Patents by Inventor Yasuhiko Bito

Yasuhiko Bito 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: 8709660
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte battery including a negative electrode including metal lithium or a lithium alloy as a negative electrode active material, a positive electrode including a fluorinated graphite as a positive electrode active material, a separator provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The concentration ratio [F]/[C] of fluorine atoms to carbon atoms on the surface of the fluorinated graphite is 1.0 or more and less than 1.8. This improves the large-current discharge characteristics particularly in a low temperature environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Koshi Takamura, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Patent number: 8361658
    Abstract: A negative electrode material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries, characterized in that the negative electrode material comprises a composite particle including solid phases A and B, the solid phase A being dispersed in the solid phase B, and the ratio (IA/IB) of the maximum diffracted X-ray intensity (IA) attributed to the solid phase A to the maximum diffracted X-ray intensity (IB) attributed to the solid phase B satisfies 0.001?IA/IB?0.1, in terms of a diffraction line obtained by a wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurement of the composite particle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Harunari Shimamura, Toshitada Sato, Takayuki Nakamoto, Yasuhiko Bito, Yoshiaki Nitta
  • Patent number: 8187754
    Abstract: The non-aqueous electrolyte battery of the present invention includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode includes a molded body including Si-containing negative electrode active material particles and a conductive agent. The conductive agent includes a first conductive agent and a fibrous second conductive agent. The first conductive agent covers at least a portion of the surface of the Si-containing negative electrode active material particles, and the second conductive agent is in contact with at least two Si-containing negative electrode active material particles with the first conductive agent on the surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Youko Sano, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Patent number: 8003253
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including: a positive electrode; a negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode includes a negative electrode active material that includes at least Si. The non-aqueous electrolyte includes lithium hexafluorophosphate as a main supporting electrolyte and has an acid content of not less than 50 ppm and not more than 200 ppm. The negative electrode has a potential of not less than 0.6 V and not more than 1.5 V relative to a Li electrode at an end-of-discharge voltage of the battery. The battery is prevented from suffering degradation of storage characteristics caused by the dissolution reaction of Si from the negative electrode during charging and the precipitation reaction of the dissolved Si.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitada Sato, Yasuhiko Bito, Masaya Ugaji
  • Patent number: 7972729
    Abstract: The invention includes, as a positive electrode material, active material particles comprising a lithium-containing manganese oxide represented by the general formula: Li1+aMn2?x?aMxO4+y where M is a transition metal element other than Mn, 0<x?0.5, ?0.2?y?0.5, and 0?a?0.33. The molar ratio A of M to the total of Mn and M in the surface of the active material particles and the molar ratio B of M to the total of Mn and M in the whole active material particles satisfy the relations: A/B>1.0 and A?0.3. In an X-ray diffraction analysis using CuKa radiation as an X-ray source, the intensity ratio of the largest peak of peaks attributed to an oxide of the transition metal element M to a peak around 2?=36.4° is 0.25 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Teruaki Yamamoto, Shinichi Waki, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Patent number: 7955735
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that has a high electrical capacity and exhibits excellent cycle characteristics even when the battery is rapidly charged and discharged at a large current includes: a positive electrode capable of reversibly absorbing and desorbing Li; a negative electrode; and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode includes an alloying material that is capable of electrochemically absorbing and desorbing Li, and includes an A phase composed mainly of Si and a B phase including an intermetallic compound of at least one transition metal element and Si. The transition metal element is selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Ni, Cu, and Fe. The A phase and/or the B phase includes a microcrystalline or amorphous region. The weight percent of the A phase relative to the total weight of the A phase and the B phase is greater than 40% and not greater than 95%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Bito, Toshitada Sato, Teruaki Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7923150
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material that comprises a lithium-containing manganese oxide, and the negative electrode includes a negative electrode active material that comprises silicon and a transition metal element. When the battery voltage is 0 V, the positive electrode and the negative electrode have a potential of 1.8 V or higher relative to lithium metal (Li/Li+). Since the deterioration of the positive and negative electrode active materials is suppressed, this non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery has both high capacity and excellent deep discharge cycle life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Teruaki Yamamoto, Tomohiro Ueda, Shinichi Waki, Youko Sano, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Patent number: 7897282
    Abstract: An AA alkaline battery according to the present invention includes: a positive electrode; a negative electrode; a separator; an alkaline electrolyte; and a negative electrode current collector. The negative electrode contains zinc, indium, and bismuth. The weight of zinc is 4.0 g or more, and the total weight of indium and bismuth is 450 ppm or less with respect to the weight of zinc. The negative electrode current collector contains copper. Tin is provided on at least part of the surface of the negative electrode current collector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Bito, Fumio Kato, Harunari Shimamura
  • Patent number: 7858232
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that has a high electrical capacity and exhibits excellent cycle characteristics even when the battery is rapidly charged and discharged at a large current includes: a positive electrode capable of reversibly absorbing and desorbing Li; a negative electrode; and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode includes an alloying material that is capable of electrochemically absorbing and desorbing Li, and includes an A phase composed mainly of Si and a B phase including an intermetallic compound of at least one transition metal element and Si. The transition metal element is selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Ni, Cu, and Fe. At least one of the A phase and the B phase includes a microcrystalline or amorphous region. The weight percent of the A phase relative to the total weight of the A phase and the B phase is greater than 40% and not greater than 95%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Bito, Toshitada Sato, Teruaki Yamamoto, Tomohiro Ueda
  • Patent number: 7816032
    Abstract: A negative active material thin film provided on a collector layer directly or via an underlying layer has a multi-layered configuration including at least two silicon thin films containing silicon as a main component. Because of this, even when the thickness of the negative active material thin film is increased, the increase in thickness of one silicon thin film can be prevented by increasing the number of silicon thin films. Thus, the diameter of silicon particles substantially in an inverse truncated cone shape is not enlarged in the silicon thin film. Accordingly, in an energy device having a thin film mainly containing silicon as a negative active material, even when the thickness of the negative active material layer is increased to obtain a larger capacity, cycle characteristics are not degraded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Honda, Kiichiro Oishi, Yasuhiko Bito, Takayuki Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20100216033
    Abstract: A negative electrode material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries, characterized in that the negative electrode material comprises a composite particle including solid phases A and B, the solid phase A being dispersed in the solid phase B, and the ratio (IA/IB) of the maximum diffracted X-ray intensity (IA) attributed to the solid phase A to the maximum diffracted X-ray intensity (IB) attributed to the solid phase B satisfies 0.001?IA/IB?0.1, in terms of a diffraction line obtained by a wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurement of the composite particle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Harunari SHIMAMURA, Toshitada Sato, Takayuki Nakamoto, Yasuhiko Bito, Yoshiaki Nitta
  • Publication number: 20100203390
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte battery including a negative electrode including metal lithium or a lithium alloy as a negative electrode active material, a positive electrode including a fluorinated graphite as a positive electrode active material, a separator provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte. The concentration ratio [F]/[C] of fluorine atoms to carbon atoms on the surface of the fluorinated graphite is 1.0 or more and less than 1.8. This improves the large-current discharge characteristics particularly in a low temperature environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Inventors: Koshi Takamura, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Publication number: 20100203382
    Abstract: An alkaline battery includes: a positive electrode 3 including a positive electrode active material; a negative electrode 6 including a negative electrode active material; a separator 4; and an alkaline electrolyte. The negative electrode active material includes zinc alloy powder containing calcium and bismuth. The zinc alloy powder contains from 10% to 60%, both inclusive, by weight, of calcium with respect to bismuth, from 0.004% to 0.02%, both inclusive, by weight, of bismuth, and at least 11%, by weight, of particles with particle sizes of 75 ?m or less. With this configuration, high-power pulse discharge performance of the alkaline battery can be sufficiently enhanced without problems such as a rapid temperature rise in a short circuit and leakage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Inventors: Fumio Kato, Harunari Shimamura, Jun Nunome, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Publication number: 20100183916
    Abstract: An alkaline primary battery provided with a positive electrode containing a positive electrode active material and graphite, a negative electrode containing a negative electrode active material, a separator, and an alkaline electrolyte, the positive electrode active material containing manganese dioxide, the alkaline electrolyte containing zinc oxide, and the positive electrode containing metatitanic acid. Due to this, in a battery in which an alkaline electrolyte contains zinc oxide, productions of hetaerolite and the like at the positive electrode and depositions of titanium compound, zinc oxide, and the like on the inner face of a battery case are suppressed, and thus, excellent discharge performance and storage characteristics can be obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2008
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Inventors: Harunari Shimamura, Jun Nunome, Fumio Kato, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Patent number: 7754383
    Abstract: A negative electrode material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising an alloy including silicon and a transition metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, zirconium, vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten, iron, and nickel; and a silicon oxide film and an oxide film of the transition metal formed on a surface of the alloy wherein the alloy includes an A phase including silicon and a B phase including a crystalline alloy of silicon and the transition metal. The negative electrode material has a silicon oxide film and an oxide film of the transition metal on the surface of the alloy wherein the thickness ratio of the transition metal oxide film to the silicon oxide film is at least 0.44 and smaller than 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Teruaki Yamamoto, Masaki Hasegawa, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Publication number: 20100151321
    Abstract: An object of the present invention resides in that under the use of an active material capable of attaining a high capacity, the volume expansion of the negative electrode is alleviated, the maintenance of the structure of the negative electrode is achieved, and the degradation of the battery capacity is suppressed. The present invention relates to a negative electrode for a coin-shaped lithium secondary battery, a coin-shaped lithium secondary battery including the negative electrode, and a method for producing the negative electrode for a coin-shaped lithium secondary battery, wherein: the negative electrode includes a molded negative electrode including a negative electrode active material capable of absorbing and desorbing lithium; the molded negative electrode is of a coin shape having two flat faces and a side edge, and has cracks along the thickness direction thereof; at least one of the two flat faces has recessed portions; and the cracks start from the recessed portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Inventors: Teruaki Yamamoto, Tomohiro Ueda, Youko Sano, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Patent number: 7736806
    Abstract: A negative electrode material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries, characterized in that the negative electrode material comprises a composite particle including solid phases A and B, the solid phase A being dispersed in the solid phase B, and the ratio (IA/IB) of the maximum diffracted X-ray intensity (IA) attributed to the solid phase A to the maximum diffracted X-ray intensity (IB) attributed to the solid phase B satisfies 0.001?IA/IB?0.1, in terms of a diffraction line obtained by a wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurement of the composite particle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Harunari Shimamura, Toshitada Sato, Takayuki Nakamoto, Yasuhiko Bito, Yoshiaki Nitta
  • Publication number: 20100143583
    Abstract: A negative active material thin film containing silicon as a main component is formed on a collector. A composition gradient layer, in which a composition distribution of a main component element of the collector and silicon is varied smoothly, is formed in the vicinity of the interface between the collector and the negative active material thin film. The composition gradient layer contains at least one kind of third element selected from W, Mo, Cr, Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, and P, in addition to the elements contained in the collector and the elements contained in the negative active material thin film. The third element irregularizes the atomic arrangement at the interface between the collector and the negative active material thin film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Honda, Kiichiro Oishi, Yasuhiko Bito, Takayuki Nakamoto
  • Patent number: 7682741
    Abstract: A composite particle for a lithium rechargeable battery is contained in at least one of a positive electrode and a negative electrode of the lithium rechargeable battery that includes the positive electrode, the negative electrode, a separator, and non-aqueous electrolytic solution. The composite particle contains a conductive agent and an active material that can reversibly store and emit lithium ions. The composite particle is a hollow body formed of an outer wall including the active material and conductive agent, and a cavity capable of retaining non-aqueous electrolytic solution. At least one opening of the cavity that can pass the electrolytic solution is formed in the surface of the composite particle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Hasegawa, Yasuhiko Bito
  • Patent number: 7662514
    Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode capable of reversibly absorbing and desorbing lithium, a negative electrode including an alloy material as an active material, and a non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein the alloy material includes a phase (phase A) containing at least Si and a phase (phase B) containing an intermetallic compound composed of Si and at least one selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Ni and Cu, and the alloy material contains 0.0006 to 1.0 wt % of Fe in a metallic state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Bito, Teruaki Yamamoto