Patents Assigned to Japan Atomic Energy Agency
  • Publication number: 20120321993
    Abstract: The process for producing a proton conductive polymer electrolyte membrane of the present invention includes the steps of: irradiating resin fine particles with radiation; graft-polymerizing a vinyl monomer having a sulfonic acid group precursor and a vinyl monomer having a carbonyl group equivalent with the resin fine particles in a solid-liquid two-phase system to obtain a finely particulate graft polymer; preparing a casting solution of a polymer having a phosphoric acid group or a phosphonic acid group and the graft polymer, and forming a cast membrane from this solution; drying the cast membrane to obtain a film; converting the sulfonic acid group precursor into a sulfonic acid group; and forming a crosslinked structure between the carbonyl group equivalents. In the solid-liquid two-phase system, a liquid phase includes the vinyl monomers and a solvent for the monomers, and a solid phase includes the resin fine particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicants: JAPAN ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Emori, Hirose Suzuki, Masaharu Asano, Yasunari Maekawa
  • Patent number: 8329766
    Abstract: A functional membrane and a production method thereof including: an ion irradiation step in which a polymer film substrate is irradiated with high energy heavy ions at 104 to 1014 ions/cm2, to generate active species in the film substrate; and a graft polymerization step in which after the ion irradiation step, the film substrate is added with one or more monomers selected from a group A consisting of monomers each having a functional group and 1 to 80 mol % of a monomer including a group B consisting of a crosslinking agent(s) for the group A monomer(s), and the film substrate and the monomer(s) are graft-polymerized. There is obtained a functional membrane having high functionality in conjunction with the gas barrier property intrinsically possessed by a polymer film substrate, in particular, a polymer electrolyte membrane optimal as a polymer electrolyte membrane for use in fuel cells, high in proton conductivity and excellent in gas barrier property.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeharu Takagi, Toshiya Saito, Misaki Kobayashi, Masaru Yoshida, Tetsuya Yamaki, Masaharu Asano
  • Patent number: 8322592
    Abstract: Disclosed is an austenitic welding material which contains C: 0.01 wt % or less, Si: 0.5 wt % or less, Mn: 0.5 wt % or less, P: 0.005 wt % or less, S: 0.005 wt % or less, Ni: 15 to 40 wt %, Cr: 20 to 30 wt %, N: 0.01 wt % or less, O: 0.01 wt % or less, and the balance of Fe and inevitable impurities, wherein the content of B contained as one of the inevitable impurities in the welding material is 3 wt ppm or less, and the total content of C, P, S, N and O in the welding material is 0.02 wt % or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Kobelco Research Institute, Inc., Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Kiuchi, Ikuo Ioka, Chiaki Kato, Nobutoshi Maruyama, Ichiro Tsukatani, Makoto Tanabe, Jumpei Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20120280132
    Abstract: In a lattice-like pixel structure in which a reflecting plate that reflects a fluorescent light from a fluorescent material-based neutron detecting sheet is arranged along a vertical axis at a regular interval, and a reflecting plate that reflects a fluorescent light is arranged along a horizontal axis at a regular interval and at a right angle with respect to a series of fluorescent plates formed arranged along the vertical axis, a lattice-like fluorescent light detecting member is formed by providing such a structure that a groove may be formed at upper half position of the vertical axis direction reflecting plate and at a center position in a vertical axis interval for accommodating a wavelength shifting fiber for vertical axis detection for detecting the fluorescent light, and a groove may be formed at lower half position of the horizontal axis direction reflecting plate and at a center position in a horizontal axis interval for accommodating a wavelength shifting fiber for horizontal axis detection for d
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2011
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicants: CHICHIBU FUJI CO., LTD., JAPAN ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
    Inventors: Tatsuya Nakamura, Masaki Katagiri, Noriaki Tsutsui
  • Patent number: 8288496
    Abstract: [Problems to be Solved] To provide highly hydrous contact lenses having a cellulose derivative as an essential component. [Means to Solve the Problems] The highly hydrous contact lens formed by exposing a pasty mixture containing a cellulose derivative, a polymerizable compound couplable to the foregoing cellulose derivative, and water to radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignees: Nippon Contact Lens Inc., Japan Atomic Energy Agency
