Patents Assigned to Minebea Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 9823144
    Abstract: There is provided a load sensor including: a pressing shaft configured to transmit a load in an axial direction of the pressing shaft; a sensor element configured to measure the load being transmitted by the pressing shaft; and a load limiting means configured to limit the load applied to the sensor element and protect the sensor element from being applied with excessive load, the load limiting means being configured to be deformable by the load when the load transmitted by the pressing shaft exceeds an allowable measurement range set for the sensor element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Fujisawa, Eiji Misaizu, Satoshi Ogawa
  • Patent number: 9817412
    Abstract: A protection circuit is provided with: a suppression element that is coupled to a power source side of a main circuit and suppresses current flowing into the main circuit that drives a load; and a soft start circuit that is configured to gradually increase voltage of a control terminal of the suppression element when voltage is applied to the soft start circuit from a boosting circuit used for controlling the main circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Sakaguchi, Shinji Tanaka, Atsushi Kikuchi, Keiji Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9810525
    Abstract: There is provided a bolt sensor which detects a fastened state of a bolt. The bolt sensor includes a sensor body including a through hole into which a shaft of the bolt is to be inserted, a light guide extending along an outer periphery of the sensor body, and a light source configured to emit light to the light guide based on output of the sensor body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takayori Hashimoto, Takuya Kitajima
  • Patent number: 9806662
    Abstract: A motor drive controller includes: a rotation status detector that detects a rotation status of a rotor of a motor and generates rotation status detection information corresponding to the detected rotation status; a rotation unevenness information generator that measures a rotation unevenness indicating a flutter characteristic of the motor based on the rotation status detection information and generates rotation unevenness information according to a result of measurement of the rotation unevenness; a control circuit that generates a driving control signal based on the rotation unevenness information and the target speed signal for controlling the motor to rotate in target speed corresponding to the target speed signal; and a motor driver that outputs a driving signal to the motor based on the driving control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Keiichi Katayama
  • Patent number: 9797749
    Abstract: A resolver has a lead wire that can be slack even in a structure in which it is impossible to maintain the distance between an end of wound wire and a terminal pin without using a special jig. A lead wire of a stator coil 500 is entwined on a plurality of terminal pins 603 in a slack condition, and the entwined parts are fixed by soldering or welding. Terminal base 600 is then moved to a stator core 200 side, and the lead wire is made slack by contacting the lower surface of a terminal base body 601 to the upper surface of the stator core 200. Next, end part of the pins 306 of a primary insulator 300 are melted so as to fix the terminal base 600.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuki Miyao
  • Patent number: 9799368
    Abstract: A fluid-dynamic bearing system comprising a stationary bearing component (12, 16, 18) and a bearing component (14, 14a) rotatable about a rotation axis, wherein, during operation of the bearing, the stationary and rotary components are separated from each other by a bearing gap (20) filled with a bearing fluid, wherein at least one fluid-dynamic radial bearing (22, 24) and at least one fluid-dynamic thrust bearing (28) or, alternatively, at least one conical fluid-dynamic bearing are arranged along the bearing gap (20), and wherein the bearing gap (20) comprises first and second open ends sealed by a first sealing gap (34) and a second sealing gap (36). The second sealing gap (36) exclusively extends normal to the rotation axis (40).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Thomas Fuss, Tobias Kirchmeier, Oliver Vogt
  • Patent number: 9787231
    Abstract: A motor driving device includes a control unit which outputs a pre-driving signal to control a motor based on command information of an input target number of rotations and detection information of a number of rotations of the motor, and a motor driving unit which drives the motor based on the pre-driving signal. The control unit includes a speed control circuit which outputs speed command information based on the command information of the target number of rotations and the detection information, a stop control circuit which when an input of the command information of the target number of rotations is stopped, outputs stop command information after a predetermined time elapses from detection of stop of the motor, and a driving signal generation circuit which generates a control signal based on the stop command information and the speed command information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiichi Katayama, Tomohiro Inoue, Shuhei Nishi
  • Patent number: 9787234
    Abstract: A drive controller of an instrument controls a stepping motor to rotate a pointer of the instrument attached to a rotation shaft of the stepping motor, the pointer rotatable between a zero scale position and a maximum scale position. The drive controller controls the stepping motor to perform a sweeping operation in which the pointer is swung from the zero scale position to the maximum scale position and returned back to the zero scale position, wherein the drive controller controls the stepping motor, during the sweeping operation, to accelerate to a predetermined speed by outputting a rated torque signal to the stepping motor and controls the stepping motor to rotate at the predetermined speed by outputting a decreased torque signal to the stepping motor, the decreased torque signal being lower than the rated torque signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sakae Fujitani, Nobuyuki Sueyoshi
  • Patent number: 9772203
    Abstract: A stator structure and a VR type resolver, in which the winding of the resolver can be prevented from corroding without increasing the production cost, are provided. The stator structure has stator protruding portions and coils wound around the stator protruding portions, the coils consisting of exciting coils, sine phase detection coils, and cosine phase detection coils, and at least the coils wound at the outermost side are formed by wires in which conductive portions are made of aluminum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Haruki Otobe
  • Publication number: 20170257010
    Abstract: A production method for a rotor core for a VR type resolver has a structure in which one protrusion is formed on an inner edge thereof in which the rotor cores can be rotated and laminated without increasing cost. In a production method of a rotor core for a VR type resolver, a plurality of tabular rotor core pieces are laminated. In this case, in the rotor core pieces, four protrusions are simultaneously formed, one of them is left, the remainder thereof is removed, and rotating lamination is carried out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Publication date: September 7, 2017
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takaaki OCHIAI
  • Patent number: 9755478
    Abstract: The invention provides a brushless motor. A stator 16 of the brushless motor has a stator core 17 provided with a plurality of salient poles 18 arranged in its a circumferential direction, and a winding wire 20 wound around the plurality of salient poles 18 through an insulator 19. A rotor 22 of the brushless motor has a tubular rotor yoke 23 arranged to surround the stator 16, an annular magnet for detent torque 25 arranged in an inner peripheral portion of the winding wire 20 on the stator core 17 and surrounding the shaft 15, and a magnetic member 27 coupled to an interior surface of a ceiling portion of the rotor yoke 23 to be opposed to the magnet for detent torque 25, and surrounding the shaft 15.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuta Amagi, Ryoji Saneshige, Toshiyuki Nishikata
  • Publication number: 20170248270
    Abstract: A rotation range-limiting device 10 is provided with a rotation body 20 provided with a first surface and a carrying surface, and a stationary body 30 supporting the rotation body such that the rotation body is rotatable about a center point thereof. The stationary body has a second surface opposed to the first surface. One 212 of the first surface and the second surface is provided with an arc-shaped slide-guiding portion 24 whose center corresponds to the center point of the rotation body, and a slider 26 movable along the slide-guiding portion. The other 301 of the first surface and the second surface is provided with a locking portion 36, which projects toward the slide-guiding portion at a location on a circle having the same diameter as the slide-guiding portion such that it can abut against the slider.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroya HOSHI, Shinichi FUJISAWA
  • Patent number: 9748879
    Abstract: A motor drive controller is provided with: a motor drive circuit that drives a motor and having a position detector that detects a position of a rotor of the motor and outputs a position detection signal; a motor control circuit that generates a rotation pulse signal based on the position detection signal output by the motor drive circuit; and a microcomputer that is provided with at least one timer and outputs a conversion signal that is obtained by multiplying the rotation pulse signal by n, where n is a natural number equal to or greater than two.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kaidu, Masato Aoki
  • Patent number: 9739447
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus includes: a plurality of light sources; a first frame including a first reflection surface disposed inside of the light sources, the first reflection surface reflecting, in a forward direction, light emitted from the light sources; a second frame including a visor portion covering fronts of the light sources; and a diffuser disposed in front of a front surface of the visor portion with a distance left between the diffuser and at least a part of the front surface of the visor portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: MINEBEA CO., LTD
    Inventors: Yasuo Ohno, Rumiko Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9740233
    Abstract: A pedal operation amount detection apparatus for an operation pedal apparatus that includes a transmitting member including a pedal arm of an operation pedal that is disposed to be pivotable about a support axis and subjected to a depressing operation, and an output member to which a depressing operation force is transmitted from the transmitting member and to which a reaction force corresponding to the depressing operation force is applied, the pedal operation amount detection apparatus includes a sensor member disposed on a load transmission path of the transmitting member and the reaction force and the pedal operation amount detection apparatus electrically detects deformation of the sensor member. The sensor member is an elongate member that is torsionally and elastically deformable about a torsion center line in a longitudinal direction and is disposed at a position offset from the transmitting member in a direction parallel to the support axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignees: TOYODA IRON WORKS CO., LTD., MINEBEA CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru Fujiwara, Hirofumi Otsuka
  • Patent number: 9742327
    Abstract: A motor drive controller includes: a motor driver that applies a voltage to each phase of a motor to rotate; a rotational position detector that detects rotational position of the motor and generates rotational position information indicating the rotational position; and a controller that outputs, to the motor driver, driving control signals for repeatedly adjusting an advance angle and a lag angle at energization switching of the each phase of the motor in a prescribed pattern based on the rotational position information generated by the rotational position detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kaidu, Yuji Omura, Kouji Kebukawa, Masato Aoki
  • Publication number: 20170235037
    Abstract: A planar illumination apparatus according to an embodiment includes a plurality of light sources, a light guide plate, a wiring substrate, a light diffusion sheet, a fixing member and an optical sheet. The light guide plate has a light entrance end surface and two main surfaces and emits, from at least one of the two main surfaces, the light entering the light entrance end surface. The wiring substrate extends so as to cover the light entrance end surface. The light diffusion sheet is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the main surfaces, one end portion of the light diffusion. sheet running on the wiring substrate. The fixing member is arranged to cover the light diffusion sheet. The optical sheet is arranged between the light diffusion sheet and the fixing member. The light diffusion sheet includes a notch formed from the one end portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2016
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takahito YOSHIDA
  • Patent number: 9732933
    Abstract: An illumination device includes: a light source unit; and an optical member having a plate-like shape and disposed in front of the light source unit, wherein the optical member includes a first refractive prism having a function of refracting light, and a reflective prism disposed on an outer side of the first refractive prism and having a function of reflecting light, wherein an optical axis of the light source unit is configured to pass through a region in which the first refractive prism is disposed, wherein the first refractive prism is configured to cause an incident light to travel to a side opposite to the optical axis, and wherein the reflective prism is configured to cause an incident light to travel to the optical axis side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takefumi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20170222578
    Abstract: A motor driving controller, comprising a rotary position detection device generating a position detection signal corresponding to a rotary position of a rotor of a motor; a control circuit selecting a first driving control signal for performing rectangular wave driving or a second driving control signal for performing driving with an overlapped energization period longer than an overlapped energization period in the rectangular wave driving, based on the position detection signal, thereby to output a driving control signal; and a motor driver outputting a driving signal to a stator coil of the motor based on the driving control signal, wherein the control circuit outputs the first driving control signal at time of starting, and the control circuit outputs the second driving control signal when a rotary state is detected on the basis of the position detection signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Keiichi KATAYAMA
  • Patent number: D797987
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shinichi Fujisawa