2/10/2017 8:36:08 AM ESTBy a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Life Science
Weekly -- TESLA MOTORS, INC. (Palo Alto, CA) has been issued patent number
9559532, according to news reporting originating out of Alexandria, Virginia,
by NewsRx editors (see also TESLA MOTORS, INC.).The patent's inventors are
Hermann, Weston Arthur (Palo Alto, CA); Straubel, Jeffrey Brian (Menlo Park,
CA); Beck, David G. (Tiburon, CA).This patent was filed on August 15, 2013 and
was published online on January 31, 2017.From the background information
supplied by the inventors, news correspondents obtained the following quote: "A
metal-air cell is a type of electro-chemical battery that utilizes the same
energy storage principles as a more conventional cell such as a lithium ion,
nickel metal hydride, nickel cadmium, or other cell type. Unlike such
conventional cells, however, a metal-air cell utilizes oxygen as one of the
electrodes, typically passing the oxygen through a porous metal electrode. Due
to the use of oxygen as one of the reactants, such cells have some rather
unique properties. For example, since the oxygen does not need to be packaged
within the cell, a metal-air cell typically exhibits a much higher
capacity-to-volume, or capacity-to-weight, ratio than other cell types making
them an ideal candidate for weight sensitive applications or those requiring
high energy densities."The exact nature of the reaction that occurs in a
metal-air battery depends upon the metal used in the anode and the composition
of the electrolyte. Exemplary metals used in the construction of the anode
include zinc, aluminum, magnesium, iron, lithium and vanadium. The cathode in
such cells is typically fabricated from a porous structure with the necessary
catalytic properties for the oxygen reaction. A suitable electrolyte, such as
potassium hydroxide in the case of a zinc-air battery, provides the necessary
ionic conductivity between the electrodes while a separator prevents short
circuits between the battery electrodes."Regardless of the composition and
mechanical nature of the elements used in a metal-air battery, oxygen is
required for the reaction to take place. Therefore during the discharge cycle,
the reaction rate of the cell may be varied by controlling the flow of oxygen
into the cell. During the charging cycle, the metal oxides or ions are reduced
to form the metal comprising the anode and oxygen is emitted by the cell."While
metal-air cells offer a number of advantages over a conventional rechargeable
battery, most notably their extremely high energy density, such cells also have
a number of drawbacks. For example, care must be taken to avoid undesired
electrolyte water loss, especially in high temperature, low humidity
environments. More importantly, care must be taken to insure a sufficient
supply of air to the cells during discharge cycles, and means for handling the
oxygen emitted from the cells during the charge cycles, both of these issues
becoming increasingly important as the number of metal-air cells and/or the
size of the cells increase to meet the demands of larger applications. The
present invention provides a method and apparatus for meeting some of these
demands."Supplementing the background information on this patent, NewsRx
reporters also obtained the inventors' summary information for this patent:
"The present invention provides a system and method for charging a metal-air
battery pack at the maximum possible rate while maintaining an ambient oxygen
concentration below a preset concentration, thereby minimizing the risks
associated with generating oxygen during the charging cycle."In at least one
embodiment of the invention, a method of charging a metal-air battery pack is
provided, the method comprising the steps of coupling the metal-air battery
pack to an external charging source; determining the oxygen concentration level
within a first region; comparing the oxygen concentration level to a first
preset level; initiating charging if the oxygen concentration is less than the
first preset level; and suspending charging if the oxygen concentration exceeds
the first preset level and then resuming charging when the oxygen concentration
falls below a second preset level. The method may further comprise the steps of
determining the present battery pack state-of-charge (SOC); comparing the
present SOC to a target SOC; and terminating charging when the present SOC
reaches or exceeds the target SOC. The method may further comprise the step of
activating a warning system (e.g., auditory, visual, notification system, etc.)
if the oxygen concentration level exceeds the preset level. The method may
further comprise the steps of determining a second oxygen concentration level
corresponding to a second region, where the first region corresponds to the
battery pack oxygen outlet and the second region corresponds to an external
vehicle sensing location; comparing the second oxygen concentration level to
the first preset level; and suspending charging if the second oxygen
concentration level exceeds the first preset level and then resuming charging
when the second oxygen concentration falls below the second preset level. The
method may further comprise the steps of determining a second oxygen
concentration level corresponding to a second region, where the first region
corresponds to the battery pack oxygen outlet and the second region corresponds
to an external vehicle sensing location; comparing the second oxygen
concentration level to a third preset level, where the second concentration
level may be less than the first preset level; and suspending charging if the
second oxygen concentration level exceeds the third preset level and then
resuming charging when the second oxygen concentration falls below the second
preset level. The method may further comprise the steps of monitoring a
plurality of oxygen concentration levels at a plurality of locations, and
averaging the plurality of oxygen concentration levels to obtain the oxygen
concentration level used in the methodology of the invention. The step of
initiating charging may further comprise the step of applying a charging
profile, preferably where the charging profile is selected from a plurality of
stored charging profiles based on a set of initial charging conditions."A
further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention may
be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the
drawings."For the URL and additional information on this patent, see: Hermann,
Weston Arthur; Straubel, Jeffrey Brian; Beck, David G.. Charge Rate Modulation
of Metal-Air Cells as a Function of Ambient Oxygen Concentration. U.S. Patent
Number 9559532, filed August 15, 2013, and published online on January 31,
2017. Patent URL:
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=9559532.PN.&OS=PN/9559532RS=PN/9559532Keywords
for this news article include: INC., Chalcogens, TESLA MOTORS INC.Our reports
deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.
Copyright 2017, NewsRx LLC
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