Patents Examined by Rena Dye Cronin
  • Patent number: 10818899
    Abstract: A battery separator comprises a co-extruded, microporous membrane having at least two layers made of extrudable polymers and having: a uniform thickness defined by a standard deviation of <0.80 microns (?m); or an interply adhesion as defined by a peel strength >60 grams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Celgard, LLC
    Inventors: Ronald W. Call, C. William Fulk, Jr., Lie Shi, Xiaomin Zhang, Khuy V. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 10811713
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing an integrated MEA, the method includes the following steps: (1) providing a substrate having an AA region and a WVT region; (2) coating a hydrophobic microporous layer across the substrate; (3) coating a catalyst layer onto the hydrophobic microporous layer in the AA region; (4) coating a first fuel cell membrane ionomer layer onto the catalyst layer in the AA region and onto the hydrophobic microporous layer in the WVT region; (5) optionally applying a membrane support layer to the first fuel cell membrane ionomer layer in the AA region and the WVT region; (6) optionally applying a coating of second fuel cell membrane ionomer layer thereby forming a coated substrate; and (7) assembling the coated substrate to a companion coated substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Mark F. Mathias, Balasubramanian Lakshmanan, Swaminatha P. Kumaraguru, Scott C. Moose
  • Patent number: 10804537
    Abstract: Provided is an anode active material layer for a lithium battery, comprising multiple particulates of an anode active material, wherein a particulate is composed of one or a plurality of particles of a high-capacity anode active material being embraced or encapsulated by a thin layer of a high-elasticity polymer having a recoverable tensile strain no less than 5% when measured without an additive or reinforcement, a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10?6 S/cm at room temperature, and a thickness from 0.5 nm (or a molecular monolayer) to 10 ?m (preferably less than 100 nm), and wherein the high-elasticity polymer contains a polyrotaxane network having a rotaxane structure or a polyrotaxane structure at a crosslink point of the polyrotaxane network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Global Graphene Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Aruna Zhamu, Bor Z. Jang
  • Patent number: 10797326
    Abstract: An electrochemical reactor, including a flow guide; a membrane/electrode assembly; a peripheral seal; an intermediate seal encircled by the peripheral seal and encircling a reaction zone of the electrochemical reactor; a first flow circuit for cooling fluid arranged between the peripheral seal and the intermediate seal, including a first flow channel extending along the peripheral seal; a second flow channel extending along the intermediate seal; and a third flow channel connecting the respective second ends of the first and second flow channels, so that a fluid introduced at the level of the first manifold must pass through the third flow channel to return to the second manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'energie atomique et aux energies alternatives
    Inventor: Jean-Philippe Poirot-Crouvezier
  • Patent number: 10797328
    Abstract: A fuel cell module that can suppress deterioration of sealability caused by liquid (water) that has collected in a system is provided. In the fuel cell module, a port portion of a gas-liquid separator is provided with a discharge groove in a region of from the outer periphery toward the inner periphery of the port portion, and the bottom portion of the discharge groove is inclined so as to become lower toward the inner side. Liquid (water) that is stuck between the port portion and a housing portion is discharged, due to its own weight or the like, to the inside of the port portion (to the side of the gas-liquid separator) through the discharge groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 10790552
    Abstract: An ECU controls a PCU to perform capacity recovery control of recovering a capacity of an assembled battery. The capacity recovery control includes a discharge mode and a capacity recovery mode. In the discharge mode, the ECU discharges the assembled battery to a predetermined overdischarge region. In the capacity recovery mode, the ECU repeatedly performs, in the overdischarge region, a voltage increase of increasing a voltage across a lithium ion secondary battery due to a stop of the discharging and a pulse discharge of discharging the lithium ion secondary battery while oscillating a discharge current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke Isomura, Akira Kano
  • Patent number: 10790559
    Abstract: A battery pack relating to the field of batteries includes a battery module, a coolant and a battery box. The battery module and the coolant are disposed in the battery box. The battery module is at least partially immersed in the coolant. A sealing layer containing a barrier liquid is covered on the coolant. The heat generated by the battery cell which occurs thermal runaway is taken away rapidly by using the vaporization latent heat of the coolant, to thereby avoid heat accumulation and prevent propagation of thermal runaway among battery cells, thereby protecting the safety of the battery pack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: MICROVAST POWER SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhiming Tong, Hui Li, Lingyan Fu
