Patents Examined by Olatunji Godo
  • Patent number: 10998571
    Abstract: The electrochemical cell stack assembly has electrochemical cell sub-stacks. A first and second electrochemical cell sub-stack are connected electrically in series and fluidly in parallel. The first and second electrochemical cell sub-stacks have electrochemical cells. The electrochemical cells have a membrane electrode assembly with an cathode catalyst layer, an anode catalyst layer, and a polymer membrane therebetween. The electrochemical cells have an anode plate and a cathode plate with the membrane electrode assembly interposed therebetween, a cathode flow field, and the anode plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC
    Inventor: Scott Blanchet
  • Patent number: 10991990
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell has a flexible low-profile sensor device that includes a solid state device or series of solid state devices on a common carrying material that enable the device(s) to sense battery cell conditions and actively perform cell control functions. At least a portion of the sensor device resides outside the cell. When arranged in a stack, cells including the sensor automatically form a communication network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignees: Robert Bosch Battery Systems LLC, Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Mark Kotik
  • Patent number: 10991923
    Abstract: The present invention is a fire suppression apparatus for mitigating a battery fire and the effects of a thermal event within a battery pack. The system comprises a fire suppressant apparatus that is incorporated into the storage modules of the lithium ion batteries. Each storage module includes a container filled with a fire suppressant that is pressurized with a compressed gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Inventors: Peter Cordani, Michael Reger
  • Patent number: 10985389
    Abstract: A fuel cell power and control system may comprise a fuel cell stack configured to generate electric power, a fuel carrier for the fuel cell stack, at least one temperature control element in thermal communication with the fuel carrier, and an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to regulate electric current supplied to the temperature control element to control a rate at which a fuel is released from the fuel carrier. In various embodiments, the system further comprises an energy storage device configured to receive the electric power from the fuel cell stack. In various embodiments, the ECU is configured to vary the electric current supplied to the temperature control element in response to the voltage across the energy storage device varying.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: TACIT INTELLIGENCE LLC
    Inventors: Jeremy S. Daugherty, Michael A. Meinhart, Bryan G. Daugherty, Alan W. Koenig
  • Patent number: 10978684
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a dual energy storage system that includes a lithium ion battery electrically coupled in parallel with a lead acid battery, where the lithium ion battery and the lead-acid battery are electrically coupled to a vehicle bus, where the lithium ion battery open circuit voltage (OCV) partially matches the lead-acid battery OCV such that the lead-acid battery OCV at 100% of the lead-acid battery state of charge (SOC) is about equal to the lithium ion battery OCV at 50% of the lithium ion battery SOC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: CPS Technology Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Daniel B. Le, David R. Boone
  • Patent number: 10978764
    Abstract: A battery air dryer for drying air within a battery housing of an electric vehicle battery has a support structure for dryer material. The support structure has a first fixing element coupling with a first coupling element of the battery housing and a second fixing element coupling with a second coupling element of the battery housing. The first and second fixing elements are arranged on different sides of the support structure such that a first distance between the first fixing element and a reference plane differs from a second distance between the second fixing element and the reference plane. The reference plane is a plane cutting the support structure horizontally when the battery air dryer is mounted in the battery housing in a designated orientation. Only the first fixing element or only the second fixing element is arranged in a first fixing plane parallel to the reference plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: MANN+HUMMEL GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Bauditsch, Basil Paul Kallumgal
  • Patent number: 10971737
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack at least includes a stack body formed by stacking a plurality of power generation cells in a stacking direction and a first dummy cell provided at one end of the stack body in the stacking direction. The power generation cell includes a membrane electrode assembly. The first dummy cell includes a dummy assembly formed by stacking together three electrically conductive porous bodies each having a different surface size, a dummy resin frame member formed around the dummy assembly, and dummy separators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke Inoue, Satoshi Aoki, Yukihito Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10957894
