147 results about "Cell resistance" patented technology

Systems and methods for accurately determining the state of charge and the relative age of lithium sulfur batteries are provided. The cell resistance and taper input charge of a particular type of lithium sulfur battery are respectively measured to determine the state of charge and age of the battery.

A circuit and method for programming phase-change memory devices, such as chalcogenide memory (PRAM), are described. The invention is directed to an approach to programming PRAM elements from a reset state to a set state or from a set state to the set state. The invention provides a novel and nonobvious PRAM device and method in which a set pulse duration time is controlled by monitoring the state of the memory element during programming such as by comparing the voltage of a bit line with a reference voltage or comparing the cell resistance with a set state cell resistance. The duration of the set pulse is controlled in response to the detected state of the memory element. The result of the approach of the invention is the significant reduction in PRAM programming errors, such as those caused by a constant-duration set pulse, as well as reduction in programming time duration and power consumption.

Recombinant microorganisms and related methods of use to enhance tolerance to toxic substances. In particular, such microorganisms and methods can be used to increase solvent production.

A battery self heating system for batteries that experience battery impedance or internal battery resistance when temperature drops. The system comprises an energy storage element applied to the battery terminals to draw energy from the battery. The energy is stored in a magnetic or capacitive storage device. The system is self-resonant so that energy transfer from the storage device to the battery will occur at a frequency and load level that is compatible with the current state of the battery. Internal heating of the battery is accomplished by a cycle comprising the out flux and influx of energy through the impedance of the battery. Energy losses due to battery impedance are converted to heat thereby heating the battery internally.

Magneto-resistive memory bit cells in an array have high or low resistance states storing logic values. During read operations, a bias source is coupled to an addressed memory word, coupling a parameter related to cell resistance to a sense amplifier at each bit position. The sense amplifiers determine whether the parameter value is greater or less than a reference value between the high and low resistance states. The reference value is derived by averaging or splitting a difference of resistances of reference cells at high and/or low resistance states. Bias current is conducted over address lines with varying resistance, due to different distances between the sense amplifiers and addressed memory words, which is canceled by inserting into the comparison circuit a resistance from a dummy addressing array, equal to the resistance of the conductor addressing the selected word line and bit position.

An array of resistance cells has a number M of rows and a number N of columns of resistance cells. Each cell comprises a transistor having a threshold, representing a weight factor W_nm of the cell, and a resistive element in series with the transistor. Each cell has a cell resistance having a first value when the transistor is on and a second value when the transistor is off. A set of source lines is coupled to the resistance cells in respective columns. A set of bit lines is coupled to the resistance cells in respective rows, signals on the bit lines representing inputs x(m) to the respective rows. A set of word lines is coupled to gates of the transistors in the resistance cells in respective columns. Current sensed at a particular source line represents a sum of products of the inputs x(m) by respective weight factors W_nm.

The present disclosure provides methods for gene therapy utilizing hematopoietic stem cells, lymphoid progenitor cells, and/or myeloid progenitor cells. The cells are genetically modified to provide a gene that is expressed in these cells and their progeny after differentiation. In one embodiment the cells contain a gene or gene fragment that confers to the cells resistance to HIV infection and/or replication. The cells are administered to a patient in conjunction with treatment to reactivate the patient's thymus. The cells may be autologous, syngeneic, allogeneic or xenogeneic, as tolerance to foreign cells is created in the patient during reactivation of the thymus. In one embodiment the hematopoietic stem cells are CD34+. The patient's thymus is reactivated by disruption of sex steroid mediated signaling to the thymus. In another embodiment, this disruption is created by administration of LHRH agonists, LHRH antagonists, anti-LHRH receptor antibodies, anti-LHRH vaccines or combinations thereof.

A method for estimating capacity of a battery in an implantable medical device includes obtaining a characteristic curve of voltage versus resistance for the battery, periodically determining voltage and resistance of the battery, and comparing the resistance with a third derivative function of the characteristic curve, the third derivative function having roots representing near depletion of the battery and end of service of the battery, respectively. Remaining time of service of the battery can also be determined by comparing the resistance value with a curve of battery capacity versus resistance for the battery.

The present invention relates to a battery management system and method. In some embodiments the battery management system includes a sensing unit and an MCU. The sensing unit measures the current, the voltage and the temperature of a battery. The MCU receives the voltages, the currents, and the temperatures, calculates an estimated cell voltage, by applying a pack voltage sensing error and the cell voltage deviation to the cell voltages, and calculates an estimated cell resistance, by adding a pack assembly resistance to an internal resistance of the cell, and calculates an pack output of the battery by using the estimated cell voltage and the estimated cell resistance.

A method for forming a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method for forming the semiconductor device includes forming a pad insulating layer on a semiconductor substrate, forming a recess by etching the pad insulating layer and the semiconductor substrate, forming a buried gate buried in the recess, forming an insulating layer for defining a bit line contact hole over the buried gate and the pad insulating layer, forming a bit line over a bit line contact for filling the bit line contact hole, and forming a storage electrode contact hole by etching the insulating layer and the pad insulating layer to expose the semiconductor substrate. As a result, the method increases the size of an overlap area between a storage electrode contact and an active region without an additional mask process, resulting in a reduction in cell resistance.

Disclosed are a method for adequately sorting used secondary batteries; a rebuilt battery pack that incorporates the used batteries sorted by the sorting method and have identical characteristics; a vehicle and a battery operated device which use the rebuilt battery pack; and a method for manufacturing a rebuilt battery pack which employs used batteries having identical characteristics. The method for sorting used secondary batteries includes a resistance measurement step for measuring the battery resistance of a battery the characteristics of which show a bathtub curve with respect to the period of use. The method further includes a resistance distinguishing step for distinguishing whether the battery resistance of the battery is greater or less than a period threshold value for identifying to which one of the following periods the battery belongs: an initial-stage high-resistance period, and end-stage high-resistance period, and a middle-stage low-resistance period.

The present invention relates to an electrode comprising multi-layered electrode active material layer and a secondary battery comprising the same. According to the embodiments of the present invention comprises electrode having multi-layered electrode active material layer, wherein the content of the active materials which forms the electrode active material layers is equally maintained and the loading amounts at each layer are either the same or different from each other, thereby solving the problem of performance deterioration caused by an increase in battery resistance due to non-uniform dispersion of a binder or the like.

Methods of writing to a multi-bit MRAM memory unit are described. The method includes to self-detected writing to a multi-bit (i.e., multilevel) thermally assisted MRAM. The self-detected writing increases a reading margin between data state levels and decreases reading margin variability due to cell resistance variation.

An apparatus for estimating resistance characteristics of a battery includes a data storing manager for obtaining and storing battery voltage, current and temperature data of a battery, whenever estimating a battery resistance characteristic; an open circuit voltage calculator for calculating battery open circuit voltage from a battery voltage variation pattern measured at the present and in the past; a weighted mean resistance calculator for calculating a battery resistance parameter from a battery current and a difference between the battery open circuit voltage and a battery voltage, and calculating a weighted mean resistance from battery resistance parameters calculated at the present and in the past; a weighted mean resistance convergence calculator for calculating a weighed mean resistance convergence value by repeatedly calculating a weighted mean sequence using the weighted mean resistance as an initial condition; and a resistance characteristic estimator for estimating a battery resistance from the weighted mean resistance convergence value.

We describe a reference cell structure for determining data storing cell resistances in an SMT (spin moment transfer) MTJ (magnetic tunneling junction) MRAM array by comparing data cell currents with those of the reference cell. Since the reference cell also utilizes spin moment transfer (SMT) magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ) cells, there would ordinarily be the danger that the act of reading the reference cell could change its magnetization orientations and be a source of error for subsequent comparisons. Therefore the present invention describes a new circuit arrangement for the reference cell that directs read currents through two SMT MTJ cells in opposite directions so that the transfer of spin moments cannot affect the relative magnetization directions of the cells.

A system and method for determining the maximum allowed stack current limit rate for a fuel cell stack that considers cell voltage. The method includes estimating a fuel cell stack voltage based on a fuel cell resistance value, stack variables and a current request signal. The fuel cell resistance value can be modeled based on stack temperature and stack relative humidity. The stack variables can include exchange current density and mass transfer coefficient. The method then uses the estimated fuel cell voltage and a look-up table based on estimated voltage to determine a current rate limit value for changing the current of the stack. The method then adds the current rate limit value and the current request signal to obtain the current set-point.

A non-invasive method and device for determining the electrical impedance of an electrochemical system for electric power is disclosed. The voltage and current are measured at terminals as a function of time, and these measurements are converted to signals dependent on frequency. The signals dependent on frequency are subjected to at least one segmentation. For each segment, a power spectral density of the current signal Ψ_I dependent on frequency and the cross power spectral density of the voltage and current signals Ψ_IV dependent on frequency are determined for each segment. The electrical impedance of the electrochemical system is determined by calculating a ratio dependent on frequency of a mean of the power spectral densities Ψ_I dependent on frequency to a mean of the cross power spectral densities Ψ_IV dependent on frequency.

The invention discloses an accumulator charger and charging method, which comprises the following parts: commutating circuit, pulse power amplification and transformation circuit, charging sampling circuit and microcomputer control circuit. The charger uses down rectangular wave pulse charging to produce segment charging peak current within ideal curved scale, which eliminates accumulator resistance polarization and concentration polarization of common intelligent charger. When the pulse down segment stops charging, the accumulator possesses enough cooling restoring time. The invention realizes rapid charging, which lengthens utility lifetime of accumulator.

A microcomputer monitors, on the basis of outputs from a current sensor and voltage sensor, a voltage drop due to an internal resistance when the drop in the terminal voltage due to polarization occurring during the discharge of a battery is saturated, and a dischargeable capacity of the battery corresponding to the value resulting when the saturated voltage drop of the terminal voltage is subtracted from the chargeable capacity of the battery. Such a configuration provide a battery status monitoring device capable of knowing the battery status correctly, a saturation polarization detecting method which is useful to know the charging state of the battery and a dischargeable capacity detecting method.

The invention relates to an on-line identification method for a concentration signal of aluminum oxide in an electrolyte in an aluminum electrolysis cell, and relates to an on-line identification method for a concentration signal of aluminum oxide for controlling the charging quantity of the aluminum oxide in the aluminum electrolysis production process. The method is characterized in that: in the on-line identification process, polar distance is used as an excitation signal, and the concentration of the aluminum oxide is identified by a response signal of cell resistance in the adjustment process of the polar distance. The method has the advantages of high identification speed, small influence on the condition of the electrolysis cell and the like, the accurate control over the blanking of the aluminum oxide can be realized, anode effect coefficients can be reduced effectively, current efficiency can be improved, the stable running of the electrolysis cell can be realized, and energyconsumption can be reduced.