Patents by Inventor Akihito Yoshida

Akihito Yoshida has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9705164
    Abstract: The present invention has been achieved to provide a metal-air battery that allows removal of a metallic compound without suspending power supply. The metal-air battery of the present invention includes: first and second electrolytic tanks for storing an electrolytic solution; a metallic electrode to serve as an anode provided in the first electrolytic tank; and an air electrode to serve as a cathode, wherein the metallic electrode is formed of a metal which becomes a metallic ion or composes a metallic compound in the electrolytic solution with progress of a battery reaction, the first and second electrolytic tanks are communicated with each other for allowing the electrolytic solution in the first electrolytic tank to move into the second electrolytic tank, and the metallic ion or the metallic compound in the electrolytic solution is precipitated as a metallic compound precipitate in the second electrolytic tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihito Yoshida, Hirotaka Mizuhata, Tomohisa Yoshie, Masaki Kaga, Shinobu Takenaka, Tomoharu Arai
  • Patent number: 9590283
    Abstract: Provided is a tape-shaped electrode that can effectively perform discharging and recharging even if the size thereof is increased. The tape-shaped electrode includes a plurality of conductive plates, and insulating coupling members that separably couple the plurality of conductive plates arranged in one direction in an insulating state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuya Ootani, Naoto Nishimura, Akihito Yoshida, Hirotaka Mizuhata, Shougo Esaki, Shumpei Nishinaka, Satoshi Arima
  • Patent number: 9447508
    Abstract: A hydrogen production device of the present invention includes a photoelectric conversion portion having a light-receiving surface and a back surface, a first electrolysis electrode provided on the back surface, and a second electrolysis electrode provided on the back surface. As a result of reception of light by the photoelectric conversion portion, a potential difference is generated between a first area on the back surface and a second area on the back surface, the first area becomes electrically connected to the first electrolysis electrode, and the second area becomes electrically connected to the second electrolysis electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihito Yoshida, Shunsuke Sata, Masaki Kaga
  • Publication number: 20160172728
    Abstract: The present invention provides a metal-air battery, wherein a failure in a wiring portion can be repaired easily. The present invention provides a metal electrode cartridge including a first operation portion and a first insertion portion extended from the first operation portion, wherein the first insertion portion includes a first fuel electrode containing a metal serving as an electrode active material, the first operation portion includes a first fuel electrode terminal electrically connected to the first fuel electrode and a first air electrode connection portion, and the first air electrode connection portion includes a first internal connection terminal and a first external connection terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2014
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Masaki KAGA, Akihito YOSHIDA, Hirotaka MIZUHATA, Shinobu TAKENAKA, Masashi MURAOKA, Shunsuke SATA, Tomoharu ARAI
  • Publication number: 20160020498
    Abstract: The invention provides a metal-air battery in which a metallic electrode can be smoothly inserted into a metal-air battery main body. The metal-air battery of the invention includes at least one cell. The cell includes an electrolytic tank that stores an electrolytic solution, a metallic electrode that is provided in the electrolytic tank and serves as an anode, at least one air electrode that serves as a cathode, an electrode insertion opening through which the metallic electrode is inserted into the electrolytic tank, and a position adjustment section. The position adjustment section is provided to adjust a position of the metallic electrode through contact between the metallic electrode and the position adjustment section during insertion of the metallic electrode into the electrolytic tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2014
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventors: Akihito YOSHIDA, Hirotaka MIZUHATA, Masaki KAGA, Tomoharu ARAI
  • Publication number: 20150295291
    Abstract: An electrode body for batteries of the invention includes a first metal portion configured to include metal as an electrode active material as a main component, a first structural member configured to cover a part of a surface of the first metal portion, and a coating member configured to cover the other part of the surface of the first metal portion. The first metal portion, the first structural member, and the coating member are provided such that the first metal portion is divided between the first structural member and the coating member or the coating member is separated from the first metal portion to expose the metal included in the first metal portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2013
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunsuke SATA, Akihito YOSHIDA, Tomohisa YOSHIE, Masaki KAGA, Shinobu TAKENAKA, Nobuhiko OKA, Kazuya SAKASHITA, Takahiro MATSUYAMA, Hisayuki UTSUMI, Yuichi KAMIMURA
  • Publication number: 20150248777
