US5258239A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Metal-air cell having a piezoelectric air-supply pump
Assignee: Brother Industries Ltd
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Filing: 1993-02-23
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Granted: 1993-11-02
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Expires: 2013-02-23
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to a metal-air cell having a piezo-electric pump. The piezo-electric pump has a characteristic of moderate change of air flow speed relative to the pressure. Accordingly, the air supply speed can be controlled easily. This characteristic enables small and simple construction of the metal-air cell with the maximum electrical energy being obtained from the cell.
Inventors
- 👤 Kazuo Kobayashi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 11:49
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01M; H01M6/00; H01M6/50; H01M12/00; H01M12/04; H01M12/06; H01M8/00; H01M8/04; H01M8/04082; H01M8/04089; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/30; Y02E60/50
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
89 words
A metal-air cell for supplying electric power, comprising: an electricity generating means for generating electric power upon the presence of air; an electricity supplying means for supplying the generated electric power externally of the metal-air cell; an air supply means for supplying air to the electricity generating means; a control means for controlling operations of the metal-air cell; and a cell casing for housing at least the electricity generating means, the electricity supplying means and the air supply means, wherein the air supply means comprises a piezo-electric air pump.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
89 words
A metal-air cell for supplying electric power, comprising: an electricity generating means for generating electric power upon the presence of air; an electricity supplying means for supplying the generated electric power externally of the metal-air cell; an air supply means for supplying air to the electricity generating means; a control means for controlling operations of the metal-air cell; and a cell casing for housing at least the electricity generating means, the electricity supplying means and the air supply means, wherein the air supply means comprises a piezo-electric air pump.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
75 words
The metal-air cell of claim 1, wherein the piezo-electric pump comprises: a housing having an air inflow port and an air outflow port; a first one-way valve provided on the inflow port to allow air to enter the housing; a second one-way valve provided on the outflow port to allow air to exit from the housing; and at least one piezo-electric panel provided in the housing for controllably varying an interior volume of the housing.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The metal-air cell of claim 2, wherein the housing is formed from a flexible material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The metal-air cell of claim 2, wherein exactly two piezo-electric panels are provided in the housing.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The metal-air cell of claim 2, wherein the at least one piezo-electric panel is formed of a ceramic material.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
The metal-air cell of claim 2, wherein the electricity generating means comprises an air chamber, a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator for separating the positive and negative electrodes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
The metal-air cell of claim 6, wherein the electricity supplying means comprises a positive collector attached to a positive terminal and the positive electrode; and a negative collector attached to a negative terminal and the negative electrode.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
47 words
The metal-air cell of claim 2, wherein the control means comprises a CPU, a voltage detection circuit for detecting an output voltage of the metal air cell, a memory means, and a voltage driving circuit outputting a driving voltage for driving the at least one piezo-electric panel.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The metal-air cell of claim 8, wherein the memory means comprises at least one of a ROM portion and a RAM portion.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
25 words
The metal air cell of claim 9, wherein the ROM portion comprises a look-up table for converting from the output voltage to the driving voltage.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
A metal-air cell, comprising: electricity generating means for generating electric power upon the presence of fresh air; air supply means for controllably supplying fresh air to the electricity generating means; and a cell casing for housing the electricity generating means and the air supply means; wherein the air supply means comprises a piezo-electric pump.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
54 words
A metal-air cell, comprising: electricity generating means for generating electric power upon the presence of fresh air; air supply means for controllably supplying fresh air to the electricity generating means; and a cell casing for housing the electricity generating means and the air supply means; wherein the air supply means comprises a piezo-electric pump.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
81 words
The metal-air cell of claim 11, wherein the piezo-electric pump comprises: a pump casing forming a hollow pump chamber; at least one piezo-electric element, each at least one element forming a part of a wall of the pump casing; air inflow means provided in the pump casing for allowing fresh air to flow unilaterally into the hollow pump chamber; and air outflow means provided in the pump casing for allowing fresh air to flow unilaterally out of the hollow pump chamber.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
53 words
The metal air cell of claim 12, wherein the air inflow means comprises an air inflow port and a one way air inflow valve provided in the air inflow port, and wherein the air outflow means comprises an air outflow port and a one-way air outflow valve provided in the air outflow port.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
19 words
The metal-air cell of claim 12, wherein each of at least one piezo-electric element comprises a piezo-electric ceramic panel.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The metal-air cell of claim 12, further comprising control means for controlling the piezo-electric pump.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
The metal-air cell of claim 15, wherein each at least one piezo-electric element is connected to the control means through a piezo-electric control terminal.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
The metal-air cell of claim 15, further comprising an electricity supply means for supplying electricity from the electricity generating means to at least one of an external load and the control means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
58 words
The metal air cell of claim 17, wherein the electricity generating means comprises a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and wherein the electricity supply means comprises a positive terminal connected to the positive electrode and extending outwardly of the cell casing, and a negative terminal connected to the negative electrode and extending outwardly from the cell casing.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
The metal-air cell of claim 18, wherein the control means is connectable to the positive and negative terminals, the control means controlling an operation of the piezo-electric pump based on a voltage difference between the positive and negative terminals.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
57 words
The metal-air cell of claim 19, wherein the control means comprises: a voltage detecting circuit for detecting the voltage difference; a control circuit for determining an operating voltage for the piezo-electric pump based on the detected voltage difference; and a piezo-electric driving circuit for outputting driving signal to the piezo-electric pump based on the determined operating voltage.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
41 words
The metal-air cell of claim 20, wherein the control circuit determines a volume flow rate of fresh air for the electricity generating means based on the detected voltage difference and determines the operating voltage based on the determined volume flow rate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
38 words
The metal air cell of claim 19, wherein the control means detects the voltage difference, directly determines a driving voltage for the piezo-electric pump from the detected voltage difference and outputs the driving voltage to the piezoelectric pump.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
62 words
The metal-air cell of claim 22, wherein the control means comprises memory means for storing a plurality of predetermined driving voltages and corresponding voltage differences, and a voltage difference detecting means for detecting the voltage difference, wherein when the control means inputs the detected voltage difference to the memory means, the memory means outputs one of the plurality of predetermined driving voltages.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-11-01 | 1997-05-03 | 1997-11-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-11-01 | 2001-05-03 | 2001-11-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-11-01 | 2005-05-03 | 2005-11-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |