Patents by Inventor Yozo Uchida

Yozo Uchida 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: 8420263
    Abstract: An electrode collector manufacturing apparatus (50) includes a chamber (51), the inside of which can be reduced in pressure, a substrate retaining mechanism (55) that retains a conductive substrate (12), and a gas introducing mechanism (54) that introduces a fluorine gas and an inert gas into the chamber (51). Inside the chamber (51) are provided an etching portion (52) that etches a surface of the substrate (12), and carbon film forming portions (56a) and (56b) that form a carbon film on the surface of the etched substrate (12). The gas introducing mechanism (54) is structured to create in the chamber a mixed gas atmosphere in which the fluorine and the inert gas are mixed at a predetermined molar ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yozo Uchida
  • Publication number: 20130022864
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a battery electrode having a configuration in which a compound material layer containing an active material 22 and a binder 54 is retained on a current collector 10. This method includes a step of forming protrusions 64 composed of a polymer on a surface of the current collector 10, a step of forming a binder solution layer 56 by coating a binder solution 50 containing the binder 54 over the polymer protrusions 64 onto the current collector 10, a step of depositing the binder solution layer 56 and a compound material paste layer 46 on the current collector 10 by applying a compound material paste 40 containing the active material 22 over the binder solution layer 56, and a step of obtaining an electrode in which the compound material layer is formed on the current collector 10 by drying both the deposited binder solution layer 56 and compound material paste layer 46.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Inventors: Yozo Uchida, Nobuyuki Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20130004855
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a battery electrode. This method comprises the steps of applying a binder solution 50 that contains a binder 54 and is adjusted so that the contact angle of the binder solution 50 with the surface of a current collector 10 is 73° or less, to form a binder solution layer 56; applying a mixed material paste 40 containing an active material 22 on top of the binder solution layer 56, to deposit both the binder solution layer 56 and a mixed material paste layer 46 on the current collector 10; and obtaining an electrode 30 in which a mixed material layer 20 is formed on the current collector 10, by drying the deposited binder solution layer 56 and mixed material paste layer 46 together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2010
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Yamazaki, Yozo Uchida
  • Patent number: 8343656
    Abstract: According to the present invention, formation of a compound material layer is carried out by a method that includes a step of forming a binder solution layer 56 by applying a binder solution 50 containing a binder 54 to a current collector 10, a step of depositing the binder solution layer 56 and a compound material paste layer 46 on the current collector 10 by applying a compound material paste 40 over the binder solution layer 56, and a step of obtaining an electrode in which the compound material layer is formed on the current collector 10 by drying both the binder solution layer 56 and the compound material paste layer 46. Here, the binder solution 56 has a binder solution non-coated region 58 where a surface 12 of the current collector 10 is exposed, and the drying is carried out in a state in which a portion of the compound material paste layer 46 is deposited on the current collector 10 in the binder solution non-coated region 58.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yozo Uchida, Nobuyuki Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20120135304
    Abstract: According to the present invention, formation of a compound material layer is carried out by a method that includes a step of forming a binder solution layer 56 by applying a binder solution 50 containing a binder 54 to a current collector 10, a step of depositing the binder solution layer 56 and a compound material paste layer 46 on the current collector 10 by applying a compound material paste 40 over the binder solution layer 56, and a step of obtaining an electrode in which the compound material layer is formed on the current collector 10 by drying both the binder solution layer 56 and the compound material paste layer 46. Here, the binder solution 56 has a binder solution non-coated region 58 where a surface 12 of the current collector 10 is exposed, and the drying is carried out in a state in which a portion of the compound material paste layer 46 is deposited on the current collector 10 in the binder solution non-coated region 58.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Inventors: Yozo Uchida, Nobuyuki Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20120115027
    Abstract: According to the present invention, provided is a method for producing a battery electrode employing a configuration in which a compound material layer containing an active material 22 and a binder 54 is retained on a current collector 10. The formation of the compound material layer is carried out by a method including: a step of forming a binder solution layer 56 by applying a binder solution 50 containing the first binder 54 to the current collector 10; a step of depositing the binder solution layer 56 and a compound material paste layer 46 on the current collector 10 by applying the compound material paste 40 over the binder solution layer 56; and a step of obtaining an electrode in which the compound material layer is formed on the current collector 10 by drying both the binder solution layer 56 and the compound material paste 40.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Publication date: May 10, 2012
    Inventors: Yozo Uchida, Nobuyuki Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20110244144
    Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide an unexpected method of manufacturing a battery electrode and a coating die for use therein, both of which are capable of providing a high speed drying and of improving a peel strength between a collector and a compound. The manufacturing process S1 of manufacturing the battery electrode 1 includes the process of coating the compound 3 containing the electrode active material 4 and the binder 5 on the sheet collector 2 and the process of drying the compound 3 to bond the collector 2 and the compound 3, wherein in the coating process, a laser light is emitted to the interface between the compound 3 and the collector 2. Due to the above structure, regardless of the drying speed, the binder 5 contained in the compound 3 is crystallized at the interface with respect to the collector 2. As a result, the high speed drying is provided and the peel strength between the collector 2 and the compound 3 is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Inventor: Yozo Uchida
  • Publication number: 20110236759
    Abstract: A lithium-ion secondary battery of this invention comprises a separator interposed between a positive electrode and a negative electrode. Moreover, a porous film of lithium titanate is formed on the surface of the negative electrode. In this lithium-ion secondary battery, when the separator is ruptured, short-circuiting of the positive electrode and negative electrode is suppressed by the lithium titanate porous film formed on the surface of the negative electrode. Further, in this configuration, a decline in the characteristics of storage of lithium ions in the negative electrode at low temperatures (low-temperature input characteristics) is suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Inventor: Yozo Uchida
  • Publication number: 20110200884
    Abstract: A positive current collector provided by the present invention is a positive current collector including an electrically conductive layer on a base material of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The base material has a surface oxide film at an interface of the base material body and the conductive layer, and a thickness of the surface oxide film is 3 nm or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yozo Uchida
  • Publication number: 20110183211
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for manufacturing a battery electrode having a configuration in which an electrode active material layer including an electrode active material is held on an electrode collector. The method includes a step of mixing the electrode active material with a solvent and preparing an electrode active material paste (step S10), a step of admixing and dispersing microbubbles in the prepared electrode active material paste to obtain a low-density electrode active material paste that has a density lower than that before the admixing (step S20), and a step of coating the electrode collector with the low-density electrode active material paste (step S30).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2009
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Inventors: Yozo Uchida, Yoshiki Ohsawa, Tatsuya Hashimoto
  • Publication number: 20110111290
    Abstract: A battery-dedicated electrode foil (32) includes an aluminum electrode foil (33) in which metal aluminum is exposed, and corrosion-resistant layers (34A, 34B) that are formed on surfaces (33a, 33b) of the aluminum electrode foil, and that are in direct contact with the metal aluminum that forms the aluminum electrode foil, and that is made of tungsten carbide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2009
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Inventors: Yozo Uchida, Tadashi Teranishi
  • Publication number: 20110020707
    Abstract: An electrode collector manufacturing apparatus (50) includes a chamber (51), the inside of which can be reduced in pressure, a substrate retaining mechanism (55) that retains a conductive substrate (12), and a gas introducing mechanism (54) that introduces a fluorine gas and an inert gas into the chamber (51). Inside the chamber (51) are provided an etching portion (52) that etches a surface of the substrate (12), and carbon film forming portions (56a) and (56b) that form a carbon film on the surface of the etched substrate (12). The gas introducing mechanism (54) is structured to create in the chamber a mixed gas atmosphere in which the fluorine and the inert gas are mixed at a predetermined molar ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Inventor: Yozo Uchida
  • Publication number: 20100261056
    Abstract: The electrode collector 40 for a battery provided by the present invention is an electrode collector 40 having a base 10 that mainly composed of a conductive metal such as aluminum, and a DLC film 20 covering the surface 12 of the base 10. The DLC film 20 is not thicker than 10 nm, and preferably has a hydrophilic surface on which hydrophilic functional groups are present.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Inventor: Yozo Uchida
  • Publication number: 20080247439
    Abstract: In a semiconductor laser device (LD1), a semiconductor laser layer is formed on one face of a semiconductor substrate (1), and a p-type electrode (8) and an n-type electrode (11) are provided on the semiconductor laser layer side and the semiconductor substrate (1) side, respectively, so as to sandwich the semiconductor laser layer and the semiconductor substrate (1) therebetween. The p-type electrode (8) includes a first electrode (9) and a second electrode (10) that covers the first electrode (9).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventors: Yozo Uchida, Kenji Nakashima, Seiji Kawamoto