Patents by Inventor Kikuko Kato

Kikuko Kato 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: 6284409
    Abstract: In a pasted hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode of this invention, an active material layer made from a mixture of a hydrogen-absorbing alloy powder, a composite particle powder including carbon particles and a rare earth compound for partially coating surfaces of the carbon particles, and a binder is formed on a current collector. When this pasted hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode is used in an alkaline storage battery, the alkaline storage battery can attain small increase of the internal pressure during charge, large discharge capacity in high rate discharge and good charge-discharge cycle performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2001
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Higashiyama, Kikuko Kato, Teruhiko Imoto, Masutaka Ouchi, Mamoru Kimoto, Yasuhiko Itoh, Koji Nishio
  • Patent number: 6270547
    Abstract: A hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode characterized in that the electrode consists mainly of a mixture of a first hydrogen absorbing alloy powder A formed on surfaces of particles thereof with a surface layer 22 containing metallic copper or a copper oxide and a second hydrogen absorbing alloy powder B formed on surfaces of particles thereof with a surface layer 24 containing metallic cobalt or a cobalt oxide. The copper-coated hydrogen absorbing alloy powder A affords improved electric conductivity, and the cobalt-coated hydrogen absorbing alloy powder B gives improved ability to absorb and desorb hydrogen, whereby the electrode is improved in different battery characteristics, such as cycle characteristics, high-rate discharge characteristics and infernal pressure characteristics, at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Teruhiko Imoto, Kikuko Kato, Yohei Hirota, Nobuyuki Higashiyama, Mamoru Kimoto, Shin Fujitani, Koji Nishio
  • Patent number: 6258482
    Abstract: A hydrogen storage alloy electrode for a battery is made of a hydrogen storage alloy powder which includes agglomerates of hydrogen storage alloy particles joined together through a metallic layer. A method of making the electrode includes forming agglomerates of hydrogen storage alloy particles joined together by a metallic layer which covers surface portions of the particles, and then forming the electrode using a resulting powder including the agglomerates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masutaka Ouchi, Teruhiko Imoto, Kikuko Kato, Nobuyuki Higashiyama, Mamoru Kimoto, Shin Fujitani, Koji Nishio
  • Patent number: 6255018
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an effective hydrogen-absorbing alloy activation process which can enhance the electrochemical activity of a hydrogen-absorbing alloy and to provide a hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode which, when used in a battery, ensures an excellent initial inner pressure characteristic, low-temperature discharge characteristic, high-rate discharge characteristic and cycle characteristic. In accordance with the present invention, a hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode production process is provided which comprises an alloy activation treatment step of immersing a hydrogen-absorbing alloy in a strong acid treatment solution containing metal ions and, in the course of the pH rise of the acid treatment solution, adding an alkali to the acid treatment solution to promote the pH rise of the acid treatment solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Ise, Hiroshi Fukuda, Teruhiko Imoto, Kikuko Kato, Yasushi Kuroda, Nobuyuki Higashiyama, Yoshinori Matsuura, Mamoru Kimoto, Mitsuzou Nogami, Shin Fujitani, Ikuo Yonezu, Koji Nishio
  • Patent number: 6242133
    Abstract: A hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode for an alkaline secondary battery. The electrode is prepared by adding a transition metal salt to a paste comprising a hydrogen-absorbing alloy powder and binder. The electrode improves charge-discharge cycle performance and high rate discharge capacity at low temperature of an alkaline secondary battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kikuko Kato, Masutaka Ouchi, Yohei Hirota, Teruhiko Imoto, Nobuyuki Higashiyama, Mamoru Kimoto, Shin Fujitani, Koji Nishio
  • Patent number: 6221528
    Abstract: A hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode for an alkaline secondary battery. The electrode is made from a hydrogen-absorbing alloy containing nickel which has been treated with an acidic solution containing a chelating agent for nickel. The hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode has good activity and a nickel-hydrogen battery having the hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode as a negative electrode has a large high rate discharge capacity soon after being assembled, and inhibits an increase of internal pressure during discharge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masutaka Ouchi, Teruhiko Imoto, Kikuko Kato, Nobuyuki Higashiyama, Mamoru Kimoto, Shin Fujitani, Koji Nishio
  • Patent number: 5985057
    Abstract: In the present invention, a hydrogen absorbing alloy containing at least nickel, cobalt and aluminum, in which the sum a of the respective abundance ratios of cobalt atoms and aluminum atoms in a portion to a depth of 30 .ANG. from its surface and the sum b of the respective abundance ratios of cobalt atoms and aluminum atoms in a bulk region inside thereof satisfy conditions of a/b.gtoreq.1.30, or a hydrogen absorbing alloy containing at least nickel, cobalt, aluminum and manganese, in which the sum A of the respective abundance ratios of cobalt atoms, aluminum atoms and manganese atoms in a portion to a depth of 30 .ANG. from its surface and the sum B of the respective abundance ratios of cobalt atoms, aluminum atoms and manganese atoms in a bulk region inside thereof satisfy conditions A/B.gtoreq.1.20 is used for a hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode in an alkali secondary battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Teruhiko Imoto, Kikuko Kato, Yasushi Kuroda, Nobuyuki Higashiyama, Mamoru Kimoto, Shin Fujitani, Koji Nishio