Abstract: A discharge controller includes secondary battery, a switch section for opening/closing a discharge path from the secondary battery to a load, a voltage detector for detecting a terminal voltage of the secondary battery, and a cut-off voltage control section for controlling the switch section to be opened when the terminal voltage as detected by the voltage detector is not more than a predetermined cut-off voltage of discharge VE, while measuring an amount of decrease per unit time of the terminal voltage as detected by the voltage detector to set the cut-off voltage of discharge VE to a lower voltage, for a larger amount of decrease per unit time of the terminal voltage as detected by the voltage detector.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes: a positive electrode 4; a negative electrode 6; a separator 5; and a battery case 1 in which an electrode plate group 7 including the positive electrode 4 and the negative electrode 6 spirally wound or stacked with the separator 5 interposed therebetween is stored with an electrolyte. In the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, after charging, when the separator 5 is removed to bring a surface of the positive electrode mixture layer and a surface of the negative electrode mixture layer in contact with each other, terminals are respectively provided on the positive electrode current collector and the negative electrode current collector and a resistance value between the terminals is measured, the resistance value is 1.6 ?·cm2 or more, and the battery case 1 is electrically insulated from the positive electrode 4 and the negative electrode 6.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes an electrode group in which a positive electrode plate including a positive electrode active material formed on a positive electrode current collector and a negative electrode plate including a negative electrode active material formed on a negative electrode current collector are wound with a separator interposed therebetween, and a tensile elongation rate of the positive electrode plate is larger than a tensile elongation rate of the negative electrode plate.

Abstract: An electrode core material has a substrate and at least one porous material layer diffusion-bonded to the substrate. The substrate is made of a metal foil processed into a three-dimensional structure which is substantially deformed from a major plane of the metal foil, preferably having bulge portions which protrude from at least one side of the metal foil, the bulge portions preferably having a curved, strip-shaped form between laterally spaced slits in the metal foil. The porous material layer is made of metal fine particles diffusion-bonded to each other, and the porous material layer has a three-dimensional structure which is substantially uniform in thickness and porosity. Methods are provided for producing the electrode core material by diffusion bonding the porous material layer to the substrate either before or after deforming the metal foil. The electrode core material may be used for the positive and/or negative electrode of an alkaline storage battery.

Abstract: An alkaline storage battery including a strip-shaped porous metal substrate and a material mixture filled into the substrate. The substrate has an unfilled portion where the material mixture is not filled along at least one of two longitudinal sides of the substrate. The substrate has a weight per unit area of 150 to 350 g/m2. The material mixture contains an active material and an elastic polymer.

Abstract: An alkaline storage battery comprising: a positive electrode plate; a negative electrode plate; separators interposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate; and an alkaline electrolyte, wherein a first edge of the positive electrode plate and a first edge of the negative electrode plate serve as current collecting portions, at least a second edge of at least the positive electrode plate is covered with polyethylene resin on an end face and peripheral sides thereof, the second edge being positioned opposite to the first edge, and the polyethylene resin film formed at the second edge of the positive electrode plate adheres to the separators positioned on both sides of the positive electrode plate.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising a positive electrode 5, a negative electrode 6, a separator 7 and a nonaqueous electrolyte, wherein a material mixture layer containing an active material and a binder is formed on a surface of a current collector 51 of at least one of the positive electrode 5 and the negative electrode 6. The material mixture layer includes a first layer 52 and a second layer 53 which are different in volume ratio of the binder to the active material. The volume ratio (A) of the binder in the first layer 52 in contact with the surface of the current collector 51 is lower than the volume ratio (B) of the binder in the second layer 53.

Abstract: Disclosed is a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material layer and the negative electrode includes a negative electrode active material layer. The positive electrode active material layer includes a lithium-containing metal oxide containing nickel as a positive electrode active material. The area of the positive electrode active material layer per unit battery capacity is in a range of 190 to 800 cm2/Ah. A porous heat resistant layer is disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and the ratio of an amount of the non-aqueous electrolyte relative to an area of the porous heat resistance layer is 70 to 150 ml/m2.

Abstract: A charging circuit includes: a connecting terminal for connection to a nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery; a heating portion heating the nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery; a charging portion charging the nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery connected to the connecting terminal; and a control unit which allows the charging portion to charge the nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery after allowing the heating portion to heat the nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery, lowers the temperature of the nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery, and allows the charging portion to further charge the nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery.

Abstract: A center pin is inserted in a hollow cavity of an electrode group of a lithium ion secondary battery. The center pin includes a center portion, a perimeter portion and an end portion. The center portion extends in the radial direction of the hollow cavity. The perimeter portion extends along an inner wall surface of the hollow cavity from an end of the center portion in the radial direction of the hollow cavity. The end portion extends from an end of the perimeter portion in the circumferential direction toward the inside of the hollow cavity to be away from the inner wall surface of the hollow cavity but separated from the center portion.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a porous insulating layer, and nonaqueous electrolyte. The porous insulating layer is interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The nonaqueous electrolyte is contained at least in the porous insulating layer. The mixture layer of the positive electrode and the porous insulating layer each include a structure retainer.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode including a positive electrode current collector carrying a positive electrode material mixture layer thereon, a negative electrode including a negative electrode current collector carrying a negative electrode material mixture layer thereon, a separator provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode and a nonaqueous electrolyte solution, wherein the positive electrode current collector is a conductive body containing aluminum and the positive electrode material mixture layer includes a first material mixture layer and a second material mixture layer formed on the first material mixture layer. The first material mixture layer is made of a first material mixture containing a first organic material which is soluble or dispersible in water and the second material mixture layer is made of a second material mixture containing a second organic material which is soluble or dispersible in an organic solvent.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery has a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator, and a non-aqueous electrolyte solution. The positive electrode has a theoretical capacity per unit area from 3.0 to 4.5 mAh/cm2. The non-aqueous electrolyte solution contains ethylene carbonate (EC), ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC), and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as solvents, and LiPF6 as an electrolyte, with volume ratios from 10 to 20% for EC, 10 to 20% for EMC, and 60 to 80% for DMC relative to all the solvents in the electrolyte solution. The concentration of the LiPF6 is from 1.30 to 1.50 mol/L.

Abstract: A lithium ion secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a porous insulating layer and a nonaqueous electrolyte. The porous insulating layer is provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode and contains a material which does not have a shutdown function. Each of the positive electrode and the negative electrode includes an expandable element.

Abstract: A nickel-metal hydride storage battery having a spirally wound electrode group including: (a) a positive electrode including an active material layer containing nickel hydroxide and a positive electrode core material; (b) a negative electrode including an active material layer containing a hydrogen storage alloy and a negative electrode core material; and (c) a separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes, wherein the separator includes a hydrophilicity-imparted non-woven fabric including polyolefin or polyamide and has a thickness of 0.04 to 0.09 mm, and the percentage occupied by the cross section “SS” of the separator in the transverse cross section “S” of the electrode group is not greater than 25%.

Abstract: A lithium ion secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a porous insulating layer and a nonaqueous electrolyte. The porous insulating layer is provided between the positive electrode material mixture layer and the negative electrode material mixture layer and contains a material which does not have a shutdown function. The positive electrode is provided with a PTC layer extending substantially parallel to the positive electrode collector and the negative electrode is provided with a PTC layer extending substantially parallel to the negative electrode collector. Each of the PTC layers contains a material having a positive temperature coefficient of resistance.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery has a positive electrode including an active material of complex oxides capable of storing and emitting lithium ions, a negative electrode, a separator, and an electrolytic solution made of a nonaqueous solvent. A discharge curve of this battery when being discharged with a constant power has two or more points of step-like flections near the end of electrical discharge in a range of 5% to 20% of a discharge capacity thereof as determined from an initial discharge voltage in a state of full charge to a discharge-end voltage.

Abstract: In a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which an electrode plate group including a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate which have a positive electrode mixture layer formed on a positive electrode current collector to contain a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode mixture layer formed on a negative electrode current collector to contain a negative electrode active material, respectively, and are spirally wound or stacked with a separator interposed therebetween is encapsulated in a battery exterior packaging body with an electrolyte, the battery exterior packaging body includes a gas releasing valve for releasing gas in the battery exterior packaging body to the outside when a gas pressure in the battery exterior packaging body reaches a working pressure and is formed to be deformable where the gas pressure in the battery exterior packaging body is lower than the working pressure of the gas releasing valve.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a porous insulating layer, and a nonaqueous electrolyte. The positive electrode contains, as a positive electrode active material, a phosphoric compound having an olivine structure and expressed by a general formula of LizFe1-yXyPO4 (0?y?0.3, 0<z?1) (X is one of metals selected from the group consisting of Nb, Mg, Ti, Zr, Ta, W, Mn, Ni, and Co). The negative electrode contains, as a negative electrode active material, a material capable of occluding and extracting lithium ion. The nonaqueous electrolyte is retained between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The porous insulating layer is provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode and contains metal oxide. The volume ratio of the metal oxide to the porous insulating layer is in the range between 15 vol % and 50 vol %, both inclusive.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte battery has a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The positive electrode has a high-capacity positive electrode portion with a plate area per capacity of smaller than 200 cm2/Ah, and a high-power positive electrode portion with a plate area per capacity of 200 cm2/Ah or larger. The non-aqueous electrolyte battery is advantageous in providing a battery, with use of a single kind of non-aqueous electrolyte battery, which simultaneously satisfies the requirements on high-capacity characteristics capable of performing a long-term continuous discharge, and on high-power characteristics capable of performing a pulse discharge at a large current, without using a hybrid power supply unit which has multiple kinds of batteries and requires a complex control system.