Patents by Inventor Akira Nambu

Akira Nambu 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: 11130521
    Abstract: A steering angle calculation circuit of an ECU includes a neutral point calculation circuit, a correction amount calculation circuit, an adder, and an absolute angle calculation circuit. When started, the neutral point calculation circuit calculates a motor neutral point from a steering angle detected through a steering sensor and a motor rotation angle detected through a relative angle sensor. The correction amount calculation circuit calculates a correction angle that is a difference between a conversion value and an actual value of the motor rotation angle with respect to the steering angle. The conversion value is obtained by converting the steering angle in terms of the motor rotation angle by taking into account a theoretical specific stroke. The adder calculates a final motor neutral point by adding the correction angle calculated by the correction amount calculation circuit to the motor neutral point calculated by the neutral point calculation circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Hosono, Akira Nambu
  • Patent number: 11066101
    Abstract: A steering angle calculating circuit includes a first neutral point calculating circuit, a second neutral point calculating circuit, and an absolute angle calculating circuit. The first neutral point calculating circuit calculates a motor neutral point (?m01), based on a steering angle detected by a steering sensor and a rotation angle of a motor detected by the relative angle sensor, when a drive source for driving a vehicle is started. The second neutral point calculating circuit calculates a motor neutral point when the steering angle detected by the steering sensor falls within a predetermined angle range in which a specific stroke with respect to the steering angle is constant. After the motor neutral point is calculated by the second neutral point calculating circuit, the absolute angle calculating circuit calculates the steering angle as an absolute angle, using the motor neutral point calculated by the second neutral point calculating circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Hosono, Akira Nambu, Tatsuya Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20200023898
    Abstract: A steering angle calculation circuit of an ECU includes a neutral point calculation circuit, a correction amount calculation circuit, an adder, and an absolute angle calculation circuit. When started, the neutral point calculation circuit calculates a motor neutral point from a steering angle detected through a steering sensor and a motor rotation angle detected through a relative angle sensor. The correction amount calculation circuit calculates a correction angle that is a difference between a conversion value and an actual value of the motor rotation angle with respect to the steering angle. The conversion value is obtained by converting the steering angle in terms of the motor rotation angle by taking into account a theoretical specific stroke. The adder calculates a final motor neutral point by adding the correction angle calculated by the correction amount calculation circuit to the motor neutral point calculated by the neutral point calculation circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Publication date: January 23, 2020
    Applicant: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi HOSONO, Akira NAMBU
  • Patent number: 10486737
    Abstract: A steering control device has a steering actuator as an operation target, the steering actuator includes a motor and a steering mechanism mechanically connected to a rotary shaft of the motor. The steering control device includes a controller configured to perform i) a low-temperature process of changing a torque of the motor when an estimated value estimated from a temperature of a lubrication target part of the steering mechanism is equal to or lower than a predetermined value with respect to when the estimated value is higher than the predetermined value and ii) an estimation process of calculating the estimated value which is set be lower than a detected value of a temperature sensor detecting a temperature of a predetermined member attached to the steering mechanism based on a heat emission parameter of the steering actuator associated with a current flow with the detected value as an input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Toko, Hiromasa Tamaki, Akira Nambu, Takahiro Kojo, Nobuyori Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20190193789
    Abstract: A steering angle calculating circuit includes a first neutral point calculating circuit, a second neutral point calculating circuit, and an absolute angle calculating circuit. The first neutral point calculating circuit calculates a motor neutral point (?m01), based on a steering angle detected by a steering sensor and a rotation angle of a motor detected by the relative angle sensor, when a drive source for driving a vehicle is started. The second neutral point calculating circuit calculates a motor neutral point when the steering angle detected by the steering sensor falls within a predetermined angle range in which a specific stroke with respect to the steering angle is constant. After the motor neutral point is calculated by the second neutral point calculating circuit, the absolute angle calculating circuit calculates the steering angle as an absolute angle, using the motor neutral point calculated by the second neutral point calculating circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi HOSONO, Akira NAMBU, Tatsuya SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 10090136
    Abstract: An oxide sintered body which is obtained by mixing and sintering zinc oxide, indium oxide, gallium oxide and tin oxide. The relative density of the oxide sintered body is 85% or more and the average grain size of crystal grains observed on the surface of the oxide sintered body is less than 10 ?m. X-ray diffraction of the oxide sintered body shows that a Zn2SnO4 phase and an InGaZnO4 phase are the main phases and that an InGaZn2O5 phase is contained in an amount of 3 volume % or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: KOBELCO RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Yuki Tao, Hideo Hata, Akira Nambu, Moriyoshi Kanamaru
  • Patent number: 10073116
    Abstract: This sample holder for a scanning probe microscope is constituted of (1) a container that retains a liquid and (2) a flat-plate-shaped upper cover that covers an upper opening of the container and that has a narrow slit above the position where a sample is placed. In the upper cover, the slit has a slit width with which a thin film of the liquid is formed over the upper surface of the sample when the liquid fills the space between the container and the upper cover. The thin film of the liquid has a film thickness smaller than the distance between the upper surface of the sample and the upper cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Sanato Nagata, Tomihiro Hashizume, Akira Nambu, Hideaki Koizumi
  • Publication number: 20180118254
    Abstract: A steering control device has a steering actuator as an operation target, the steering actuator includes a motor and a steering mechanism mechanically connected to a rotary shaft of the motor. The steering control device includes a controller configured to perform i) a low-temperature process of changing a torque of the motor when an estimated value estimated from a temperature of a lubrication target part of the steering mechanism is equal to or lower than a predetermined value with respect to when the estimated value is higher than the predetermined value and ii) an estimation process of calculating the estimated value which is set be lower than a detected value of a temperature sensor detecting a temperature of a predetermined member attached to the steering mechanism based on a heat emission parameter of the steering actuator associated with a current flow with the detected value as an input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Applicants: JTEKT CORPORATION, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro TOKO, Hiromasa TAMAKI, Akira NAMBU, Takahiro KOJO, Nobuyori NAKAJIMA
  • Patent number: 9905403
    Abstract: An oxide sintered body is obtained by mixing and sintering a zinc oxide, an indium oxide, a gallium oxide and a tin oxide. The oxide sintered body has a relative density of 85% or more, and has volume ratios satisfying the following expressions (1) to (3), respectively, as determined by X•ray diffractometry: (1) (Zn2SnO4 phase+InGaZnO4 phase)/(Zn2SnO4 phase+InGaZnO4 phase+In2O3 phase+SnO2 phase+(ZnO)mIn2O3, phase)?75% by volume; (2) Zn2SnO4 phase/(Zn2SnO4 phase+InGaZnO4 phase+In2O3 phase+SnO2 phase+(ZnO)mIn2O3 phase)?30% by volume; and (3) InGaZnO4 phase/(Zn2SnO4 phase+InGaZnO4 phase+In2O3 phase+SnO2 phase+(ZnO)mIn2O3 phase)?10% by volume, and m represents an integer of 2 to 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: KOBELCO RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Yuki Tao, Moriyoshi Kanamaru, Akira Nambu, Hideo Hata
  • Publication number: 20170343580
    Abstract: This sample holder for a scanning probe microscope is constituted of (1) a container that retains a liquid and (2) a flat-plate-shaped upper cover that covers an upper opening of the container and that has a narrow slit above the position where a sample is placed. In the upper cover, the slit has a slit width with which a thin film of the liquid is formed over the upper surface of the sample when the liquid fills the space between the container and the upper cover. The thin film of the liquid has a film thickness smaller than the distance between the upper surface of the sample and the upper cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Sanato NAGATA, Tomihiro HASHIZUME, Akira NAMBU, Hideaki KOIZUMI
  • Patent number: 9461568
    Abstract: In a state in which the energization in the first direction is possible between the motor and the drive circuit and the motor is not rotating at high speed, when the phase induced voltage value of the specific phase that is the target of determination is continuously equal to or smaller than the abnormality determination threshold, the abnormality detecting unit determines that an open malfunction has occurred in the relay FET of the specific phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Tomita, Satoru Mikamo, Hiroshi Kawamura, Toshihiro Takahashi, Jun Hasegawa, Akira Nambu, Kenichiro Aoki, Eiji Kasai
  • Patent number: 9423416
    Abstract: Provided is a scanning probe microscope that takes measurements at high spatial resolution on physical information such as array structure of water molecules at a specimen-culture fluid interface in a culture fluid as well as irregularities of the surface of a specimen and composition distribution and array structure of molecules, proteins, etc. even in the atmosphere, an ambient air, vacuum, among others. The scanning probe microscope includes: a probing needle (1); a specimen holder (11) in which a specimen (3) is mounted; an oscillator (2) that produces a periodic oscillation to change the probing needle position; a pulse oscillation type laser light source (27, 28) that emits light toward a spot, which is put under measurement by the probing needle, on the specimen; a detector (25) that measures intensity of output light which is output from the specimen by energy spectroscopy; and a control device (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Nambu, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Hideaki Koizumi, Tomihiro Hashizume, Seiji Heike
  • Patent number: 9334559
    Abstract: The present invention provides a Cu—In—Ga—Se powder containing Cu, In, Ga and Se in which cracks do not occur during sintering or processing, and a sintered body and sputtering target, each using the same. The present invention relates to a powder containing Cu, In Ga and Se, which contains a Cu—In—Ga—Se compound and/or a Cu—In—Se compound in an amount of 60 mass % or more in total. The powder of the present invention preferably contains an In—Se compound in an amount of 20 mass % or less and/or a Cu—In compound in an amount of 20 mass % or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignees: KOBELCO RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC., HYOGO PREFECTURE
    Inventors: Masaya Ehira, Akira Nambu, Shigeo Kashiwai, Masafumi Fukuzumi
  • Patent number: 9175380
    Abstract: Provided is an oxide sintered body suitably used for producing an oxide semiconductor film for a display device, the oxide sintered body capable of forming an oxide semiconductor film exerting excellent conductivity, having high relative density and excellent in-plane uniformity, and exhibiting high carrier mobility. This oxide sintered body is obtained by combining and sintering a zinc oxide powder, a tin oxide powder, and an indium oxide powder. The oxide sintered body satisfies the following equation (1) when the oxide sintered body is subjected to X-ray diffraction, Equation (1): [A/(A+B+C+D)]×100?70. In equation (1), A represents the XRD peak intensity in the vicinity of 2?=34°, B represents the XRD peak intensity in the vicinity of 2?=31°, C represents the XRD peak intensity in the vicinity of 2?=35°, and D represents the XRD peak intensity in the vicinity of 2?=26.5°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: KOBELCO RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Moriyoshi Kanamaru, Yuki Iwasaki, Minoru Matsui, Hiroshi Goto, Akira Nambu
  • Publication number: 20150248996
    Abstract: An oxide sintered body which is obtained by mixing and sintering zinc oxide, indium oxide, gallium oxide and tin oxide. The relative density of the oxide sintered body is 85% or more and the average grain size of crystal grains observed on the surface of the oxide sintered body is less than 10 ?m. X-ray diffraction of the oxide sintered body shows that a Zn2SnO4 phase and an InGaZnO4 phase are the main phases and that an InGaZn2O5 phase is contained in an amount of 3 volume % or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Publication date: September 3, 2015
    Applicant: KOBELCO RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Yuki Tao, Hideo Hata, Akira Nambu, Moriyoshi Kanamaru
  • Publication number: 20150235819
    Abstract: An oxide sintered body is obtained by mixing and sintering a zinc oxide, an indium oxide, a gallium oxide and a tin oxide. The oxide sintered body has a relative density of 85% or more, and has volume ratios satisfying the following expressions (1) to (3), respectively, as determined by X•ray diffractometry: (1) (Zn2SnO4 phase+InGaZnO4 phase)/(Zn2SnO4 phase+InGaZnO4 phase+In2O3 phase+SnO2 phase+(ZnO)mIn2O3, phase)?75% by volume; (2) Zn2SnO4 phase/(Zn2SnO4 phase+InGaZnO4 phase+In2O3 phase+SnO2 phase+(ZnO)mIn2O3 phase)?30% by volume; and (3) InGaZnO4 phase/(Zn2SnO4 phase+InGaZnO4 phase+In7O3 phase+SnO2 phase+(ZnO)mIn2O3 phase)?10% by volume. and m represents an integer of 2 to 5.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: KOBELCO RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Yuki Tao, Moriyoshi Kanamaru, Akira Nambu, Hideo Hata
  • Publication number: 20150192604
    Abstract: At the time of carrying out measurement of a biological tissue with a probe microscope, measurement is to be realized while maintain survival conditions for a cell. As a holder for the probe microscope, a measurement holder including: a container in which a measurement object is housed; a first cover section which covers at least a part of the measurement object and has an aperture for inserting a measurement probe; and a second cover section which is connected to the first cover section, covers the container, and has an aperture for inserting the measurement probe, is used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Publication date: July 9, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Seiji Heike, Akira Nambu, Tomihiro Hashizume, Hideaki Koizumi
  • Publication number: 20150177275
    Abstract: Provided is a scanning probe microscope that takes measurements at high spatial resolution on physical information such as array structure of water molecules at a specimen-culture fluid interface in a culture fluid as well as irregularities of the surface of a specimen and composition distribution and array structure of molecules, proteins, etc. even in the atmosphere, an ambient air, vacuum, among others. The scanning probe microscope includes: a probing needle (1); a specimen holder (11) in which a specimen (3) is mounted; an oscillator (2) that produces a periodic oscillation to change the probing needle position; a pulse oscillation type laser light source (27, 28) that emits light toward a spot, which is put under measurement by the probing needle, on the specimen; a detector (25) that measures intensity of output light which is output from the specimen by energy spectroscopy; and a control device (26).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Publication date: June 25, 2015
    Inventors: Akira Nambu, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Hideaki Koizumi, Tomihiro Hashizume, Seiji Heike
  • Patent number: 8781682
    Abstract: A motor control signal output unit of an electric power steering system includes a feedback gain calculation unit (52), and a feedback control unit executes a feedback control with the use of a proportional gain (Kp) and an integral gain (Ki) that are calculated by the feedback gain calculation unit (52). The feedback gain calculation unit (52) sets the feedback gains to large values (Kp=P0, Ki=I0) when the absolute value of an assist gradient (?) is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value (?0) (|?|??0). On the other hand, when the absolute value of the assist gradient (?) exceeds the predetermined value (?0) (|?|>?0), the feedback gain calculation unit (52) sets the feedback gains to small values (Kp=p1, Ki=I1:P1<P0, I1<I0).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Suzuki, Naoki Yamano, Terutaka Tamaizumi, Akira Nambu
  • Patent number: 8766589
    Abstract: In a motor control unit, a current-carrying failure detection unit determines a first determination condition and a second determination condition. The current-carrying failure detection unit measures a duration of a state where the first determination condition is satisfied, and a duration of a state where the second determination condition is satisfied. When the first or second duration exceeds a predetermined reference period, the current-carrying failure detection unit determines that a current-carrying failure has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: JTEKT Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Takahashi, Satoru Mikamo, Hiroshi Kawamura, Jun Hasegawa, Akihiro Tomita, Akira Nambu