Patents by Inventor Masafumi Matsunaga

Masafumi Matsunaga 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: 11894542
    Abstract: To lower electrical resistance by increasing the interfacial surface area and the adhesion between a current collector and an active material or an electrolyte, or between the active material and the electrolyte in an all-solid-state battery. In addition, to improve battery performance by eliminating or minimizing residual carbon originating from a binder. A slurry, composed of an electrode active material and a solvent, and a slurry, composed of electrolyte particles and a solvent, can be impacted against a target and thereby attached thereto to form a high-density layer and improve adhesion. Moreover, residual carbon is eliminated or minimized by eliminating or minimizing the content of binders, thereby improving battery performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20230264225
    Abstract: A preliminary container upstream of a slurry container, a tube or pipe of a compressed air discharge line from the slurry container is inserted into the preliminary container, so that, even if a slurry flows back, the slurry is retained in the preliminary container and the slurry is prevented from flowing back upstream of the preliminary container. In addition, minute droplets are prevented from flowing back upstream, by using a protector, or an air-permeable screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20230108347
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a secondary battery by coating an electrode slurry on an object for a secondary battery. A step of pressurizing and transferring the slurry to the next step; a step of transferring pressurized carbon dioxide gas or liquefied carbon dioxide or supercritical fluid of carbon dioxide gas to the next step; a step of merging and mixing the slurry and the carbon dioxide gas or liquefied carbon dioxide or supercritical fluid of carbon dioxide gas; and a step of coating the mixed mixture or layered coating a plurality of layers thereof on the object with a coating device. As a result, the total length of a drying device is extremely short, and the desired thick film of the positive electrode can be easily formed. In addition, a solid electrolyte layer can be formed in a short time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2021
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20230063889
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing secondary batteries, forming a positive electrode for lithium-ion batteries, it was necessary to select polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or the like as a binder due to the problems of heat resistance or chemical resistance when using a liquid electrolyte such as an organic solvent. Solvents which can dissolve such a resin are limited to normal methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and the like, have a high boiling point, and require a long, high-temperature oven. By mixing a slurry with a low boiling point solvent, and applying the resultant mixture to a heated object, a parent solvent evaporates due to the azeotropic effect of the low boiling point solvent, and spraying, especially pulsed spraying can evaporate at least 90% of the parent solvent on the object within 5 seconds even when the temperature of the object is 100° C. lower, preferably at least 50° C. lower than that of the parent solvent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2021
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20220410203
    Abstract: [Problem] Upon application or film formation of a particulate matter to/on an object, the particulate matter moving with a speed is heated in a time duration from a suction port for particulate matter to the object, thereby softening or melting at least some of the particulate matter when the particulate matter is applied to the object. [Solution] A particulate matter is heated by means of induction heating or laser in a time duration from a suction port for particulate matter to an object, so that at least some of the particulate matter is softened or melted at a relatively low temperature on the object in synergy with the collision energy of the particulate matter with the object, thereby enabling the application or film formation of the particulate matter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20220344629
    Abstract: A small diameter roll is provided on the upstream side of a heating and sucking roll, an electrode slurry is applied by using a slot nozzle on the small diameter roll or an OFF roll, and an electrode is formed by instantaneously evaporating a solvent by the heating and sucking roll.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20220131124
    Abstract: Electrodes are formed by, as a dry method, alternately applying electrode active material and electrolyte particles as thin-film layers. Furthermore, the films are formed wholly or partially by employing an aerosol deposition method. Moreover, high-density layers can be formed and adhesion is improved by, as a wet method, impactfully and alternately colliding, with a target object, slurry made primarily from an electrode active material and solvent and a slurry made primarily from electrolyte particles and a solvent, adhering same in thin films and layering same. A slurry made primarily from a conductivity aid and a solvent is independently prepared, and a small quantity thereof is applied diffusely at a desired position. Moreover, by using no binder or keeping binder content low, residual carbon can be eliminated or kept low so as to improve battery performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20220069287
    Abstract: A high-density layer can be formed and adherence increased by causing a slurry formed primarily from an electrode active material and a solvent and a slurry formed primarily from electrolyte particles and the solvent to alternately collide with a subject material with an impact force and to adhere and be layered thereon in thin film. A slurry formed primarily from a conductive additive and the solvent is separately created and is coated in a dispersed manner in a small quantity at a desired position. Carbon residue is eliminated or greatly reduced and battery performance improved by eliminating a binder or greatly reducing the binder content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20210384484
    Abstract: [Problem] To lower electrical resistance by increasing the interfacial surface area and the adhesion between a current collector and an active material or an electrolyte, or between the active material and the electrolyte in an all-solid-state battery. In addition, to improve battery performance by eliminating or minimizing residual carbon originating from a binder. [Solution] According to the present invention, a slurry, composed of an electrode active material and a solvent, and a slurry, composed of electrolyte particles and a solvent, can be impacted against a target and thereby attached thereto to form a high-density layer and improve adhesion. Moreover, residual carbon is eliminated or minimized by eliminating or minimizing the content of binders, thereby improving battery performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20210242444
