Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Kihira

Hiroshi Kihira 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: 10074857
    Abstract: A titanium or titanium alloy material for a separator of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell having high contact conductivity with carbon and high durability, and including an oxide film formed on a titanium or titanium alloy substrate by a stabilization treatment performed after a passivation treatment, and one or more kinds of conductive materials selected from carbide, nitride, carbonitride, and boride of tantalum, titanium, vanadium, zirconium, and chromium, the conductive materials being dispersed in the oxide film and having a major axis diameter of from 1 nm to 100 nm. A contact resistance value with a carbon paper is 20 m?·cm2 or less at a surface pressure of 10 kgf/cm2 before and after an accelerated deterioration test in which the titanium or titanium alloy material is immersed in a sulfuric acid aqueous solution having an adjusted pH of 4 at 80° C. for four days.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kihira, Yuuichi Yosida, Taku Kagawa, Takumi Nishimoto, Koki Tanaka, Masao Kimura, Kiyonori Tokuno, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Takashi Domoto
  • Patent number: 9947942
    Abstract: A titanium or titanium alloy material for a fuel cell separator has a surface shape in which a plurality of projections are distributed, and a titanium oxide film on a surface of the projections. Fine projections are assumed to increase the contact conductivity remarkably. By increasing contact conductivity with carbon and durability of a titanium or titanium alloy material for a fuel cell separator, the lifetime of a fuel cell may be increased. The material has high usability in the cell manufacturing industry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Takahashi, Taku Kagawa, Hiroshi Kihira, Kiyonori Tokuno, Takumi Nishimoto, Koki Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20150325864
    Abstract: [Object] To increase contact conductivity with carbon and durability of a titanium or titanium alloy material for a fuel cell separator so as to increase the lifetime of a fuel cell. [Solution] Provided is a titanium or titanium alloy material for a fuel cell separator having a surface shape in which a plurality of projections are distributed, and a titanium oxide film on a surface of the projections. Fine projections are assumed to increase the contact conductivity remarkably. The present invention has high usability in the cell manufacturing industry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Publication date: November 12, 2015
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takumi NISHIMOTO, Hiroshi KIHIRA, Kiyonori TOKUNO, Taku KAGAWA, Koki TANAKA, Kazuhiro TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20150280251
    Abstract: [Object] To increase contact conductivity with carbon and durability of a titanium or titanium alloy material for a fuel cell separator so as to increase the lifetime of a fuel cell. [Solution] Provided is a titanium or titanium alloy material for a fuel cell separator having a surface shape in which a plurality of projections are distributed, and a titanium oxide film on a surface of the projections. Fine projections are assumed to increase the contact conductivity remarkably. The present invention has high usability in the cell manufacturing industry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Takahashi, Taku Kagawa, Hiroshi Kihira, Kiyonori Tokuno, Takumi Nishimoto, Koki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9065081
    Abstract: The present invention provides titanium material for a separator for solid polymer fuel cell use comprised of titanium which has a surface layer part where conductive compound particles are affixed, which is excellent in contact resistance between the separator surface and carbon paper and in durability, and which is low in cost and superior in recyclability and a method of production of the same. This titanium material for separator use has on the surface of the titanium base material a film comprised of the titanium compound particles made of titanium carbide, titanium nitride, or titanium carbonitride and titanium oxide. The film has a thickness of 0.1 to 1 ?m, the coverage rate is an area percentage of 20% or more, and the contents of carbon and nitrogen in the film total 5 to 40 at %. The titanium material for a separator is produced by annealing or shot blasting and pickling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koki Tanaka, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Hiroshi Kihira, Kiyonori Tokuno
  • Publication number: 20150147678
    Abstract: [Object] To provide a titanium or titanium alloy material for a separator of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell having high contact conductivity with carbon and high durability. [Solution] The titanium or titanium alloy material includes an oxide film formed on a titanium or titanium alloy substrate by stabilization treatment performed after passivation treatment, and one or more kinds of conductive materials selected from carbide, nitride, carbonitride, and boride of tantalum, titanium, vanadium, zirconium, and chromium, the conductive materials being dispersed in the oxide film and having a major axis diameter from 1 nm to 100 nm. A contact resistance value with a carbon paper is 20 m?·cm2 or less at a surface pressure of 10 kgf/cm2 before and after an accelerated deterioration test in which the titanium or titanium alloy material is immersed in a sulfuric acid aqueous solution having an adjusted pH of 4 at 80° C. for four days.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kihira, Yuuichi Yosida, Taku Kagawa, Takumi Nishimoto, Koki Tanaka, Masao Kimura, Kiyonori Tokuno, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Takashi Domoto
  • Patent number: 8845400
    Abstract: An inexpensive rotary grinding tool with reduced noise level of the grinding is provided. The rotary grinding tool comprises a metal disk having a grinding surface on at least a part of its surface and a holder for supporting the metal disk. The grinding surface has hard grains having a Mohs hardness in excess of 9 brazed thereon at a surface density of at least 20 grains/cm2. The holder has at its center a securing means for securing the holder on rotary shaft of a rotary drive unit. The holder and the metal disk are joined together to constitute the rotary grinding tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignees: Nippon Steel & Sumikin Anti-Corrosion Co., Ltd., Dai Nippon Toryo Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Atsumi Imai, Takehide Aiga, Masanori Nagai, Takayuki Sato, Kenji Fujimoto, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto, Hiroshi Kihira
  • 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: 8603268
    Abstract: A titanium material for a solid polymer fuel cell separator having a low contact resistance and a method of production of the same, the titanium material having at its surface a surface layer structure in which particles of a Ti compound containing either C or N are dispersed, the particles of Ti compound being covered by titanium oxide and/or metal Ti, characterized in that, when analyzed from the surface by XPS, a Ti2p spectrum of TiO2 is detected, further, at a Ti2p spectral energy range of TiO and/or a Ti2p spectral energy range of metal Ti, a Ti maximum detection peak height is at least 3 times the standard deviations of the background at the respective spectral energy ranges, and at a C1s spectral energy range and N1s spectral energy range, a maximum detection peak height is less than 3 times the standard deviations of the background at the respective spectral energy ranges of C1s and N1s, are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Takahashi, Kiyonori Tokuno, Hiroshi Kihira, Koki Tanaka, Michio Kaneko
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20120270484
    Abstract: An inexpensive rotary grinding tool with reduced noise level of the grinding is provided. The rotary grinding tool comprises a metal disk having a grinding surface on at least a part of its surface and a holder for supporting the metal disk. The grinding surface has hard grains having a Mohs hardness in excess of 9 brazed thereon at a surface density of at least 20 grains/cm2. The holder has at its center a securing means for securing the holder on rotary shaft of a rotary drive unit. The holder and the metal disk are joined together to constitute the rotary grinding tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicants: DAI NIPPON TORYO CO., LTD, NITTETSU ANTI-CORROSION CO., LTD
    Inventors: Atsumi Imai, Takehide Aiga, Masanori Nagai, Takayuki Sato, Kenji Fujimoto, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto, Hiroshi Kihira
  • Publication number: 20120171468
    Abstract: The present invention provides titanium material for a separator for solid polymer fuel cell use comprised of titanium which has a surface layer part where conductive compound particles are affixed, which is excellent in contact resistance between the separator surface and carbon paper and in durability, and which is low in cost and superior in recyclability and a method of production of the same. This titanium material for separator use has on the surface of the titanium base material a film comprised of the titanium compound particles made of titanium carbide, titanium nitride, or titanium carbonitride and titanium oxide. The film has a thickness of 0.1 to 1 ?m, the coverage rate is an area percentage of 20% or more, and the contents of carbon and nitrogen in the film total 5 to 40 at %. The titanium material for a separator is produced by annealing or shot blasting and pickling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Inventors: Koki Tanaka, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Hiroshi Kihira, Kiyonori Tokuno
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20110177430
    Abstract: A titanium material for a solid polymer fuel cell separator having a low contact resistance and a method of production of the same, the titanium material having at its surface a surface layer structure in which particles of a Ti compound containing either C or N are dispersed, the particles of Ti compound being covered by titanium oxide and/or metal Ti, characterized in that, when analyzed from the surface by XPS, a Ti2p spectrum of TiO2 is detected, further, at a Ti2p spectral energy range of TiO and/or a Ti2p spectral energy range of metal Ti, a Ti maximum detection peak height is at least 3 times the standard deviations of the background at the respective spectral energy ranges, and at a C1s spectral energy range and N1s spectral energy range, a maximum detection peak height is less than 3 times the standard deviations of the background at the respective spectral energy ranges of C1s and N1s, are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Takahashi, Kiyonori Tokuno, Hiroshi Kihira, Koki Tanaka, Michio Kaneko
  • 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
  • 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: 20090304917
    Abstract: A highly durable repair-coating method is provided, which permits the simple, fast, efficient and effective removal of thick rust and fixed rust generated on a steel structure having a large area such as a bridge and an intermediate iron product, under storage, which can ensure high working properties and high safety while reducing the processing cost, and which can likewise ensure high quality repairing and the subsequent improved duration of the repaired and coated articles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2007
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Applicant: DAI NIPPON TORYO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kihira, Takehide Aiga, Atsumi Imai, Kanjiro Hiramatsu, Yoshihiko Mitsuzuka, Masanori Nagai, Takayuki Sato, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto