Patents Examined by Stephen J Yanchuk
  • Patent number: 11961963
    Abstract: A sodium electrochemical cell that supports a current density at the negative electrode of at least 500 ?A/cm2, the electrochemical cell comprising (i) a negative electrode and (ii) a sodium-ion ionic liquid electrolyte having a sodium-ion concentration that is no less than 75% of its saturation limit in the electrolyte, wherein the negative electrode has a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formed as a result of the electrochemical cell having undergone a polarisation cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Patrick C. Howlett, Maria Forsyth, Douglas Robert Macfarlane, Hyun Gook Yoon
  • Patent number: 11923519
    Abstract: A temperature rising between unit cells in a cell group is suppressed. A battery pack disclosed in the invention includes a case, a cell group which connects a plurality of unit cells and is disposed to abut on a bottom surface of the case, and a fixing member which fixes the cell group. The fixing member includes a heat path that links from the upper surface of a battery to the side surface of the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Vehicle Energy Japan Inc.
    Inventor: Hirofumi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11916252
    Abstract: New or improved lead acid batteries with vapor pressure barriers and/or improved battery separators, as well as systems, vehicles, and/or methods of manufacture and/or use thereof are disclosed herein. In at least select embodiments, the instant disclosure provides new or improved lead acid batteries with a vapor pressure barrier. In at least select embodiments, the instant disclosure provides new or improved lead acid battery vapor pressure barriers along with new or improved battery separators, and/or methods of manufacture and/or use thereof. In at least select embodiments, the instant disclosure provides a new or improved lead acid battery with a vapor pressure barrier that reduces the water loss from the battery. In at least select embodiments, a method of reducing the water loss of a lead acid battery may include providing a vapor pressure barrier, such as a layer of oil, inside the lead acid battery along with an improved battery separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Daramic, LLC
    Inventors: Margaret R. Roberts, Jeffrey K. Chambers, James Perry, J. Kevin Whear
  • Patent number: 11881593
    Abstract: New or improved lead acid batteries with vapor pressure barriers and/or improved battery separators, as well as systems, vehicles, and/or methods of manufacture and/or use thereof are disclosed herein. In at least select embodiments, the instant disclosure provides new or improved lead acid batteries with a vapor pressure barrier. In at least select embodiments, the instant disclosure provides new or improved lead acid battery vapor pressure barriers along with new or improved battery separators, and/or methods of manufacture and/or use thereof. In at least select embodiments, the instant disclosure provides a new or improved lead acid battery with a vapor pressure barrier that reduces the water loss from the battery. In at least select embodiments, a method of reducing the water loss of a lead acid battery may include providing a vapor pressure barrier, such as a layer of oil, inside the lead acid battery along with an improved battery separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Daramic, LLC
    Inventors: Margaret R. Roberts, Jeffrey K. Chambers, James Perry, J. Kevin Whear
  • Patent number: 11876261
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes: a fuel cell that generates electricity using a fuel gas and an oxidant gas; a fuel gas supply path through which a fuel gas to be supplied to an anode of the fuel cell flows; a recycle gas path through which an anode off-gas emitted from the anode of the fuel cell is returned to the fuel gas supply path; a water reservoir that holds water separated from the anode off-gas flowing through the recycle gas path; a drainage path through which water stored in the water reservoir is drained; a valve provided on the drainage path; and a controller that determines, on the basis of a history of a flow rate of the anode off-gas, a length of time for which the valve continues to be opened for draining the water stored in the water reservoir.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junji Morita, Yoshito Usuki, Takehiko Ise
  • Patent number: 11855296
    Abstract: Disclosed in a battery cell including: an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes, with electrode tabs protruding from at least one side of outside peripheral portions of the electrode assembly; and a battery casing including first and second casings provided with first and second receiving parts, respectively, the first and second receiving parts respectively accommodating the electrode assemblies and having different sizes or shapes, wherein in a state in which electrode leads connected to the electrode tabs protrude from outside peripheral portions of the first and second casings, the battery casing is sealed by thermal fusion along the outside peripheral portions of the first and second casings, wherein electrode lead grooves recessed downwardly such that the electrode leads are seated therein are provided at a portion of the outside peripheral portions of the first and second casings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.
