Patents by Inventor Kenji Hirota

Kenji Hirota 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: 11959197
    Abstract: A first aspect of the present invention is carbon fiber wherein the surface of a monofilament has a center line average roughness Ra of 6.0 nm or more and 13 nm or less, and the monofilament has a long diameter/short diameter ratio of 1.11 or more and 1.245 or less. A second aspect of the present invention is carbon fiber precursor acrylic fiber wherein the surface of a monofilament has a center line average roughness Ra of 18 nm or more and 27 nm or less, and the monofilament has a long diameter/short diameter ratio of 1.11 or more and 1.245 or less. The carbon fiber according to the first aspect is obtained by stabilizing and carbonizing under specific conditions the carbon fiber precursor acrylic fiber according to the second aspect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Naomasa Matsuyama, Yuutarou Nakamura, Norifumi Hirota, Hiroko Matsumura, Katsuhiko Ikeda, Kouki Wakabayashi, Tadashi Ootani, Akihiro Itou, Kenji Hirano, Akito Hatayama, Kenji Kaneta, Atsushi Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20240021885
    Abstract: A bipolar storage battery that can prevent outward leakage of an electrolytic solution and reduction of mechanical strength by strongly joining plates each holding a cell member, thereby ensuring hermeticity of the inside of a cell and the mechanical strength, and also making the bipolar storage battery compact while reducing the number of components. The bipolar storage battery includes an internal frame unit including a bipolar plate in which a positive pole is provided on one surface and a negative pole is provided on an other surface, and an internal rim is provided in an outer edge of the bipolar plate. A plurality of the internal frame units are stacked and adjacent internal rims are welded to each other. A ratio of a width of the internal rim to a depth of welding between the rims is between 2.7 times and 16.0 times, inclusive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Inventors: Hiroki Tanaka, Yasuo Nakajima, Kenichi Suyama, Akira Tanaka, Yoshinobu Taira, Kenji Hirota
  • Publication number: 20230361312
    Abstract: Provided is a bipolar storage battery in which an electrolytic solution is less likely to enter the interface between a positive electrode and an adhesive layer. Thus, battery performance is less likely to be reduced even if growth occurs in the positive electrode due to corrosion by sulfuric acid contained in the electrolytic solution. The bipolar storage battery includes a bipolar plate including a support column configured to support adjacent plates to each other when stacked, a positive current collector bonded to one surface of the bipolar plate by an adhesive, a positive active material layer placed on the positive current collector, a negative current collector bonded to another surface of the bipolar plate by an adhesive, a negative active material layer placed on the negative current collector, and a cover plate covering a peripheral edge portion of the positive current collector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Kenji Hirota, Yoshinobu Taira, Hideo Nishikubo, Kenichi Suyama, Hiroki Tanaka, Yasuo Nakajima, Akira Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20230335710
    Abstract: A bipolar electrode for a bipolar lead-acid battery includes a base plate with a conduction through hole, a positive electrode stuck to a first surface of the base plate with an adhesion layer, and a negative electrode stuck to a second surface of the base plate with an adhesion layer. The bipolar electrode includes a conductor disposed in the through hole and has a bonding portion to which the positive electrode is electrically bonded on a first surface of the conductor and has a bonding portion to which the negative electrode is electrically bonded on a second surface of the conductor. The conductor has a projecting portion surrounding the periphery of the bonding portion on both the first surface and the second surface. By preventing contamination of the bonding portion with an adhesive, the bonding reliability between a positive electrode lead layer and a negative electrode lead layer is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Yasuo Nakajima, Hiroki Tanaka, Kenichi Suyama, Akira Tanaka, Yoshinobu Taira, Kenji Hirota, Satoshi Shibata
  • Publication number: 20230318045
    Abstract: A bipolar storage battery includes a bipolar electrode including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a bipolar plate provided with a positive electrode on one surface and a negative electrode on an other surface. The bipolar plate has a communication hole communicating the one surface and the other surface. A positive current collector and a negative current collector are electrically joined through the communication hole. A partition is provided in the space between an inner surface of the communication hole and a joint portion between the positive current collector and the negative current collector. This arrangement provides a bipolar lead-acid storage battery that prevents an electrolytic solution from reaching a negative electrode side as much as possible to greatly suppress the occurrence of liquid junction even when the electrolytic solution enters communication holes, so that the battery performance is less likely to deteriorate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Hiroki Tanaka, Yasuo Nakajima, Kenichi Suyama, Akira Tanaka, Yoshinobu Taira, Kenji Hirota
  • Publication number: 20230317921
    Abstract: A bipolar electrode for a bipolar lead-acid battery includes a substrate (bipolar plate) in which a through hole for conduction is formed, a positive electrode bonded to one surface of the substrate with an adhesive layer, and a negative electrode bonded to another surface of the substrate with an adhesive layer. The substrate has, on each of the one surface and the other surface, a projecting portion surrounding an outer circumference of the through hole as an entry avoidance structure. The bipolar lead-acid battery includes multiple layers of the bipolar electrodes. By preventing adhesive from entering a through hole for conduction formed in a bipolar plate, the reliability of joining between a positive-electrode lead layer and a negative-electrode lead layer is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Inventors: Yasuo Nakajima, Hiroki Tanaka, Kenichi Suyama, Akira Tanaka, Yoshinobu Taira, Kenji Hirota, Satoshi Shibata
  • Publication number: 20230299400
    Abstract: A bipolar battery includes a plurality of cell members and a plurality of frame units configured to form a plurality of cells individually housing the plurality of cell members. Each of the plurality of frame units has joining surfaces facing each other in the stacking direction of the cell members, which are joined to each other by a joining material. On outer side surfaces of the frame units adjacent to each other in the stacking direction, a groove is formed which communicates between the joining surfaces to be joined and opens to the outer side surfaces. A water sealing material is disposed in the groove. This arrangement provides a bipolar battery capable of reliably preventing an electrolyte from leaking out of a cell by a simple seal configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Inventors: Akira Tanaka, Yasuo Nakajima, Kenichi Suyama, Hiroki Tanaka, Yoshinobu Taira, Kenji Hirota
  • Publication number: 20230238586
    Abstract: A bipolar storage battery is described in which, even when growth occurs in a positive electrode due to corrosion caused by sulfuric acid contained in an electrolytic solution, the electrolytic solution has difficulty penetrating an interface between the positive electrode and an adhesive and battery performance is hard to decrease. The bipolar storage battery includes a bipolar electrode including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a bipolar plate in which the positive electrode is provided on one surface and the negative electrode is provided on the other surface. The bipolar electrode includes a covering member configured to cover a peripheral part of an opposite surface of the positive electrode in close contact with the peripheral part, the opposite surface being opposite to a surface, of the positive electrode, bonded to the bipolar plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2023
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Inventors: Hiroki Tanaka, Yasuo Nakajima, Kenichi Suyama, Akira Tanaka, Ayano Koide, Yoshinobu Taira, Kenji Hirota
  • Publication number: 20230223628
    Abstract: A bipolar battery that can achieve both a hermetic seal and mechanical strength and increases energy density is described. The bipolar lead acid battery includes an outer wall integrally projected along a peripheral edge on a facing surface of one frame-plate out of a pair of the frame-plates facing each other and a joining wall integrally projected on a facing surface of the other frame-plate out of the pair of the frame-plates facing each other. The joining wall is positioned inwardly from the outer wall of the one frame-plate and surrounds a peripheral edge of a cell member. The joining wall is joined to the facing surface of the one frame-plate by a joining material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2023
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Akira Tanaka, Masanobu Aragaki, Kenichi Suyama, Yasuo Nakajima, Hiroki Tanaka, Yoshinobu Taira, Kenji Hirota
  • Patent number: 11612869
    Abstract: To prevent solidified aluminum chloride from adhering to and accumulating on a pipe and also prevent stress-corrosion cracking in the pipe, a method for producing trichlorosilane includes a cooling step of cooling a discharge gas that is discharged from a fluidized-bed reactor and that contains the trichlorosilane, the cooling step involving causing a fluid to flow through a space (4) inside a side wall (3) of a pipe (10), the pipe being a pipe for discharging the discharge gas from the fluidized-bed reactor, in such a manner that the side wall (3) has a surface (1a) having a temperature of not lower than 110° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: TOKUYAMA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Hirota, Katsuya Ogihara
  • Patent number: 11241666
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to prevent stress-corrosion cracking of a header (40) of a reactor. A reactor for producing trichlorosilane by causing metal silicon powder and a hydrogen chloride gas to react with each other includes a cooler (70), the cooler including a plurality of heat transfer medium pipes (30) and a header (40), the plurality of heat transfer medium pipes being provided in a fluid bed (60) inside the reactor, the header being provided in a freeboard section (50) inside the reactor, the header being comprised of a corrosion-resistant material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: TOKUYAMA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Hirota, Katsuya Ogihara
  • Publication number: 20210327737
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide, at low cost, a transport apparatus 2 which is capable of transporting a semiconductor wafer W between a FOUP 19 and a processing apparatus 3 without exposing a surface to be processed of the semiconductor wafer to an oxidizing atmosphere. This transport apparatus 2 includes a load port 20 that has atmosphere replacing function, a transport robot 2 that has an atmosphere replacing function, an aligner 40 that has an atmosphere replacing function, and a load lock chamber 12 that has an atmosphere replacing function. The surface being processed of the semiconductor wafer has the atmosphere replaced locally while the semiconductor wafer is being moved and is being subjected to processes such as positioning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventors: KATSUNORI SAKATA, YASUHISA SATO, HIDEKAZU OKUTSU, KENJI HIROTA
  • Patent number: 11071961
    Abstract: To provide a fluidized-bed reaction vessel and a trichlorosilane production method each of which can reduce corrosion and wear of a reaction container inner wall, a fluidized-bed reaction vessel causes metallurgical grade silicon powder and hydrogen chloride gas to react with each other for production of trichlorosilane. The fluidized-bed reaction vessel includes a plurality of ejection nozzles (20) standing on a distributor plate (11) as a bottom surface of a container body. The ejection nozzles (20) each have a gas ejection opening (22a) configured to allow hydrogen chloride gas to be ejected sideways. The plurality of ejection nozzles (20) include a first ejection nozzle (20a) adjacent to an outer wall (10a) of the container body, the first ejection nozzle (20a) having a gas ejection opening (22a) in such a pattern as to prevent hydrogen chloride gas from being ejected toward the outer wall (10a).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: TOKUYAMA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Hirota, Katsuya Ogihara
  • Patent number: 11007499
    Abstract: A fluidized-bed reactor (1A) includes a reaction vessel (10A) configured to contain metallurgical grade silicon powder and a hydrogen chloride gas, and a portion of a side wall (w) which portion extends along at least 80% of a height extending from a gas feed opening (21), which is provided in a lower part of the reaction vessel (10A), to a top face of a fluid bed (40) has such a tapered shape that a cross section of the reaction vessel (10A) which cross section is taken perpendicular to a height direction of the reaction vessel (10A) increases in area in an upward direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: TOKUYAMA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Hirota, Katsuya Ogihara
  • Patent number: 10933396
    Abstract: Provided is a fluidized bed reactor (1) that makes it possible to stably measure a temperature distribution in the fluidized bed reactor (1) while no damage is caused to a temperature measuring section. Provided is a fluidized bed reactor (1) configured to generate trichlorosilane by reacting metallurgical grade silicon powder and hydrogen chloride gas, the fluidized bed reactor (1) including: a reaction vessel (10); and a plurality of temperature measuring sections (50), provided on an outer surface of the reaction vessel (10), each for measuring a temperature inside the reaction vessel (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: TOKUYAMA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Hirota, Katsuya Ogihara
  • Publication number: 20200368705
    Abstract: To prevent solidified aluminum chloride from adhering to and accumulating on a pipe and also prevent stress-corrosion cracking in the pipe, a method for producing trichlorosilane includes a cooling step of cooling a discharge gas that is discharged from a fluidized-bed reactor and that contains the trichlorosilane, the cooling step involving causing a fluid to flow through a space (4) inside a side wall (3) of a pipe (10), the pipe being a pipe for discharging the discharge gas from the fluidized-bed reactor, in such a manner that the side wall (3) has a surface (1a) having a temperature of not lower than 110° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Kenji HIROTA, Katsuya OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200353435
    Abstract: To provide a fluidized-bed reaction vessel and a trichlorosilane production method each of which can reduce corrosion and wear of a reaction container inner wall, a fluidized-bed reaction vessel causes metallurgical grade silicon powder and hydrogen chloride gas to react with each other for production of trichlorosilane. The fluidized-bed reaction vessel includes a plurality of ejection nozzles (20) standing on a distributor plate (11) as a bottom surface of a container body. The ejection nozzles (20) each have a gas ejection opening (22a) configured to allow hydrogen chloride gas to be ejected sideways. The plurality of ejection nozzles (20) include a first ejection nozzle (20a) adjacent to an outer wall (10a) of the container body, the first ejection nozzle (20a) having a gas ejection opening (22a) in such a pattern as to prevent hydrogen chloride gas from being ejected toward the outer wall (10a).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Kenji HIROTA, Katsuya OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200339427
    Abstract: A production method is a method for producing trichlorosilane, the method including opening and closing, with use of a non-sliding valve (b1 to b4), an entry channel (f1), an exit channel (f2), a discharge channel (f31), and a discharge channel (f32) through each of which metallurgical grade silicon powder flows in a system for producing the trichlorosilane, the non-sliding valve including a valve body capable of being rotated without coming into contact with a valve seat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Kenji HIROTA, Katsuya OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200306713
    Abstract: Provided is a fluidized bed reactor (1) that makes it possible to stably measure a temperature distribution in the fluidized bed reactor (1) while no damage is caused to a temperature measuring section. Provided is a fluidized bed reactor (1) configured to generate trichlorosilane by reacting metallurgical grade silicon powder and hydrogen chloride gas, the fluidized bed reactor (1) including: a reaction vessel (10); and a plurality of temperature measuring sections (50), provided on an outer surface of the reaction vessel (10), each for measuring a temperature inside the reaction vessel (10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Kenji HIROTA, Katsuya OGIHARA
  • Publication number: 20200306714
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to prevent stress-corrosion cracking of a header (40) of a reactor. A reactor for producing trichlorosilane by causing metal silicon powder and a hydrogen chloride gas to react with each other includes a cooler (70), the cooler including a plurality of heat transfer medium pipes (30) and a header (40), the plurality of heat transfer medium pipes being provided in a fluid bed (60) inside the reactor, the header being provided in a freeboard section (50) inside the reactor, the header being comprised of a corrosion-resistant material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Kenji HIROTA, Katsuya OGIHARA