Patents Examined by Thomas H. Parsons
  • Patent number: 10991943
    Abstract: Provided are a nickel-based active material precursor for a lithium secondary battery including a core, an intermediate layer located on the core, and a shell located on the intermediate layer, wherein porosity gradually decreases in the order of the core, the intermediate layer, and the shell, and each of the intermediate layer and the shell has a radial arrangement structure, a method for producing the nickel-based active material precursor, a nickel-based active material produced therefrom, and a lithium secondary battery including a cathode containing the nickel-based active material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Pilsang Yun, Jinhwa Kim, Hyunbeom Kim, Jaehyun Shim, Wooyoung Yang
  • Patent number: 10985428
    Abstract: Improved battery separators are disclosed herein for use in flooded lead-acid batteries, and in particular enhanced flooded lead-acid batteries. The improved separators disclosed herein provide for enhanced electrolyte mixing and substantially reduced acid stratification. The improved flooded lead-acid batteries may be advantageously employed in applications in which the battery remains in a partial state of charge, for instance in start/stop vehicle systems. Also, improved lead-acid batteries, such as flooded lead-acid batteries, improved systems that include a lead-acid battery and a battery separator, improved battery separators, improved vehicles including such systems, and/or methods of manufacture and/or use may be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Daramic, LLC
    Inventors: Eric H. Miller, M. Neal Golovin, Ahila Krishnamoorthy, Matthew Howard, James P. Perry, J. Kevin Whear
  • Patent number: 10950877
    Abstract: A moisture exchanger (10) for transferring moisture between two gases, including a plurality of hollow fiber membranes (12). The moisture exchanger (10) includes at least one partition (34) between the hollow fiber membranes (12) and in that the plurality of hollow fiber membranes (12) is subdivided, at least in a section (36) of the length thereof, into zones (38) that are connected in parallel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventor: Rune Staeck
  • Patent number: 10944090
    Abstract: A battery interconnect may include a desired current capacity, integrated fusible links, and be manufacturable using cost effective techniques. In some embodiments, a battery interconnect includes a busbar and relatively thinner links. A busbar carries larger currents and accordingly its cross-sectional areas are relatively larger to reduce ohmic losses. A link carries a much smaller current, and a fusible link is configured to break the circuit when the current is above a threshold, thus requiring a relatively small cross-sectional area. These sometime disparate length scales are addressed using several techniques such as layering a busbar and a foil sheet and pressing portions of a busbar to form the links. The links can be affixed to a plurality of battery cells to connect the cells in parallel or series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Rivian IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Tyler David Collins, Kyle William Butterfield, Nathaniel Christopher Wynn
  • Patent number: 10923784
    Abstract: A heat-conductive sheet includes first and second insulating sheets placed on each other and a graphite sheet disposed between the first and second insulating sheets. The graphite sheet is entirely sealed by the first and second insulating sheets. The graphite sheet has a first slit provided therein. The first and second insulating sheets have a second slit passing through the first and second insulating sheets. The second slit is located inside the first slit of the graphite sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiya Sakaguchi, Takeshi Fujii
  • Patent number: 10916747
    Abstract: The invention relates to an assembly of a plurality of electrochemical elements (1), in which the electrochemical elements comprise a container (5) having a side wall, said assembly being characterized in that at least one portion of the side wall of at least one of the containers is in contact with a partition obtained by means of an additive manufacturing method, and is produced by superposing at least two strips (4) of a structural material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: SAFT
    Inventor: Alexandre Narbonne
  • Patent number: 10916745
    Abstract: A flexible battery includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a first unit cell and a second unit cell arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate in lengthwise directions of the first substrate and the second substrate, the first and second unit cells being electrically connected to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hyunchul Kim
  • Patent number: 10910631
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to one mode of the present disclosure is provided with: a positive electrode including a positive-electrode active material layer; a negative electrode; and a non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein the positive-electrode active material layer includes positive-electrode active material particles having a particle size distribution in which the difference (D90-D10) between a 90% diameter (D90) and a 10% diameter (D10) measured with a laser diffraction method is larger than 13 ?m. In addition, the positive-electrode active material layer is characterized in that, on an arbitrarily defined cross section thereof, the total area of positive-electrode active material particles A, each of which has a particle size not smaller than 15 ?m and has a particle area at least 0.8-fold the area of a circle circumscribing the positive-electrode active material particle, is 20% or larger with respect to the total area of the cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Nagata, Noriko Manabe
  • Patent number: 10897040
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a negative electrode for a lithium secondary battery having a double protective layer formed therein, and in particular, to a negative electrode for a lithium secondary battery having a polymer protective layer and a carbon-based protective layer formed therein, and a lithium secondary battery including the same. The lithium secondary battery including the negative electrode according to the present invention is capable of enhancing battery performance and exhibiting stable performance by forming a stable lithium fluoride (LiF) layer and thereby preventing a loss of a solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer. In addition, a cycle life property is enhanced during charge and discharge by absorbing dead lithium or lithium dendrite and thereby preventing an internal short circuit of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Heewon Choi, Sangwook Woo, Ohbyong Chae, Eun Kyung Kim
  • Patent number: 10868338
    Abstract: The present invention provides one with a Ni—Fe battery exhibiting enhanced power characteristics. The battery uses a particular electrolyte. The resulting characteristics of specific power and power density are much improved over conventional Ni—Fe batteries. The electrolyte comprises sodium hydroxide, with lithium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. The iron anode comprises an iron active material and a polyvinyl alcohol binder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: ENCELL TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Randy Ogg
  • Patent number: 10857524
    Abstract: The carbon nanotubes according to the present invention can provide higher conductivity by allowing the BET and crystal size to satisfy the conditions expressed by formula 1 below, and consequently, can improve the conductivity of a carbon composite material containing the carbon nanotubes. Lc×[Specific surface area of CNT (cm2/g)]1/2>80??[Formula 1] wherein, Lc is crystal size measured by X-ray diffraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: LG CHEM, LTD.
    Inventors: Kyung Yeon Kang, Yelin Kim, Jihee Woo, Jung Keun Yoo, Dong Hyun Cho
  • Patent number: 10862123
    Abstract: Electrode materials and binder materials are used for lithium cells, such as lithium ion cells. To optimize the specific power [W/kg] or power density [W/l] and specific energy [Wh/kg] or energy density [Wh/l], at least one electrically conducting, polymeric binder is used which is selected from the group consisting of polyphenylenes, polypyrroles, polyanilines, polythiophenes and lithium salts thereof. The at least one electrically conducting, polymeric binder is used in a lithium cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH, Samsung SDI CO., Ltd.
    Inventors: Felix Eberle, Ulrich Lange
  • Patent number: 10854871
    Abstract: An anode material for a lithium ion secondary battery that includes a carbon material having an average interlayer spacing d002 as determined by X-ray diffraction of from 0.335 nm to 0.340 nm, a volume average particle diameter (50% D) of from 1 ?m to 40 ?m, a maximum particle diameter Dmax of 74 ?m or less, and at least two exothermic peaks within a temperature range of from 300° C. to 1000° C. in a differential thermal analysis in an air stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI CHEMICAL COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Nobushige Nakamura, Yoshito Ishii, Hidetoshi Honbou, Keiji Okabe, Yuriko Ida
  • Patent number: 10818947
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices which optimize fuel-cell stack airflow control are described. According to aspects of the present disclosure, actuation of at least one cathode-flow actuator is initialized to an initial state based on a desired oxygen flowrate to operate the fuel-cell stack in a voltage-controlled mode, a stack current produced by the fuel-cell stack is determined that corresponds to operation at the actuation of the cathode-flow actuators, a flowrate of oxygen exiting the fuel-cell stack is calculated based on the stack current, the flowrate of oxygen exiting the fuel-cell stack is compared to the desired oxygen flowrate exiting the fuel-cell stack, and actuation of at least one of the cathode-flow actuators is modified in response to the flowrate of oxygen being different from the desired oxygen flowrate. The modified actuation reduces the difference between the desired oxygen flowrate and the flowrate of oxygen exiting the fuel-cell stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Biju Edamana, Sergio E. Garcia, Jeffrey J. Gagliardo, J. M. Ellenberger
  • Patent number: 10811717