    Inventors: Soon-Kwan Kwon, Sang-Baek Ryu, Shin-Hyo Cho
  • Patent number: 11824189
    Abstract: This application relates to anode compositions and methods of making and using the same. In particular, the anode compositions are preferably layered. Preferably, the methods of making the anode compositions comprise a surfactant mediated assembly of layers. The anode compositions have improved structural integrity and capacity while reducing capacity fade due to cycling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: SOUTH DAKOTA BOARD OF REGENTS
    Inventors: David R. Salem, Chunhui Chen, Abdulmenan Hussein
  • Patent number: 11742475
    Abstract: Provided is particulate of an anode active material for a lithium battery, comprising one or a plurality of anode active material particles being embraced or encapsulated by a thin layer of a high-elasticity polymer having a recoverable tensile strain no less than 5%, a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10?6 S/cm at room temperature, and a thickness from 0.5 nm to 10 ?m, wherein the polymer contains an ultrahigh molecular weight (UHMW) polymer having a molecular weight from 0.5×106 to 9×106 grams/mole. The UHMW polymer is preferably selected from polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(methyl ether acrylate), a copolymer thereof, a sulfonated derivative thereof, a chemical derivative thereof, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Global Graphene Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Aruna Zhamu, Bor Z. Jang
  • Patent number: 11735708
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an energy storage device includes a swaging step in which a swaged portion is formed by swaging a tip portion, penetrating a positive electrode terminal or a positive electrode current collector and projecting in a predetermined direction from the positive electrode terminal or the positive electrode current collector, of a shaft portion. In the swaging step, the tip portion of the shaft portion is swaged by a punch which includes a pressing surface, the pressing surface including a punch-side first concave portion which is concaved in the predetermined direction and a punch-side second concave portion which is concaved in the predetermined direction more than the punch-side first concave portion at an inner peripheral side of the punch-side first concave portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: GS YUASA INTERNATIONAL LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuto Maeda, Hirokazu Kambayashi
  • Patent number: 11637325
    Abstract: A technique relating to a battery structure is disclosed. A base substrate and a battery layer having a support substrate are prepared. The battery layer includes a protection layer formed on the support substrate, a film battery element formed on the protection layer and an insulator covering the film battery element. The battery layer is placed onto the base substrate with the bottom of the support substrate facing up. The support substrate is then removed from the battery layer at least in part by etching while protecting the film battery element by the protection layer. A stacked battery structure including the base substrate and the two or more battery layers is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Horibe, Kuniaki Sueoka, Takahito Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11621450
    Abstract: A battery can has a cylindrical body section, an opening section at one end of the body section, and a bottom section closing the other end of the body section. An annularly grooved portion is formed by constriction near the open end of the opening section. The annularly grooved portion has an upper-groove section as the section closer to the open end than the narrowest section, which is positioned farthest inside, of the grooved portion, and also has a lower-groove section as the section closer to the bottom section than the narrowest section. The wall thickness T1 of the lower-groove section is larger than the wall thickness T2 of the body section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Oose Okutani, Takeshi Enomoto, Masayoshi Yoshida, Akira Takano
  • Patent number: 11605865
    Abstract: The application provides a separator assembly, a battery module, a battery pack, an apparatus, and a manufacturing method. The separator assembly includes: an insulating plate, a circuit board arranged on the insulating plate, busbars arranged on the insulating plate on at least one side of the circuit board, and connection sheets connected between the busbars and the circuit board. The connection sheets include an upper connection sheet and a lower connection sheet. The insulating plate includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other. The upper connection sheet is arranged on the first surface, and the insulating plate and the lower connection sheet are arranged to be at least partially overlapped in the height direction of the separator assembly, and at least a portion of the lower connection sheet is arranged on the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited
    Inventors: Sheng Shen, Yangzhi Huang, Jihua Yao, Yanhuo Xiang, Haixing Gao
  • Patent number: 11545672
    Abstract: An electrical energy generating device includes an electrical energy generating element, a first container, a second container, and a liquid having positive and negative ions. The electrical energy generating element includes a first porous electrode, an eggshell membrane, and a second porous electrode stacked on each other in that order. The first container is located on a side of the first porous electrode away from the eggshell membrane. The second container is located on a side of the second porous electrode away from the eggshell membrane. The liquid is located in at least one of the first container and the second container, and the liquid is configured to penetrate from one of the first container and the second container to another through the electrical energy generating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignees: Tsinghua University, HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dan Gao, Chang-Hong Liu, Shou-Shan Fan
