Takeshi Saito, Takuya Matsuo
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Patent number: 10355268Abstract: A carbon-metal oxide composite material comprising: (i) carbon-carbon composite particles in which an amorphous carbon black core is bonded to crystalline graphitic carbon shells; and (ii) a metal oxide material bonded with said carbon-carbon composite particles, wherein said metal oxide material is included in an amount of at least about 10 wt. % by weight of said carbon-carbon composite particles and metal oxide material. Alkali-ion batteries containing the above-described composite as anode are also described. Methods for producing the above-described composite are also described. The method can include, for example, subjecting pulverized rubber tire waste to a sulfonation process and pyrolyzing the sulfonated rubber to produce the carbon-carbon composite particles, as described above, followed by admixing and compounding a metal oxide material with the carbon-carbon composite particles.Type: GrantFiled: August 17, 2015Date of Patent: July 16, 2019Assignees: UT-Battelle, LLC, University of Tennesse Research FoundationInventors: Yunchao Li, Mariappan Parans Paranthaman, Amit K. Naskar, Kokouvi M. Akato
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Patent number: 10340550Abstract: Provided is a lithium ion secondary cell using lithium manganese-based oxide as a positive electrode active material, wherein SEI films suppressing deterioration during repeated charge/discharge are easily formed not only on the negative electrode surface, but also on the positive electrode surface, deterioration in capacity upon use, in particular, under high-temperature environments is suppressed, charge/discharge cycle characteristics are improved and lifespan is lengthened. The lithium ion secondary cell includes a positive electrode active material layer containing lithium manganese-based oxide as a positive electrode active material, a negative electrode active material layer containing a negative electrode active material, and an electrolytic solution used to immerse the positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode active material layer, wherein the positive electrode active material layer contains carbon nanotubes and the electrolytic solution contains sulfonic acid ester.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2013Date of Patent: July 2, 2019Assignee: NEC ENERGY DEVICES, LTD.Inventor: Takeshi Azami
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Patent number: 10312561Abstract: A unit cell pack having a first battery module including battery cartridges that are sequentially stacked, a plurality of batteries wherein two batteries are seated on an upper surface of each of the battery cartridges, electrode connection members respectively positioned on both sides of the battery cartridges, and a battery cover covering the battery cartridges, the plurality of batteries, and the electrode connection members; a second battery module being adjacent to the first battery module and including same constituent elements as the first battery module; a battery housing surrounding the first battery module and the second battery module, and including air inflow window covers and air outflow window covers facing each other; and a fan duct disposed on the air outflow window covers of the battery housing is provided. A lower surface of each of the battery cartridges defines air guide grooves with respect to each other.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2015Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.Inventors: Hyun-Chul Park, Kyung-Hyun Bae, Byung-O Kong, Jin-Kyu Shin, Hyung-Jin Hwang
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Patent number: 10290863Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a nonaqueous electrolytic solution, and a negative electrode. The negative electrode includes a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer which is formed on the negative electrode current collector. The negative electrode active material layer has a first region and a second region. The first region is a region formed on a surface of the negative electrode current collector and contains lithium titanium composite oxide as a major component. The second region is a region including a surface of the negative electrode active material layer and contains lithium titanium composite oxide as a major component and further contains silicon oxide.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2015Date of Patent: May 14, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Tomoyuki Mizuno
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Patent number: 10290876Abstract: A lithium-ion battery including an electrodeposited anode material having a micron-scale, three-dimensional porous foam structure separated from interpenetrating cathode material that fills the void space of the porous foam structure by a thin solid-state electrolyte which has been reductively polymerized onto the anode material in a uniform and pinhole free manner, which will significantly reduce the distance which the Li-ions are required to traverse upon the charge/discharge of the battery cell over other types of Li-ion cell designs, and a procedure for fabricating the battery are described. The interpenetrating three-dimensional structure of the cell will also provide larger energy densities than conventional solid-state Li-ion cells based on thin-film technologies. The electrodeposited anode may include an intermetallic composition effective for reversibly intercalating Li-ions.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2012Date of Patent: May 14, 2019Assignee: Prieto Battery, Inc.Inventors: Amy L. Prieto, James M. Mosby, Derek C. Johnson, Matthew T. Rawls
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Patent number: 10283796Abstract: A complete fuel cell system (10) is disclosed. The fuel cell system (10) comprises at least two fuel precursors (16, 18) that react to create hydrogen. A solid fuel precursor (18) can be carried in disposable fuel cartridges (100). A passive pressure control system including a dose pump (22) and a pressure equalization system (24, 300, 504) is provided to dose a liquid fuel precursor (16) to the solid fuel precursor (18) in the fuel cartridge (100). The solid fuel precursor (18) may include larger metallic particles coated by another fine metallic particles such that multiple micro galvanic cells are formed on the surface of the larger metallic particles. The fuel cell system (10) may also include a gas buffer (40) that stores produced hydrogen that is unneeded by the fuel cell, a water trapping mechanism (604) and an electronic vent (46) that consumes unneeded hydrogen.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2012Date of Patent: May 7, 2019Assignee: INTELLIGEN ENERGY LIMITEDInventors: Gerard F. McLean, Laura Gill, Jean-Louis Iaconis, Jeremy Schrooten, Mikhail Gurin, Benjamin Tam, Sally Seaman, Joerg Zimmermann
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Patent number: 10270133Abstract: A method of increasing secondary power source capacity includes doping a compound into an electrolyte as an additive which binding energy is higher than binding energy of combinations that are formed at a secondary power source discharge, the compound being ZnKr or CdAr. The method can be used in manufacturing secondary power sources such as batteries for electrical machines, transport vehicles, and cars, and for power sources for portable and mobile electronic devices.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2017Date of Patent: April 23, 2019Assignee: SOLARIS HOLDINGS LIMITEDInventors: Georgy Ramasanovich Umarov, Sergey Ivanovich Boychenko, Shiv Vikram Khemka
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Patent number: 10263235Abstract: A separator includes a substrate layer that is porous, and a surface layer that is provided on at least one main face of the substrate layer and that has an uneven shape. The surface layer includes first particles that are for forming convexities of the uneven shape and that are a main component of the convexities, second particles that have a smaller average particle size than the first particles, cover at least a part of a surface of the first particles, and cover at least a part of a surface of the substrate layer that is exposed between the first particles, and a resin material.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2012Date of Patent: April 16, 2019Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Moriaki Okuno, Toshitsugu Ono
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Patent number: 10230116Abstract: An air supply apparatus and method for a fuel cell, which supplies high-pressure air while avoiding a surge phenomenon of a turbo type compressor in a fuel cell system to which the turbo type compressor is applied is provided. In particular, a portion of air from an outlet of a compressor to an inlet of the compressor is recirculated to the supply of air supplied from the compressor to a stack. This recirculated air and external air introduced from the outside are mixed and supplied to the inlet of the compressor at a sufficiently high air pressure, allowing the compressor to avoid a surge region and enabling the supply of air with a high pressure and a low flow rate.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2014Date of Patent: March 12, 2019Assignee: Hyundai Motor CompanyInventors: Hyuck Roul Kwon, Chang Ha Lee, Kyoung Ku Ha
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Patent number: 10230075Abstract: A rechargeable battery having an insulating member is disclosed. In one aspect, the battery includes an electrode assembly including a first electrode, a second electrode, and a separator interposed between the first and second electrodes. The battery also includes a storage case housing the electrode assembly. An opening is formed in the storage case. The battery further includes a cap plate attached to the opening of the storage case, a terminal penetrating through the cap plate, and a connection plate electrically connecting the terminal to the second electrode. The battery also includes an insulating member interposed between the cap plate and the connection plate. The insulating member includes a base plate contacting a bottom surface of the cap plate and a supporting rib that protrudes from the base plate and contacts an inner surface of the storage case.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2015Date of Patent: March 12, 2019Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.Inventor: Kwang-Sik Seo
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Patent number: 10205187Abstract: Generally, this disclosure provides systems, devices and methods for extending charge cycle life of rechargeable batteries through the use of constrained anode fibers. A battery may include a porous anode fiber configured to produce electrons during discharge of the battery. The battery may also include and an anode current collector layer, configured to provide a conductive path to a first terminal of the battery, wherein the anode current collector layer is concentrically disposed on the anode fiber to constrain expansion of the anode fiber during charging of the battery. The porosity of the anode fiber allows for the constrained expansion to be directed radially inward, decreasing the volume of the porous regions of the anode fiber.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2015Date of Patent: February 12, 2019Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Andrew Keates, Prabhat Tiwari