    Abstract: A bus bar module of a battery system includes a bus bar, a sensing circuit carrier, and a fuse assembly. The bus bar is held by a tray and configured to electrically connect two battery cells of the battery system. The sensing circuit carrier includes at least a first electrical conductor and a dielectric insulator surrounding the first electrical conductor. The fuse assembly includes a first holder terminal, a second holder terminal, and a fuse disposed between and electrically connected to the first and second holder terminals. The first holder terminal is electrically connected to the first electrical conductor of the sensing circuit carrier, and the second holder terminal is electrically connected to the bus bar such that the fuse assembly defines a segment of a voltage sensing line from the bus bar through the sensing circuit carrier towards a control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: TE CONNECTIVITY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeremy Christin Patterson, Weiping Zhao, Xiaobao Geng
  • Patent number: 10950884
    Abstract: A manufacturing process flow and accompanying methods for assembling a battery module are designed to increase efficiency, reduce a footprint of the manufacturing process, reduce manufacturing time, allow for increased flexibility, and reduce costs. The process flow takes advantage of robotic functionality to combine multiple manufacturing and quality assurance operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Harold Offutt, Hrayr Torosyan
  • Patent number: 10950842
    Abstract: Provided is a connection module that can prevent a detection wire from coming away from a branch line path that is formed as a narrow path with a simple configuration. A connection module includes: a busbar configured to connect electrode terminals of adjacent electricity storage elements to each other; an insulating protector configured to hold the busbar in an insulated manner; and a detection wire that is to be connected to the busbar. The insulating protector includes a main line path, and a branch line path that branches from the main line path, has a width narrower than the width of the main line path, and in which the detection wire 50 is to be routed. The branch line path includes a pair of opposing path walls, and an elastic retaining piece that is formed on at least one path wall of the pair of path walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignees: AUTONETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD., SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD., SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Fukushima, Osamu Nakayama, Katsushi Miyazaki, Tetsuya Fujita
  • Patent number: 10950833
    Abstract: A battery packaging assembly having safety features that reduce the risk of thermal propagation is disclosed. The battery packaging assembly may include a foam layer having a plurality of cutout trenches, the foam layer configured to engage battery cells in a press-fit relationship. In addition, the battery packaging assembly may include a tray configured to receive the foam layer, the tray enclosing a compartment configured for receiving a plurality of battery cells. Further, the battery packaging assembly may include a ventilation cavity in fluid communication with the plurality of trenches of the foam layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan M. Baumann, Justin D. Middleton
  • Patent number: 10944132
    Abstract: Techniques for dynamically changing internal state of a battery are described herein. Generally, different battery configurations are described that enable transitions between different battery power states, such as to accommodate different battery charge and/or discharge scenarios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen E. Hodges, Ranveer Chandra, Julia L Meinershagen, Nissanka Arachchige Bodhi Priyantha, Anirudh Badam, Thomas Moscibroda, Anthony John Ferrese
  • Patent number: 10938018
    Abstract: A cell module includes a plurality of battery cells each having a safety valve at a first end in a height direction, a first current collector plate including a main body having a through hole that at least partly overlaps the safety valve when viewed along the height direction and a lead extending into the through hole from the main body and being electrically connected to a first terminal of each of the battery cells, an exhaust duct disposed over a surface of the first current collector plate remote from the battery cells, and an insulating film being made of an insulating material and covering an area of the first current collector plate facing the exhaust duct. The safety valve opens when an internal pressure of any of the battery cells reaches or exceeds a predetermined level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinya Motokawa, Daisuke Kishii, Keisuke Shimizu, Akira Takano
  • Patent number: 10938020
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an electrode is provided. The electrode includes an active material-containing layer including active material particles and solid electrolyte particles being present away from the active material particles. The active material particles have lithium ion conductivity. The solid electrolyte particles have first ion conductivity. The solid electrolyte particles include a first ion that is at least one selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal ion excluding a lithium ion, a Ca ion, an Mg ion, and an Al ion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuomi Yoshima, Yasunobu Yamashita, Yasuhiro Harada, Norio Takami
