Patents by Inventor Fuminori Watanabe

Fuminori Watanabe 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).

  • Publication number: 20180079026
    Abstract: A spot welding method able to simply prevent liquid metal embrittlement cracks in spot welding of plated steel sheets, comprising, before spot welding, removing the plating at least in a zone including the inside of a circle centered at a scheduled location where the center of the nugget is formed and having an outer circumference of the inside of the outer edge of a weld affected zone or a zone at the mated surfaces of the steel sheets to be welded at the inside of a circle sharing a center of a scheduled location becoming the center of the nugget formed at the mated surfaces of the steel sheets and having an outer circumference of the inside of the outer edge of a weld affected zone
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Publication date: March 22, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunobu MIYAZAKI, Fuminori WATANABE, Chisato WAKABAYASHI, Kunio HAYASHI, Hiroyuki KAWATA, Seiji FURUSAKO, Sho MATSUI
  • Publication number: 20170348798
    Abstract: There is provided a power supply device that supplies an output current to an electric processing device which performs electric processing on workpieces. The device includes: a first power supply; a magnetic energy recovery switch that receives a current supplied from the first power supply, and converts the received current into the output current; and a control unit that controls the magnetic energy recovery switch such that an electric current frequency of the output current includes a first electric current frequency and a second electric current frequency which are different from each other within a one-time electric processing time using the electric processing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fuminori WATANABE, Kazuhiko FUKUTANI, Seiji FURUSAKO, Chisato WAKABAYASHI, Tohru OKADA
  • Patent number: 9610648
    Abstract: Provided is a spot welded joint (10) which includes at least one thin steel plate with a tensile strength of 750 MPa to 1850 MPa and a carbon equivalent Ceq of equal to or more than 0.22 mass % to 0.55 mass % and in which a nugget (3) is formed in an interface of the thin steel plates (1A, 1B). In a nugget outer layer zone, a microstructure consists of a dendrite structure in which an average value of arm intervals is equal to or less than 12 ?m, an average grain diameter of carbides contained in the microstructure is 5 nm to 100 nm, and a number density of carbides is equal to or more than 2×106/mm2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hatsuhiko Oikawa, Hideki Hamatani, Masafumi Azuma, Noriyuki Suzuki, Fuminori Watanabe, Naoki Maruyama, Hiroyuki Kawata
  • Publication number: 20160271721
    Abstract: A spot welding electrode of a donut-shaped electrode wherein even when a welded member of a steel sheet is slanted with respect a plane perpendicular to an axis of the spot welding electrode, a cross tensile strength (CTS) of the spot welded joint can be improved. The donut shape spot welding electrode according to the present invention has an electrode tip and an electrode support. The electrode tip contacts the electrode support to be able to move. Due to this, it is possible to strikingly raise the ability of the donut-shaped electrode to track a steel sheet and make the entire surface of the donut shape contact-and-conduction part contact the steel sheet, so it is possible to secure a high CTS value even if the steel sheet is slanted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fuminori WATANABE, Tohru OKADA, Seiji FURUSAKO
  • Publication number: 20160263694
    Abstract: The present invention has as its object to provide a spot welded joint and spot welding method which raise the fracture toughness of spot welded metal to raise the strength of the spot welded joint. In the present invention, there is provided a spot welding method comprising a melt zone forming step forming a melt zone by conduction and, after the melt zone forming step, a solidification step of running a current lower than the current run in the melt zone forming step so as to cause the melt zone to solidify, wherein, in the solidification step, electromagnetic vibration is applied to the melt zone, and a frequency fV of the electromagnetic vibration, a solidification speed ?S when the melt zone solidifies, and an arm interval of dendrites ?D when the melt zone solidifies satisfy 0.2??S/(?D·fV)?4.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fuminori WATANABE, Yasunobu MIYAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20160082543
    Abstract: By obtaining a spot-welded joint being a spot-welded joint formed by overlapping a plurality of pieces of steel plates (1A, 1B) and performing spot welding on the steel plates, including a high-strength steel plate whose tensile strength is 750 (MPa) to 2500 (MPa), being at least one piece of steel plate out of the plurality of pieces of steel plates, in which a carbon equivalent Ceq of the high-strength steel plate is 0.20 mass % to 0.55 mass %, and ten or more of iron-based carbides in each of which a length of a longest portion is 0.1 (?m) or more exist in a square region 103 within a heat-affected zone 4 of a cross section that passes through a center of a welding mark, and is cut along a plate thickness direction of the steel plates (1A, 1B), a cross tensile strength of the spot-welded joint to be formed is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Publication date: March 24, 2016
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chisato WAKABAYASHI, Fuminori WATANABE, Seiji FURUSAKO, Yasunobu MIYAZAKI, Hiroyuki KAWATA, Tohru OKADA, Hideki HAMATANI
  • Publication number: 20160067814
    Abstract: A spot welding method is a method of performing spot welding to obtain a spot welded joint, the method including a spot welding with two-stage welding, setting a ratio (I2/I1) of a current I2 of a second welding process to a current I1 of a first welding process to from 0.5 to 0.8, setting a time tc of a cooling process within a range of from 0.8×tmin to 2.5×tmin wherein tmin is calculated using the equation (0.2×H2) according to a sheet thickness H of the steel sheets, setting an welding time t2 of a second welding process within a range of from 0.7×tmin to 2.5×tmin, and setting a pressure from the cooling process onward to greater than a pressure until the first welding process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Seiji FURUSAKO, Fuminori WATANABE, Yasunobu MIYAZAKI, Tohru OKADA, Tasuku ZENIYA, Koichi SATO
  • Patent number: 9226378
    Abstract: A plasma torch comprises a cascade between a cathode and an anode. The cascade is an inter-electrode insert. An interior of the cascade is shaped so that a diameter of the interior expands in series in a plurality of steps from a side of the cathode to a side of the anode. As a result of the cascade being provided, the output power of the plasma torch is obtained not by an increase in the electric current but by an increase in the arc electric voltage. Therefore, the lifespan of each of the electrodes, i.e., the cathode and the anode, becomes remarkably longer. In addition, since a quasi laminar flow of the plasma is generated in the interior of the cascade, a fluctuation in the output power of the plasma jet is reduced. Thus, it is possible to lower the driving and operating costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideki Hamatani, Sunao Takeuchi, Fuminori Watanabe, Tetsuro Nose, Oleg Pavlovich Solonenko, Andrey Vladimirovich Smirnov
  • Publication number: 20150104243
    Abstract: In a spot welded joint according to an aspect of the present invention, with respect to a rectangular planar region of 100 ?m×100 ?m which is perpendicular to a sheet surface of the plurality of the steel sheets and which centers around an inner point spaced away by 100 ?m in a direction parallel with the sheet surface from an edge of a nugget, in a case of measuring a P concentration at a pitch of 1 ?m to obtain measured values of the P concentration at 100×100 of measurement points, and in a case of repetitively calculating an average value of the measured values of the P concentration at 20 of the measurement points which are adjacent to each other and which are arranged in a row in the direction parallel with the sheet surface among the 100×100 of the measurement points while shifting each one point to obtain 81×100 of the average values, the number of the average values which are more than two times an average P concentration is 0 to 100.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Inventors: Fuminori Watanabe, Tomohito Tanaka, Seiji Furusako, Yasunobu Miyazaki, Hideki Hamatani, Hatsuhiko Oikawa
  • Patent number: 8962149
    Abstract: Provided is a spot welded joint (10) which includes at least one thin steel plate with a tensile strength of 750 MPa to 1850 MPa and a carbon equivalent Ceq of equal to or more than 0.22 mass % to 0.55 mass % and in which a nugget (3) is formed in an interface of the thin steel plates (1A, 1B). In a nugget outer layer zone, a microstructure consists of a dendrite structure in which an average value of arm intervals is equal to or less than 12 ?m, an average grain diameter of carbides contained in the microstructure is 5 nm to 100 nm, and a number density of carbides is equal to or more than 2×106/mm2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation
    Inventors: Hatsuhiko Oikawa, Hideki Hamatani, Masafumi Azuma, Noriyuki Suzuki, Fuminori Watanabe, Naoki Maruyama, Hiroyuki Kawata
  • Publication number: 20150001188
    Abstract: Provided is a spot welded joint (10) which includes at least one thin steel plate with a tensile strength of 750 MPa to 1850 MPa and a carbon equivalent Ceq of equal to or more than 0.22 mass % to 0.55 mass % and in which a nugget (3) is formed in an interface of the thin steel plates (1A, 1B). In a nugget outer layer zone, a microstructure consists of a dendrite structure in which an average value of arm intervals is equal to or less than 12 ?m, an average grain diameter of carbides contained in the microstructure is 5 nm to 100 nm, and a number density of carbides is equal to or more than 2×106/mm2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hatsuhiko OIKAWA, Hideki HAMATANI, Masafumi AZUMA, Noriyuki SUZUKI, Fuminori WATANABE, Naoki MARUYAMA, Hiroyuki KAWATA
  • Publication number: 20130319979
    Abstract: A plasma torch comprises a cascade between a cathode and an anode. The cascade is an inter-electrode insert. An interior of the cascade is shaped so that a diameter of the interior expands in series in a plurality of steps from a side of the cathode to a side of the anode. As a result of the cascade being provided, the output power of the plasma torch is obtained not by an increase in the electric current but by an increase in the arc electric voltage. Therefore, the lifespan of each of the electrodes, i.e., the cathode and the anode, becomes remarkably longer. In addition, since a quasi laminar flow of the plasma is generated in the interior of the cascade, a fluctuation in the output power of the plasma jet is reduced. Thus, it is possible to lower the driving and operating costs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2011
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Inventors: Hideki Hamatani, Sunao Takeuchi, Fuminori Watanabe, Tetsuro Nose, Oleg Pavlovich Solonenko, Andrey Vladimirovich Smirnov
  • Patent number: 8344964
    Abstract: An artificial medium includes: a dielectric layer having a front surface and a back surface; a plurality of first grid lines respectively formed on the front surface and the back surface and extending in a first direction and a plurality of second grid lines extending in a second direction different from the first direction; and electrically conductive elements respectively formed on the front surface and the back surface of the dielectric layer and located in areas where the first grid lines intersect the second grid lines, wherein when an electromagnetic wave propagated in the direction of the thickness of the dielectric layer is incident, a current excited by the electromagnetic wave is increased in a prescribed operating frequency and a current loop is formed in a plane parallel to the direction of the thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Koji Ikawa, Masahide Koga, Fuminori Watanabe, Ryuta Sonoda, Kazuhiko Niwano
  • Publication number: 20120141829
    Abstract: Provided is a spot welded joint (10) which includes at least one thin steel plate with a tensile strength of 750 MPa to 1850 MPa and a carbon equivalent Ceq of equal to or more than 0.22 mass % to 0.55 mass % and in which a nugget (3) is formed in an interface of the thin steel plates (1A, 1B). In a nugget outer layer zone, a microstructure consists of a dendrite structure in which an average value of arm intervals is equal to or less than 12 ?m, an average grain diameter of carbides contained in the microstructure is 5 nm to 100 nm, and a number density of carbides is equal to or more than 2×106/mm2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Inventors: Hatsuhiko Oikawa, Hideki Hamatani, Masafumi Azuma, Noriyuki Suzuki, Fuminori Watanabe, Naoki Maruyama, Hiroyuki Kawata
  • Publication number: 20110102297
    Abstract: An artificial medium includes: a dielectric layer having a front surface and a back surface; a plurality of first grid lines respectively formed on the front surface and the back surface and extending in a first direction and a plurality of second grid lines extending in a second direction different from the first direction; and electrically conductive elements respectively formed on the front surface and the back surface of the dielectric layer and located in areas where the first grid lines intersect the second grid lines, wherein when an electromagnetic wave propagated in the direction of the thickness of the dielectric layer is incident, a current excited by the electromagnetic wave is increased in a prescribed operating frequency and a current loop is formed in a plane parallel to the direction of the thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Inventors: Koji Ikawa, Masahide Koga, Fuminori Watanabe, Ryuta Sonoda, Kazuhiko Niwano
