Patents by Inventor Kazuki Okuno

Kazuki Okuno 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: 8236448
    Abstract: An electrode substrate for a battery has nickel applied as a coat on the surface of a base constituted of crossing of a plurality of fibers including a core formed of synthetic resin and a coating of synthetic resin having a softening temperature lower than the softening temperature of the synthetic resin forming the core. The electrode substrate has the fibers of the base fusion-bonded at a cross point by heat treatment. The ratio of the coating occupying a II-II cross section of the fiber cross point is larger than the ratio of the coating occupying a fiber cross section (III-III cross section) at a site other than at the cross point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignees: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Kazuki Okuno, Jin-Joo Park, Masahiro Kato, Masaru Yao, Tsutomu Iwaki, Tetsuo Sakai
  • Publication number: 20120183804
    Abstract: Provided is a method of producing an aluminum structure using a porous resin molded body having a three-dimensional network structure, with which it is possible to form an aluminum structure having a low oxide content in the surface of aluminum (i.e., having an oxide film with a small thickness), and in particular, it is possible to obtain an aluminum porous body that has a large area. The method includes a step of preparing an aluminum-coated resin molded body in which an aluminum layer is formed, directly or with another layer therebetween, on a surface of a resin molded body composed of urethane, and a heat treatment step in which the aluminum-coated resin molded body is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature equal to or higher than 270° C. and lower than 660° C. to decompose the resin molded body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kotaro Kimura, Akihisa Hosoe, Takayasu Sugihara, Osamu Ohama, Kazuki Okuno, Tomoyuki Awazu, Koji Nitta
  • Publication number: 20120183436
    Abstract: Provided is a method of producing an aluminum structure using a porous resin molded body having a three-dimensional network structure, with which it is possible to form an aluminum structure having a low oxide content in the surface of aluminum (i.e., having an oxide film with a small thickness), and in particular, it is possible to obtain an aluminum porous body that has a large area. The method includes a step of preparing an aluminum-coated resin molded body in which an aluminum layer is formed, directly or with another layer therebetween, on a surface of a resin molded body composed of urethane, and a step of decomposing the resin molded body by bringing the aluminum-coated resin molded body into contact with concentrated nitric acid with a concentration of 62% or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihisa Hosoe, Kotaro Kimura, Takayasu Sugihara, Osamu Ohama, Kazuki Okuno, Tomoyuki Awazu, Koji Nitta
  • Publication number: 20120154982
    Abstract: A capacitor has a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a solid electrolyte layer arranged between the electrode layers. At least one of the electrode layers of this capacitor has an Al porous body, and an electrode body held in this Al porous body to polarize the electrolyte. The oxygen content in the surface of the Al porous body is 3.1% by mass or less. The matter that the oxygen content in the surface of the Al porous body is 3.1% by mass or less is equal to the matter that a high-resistance oxide film is hardly formed on the surface of the Al porous body. Thus, this Al porous body makes it possible to make the current collector area of the electrode layer large so that the capacitor can be improved in capacity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro OTA, Akihisa Hosoe, Masatoshi Majima, Koji Nitta, Tomoyuki Awazu, Kazuki Okuno, Masahiro Kato, Shoichiro Sakai, Shinji Inazawa
  • Publication number: 20120115035
    Abstract: Provided are a three-dimensional net-like aluminum porous body in which the diameter of cells in the porous body is uneven in the thickness direction of the porous body; a current collector and an electrode each using the aluminum porous body; and methods for producing these members. The porous body is a three-dimensional net-like aluminum porous body in a sheet form, for a current collector, in which the diameter of cells in the porous body is uneven in the thickness direction of the porous body. When a cross section in the thickness direction of the three-dimensional net-like aluminum porous body is divided into three regions of a region 1, a region 2 and a region 3 in this order, the average cell diameter of the regions 1 and 3 is preferably different from the cell diameter of the region 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2011
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Applicants: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC TOYAMA CO., LTD., SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro OTA, Akihisa Hosoe, Masatoshi Majima, Koji Nitta, Hajime Ota, Kazuki Okuno, Koutaro Kimura, Kengo Goto, Junichi Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20120070683
