Patents by Inventor Wataru Hisada

Wataru Hisada 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: 8785031
    Abstract: The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte fuel cell separator made of pure titanium or a titanium alloy superior in contact resistance with carbon paper and a method of production of the same, that is, a separator having a surface layer part to which conductive compound particles are affixed, characterized in that the surface oxide has a thickness of 3 to 15 nm in range, an average carbon concentration in a range from an outermost surface, including the oxide layer, to a depth of 100 nm is 0.02 to 6 at %, and the conductive compound particles have an average particle size of 0.01 to 20 ?m. Further, the method of production of the present invention is characterized by forming, blast treating a surface of the formed article by particles comprised of conductive compound particles of an average particle size of 0.01 to 20 ?m covering a surface of superhard core particles, impregnating it by a nitric acid aqueous solution of a concentration of 15 to 71 mass % and a temperature of 40 to 100° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Sumitomo Metal Corporation
    Inventors: Michio Kaneko, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Kiyonori Tokuno, Hiroshi Kihira, Wataru Hisada
  • Patent number: 8361676
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of production of a separator for a solid polymer type fuel cell characterized by shaping a substrate comprised of stainless steel, titanium, or a titanium alloy and then spraying the substrate surface with superhard core particles comprised of conductive compound particles of an average particle size of 0.01 to 20 ?m mixed with a coating material and coated on their surfaces under conditions of a spray pressure of 0.4 MPa or less and a spray amount per cm2 of the substrate of 10 to 100 g in blast treatment. The ratio of the conductive compound to the mass of the core particles is 0.5 to 15 mass %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Koki Tanaka, Youichi Ikematsu, Hiroshi Kihira, Michio Kaneko, Wataru Hisada, Tamotsu Itoh
  • Patent number: 8304141
    Abstract: The present invention releases a method of producing a metal separator for a solid polymer fuel cell by stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy during which securing lower cost and mass producibility by using a material having a high workability to form a complicated shape by a high productivity, then using an inexpensive blast process to drive a conductive substance into the surface of the metal separator member, that is, provides a stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy solid polymer fuel cell separator comprised of stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy in the surface of which a low ion release conductive substance is buried, having an arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) of the separator surface of 0.5 to 5.0 ?m, having a 10-point mean roughness (Rz) of 3 to 20 ?m, having an average spacing of surface relief shapes (Sm) of 300 ?m or less, having values of a warp rate and twist rate of a separator of 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Sintokogio Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kihira, Michio Kaneko, Mitsuharu Yamagata, Koki Tanaka, Yoichi Ikematsu, Yoichi Matsuzaki, Kazuto Kawakami, Wataru Hisada, Suguru Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8182961
    Abstract: The present invention provides a separator for a solid polymer type fuel cell superior in low contact resistance of the fuel cell separator surface with carbon paper and flatness and a method of production of the same, that is, a separator for a solid polymer type fuel cell comprising a substrate of stainless steel or titanium or a titanium alloy having a surface layer part on which conductive compound particles are fixed, wherein said conductive compound particles are comprised of one or more types of metal borides, metal carbides, and metal nitrides with an average particle size of 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Koki Tanaka, Youichi Ikematsu, Hiroshi Kihira, Michio Kaneko, Wataru Hisada, Tamotsu Itoh
  • Publication number: 20120064232
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of treatment for imparting conductivity to a surface of a separator-use base member resulting in little distortion and superior conductive performance for a separator-use base member of a solid polymer type fuel cell made of any of a sheet of stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy, comprising a step of spray coating and drying on the surface of the separator-use base member a suspension prepared by mixing conductive compound particles 3 of an average particle size of 1 to 10 ?m with ethanol or water so as to form a conductive compound particle-coated layer 2, a step of blasting the conductive compound particle-coated layer 2 with blast particles 4 having an average particle size of 50 to 200 ?m so as to drive the conductive compound particles 3 in the inside direction of the separator-use base member 3 and anchor them there, and a step of cleaning off conductive compound particles 3 not anchored to the surface of the separator-use base member 1 at that step and im
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Inventors: Keisuke Yamazaki, Wataru Hisada, Hiroshi Kihira, Koki Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20120034372
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method of production of a separator for a solid polymer type fuel cell characterized by shaping a substrate comprised of stainless steel, titanium, or a titanium alloy and then spraying the substrate surface with superhard core particles comprised of conductive compound particles of an average particle size of 0.01 to 20 ?m mixed with a coating material and coated on their surfaces under conditions of a spray pressure of 0.4 MPa or less and a spray amount per cm2 of the substrate of 10 to 100 g in blast treatment. The ratio of the conductive compound to the mass of the core particles is 0.5 to 15 mass %.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Inventors: Koki Tanaka, Youichi Ikematsu, Hiroshi Kihira, Michio Kaneko, Wataru Hisada, Tamotsu Itoh
  • Patent number: 8061217
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a flow rate of a powder when a powder is conveyed by using air as a carrier gas, which apparatus measures the flow rate based on the change of capacitance of the powder to be measured. The apparatus that can measure the flow rate of a powder with high accuracy by compensating for the effect of the thermal drift of the capacitance. It includes a protecting pipe for conveying a powder, a housing pipe having measuring electrodes, and a transducer for outputting an output of the measuring electrode to a display. It further includes an atmospheric temperature sensor and a carrier gas-temperature sensor 31.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Sintokogio, Ltd.
    Inventors: Wataru Hisada, Mitsuo Shintani, Manabu Yamaguchi, Yoshiki Aramatsu
  • Publication number: 20110032537
    Abstract: The present invention releases a method of producing a metal separator for a solid polymer fuel cell by stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy during which securing lower cost and mass producibility by using a material having a high workability to form a complicated shape by a high productivity, then using an inexpensive blast process to drive a conductive substance into the surface of the metal separator member, that is, provides a stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy solid polymer fuel cell separator comprised of stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy in the surface of which a low ion release conductive substance is buried, having an arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) of the separator surface of 0.5 to 5.0 ?m, having a 10-point mean roughness (Rz) of 3 to 20 ?m, having an average spacing of surface relief shapes (Sm) of 300 ?m or less, having values of a warp rate and twist rate of a separator of 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Applicants: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION, SINTOBRATOR, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kihira, Michio Kaneko, Mitsuharu Yamagata, Koki Tanaka, Yoichi Ikematsu, Yoichi Matsuzaki, Kazuto Kawakami, Wataru Hisada, Suguru Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20100326202
    Abstract: [Problems] For an apparatus for measuring a flow rate of a powder when a powder is conveyed by using air as a carrier gas, which apparatus measures the flow rate based on the change of capacitance of the powder to be measured, to provide the apparatus that can measure the flow rate of a powder with high accuracy by compensating for the effect of the thermal drift of the capacitance. [Means for Solving Problems] The apparatus for measuring a flow rate of a powder, which apparatus uses capacitance, comprises: a protecting pipe for conveying a powder, a housing pipe having measuring electrodes, and a transducer for outputting an output of the measuring electrode to a display. It further comprises an atmospheric temperature sensor and a carrier-gas-temperature sensor 31.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2008
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Inventors: Wataru Hisada, Mitsuo Shintani, Manabu Yamaguchi, Yoshiki Aramatsu
  • Patent number: 7807281
    Abstract: The present invention releases a method of producing a metal separator for a solid polymer fuel cell by stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy during which securing lower cost and mass producibility by using a material having a high workability to form a complicated shape by a high productivity, then using an inexpensive blast process to drive a conductive substance into the surface of the metal separator member, that is, provides a stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy solid polymer fuel cell separator comprised of stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy in the surface of which a low ion release conductive substance is buried, having an arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) of the separator surface of 0.5 to 5.0 ?m, having a 10-point mean roughness (Rz) of 3 to 20 ?m, having an average spacing of surface relief shapes (Sm) of 300 ?m or less, having values of a warp rate and twist rate of a separator of 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignees: Nippon Steel Corporation, Sintokogio Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kihira, Michio Kaneko, Mitsuharu Yamagata, Koki Tanaka, Yoichi Ikematsu, Yoichi Matsuzaki, Kazuto Kawakami, Wataru Hisada, Suguru Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20090226785
    Abstract: The present invention releases a method of producing a metal separator for a solid polymer fuel cell by stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy during which securing lower cost and mass producibility by using a material having a high workability to form a complicated shape by a high productivity, then using an inexpensive blast process to drive a conductive substance into the surface of the metal separator member, that is, provides a stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy solid polymer fuel cell separator comprised of stainless steel, titanium, or titanium alloy in the surface of which a low ion release conductive substance is buried, having an arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) of the separator surface of 0.5 to 5.0 ?m, having a 10-point mean roughness (Rz) of 3 to 20 ?m, having an average spacing of surface relief shapes (Sm) of 300 ?m or less, having values of a warp rate and twist rate of a separator of 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2006
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Applicants: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION, SINTOBRATOR, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kihira, Michio Kaneko, Mitsuharu Yamagata, Koki Tanaka, Yoichi Ikematsu, Yoichi Matsuzaki, Kazuoto Kawakami, Wataru Hisada, Suguru Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20090226787
