Patents by Inventor Yutaka Yokoyama
Yutaka Yokoyama 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: 10879675Abstract: A spark plug having an insulator with a leg portion whose outer circumferential surface has an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 0.5 ?m or less. The leg portion has a first section, a second section, and a third section. The first section has an outer diameter that decreases toward the forward end of the first section. The second section is located forward of and adjacent to the first section and its outer diameter decreases toward the forward end of the second section. The outer circumferential surface of the second section is located inward of a first straight line passing through the base and forward ends of the outer circumferential surface of the first section. The third section is located forward of and adjacent to the second section. The outer diameter of the third section is equal to or less than a forward end outer diameter Ds of the second section over the entire third section.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2017Date of Patent: December 29, 2020Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Haruki Yoshida, Kuniharu Tanaka, Yutaka Yokoyama, Shun Kondo, Hirokazu Kurono, Toshimasa Saji
-
Patent number: 10632847Abstract: There is provided a vehicle battery pack protective structure which protects a vehicle battery pack including battery stacks disposed in a width direction of a vehicle. The structure includes: a battery pack storage container that stores the vehicle battery pack; and a first upper reinforcing member that extends in a front-rear direction of the vehicle between the battery stacks, and is connected to the battery pack storage container at a front end and a rear end. A first fragile part is formed below an intermediate position of the first the upper reinforcing member.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 2018Date of Patent: April 28, 2020Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATIONInventors: Yutaka Yokoyama, Kota Saito
-
Publication number: 20200112146Abstract: A spark plug according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an insulator formed of an alumina-based sintered body, wherein the insulator contains 90 wt % or more of an aluminum component in terms of oxide, and wherein crystal grains of the insulator has an average grain size of 1.5 mm or smaller and a grain size standard deviation of 1.2 ?m or smaller.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2019Publication date: April 9, 2020Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Yutaka Yokoyama, Nobuyoshi Araki, Kuniharu Tanaka, Haruki Yoshida, Hironori Uegaki, Toshiki Kon, Yusuke Nomura
-
Patent number: 10586627Abstract: The spark plug includes an insulator made from an alumina-based sintered body, and the insulator contains 90 to 98 wt % of an Al component in oxide equivalent. The insulator contains 1 to 5 wt % of an Si component, 0.1 to 1 wt % of an Mg component, 2 wt % or less of a Ca component, 0.3 to 6 wt % of a Ba component, and 0.11 to 5 wt % of a rare earth component, in oxide equivalent. In analysis using a scanning transmission electron microscope with a probe diameter of an electron beam set at 1 nm, Si and a rare earth element are detected at a crystal grain boundary having a thickness of 15 nm or less, and an alkaline earth metal at the crystal grain boundary is less than a detection limit.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2018Date of Patent: March 10, 2020Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Haruki Yoshida, Kuniharu Tanaka, Shun Kondo, Yutaka Yokoyama, Yusuke Nomura, Michitaka Yamada
-
Publication number: 20190393566Abstract: A battery-pack storage structure includes: a battery-case upper part configured to store a battery stack; a battery-case lower part; and a cooling air path through which cooling air for cooling the battery stack flows. The battery-case upper part is disposed on the battery-case lower part, and a bottom-part cooling air path, through which the cooling air flows, is formed between a bottom surface of the battery-case upper part and a bottom surface of the battery-case lower part.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 14, 2019Publication date: December 26, 2019Applicant: SUBARU CORPORATIONInventors: Shunsuke IKEDA, Yutaka YOKOYAMA, Kota SAITO
-
Patent number: 10424901Abstract: Provided is a spark plug capable of ensuring fouling resistance with a simple configuration. An insulator includes a step portion formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof. A center electrode is arranged in an axial hole of the insulator. A cylindrical metal shell having a shelf portion formed on an inner circumferential surface thereof is arranged radially outside the insulator. The insulator further includes a front end portion located frontward of the step portion. An outer circumferential surface of the front end portion has an arithmetic average roughness of 0.5 ?m or smaller in a circumferential direction. A recess is formed with a depth of 3 to 20 ?m in at least part of an end surface and the outer circumferential surface of the front end portion so as to extend from the front toward the rear.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2017Date of Patent: September 24, 2019Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Jumpei Isasa, Seiji Nakano, Hirokazu Kurono, Kuniharu Tanaka, Yutaka Yokoyama, Haruki Yoshida, Shun Kondo
-
Patent number: 10343548Abstract: An onboard battery includes a battery module; and high-voltage devices. An inside of a housing case is partitioned into respective predetermined parts by a partition plate in the onboard battery. The partition plate has a disposition hole. The onboard battery includes, as the high-voltage devices, a first high-voltage device disposed on the partition plate and a second high-voltage device configured to be cooled by a convection caused by a cooling fan and attached to the partition plate with a part of the second high-voltage device protruding downward from the disposition hole. The partition plate has a discharge hole for a heat emitted from the first high-voltage device. The discharge hole communicates with a heat exhaust path for a heat emitted from the second high-voltage device.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2017Date of Patent: July 9, 2019Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATIONInventors: Yutaka Yokoyama, Toshiyuki Hara
-
Publication number: 20190184831Abstract: There is provided a vehicle battery pack protective structure which protects a vehicle battery pack including battery stacks disposed in a width direction of a vehicle. The structure includes: a battery pack storage container that stores the vehicle battery pack; and a first upper reinforcing member that extends in a front-rear direction of the vehicle between the battery stacks, and is connected to the battery pack storage container at a front end and a rear end. A first fragile part is formed below an intermediate position of the first the upper reinforcing member.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 2, 2018Publication date: June 20, 2019Inventors: Yutaka YOKOYAMA, Kota SAITO
-
Publication number: 20190131776Abstract: Provided is a spark plug capable of ensuring fouling resistance with a simple configuration. An insulator includes a step portion formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof. A center electrode is arranged in an axial hole of the insulator. A cylindrical metal shell having a shelf portion formed on an inner circumferential surface thereof is arranged radially outside the insulator. The insulator further includes a front end portion located frontward of the step portion. An outer circumferential surface of the front end portion has an arithmetic average roughness of 0.5 ?m or smaller in a circumferential direction. A recess is formed with a depth of 3 to 20 ?m in at least part of an end surface and the outer circumferential surface of the front end portion so as to extend from the front toward the rear.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2017Publication date: May 2, 2019Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Jumpei ISASA, Seiji NAKANO, Hirokazu KURONO, Kuniharu TANAKA, Yutaka YOKOYAMA, Haruki YOSHIDA, Shun KONDO
-
Patent number: 10193311Abstract: An alumina-based sintered body includes 92 mass % to 96 mass % of Al in terms of an oxide, and at least three elements selected from Group II elements, one of the at least three elements being 1.90 mass % or more of Ba in terms of an oxide. The alumina-based sintered body includes the following phases in a grain boundary phase present between alumina crystal grains: a first crystal phase containing Si and at least one of the Group II elements, and a second crystal phase containing Al and at least one of the Group II elements. In X-ray diffraction of the alumina-based sintered body, the maximum relative intensity of the first crystal phase and the maximum relative intensity of the second crystal phase are both 2 or above relative to the maximum diffraction intensity of the alumina crystal.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2017Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Yutaka Yokoyama, Kuniharu Tanaka, Nobuyoshi Araki, Hirokazu Kurono, Toshimasa Saji, Yusuke Nomura, Jumpei Isasa
-
Publication number: 20180374601Abstract: The spark plug includes an insulator made from an alumina-based sintered body, and the insulator contains 90 to 98 wt % of an Al component in oxide equivalent. The insulator contains 1 to 5 wt % of an Si component, 0.1 to 1 wt % of an Mg component, 2 wt % or less of a Ca component, 0.3 to 6 wt % of a Ba component, and 0.11 to 5 wt % of a rare earth component, in oxide equivalent. In analysis using a scanning transmission electron microscope with a probe diameter of an electron beam set at 1 nm, Si and a rare earth element are detected at a crystal grain boundary having a thickness of 15 nm or less, and an alkaline earth metal at the crystal grain boundary is less than a detection limit.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 22, 2018Publication date: December 27, 2018Inventors: Haruki YOSHIDA, Kuniharu TANAKA, Shun KONDO, Yutaka YOKOYAMA, Yusuke NOMURA, Michitaka YAMADA
-
Patent number: 9985258Abstract: An onboard battery includes an accommodation case that has an upper accommodation unit and a lower accommodation unit positioned below the upper accommodation unit battery modules each having battery cells, and joints that couple the upper accommodation unit and the lower accommodation unit to each other. At least one battery module is accommodated in each of the upper accommodation unit and the lower accommodation unit. When a predetermined load or more is applied to the upper accommodation unit, a stress acts on the joints such that the upper accommodation unit and the lower accommodation unit are separated from each other, and the upper accommodation unit is moved away from the lower accommodation unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2015Date of Patent: May 29, 2018Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATIONInventors: Toshiyuki Hara, Hideki Hasumi, Junya Okamura, Yu Onodera, Yutaka Yokoyama
-
Patent number: 9912125Abstract: A spark plug includes an insulator, a center electrode, a metallic shell, and a ground electrode. The insulator contains not less than 90.0 mass % and not greater than 98.1 mass % of Al2O3 with respect to a total mass of elements, as reduced to oxides, contained in the insulator, and has a porosity not greater than 5%. Assuming that a porosity of the insulator after a heat treatment is B, a difference (B?A) of the porosities before and after the heat treatment is not greater than 3.5%. In the heat treatment, the insulator is placed in a furnace, and a temperature in the furnace is increased from a room temperature to 1400° C. at a temperature increase rate of 7° C./min and is held at 1400° C. for 30 minutes, and thereafter, the temperature is decreased from 1400° C. to 400° C. at a temperature decrease rate of 10° C. or less per 5 minutes and is decreased to the room temperature.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2016Date of Patent: March 6, 2018Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Haruki Yoshida, Jumpei Isasa, Toshitaka Honda, Yutaka Yokoyama, Kuniharu Tanaka, Nobuyoshi Araki, Toshiki Kon
-
Publication number: 20180048126Abstract: An alumina-based sintered body includes 92 mass % to 96 mass % of Al in terms of an oxide, and at least three elements selected from Group II elements, one of the at least three elements being 1.90 mass % or more of Ba in terms of an oxide. The alumina-based sintered body includes the following phases in a grain boundary phase present between alumina crystal grains: a first crystal phase containing Si and at least one of the Group II elements, and a second crystal phase containing Al and at least one of the Group II elements. In X-ray diffraction of the alumina-based sintered body, the maximum relative intensity of the first crystal phase and the maximum relative intensity of the second crystal phase are both 2 or above relative to the maximum diffraction intensity of the alumina crystal.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 4, 2017Publication date: February 15, 2018Applicant: NGK Spark Plug Co., LTD.Inventors: Yutaka YOKOYAMA, Kuniharu TANAKA, Nobuyoshi ARAKI, Hirokazu KURONO, Toshimasa SAJI, Yusuke NOMURA, Jumpei ISASA
-
Publication number: 20170353013Abstract: A spark plug having an insulator with a leg portion whose outer circumferential surface has an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 0.5 ?m or less. The leg portion has a first section, a second section, and a third section. The first section has an outer diameter that decreases toward the forward end of the first section. The second section is located forward of and adjacent to the first section and its outer diameter decreases toward the forward end of the second section. The outer circumferential surface of the second section is located inward of a first straight line passing through the base and forward ends of the outer circumferential surface of the first section. The third section is located forward of and adjacent to the second section. The outer diameter of the third section is equal to or less than a forward end outer diameter Ds of the second section over the entire third section.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 30, 2017Publication date: December 7, 2017Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Haruki YOSHIDA, Kuniharu TANAKA, Yutaka YOKOYAMA, Shun KONDO, Hirokazu KURONO, Toshimasa SAJI
-
Publication number: 20170334310Abstract: An onboard battery includes a battery module; and high-voltage devices. An inside of a housing case is partitioned into respective predetermined parts by a partition plate in the onboard battery. The partition plate has a disposition hole. The onboard battery includes, as the high-voltage devices, a first high-voltage device disposed on the partition plate and a second high-voltage device configured to be cooled by a convection caused by a cooling fan and attached to the partition plate with a part of the second high-voltage device protruding downward from the disposition hole. The partition plate has a discharge hole for a heat emitted from the first high-voltage device. The discharge hole communicates with a heat exhaust path for a heat emitted from the second high-voltage device.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2017Publication date: November 23, 2017Inventors: Yutaka YOKOYAMA, Toshiyuki HARA
-
Patent number: 9755404Abstract: A spark plug includes an insulator made of an alumina sintered body containing Al2O3 as a principal component and additional components including; an Si component, a Ba component, an Mg component, a Ca component, an Sr component, and a rare earth element component. When the additional components are expressed as oxides including RSiO2, RBaO, RMgO, RCaO, RSrO, and RRE2O3, contents (mass %) of the sub-component satisfy expressions (1) to (6) as follows: (1) 1.0?RSiO2?5.0; (2) 0.5?RBaO?5.0; (3) 0?RMgO?0.18; (4) 0?RMgO/RBaO?0.36; (5) 0.3?(RMgO+RCaO+RSrO)?1.8; and (6) 0?RRE2O3?0.1.Type: GrantFiled: September 14, 2016Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Jumpei Isasa, Haruki Yoshida, Yutaka Yokoyama, Kuniharu Tanaka, Nobuyoshi Araki, Toshiki Kon
-
Patent number: 9653888Abstract: A spark plug including an insulator containing not less than 92 mass % and not greater than 96 mass % of Al component in terms of oxide, wherein the insulator is formed from an alumina sintered body comprising alumina crystal and a grain boundary phase present between crystal grains of the alumina crystal. Assuming that mass contents of an Si component, an Mg component, a Ba component, and a Ca component in terms of oxide are represented by MSiO2, MMgO, MBaO, and MCaO, respectively, and a sum of MSiO2, MMgO, MBaO, and MCaO is represented by Mt, the grain boundary phase contains these components so as to satisfy conditions (1) to (4) as follows: (1) 0.17?MSiO2/Mt?0.47; (2) 0.005?MMgO/Mt?0.07; (3) 0.29?MBaO/Mt?0.77; (4) 0.03?MCaO/Mt?0.19.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2016Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Yutaka Yokoyama, Kuniharu Tanaka, Katsuya Takaoka, Shun Kondo, Nobuyoshi Araki, Toshiki Kon, Haruki Yoshida, Jumpei Isasa, Hirokazu Kurono, Hironori Uegaki, Toshimasa Saji, Yusuke Nomura
-
Patent number: 9614197Abstract: An onboard battery includes an accommodation case that has a hollow cross section formed with multiple cavities 9a, and at least one battery module that has at least one battery cell and is accommodated in the accommodation case. At least one disposition depression that communicates with one of the multiple cavities and is opened upward is formed in a portion positioned below the at least one battery module in the accommodation case, and at least one heater that heats the at least one battery cell is disposed in the at least one disposition depression so as not to be in contact with the at least one battery cell.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2015Date of Patent: April 4, 2017Assignee: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yutaka Yokoyama, Isao Nakagawa, Toshiyuki Hara
-
Publication number: 20170093134Abstract: A spark plug including an insulator containing not less than 92 mass % and not greater than 96 mass % of Al component in terms of oxide, wherein the insulator is formed from an alumina sintered body comprising alumina crystal and a grain boundary phase present between crystal grains of the alumina crystal. Assuming that mass contents of an Si component, an Mg component, a Ba component, and a Ca component in terms of oxide are represented by MSiO2, MMgO, MBaO, and MCaO, respectively, and a sum of MSiO2, MMgO, MBaO, and MCaO is represented by Mt, the grain boundary phase contains these components so as to satisfy conditions (1) to (4) as follows: (1) 0.17?MSiO2/Mt?0.47; (2) 0.005?MMgO/Mt?0.07; (3) 0.29?MBaO/Mt?0.77; (4) 0.03?MCaO/Mt?0.19.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 22, 2016Publication date: March 30, 2017Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.Inventors: Yutaka YOKOYAMA, Kuniharu TANAKA, Katsuya TAKAOKA, Shun KONDO, Nobuyoshi ARAKI, Toshiki KON, Haruki YOSHIDA, Jumpei ISASA, Hirokazu KURONO, Hironori UEGAKI, Toshimasa SAJI, Yusuke NOMURA