  • Patent number: 10784546
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include thermoelectric-based thermal management systems and methods configured to heat and/or cool an electrical device. Thermal management systems can include at least one electrical conductor in electrical and thermal communication with a temperature-sensitive region of the electrical device and at least one thermoelectric device in thermal communication with the at least one electrical conductor. Electric power can be directed to the thermoelectric device by the same electrical conductor or an external power supply, causing the thermoelectric device to provide controlled heating and/or cooling to the electrical device via the at least one electrical conductor. The thermoelectric management system can be integrated with the management system of the electrical device on a printed circuit substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: GENTHERM INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Alfred Piggott, Dmitri Kossakovski, Todd Robert Barnhart
  • Patent number: 10763520
    Abstract: A separator for a fuel cell allows air to bypass a diffusion part, which is frequently exposed to air, and thus flow directly to a reaction surface, which can reduce deterioration of a polymer electrolyte membrane. The separator includes a separator main body having a diffusion part formed thereon that is configured to allow air to be diffused and supplied from an air inlet manifold to the reaction surface; and a gasket line formed on the separator main body and surrounding the air inlet manifold and the reaction surface to maintain airtightness. The separator main body or the gasket line includes a bypass flow path formed thereon so as to allow air supplied from the air inlet manifold to flow directly to the reaction surface without passing through the diffusion part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Sang Mun Jin, Kyung Min Kim
  • Patent number: 10763513
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a current collector, an electrode plate, and a battery. The current collector includes an insulation layer, a conductive layer and at least one protective layer. The insulation layer is used to support the conductive layer. The conductive layer is used to support an electrode active material layer and located above at least one surface of the insulation layer. The conductive layer has a thickness of D2 satisfying 300 nm?D2?2 ?m. The at least one protective layer is arranged on at least one surface of the conductive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED
    Inventors: Chengdu Liang, Huafeng Huang, Qisen Huang
  • Patent number: 10756371
    Abstract: A power generator includes a container having a cross section suitable for wearing by a person, the container including a nano-porous insulation. A fuel cell and fuel cell cartridge are disposed within the container. Power management electronics are supported by the container and coupled to the fuel cell. A charge storage device is supported by the container and electrically coupled to the power management electronics and the fuel cell. A connector is supported by the container and coupled to the charge storage device to distribute power to one or more electrical loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Eickhoff, Jeffrey Michael Klein
  • Patent number: 10756368
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell stack; a sensor configured to sense a current and a voltage of the fuel cell stack; and a controller configured to acquire weight information based on a relationship between a usage time of a fuel cell and the current or voltage of the fuel cell stack and to determine a humidity state of the fuel cell stack based on the weight information, the current of the fuel cell stack and the voltage of the fuel cell stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jae Yeong Yoo, Kyuil Lee, Jae Won Jung
  • Patent number: 10749184
    Abstract: A battery is provided in the present disclosure. The battery includes: a positive electrode plate including a positive current collector and a positive active material layer; a negative electrode plate including a positive current collector and a negative active material layer; and an electrolyte. The positive current collector includes an insulation layer used to support a conductive layer and the conductive layer used to support the positive active material layer and located above at least one surface of the insulation layer. The conductive layer has a thickness of D2 which satisfies: 300 nm?D2?2 ?m. A protective layer is arranged on at least one surface of the conductive layer. The negative current collector is a copper foil current collector having a thickness of 1 ?m to 5.9 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited
    Inventors: Chengdu Liang, Huafeng Huang, Qisen Huang
  • Patent number: 10741850
    Abstract: A novel method to produce ALD films disposed on powders is disclosed. Examples include the formation of a cobalt doped zirconia (CDZ), hafnia, and cobalt doped hafnia (CDH) films on lanthanum strontium cobalt iron oxide (LSCF) powder for solid oxide fuel cell cathodes. The coated powders are sintered into porous cathodes that have utility for preventing the migration of cations in the powder to the surface of the sintered cathode and/or other performance enhancing attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Sonata Scientific LLC
