Patents by Inventor Naruhito Kondo
Naruhito Kondo 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).
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Publication number: 20060042676Abstract: In order that a thermoelectric device is caused to stably operate even under high temperature environment, the thermoelectric device includes: first and second substrates, each being provided with a plurality of electrodes; a plurality of thermoelectric elements arranged between the first and second substrates in such a manner that one ends of the thermoelectric elements are associated with the respective electrodes on the first substrate, and the other ends thereof are associated with the respective electrodes on the second substrate; a defining member defining positions of the respective thermoelectric elements; and a lid disposed outside of the second substrate, and connected to the first substrate in such a manner that pressure is applied between the second substrate and the first substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2005Publication date: March 2, 2006Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Takahiro Sogou, Kazuki Tateyama, Hiroyoshi Hanada, Naruhito Kondo, Yasuhito Saito, Masayuki Arakawa
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Publication number: 20060042675Abstract: In order to make a thermoelectric device usable in a high temperature environment of 300° C. or above, the necessity for solder is eliminated by bonding each electrode of a second substrate to one end of each thermoelectric element by using gold. Further, a conductive member, capable of accommodating expansion and contraction of the thermoelectric elements, is provided between each electrode of a first substrate, on which bonding by gold is not performed, and the other end of each thermoelectric element. Additionally, a lid is placed outside to the second substrate, and the lid and the first substrate are coupled so that pressure can be applied between the first and second substrates. Thus, the second substrate, the electrodes and the thermoelectric elements are held. This prevents the thermoelectric elements from being damaged due to thermal deformation as in the case where electrodes are bonded to thermoelectric elements by solder.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2005Publication date: March 2, 2006Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Kazuki Tateyama, Takahiro Sogou, Tomohiro Iguchi, Hiroyoshi Hanada, Yasuhito Saito, Masayuki Arakawa, Naruhito Kondo
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Publication number: 20050211288Abstract: In a thermoelectric device, metal fiber nets as conductive members having elasticity are placed between first electrodes and thermoelectric elements, in order to increase productivity and make it possible to reduce variations in performance without impairing the reliability of a slidable structure even if each component is heated to be thermally deformed. This placement prevents the temperature of the metal fiber nets from becoming high in the operation of the thermoelectric device and prevents the elasticity of the metal fiber nets from being lost. Further, this constitution eliminates the necessity for bonding the first electrodes to the thermoelectric elements using solder. Moreover, the elasticity of the metal fiber nets makes it possible to accommodate variations in height among the respective thermoelectric elements when the thermoelectric device is assembled.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2005Publication date: September 29, 2005Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Kazuki Tateyama, Takahiro Sogou, Tomohiro Iguchi, Hiroyoshi Hanada, Yasuhito Saito, Masayuki Arakawa, Naruhito Kondo, Osamu Tsuneoka
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Publication number: 20050172994Abstract: Disclosed is a thermoelectric material which is represented by the following composition formula (1) or (2) and comprises as a major phase an MgAgAs type crystal structure: (Tia1Zrb1Hfc1)xNiySn100-x-y??composition formula (1); (Lnd(Tia2Zrb2Hfc2)1-d)xNiySn100-x-y??composition formula (2); (wherein a1, b1, c1, x and y satisfy the conditions of: 0<a1<1, 0<b1<1, 0<c1<1, a1+b1+c1=1, 30?x?35 and 30?y?35, and Ln is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Y and rare earth elements, and a2, b2, c2 and d satisfy the conditions of: 0?a2?1, 0?b2?1, 0?c2?1, a2+b2+c2=1 and 0<d?0.3).Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2003Publication date: August 11, 2005Inventors: Naoki Shutoh, Shinya Sakurada, Naruhito Kondo, Nobuhisa Takezawa
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Publication number: 20050139251Abstract: Disclosed is a thermoelectric material comprising a main phase which is represented by the following composition formula and having an MgAgAs-type crystalline structure: (Ta1Zrb1Hfc1)xCoySb100-x-y wherein 0<a1<1, 0<b1<1, 0<c1<1, a1+b1+c1=1, 30<X<35, and 30?y?35.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 6, 2004Publication date: June 30, 2005Inventors: Naoki Shutoh, Shinya Sakurada, Naruhito Kondo, Osamu Tsuneoka
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Publication number: 20050016183Abstract: In order to provide a highly reliable thermoelectric device, in a thermoelectric device, a plurality of heat-radiating-side electrodes, arranged in accordance with positions where respective thermoelectric elements are to be arranged, are arrayed in an array fashion on a planer surface of a heat-radiating-side board. Heat-radiating-side end surfaces of the plurality of p-type thermoelectric elements and n-type thermoelectric elements and the heat-radiating-side electrodes are joined together by solders. Heat-absorbing-side electrodes are brought into sliding contact with heat-absorbing-side end surfaces of these thermoelectric elements.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 23, 2004Publication date: January 27, 2005Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Kazuki Tateyama, Takahiro Sogou, Tomohiro Iguchi, Yasuhito Saito, Masayuki Arakawa, Naruhito Kondo, Osamu Tsuneoka, Akihiro Hara