  • Patent number: 11541170
    Abstract: The present application provides a self-powered drug-delivery device. The device includes a chamber having a wall. The chamber contains a fluid and is in connection with an administration means. The device also includes a displacement-generating battery cell. The device further includes an electrically-controlled battery unit, which includes the displacement-generating battery cell coupled to the chamber by a coupling means. The displacement-generating battery cell includes an element that changes shape as a result of charge or discharge of the battery cell so as to cause a displacement within the battery unit. The arrangement of the battery unit, the coupling means, the wall, the chamber, and the administration means is such that the displacement derived from the battery unit is conveyed by the coupling means to cause displacement of the wall of the chamber such that the fluid is expelled from the chamber to force a drug towards the administration means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: United Therapeutics Corporation
    Inventors: Amir Genosar, Doron Aurbach, Elena Markevich, Grigory Salitra, Jonathan Goldstein, Mikhail Levi, Niles Fleischer, Yehuda Bachar, Yossi Aldar
  • Patent number: 11519971
    Abstract: Provided is a battery pack comprising a plurality of batteries; and a plurality of memories that correspond respectively to the batteries and that each record deterioration information of the corresponding battery. Each set of a battery and a corresponding memory may be formed integrally as a battery cell. As a result, the deterioration information of each battery cell can be known even after the battery pack is disassembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignees: ITOCHU Corporation, The Japan Research Institute, Limited
    Inventors: Hiroaki Murase, Kazuhiro Muto
  • Patent number: 11502375
    Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator and a nonaqueous electrolyte. The separator includes a porous resin sheet having at least a three-layer structure consisting of an A-layer, a B-layer, and a C-layer stacked in that order. The average thermal expansion coefficient of each of the A-layer and the C-layer at a temperature of 0° C. to 50° C. is 100 ppm/K or more less than the average thermal expansion coefficient of the B-layer at a temperature of 0° C. to 50° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidekazu Tamai
  • Patent number: 11431061
    Abstract: A bus bar module includes an insulating resin case mounted to an assembled battery and including a bus bar accommodating chamber, a conductive metal bus bar, and a voltage detection terminal. The assembled battery includes a plurality of cells in which a positive terminal and a negative terminal are alternately arranged. The positive terminal and the negative terminal are collectively disposed in the bus bar accommodating chamber. The conductive metal bus bar includes a plurality of terminal through holes corresponding to a number of the positive terminal and the negative terminal. The conductive metal bus bar is accommodated in the bus bar accommodating chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi Yanagihara, Yutaro Okazaki, Motoo Nojima
  • Patent number: 11431025
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a composition for a gel polymer electrolyte, a gel polymer electrolyte prepared using the same and an electrochemical device including the same, and specifically provides a composition for a gel polymer electrolyte including an oligomer which includes a compound represented by Formula 1 and a compound represented by Formula 2, provides a gel polymer electrolyte prepared using the same, and provides an electrochemical device including the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Inventors: Kyoung Ho Ahn, Jung Hoon Lee, Chul Haeng Lee, Jeong Woo Oh, Sol Ji Park
  • Patent number: 11404685
    Abstract: Copper reacts with a sulfide solid electrolyte to generate copper sulfide when an anode current collector layer made from copper, and an anode mixture layer containing the sulfide solid electrolyte are used to compose an anode, and the resistance of the interface between the anode current collector layer and the anode mixture layer increases. To alloy an anode current collector layer to lower the reactivity to a sulfide solid electrolyte, specifically, an anode includes: an anode mixture layer; and an anode current collector layer that is in contact with the anode mixture layer, wherein the anode mixture layer contains an anode active material and a sulfide solid electrolyte, and at least a surface of the anode current collector layer is made from material that contains an alloy of copper and metal of a higher ionization tendency than copper, the surface being in contact with the anode mixture layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuru Tateishi, Yusuke Okuhata, Hajime Hasegawa, Hirokazu Kawaoka, Hideaki Miyake
  • Patent number: 11387444
    Abstract: An electrode is provided which includes an electrode substrate, an electrode mixture layer overlying the electrode substrate, and an insulating layer overlying the electrode mixture layer. The electrode mixture layer contains an active material and a void. The insulating layer contains a resin and an insulating inorganic particulate accounting for 80% by mass of the insulating layer. In a boundary region of the electrode mixture layer with the insulating layer, the resin and the insulating inorganic particulate are present in a part of the void.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Aya Utsuki, Masahiro Masuzawa, Kohji Matsuoka, Yuu Zama, Anna Hirowatari, Hideo Yanagita