Patents by Inventor Hironori Uegaki
Hironori Uegaki 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: 9466951Abstract: A spark plug having an insulator formed of an alumina-based sintered material which contains an Si component and a rare earth element component that satisfy the following conditions (1) and (2): (1) an oxide-reduced amount of the Si component (mass %) is greater than or equal to 0.05 and less than or equal to 0.45; and (2) a ratio of an oxide-reduced amount of the rare earth element component to an oxide-reduced amount of the Si component is greater than or equal to 2.5 and less than or equal to 4.5, and which has alumina grains and an alumina grain boundary phase including a complex oxide crystal phase satisfying the following condition (3): (3) the complex oxide crystal phase contains at least two components selected from among an Al component, an Si component, a Group 2 element component, and a rare earth element component.Type: GrantFiled: June 13, 2013Date of Patent: October 11, 2016Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Katsuya Takaoka, Hironori Uegaki, Hirokazu Kurono, Toshitaka Honda
-
Patent number: 9385511Abstract: A spark plug including an insulator containing an Al component, in terms of oxides, 89 mass % or more and a Ti component, in terms of oxides, more than 0 mass % and 0.2 mass % or less, characterized in that the insulator is formed of an alumina-based sintered material which contains, in a grain boundary phase present between alumina crystal grains, a first crystal phase containing at least one species selected from among an La component, an Nd component, a Pr component, a Y component, an Er component, a Yb component, and an Lu component, and a second crystal phase containing at least one species of Group 2 element components, an Al component and an Si component.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2013Date of Patent: July 5, 2016Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Hiroki Takeuchi, Yutaka Yokoyama, Kuniharu Tanaka, Takeshi Mitsuoka, Toshitaka Honda, Hirokazu Kurono, Katsuya Takaoka, Hironori Uegaki
-
Patent number: 9160145Abstract: An insulator for spark plug with a main constituent of alumina and containing silicon includes a grain boundary phase positioned between alumina particles. The grain boundary phase contains: a group 2A element; a rare earth element; and at least one kind of zirconium, titanium, chrome, niobium, manganese, and iron (a first element). Assuming that a total amount of the rare earth element is X (mass %), a total amount of the group 2A element is Y (mass %), and a total amount of the first element is Z (mass %), the following are met: 0.40?Y/X?2.00 0.10?Z/X?0.40.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2014Date of Patent: October 13, 2015Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Katsuya Takaoka, Yutaka Yokoyama, Kengo Fujimura, Hironori Uegaki, Hiroki Takeuchi, Hirokazu Kurono, Toshitaka Honda, Kuniharu Tanaka, Takeshi Mitsuoka
-
Publication number: 20150288150Abstract: A spark plug having an insulator formed of an alumina-based sintered material which contains an Si component and a rare earth element component that satisfy the following conditions (1) and (2): (1) an oxide-reduced amount of the Si component (mass %) is greater than or equal to 0.05 and less than or equal to 0.45; and (2) a ratio of an oxide-reduced amount of the rare earth element component to an oxide-reduced amount of the Si component is greater than or equal to 2.5 and less than or equal to 4.5, and which has alumina grains and an alumina grain boundary phase including a complex oxide crystal phase satisfying the following condition (3): (3) the complex oxide crystal phase contains at least two components selected from among an Al component, an Si component, a Group 2 element component, and a rare earth element component.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2013Publication date: October 8, 2015Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Katsuya Takaoka, Hironori Uegaki, Hirokazu Kurono, Toshitaka Honda
-
Publication number: 20150207300Abstract: A spark plug including an insulator containing an Al component, in terms of oxides, 89 mass % or more and a Ti component, in terms of oxides, more than 0 mass % and 0.2 mass % or less, characterized in that the insulator is formed of an alumina-based sintered material which contains, in a grain boundary phase present between alumina crystal grains, a first crystal phase containing at least one species selected from among an La component, an Nd component, a Pr component, a Y component, an Er component, a Yb component, and an Lu component, and a second crystal phase containing at least one species of Group 2 element components, an Al component and an Si component.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2013Publication date: July 23, 2015Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Hiroki Takeuchi, Yutaka Yokoyama, Kuniharu Tanaka, Takeshi Mitsuoka, Toshitaka Honda, Hirokazu Kurono, Katsuya Takaoka, Hironori Uegaki
-
Publication number: 20140336035Abstract: An insulator for spark plug with a main constituent of alumina and containing silicon includes a grain boundary phase positioned between alumina particles. The grain boundary phase contains: a group 2A element; a rare earth element; and at least one kind of zirconium, titanium, chrome, niobium, manganese, and iron (a first element). Assuming that a total amount of the rare earth element is X (mass %), a total amount of the group 2A element is Y (mass %), and a total amount of the first element is Z (mass %), the following are met: 0.40?Y/X?2.00 0.10?Z/X?0.40.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 8, 2014Publication date: November 13, 2014Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Katsuya TAKAOKA, Yutaka YOKOYAMA, Kengo FUJIMURA, Hironori UEGAKI, Hiroki TAKEUCHI, Hirokazu KURONO, Toshitaka HONDA, Kuniharu TANAKA, Takeshi MITSUOKA
-
Patent number: 8749125Abstract: A task of this invention is to provide a spark plug that is superior in withstand voltage characteristics at high temperatures. A spark plug of this invention is equipped with a center electrode, an insulator, and a metal shell, and is characterized by that the insulator is equipped with an alumina-based sintered body containing silicon component (Si component), magnesium component (Mg component), at least one component of calcium component, strontium component, and barium component, and a rare earth element component (RE component), that a grain boundary phase of the alumina-based sintered body has a hexaaluminate crystal containing the RE component, that, in the alumina-based sintered body, the weight ratio of the RE component to the Mg component is 5.4?RE oxide/MgO?17.5, and that the content of an alkali metal component in terms of oxide in a spot having a diameter of 0.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2010Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.Inventors: Katsuya Takaoka, Hironori Uegaki, Hirokazu Kurono, Toshitaka Honda
-
Patent number: 8550865Abstract: A spark plug manufacturing method provides a reduction in the cost of raw material preparation and the cost of the disposal of unused powder by recycling powder not used in forming a filler layer of another spark plug. The method is used to make a spark plug that includes a metal shell having a through hole, and an insulating body held inside the through hole, and a filler layer containing talc in a space surrounded by an inner peripheral surface of the through hole and an outer peripheral surface of the insulating body. The powder not used in a process of forming a filler layer of another spark plug is recycled for forming the filler layer of the present spark plug, where the forming process is performed after talc and a binder are mixed.Type: GrantFiled: April 5, 2012Date of Patent: October 8, 2013Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hironori Uegaki, Toshitaka Honda
-
Patent number: 8482187Abstract: A spark plug which exhibits high dielectric strength at high temperature and which is unlikely to be deteriorated in dielectric strength is provided. The spark plug includes a center electrode, an insulator, and a metallic shell. The insulator includes an alumina-based sintered body which contains a silicon component, a Group II element component, and a rare earth element component. The alumina-based sintered body is composed of a glass phase and an alumina crystal phase as observed through X-ray diffraction analysis. When the grain boundary phase of the alumina-based sintered body is observed under a transmission electron microscope, and the weight ratio between an alkali metal component and the rare earth element component as reduced to oxides thereof [alkali metal/rare earth element] is calculated at 30 circular spots, each having a diameter of 0.3 nm, selected arbitrarily in a field of observation, the average of the weight ratios of the 30 spots falls within a range of 0.01 to 1.0.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2010Date of Patent: July 9, 2013Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.Inventors: Katsuya Takaoka, Hironori Uegaki, Hirokazu Kurono, Toshitaka Honda
-
Publication number: 20120258644Abstract: A spark plug manufacturing method provides a reduction in the cost of raw material preparation and the cost of the disposal of unused powder by recycling powder not used in forming a filler layer of another spark plug. The method is used to make a spark plug that includes a metal shell having a through hole, and an insulating body held inside the through hole, and a filler layer containing talc in a space surrounded by an inner peripheral surface of the through hole and an outer peripheral surface of the insulating body. The powder not used in a process of forming a filler layer of another spark plug is recycled for forming the filler layer of the present spark plug, where the forming process is performed after talc and a binder are mixed.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2012Publication date: October 11, 2012Applicant: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hironori Uegaki, Toshitaka Honda
-
Publication number: 20120187819Abstract: A spark plug which exhibits high dielectric strength at high temperature and which is unlikely to be deteriorated in dielectric strength is provided. The spark plug includes a center electrode, an insulator, and a metallic shell. The insulator includes an alumina-based sintered body which contains a silicon component, a Group II element component, and a rare earth element component. The alumina-based sintered body is composed of a glass phase and an alumina crystal phase as observed through X-ray diffraction analysis. When the grain boundary phase of the alumina-based sintered body is observed under a transmission electron microscope, and the weight ratio between an alkali metal component and the rare earth element component as reduced to oxides thereof [alkali metal/rare earth element] is calculated at 30 circular spots, each having a diameter of 0.3 nm, selected arbitrarily in a field of observation, the average of the weight ratios of the 30 spots falls within a range of 0.01 to 1.0.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2010Publication date: July 26, 2012Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Katsuya Takaoka, Hironori Uegaki, Hirokazu Kurono, Toshitaka Honda
-
Patent number: 8183754Abstract: An alumina-based sintered body for a spark plug having enhanced mechanical strength and a method of manufacturing the same, as well as a spark plug having the alumina-based sintered body for a spark plug and a method of manufacturing the same.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2009Date of Patent: May 22, 2012Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Kuribayashi, Hironori Uegaki, Toshitaka Honda, Hirokazu Kurono
-
Publication number: 20120080996Abstract: A task of this invention is to provide a spark plug that is superior in withstand voltage characteristics at high temperatures. A spark plug of this invention is equipped with a center electrode, an insulator, and a metal shell, and is characterized by that the insulator is equipped with an alumina-based sintered body containing silicon component (Si component), magnesium component (Mg component), at least one component of calcium component, strontium component, and barium component, and a rare earth element component (RE component), that a grain boundary phase of the alumina-based sintered body has a hexaaluminate crystal containing the RE component, that, in the alumina-based sintered body, the weight ratio of the RE component to the Mg component is 5.4?RE oxide/MgO?17.5, and that the content of an alkali metal component in terms of oxide in a spot having a diameter of 0.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2010Publication date: April 5, 2012Applicant: C/O NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Katsuya Takaoka, Hironori Uegaki, Hirokazu Kurono, Toshitaka Honda
-
Publication number: 20100148653Abstract: An alumina-based sintered body for a spark plug having enhanced mechanical strength and a method of manufacturing the same, as well as a spark plug having the alumina-based sintered body for a spark plug and a method of manufacturing the same.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2009Publication date: June 17, 2010Inventors: Makoto Kuribayashi, Hironori Uegaki, Toshitaka Honda, Hirokazu Kurono