Patents by Inventor Hirohiko Fukumoto

Hirohiko Fukumoto 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: 7078660
    Abstract: An apparatus for effectively heating a green tire generates heat to a metal member embedded therein using electromagnetic induction, to complete a heating formation of a green tire in a sufficiently short time. Particularly, in the thick portion of the green tire which is hard to heat, the efficiency of heat generation due to electromagnetic induction is increased by effectively concentrating a high frequency magnetic field on the metal member embedded therein. The apparatus for heating a green tire includes a local heating coil for forming a high frequency magnetic field along a portion of extending direction of a metal member, a high frequency power supply for supplying high frequency power to the local heating coil, and a mechanism for moving the local heating coil relatively in the extending direction of the metal member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hisashi Mitamura, Shigeto Adachi, Kazuto Okada, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Kenichi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20050016995
    Abstract: An apparatus for effectively heating a green tire generates heat to a metal member embedded therein using electromagnetic induction, to complete a heating formation of a green tire in a sufficiently short time. Particularly, in the thick portion of the green tire which is hard to rise temperature heat, the efficiency of heat generation due to electromagnetic induction is increased by effectively concentrating a high frequency magnetic field on the metal member embedded therein. The apparatus for heating a green tire comprises a local heating coil for forming a high frequency magnetic field along a portion of extending direction of a metal member, a high frequency power supply for supplying high frequency power to the local heating coil, and a mechanism for moving the local heating coil relatively in the extending direction of the metal member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Applicant: KABUSHI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hisashi Mitamura, Shigeto Adachi, Kazuto Okada, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Kenichi Inoue
  • Patent number: 6818872
    Abstract: An apparatus for effectively heating a green tire generates heat to a metal member embedded therein using electromagnetic induction, to complete a heating formation of a green tire in a sufficiently short time. Particularly, in the thick portion of the green tire which is hard to heat, the efficiency of heat generation due to electromagnetic induction is increased by effectively concentrating a high frequency magnetic field on the metal member embedded therein. The apparatus for heating a green tire comprises a local heating coil for forming high frequency magnetic field along a portion of extending direction of a metal member, a high frequency power supply for supplying high frequency power to the local heating coil, and a mechanism for moving the local heating coil relatively in the extending direction of the metal member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Mitamura, Shigeto Adachi, Kazuto Okada, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Kenichi Inoue
  • Patent number: 6655940
    Abstract: A tire press comprising a center post 22 vertically movably extended through a center part of a lower ring mechanism 12 and vertically moving an upper ring 19 with respect to a lower ring mechanism 12, a heater 103 arranged in an outer peripheral position of the center post 22 on the tire inner peripheral side of a green tire 4 held by the lower ring mechanism 12 and the upper ring 19, heater 103 to apply a heat to the green tire 4, a first driving mechanism such as a tubular member vertically moving cylinder 98 capable of vertically moving the heater 103 to a suitable height position so as to move the heater 103 to a suitable position independently of vertical movement of the center post 22, and a second driving mechanism such as a driving motor 99 capable of rotating the heater 103. By the provision of such a mechanism as described, press molding relative to a green tire 4 can be completed in a sufficiently short period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Mitamura, Yasuhiko Fujieda, Kazuto Okada, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Akira Sakurai
  • Patent number: 6551085
    Abstract: A bladder for a vulcanizer includes, as a constituent member, a low elongation material with stable properties at vulcanization temperatures. During a vulcanization-molding process, the bladder is pressed against the inner surface of a green tire using a pressurized medium. The pressurized medium can be at vulcanization temperatures. The bladder has substantially the same shape as the inner wall surface of the tire that is formed using the bladder. As a result, irregularities in the shape of the inner wall surface of a tire rarely occur, and the frequency of exchange of bladders can be reduced. The vulcanizer bladder can include a conductive material or a magnetic material, both of which can be heated by using an induction heating coil. The use of both heat from the pressurized medium and heat generated in the bladder to vulcanize a green tire can shorten the period of time required for vulcanizing-molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisashi Mitamura, Yasuhiko Fujieda, Kazuhisa Fujisawa, Kazuto Okada, Akira Sakurai, Hirohiko Fukumoto
  • Patent number: 6474968
    Abstract: A vulcanizer includes a vulcanizer body for heating a green tire by making use of heat quantity to vulcanize an mold it and repetitiously using the heating medium used for the vulcanizing and molding for heating. A heat quantity supplementing device heats the heating medium to thereby supplement a lost part of the heat quantity of the heating medium. Thereby, vulcanizing and molding can be carried out with less energy loss of the heating medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hisashi Mitamura, Yasuhiko Fujieda, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Kazuto Okada
  • Publication number: 20020015747
    Abstract: A tire press comprising a center post 22 vertically movably extended through a center part of a lower ring mechanism 12 and vertically moving an upper ring 19 with respect to a lower ring mechanism 12, a heater 103 arranged in an outer peripheral position of the center post 22 on the tire inner peripheral side of a green tire 4 held by the lower ring mechanism 12 and the upper ring 19, heater 103 to apply a heat to the green tire 4, a first driving mechanism such as a tubular member vertically moving cylinder 98 capable of vertically moving the heater 103 to a suitable height position so as to move the heater 103 to a suitable position independently of vertical movement of the center post 22, and a second driving mechanism such as a driving motor 99 capable of rotating the heater 103. By the provision of such a mechanism as described, press molding relative to a green tire 4 can be completed in a sufficiently short period of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Publication date: February 7, 2002
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hisashi Mitamura, Yasuhiko Fujieda, Kazuto Okada, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Akira Sakurai
  • Publication number: 20020015746
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for effectively heating a green tire by generating heat to a metal member embedded therein using electromagnetic induction, to complete a heating formation of a green tire in a sufficiently short time. Particularly, in the thick portion of the green tire which is hard to rise temperature, the efficiency of heat generation due to electromagnetic induction is increased by effectively concentrating high frequency magnetic field on the metal member embedded therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2001
    Publication date: February 7, 2002
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Hisashi Mitamura, Shigeto Adachi, Kazuto Okada, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Kenichi Inoue
  • Patent number: 6203306
    Abstract: An apparatus for heating a rubber-metal plate composite formed of a plurality of unvulcanized rubber layers and metal plates, each being overlaid alternately, by induction heating, includes an induction coil for applying a magnetic field to the composite and heating the metal plates due to eddy currents generated by the magnetic field, a power unit for applying an alternating current to the induction coil to generate the magnetic field, and a mold to confine the periphery of the composite. The mold is made of a nonmagnetic or weakly magnetic material with electrical conductivity, such as austenitic stainless steel. The mold generates enough heat to function as the heating unit by generating eddy currents in the conductive mold while magnetic flux permeates the mold substantially without loss and reaches the composite therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventors: Yoichi Inoue, Shigeru Yuki, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Shigeto Adachi, Kashiro Ureshino, Takayuki Sato, Yoshinori Kurokawa, Kazuhiko Sakiyama
  • Patent number: 6109903
    Abstract: A vulcanized rubber-metal plate composite is obtained by overlaying a plurality of unvulcanized rubber layers and metal plates alternately and heating thereof by magnetic induction heating. The vulcanized rubber-metal plate composite is obtained by placing a composite of a plurality of unvulcanized rubber layers and metal plates, each being overlaid alternately, into a place affected by an induction coil; heating the metal plates due to eddy currents formed in the metal plates by applying an alternating current to the induction coil; and vulcanizing the unvulcanized rubber layers due to heat conduction from the heated metal plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventors: Yoichi Inoue, Shigeru Yuki, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Shigeto Adachi, Kashiro Ureshino, Takayuki Sato, Yoshinori Kurokawa, Kazuhiko Sakiyama
  • Patent number: 4941628
    Abstract: Disclosed is a lift generating appartus for an aircraft which includes a generally circular principal wing with its peripheral portion bent downward, forming a bowl-shaped space opening downward; a high-pressure gas producing device provided on the principal wing; a plurality of jet nozzles provided within the central portion of the bowl-shaped space in a circular arrangement at angular intervals to jet a high-pressure gas produced by the high-pressure gas producing device radially outward from the central portion of the bowl-shaped space; and suction openings for sucking the external air as a secondary fluid from outside the bowl-shaped space by suction generated by the ejector effect of the high-pressure gas jetted from the jet nozzles. The supply of the secondary fluid into the bowl-shaped space in addition to the high-pressure gas further increases the static pressure within the bowl-shaped space, so that the lift acting on the principal wing is enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1990
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
    Inventors: Yujiro Sakamoto, Toshio Kurosaka, Hirohiko Fukumoto, Toshiya Miyake, Hirohiko Tokunaga