  • Publication number: 20100053019
    Abstract: An artificial medium on which two or more conductive surfaces are provided in a thickness direction, the conductive surface being provided with conductive elements in a two-dimensional periodic array, wherein when an electromagnetic wave propagated in parallel to the thickness direction is incident on the artificial medium, a current excited by the electromagnetic wave increases in an operation frequency, and a current loop is formed in a surface parallel to the thickness direction is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Inventors: Kohji Ikawa, Masahide Koga, Ryuta Sonoda, Fuminori Watanabe, Kazuhiko Niwano
  • Patent number: 7605843
    Abstract: A monitoring method for monitoring a video/audio signal transmitted from a transmission source to a transmission destination has a step of storing the video/audio signal transmitted from the transmission source to the transmission destination repeatedly for a predetermined time period, a step of comparing a first characteristic amount extracted from the video/audio signal before the transmission and a second characteristic amount extracted from the video/audio signal after the transmission in real time, a step of determining an error occurrence when there is a difference of a predetermined value or more between the first characteristic amount and the second characteristic amount, and a step of transmitting the stored video/audio signal to a predetermined destination when an error occurrence is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Gaintech Co. Limited
    Inventors: Takahiro Hamada, Takuma Kawamura, Fuminori Watanabe, John Alexenko
  • Publication number: 20090102928
    Abstract: A monitoring method for monitoring a video/audio signal transmitted from a transmission source to a transmission destination has a step of storing the video/audio signal transmitted from the transmission source to the transmission destination repeatedly for a predetermined time period, a step of comparing a first characteristic amount extracted from the video/audio signal before the transmission and a second characteristic amount extracted from the video/audio signal after the transmission in real time, a step of determining an error occurrence when there is a difference of a predetermined value or more between the first characteristic amount and the second characteristic amount, and a step of transmitting the stored video/audio signal to a predetermined destination when an error occurrence is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2009
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicant: K-WILL JAPAN
    Inventors: Takahiro Hamada, Takuma Kawamura, Fuminori Watanabe, John Alexenko
  • Publication number: 20090013360
    Abstract: A monitoring method for monitoring a video/audio signal transmitted from a transmission source to a transmission destination has a step of storing the video/audio signal transmitted from the transmission source to the transmission destination repeatedly for a predetermined time period, a step of comparing a first characteristic amount extracted from the video/audio signal before the transmission and a second characteristic amount extracted from the video/audio signal after the transmission in real time, a step of determining an error occurrence when there is a difference of a predetermined value or more between the first characteristic amount and the second characteristic amount, and a step of transmitting the stored video/audio signal to a predetermined destination when an error occurrence is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2008
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Applicant: GAINTECH CO. LIMITED
    Inventors: Takahiro Hamada, Takuma Kawamura, Fuminori Watanabe, John Alexenko
  • Publication number: 20080276290
    Abstract: A monitoring system checks a transmission error of a video/audio signal transmitted from a source (10) to a destination (20A, 20B) by comparing in real time a first feature extracted from the pre-transmission video/audio signal and a second feature extracted from the post-transmission video/audio signal. The transmitted video/audio signal is repeatedly stored for a predetermined period of time. When the system judges that a transmission error has occurred, it transmits the stored video/audio signal to a predetermined address. Thus, the transmission error of the transmitted video/audio signal can be analyzed rapidly and in detail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2006
    Publication date: November 6, 2008
    Applicant: KDDI Media Will Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro Hamada, Takuma Kawamura, Fuminori Watanabe, John Alexenko