# US 8,542,478 B2 · Electric double layer capacitor, lithium ion capacitor, and charging device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,542,478 B2 - Document ID: US8542478B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/298,588 - Filed: 2011-11-17 - Published: 2012-05-24 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2010-11-19 - Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Junpei Momo; Yumiko Saito; Rie Matsubara; Hiroatsu Todoriki - Inventors: Junpei Momo; Yumiko Saito; Rie Matsubara; Hiroatsu Todoriki - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8542478B2 ## CPC - H01G 11/08: Structural combinations, e.g. assembly or connection, of hybrid or EDL capacitors with other electric components, at least one hybrid or EDL capacitor being the main component - H01G 11/54: Electrolytes - H02S 40/38: Energy storage means, e.g. batteries, structurally associated with PV modules - H10F 19/31: having multiple laterally adjacent thin-film photovoltaic cells deposited on the same substrate - Y02E 10/50: Photovoltaic [PV] energy - Y02E 60/13: Energy storage using capacitors - Y02E 70/30: Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - H01G: CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE (selection of specified materials as dielectric H01B3/00; capacitors having potential barriers H10D1/62, H10K10/10) - H02S: GENERATION OF ELECTRIC POWER BY CONVERSION OF INFRARED RADIATION, VISIBLE LIGHT OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT, e.g. USING PHOTOVOLTAIC [PV] MODULES (obtaining electrical energy from radioactive sources G21H1/12; light sensitive inorganic semiconductor devices H10F; light sensitive organic semiconductor devices H10K30/00; thermoelectric devices H10N10/00; pyroelectric devices H10N15/00) - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An electric double layer capacitor, a lithium ion capacitor, and a charging device including a solar cell and either of the capacitors are disclosed. The electric double layer capacitor includes a first and second light-transmitting substrates; a pair of current collectors provided perpendicular to the substrates; active material layers provided on facing planes of the current collectors; and an electrolyte in a region surrounded by the substrates and the facing active material layers. The lithium ion capacitor includes a first and second light-transmitting substrates; a positive and negative electrode active material layers provided perpendicular to the substrates; and an electrolyte in a region surrounded by the facing substrates and the positive and negative electrode active material layers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric double layer capacitor comprising: a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate is transparent to visible light; a pair of current collectors between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the pair of current collectors are provided so as to be perpendicular to the first substrate and the second substrate; a first active material layer provided on a plane of one of the pair of current collectors and a second active material layer provided on a plane of the other of the pair of current collectors, wherein the planes face each other; and an electrolyte provided in a region surrounded by the first substrate, the second substrate, the first active material layer, and the second active material layer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electric double layer capacitor according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is transparent to visible light. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electric double layer capacitor according to claim 1, wherein a material of the first active material layer and the second active material layer is activated carbon or a polyacenic material. ### Claim 4 A device comprising: an electric double layer capacitor; a solar cell; and wirings electrically connected to the electric double layer capacitor, wherein the electric double layer capacitor comprises: a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate is transparent to visible light; a pair of current collectors between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the pair of current collectors are provided so as to be perpendicular to the first substrate and the second substrate; a first active material layer provided on a plane of one of the pair of current collectors and a second active material layer provided on a plane of the other of the pair of current collectors, wherein the planes face each other; and an electrolyte provided in a region surrounded by the first substrate, the second substrate, the first active material layer, and the second active material layer, wherein the solar cell comprises, over a third substrate which is transparent to visible light, a first conductive film which is transparent to visible light, a photoelectric conversion layer provided in contact with the first conductive film, and a second conductive film which is transparent to visible light and provided in contact with the photoelectric conversion layer, and wherein the electric double layer capacitor and the solar cell are electrically connected to each other through the wirings, the first conductive film, and the second conductive film. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The device according to claim 4, wherein the electrolyte is transparent to visible light. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The device according to claim 4, wherein a material of the first active material layer and the second active material layer is activated carbon or a polyacenic material. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The device according to claim 4, wherein one or more electric double layer capacitor which are the same as the electric double layer capacitor are further provided, wherein the electric double layer capacitors are connected in series. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The device according to claim 4, wherein one or more electric double layer capacitor which are the same as the electric double layer capacitor are further provided, wherein the electric double layer capacitors are connected in parallel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The device according to claim 4, wherein the photoelectric conversion layer is any one of an amorphous semiconductor layer, a polycrystalline semiconductor layer, and a microcrystalline semiconductor layer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The device according to claim 4, wherein the photoelectric conversion layer comprises a p-type semiconductor layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer, and an n-type semiconductor layer. ### Claim 11 A lithium ion capacitor comprising: a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate is transparent to visible light; a positive electrode comprising a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode active material layer and a negative electrode comprising a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the positive electrode and the negative electrode are provided so as to be perpendicular to the first substrate and the second substrate; and an electrolyte provided in a region surrounded by the first substrate, the second substrate, the positive electrode active material layer, and the negative electrode active material layer. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The lithium ion capacitor according to claim 11, wherein the electrolyte is transparent to visible light. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The lithium ion capacitor according to claim 11, wherein a material of the positive electrode active material layer is activated carbon or a polyacenic material. ### Claim 14 A device comprising: a lithium ion capacitor; a solar cell; and wirings electrically connected to the lithium ion capacitor, wherein the lithium ion capacitor comprises: a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate is transparent to visible light; a positive electrode comprising a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode active material layer and a negative electrode comprising a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the positive electrode and the negative electrode are provided so as to be perpendicular to the first substrate and the second substrate; and an electrolyte provided in a region surrounded by the first substrate, the second substrate, the positive electrode active material layer, and the negative electrode active material layer, and wherein the solar cell comprises, over a third substrate which is transparent to visible light, a first conductive film which is transparent to visible light, a photoelectric conversion layer provided in contact with the first conductive film, and a second conductive film which is transparent to visible light and provided in contact with the photoelectric conversion layer, and wherein the lithium ion capacitor and the solar cell are electrically connected to each other through the wirings, the first conductive film, and the second conductive film. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The device according to claim 14, wherein one or more lithium ion capacitor which are the same as the lithium ion capacitor are further provided, wherein the lithium ion capacitors are connected in series. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The device according to claim 14, wherein one or more lithium ion capacitor which are the same as the lithium ion capacitor are further provided, wherein the lithium ion capacitors are connected in parallel. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The device according to claim 14, wherein the electrolyte is transparent to visible light. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The device according to claim 14, wherein a material of the positive electrode active material layer is activated carbon or a polyacenic material. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The device according to claim 14, wherein the photoelectric conversion layer is any one of an amorphous semiconductor layer, a polycrystalline semiconductor layer, and a microcrystalline semiconductor layer. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The device according to claim 14, wherein the photoelectric conversion layer comprises a p-type semiconductor layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer, and an n-type semiconductor layer.