Patents Examined by Tracy Dove
  • Patent number: 9905891
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a battery cell including an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a case in which the electrode assembly is mounted, wherein a body of the electrode assembly and a body of the case are provided with cut portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: Sang Baek Ryu, Dong-Myung Kim, Ki Woong Kim
  • Patent number: 9882240
    Abstract: A graft copolymer comprising a backbone polymer and a branched-chain polymer, and represented by formula (I), where A, B, Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, G1, G2, G3, G4, Y1, Y2, and k are as defined in the specification. A process for producing the grate copolymer, a process for preparing a gel polymer electrolyte including the graft copolymer, and an intermediate copolymer of the graft copolymer are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Ping-Lin Kuo, Sheng-Shu Hou, Chung-Yu Lu, Ching-An Wu, Chih-Hao Tsao, Chun-Han Hsu
  • Patent number: 9876234
    Abstract: A reinforced catalyst layer assembly, suitably for use in a fuel cell, said reinforced catalyst layer assembly comprising: (i) a planar reinforcing component consisting of a porous material having pores extending through the thickness of the material in the z-direction, and (ii) a first catalyst component comprising a first catalyst material and a first ion-conducting material, characterised in that the first catalyst component is at least partially embedded within the planar reinforcing component, forming a first catalyst layer having a first surface and a second surface is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells Limited
    Inventor: Jonathan David Brereton Sharman
  • Patent number: 9871262
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for measuring the internal ohmic resistance of a fuel cell system, in which the resistance can be easily measured through a current interruption method even while the fuel cell system is operated. An interrupter and an external energy consumption device are connected in parallel to each other between a fuel cell and a main energy consumption device such that current to the external energy consumption device is applied and interrupted by switching the interrupter on/off even while the fuel cell system is maintained in operation as is, thereby making it possible to easily measure the internal ohmic resistance of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Jae Hoon Kim
  • Patent number: 9859553
    Abstract: A negative electrode active material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of an embodiment includes a carbonaceous material, a silicon oxide phase in the carbonaceous material, and a silicon phase in the silicon oxide phase. The negative electrode active material has a crack in the carbonaceous material, and the longest side of the crack has a length equal to or greater than ? of the diameter of the negative electrode active material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tomokazu Morita, Takashi Kuboki, Takayuki Fukasawa, Yasuyuki Hotta, Yasuhiro Goto, Toshiro Hiraoka
  • Patent number: 9853267
    Abstract: A battery housing has a body and a lid mateable with the body. The body and the lid, when mated, provide a chamber dimensioned to hold at least one battery; and a venting passageway from the chamber. At least a portion of at least one of the body and the lid comprises an intumescent flame retardant material with an expansion ratio sufficient to drive gas from the chamber through the venting passageway and to seal the chamber when the material intumesces in the event of thermal runaway of a battery housed in the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: URSATECH LTD.
    Inventors: John B. Page, Xiaoxiong Luo
  • Patent number: 9853257
    Abstract: A battery tray and battery container including the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the battery tray includes an upper plate defining a plurality of openings each configured to accommodate a battery. The battery tray also includes a plurality of lower surfaces respectively corresponding to the openings and a plurality of lateral surfaces respectively connecting the openings in the upper plate to the lower surfaces. The upper plate, the lower surfaces, and the lateral surfaces are formed as a single piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung-Gen Ok, Jae-Ok Yi
  • Patent number: 9853302
    Abstract: An electrochemical cell has at least one plate element which can be cooled by a liquid coolant, such as water. The plate element has a surface that can be wetted for the purpose of cooling with the coolant. The surface of the plate element in the electrochemical cell is configured such that a contact angle between the surface and the liquid coolant is less than 90°. In the method for producing the electrochemical cell an additional method step is carried out which influences the wettable surfaces of plate elements for cooling with coolant and by which a contact angle between the surface and the coolant is decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Torsten Brandt, Frank Baernreuther, Armin Datz, Anett Eder, Florian Eder, Herbert Hartnack, Joachim Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 9843063
    Abstract: A fuel cell includes: a membrane electrode assembly including an electrolyte membrane, catalyst layers stacked on both sides of the electrolyte membrane, and two or more porous bodies having different moduli of elasticity and provided on a surface of one of the catalyst layers; a separator defining a gas flow passage between the separator and the membrane electrode assembly; and a frame body surrounding an outer periphery of the electrolyte membrane. A porous body adjacent to the separator out of the two or more porous bodies includes an outer edge portion including an outer extending portion extending to overlap with the frame body. An elastic body is provided between the outer extending portion and the frame body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Motoki Yaginuma, Toshikazu Kotaka
  • Patent number: 9831492
    Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of an embodiment includes an exterior member, a cathode including a cathode active material layer housed in the exterior member, an anode including an anode active material layer housed in the exterior member and spatially separated from the cathode by a separator, and a nonaqueous electrolyte filled in the exterior member. The cathode active material layer contains lithium-copper oxide and copper oxide. A peak intensity ratio d(002)/d(010) between a plane index d(010) derived from the lithium-copper oxide and a plane index d(002) derived from the copper oxide is not lower than 0.1 and not higher than 0.5 at an X-ray diffraction peak.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shinsuke Matsuno, Norikazu Osada, Keiko Okamoto, Tomokazu Morita, Takashi Kuboki
  • Patent number: 9806374
    Abstract: A battery is provided. The battery includes a positive electrode; a negative electrode; and an electrolyte that includes an electrolyte salt, a solvent, a matrix polymer, and a ceramic powder; wherein the matrix polymer is at least one selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl formal, polyacrylic acid ester, polyvinylidene fluoride, a copolymer of polyvinyl formal, a copolymer of polyacrylic acid ester and a copolymer of polyvinylidene fluoride; and wherein a mass ratio of the ceramic powder to the matrix polymer ranges from 2/1 to 5/1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masaki Machida
  • Patent number: 9799902
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided integrating an annular pre-reformer as part of an anode recuperator of a fuel cell system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: BLOOM ENERGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Weingaertner, Vlad Kalika, Martin Perry
  • Patent number: 9793586
    Abstract: Methods of preparing hetero ionic complexes, and ionic liquids from bisulfate salts of heteroatomic compounds using dialkylcarbonates as a primary quaternizing reactant are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of making electrochemical cells comprising the ionic liquids, and an electrochemical cell comprising an alkaline electrolyte and a hetero ionic complex additive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: FLUIDIC, INC.
    Inventors: Cody A. Friesen, Derek Wolfe, Paul Bryan Johnson
  • Patent number: 9786901
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an electrode. To provide a particularly cost-effective method, which is able to provide a current collector layer that adheres well and is electrically well-connected, the method including: a) providing a layer having an active material; b) one-sided electrochemical deposition of a metallic material on the layer having the active material, thus forming a current collector layer having the metallic material; c) joining the product obtained in b) to another layer having an active material and to a contact element so that the current collector layer having the deposited metallic material is situated between two layers having an active material, and that the contact element for establishing contact is at least partially exposed and is in contact with the current collector layer having the deposited metallic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Silvan Hippchen
  • Patent number: 9774030
    Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of an embodiment includes an exterior member; a positive electrode housed in the exterior member, a negative electrode containing an active material and housed in the exterior member so as to be spatially separated from the positive electrode via a separator, and a nonaqueous electrolyte filled in the exterior member. The negative electrode includes a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer on the negative electrode current collector. A tensile strength of the negative electrode is 400 N/mm2 or more and 1200 N/mm2 or less. A peel strength between the negative electrode current collector and the negative electrode active material layer is 1.5 N/cm or more and 4 N/cm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Shinsuke Matsuno, Takashi Kuboki, Keiko Okamoto, Norikazu Osada, Sara Yoshio
  • Patent number: 9768472
    Abstract: Methods of preparing hetero ionic complexes, and ionic liquids from bisulfate salts of heteroatomic compounds using dialkylcarbonates as a primary quaternizing reactant are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of making electrochemical cells comprising the ionic liquids, and an electrochemical cell comprising an alkaline electrolyte and a hetero ionic complex additive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: FLUIDIC, INC.
    Inventors: Cody A. Friesen, Derek Wolfe, Paul Bryan Johnson
  • Patent number: 9761845
    Abstract: Provided are a finishing tape, which can prevent a short circuit while preventing impacts applied to an electrode assembly, and a secondary battery including the same. The secondary battery includes a case having an opening defining an internal space, an electrode assembly in the internal space of the case, and a cap assembly coupled to the opening of the case sealing the case. The electrode assembly may include a finishing tape on an outer surface of the electrode assembly between the case and the electrode assembly. The finishing tape may include a first substrate and a second substrate. The cap assembly may include a cap plate coupled to the opening of the case. The secondary battery may further include an insulation case between the electrode assembly and the cap assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daekyu Kim, Jieun Cho
  • Patent number: 9755234
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for preparing a lithium iron phosphate nanopowder, including the steps of (a) preparing a mixture solution by adding a lithium precursor, an iron precursor and a phosphorus precursor in a triethanolamine solvent, and (b) putting the mixture solution into a reactor and heating to prepare the lithium iron phosphate nanopowder under pressure conditions of 10 bar to 100 bar, and a lithium iron phosphate nanopowder prepared by the method. When compared to a common hydrothermal synthesis method and a supercritical hydrothermal synthesis method, a reaction may be performed under a relatively lower pressure. When compared to a common glycothermal synthesis method, a lithium iron phosphate nanopowder having effectively controlled particle size and particle size distribution may be easily prepared.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: LG Chem, Ltd.
    Inventors: In Kook Jun, Seung Beom Cho, Myoung Hwan Oh
  • Patent number: 9741978
    Abstract: This aims to provide a pulse laser welding aluminum alloy material, which can prevent the occurrence of an abnormal portion, when an A1000-series aluminum material is welded with a pulse laser, so that a satisfactory welded portion can be homogeneously formed, and a battery case. The pulse laser welding aluminum alloy material is made of an A1000-series aluminum material, and has a viscosity of 0.0016 Pa·s or less in a liquid phase. Alternatively, the pulse laser welding aluminum alloy material has such a porosity generation rate of 1.5 (?m2/mm) or less in the pulse-laser welded portion as is numerically defined by dividing the porosity total area (?m2), as indicated by the product of the sectional area and the number of porosities, by the length (mm) of an observation section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Matsumoto, Kazunori Kobayashi, Seiji Sasabe
  • Patent number: 9742001
    Abstract: A lithium-ion battery anode layer, comprising an anode active material embedded in pores of a solid graphene foam composed of multiple pores and pore walls, wherein (a) the pore walls contain a pristine graphene material having essentially no (less than 0.01%) non-carbon elements or a non-pristine graphene material having 0.01% to 5% by weight of non-carbon elements; (b) the anode active material is in an amount from 0.5% to 95% by weight based on the total weight of the graphene foam and the anode active material combined, and (c) some of the multiple pores are lodged with particles of the anode active material and other pores are particle-free, and the graphene foam is sufficiently elastic to accommodate volume expansion and shrinkage of the particles of the anode active material during a battery charge-discharge cycle to avoid expansion of the anode layer. Preferably, the solid graphene foam has a density from 0.01 to 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Nanotek Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Aruna Zhamu, Bor Z Jang