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Publication number: 20040261831Abstract: An on-board generation system of a vehicle includes an on-board combustor mounted to a vehicle independently from an engine thereof, a high-temperature system line for circulating a thermal medium for receiving heat caused through a combustion process in the combustor, a low-temperature system line for circulating a medium on a low-temperature side which is subjected to heat exchanging with the thermal medium, and an electric generator, arranged between the high-temperature system line and the low-temperature system line, for recovering the thermal energy of the thermal medium as electric energy, in which the electric power generated by the electric generator is supplied to a power source including either one of an on-board battery and a power supply element for driving a vehicle equipment.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 19, 2004Publication date: December 30, 2004Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Osamu Tsuneoka, Naruhito Kondo, Akihiro Hara, Naoki Shutoh, Shinya Sakurada
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Patent number: 6759586Abstract: Disclosed is a thermoelectric module, comprising a plurality of p-type thermoelectric elements each comprising a p-type semiconductor having a skutterdite crystal structure, a plurality of n-type thermoelectric elements each comprising a n-type semiconductor having a skutterdite crystal structure, at least one first electrode, at least one second electrode, at least one first alloy layer and at least one second alloy layer, wherein said at least one first alloy layer and said at least one second alloy layer contain Sb and at least one transition metal element selected from the group consisting of Ag, Au and Cu.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2002Date of Patent: July 6, 2004Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Naoki Shutoh, Hiromitsu Takeda, Naruhito Kondo
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Method of treating waste from nuclear fuel handling facility and apparatus for carrying out the same
Patent number: 6736951Abstract: A waste treatment apparatus treats radioactive contaminated waste from a nuclear fuel material handling facility to decontaminate the radioactive contaminated waste by using an electrolytic molten salt, and reuses the electrolytic molten salt so that any effluents are not produced. Radioactive contaminated waste (10) from a nuclear fuel material handling facility is subjected to electrolysis by a molten salt electrolysis unit (20) to decontaminate the waste (10). The used salt (16) used for decontaminating the waste (10) is filtered to separate nuclear fuel materials (19) from the used salt (16). The filtered salt (18) is reused by the molten salt electrolysis unit (20). The salt adhering to the decontaminated waste (12) is recovered by an evaporating unit (59), and the recovered salt (15) is reused by the molten salt electrolysis unit (20).Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2001Date of Patent: May 18, 2004Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Naruhito Kondo, Reiko Fujita -
Publication number: 20020179135Abstract: Disclosed is a thermoelectric module, comprising a plurality of p-type thermoelectric elements each comprising a p-type semiconductor having a skutterdite crystal structure, a plurality of n-type thermoelectric elements each comprising a n-type semiconductor having a skutterdite crystal structure, at least one first electrode, at least one second electrode, at least one first alloy layer and at least one second alloy layer, wherein said at least one first alloy layer and said at least one second alloy layer contain Sb and at least one transition metal element selected from the group consisting of Ag, Au and Cu.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2002Publication date: December 5, 2002Inventors: Naoki Shutoh, Hiromitsu Takeda, Naruhito Kondo
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Method of treating waste from nuclear fuel handling facility and apparatus for carrying out the same
Publication number: 20020005357Abstract: A waste treatment apparatus treats radioactive contaminated waste from a nuclear fuel material handling facility to decontaminate the radioactive contaminated waste by using an electrolytic molten salt, and reuses the electrolytic molten salt so that any effluents are not produced. Radioactive contaminated waste (10) from a nuclear fuel material handling facility is subjected to electrolysis by a molten salt electrolysis unit (20) to decontaminate the waste (10). The used salt (16) used for decontaminating the waste (10) is filtered to separate nuclear fuel materials (19) from the used salt (16). The filtered salt (18) is reused by the molten salt electrolysis unit (20). The salt adhering to the decontaminated waste (12) is recovered by an evaporating unit (59), and the recovered salt (15) is reused by the molten salt electrolysis unit (20).Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2001Publication date: January 17, 2002Inventors: Naruhito Kondo, Reiko Fujita -
Patent number: 6299748Abstract: A waste treatment apparatus treats radioactive contaminated waste from a nuclear fuel material handling facility to decontaminate the radioactive contaminated waste by using an electrolytic molten salt, and reuses the electrolytic molten salt so that any effluents are not produced. Radioactive contaminated waste (10) from a nuclear fuel material handling facility is subjected to electrolysis by a molten salt electrolysis unit (20) to decontaminate the waste (10). The used salt (16) used for decontaminating the waste (10) is filtered to separate nuclear fuel materials (19) from the used salt (16). The filtered salt (18) is reused by the molten salt electrolysis unit (20). The salt adhering to the decontaminated waste (12) is recovered by an evaporating unit (59), and the recovered salt (15) is reused by the molten salt electrolysis unit (20).Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 1999Date of Patent: October 9, 2001Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Naruhito Kondo, Reiko Fujita
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Patent number: 6156183Abstract: A spent reactor fuel processing method is provided for recovering at least any one of metallic nuclear fuel materials, in which the reactor fuel is composed by covering the metallic nuclear fuel material with a cladding tube made of alloy and having a melting point lower than that of the metallic nuclear fuel material and end plugs made of alloy are mounted to both ends thereof. The processing method comprises a cladding tube smelting separation process, a molten salt electrorefining process and a salt evaporation separation process for recovering metallic uranium, uranium and plutonium, or uranium, plutonium and transuranium elements.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 1998Date of Patent: December 5, 2000Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Naruhito Kondo, Kenichi Matsumaru, Reiko Fujita, Makoto Fujie