    Abstract: A file information generation section generates a draw command for causing a computer to carry out a process for switching, in accordance with an instruction from a user, between a first display state in which, in a case where the user specifies a part of an original text, the original text and translation information corresponding to the part of the original text, which part is specified by the user, are displayed; and a second display state in which the original text and the translation information corresponding to the original text are displayed at all times. This allows a browsing user to generate an image file in which a display mode of a translated word can be easily switched.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2013
    Publication date: September 3, 2015
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yohsuke Konishi, Akihito Yoshida, Hitoshi Hirohata
  • Publication number: 20150214591
    Abstract: The present invention provides a metal-air cell that allows pieces of an electrode active material that have fallen off to contribute to a discharge reaction and thus has high power generation efficiency. The metal-air cell according to the present invention includes an electrolyte cell containing an electrolyte, a metal electrode disposed in the electrolyte cell and serving as an anode, and an air electrode serving as a cathode. The metal electrode includes a current collector and an electrode active material part disposed on the current collector and made of an electrode active material. The current collector includes a supporting part supporting the electrode active material part and a receiving part disposed between a bottom of the electrolyte cell and the electrode active material part. The receiving part includes a projection projecting in the electrolyte cell beyond a side surface of the electrode active material part toward a sidewall of the electrolyte cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2013
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Akihito Yoshida, Masaki Kaga, Tomoharu Arai, Hirotaka Mizuhata
  • Publication number: 20150162653
    Abstract: Provided is a tape-shaped electrode that can effectively perform discharging and recharging even if the size thereof is increased. The tape-shaped electrode includes a plurality of conductive plates, and insulating coupling members that separably couple the plurality of conductive plates arranged in one direction in an insulating state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 4, 2013
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Inventors: Takuya Ootani, Naoto Nishimura, Akihito Yoshida, Hirotaka Mizuhata, Shougo Esaki, Shumpei Nishinaka, Satoshi Arima
  • Patent number: 9029691
    Abstract: The present invention provides a solar-cell-integrated gas production device that can generate a first gas and a second gas by utilizing an electromotive force of a solar cell, and that can supply power to an external circuit by utilizing the same solar cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihito Yoshida, Masaki Kaga, Shunsuke Sata
  • Patent number: 8941864
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image processing apparatus which (i) determines whether or not characters to be subjected to a character recognition process in image data have a size larger than a predetermined size, (ii) in a case where the characters is determined as larger than the predetermined size, reduces at least a region including the characters so that the size of the characters fits within the predetermined size, and (iii) performs a character recognition process of the characters with use of the reduced image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoshi Hirohata, Akihito Yoshida, Atsuhisa Morimoto, Yohsuke Konishi
  • Publication number: 20140337008
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus (3) includes: a translation section (32) carrying out a translation process of a language contained in image data; and a formatting process section (34) generating an image file, in accordance with the image data and a result of the translation process. The formatting process section (34) embeds, in the image file, a command for causing a computer to switch between a first display state in which the language and the translated word are displayed together and a second display state in which the language is displayed without the translated word in a case where a user gives, with respect to the image file, a switching instruction to switch between the first display state and the second display state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2013
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventors: Atsuhisa Morimoto, Yohsuke Konishi, Hitoshi Hirohata, Akihito Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8848240
    Abstract: An object area containing a text or a graphic is extracted from a document image containing the text or the graphic. Then, on the basis of the extracted object area and stored size information, a cropping area is determined that surrounds the object area with given margins. Further, setting of margins is received. Then, on the basis of the object area and the received setting of the margins, the cropping area is determined. Then, the cropping area determined on the basis of the object area and the size information or alternatively the cropping area determined on the basis of the object area and the setting of the margins is cropped from the document image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsuhisa Morimoto, Yohsuke Konishi, Hitoshi Hirohata, Akihito Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8846358
    Abstract: In a step of contacting an organic material including formic acid ions and a carbon source other than the formic acid ions with a microorganism having a formate dehydrogenase gene and a hydrogenase gene under an anaerobic condition, concentration of the formic acid ions in the organic material is set to be not less than 0.01 mol/L and not more than 0.5 mol/L, and concentration of the carbon source is set to not less than 0.1 mmol/L and not more than 200 mmol/L. This allows continuously producing hydrogen for a long time, without dropping the ability of the microorganism to produce hydrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignees: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth
    Inventors: Akihito Yoshida, Hideaki Yukawa, Masayuki Inui
  • Patent number: 8728791
    Abstract: The present invention provides a microorganism which possesses the formate dehydrogenase gene and hydrogenase gene and contains an exogenous transcription activator gene for formate hydrogen lyase system, characterized in that said microorganism shows the transcription activator for formate hydrogen lyase system highly expressed therein and shows an improved function to generate hydrogen from formic acid, and a process for producing hydrogen using the microorganism. Utilization of the microorganism of the present invention enables the hydrogen production from an organic substrate to be accomplished on a practical, commercial scale. The hydrogen to be produced by the present invention, which is free of carbon monoxide being causative to poisoning of the electrode catalyst for fuel cells, is useful as a fuel for fuel cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignees: Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, Sharp Corporation
    Inventors: Hideaki Yukawa, Masayuki Inui, Akihito Yoshida, Naoto Torata
  • Patent number: 8632663
    Abstract: There is provided a hydrogen production device high in light use efficiency and capable of producing hydrogen with high efficiency. The hydrogen production device according to the present invention includes a photoelectric conversion part having a light acceptance surface and a back surface, a first gas generation part provided on the back surface, and a second gas generation part provided on the back surface, in which one of the first gas generation part and the second gas generation part is a hydrogen generation part to generate H2 from an electrolytic solution, another one thereof is an oxygen generation part to generate O2 from the electrolytic solution, the first gas generation part is electrically connected to the back surface, and the second gas generation part is electrically connected to the light acceptance surface via a first conductive part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihito Yoshida, Shunsuke Sata, Masaki Kaga
  • Publication number: 20130280623
    Abstract: The present invention has been achieved to provide a metal-air battery that allows removal of a metallic compound without suspending power supply. The metal-air battery of the present invention includes: first and second electrolytic tanks for storing an electrolytic solution; a metallic electrode to serve as an anode provided in the first electrolytic tank; and an air electrode to serve as a cathode, wherein the metallic electrode is formed of a metal which becomes a metallic ion or composes a metallic compound in the electrolytic solution with progress of a battery reaction, the first and second electrolytic tanks are communicated with each other for allowing the electrolytic solution in the first electrolytic tank to move into the second electrolytic tank, and the metallic ion or the metallic compound in the electrolytic solution is precipitated as a metallic compound precipitate in the second electrolytic tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihito YOSHIDA, Hirotaka MIZUHATA, Tomohisa YOSHIE, Masaki KAGA, Shinobu TAKENAKA, Tomoharu ARAI
  • Publication number: 20130180862
    Abstract: A hydrogen production device of the present invention includes a photoelectric conversion portion having a light-receiving surface and a back surface, a first electrolysis electrode provided on the back surface, and a second electrolysis electrode provided on the back surface. As a result of reception of light by the photoelectric conversion portion, a potential difference is generated between a first area on the back surface and a second area on the back surface, the first area becomes electrically connected to the first electrolysis electrode, and the second area becomes electrically connected to the second electrolysis electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihito Yoshida, Shunsuke Sata, Masaki Kaga
  • Publication number: 20130122382
    Abstract: Provided are a carbon dioxide separator and method of use therefor for separating carbon dioxide gas from a mixed gas containing oxygen and carbon dioxide gases, said carbon dioxide separator comprising: a carbon dioxide separating stack having in sequence an anode electrode, an anion-exchange polymer electrolyte membrane and a cathode electrode; a reducing agent supply chamber for supplying a reducing agent to the anode electrode, said reducing agent supply chamber disposed on the outer surface of the anode electrode and comprising a space in which at least a part of the anode electrode side is exposed; and a mixed gas supply chamber for supplying the mixed gas to the cathode electrode, said mixed gas supply chamber disposed on an outer surface of the cathode electrode and comprising a space in which at least a part of the cathode electrode side is exposed. The anode and cathode electrodes are electrically connected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirotaka Mizuhata, Shunsuke Sata, Akihito Yoshida, Tomohisa Yoshie
  • Publication number: 20130068296
    Abstract: The present invention provides a solar-cell-integrated gas production device that can generate a first gas and a second gas by utilizing an electromotive force of a solar cell, and that can supply power to an external circuit by utilizing the same solar cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2011
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihito Yoshida, Masaki Kaga, Shunsuke Sata