Patents by Inventor Osamu Sakai
Osamu Sakai 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).
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Patent number: 6746793Abstract: The polymer electrolyte fuel cell of the present invention exhibits an excellent performance with an efficient electrode reaction; by providing a layer comprising an electroconductive fine particle between the catalytic reaction layer and the gas diffusion layer in the electrodes; by providing a hydrogen ion diffusion layer on at least either surface of the catalyst particle or the carrier, which carries the catalyst particle in the catalytic reaction layer; or by constituting the catalytic reaction layer with at least a catalyst comprising a hydrophilic carbon material with catalyst particles carried thereon and a water repellent carbon material.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2000Date of Patent: June 8, 2004Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hisaaki Gyoten, Eiichi Yasumoto, Kazuhito Hatoh, Makoto Uchida, Yasushi Sugawara, Teruhisa Kanbara, Junji Morita, Hideo Ohara, Kazufumi Nishida, Osamu Sakai, Yukiyoshi Ono, Yasuo Takebe
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Patent number: 6696194Abstract: A polymer electrolyte fuel cell including a hydrogen-ion-conductive polymer electrolyte membrane, a pair of electrodes sandwiching the membrane, a conductive separator plate having a gas passage for supplying a fuel to one of the electrodes, and a conductive separator plate having a gas passage for supplying an oxidant to the other electrode. The metallic conductive separator plate is a type in which a conductive coat including conductive particles and glass is formed on a surface having a gas passage. As a result, the corrosion of the metallic plate is suppressed and the degradation of the power generation efficiency after extended use is also suppressed.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2002Date of Patent: February 24, 2004Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yoshihiro Hori, Takeshi Yonamine, Osamu Sakai, Masato Hosaka
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Publication number: 20040009389Abstract: An electrode material, particularly a gas diffusion layer, for a fuel cell is provided which prevents electrode exfoliation during the manufacturing process by optimizing a water repellent material incorporated in the gas diffusion layer. The resulting electrode made from the gas diffusion layer has a high discharge performance at a low cost. This gas diffusion layer contacts a catalyst layer to form an electrode of the fuel cell layer, and the catalyst layer in turn contacts a polymer electrolyte membrane of the fuel cell. The gas diffusion layer contains a fibrillatable, water repellent material, and is subjected to heat treatment below the melting point of the water repellent material to fibrillate the material.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2003Publication date: January 15, 2004Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Osamu Sakai, Junji Niikura, Teruhisa Kanbara, Masao Yamamoto, Akihiko Yoshida, Makoto Uchida, Eiichi Yasumoto, Junji Morita, Yasushi Sugawara
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Publication number: 20030232908Abstract: An acrylic resin plastisol coating compound which comprises containing therein acrylic resin particles and a self-crosslinking blocked isocyanate prepolymer having blocked isocyanate group and hydroxyl group in the molecule. It is superior in storage stability and workability and gives a coating film with good adhesion and chipping resistance.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2003Publication date: December 18, 2003Applicants: ASAHI RUBBER CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hirofumi Eto, Osamu Sakai, Akihiro Higuchi, Ayumi Takata, Yutaka Ohashi
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Patent number: 6665118Abstract: A rear-projection screen 3, including at least a lenticular lens sheet 32 and a Fresnel lens sheet 31, is configured so that the lenticular lens sheet 32 contains, in a base material thereof made of a resin, light diffusing microparticles made of a resin having a refractive index different from a refractive index of the base material, and the light diffusing microparticles satisfy 0.5 &mgr;m≦&Dgr;N1×d1≦0.9 &mgr;m, where &Dgr;N1 represents a difference between a refractive index of the light diffusing microparticles and a refractive index of the base material of the lenticular lens sheet, and d1 represents an average particle diameter of the light diffusing microparticles. With this, a rear-projection screen with small wavelength dependency of diffusion characteristics can be provided utilizing only resins with general properties.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2001Date of Patent: December 16, 2003Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Kenichi Ikeda, Osamu Sakai, Toru Tatsumi, Satoshi Aoki
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Patent number: 6660424Abstract: The specification discloses a fuel cell comprising stacked unit cells, each of the unit cells including a pair of electrodes having a catalytic reaction layer and a gas diffusion layer, an electrolyte layer disposed between the pair of electrodes, a separator having a flow path for supplying a fuel gas to one electrode and a separator having a flow path for supplying an oxidant gas to the other electrode, the separators being placed on the outer side of the electrodes and the unit cells being stacked with the separators placed therebetween, wherein at least the catalytic reaction layer, the gas diffusion layer or the flow path has water-repelling properties. Thereby, a fuel cell having a superior cell performance is obtained.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2001Date of Patent: December 9, 2003Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hisaaki Gyoten, Eiichi Yasumoto, Makoto Uchida, Yasushi Sugawara, Kazufumi Nishida, Kazuhito Hatoh, Yukiyoshi Ono, Hideo Ohara, Junji Morita, Yasuo Takebe, Teruhisa Kanbara, Osamu Sakai
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Patent number: 6638655Abstract: The invention provides a fuel cell system that is free from troubles due to contaminant ions by controlling the concentration of contaminant ions in cooling water. The fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell stack and a means for controlling the cell temperature by circulating a liquid coolant in the fuel cell stack or bringing it in contact with the fuel cell stack, the fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of unit cells that are laid one upon another, each of the unit cells comprising a hydrogen ion-conductive electrolyte membrane, a pair of gas diffusion electrodes which sandwich the electrolyte membrane, an anode-side conductive separator plate having a gas flow path for supplying a fuel gas to one of the electrodes, and a cathode-side conductive separator plate having a gas flow path for supplying an oxidant gas to the other of the electrodes, wherein a material adsorbing or absorbing ions is provided on a portion of the fuel cell system to come in contact with the liquid coolant.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2001Date of Patent: October 28, 2003Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hisaaki Gyoten, Osamu Sakai, Kazuhito Hatoh, Junji Niikura, Makoto Uchida
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Patent number: 6628348Abstract: A plasma address electrooptical device is provided, wherein the distance between a liquid crystal drive electrode 6a and an adjacent liquid crystal drive electrode 6b is set to be equal to or greater than the distance between the lower surface of said liquid crystal drive electrode 6a and the lower surface of a dielectric layer 3. Moreover, by providing additional electrodes between liquid crystal drive electrodes of the plasma address electrooptical device, the display leakage to adjacent pixels is reduced even further.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2000Date of Patent: September 30, 2003Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Osamu Sakai, Sadahiko Yasukawa, Kazuhiko Inoguchi
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Publication number: 20030175579Abstract: To improve the performance of a catalyst layer of a fuel cell electrode, the weight ratio of a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte and electroconductive carbon particles in the catalyst layer is controlled to satisfy the formula (1): Y=a·logX−b+c, where log represents natural logarithm, X represents the specific surface area of the electroconductive carbon particles (m2/g), Y=(the weight of the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte)/(the weight of the electroconductive carbon particles), a=0.216, c=±0.300, b=0.421 at an air electrode and b=0.221 at an fuel electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2003Publication date: September 18, 2003Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Uchida, Eiichi Yasumoto, Akihiko Yoshida, Yasushi Sugawara, Osamu Sakai, Kazuhito Hatoh, Junji Niikura, Masato Hosaka, Teruhisa Kanbara, Takeshi Yonamine, Yasuo Takebe, Yoshihiro Hori, Hisaaki Gyoten, Hiroki Kusakabe
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Publication number: 20030087145Abstract: It has been difficult to keep the voltage of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell stable for a long period of time because uniform water content control over the plane of the membrane-electrode assembly is impossible. A gas diffusion electrode is produced by forming a conductive polymer layer composed of conductive particles and a polymer material on a porous material composed of carbon fiber, and forming a catalyst layer composed of platinum-carried carbon particles on the plane of the conductive polymer layer. The conductive polymer layer is composed of conductive particles different in particle size, and the content of the conductive particles having the smaller particle size is decreased from one end towards the other end of the gas diffusion electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2002Publication date: May 8, 2003Inventors: Eiichi Yasumoto, Akihiko Yoshida, Makoto Uchida, Junji Morita, Yasushi Sugawara, Hisaaki Gyoten, Masao Yamamoto, Osamu Sakai, Junji Niikura
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Publication number: 20030072990Abstract: Disclosed is a fuel cell comprising: a hydrogen-ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; a pair of electrodes sandwiching the hydrogen-ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; a first separator plate having a gas flow path for supplying a fuel gas to one of the electrodes; and a second separator plate having a gas flow path for supplying an oxidant gas to the other of the electrodes, wherein each of the electrodes has an electrode catalyst layer comprising at least a conductive carbon particle carrying an electrode catalyst particle and a hydrogen-ion conductive polymer electrolyte, the electrode catalyst layer being in contact with the hydrogen-ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane, and at least one of the electrodes comprises a catalyst for trapping the fuel gas or the oxidant gas which has passed through the hydrogen-ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane from the other electrode toward the electrode catalyst layer of the one of the electrodes.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2002Publication date: April 17, 2003Inventors: Yasushi Sugawara, Makoto Uchida, Yoshihiro Hori, Akihiko Yoshida, Osamu Sakai, Takeshi Yonamine, Shinichi Arisaka, Yasuo Takebe
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Publication number: 20030064279Abstract: A porous supporting carbon body of a gas diffusion layer is provided with a larger number of smaller pores at its catalyst layer side and a smaller number of larger pores at the other side, particularly with an appropriate distribution of finer mesh at its catalyst layer side and coarser mesh at the other side. As a result, a high performance polymer electrolyte fuel cell is obtained in which water generated at the catalyst layer is quickly sucked out to the gas diffusion layer, and is evaporated at the gas diffusion layer to be effectively exhausted to outside the fuel cell, so that excessive water can be prevented from retaining in the gas diffusion electrode, with the polymer electrolyte membrane being maintained at an appropriately wet condition.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2002Publication date: April 3, 2003Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Akihiko Yoshida, Masao Yamamoto, Junji Niikura, Yasuo Takebe, Osamu Sakai, Makoto Uchida
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Patent number: 6541144Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a first electrolyte-electrode assembly which comprises a hydrogen ion-conductive electrolyte layer, and a fuel electrode and a hydrogen-generating electrode that sandwich the electrolyte layer; a second electrolyte-electrode assembly which comprises a hydrogen ion-conductive electrolyte layer, and a fuel electrode and an oxidant electrode that sandwich the electrolyte layer; a fuel supplying means for supplying a liquid or gas fuel to the fuel electrode of the first electrolyte-electrode assembly; a means for applying to the fuel electrode of the first electrolyte-electrode assembly a potential which is positive to the hydrogen-generating electrode; and a means for supplying to the fuel electrode of the second electrolyte-electrode assembly hydrogen generated in the hydrogen-generating electrode.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2001Date of Patent: April 1, 2003Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hisaaki Gyoten, Hiroki Kusakabe, Eiichi Yasumoto, Osamu Sakai
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Publication number: 20030059667Abstract: The present invention provides an electrode for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell comprising a high-performance electrode catalyst particle which is sufficiently coated with a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte and has a water repellent material suitably supplied thereto for water management. The method of producing the electrode in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of spraying a solution or dispersion of a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte into a dry atmosphere in which a catalyst particle comprising an electrically conductive carbon powder carrying a platinum group metal catalyst is flowing, to coat the catalyst particle with the polymer electrolyte, and then spraying a solution or dispersion of a water repellent material to the catalyst particle to attach the water repellent material to the catalyst particle.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2002Publication date: March 27, 2003Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yoshihiro Hori, Takeshi Yonamine, Makoto Uchida, Osamu Sakai
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Publication number: 20020182478Abstract: The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte fuel cell having an increased reaction area by forming a gas channel, a proton channel and an electron channel very close to each other inside a catalyst layer. This polymer electrolyte fuel cell includes a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane; and a pair of electrodes having catalyst layers sandwiching the hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte membrane between them and gas diffusion layers in contact with the catalyst layers, in which the catalyst layer of at least one of the electrodes comprises carbon particles supporting a noble metal catalyst, and the carbon particles include at least two kinds of carbon particles adsorbing a hydrogen ion conductive polymer electrolyte in mutually different dispersed states.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2002Publication date: December 5, 2002Inventors: Makoto Uchida, Yasushi Sugawara, Eiichi Yasumoto, Akihiko Yoshida, Junji Morita, Masao Yamamoto, Shinya Kosako, Osamu Sakai, Yoshihiro Hori
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Publication number: 20020080483Abstract: A rear-projection screen 3, including at least a lenticular lens sheet 32 and a Fresnel lens sheet 31, is configured so that the lenticular lens sheet 32 contains, in a base material thereof made of a resin, light diffusing microparticles made of a resin having a refractive index different from a refractive index of the base material, and the light diffusing microparticles satisfy 0.5 &mgr;m≦&Dgr;N1×d1≦0.9 &mgr;m, where &Dgr;N1 represents a difference between a refractive index of the light diffusing microparticles and a refractive index of the base material of the lenticular lens sheet, and d1 represents an average particle diameter of the light diffusing microparticles. With this, a rear-projection screen with small wavelength dependency of diffusion characteristics can be provided utilizing only resins with general properties.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 28, 2001Publication date: June 27, 2002Inventors: Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Kenichi Ikeda, Osamu Sakai, Toru Tatsumi, Satoshi Aoki
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Publication number: 20020007793Abstract: A plasma deposition device 1 comprises electrodes 13 mounted on an electrode substrate 11, gas induction holes 12 provided between said electrodes 13 for introducing material gas G to the interior, a deposition substrate 30 provided to oppose to said electrodes 13 from a predetermined distance d, and a power source 60 generating plasma from said material gas by providing energy thereto, wherein material gas G is resolved to active species R deposited on said deposition substrate 30, characterized in applying voltage to adjacent electrodes 13 so as to generate discharge DC.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 22, 2001Publication date: January 24, 2002Inventors: Osamu Sakai, Satoshi Okamoto, Toshio Akai
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Patent number: 6331348Abstract: Paste comprising metallic organic compound, in particular, gold-based metallic organic compound is used as a conductive material for repairing the broken defective part and is baked. This can produce a very thin metallic film having low electric resistance. Further, a semiconductor laser is used as a heating unit to heat only the broken defective part, and a heating profile having a baking process of provisional baking and main baking and a cooling process is provided to produce the high-quality thin metallic film having no crack and a dense texture.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 1998Date of Patent: December 18, 2001Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Osamu Sakai, Keiji Takagi
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Publication number: 20010036567Abstract: The invention provides a fuel cell system that is free from troubles due to contaminant ions by controlling the concentration of contaminant ions in cooling water. The fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell stack and a means for controlling the cell temperature by circulating a liquid coolant in the fuel cell stack or bringing it in contact with the fuel cell stack, the fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of unit cells that are laid one upon another, each of the unit cells comprising a hydrogen ion-conductive electrolyte membrane, a pair of gas diffusion electrodes which sandwich the electrolyte membrane, an anode-side conductive separator plate having a gas flow path for supplying a fuel gas to one of the electrodes, and a cathode-side conductive separator plate having a gas flow path for supplying an oxidant gas to the other of the electrodes, wherein a material adsorbing or absorbing ions is provided on a portion of the fuel cell system to come in contact with the liquid coolant.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2001Publication date: November 1, 2001Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hisaaki Gyoten, Osamu Sakai, Kazuhito Hatoh, Junji Nikura, Makoto Uchida
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Publication number: 20010033954Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a first electrolyte-electrode assembly which comprises a hydrogen ion-conductive electrolyte layer, and a fuel electrode and a hydrogen-generating electrode that sandwich the electrolyte layer; a second electrolyte-electrode assembly which comprises a hydrogen ion-conductive electrolyte layer, and a fuel electrode and an oxidant electrode that sandwich the electrolyte layer; a fuel supplying means for supplying a liquid or gas fuel to the fuel electrode of the first electrolyte-electrode assembly; a means for applying to the fuel electrode of the first electrolyte-electrode assembly a potential which is positive to the hydrogen-generating electrode; and a means for supplying to the fuel electrode of the second electrolyte-electrode assembly hydrogen generated in the hydrogen-generating electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2001Publication date: October 25, 2001Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd.Inventors: Hisaaki Gyoten, Hiroki Kusakabe, Eiichi Yasumoto, Osamu Sakai