Patents by Inventor Akio Sato

Akio Sato 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).

  • Publication number: 20240372123
    Abstract: A redox flow battery includes a series circuit having two or more cell stacks electrically connected in series. Each of the two or more cell stacks includes a cell stack input terminal and a cell stack output terminal. Each of the two or more cell stacks is provided with a bypass circuit that electrically bypasses the cell stack. Each of the bypass circuits includes a bypass circuit input terminal and a bypass circuit output terminal. The redox flow battery includes an input switch that, with respect to each of the two or more cell stacks, switches between the cell stack input terminal and the bypass circuit input terminal and an output switch that, with respect to each of the two or more cell stacks, switches between the cell stack output terminal and the bypass circuit output terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: November 7, 2024
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiyasu Kiyabu, Tsuyoshi Wakasa, Kei Moriyama, Akio Sato
  • Publication number: 20240283283
    Abstract: Provided is a redox flow battery system wherein operations related to charging and discharging of a redox flow battery have been improved. This redox flow battery system comprises a redox flow battery and a power supply device that supplies power for charging the redox flow battery to the redox flow battery, wherein the power supply device reduces the power supplied to the redox flow battery as charging of the redox flow battery approaches completion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiyasu Kiyabu, Akio Sato, Tsuyoshi Wakasa, Kei Moriyama
  • Publication number: 20240274854
    Abstract: A redox flow battery includes a cell in which a first chamber in which a first electrode serving as an anode during charging is installed and a second chamber in which a second electrode serving as a cathode during charging is installed are divided by a membrane, a first tank that stores a first electrolyte, a first circulation device including a first supply path that connects the first tank and the first chamber and a first recovery path that connects the first chamber and the first tank, a second tank that stores a second electrolyte, a second circulation device including a second supply path that connects the second tank and the second chamber and a second recovery path that connects the second chamber and the second tank, and an adjustment path that supplies gas included in the first tank to the second recovery path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Publication date: August 15, 2024
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Akio Sato, Toshiyasu Kiyabu, Tsuyoshi Wakasa, Kei Moriyama
  • Patent number: 11981053
    Abstract: A compression molding device, which can obtain a high compression molding force without lowering the efficiency of article production, and whose molding means has a long service life, is provided. In the compression molding device, a one-side mold assembly moving means (58) includes a toggle link mechanism including two links (62) and (64), and a toggle link mechanism operating means (60), while an opposite-side mold assembly moving means (108) includes a hydraulic cylinder mechanism. When a one-side mold assembly (16) and an opposite-side mold assembly (18) are to be brought from an open state into a closed state, the one-side mold assembly (16) is first moved to a nearly closed state by the one-side mold assembly moving means (58), and then the opposite-side mold assembly (18) is moved from the nearly closed state to the closed state by the opposite-side mold assembly moving means (108).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignees: NIPPON CLOSURES CO., LTD., TOYO SEIKAN GROUP ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akio Sato, Yoshihiro Kaitsuka, Shin Nakamura, Keitaro Hayashi, Hiroshi Takahashi, Mitsuo Kumata, Yukihito Nozaki, Tomoho Kikuchi, Kunihiko Hatazawa
  • Publication number: 20230299428
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for a welded structure includes preparing a stack in which a plate-shaped first welded member made of a first metal and a plate-shaped second welded member made of a second metal are stacked, and applying a laser beam to the first welded member such that multiple loop weld marks with the same central axis are provided. In applying the laser beam, the laser beam is applied such that irradiation energy gradually reduces from a predetermined one of the weld marks, located on an inner side, toward an outermost periphery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2022
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Seiko KUBOTA, Akio SATO, Seigo FUJISHIMA
  • Publication number: 20230299430
    Abstract: A laminate is formed by overlapping at least a part of a first member and at least a part of a second member. The first member and the second member are joined by irradiating the laminate with a laser. The first member contains aluminum. The second member contains copper. The second member includes a first main surface and a second main surface. The second main surface is an opposite surface of the first main surface. A contact portion is provided due to contact of the first main surface with the first member. The second main surface is irradiated with the laser. A temperature of the contact portion is equal to or higher than an eutectic point temperature of Al and Cu and lower than a melting point of Cu.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Amada Co., Ltd., Amada Weld Tech Co., Ltd., Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Akio Sato, Yasuo Sawai, Kazuki Igarashi, Haruhiko Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20230141693