  • Patent number: 10930952
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a flow sensor configured to measure an actual flow rate of air which is introduced into an oxidizing gas supply passage via a compressor when a fuel cell generates electric power; and a wind speed deriving unit configured to acquire a flow rate of air measured by the flow sensor in a state in which air flows from the oxidizing gas supply passage to an oxidizing gas discharge passage via the compressor and a bypass flow passage and to derive an actual wind speed of wind which is received by the fuel cell system, when the compressor stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Watanabe, Satoshi Shiokawa, Shuhei Nakamura, Norihiro Fukaya
  • Patent number: 10930908
    Abstract: The invention relates to a battery module housing (2001, . . . 2004) for a battery pack (10), characterized in that: the battery module housing (2001, . . . 2004) can contain a large number of battery cells (100111, . . . 100432) which each have a large wall surface (1201, 1202) and a small wall surface (1301, 1302), of which small wall surface the surface area is less than a surface area of the large wall surface (1201, 1202), wherein the battery cells (100119, 100129, 100132, 100142, 100219, 100229, 100232, 100242, 100319, 100329, 100332, 100342, 100419, 100432) which can be arranged adjacent to outer sides of the battery pack (10) can be oriented in such a way that their large wall surfaces (1201, 1202) run along the outer sides, so that a force which acts on one of the outer sides can initially be received by one of the large wall surfaces (1201, 1202), and also to a battery module (201, 204), to a battery pack (10), to a battery, to a vehicle and also to a method for producing a battery module (201, . .
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Menig, Alfons Doerr, Andreas Lemke, Andreas Selent, Benjamin Mangold, Benjamin Kopp, Berengar Krieg, Carsten Mueller, Jochen Schweinbenz, Johannes Teuber, Marcus Hildenbrand, Maximilian Russ-Mohl, Stefan Baumann, Steffen Benz, Timo Kegel, Torsten Koller, Xiaofeng Yan, Christian Buder
  • Patent number: 10923740
    Abstract: A fuel gas supply passage is provided at a central position of one side of opposing sides of a separator. A fuel gas supply passage is provided close to a fuel gas flow field in comparison with any of a plurality of fluid passages provided along the one side. An identification mark of the separator is provided between the fuel gas supply passage and an outer peripheral end of the separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yu Tomana, Kentaro Ishida, Satoshi Oyama, Masahiro Matsutani, Akihito Giga
  • Patent number: 10916744
    Abstract: A battery block includes a plurality of cylindrical batteries, a battery holder having a plurality of accommodating parts into which axial one end portions of the cylindrical batteries are inserted, and a pair of terminal plates that connect the cylindrical batteries in parallel. Each of the accommodating parts includes the partition wall formed along an outer peripheral surface of cylindrical battery, an extending portion that extends on the first end surface so as to surround a part of the first end surface on which the safety valve is disposed and is formed integrally with the partition wall, and an opening that exposes the part of the first end surface on which the safety valve is disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Nakasawa, Takeshi Enomoto, Takashi Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 10916758
    Abstract: A battery pack for a vehicle electrical system configured with high-voltage bus bars. A positive bus bar and a negative bus bar may provide power generated by the battery pack to a drive module of the vehicle, to power one or more components of the vehicle. The drive module may additionally couple to high-voltage positive and negative bus bars. The high-voltage bus bars may be configured to provide additional power to the drive module from another battery pack, such as via a battery balance box. Additionally, the high-voltage bus bars may be configured to carry excess power from the drive module to another drive module associated with the vehicle via the battery balance box. The high-voltage bus bars may be configured to de-energize in the event of a thermal runaway or other failure of a battery module of the associated battery pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Alan Ng, Moritz Boecker, Kyle Matthew Foley, Jason Jaspreet Singh Haer, David Sands
  • Patent number: 10916765
    Abstract: Provided are electrodes that may be used in electrochemical cells that incorporate relatively high loading of active material while also demonstrating excellent adhesion, resistance to mechanical breakdown, and also offer improved capacity retention, particularly at discharge rates of C/72 or greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Navitas Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Pu Zhang, Peter Aurora, Michael Wixom