Patents by Inventor Kouji Nishino

Kouji Nishino 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: 20230129479
    Abstract: A flow rate control device (8) includes a control valve (6) having a valve element and a piezoelectric element for moving the valve element, and an arithmetic processing circuit (7) for controlling an operation of the control valve, wherein the arithmetic processing circuit is configured to receive an external command signal SE corresponding to a target flow rate when opening the control valve from a closed state so that a gas flows at the target flow rate, and to generate an internal command signal E1 output to a driving circuit for determining a voltage applied to the piezoelectric element based on the external command signal, the internal command signal is a signal that rises with time from zero and converges to a value of the external command signal, and is generated such that a slope at the time of initial rise and a slope immediately before convergence are smaller than a slope therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Katsuyuki SUGITA, Kouji NISHINO, Kaoru HIRATA, Shinya OGAWA, Keisuke IDEGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20230121563
    Abstract: A gas supply amount measurement method is performed in a gas supply system including a vaporization section, a control valve provided downstream of the vaporization section, and a supply pressure sensor for measuring the supply pressure between the vaporization section and the control valve. The method comprises: a step of measuring an initial supply pressure by the supply pressure sensor in a state where the control valve is closed; a step of opening the control valve for only a predetermined time; a step of measuring for a plurality of times of the supply pressure in a period of time between a time at which the pressure starts to fall from the initial supply pressure and a time at which a predetermined time has elapsed when the control valve is open for only a predetermined time, and a step of determining the gas supply amount when the control valve is open for only a predetermined time by calculation based on the measured values of the plurality of supply pressures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Takatoshi NAKATANI, Atsushi HIDAKA, Masaaki NAGASE, Kouji NISHINO, Nobukazu IKEDA
  • Publication number: 20230124208
    Abstract: A concentration measurement method performed in a concentration measurement device including an electric unit having a light source and a photodetector, a fluid unit having a measurement cell through which a gas flows, and a processing circuit for calculating a concentration of the gas based on an intensity of a light passing through the measurement cell. The concentration measurement method includes a step of determining an absorption coefficient of the measurement gas using a reference absorption coefficient determined in association with the reference gas and a correction factor associated with the measurement gas, and a step of obtaining a concentration of the measurement gas flowing in the measurement cell using the absorption coefficient of the measurement gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Applicants: TOKUSHIMA UNIVERSITY, FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Yoshihiro DEGUCHI, Masaaki NAGASE, Kouji NISHINO, Nobukazu IKEDA
  • Patent number: 11630058
    Abstract: A concentration measuring device 100 comprises: a measurement cell 4 having a flow path, a light source 1, a photodetector 7 for detecting light emitted from the measurement cell, and an arithmetic circuit 8 for calculating light absorbance and concentration of a fluid to be measured on the basis of an output of the photodetector, the measurement cell includes a cell body, a window portion 3 fixed to the cell body so as to contact the flow path, and a reflective member 5 for reflecting light incident on the measurement cell through the window portion, the window portion is fixed to the cell body 40 by a window holding member 30 via a gasket 15, an annular sealing protrusion 15a is provided on a first surface of the gasket for supporting the window portion, and an annular sealing protrusion 42a is also provided on a support surface 42 of the cell body for supporting the second surface opposite to the first surface of the gasket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Masaaki Nagase, Kazuteru Tanaka, Keiji Hirao, Tadayuki Yakushijin, Kouji Nishino, Michio Yamaji, Nobukazu Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20230021102
    Abstract: A flow rate control device 100 includes a flow rate control valve 8 having a valve element 8a and a piezoelectric element 8b for moving the valve element, and a control circuit 9 for controlling an operation of the flow rate control valve 8, wherein, in order to perform a pulsed fluid supply, the control circuit 9 is configured so as to open-loop control an applied voltage to the piezoelectric element so that it approaches the target voltage after once applying a voltage V1 exceeding a target voltage V0 corresponding to a target displacement of the piezoelectric element, when a pulsed flow rate setting signal is given.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Katsuyuki SUGITA, Ryousuke DOHI, Koji KAWADA, Kouji NISHINO, Nobukazu IKEDA
  • Publication number: 20230011244
    Abstract: A pressure control device 20 includes a pressure control valve 25, a flow resistance 23 provided downstream of the pressure control valve, for restricting a gas flow, a first pressure sensor 21 for measuring a gas pressure between the pressure control valve and the flow resistance, a second pressure sensor 22 for measuring a gas pressure downstream of the flow resistance, and an arithmetic control circuit 26 connected to the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor. The pressure control device is configured to control the gas pressure downstream of the flow resistance by adjusting an opening degree of the pressure control valve based on an output of the second pressure sensor regardless of an output of the first pressure sensor control, and calculate the flow rate of the gas downstream of the flow resistance based on the output of the first pressure sensor and the output of the second pressure sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Publication date: January 12, 2023
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Kaoru HIRATA, Kouji NISHINO, Katsuyuki SUGITA, Shinya OGAWA, Keisuke IDEGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20230002900
    Abstract: A vaporization supply device includes a vaporizer for heating and vaporizing a liquid raw material L, a flow rate controller for controlling a flow rate of the gas supplied from the vaporizer to a gas supply destination, and a controller for heating the inside of the vaporizer to obtain a necessary gas flow rate, and performing a feedback control so that a pressure becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The controller is configured so as to stop the feedback control at the time point when the flow rate control by the flow rate controller starts, then heat the liquid raw material by an amount of heat provided to the vaporizer more than the heat that has already been provided immediately before the feedback control ends, and change to the feedback control after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time point when the flow rate control by the flow rate controller starts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Atsushi HIDAKA, Kazuyuki MORISAKI, Kouji NISHINO, Nobukazu lKEDA
  • Publication number: 20220390269
    Abstract: The abnormality detection method of the flow rate control device 10 is performed in the gas supply system 100 including the flow rate control device 10 having the restriction part 12, the control valve 14, the flow rate control pressure sensor 16 for measuring the upstream pressure P1, and the control circuit 19, the inflow pressure sensor 20 for measuring the supply pressure P0, and the upstream on-off valve 2 provided upstream of the inflow pressure sensor, and includes a step of closing the upstream on-off valve in a state in which the gas flows at the controlled flow rate at the downstream of the restriction part by controlling the opening degree of the control valve based on the output of the flow rate control pressure sensor, a step of measuring the drop in the supply pressure P0 on the upstream side of the control valve after closing the upstream on-off valve while keeping the control valve open, and a step of detecting the presence or absence of abnormality in the flow rate control device based on the
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2020
    Publication date: December 8, 2022
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Atsushi HIDAKA, Masaaki NAGASE, Kouji NISHINO, Nobukazu IKEDA, Kaoru HIRATA
  • Patent number: 11519769
    Abstract: A control unit 3 of a flow rate control system 1 comprises: a recording unit 31 for recording measured values of a pressure sensor P and a temperature sensor T, a storage unit 32 for storing volume data between a first valve V1 and a second valve V2 corresponding to the measured value of the pressure sensor P, and an arithmetic unit 33 for calculating a flow rate based on a first pressure value P1 and a first temperature value T1 measured after opening the first valve V1 and the second valve V2 to flow a gas and then closing the first valve V1 and the second valve V2 simultaneously in a state where the gas is flowing; a second pressure value P2 and a second temperature value T2 measured after opening the first valve V1 and the second valve V2 to flow a gas, closing the second valve V2 in a state where the gas is flowing, and then closing the first valve V1 after a predetermined time ?t has elapsed; and a volume value V between the first valve V1 and the second valve V2 which corresponds to the second pressure
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Masaaki Nagase, Satoru Yamashita, Masayoshi Kawashima, Masahiko Takimoto, Kouji Nishino, Nobukazu Ikeda
  • Patent number: 11460869
    Abstract: A fluid control system (1) comprises: a first valve (21) provided downstream of a flow rate controller (10), a flow rate measuring device (30) provided downstream of the first valve (21) and having a second valve (22), an open/close detector (26) provided to the second valve (22), and a controller (25) for controlling an open/close operation of the first valve (21) and the second valve (22), and the controller (25) controls the open/close operation of the first valve (21) in response to a signal output from the open/close detector (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Satoru Yamashita, Yohei Sawada, Masaaki Nagase, Kouji Nishino, Nobukazu Ikeda
  • Patent number: 11460396
    Abstract: A concentration measurement method is performed using a concentration measurement device comprising: a measurement cell for flowing a fluid to be measured; a light source for generating light incident on the measurement cell; a photodetector for detecting light emitted from the measurement cell; an arithmetic unit for calculating the absorbance and concentration of the fluid to be measured based on an output of the photodetector; and a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the fluid to be measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Masaaki Nagase, Hidekazu Ishii, Kouji Nishino, Nobukazu Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20220299432
    Abstract: A concentration measuring device 100 comprises: a measurement cell 4 having a flow path, a light source 1, a photodetector 7 for detecting light emitted from the measurement cell, and an arithmetic circuit 8 for calculating light absorbance and concentration of a fluid to be measured on the basis of an output of the photodetector, the measurement cell includes a cell body, a window portion 3 fixed to the cell body so as to contact the flow path, and a reflective member 5 for reflecting light incident on the measurement cell through the window portion, the window portion is fixed to the cell body 40 by a window holding member 30 via a gasket 15, an annular sealing protrusion 15a is provided on a first surface of the gasket for supporting the window portion, and an annular sealing protrusion 42a is also provided on a support surface 42 of the cell body for supporting the second surface opposite to the first surface of the gasket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Masaaki NAGASE, Kazuteru Tanaka, Keiji Hirao, Tadayuki Yakushijin, Kouji Nishino, Michio Yamaji, Nobukazu Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20220283081
    Abstract: The concentration measurement device 100 includes an electric unit 20 having a light source 22 and a photodetector 24, a fluid unit 10 having a measurement cell 1, a first light-transmission member 11 for transmitting light from the light source to the measurement cell, a second light transmission member 12 for transmitting light from the measurement cell to the photodetector, a lens 3A provided in the fluid unit, the lens 3A being arranged such that light from the first light transmission member is to be incident on the first position and light is to be emitted from the second position to the second light transmission member, a pressure sensor 5 for measuring pressure of fluid flowing through the measurement cell, and an arithmetic circuit 28 for detecting concentration of the fluid flowing through the measurement cell, the arithmetic circuit being configured to calculate the fluid concentration based on the output of the photodetector and a correction factor related to the pressure output by the pressure se
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Masaaki NAGASE, Masahiko TAKIMOTO, Kazuteru TANAKA, Kouji NISHINO, Nobukazu IKEDA
  • Publication number: 20220268365
    Abstract: A diaphragm valve includes a body 3 having a flow path 2 formed therein, a sheet 4 formed in the flow path 2, a metal diaphragm 5 for opening and closing the flow path 2 by abutting on or separating from the sheet 4, a pair of clamping parts 6 and 7 for claiming peripheral edge portions of both side surfaces of the metal diaphragm 5 respectively to fix the metal diaphragm 5 to the body 3, and an actuator 8 for abutting the metal diaphragm 5 on the sheet 4 or separating the metal diaphragm from the sheet 4, wherein a fluorine resin coating is formed on a sheet side surface 5a of the metal diaphragm 5 in a region excluding a clamping region D-C between the sheet side surface 5a and the clamping part 7, and at least in a contact region B-A with the sheet 4 in a region C surrounded by the clamping region D-C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Kaoru HIRATA, Masaaki NAGASE, Atsushi HIDAKA, Kazuyuki MORISAKI, Keisuke IDEGUCHI, Kosuke SUGIMOTO, Masafumi KITANO, Kouji NISHINO, Nobukazu IKEDA
  • Patent number: 11416011
    Abstract: A pressure-type flow rate control device includes a restriction part; a control valve provided upstream of the restriction part; an upstream pressure sensor for detecting pressure between the restriction part and the control valve; and an arithmetic processing circuit connected to the control valve and the upstream pressor sensor. The device is configured to perform flow rate control by controlling the control valve according to an output of the upstream pressure sensor. The arithmetic processing circuit performs an operation of closing the control valve in order to reduce a flow rate of a fluid flowing through the restriction part, and performs an operation of closing the control valve by feedback control in which a target value is an exponential function more gradual than the pressure drop characteristic data when a gas flows out of the restriction part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Sugita, Kaoru Hirata, Nobukazu Ikeda, Kouji Nishino, Masahiko Takimoto, Takahiro Imai, Shinya Ogawa
  • Patent number: 11402250
    Abstract: The liquid level meter according to the present invention includes a resistive temperature detector, a temperature measuring body located above it, a temperature detecting unit detecting temperatures of the resistive temperature detector and the temperature measuring body, a current controlling unit determining a current value to be flowed through the resistive temperature detector so that the resistive temperature detector and the temperature measuring body become a predetermined temperature difference, a power supply unit supplying the current of the determined current value to the resistive temperature detector, and a liquid level detecting unit detecting a position of a liquid level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Atsushi Hidaka, Takatoshi Nakatani, Satoru Yamashita, Katsuyuki Sugita, Kaoru Hirata, Masaaki Nagase, Kouji Nishino, Nobukazu Ikeda
  • Patent number: 11391608
    Abstract: A self-diagnosis method of a flow rate control device includes: a step (a) for measuring a pressure drop characteristic after a pressure control valve (6) has been changed to a closed state from a state where a fluid flows from the upstream side of the pressure control valve with the opening of a flow rate control valve (8) is larger than a restriction part; a step (b) for measuring the pressure drop characteristic after the pressure control valve has been changed to the closed state from a state where the fluid flows from the upstream side of the flow rate control valve to the downstream side with the opening of the flow rate control valve is smaller than the restriction part; a step (c) for determining whether there is an abnormality by comparing the pressure drop characteristic measured in step (a) with a corresponding reference pressure drop characteristic; a step (d) for determining whether there is an abnormality by comparing the pressure drop characteristic measured in step (b) with a corresponding ref
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Sugita, Ryousuke Dohi, Kaoru Hirata, Koji Kawada, Nobukazu Ikeda, Kouji Nishino
  • Patent number: 11391668
    Abstract: A concentration measuring device 100 comprises: a measurement cell 4 having a flow path, a light source 1, a photodetector 7 for detecting light emitted from the measurement cell, and an arithmetic circuit 8 for calculating light absorbance and concentration of a fluid to be measured on the basis of an output of the photodetector, the measurement cell includes a cell body, a window portion 3 fixed to the cell body so as to contact the flow path, and a reflective member 5 for reflecting light incident on the measurement cell through the window portion, the window portion is fixed to the cell body 40 by a window holding member 30 via a gasket 15, an annular sealing protrusion 15a is provided on a first surface of the gasket for supporting the window portion, and an annular sealing protrusion 42a is also provided on a support surface 42 of the cell body for supporting the second surface opposite to the first surface of the gasket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Masaaki Nagase, Kazuteru Tanaka, Keiji Hirao, Tadayuki Yakushijin, Kouji Nishino, Michio Yamaji, Nobukazu Ikeda
  • Publication number: 20220197316
    Abstract: The flow rate control device 10 includes a control valve 11, a restriction part 12 provided downstream of the control valve 11, an upstream pressure sensor 13 for measuring a pressure P1 between the control valve 11 and the restriction part 12, a differential pressure sensor 20 for measuring a differential pressure ?P between the upstream and the downstream of the restriction part 12, and an arithmetic control circuit 16 connected to the control valve 11, the upstream pressure sensor 13, and the differential pressure sensor 20.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Kaoru HIRATA, Keisuke IDEGUCHI, Shinya OGAWA, Katsuyuki SUGITA, Masaaki NAGASE, Kouji NISHINO, Nobukazu IKEDA, Hiroyuki ITO
  • Publication number: 20220170849
    Abstract: The concentration measurement device 100 includes an electric unit 20 having a light source 22 and a photodetector 24, a fluid unit 10 having a measurement cell 1, optical fibers 11 and 12 for connecting the electric unit 20 and the fluid unit 10 and is configured to measure the concentration of the fluid in the measurement cell by detecting the light incident from the light source 22 to the measurement cell and then emitted from the measurement cell by the photodetector 24, where optical connection parts 32 and 34 connected to the optical fibers 11, 12 and the light source 22 or the photodetector 24 are integrally provided in the electric unit 20.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Applicant: FUJIKIN INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Masaaki NAGASE, Kazuteru TANAKA, Masahiko TAKIMOTO, Kouji NISHINO, Nobukazu IKEDA