    Abstract: A hydrogen release and storage system (100) of the present invention includes a hydrogen compound member (101), a container (102) that accommodates the hydrogen compound member (101), a heating apparatus (103) configured to heat the inside of the container (102), a cooling apparatus (104) configured to cool the inside of the container (102) and a water supply apparatus (105) configured to supply water to the container (102).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki ITO, Shuntaro SETO, Wataru MATSUBARA, Keiichi NAKAGAWA, Akio SATO, Takashi YOSHIMOTO
  • Patent number: 11486531
    Abstract: Provided is a thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission that highly prevents intrusion of external heat due to radiation and has excellent thermal insulation property without using a superinsulation. A thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission comprises: a superconducting cable; and a multi-walled pipe that houses the superconducting cable, wherein the multi-walled pipe is composed of a plurality of straight pipes, and at least one of the plurality of straight pipes has, at a surface thereof, a zinc or zinc alloy-plated layer having an average spangle size of 2.0 mm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhide Ishiguro, Akio Sato, Shigeto Sakashita
  • Publication number: 20220063141
    Abstract: A compression molding device, which can obtain a high compression molding force without lowering the efficiency of article production, and whose molding means has a long service life, is provided. In the compression molding device, a one-side mold assembly moving means (58) includes a toggle link mechanism including two links (62) and (64), and a toggle link mechanism operating means (60), while an opposite-side mold assembly moving means (108) includes a hydraulic cylinder mechanism. When a one-side mold assembly (16) and an opposite-side mold assembly (18) are to be brought from an open state into a closed state, the one-side mold assembly (16) is first moved to a nearly closed state by the one-side mold assembly moving means (58), and then the opposite-side mold assembly (18) is moved from the nearly closed state to the closed state by the opposite-side mold assembly moving means (108).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Akio SATO, Yoshihiro KAITSUKA, Shin NAKAMURA, Keitaro HAYASHI, Hiroshi TAKAHASHI, Mitsuo KUMATA, Yukihito NOZAKI, Tomoho KIKUCHI, Kunihiko HATAZAWA
  • Patent number: 11075508
    Abstract: A thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission comprises: a superconducting cable; a multi-walled pipe composed of a plurality of straight pipes and houses the superconducting cable; and a plurality of spacers that are located between adjacent two straight pipes of the plurality of straight pipes, wherein a cross-sectional shape of each spacer is a polygon having three or more vertices, each spacer has a through-hole at a center in the plane, an inner straight pipe is located to pass through the through-hole, a frictional coefficient ?i between each spacer and the inner straight pipe is 0.1 or less, a frictional coefficient ?o between each spacer and an outer straight pipe is 0.1 or less, and a ratio Ld/d of a diagonal equivalent length Ld of the polygon to an inner diameter d of the outer straight pipe of the adjacent two straight pipes is 0.9 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhide Ishiguro, Akio Sato, Shigeto Sakashita
  • Patent number: 10971286
    Abstract: Provided is a thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission that highly prevents intrusion of external heat due to radiation and has excellent thermal insulation property without using a superinsulation and can be produced easily. A thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission comprises: a superconducting cable; and a multi-walled pipe that houses the superconducting cable, wherein the multi-walled pipe is composed of a plurality of straight pipes, and at least one of the plurality of straight pipes has, at a surface thereof, a coating layer containing a metal powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhide Ishiguro, Akio Sato, Shigeto Sakashita
  • Publication number: 20200220340
    Abstract: A thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission comprises: a superconducting cable; a multi-walled pipe composed of a plurality of straight pipes and houses the superconducting cable; and a plurality of spacers that are located between adjacent two straight pipes of the plurality of straight pipes, wherein a cross-sectional shape of each spacer is a polygon having three or more vertices, each spacer has a through-hole at a center in the plane, an inner straight pipe is located to pass through the through-hole, a frictional coefficient ?i between each spacer and the inner straight pipe is 0.1 or less, a frictional coefficient ?o between each spacer and an outer straight pipe is 0.1 or less, and a ratio Ld/d of a diagonal equivalent length Ld of the polygon to an inner diameter d of the outer straight pipe of the adjacent two straight pipes is 0.9 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhide ISHIGURO, Akio SATO, Shigeto SAKASHITA
  • Publication number: 20200200316
    Abstract: Provided is a thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission that highly prevents intrusion of external heat due to radiation and has excellent thermal insulation property without using a superinsulation. A thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission comprises: a superconducting cable; and a multi-walled pipe that houses the superconducting cable, wherein the multi-walled pipe is composed of a plurality of straight pipes, and at least one of the plurality of straight pipes has, at a surface thereof, a zinc or zinc alloy-plated layer having an average spangle size of 2.0 mm or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhide ISHIGURO, Akio SATO, Shigeto SAKASHITA
  • Publication number: 20200203042
    Abstract: Provided is a thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission that highly prevents intrusion of external heat due to radiation and has excellent thermal insulation property without using a superinsulation and can be produced easily. A thermal-insulated multi-walled pipe for superconducting power transmission comprises: a superconducting cable; and a multi-walled pipe that houses the superconducting cable, wherein the multi-walled pipe is composed of a plurality of straight pipes, and at least one of the plurality of straight pipes has, at a surface thereof, a coating layer containing a metal powder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Yasuhide ISHIGURO, Akio SATO, Shigeto SAKASHITA
  • Patent number: 10300559
    Abstract: A laser drilling method is a laser drilling method for performing drilling on a workpiece by use of a laser beam. The laser drilling method includes, after machining a through hole by radiating the laser beam to the workpiece (S100), scanning with the laser beam centered around the through hole toward a radial direction while changing a radiation output of the laser beam (S200).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsutaka Yoshida, Natsuki Sugiyama, Akio Sato, Kenji Kidera, Masaru Setodoi, Taku Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 10071444
    Abstract: A laser cladding apparatus includes a powder supplier to supply metal powder to a portion to be processed, a laser to irradiate the portion to be processed with laser so as to melt the metal powder for cladding, and a controller. The powder supplier includes a gas pressure gauge, and the controller stores, as an initial value, a gas pressure value measured by the gas pressure gauge when the metal powder supplied by the gas pressure reaches the portion to be cladding-processed. In operation after storing the initial value, the controller sets, as a reference time, timing when the gas pressure gauge measures a same pressure as the initial value, and outputs a start signal for laser irradiation to the laser based on the reference time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akio Sato, Yoshinori Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 9623514
    Abstract: In a powder supply method in cladding, an outlet pressure of a coaxial-nozzle side of a supply pipe connecting a feeder to a coaxial nozzle is set within a predetermined range, and powder is supplied from the feeder to the coaxial nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shingo Iwatani, Akio Sato, Yoshinori Ishikawa, Kenji Kidera
  • Patent number: 9533373
    Abstract: Provided is a powder overlay nozzle that can increase the quality of an overlay layer formed on processing portion of a workpiece, and that can greatly increase workpiece productivity and maintainability. The powder overlay nozzle includes an inner nozzle member including a laser passage for passing laser beam, and an outer nozzle member externally fitted on the inner nozzle member. Between the inner nozzle member and the outer nozzle member, a discharge space for passing powder is formed. The outer nozzle member includes a supply channel for supplying the powder to the discharge space in a direction inclined with respect to an axis L of the powder overlay nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akio Sato, Yoshinori Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 9376272
    Abstract: Provided is a powder supply device that can stably supply powder from a main hopper to a powder supply means including a sub-hopper without requiring component replacement and the like. The powder supply device is provided with: a first piping that guides powder accumulated in a main hopper downward; a second piping that is connected to the first piping at a lower end portion thereof while intersecting with the first piping, and that guides the powder guided by the first piping to a sub-hopper; and a switching valve that pressure-feeds the powder temporarily deposited while forming an angle of repose at an intersecting portion of the first piping and the second piping, to the sub-hopper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akio Sato, Kenji Kidera, Norikazu Kume
  • Publication number: 20160121428
    Abstract: A laser cladding apparatus includes: a powder supplying device to supply metal powder to a portion to be processed; a laser irradiation device to irradiate the portion to be processed with laser so as to melt the metal powder for cladding; and control means. The powder supplying device includes a differential pressure gauge, and the control means stores, as an initial value, a gas pressure value measured by the differential pressure gauge when metal powder supplied by the gas pressure reaches the portion to be cladding-processed. In operation after storing the initial value, the control means sets, as a reference time, timing when the differential pressure gauge measures a same pressure as the initial value, and outputs a start signal for laser irradiation to the laser irradiation device based on the reference time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akio SATO, Yoshinori Ishikawa