Apparatus and method for altering the properties of a battery by processing through the application of a magnetic field

• US 9,450,425 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DynaPulse, LLC
• Original Assignee: DynaPulse, LLC
• Inventors: Jiles, David C., Magnell, Steffen, Mina, Mani
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US13/835,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 307/106
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/50 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance, e.g. for maintaining operating temperature constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A system and method for altering the properties of a battery by exposure of the battery to a magnetic field is described herein. The method comprises generating a magnetic field; exposing a battery to the magnetic field, and determining the optimum settings of the magnetic field parameters for the particular material. The magnetic field may be time varying or time invariant. Various properties of the magnetic field can be altered to determine the optimum settings for altering the material properties, including the amplitude, frequency, and waveform. In one embodiment, a method for improving the performance of a battery is provided, comprising: providing a battery; temporarily installing a magnetic field generator along at least a portion of the battery; and generating a pulsed magnetic field around at least a portion of the battery using the magnetic field generator and simultaneously running a current through the battery.

Claims

1. A method for altering the properties of a battery, comprising:

providing a battery;

providing a magnetic field generator, the magnetic field generator comprising a cylindrical chamber; and

generating a pulsed magnetic field within the cylindrical chamber of the magnetic field generator;

maintaining the battery within the chamber when the battery is in the magnetic field, while simultaneously running a current through the battery, the current being maintained through the battery until the circuit reaches a steady state;

wherein the generated pulsed magnetic field has an average field strength ranging from 6 to 40 G;

wherein the battery demonstrates an improvement in power capacity after being exposed to the pulsed magnetic field.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated magnetic field has an average field strength ranging from 6 to 20 G.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field generator provided comprises a coil, a pulse generator, and a power supply.

4. A method for improving a battery, comprising:

providing a battery;

providing a magnetic field generator, the magnetic field generator comprising a cylindrical chamber; and

generating a pulsed magnetic field around a battery for a period of time

maintaining the battery within the chamber when the battery is in the magnetic field, while simultaneously running a current through the battery, the current being maintained through the battery until the circuit reaches a steady state;

wherein the generated pulsed magnetic field has an average field strength ranging from 6 to 40 G;

wherein the battery demonstrates an improvement in power capacity after being exposed to the pulsed magnetic field.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the period of time is approximately five minutes.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the pulsed magnetic field is generated using a coil and pulse generator.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the generated pulsed magnetic field has an average field strength ranging from 6 to 40 G within the coil.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the generated pulsed magnetic field has an average field strange ranging from 6 to 20 G within the coil.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the pulsed magnetic field is generated using a wand.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising running a current through the battery;

wherein current running through the battery is approximately 4 to 5 Amps.

11. A system for improving capacity of a battery, comprising:

a battery;

a magnetic field generator comprising a cylindrical chamber configured to retain a battery within the chamber, the cylindrical chamber configured to generate a magnetic field 6 to 20 G around the battery, the chamber further configured to allow a current to be run through a battery within the cylindrical chamber; and

at least one of a current or voltage source.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the magnetic field generator produces a pulsed magnetic field.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the magnetic field generator comprises a coil, a pulse generator, and a power supply.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the magnetic field generator comprises an external wand.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a resistor, wherein the resistor is in series with the battery, and the current or voltage source.