Patents Examined by Lingwen R Zeng
  • Catalyst coated membranes and preparation methods for fuel cells
    Patent number: 10886549
    Abstract: Simplified methods are disclosed for preparing a catalyst coated membrane that is reinforced with a porous polymer sheet (e.g. an expanded polymer sheet) for use in solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The methods involve forming a solid polymer electrolyte membrane by coating membrane ionomer solution onto a first catalyst layer and then applying the porous polymer sheet to the membrane ionomer solution coating, while it is still wet, such that the membrane ionomer solution only partially fills the pores of the porous polymer sheet. A second catalyst ink is then applied which fills the remaining pores of the porous polymer sheet. Not only are such methods simpler than many conventional methods, but surprisingly this can result in a marked improvement in fuel cell performance characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignees: Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Yuquan Zou, Scott McDermid, Massimiliano Cimenti, Shun-wen Amy Yang, Liviu Catoiu
  • Core-shell particles, polymer electrolyte membrane comprising same, fuel cell or electrochemical cell comprising polymer electrolyte membrane, and method for manufacturing core-shell particles
    Patent number: 10875814
    Abstract: A core-shell particle with a ceramic core and a hydrogel shell provided on a surface of the ceramic core, wherein the hydrogel shell is formed through polymerizing a monomer comprising a first compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group and a functional group capable of forming hydrogen bonds with water and a second compound having two or more ethylenically unsaturated groups and an inorganic element, a polymer electrolyte membrane including the core-shell particle, a fuel cell or an electrochemical cell including the polymer electrolyte membrane, and a method for preparing a core-shell particle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Keunhwan Oh, Sunhwa Kim, Hyuk Kim, Sangwoo Lee, Curie Park, Insung Bae
  • Prelithiated silicon particles for lithium ion batteries
    Patent number: 10879535
    Abstract: A process for the facile prelithiation of silicon-containing materials for use in lithium ion batteries is disclosed. The process can include using a lithium additive comprising LiSt, Li2O—SiO2—TiO2—P2O5, LATP, LAGP, LLTO, LLZO, Li3N, LiBF4, Li2CO3, Li3PO4, lithium-enriched variations thereof, or combinations thereof. The resulting prelithiated materials demonstrate enhanced physicochemical properties providing for high target capacity and excellent cycle stability for the batteries prepared with the materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
    Inventor: Sungjin Cho
  • Compensation system for swelling of electrochemical cells
    Patent number: 10840494
    Abstract: The invention resolves the problem of swelling of sealing electrochemical cells of prismatic format when they are assembled side by side in a grouping box by proposing a battery comprising at least two electrochemical cells (1a, 1b) of prismatic format, wherein the electrochemical cells are separated by a rigid wedge (2) having a hardness greater than or equal to 90 Shore A according to the standard ASTM D 2240 and by a flexible wedge (3) having a hardness of up to 60 Shore A according to the standard ASTM D 2240, the rigid wedge and the flexible wedge being electrically insulating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: SAFT
    Inventors: Alexandre Narbonne, Jérôme Calmejane, Marc Chesnais
  • Storage battery rack and power storage device
    Patent number: 10840569
    Abstract: A storage battery rack includes bottom frame portion, ceiling frame portion, long support posts, and side panels installed facing the support posts. Each support post has a plurality of attachment holes with a predetermined pitch along the longitudinal direction. Side panel has a plurality of female screw holes with a pitch corresponding to the predetermined pitch. Each side panel is attached to a pair of the support posts with screws fastened to attachment holes and the female screw holes. Side panel has a plurality of parallel support portions. A distance between support portions is set substantially equal to a total value of a predetermined height dimension of a refrigerant passage formed between a plurality of storage batteries and a predetermined height dimension of each storage battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takashi Hasegawa
  • Vehicle battery pack, a system for cooling a battery pack and a cooling plate for use in the system
    Patent number: 10833378
    Abstract: A system for controlling the temperature of a rechargeable electric battery pack for a vehicle includes a plurality of rechargeable electrochemical storage cells disposed in rows of one or more cells each. The system includes two heat exchanger plates for each of the rows of one or more cells. Each heat exchanger plate is configured to allow heat transfer fluid to flow internally thereof and a first of two heat exchanger plates for one of the rows is configured to allow heat transfer fluid to flow in a first general direction. A second of the two heat exchanger plates for the row is configured to allow heat transfer fluid to flow in a second general direction. The first and second general directions are substantially different to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: JAGUAR LAND ROVER LIMITED
    Inventor: Stephen Nicholls
  • Battery with life estimation
    Patent number: 10833376
    Abstract: A battery module includes a housing. The battery module also includes a cell stack disposed in the housing and including a battery cell. The battery module also includes a force gauge in mechanical communication with the cell stack and configured to measure a force generated by a swelling of the cell stack. The battery module also includes a control module configured to receive data indicative of the force and to estimate a remaining usable life of the battery module based on the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: CPS Technology Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Frederic C. Bonhomme, Xugang Zhang, David R. Boone
  • Battery for a handheld machine tool and method for producing a battery for a handheld machine tool
    Patent number: 10833300
    Abstract: The battery unit according to the invention for a handheld machine tool comprises a number of battery cells, with at least one of the battery cells being embodied as an isolation battery cell, and showing a fire protection jacket comprising an intumescent material. The fire protection jacket surrounds the isolation battery cell at least partially such that the isolation battery cell is surrounded by the fire protection jacket at a predetermined temperature such that the isolation battery cell is thermally insulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: HILTI AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Benno Verhaag, Bernd Ziegler, Hubert Ludwig, Michael Brandner, Klaus Hauser
  • Fuel cell unit
    Patent number: 10828992
    Abstract: A fuel cell unit includes a fuel cell stack, a reactor, and a case housing the fuel cell stack and the reactor. The case is provided with an intermediate plate that partitions a space inside the case into an upper space and a lower space. The fuel cell stack is housed in the lower space, with a predetermined clearance provided between the intermediate plate and the fuel cell stack. The reactor is housed in the upper space above the fuel cell stack, with an upper portion of the reactor fixed to the case. A through-hole that is provided in the intermediate plate at a position below the reactor. The lower portion of the reactor faces the through-hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ikuhiro Nakamura, Shuji Kawamura
  • Current carrier for vehicle energy-storage systems
    Patent number: 10826042
    Abstract: Provided are current carriers for vehicle energy-storage systems comprising: a positive power plane; a negative power plane; a dielectric isolation layer disposed between the positive power plane and the negative power plane; a plurality of positive contacts formed in the positive power plane, the positive contacts being for electrical coupling to a respective cathode terminal of each battery cell of a plurality of battery cells; and a plurality of negative contacts formed in the negative power plane, the negative contacts being for electrical coupling to a respective anode terminal of each battery cell of the plurality of battery cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
    Inventors: W. Porter Harris, Blake Rosengren, Nicholas John Sampson
  • Battery pack venting
    Patent number: 10826036
    Abstract: A battery pack device includes a conduit compressing against a battery cell array. The conduit is to communicate fluid that is vented from an interior of a battery cell within the battery cell array along a non-linear vent path. The conduit can include an inlet that opens to a vent chamber of the battery cell array. The conduit can be a plate. A foot could extend from the conduit. The non-linear vent path could be a first vent path, and the foot could provide a portion of a second vent path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Asif Iqbal, Daniel Miller, James Lawrence Swoish
  • Vehicle energy-storage systems having parallel cooling
    Patent number: 10826140
    Abstract: Provided are systems for vehicle energy storage having parallel cooling comprising a plurality of modules. Each module may comprise two half modules coupled together. Each half module can include a plurality of battery cells. A current carrier of each half module may be electrically coupled to the cells. The cells may be disposed between the current carrier and a plate. Each half module can have the cells, current carrier, and blast plate disposed in an enclosure. The enclosure can have a coolant sub-system for circulating coolant in parallel to the plurality of cells such that each of the battery cells is at approximately the same predetermined temperature. The modules may be disposed in a tray. A coolant system may be provided for circulating coolant across the plurality of modules in parallel such that each of the modules can be maintained at approximately the same predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
    Inventors: W. Porter Harris, Blake Rosengren, Nicholas John Sampson
  • 3D micro-battery on 3D-printed substrate
    Patent number: 10826126
    Abstract: An electrical energy storage device (20) includes a substrate (22), an anode layer (30), a cathode layer (26), and a separator layer (28) between the anode layer and the cathode layer. The substrate has multiple sets of intersecting cavities (21) passing through the substrate in different directions. The anode layer, cathode layer, and separator layer are formed over a surface of the substrate within the cavities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: RAMOT AT TEL-AVIV UNIVERSITY LTD.
    Inventors: Diana Golodnitsky, Gabor Kosa, Yosef Kamir, Raymond Blanga, Eran Rosen, Elazar Cohen
  • Electrode assembly and radical unit for the same
    Patent number: 10818902
    Abstract: According to the present disclosure, there is provided an electrode assembly comprising (a) a structure in which one kind of radical unit is repeatedly disposed, the one kind of radical unit having a same number of electrodes and separators which are alternately disposed and integrally combined, or (b) a structure in which at least two kinds of radical units are disposed in a predetermined order, the at least two kinds of radical units each having a same number of electrodes and separators which are alternately disposed and integrally combined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji Won Park, Seung Jae You, Hyang Mok Lee
  • Electrode assembly with improved stability and method of manufacturing the same
    Patent number: 10811722
    Abstract: An electrode assembly includes a cell stack part having (a) a structure in which one kind of radical unit is repeatedly disposed, or (b) a structure in which at least two kinds of radical units are disposed in a predetermined order. The one kind of radical unit has a four-layered structure in which first electrode, first separator, second electrode and second separator are sequentially stacked or a repeating structure in which the four-layered structure is repeatedly stacked. Each of the at least two kinds of radical units are stacked by ones to form the four-layered structure or the repeating structure. The separator has a larger size than the electrode to expose an edge part of the separator to outside of the electrode and the separator. The edge parts of the separators included in one radical unit or in the cell stack part are attached to form a sealing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Myung Hoon Ko, Ji Won Park, Ji Ho Ban, Ah Reum Jung, Seung Ho Na
  • Electrode assembly and polymer secondary battery cell including the same
    Patent number: 10804520
    Abstract: An electrode assembly includes a cell stack part having (a) a structure in which one kind of radical unit is repeatedly disposed and has same number of electrodes and separators which are alternately disposed and integrally combined, or (b) a structure in which at least two kinds of radical units are disposed in a predetermined order, and an auxiliary unit disposed on at least one among an uppermost part or a lowermost part of the cell stack part. The one kind of radical unit of (a) has a four-layered structure in which a first electrode, a first separator, a second electrode and a second separator are sequentially stacked or a repeating structure in which the four-layered structure is repeatedly stacked, and each of the at least two kinds of radical units are stacked by ones in the predetermined order to form the four-layered structure or the repeating structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji Won Park, Myung Hoon Ko, Seung Ho Na, Chang Bum Ahn
  • Bipolar plate and method of making and using same
    Patent number: 10804540
    Abstract: A bipolar plate can include at least one resin selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyphenylsulfone, a polymer resistant to sulfuric acid, and combinations of any thereof. The bipolar plate can further include conductive fibers comprise amount of from about 20% to about 50% by volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: PIVOTAL BATTERY CORP
    Inventors: Slobodan Pavlovic, Mo Zeidan
  • Fuel cell
    Patent number: 10790520
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fuel cell (10) having a stack comprising a bipolar plate (20) which has a flow field (22) formed by a profiled section of the bipolar plate (20), and an elongated sealing element (21) which at least partially surrounds the flow field (22), and a membrane electrode assembly (30). It is provided that, inside a cavity (25) formed between the membrane electrode assembly (30) and the bipolar plate (20) in a region between the sealing element (21) and the flow field (22), a filling agent (24) is arranged which extends in the extension direction of the cavity (25).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Christian Martin Zillich, Friedhelm Walkling
  • Embedded fiber optic cables for battery management
    Patent number: 10777855
    Abstract: A battery includes a folded bicell battery stack with an embedded fiber optic cable and sensor. A cell casing encloses the bicell stack with at least one fiber optic cable is embedded within the battery. The fiber optic cable includes an internal portion disposed within the cell casing and having at least one optical sensor disposed thereon. An external portion of the fiber optic cable protrudes from the casing. A sealing gasket is disposed at least partially around the fiber optic cable and between the cell sealing edges at a point of entry of the fiber optic cable into the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Ajay Raghavan, Peter Kiesel, Lars Wilko Sommer, Bhaskar Saha, Saroj Sahu, Alexander Lochbaum, Tobias Staudt, Chang-Jun Bae, Mohamed Alamgir, Hoe Jin Hah, Bokkyu Choi, Gyu-Ok Hwang, Geun-Chang Chung
  • Fabricating method of electrode assembly and electrochemical cell containing the same
    Patent number: 10770713
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji Won Park, Seung Jae You, Myung Hoon Ko, Jin Ho Ban, Hyang Mok Lee