Granted Patent B2

US 8,399,138 · App. 12/578,813 · Granted Mar 19, 2013

Abstract

Claims (26)

1. A method for recharging a lithium ion battery, comprising:

providing a lithium ion battery comprising used liquid electrode material;

removing said used liquid electrode material from said lithium ion battery; and,

introducing a relatively unused or rejuvenated liquid electrode material into the lithium ion battery to replace the used liquid electrode material.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said liquid electrode material comprises at least one of a negative or a positive electrode.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said lithium ion battery comprises said liquid electrode material separated from a lithium or lithium alloy containing electrode by a non-liquid liquid electrolyte material.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said non-liquid electrolyte material comprises at least one of a solid or a gel.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said liquid electrode material is in a liquid state at a temperature within about plus or minus 10° C. of 21° C.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said liquid electrode material is in a liquid state at a temperature within about plus or minus 20° C. of 21° C.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the used electrode material by at least one of a chemical or electrochemical process to rejuvenate said liquid electrode material to a relatively unused state.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the used electrode material by at least one of a chemical or electrochemical process to either restore or remove lithium.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of removing said used liquid electrode material comprises draining said used liquid electrode material from said battery.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of removing said used liquid electrode material comprises pumping out said used liquid electrode material from said battery.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of introducing a relatively unused liquid electrode material comprises pumping said relatively unused liquid electrode material into said battery.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said lithium ion battery comprises one battery cell of a plurality of battery cells stacked together and electrically connected in series.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said lithium ion battery comprises a power source for one of an electric and hybrid vehicle.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining one of a power and a capacity of said lithium ion battery prior to the step of removing and following the step of introducing.

15. A method for recharging a lithium ion battery, comprising:

providing a lithium ion battery comprising used liquid electrode material, said liquid electrode material separated from a lithium or reversible lithium storage material containing electrode by a non-liquid electrolyte material;

removing said used liquid electrode material from said lithium ion battery; and,

introducing a relatively unused liquid electrode material into the lithium for battery to replace the used liquid electrode material.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said liquid electrode material comprises one of a negative electrode or a positive electrode.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said non-liquid electrolyte material comprises at least one of a solid or a gel.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein said liquid electrode material is in a liquid state at a temperature within about plus or minus 10° C. of 21° C.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein said liquid electrode material is in a liquid state at a temperature within about plus or minus 20° C. of 21° C.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising treating the used electrode material by at least one of a chemical and/or electrochemical process to restore said liquid electrode material to a relatively unused state.

Assignments (8)