    Abstract: There is provided a manufacturing method of an aluminum structure, including a conductive treatment process of forming an electrically conductive layer on a surface of a resin molded body, the electrically conductive layer being made of one or more metals selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, nickel, copper, cobalt, iron, and aluminum, and a plating process of plating the resin molded body subjected to the conductive treatment process with aluminum in a molten salt bath. The manufacturing method of an aluminum structure allows aluminum plating on the surface of even a porous resin molded body having a three-dimensional network structure. In particular, there is also provided a manufacturing method of an aluminum structure that can form porous aluminum having a large area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa HOSOE, Koji Nitta, Kazuki Okuno, Tomoyuki Awazu, Shinji Inazawa
  • Publication number: 20120067731
    Abstract: There is provided a manufacturing method of an aluminum structure, including a conductive treatment process of forming an electrically conductive layer made of aluminum on a surface of a resin molded body and a plating process of plating the resin molded body subjected to the conductive treatment process with aluminum in a molten salt bath. Even with a porous resin molded body having a three-dimensional network structure, the method allows the surface of the porous resin molded body to be plated with aluminum, thus forming a high-purity aluminum structure having a uniform thick film. Porous aluminum having a large area is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihisa HOSOE, Shinji Inazawa, Masatoshi Majima, Koji Nitta, Shoichiro Sakai, Tomoyuki Awazu, Kazuki Okuno
  • Publication number: 20120067730
    Abstract: A porous resin article having a three-dimensional network structure is used. A resin molded body at least the surface of which has been subjected to conductive treatment is plated with aluminum in a molten salt bath to form an aluminum structure, thus forming a porous aluminum that includes an aluminum layer having a thickness in the range of 1 to 100 ?m, has an aluminum purity of 98.0% or more and a carbon content of 1.0% or more and 2% or less, and contains inevitable impurities as the balance. Even with a porous resin molded body having a three-dimensional network structure, this allows the surface of the porous resin molded body to be plated with aluminum, thus forming a high-purity aluminum structure having a uniform thick film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kengo GOTO, Akihisa HOSOE, Masatoshi MAJIMA, Kazuki OKUNO, Koji NITTA, Hajime OTA, Shoichiro SAKAI, Shinji INAZAWA, Kotaro KIMURA, Tomoyuki AWAZU
  • Publication number: 20120070735
    Abstract: A porous metal body containing continuous pores and having a low oxygen content is provided by decomposing a porous resin body that contains continuous pores and has a layer of a metal thereon by heating the porous resin body at a temperature equal to or less than the melting point of the metal while the porous resin body is immersed in a first molten salt and a negative potential is applied to the metal layer; and a method for producing the porous metal body is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Koutarou Kimura, Koji Nitta, Akihisa Hosoe, Shinji Inazawa, Kazuki Okuno, Masatoshi Majima, Hajime Ota, Shoichiro Sakai, Kengo Goto, Tomoyuki Awazu
  • Publication number: 20110287279
    Abstract: A porous metal member composed of an alloy at least containing nickel and tungsten is provided. The alloy may contain 50 to 80 wt % of nickel and 20 to 50 wt % of tungsten and may further contain 10 wt % or less of phosphorus and/or 10 wt % or less of boron. Such a porous metal member can be produced by, for example, making a porous base such as a urethane foam be electrically conductive, forming an alloy film containing nickel and tungsten, then removing the porous base from the alloy film, and subsequently reducing the alloy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2011
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicants: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC TOYAMA CO., LTD., SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuki OKUNO, Masahiro KATO, Tomoyuki AWAZU, Masatoshi MAJIMA, Hidetoshi SAITO, Keiji SHIRAISHI, Hitoshi TSUCHIDA, Junichi NISHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20110070362
    Abstract: An electrode substrate for a battery has nickel applied as a coat on the surface of a base constituted of crossing of a plurality of fibers including a core formed of synthetic resin and a coating of synthetic resin having a softening temperature lower than the softening temperature of the synthetic resin forming the core. The electrode substrate has the fibers of the base fusion-bonded at a cross point by heat treatment. The ratio of the coating occupying a II-II cross section of the fiber cross point is larger than the ratio of the coating occupying a fiber cross section (III-III cross section) at a site other than at the cross point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Applicants: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD., NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Kazuki Okuno, Jin-Joo Park, Masahiro Kato, Masaru Yao, Tsutomu Iwaki, Tetsuo Sakai
  • Patent number: 7879496
    Abstract: A battery electrode substrate having excellent mechanical strength and flexibility and being capable of increasing the filling density of a positive electrode active substance and, thereby, achieving a higher capacity battery, a battery electrode formed from the battery electrode substrate, and an alkaline secondary battery including the battery electrode are provided. The battery electrode substrate includes a woven or unwoven fabric and nickel for coating fibers constituting the woven or unwoven fabric, wherein the weight per area of the above-described woven or unwoven fabric is 15 g/m2 or more, and 60 g/m2 or less and the thickness of the above-described woven or unwoven fabric is 1.3 mm or more, and 3.0 mm or less. The battery electrode is formed from the battery electrode substrate, and the alkaline secondary battery includes the battery electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignees: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Toyama Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuki Okuno, Masahiro Kato, Jin-Joo Park, Hitoshi Tsuchida, Tadashi Omura, Junichi Nishimura
  • Patent number: 7588861
    Abstract: A method of producing an electrode includes the steps of filling an active material in an electrode substrate made of woven or non-woven fabric having its fiber surface coated with metal, and pressing the electrode substrate to obtain an electrode, wherein the pressing is performed using the electrode substrate having a thickness of less than 2.0 t when the thickness of the electrode after the pressing is t. This ensues that the electrode substrate has a thickness allowing the active material of a sufficient amount to be filled therein, and a battery electrode in which the filled active material is unlikely to peel off from the electrode substrate can be produced. Accordingly, a battery electrode having a desired thickness and desired capacity and that can suppress degradation in battery performance due to repeated charge and discharge, and its producing method are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignees: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Kazuki Okuno, Keizo Harada, Masahiro Kato, Tetsuo Sakai, Tsutomu Iwaki, Masaru Yao
  • Publication number: 20080085453
    Abstract: An electrode substrate for a battery has nickel applied as a coat on the surface of a base constituted of crossing of a plurality of fibers including a core formed of synthetic resin and a coating of synthetic resin having a softening temperature lower than the softening temperature of the synthetic resin forming the core. The electrode substrate has the fibers of the base fusion-bonded at a cross point by heat treatment. The ratio of the coating occupying a II-II cross section of the fiber cross point is larger than the ratio of the coating occupying a fiber cross section (III-III cross section) at a site other than at the cross point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2007
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventors: Kazuki Okuno, Jin-Joo Park, Masahiro Kato, Masaru Yao, Tsutomu Iwaki, Tetsuo Sakai
  • Publication number: 20080063942
    Abstract: A battery electrode substrate having excellent mechanical strength and flexibility and being capable of increasing the filling density of a positive electrode active substance and, thereby, achieving a higher capacity battery, a battery electrode formed from the battery electrode substrate, and an alkaline secondary battery including the battery electrode are provided. The battery electrode substrate includes a woven or unwoven fabric and nickel for coating fibers constituting the woven or unwoven fabric, wherein the weight per area of the above-described woven or unwoven fabric is 15 g/m2 or more, and 60 g/m2 or less and the thickness of the above-described woven or unwoven fabric is 1.3 mm or more, and 3.0 mm or less. The battery electrode is formed from the battery electrode substrate, and the alkaline secondary battery includes the battery electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2007
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Applicants: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Toyama Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuki Okuno, Masahiro Kato, Jin-Joo Park, Hitoshi Tsuchida, Tadashi Omura, Junichi Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20070207388
    Abstract: A method of producing an electrode includes the steps of filling an active material in an electrode substrate made of woven or non-woven fabric having its fiber surface coated with metal, and pressing the electrode substrate to obtain an electrode, wherein the pressing is performed using the electrode substrate having a thickness of less than 2.0 t when the thickness of the electrode after the pressing is t. This ensues that the electrode substrate has a thickness allowing the active material of a sufficient amount to be filled therein, and a battery electrode in which the filled active material is unlikely to peel off from the electrode substrate can be produced. Accordingly, a battery electrode having a desired thickness and desired capacity and that can suppress degradation in battery performance due to repeated charge and discharge, and its producing method are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2007
    Publication date: September 6, 2007
    Inventors: Kazuki Okuno, Keizo Harada, Masahiro Kato, Tetsuo Sakai, Tsutomu Iwaki, Masaru Yao