Patents by Inventor Hiroyuki Watabe

Hiroyuki Watabe 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: 11031618
    Abstract: To provide a polymer capable of forming a polymer electrolyte membrane that is resistant to breakage even when being repeatedly subjected to humidification and drying or a catalyst layer that is resistant to formation of cracks; a polymer electrolyte membrane employing said polymer; and a membrane/electrode assembly for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. A polymer comprising units (u1) having two ion-exchange groups and units (u2) of e.g. a perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether), wherein the molar ratio (u2)/((u1)+(u2)) is more than 0.30 and at most 0.70. A membrane/electrode assembly 10 comprising an anode 13 having a catalyst layer 11 and a gas diffusion layer 12, a cathode 14 having a catalyst layer 11 and a gas diffusion layer 12, and a polymer electrolyte membrane 15 disposed between the anode 13 and the cathode 14 in a state of being contact with the catalyst layers 11, wherein either one or each of the catalyst layers 11 and the polymer electrolyte membrane 15 contains the aforementioned polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Susumu Saito, Hiroyuki Watabe, Takumi Okuyama
  • Publication number: 20210070903
    Abstract: To provide a method for producing a fluorinated polymer, in which it is possible to efficiently and easily control the molecular weight to be proper when polymerizing a perfluoromonomer having a dioxolane ring containing a polymerizable double bond in the ring skeleton, and in which the obtainable fluorinated polymer is less susceptible to a decrease in molecular weight even when contacted with a base.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Susumu SAITO, Satoru HOMMURA, Hiroyuki WATABE
  • Publication number: 20210065539
    Abstract: In a travel status recording apparatus, a data acquisition unit acquires first travel status data and second travel status data indicating a travel status in relation to a vehicle. An event detection unit detects a predetermined event that occurs in relation to the vehicle based on the first travel status data acquired. In response to the predetermined event being detected, a data analysis unit analyzes the second travel status data using artificial intelligence. A recording control unit records, in a storage unit, an analysis result of the second travel status data in association with event detection information in relation to the predetermined event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: DENSO TEN Limited
    Inventors: Yoshikuni MIKI, Hiroshi YAMADA, Hiroyuki WATABE, Kimitaka MURASHITA, Yasutaka OKADA, Ryusuke SEKI
  • Publication number: 20210067742
    Abstract: A travel status recording apparatus records an image captured by a camera mounted on a vehicle, identifies personal information included in the captured image, and masks the personal information in the captured image. A server acquires a masked image corresponding to the captured image in which the personal information is masked from the travel status recording apparatus. The server determines, in response to a request from a third party, whether to restore the personal information included in the acquired masked image based on a preset restoration level. In a case where the server determines to restore the personal information, the server restores the personal information. In a case where the server determines not to restore the personal information, the server conceals the personal information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: DENSO TEN Limited
    Inventors: Yoshikuni MIKI, Hiroshi YAMADA, Hiroyuki WATABE, Yasuhiko NAKANO, Yuuji UNO
  • Publication number: 20210009733
    Abstract: To provide a method for fractionating a liquid composition, which is excellent in separability of the liquid composition. This method for fractionating a liquid composition comprises discharging, from a discharge port of a filling nozzle, a liquid composition containing a solvent and a polymer having ion exchange groups, and fractionating a predetermined amount of the liquid composition, characterized in that the temperature of the liquid composition is controlled so that the average tan ?1 of the liquid composition when discharged from the discharge port of the filling nozzle becomes to be at most 1.00.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki WATABE, Mitsuhisa MATSUMOTO
  • Patent number: 10879551
    Abstract: To provide a membrane/electrode assembly excellent in the power generation characteristics in a wide temperature range and a wide humidity range; an electrolyte material suitable for a catalyst layer of the membrane/electrode assembly; and a liquid composition suitable for forming a catalyst layer of the membrane/electrode assembly. To use an electrolyte material which is formed of a polymer (H) obtained by converting precursor groups in a polymer (F) having structural units (A) based on a perfluoromonomer having a precursor group represented by the formula (g1), structural units (B) represented by the formula (u2), and structural units (C) based on tetrafluoroethylene, wherein the proportion of the structural units (A) is from 8 to 19 mol %, the proportion of the structural units (B) is from 65 to 80 mol %, and the proportion of the structural units (C) is from 1 to 27 mol %, to ion exchange groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Hommura, Susumu Saito, Hiroyuki Watabe
  • Publication number: 20200126328
    Abstract: A terminal device according to one aspect of an embodiment includes a storage, an acquisition unit, a selection unit, and a transmitting unit. The storage stores therein imaging data captured from a moving body. The acquisition unit acquires a transmitting request for imaging data transmitted from an external device on the basis of positional information on the moving body. The selection unit selects, from among the imaging data stored in the storage, target data that is imaging data corresponding to the transmitting request acquired by the acquisition unit. The transmitting unit transmits the target data selected by the selection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Applicant: DENSO TEN Limited
    Inventor: Hiroyuki WATABE
  • Publication number: 20200105011
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus that displays an image on a display unit mounted with a position sensor, and includes a selection unit configured to select one of a sensor coordinate system of the position sensor and a coordinate system different from the sensor coordinate system, an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about a position output from the position sensor, in the coordinate system selected by the selection unit, and a control unit configured to display an image based on the information about the position acquired by the acquisition unit, on the display unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2019
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Watabe
  • Patent number: 10563021
    Abstract: To provide methods for producing a liquid composition, a coating liquid for a catalyst layer and a membrane electrode assembly, capable of making cracking less likely to occur at the time of forming a solid polymer electrolyte membrane or a catalyst layer. A copolymer having a structural unit represented by —[CF2—CF{(OCF2CFX)mOp(CF2)nSO3H}]— (wherein X: F or CF3, m: 1 to 3, p: 0 or 1, and n: an integer of 1 to 12) and a structural unit derived from tetrafluoroethylene, is dispersed in a medium containing water and a hydrocarbon-type alcohol (but not including a fluorinated solvent) to prepare a dispersion wherein the concentration of the copolymer is from 13 to 26 mass %, and the dispersion and a fluorinated solvent are mixed so that the sum of the concentration of the copolymer and the concentration of the fluorinated solvent becomes to be from 17 to 35 mass %, to prepare a liquid composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Watabe, Satoru Hommura, Toshihiro Tanuma
  • Patent number: 10461336
    Abstract: A process for producing a liquid composition, which includes holding a fluorinated polymer having —SO2F groups at from 110 to 130° C. for at least 45 minutes, cooling it to less than 110° C., converting the —SO2F groups in the fluorinated polymer to ion exchange groups to obtain a fluorinated polymer having ion exchange groups, and mixing the fluorinated polymer having ion exchange groups and a liquid medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Watabe, Hirokazu Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 10457760
    Abstract: A process for producing a liquid composition, which includes holding a fluorinated polymer having —SO2F groups at from 140 to 160° C. for at least 45 minutes, cooling it to less than 110° C. at a rate of at least 50° C./min, converting the —SO2F groups in the fluorinated polymer to ion exchange groups to obtain a fluorinated polymer having ion exchange groups, and mixing the fluorinated polymer having ion exchange groups and a liquid medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Watabe, Hirokazu Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20190221874
    Abstract: To provide a polymer capable of forming a polymer electrolyte membrane that is resistant to breakage even when being repeatedly subjected to humidification and drying or a catalyst layer that is resistant to formation of cracks; a polymer electrolyte membrane employing said polymer; and a membrane/electrode assembly for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. A polymer comprising units (u1) having two ion-exchange groups and units (u2) of e.g. a perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether), wherein the molar ratio (u2)/((u1)+(u2)) is more than 0.30 and at most 0.70. A membrane/electrode assembly 10 comprising an anode 13 having a catalyst layer 11 and a gas diffusion layer 12, a cathode 14 having a catalyst layer 11 and a gas diffusion layer 12, and a polymer electrolyte membrane 15 disposed between the anode 13 and the cathode 14 in a state of being contact with the catalyst layers 11, wherein either one or each of the catalyst layers 11 and the polymer electrolyte membrane 15 contains the aforementioned polymer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Applicant: AGC Inc.
    Inventors: Susumu Saito, Hiroyuki Watabe, Takumi Okuyama
  • Patent number: 10035898
    Abstract: To provide a method for producing a liquid composition or a coating liquid for forming a catalyst layer, which can make cracking less likely to occur at the time of forming a solid polymer electrolyte membrane or a catalyst layer; and a method for producing a membrane electrode assembly, which can make cracking less likely to occur at the time of forming the catalyst layer or the solid polymer electrolyte membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Satoru Hommura, Hiroyuki Watabe, Masahiro Kaseda, Toshihiro Tanuma
  • Publication number: 20180190994
    Abstract: To provide a process for producing a liquid composition capable of forming a polymer electrolyte membrane of which breakage at the time of drying is suppressed; a process for producing a catalyst layer-forming coating liquid capable of forming a catalyst layer of which breakage at the time of drying is suppressed; and a method for producing a membrane/electrode assembly by which a catalyst layer or a polymer electrolyte membrane of which breakage at the time of drying is suppressed, can be formed. A process for producing a liquid composition, which comprises holding a fluorinated polymer having —SO2F groups at from 110 to 130° C. for at least 45 minutes; cooling the fluorinated polymer having —SO2F groups held at from 110 to 130° C. to less than 110° C.; converting the —SO2F groups in the fluorinated polymer having —SO2F groups cooled to less than 110° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Applicant: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Watabe, Hirokazu Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20180186913
    Abstract: To provide a process for producing a liquid composition in which formation of a fluorinated polymer having ion exchange groups with a relatively large particle size is suppressed; a process for producing a catalyst layer-forming coating liquid capable of forming a catalyst layer in which inclusion of foreign matters is suppressed; and a method for producing a membrane/electrode assembly by which a catalyst layer or a polymer electrolyte membrane in which inclusion of foreign matters is suppressed, can be formed. A process for producing a liquid composition, which comprises holding a fluorinated polymer having —SO2F groups at from 140 to 160° C. for at least 45 minutes; cooling the fluorinated polymer having —SO2F groups held at from 140 to 160° C. to less than 110° C. at a rate of at least 50° C./min; converting the —SO2F groups in the fluorinated polymer having —SO2F groups cooled to less than 110° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Applicant: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hiroyuki WATABE, Hirokazu WAKABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20180131026
    Abstract: To provide a liquid composition with which a catalyst layer and a polymer electrolyte membrane will hardly be broken at the time of their formation and a method for producing the liquid composition; and a method for producing a membrane/electrode assembly by which a catalyst layer and a polymer electrolyte membrane will hardly be broken at the time of their formation. A liquid composition comprising a polymer having ion exchange groups, water and an organic solvent, wherein the average secondary particle size of the polymer having ion exchange groups is from 100 to 3,000 nm, and the primary particle size parameter represented by the product of the average primary particle size (nm) and the ion exchange capacity (meq/g dry resin) of the polymer having ion exchange groups, is from 12 to 20.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2018
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Applicant: ASAHI GLASS COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Hiroyuki WATABE, Satoru HOMMURA, Jun KATO, Tatsuya MIYAJIMA
  • Publication number: 20180079872
    Abstract: To provide methods for producing a liquid composition, a coating liquid for a catalyst layer and a membrane electrode assembly, capable of making cracking less likely to occur at the time of forming a solid polymer electrolyte membrane or a catalyst layer. A copolymer having a structural unit represented by —[CF2—CF{(OCF2CFX)mOp(CF2)nSO3H}]— (wherein X: F or CF3, m: 1 to 3, p: 0 or 1, and n: an integer of 1 to 12) and a structural unit derived from tetrafluoroethylene, is dispersed in a medium containing water and a hydrocarbon-type alcohol (but not including a fluorinated solvent) to prepare a dispersion wherein the concentration of the copolymer is from 13 to 26 mass %, and the dispersion and a fluorinated solvent are mixed so that the sum of the concentration of the copolymer and the concentration of the fluorinated solvent becomes to be from 17 to 35 mass %, to prepare a liquid composition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Applicant: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Hiroyuki WATABE, Satoru HOMMURA, Toshihiro TANUMA
  • Publication number: 20180051159
    Abstract: To provide a method for producing a liquid composition or a coating liquid for forming a catalyst layer, which can make cracking less likely to occur at the time of forming a solid polymer electrolyte membrane or a catalyst layer; and a method for producing a membrane electrode assembly, which can make cracking less likely to occur at the time of forming the catalyst layer or the solid polymer electrolyte membrane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Publication date: February 22, 2018
    Applicant: ASAHI GLASS COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Satoru HOMMURA, Hiroyuki WATABE, Masahiro KASEDA, Toshihiro TANUMA
  • Publication number: 20170288249
    Abstract: To provide a membrane/electrode assembly excellent in the power generation characteristics in a wide temperature range and a wide humidity range; an electrolyte material suitable for a catalyst layer of the membrane/electrode assembly; and a liquid composition suitable for forming a catalyst layer of the membrane/electrode assembly. To use an electrolyte material which is formed of a polymer (H) obtained by converting precursor groups in a polymer (F) having structural units (A) based on a perfluoromonomer having a precursor group represented by the formula (g1), structural units (B) represented by the formula (u2), and structural units (C) based on tetrafluoroethylene, wherein the proportion of the structural units (A) is from 8 to 19 mol %, the proportion of the structural units (B) is from 65 to 80 mol %, and the proportion of the structural units (C) is from 1 to 27 mol %, to ion exchange groups.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: ASAHI GLASS COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Satoru HOMMURA, Susumu Saito, Hiroyuki Watabe
  • Publication number: 20170220105
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a viewpoint information storage unit configured to store viewpoint information for observing a virtual object as registered viewpoint information, a viewpoint position acquisition unit configured to acquire viewpoint information of a display apparatus mounted on a part of a body of a user, a setting unit configured to set viewpoint information for the user to observe a virtual object based on the registered viewpoint information and the acquired viewpoint information, a generation unit configured to generate a virtual image including the virtual object based on a viewpoint indicated by the set viewpoint information, and a display control unit configured to display the generated virtual image on the display apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Naoko Ogata, Hiroyuki Watabe, Yasumi Tanaka