    Inventors: Toshihiro Sato, Akihiro Hiroki, Naotsugu Nagasawa, Masao Tamada
  • Patent number: 8283088
    Abstract: An object is to provide an electrolyte membrane that maintains excellent cell characteristics for a long time under high temperature and low water retention, as this is the most important point in fuel cells. A process for producing a polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cells is provided, which process comprises in sequence: forming graft molecular chains by graft-polymerization of a vinyl silane coupling agent on a polymer film substrate that has phenyl groups capable of holding sulfonic acid groups; introducing sulfonic acid groups into phenyl groups contained in the graft molecular chains; and hydrolyzing and condensing alkoxy groups contained in the graft molecular chains so that a silane crosslinked structure is introduced between the graft molecular chains. A polymer electrolyte membrane produced by the process is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventors: Masaru Yoshida, Masaharu Asano, Jinhua Chen, Yasunari Maekawa, Toshimitsu Tachibana, Yozo Nagai, Soji Nishiyama
  • Publication number: 20120247236
    Abstract: A sensor with aging function is provided wherein installation space for an apparatus to perform an aging process and the number of apparatuses can be reduced which enables easy and reliable aging processes and can improve measuring accuracy and enhance measuring reliability of the sensor. The sensor with aging function 10 is attached, through a bonding agent 15, to a high temperature measuring object 14, comprising a block body 12 constructed by integrally forming a sensor main body 11 and an electric heater 13 disposed in a manner to be close to the sensor main body 11 using a molding process, wherein a bonding surface on which the bonding agent 15 is applied is formed on the measuring object 14 side of the block body 12.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicants: JAPAN ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, KUMAGAI GUMI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisayoshi ISHIBASHI, Hirokazu SUZUKI, Akihiko NISHIMURA, Yukihiro SHIMADA
  • Publication number: 20120247237
    Abstract: A sensor and bonding agent for the sensor wherein thickness of the bonding agent interposed between the sensor and measuring object can be kept uniform to maintain uniform bonding force of the bonding agent and a peeling phenomenon of the bonding agent occurring due to a difference in thermal expansion between the measuring object and bonding agent and/or between the bonding agent and the sensor can be prevented. The sensor is attached, through the bonding agent, to a high-temperature measuring object, include a sensor main body having a detecting section, a block body constructed by integrally forming the sensor main body using a molding process. The block body is made of a ceramic-based bonding material that the same as a material forming the bonding agent and, on a side of the measuring object of the block body, a bonding surface of the bonding agent is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicants: JAPAN ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, KUMAGAI GUMI CO., LTD
    Inventors: Hisayoshi ISHIBASHI, Hirokazu SUZUKI, Akihiko NISHIMURA, Yukihiro SHIMADA
  • Patent number: 8279780
    Abstract: Dual (redundant) operation support servers are used to improve the reliability of a video conferencing system and ensure the stability of communication. Switching automatically one operation support server to another enables a video conference to be smoothly continued without interruption. Multiple operation support servers are provided, each including a synchronization function which synchronizes site connection information and live camera information between the operation support servers and prevents an operation support server in a standby state from writing live camera information in a folder for each site. Each site PC 14 includes an automatic server change function which, when an operation support server 11 in service fails, switches connection from the operation support server 11 to an operation support server 12 in a standby state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Japan Atomic Energy Agency
    Inventor: Yuzo Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20120231220
    Abstract: There are provided a microstructural material allowing a concavo-convex pattern of a mold to be imprinted thereon by hardening a pattern formative layer through an unprecedented method, and a fabrication method thereof. A PTFE dispersion liquid is used in a pattern formative layer 2a forming an imprint section 2, thereby allowing such pattern formative layer 2a formed on a concavo-convex pattern of a mold 5 to be hardened when irradiated with an ionizing radiation. Accordingly, the fabrication method of a microstructural material 1 of the present invention employs an imprinting method allowing the pattern formative layer 2a to be hardened through an ionizing radiation R, which is completely different from a thermal imprinting and an optical imprinting. That is, the pattern formative layer 2a can be hardened, and the concavo-convex pattern of the mold 5 can thus be imprinted thereon, through an unprecedented method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: JAPAN ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
    Inventors: Akihiro Oshima, Seiichi Tagawa, Masakazu Washio, Tomoko Oyama, Tomohiro Takahashi, Satoshi Okubo, Akinobu Kobayashi, Naotsugu Nagasawa, Mitsumasa Taguchi
  • Patent number: 8263287
    Abstract: Polymer electrolyte membranes for use in fuel cells are produced by first graft polymerizing acrylic acid derivatives or vinylketone derivatives as monomers on polymer substrates and by then performing selective conversion to a sulfonic acid group of hydrogen atoms on the carbon atom adjacent to the carbonyl in the ketone or carboxyl group on the graft chains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Japan Atomic Energy Agency
    Inventors: Shuichi Takahashi, Yasunari Maekawa, Shin Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 8253107
    Abstract: A neutron image detection method is disclosed, which collects a fluorescent light generated by a neutron incident at a designated position interval in one-dimensional geometry and determines an incident position of the neutron by detecting the collected fluorescent light, in which the fluorescent light is detected by a photon counting method; a pulse signal generated by an individual output photon is extracted on the basis of a clock signal generated with the same time interval as the time width of the pulse signal generated by a single photon; a count-value distribution is obtained in terms of incident position as variable determined by a single neutron incident by counting the pulse signal output; and a neutron incident position is determined by calculating a median point on the basis of the obtained count-value distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Hoshin Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Nakamura, Masaki Katagiri, Masumi Ebine, Atsushi Birumachi, Yutaka Yoribayashi
  • Patent number: 8246853
    Abstract: The present invention relates to maintaining the fundamental physical properties of a liquid alkali metal with dispersed nanoparticles which is such that nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed and mixed in a liquid alkali metal used in heat exchange, cooling and other applications, and suppressing the reaction of the liquid alkali metal with dispersed nanoparticles. Provided is a method of manufacturing a liquid alkali metal with dispersed nanoparticles by dispersing nanoparticles in a liquid alkali metal. In this method, the nanoparticles are made of a metal having a large atomic bonding due to a combination with the liquid alkali metal compared to the atomic bonding of atoms of the liquid alkali metal and a metal having a large amount of charge transfer is used in the nanoparticles. The liquid alkali metal is selected from sodium, lithium and sodium-potassium alloys, and the nanoparticles to be dispersed are made of transition metals, such as titanium, vanadium, chromium, iron, cobalt, nickel and copper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Ara, Junichi Saito, Hiroyuki Sato, Nobuki Oka, Masahiko Nagai, Koichi Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 8247762
    Abstract: Molecules of a specific species can be selectively excited among molecules of a plurality of species that show only a slight difference of mass. Energy levels can be displayed on a graph where the horizontal axis indicates excitation energy. Assume an instance where an electromagnetic wave showing a comb-shaped spectrum having a plurality of narrow bands as indicated by P1 through P14 and tuning with excitation energies corresponding to the rotational levels of molecule X is irradiated onto the molecule X. The molecule X can sequentially make transitions to higher energy levels by using an electromagnetic wave showing such a comb-shaped spectrum. The energy levels of molecule Y are not synchronized with the comb-shaped spectrum. The two ranges of Y4 through Y7 and Y12 through Y15 operate as gates and the molecule Y cannot make transition from a rotational level to another when a gate is found between them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Japan Atomic Energy Agency
    Inventors: Keiichi Yokoyama, Leo Matsuoka, Hiroshi Akagi, Tatsuya Kasajima, Masaaki Tsubouchi, Atsushi Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 8241770