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a SSZ/SDC bi-layer electrolyte solid oxide fuel cell, comprising the steps of: fabricating an NiO-YSZ anode substrate from a mixed NiO and yttria-stabilized zirconia by tape casting; sequentially depositing a NiO-SSZ buffer layer, a thin SSZ electrolyte layer and a SDC electrolyte on the NiO-YSZ anode substrate by a particle suspension coating or spraying process, wherein the layers are co-fired at high temperature to densify the electrolyte layers to at least about 96% of their theoretical densities; and painting/spraying a SSC-SDC slurry on the SDC electrolyte to form a porous SSC-SDC cathode. A SSZ/SDC bi-layer electrolyte cell device and a method of using such device are also discussed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignees: GEORGIA TECH RESEARCH CORPORATION, PHILLIPS 66 COMPANY
    Inventors: Mingfei Liu, Meilin Liu, Ting He
  • Patent number: 10797312
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon-based anode active material and a method for manufacturing the same. The silicon-based anode active material according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: particles comprising silicon and oxygen combined with the silicon, and having a carbon-based conductive film coated on the outermost periphery thereof; and boron doped inside the particles, wherein with respect to the total weight of the particles and the doped boron, the boron is included in the amount of 0.01 weight % to 17 weight %, and the oxygen is included in the amount of 16 weight % to 29 weight %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Nexeon Ltd.
    Inventors: Young Tai Cho, Yong Gil Choi, Seung Chul Park, Seon Park, Hee Young Seo, Jee Hye Park, Yong Eui Lee, Chul Hwan Kim
  • Patent number: 10790555
    Abstract: Disclosed is a temperature-raising system for a battery module, which includes a heater assembly including a heater and a heater cover. The temperature-raising system includes: a battery module that includes one or more batteries; two or more heater assemblies that are attached to the battery module using a fixing means; a temperature sensor that is connected to the battery module or to the heater assemblies and senses a temperature of the battery module; and a controller that receives a preset target temperature, senses the temperature of the battery module using the temperature sensor, and turns on or off the heater using a voltage of the battery module, based on the preset target temperature and the temperature of the battery module that is sensed by the temperature sensor, the preset target temperature being a temperature that the battery module is targeted to reach.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: SK INNOVATION CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ji Yoon Lee, Dong Hun Lim, Yun Nyoung Lee, Seung Hoon Ju
  • Patent number: 10790485
    Abstract: In an energy storage device (10) including: a container (100) including a plate-like portion; a positive electrode terminal (200) including a terminal body portion (201); a positive electrode current collector (120); a first gasket (220) including at least a portion that is disposed between the terminal body portion (201) and an outer surface of the plate-like portion, the first gasket (220) including a cylindrical portion (223) that is inserted into the hole portion formed in the plate-like portion; a second gasket (230) including at least a portion that is disposed between an inner surface of the plate-like portion and the positive electrode current collector (120); and a fixing portion (210) including a columnar portion (212) and a swaged portion (214) brought into contact with the positive electrode current collector (120), wherein the cylindrical portion (223) includes an extension portion extending toward the swaged portion (214) from a contact surface at which the inner surface of the plate-like portio
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: GS Yuasa International Ltd.
    Inventor: Yu Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 10777860
    Abstract: A battery module assembly includes a battery module and a cooling plate attached to the battery module, wherein the battery module has a first paste injection hole for injecting a thermal paste into the battery module and a first paste discharge hole for discharging the thermal paste out of the battery module, and wherein the cooling plate has a second paste injection hole formed at a location corresponding to the first paste injection hole and a second paste discharge hole for allowing the thermal paste discharged out of the battery module through the first paste discharge hole to be discharged out of the battery module assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Woo-Sik Jo, Jin-Moo Nam, Gyu-Jong Bae, Hyun-Seok Shim, Yong-Seok Choi
  • Patent number: 10777822
    Abstract: A fuel cell electrode comprises a three-dimensional porous composite structure comprising a porous structure comprising a plurality of metal ligaments and a plurality of pores; and at least one carbon nanotube structure embedded in the porous structure and comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes joined end to end by van der Waals attractive force, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotubes are arranged along a same direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignees: Tsinghua University, HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hong-Ying Fu, Wen-Zhen Li