    Abstract: The present invention provides a separator for a solid polymer type fuel cell superior in low contact resistance of the fuel cell separator surface with carbon paper and flatness and a method of production of the same, that is, a separator for a solid polymer type fuel cell comprising a substrate of stainless steel or titanium or a titanium alloy having a surface layer part on which conductive compound particles are fixed, wherein said conductive compound particles are comprised of one or more types of metal borides, metal carbides, and metal nitrides with an average particle size of 0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Applicants: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION, SINTOBRATOR, LTD
    Inventors: Koki Tanaka, Youichi Ikematsu, Hiroshi Kihira, Michio Kaneko, Wataru Hisada, Tamotsu Itoh
  • Publication number: 20090197143
    Abstract: The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte fuel cell separator made of pure titanium or a titanium alloy superior in contact resistance with carbon paper and a method of production of the same, that is, a separator having a surface layer part to which conductive compound particles are affixed, characterized in that the surface oxide has a thickness of 3 to 15 nm in range, an average carbon concentration in a range from an outermost surface, including the oxide layer, to a depth of 100 nm is 0.02 to 6 at %, and the conductive compound particles have an average particle size of 0.01 to 20 ?m. Further, the method of production of the present invention is characterized by forming, blast treating a surface of the formed article by particles comprised of conductive compound particles of an average particle size of 0.01 to 20 ?m covering a surface of superhard core particles, impregnating it by a nitric acid aqueous solution of a concentration of 15 to 71 mass % and a temperature of 40 to 100° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventors: Michio Kaneko, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Kiyonori Tokuno, Hiroshi Kihira, Wataru Hisada
  • Publication number: 20090013904
    Abstract: This invention provides a method for manufacturing a solid plating material which has excellent electrical conductivity and durability, and the solid plating materials manufactured by this method, wherein a suspension liquid is made by mixing a fluid for coating that includes an organic binder, with a powder for plating having electrical conductivity and a metal powder to be used for binding, wherein then layers having the plating powder and the metal powder, and bound to the surfaces of core particles with the organic binder, are formed by means of injecting the suspension liquid on the surfaces of the core particles while the core particles are being agitated by centrifugal fluidization, and wherein then the core particles are heated until their temperature is above the melting temperature of the metal powder to be used for binding so as to remove the organic binder and to form deposited layers of the plating powder by melting the metal powder to be used for binding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2004
    Publication date: January 15, 2009
    Inventors: Wataru Hisada, Kenji Tamaki
  • Patent number: 6726953
    Abstract: A method for depositing a metal having a high corrosion resistance and a low contact resistance against carbon to a separator for a fuel cell enabling provision of an inexpensive separator for a fuel cell by depositing a metal having a high corrosion resistance and a low contact resistance against carbon to the surface of a metal conveniently by simple equipment while using as a preform a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum as a material having a high productivity and low price and in addition capable of reducing the weight by making the sheet thickness thin, comprising projecting to a separator of a unit cell for forming the fuel cell a solid plating material comprised of core particles having a higher hardness than the separator and coated with a metal having a high corrosion resistance and a low contact resistance against carbon so as to compulsorily deposit the metal coated on this solid plating material to the separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignees: Sintobrator, Ltd., Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Hisada, Hiroshi Kihira
  • Publication number: 20010006702
    Abstract: A method for depositing a metal having a high corrosion resistance and a low contact resistance against carbon to a separator for a fuel cell enabling provision of an inexpensive separator for a fuel cell by depositing a metal having a high corrosion resistance and a low contact resistance against carbon to the surface of a metal conveniently by simple equipment while using as a preform a metal such as stainless steel or aluminum as a material having a high productivity and low price and in addition capable of reducing the weight by making the sheet thickness thin, comprising projecting to a separator of a unit cell for forming the fuel cell a solid plating material comprised of core particles having a higher hardness than the separator and coated with a metal having a high corrosion resistance and a low contact resistance against carbon so as to compulsorily deposit the metal coated on this solid plating material to the separator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2000
    Publication date: July 5, 2001
    Applicant: (1) Sintobrator, Ltd., (2) Nippon Steel Corporation.
    Inventors: Wataru Hisada, Hiroshi Kihira