    Abstract: Polymer ion-exchange membranes having outstanding electrical conductivity, water retention and oxidation resistance are produced by the steps of uniformly mixing an organic high-molecular weight resin with functional inorganics having the abilities to promote graft polymerization of polymerizable monomers, adsorb water and conduct protons, irradiating the resulting functional inorganics/polymer membrane to initiate graft polymerization or graft copolymerization of polymerizable monomers having functional groups, and then introducing sulfonic acid groups into the graft chains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignees: Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventors: Masaru Yoshida, Tetsuya Yamaki, Masaharu Asano, Yousuke Morita, Soji Nishiyama, Toshimitsu Tachibana, Yozo Nagai
  • Patent number: 8236674
    Abstract: A substrate micro-processing method and a semiconductor device manufacturing method in which a stained part does not remain in a finished product even if a residual ion-injected part stays in the finished product. The substrate micro-processing method is one that carries out processing of a substrate by dividing the substrate depthwise, and comprises a proton injection step S11 in which protons are injected from one principal surface side of the substrate and an irradiation step S12 in which the substrate is irradiated with light having the wavelength nearly equal to the absorption wavelength of the defect level formed within the substrate due to the proton injection in order to divide the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: Japan Atomic Energy Agency
    Inventor: Shintaro Ishiyama
  • Patent number: 8222617
    Abstract: A laser-driven particle beam irradiation apparatus includes: a particle beam generator irradiating a target with pulsed laser light to emit a laser-driven particle ray; a beam converging unit forming a transportation path which guides the emitted laser-driven particle ray to an object and spatially converging the laser-driven particle ray; an energy selector selecting an energy and an energy width of the laser-driven particle ray; an irradiation port causing the laser-driven particle ray to scan the object to adjust an irradiation position in the object; and an irradiation controller controlling operation of the particle beam generator, the beam converging unit, the energy selector and the irradiation port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Japan Atomic Energy Agency
    Inventors: Yasushi Iseki, Takeshi Yoshiyuki, Hiroyuki Daido, Masahiro Ikegami, Mamiko Nishiuchi, Akira Noda
  • Publication number: 20120148939
    Abstract: An anion exchange membrane includes a quaternary ammonium salt group in which two methyl groups, and one alkyl group having 3 to 8 carbon atoms are bonded to a nitrogen atom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2011
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Applicant: JAPAN ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
    Inventors: Kazuya Yamamoto, Koji Yamada, Susumu Yamaguchi, Hirohisa Tanaka, Masaharu Asano, Tetsuya Yamaki, Hiroshi Koshikawa, Yasunari Maekawa, Warapon Sinananwanich
  • Publication number: 20120132827
    Abstract: A laser light is emitted from a laser light source and focused inside a cluster-gas. A nozzle is installed in a vacuum. The nozzle is configured so that a jet of gas can be jetted from its top into the vacuum. The gas is a mixed gas of helium and carbon dioxide. The gas jetted into the vacuum undergoes adiabatic expansion with a steep cooling, which produces the cluster-gas. In the cluster gas, a large number of CO2 molecules aggregate into nanosized CO2 clusters which suspend in the gas of He atoms. It is preferred that the light focal point be located in a rear part of the cluster-gas. The most preferred are 80% to 100% positions of the orifice as seen from the front side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: JAPAN ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
    Inventors: Yuji Fukuda, Tatsufumi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8177881
    Abstract: Solvent extraction from an aqueous phase containing first and second rare earth elements is carried out by contacting an organic phase containing a diglycolamic acid as an extractant and a hydrocarbon or a low-polar alcohol as a solvent, with the aqueous phase below pH 3 for extracting the first rare earth element into the organic phase, back-extracting from the organic phase with an aqueous acid solution for recovering the first rare earth element, and recovering the second rare earth element which has not been extracted into the organic phase and has remained in the aqueous phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignees: Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., Japan Atomic Energy Agency
    Inventors: Hiroto Sugahara, Kazuaki Sakaki, Takehisa Minowa, Hirochika Naganawa, Kojiro Shimojo