    Inventors: Kevin Huang, Jeffrey F. Roeder, Anthony F. Zeberoff
  • Patent number: 10734644
    Abstract: Provided are a negative electrode active material for a secondary battery, in which a silicon-based negative electrode active material is formed in a three-layer structure including an amorphous matrix, thereby suppressing a dispersal phenomenon of the negative electrode active material during charging/discharging. The negative electrode active material having a three-layer structure includes: a silicon (Si) layer; an amorphous matrix layer outside the Si layer; and a nano grain matrix layer formed on an interface between the Si layer and the amorphous matrix layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Iljin Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Cheol Ho Park, Min Hyun Kim, Young Pil Choi, Seon Kyong Kim
  • Patent number: 10714757
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a current collector, an electrode plate and a battery. The current collector includes an insulation layer and at least one conductive layer located on at least one surface of the insulation layer. The insulation layer is used to support the conductive layer, and the conductive layer is used to support an electrode active material layer. The conductive layer has a thickness of D2, and 300 nmD22 ?m. The current collector further includes a protective layer provided on a surface of the conductive layer facing towards the insulation layer. The current collector according to the present disclosure can increase a short-circuit resistance in case of short circuit caused by the battery being abnormal, thereby resulting in protective effect on the conductive layer, and can also increase the bonding force between the insulation layer and the conductive layer, thereby increasing mechanical strength of the current collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED
    Inventors: Chengdu Liang, Huafeng Huang, Zuyu Wu, Qisen Huang
  • Patent number: 10707516
    Abstract: A sheet layering jig of the present invention include a sheet holding portion that includes a sheet holding side face to hold sheets and is arranged on a stage so that the sheet holding side face faces a work space; an electrode holding portion that includes an electrode holding side face to hold electrodes and is arranged on the stage so that the electrode holding side face faces the work space, a sheet holding guide that holds the sheets along the sheet holding side face, an electrode holding guide that holds the electrodes along the electrode holding side face, and a magnetic circuit that generates magnetic force to generate a gap between the sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA NIHON MICRONICS
    Inventors: Hidenori Ando, Makoto Kikuta, Gouichi Iwao
  • Patent number: 10707513
    Abstract: This invention is directed to aqueous redox flow batteries comprising redox-active metal ligand coordination compounds. The compounds and configurations described herein enable flow batteries with performance and cost parameters that represent a significant improvement over that previous known in the art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Energy, LLC
    Inventors: John Goeltz, Desiree Amadeo, Arthur J. Esswein, Thomas D. Jarvi, Evan R. King, Steven Y. Reece, Nitin Tyagi
  • Patent number: 10700357
    Abstract: Provided is a rechargeable alkali metal-sulfur cell comprising an anode active material layer, an electrolyte, and a cathode active material layer containing multiple particulates of a sulfur-containing material and wherein at least one of the particulates is composed of one or a plurality of sulfur-containing material particles being embraced or encapsulated by a thin layer of a high-elasticity polymer (containing a polyrotaxane network having a rotaxane structure or a polyrotaxane structure at a crosslink point of the polyrotaxane network) having a recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 1,500%, a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10?6 S/cm at room temperature, and a thickness from 0.5 nm to 10 ?m. This battery exhibits an excellent combination of high sulfur content, high sulfur utilization efficiency, high energy density, and long cycle life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Global Graphene Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Aruna Zhamu, Bor Z. Jang
  • Patent number: 10700386
    Abstract: A battery system including: a lithium-ion cell including a positive electrode including a first metal oxide, an electrolyte, and a negative electrode including a second metal oxide having an electrochemical redox potential of 0.5 volt to 3 volts versus lithium; and an electrical circuit including a switchable component connecting the positive electrode and the negative electrode, wherein the switchable component provides a shunt between the positive electrode and the negative electrode in a first switch position, and wherein the electrical circuit is configured to provide a voltage of 0.1 volt or less between the positive electrode and the negative electrode when the switchable component is in the first switch position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: CAMX POWER LLC
    Inventors: David Ofer, Suresh Sriramulu