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Patent number: 10170783Abstract: A stack (10) of fuel cells (11) is manufactured with barriers (32) to prevent migration of a liquid electrolyte (such as phosphoric acid) out of the cells (11). The barrier (32) is secured within a step (34) formed within a land region (28) of a separator plate assembly (18) and extends from an edge (30) of the separator plate assembly (18) all or a portion of a distance between the edge (30) and a flow channel (24) defined within the separator plate assembly (18). The barrier (32) also extends away from the edge (30) a distance of between 0.051 and about 2.0 millimeters (about 2 and about 80 mils. The barrier (32) includes a hydrophobic, polymeric film (36), a pressure sensitive adhesive (38) as an assembly aid, and a fluoroelastomer bonding agent (40).Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2009Date of Patent: January 1, 2019Assignee: DOOSAN FUEL CELL AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Sridhar V. Kanuri, Richard D. Breault, Kishore Kumar Tenneti, Ned E. Cipollini, Frank E. Kenney, III
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Patent number: 10147987Abstract: A rechargeable energy storage device is disclosed. In at least one embodiment the energy storage device includes an air electrode providing an electrochemical process comprising reduction and evolution of oxygen and a capacitive electrode enables an electrode process consisting of non-faradic reactions based on ion absorption/desorption and/or faradic reactions. This rechargeable energy storage device is a hybrid system of fuel cells and ultra-capacitors, pseudo-capacitors, and/or secondary batteries.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2016Date of Patent: December 4, 2018Assignee: IMRA AMERICA, INC.Inventors: Bing Tan, Zhendong Hu, Yong Che
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Patent number: 10147932Abstract: A fabricating method of an electrode assembly according to the present invention includes forming a radical unit having a four-layered structure obtained by stacking a first electrode, a first separator, a second electrode, and a second separator one by one, and stacking at least one radical unit one by one to form a unit stack part.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2014Date of Patent: December 4, 2018Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.Inventors: Ji Won Park, Seung Jae You, Myung Hoon Ko, Jin Ho Ban, Hyang Mok Lee
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Patent number: 10135090Abstract: Provided is an electrode assembly manufacturing method including a radical unit manufacturing stage in which a radical unit having a four-layer structure is manufactured by sequentially stacking a first electrode, a first separator, a second electrode, and a second separator, and a radical unit stacking stage in which the radical unit as a unit is repeatedly stacked to manufacture an electrode assembly, and whenever a predetermined number of radical units are stacked, the radical units are adhered to each other by heating and pressing an outermost one of the radical units.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2014Date of Patent: November 20, 2018Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.Inventors: Seung Ho Na, Chang Bum Ahn, Young Joo Yang
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Patent number: 10122025Abstract: A fuel cell assembly includes a pair of corrugated bipolar plates. Each of the plates is defined by peak portions and sidewalls connecting the peak portions. The plates are fitted and nested within each other such that the sidewalls are in direct contact. Some of the sidewalls include a stepped shoulder portion such that each of the some of the sidewalls and the peak portions adjacent thereto form a stair-step profile and define a flow channel having a depth greater than a width.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2017Date of Patent: November 6, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Mark Stephen Ricketts, Daniel E. Wilkosz, Valerie Ann Nelson
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Patent number: 10122044Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate generally to electrochemical cells having semi-solid electrodes that include a gel polymer additive such that the electrodes demonstrate longer cycle life while significantly retaining the electronic performance of the electrodes and the electrochemical cells formed therefrom. In some embodiments, a semi-solid electrode can include about 20% to about 75% by volume of an active material, about 0.5% to about 25% by volume of a conductive material, and about 20% to about 70% by volume of an electrolyte. The electrolyte further includes about 0.01% to about 1.5% by weight of a polymer additive. In some embodiments, the electrolyte can include about 0.1% to about 0.7% of the polymer additive.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2014Date of Patent: November 6, 2018Assignee: 24M Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Taison Tan, Naoki Ota, Jeffry Disko
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Patent number: 10115936Abstract: A lead-acid battery including: a power generating element; and a container accommodating the power generating element and having a narrowed portion that is partially provided at an outer wall and reduces an internal space, wherein the container has a corner of a thick portion that is thickened inward within a range not inwardly beyond the narrowed portion to be thicker than the outer wall.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2014Date of Patent: October 30, 2018Assignee: GS Yuasa International Ltd.Inventors: Naoki Fujimoto, Sosuke Fujita
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Patent number: 10109851Abstract: A composite cathode active material includes a material capable of intercalating or deintercalating lithium; and a solid ion conductor. A cathode and a lithium battery each include the composite cathode active material. A method of preparing a composite cathode active material includes: mixing a core including a cathode active material and a solid ion conductor; and forming a coating layer including the solid ion conductor on the core utilizing a dry method.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 2014Date of Patent: October 23, 2018Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yu-Mi Song, Ming-Zi Hong, Do-Hyung Park, Seon-Young Kwon, Joong-Ho Moon, Ju-Hyeong Han, Han-Eol Park, Min-Han Kim, Kyoung-Hyun Kim, Ki-Hyun Kim, Sang-Hoon Kim