    Abstract: To lower electrical resistance by increasing the interfacial surface area and the adhesion between a current collector and an active material or an electrolyte, or between the active material and the electrolyte in an all-solid-state battery. In addition, to improve battery performance by eliminating or minimizing residual carbon originating from a binder. A slurry, composed of an electrode active material and a solvent, and a slurry, composed of electrolyte particles and a solvent, can be impacted against a target and thereby attached thereto to form a high-density layer and improve adhesion. Moreover, residual carbon is eliminated or minimized by eliminating or minimizing the content of binders, thereby improving battery performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Patent number: 10625297
    Abstract: [Object] To apply or deposit powder or granular material onto a required portion of an object by a required quantity precisely at low cost, to make the weight per unit area smaller than one square centimeter or square millimeter uniform, and to make the use efficiency of powder or granular material as close to 100% as possible. [Solution] Firstly layers of powder or granular material is formed on a substrate with a uniform weight per unit area, and then the powder or granular material on the substrate is sucked and ejected toward the object to form layers or films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Mtek-smart Corporation
    Inventor: Masafumi Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 10176985
    Abstract: The method includes the steps of: storing slurry containing optical matter particles into a slurry tank; stirring the slurry inside the slurry tank by causing a bubble producing unit arranged below a liquid surface of the slurry to produce bubbles; and spraying the slurry onto a coating target including a light emitting element from a nozzle arranged above the coating target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignees: NICHIA CORPORATION, MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takayuki Igarashi, Masafumi Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20180182937
    Abstract: The method includes the steps of: storing slurry containing optical matter particles into a slurry tank; stirring the slurry inside the slurry tank by causing a bubble producing unit arranged below a liquid surface of the slurry to produce bubbles; and spraying the slurry onto a coating target including a light emitting element from a nozzle arranged above the coating target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicants: NICHIA CORPORATION, Mtek-smart Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki IGARASHI, Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Patent number: 9859476
    Abstract: Provided is an LED production method that can produce a great number of high-quality LEDs at low production cost. A binder-rich layer is formed on LEDs to increase the adhesiveness between the LEDs and a substrate; a phosphor layer or phosphor-rich layer is formed over the layer with a mask put on the layer; and the phosphor or a mixture of the phosphor and binder on the mask is recovered and reused.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20170207371
    Abstract: Provided is an LED production method that can produce a great number of high-quality LEDs at low production cost. A binder-rich layer is formed on LEDs to increase the adhesiveness between the LEDs and a substrate; a phosphor layer or phosphor-rich layer is formed over the layer with a mask put on the layer; and the phosphor or a mixture of the phosphor and binder on the mask is recovered and reused.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Applicant: MTEK-SMART CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Publication number: 20170136492
    Abstract: [Object] To apply or deposit powder or granular material onto a required portion of an object by a required quantity precisely at low cost, to make the weight per unit area smaller than one square centimeter or square millimeter uniform, and to make the use efficiency of powder or granular material as close to 100% as possible. [Solution] Firstly layers of powder or granular material is formed on a substrate with a uniform weight per unit area, and then the powder or granular material on the substrate is sucked and ejected toward the object to form layers or films.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Patent number: 9608174
    Abstract: [PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED] To provide a method and apparatus for applying a coating material that reacts at ordinary temperatures and increases in viscosity with lapse of time or a coating material that is difficult to handle, such as an unstable slurry in which sedimentation occurs at high rate, to a high-value-added object to be coated. [SOLUTION] Before at least applying coating material to an object to be coated, the coating amount is automatically measured using a highly-accurate measuring device set in an atmosphere that does not substantially affect the measurement to control the coating amount during production. Therefore, high-quality products can be mass-produced with a low production cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Mtek-smart Corporation
    Inventor: Masafumi Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20160074903
    Abstract: There is provided a method for stabilizing the weight of powder or granular material applied to, dispensed to, or deposited on an object per unit area smaller than or equal to square centimeter or square millimeter. Firstly a layer of powder or granular material with a uniform weight per unit area is formed on a substrate, and then application, dispensing, or deposition is performed by sucking the powder or granular material on the substrate and ejecting it to the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2014
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Inventor: Masafumi MATSUNAGA
  • Patent number: 9064979
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing an LED includes preparing a plurality of different kinds of slurries with a plurality of different kinds of phosphors, a binder, and a solvent, with prescribed weight ratios and viscosities; applying at least one slurry to a substrate LED while vaporizing the solvent instantaneously to form at least one thin layer; transferring the substrate LED to a drying device and drying the substrate LED; forming laminated layers of the plurality of kinds of slurries on the substrate LED; and finally drying and curing the binder to form a dried multilayer coating composed of thin layers of the plurality of kinds of slurries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Mtek-smart Corporation
    Inventor: Masafumi Matsunaga
  • Publication number: 20150155448
    Abstract: [PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED] To provide a method and apparatus for applying a coating material that reacts at ordinary temperatures and increases in viscosity with lapse of time or a coating material that is difficult to handle, such as an unstable slurry in which sedimentation occurs at high rate, to a high-value-added object to be coated. [SOLUTION] Before at least applying coating material to an object to be coated, the coating amount is automatically measured using a highly-accurate measuring device set in an atmosphere that does not substantially affect the measurement to control the coating amount during production. Therefore, high-quality products can be mass-produced with a low production cost.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2013
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: Mtek-smart Corporation
    Inventor: Masafumi Matsunaga