Patents Assigned to MINEBEA CO.
  • Patent number: 8087905
    Abstract: The invention relates to a cooling apparatus for an electric component such as a CPU, a memory or power semiconductor, such as transistors or LEDs, or a processor. The cooling apparatus comprises a heatsink, an impeller that coaxially encloses the heatsink, and a drive motor for the impeller. The heatsink takes the form of a stationary hub having a base for introducing heat from the electronic component that is to be cooled, the hub widening towards the base. Cooling fins are thermally coupled to the hub, the cooling fins being given a spiral-like curve similar to the blades of the impeller. Due to the special design of the hub and the cooling fins as well as the use of a radial flux motor, a highly efficient, particularly compact cooling apparatus can be realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hans-Joachim Wysk, Karl-Heinz Glatz
  • Publication number: 20110316374
    Abstract: There is provided an actuator including a motor and a case adapted to house the motor. In the actuator, an output shaft of the motor is supported by a structured configured such that an elastic member is disposed between the case and at least one end of the output shaft, wherein the elastic member is in contact with a portion of the case in an engaging manner whereby the elastic member is prevented from shifting relative to the case in the rotation direction of the output shaft, and also wherein the elastic member is in contact with a portion of the motor in an engaging manner whereby a body of the motor is prevented from shifting relative to the elastic member in the rotation direction of the output shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Haruka MIYAJI, Tomoyuki SUZUKI, Masaki KAGAWA, Takayuki MATSUI
  • Publication number: 20110304830
    Abstract: There is provided a manufacturing method of a color wheel for a projector. The method includes contacting a phosphor layer contour correcting device on a surface of a color wheel substrate, the phosphor layer contour correcting device having a concavity to form a space that patterns a desired phosphor layer contour, the length of which is constant in a radial direction; injecting phosphor additive resin into the space that is composed of a surface of the color wheel substrate and the concavity of the phosphor layer contour correcting device; maintaining the phosphor additive resin in the space; and heating the phosphor additive resin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki KATO, Atsushi KITAMURA
  • Patent number: 8069552
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a rotor magnet for a micro rotary electric machine is provided which includes steps of: a process in which a plurality of thick films, each of which is made of nanocomposite texture composed of ?Fe and R-TM-B where R is either 10 to 20 atomic % Nd or 10 to 20 atomic % Pr, B is 5 to 20 atomic % and TM is either Fe or partly Co-substituted Fe with 0 to 16 atomic %, are formed into a laminated magnet including isotropic nano-crystalline texture which contains ?Fe and R2TM14B and which has a remanence, Mr, of 0.95 T or more; and a process where the laminated magnet is multi-polar magnetized in-plane of the thick films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Fumitoshi Yamashita
  • Publication number: 20110291605
    Abstract: There is provided a single-phase AC synchronized motor that does not need smooth of rectifier waves but stably performs shift from a starting operation to a synchronized operation. In the motor, based on detected signals of a position sensor, rectified current is reciprocally flowed to each direction of a single-phase coil which starts the motor. The motor includes a start-up operation circuit with a sensor starting period that increases a rotational speed until reaching to a first predetermined rotational speed; and a control device that controls operation of the motor as that shift to synchronized operation is performed when a rotational speed of a permanent magnetic rotor is reached to a second predetermined rotational speed nearby a synchronized rotational speed but not exceeding the synchronized rotational speed, and when the rise and fall of detected signals of the position sensor and the zero-cross point of AC current are approximately correspondent to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro SAKAGUCHI, Masahiro KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20110285217
    Abstract: A claw-pole-type stepping motor includes a stator annularly disposed therein and having a coil, a rotor rotatably disposed inside the stator and having a multiply magnetized permanent magnet and a shaft, an outer yoke provided in the stator and having a cup shape opening toward an axially outside direction an outer circumferential portion provided in the outer yoke and having a cylindrical shape and an inner circumferential portion including first pole teeth, an inner yoke provided in the stator and having second pole teeth provided in an inner circumference thereof and an outer circumferential portion fixed to an inner circumferential surface of the outer circumferential portion of the outer yoke, in which the first pole teeth and the second pole teeth are engaging with each other via a gap in an axial direction and are disposed with respect to the permanent magnet of the rotor via a gap, a fixed portion of the inner yoke and the outer yoke is positioned at the axial inside of an opening end of the cup shape
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2011
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuhei KINPARA, Yuzuru SUZUKI, Seiya FUJIMOTO
  • Patent number: 8061885
    Abstract: A planar illumination device comprises a light guide plate, a point-like light source arranged on an incoming-light face of the light guide plate, an inner frame formed substantially in a U-shape on a top view, and an outer frame having a seat portion and side walls wherein the light guide plate is accommodated in the inner frame and mounted on the seat portion of the outer frame, while the point-like light source is arranged along the incoming-light face of the light guide plate and held between the incoming-light face and the side wall of the outer frame. At the inner frame, an elastic action portion which is elastically deformed so as to make a partial contact with the outer frame and energizes the light guide plate toward the point-like light source is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasuo Ohno
  • Publication number: 20110266964
    Abstract: An electrical appliance, particularly a television or a monitor, having a lighting device (8) having light emitting diodes (12). The light emitting diodes (LED) (12) are collected in LED strings (11) and controlled by a balancing network (17). The balancing network (17) has a circuit branch (19) for each string (11), the circuit branches (19) being connected in parallel to each other. Disposed in each circuit branch (19), is a bridge rectifier (20) to which the LED string (11) is connected. Moreover, each circuit branch has a balancing transformer (23), wherein all the secondary windings (26) of the balancing transformer (23) are connected in series in a closed conductor loop (27), by which the currents in all circuit branches are balanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Manfred Schlenk, Robert Weger
  • Publication number: 20110266894
    Abstract: There is provided the manufacturing method of a laminated magnet film, including the steps of: a first step of preparing a magnet film, 40 ?m to 300 ?m in thickness, provided with a nanocrystalline structure magnetically isotropic; a second step of applying a self-bonding resin composition with film formability on the magnet film preparing a self-bonding magnet film composed of the magnet film and a self-bonding layer; a third step of mechanically processing the self-bonding magnet film being solid or hollow; a fourth step of preparing the laminated magnet film by laminating the self-bonding magnet films; a fifth step of melting the self-bonding layer of the laminated magnet film and then cooling and solidifying the self-bonding layer to integrally rigidify the laminated magnet film; and a sixth step of magnetizing the rigidified laminated magnet film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Fumitoshi YAMASHITA, Shinsaku NISHIMURA, Noboru MENJO
  • Publication number: 20110262059
    Abstract: The sliding bearing has a metallic outer ring and a self-lubricating liner formed on the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring. The self-lubricating liner has a self-lubricating resin composition consisting of a mixture of 60 to 80% by weight of polyetherketone-based resin, 10 to 30% by weight of polytetrafluoroethylene, 5 to 15% by weight of carbon fiber and not more than 15% by weight of aramid fiber, total amount of the carbon fiber and the aramid fiber being 10 to 25% by weight. The inner circumferential surface of the outer ring has a surface roughness in terms of center line average roughness not less than Ra 4.0 ?m and a surface roughness in terms of maximum height not less than Rmax 30.0 ?m; and the outer ring and the self-lubricating liner are unified. A method of producing the bearing is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tadahiko KARAKI, Kentaro ISHIKAWA, Motoharu AKIYAMA, Kunihiro MATSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20110262271
    Abstract: An axial fan is provided. The axial fan includes a hub, an impeller having a plurality of blades mounted on an outer peripheral surface of the hub, and a housing surrounding the impeller. Each of the blades has a front edge angle (?) within a range of ?8° to ?20°, a mounting angle (?) within a range of 36° to 50°, and a twisted angle (?) within a range of 10°±2°.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicants: MINEBEA MOTOR MANUFACTURING CORPORATION, MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takako FUKUDA, Masaki OGUSHI, Yoichi KAWAI, Naoya OHKI
  • Publication number: 20110249922
    Abstract: The present invention provides a pivot assembly bearing having a bearing inner ring, a shaft, a bearing outer ring, a housing, and an UV curable anaerobic adhesive fixing the bearing inner ring to the shaft, and the bearing outer ring to the housing, and that the adhesive includes 15 to 25% of urethane acrylate, 45 to 55% of acrylic acid diester, less than 3% of acrylic acid monomer, 15 to 30% of hydroxyalkylmethacrylate, less than 3% of anaerobic catalyst, and less than 3% of photopolymerization initiating agent, and in addition, a coloring agent, if necessary. As a result, a pivot assembly bearing with reduced outgas, shorter adhesive curing time, and no tack at the adhesive surface is obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2011
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kunihiro TSUCHIYA
  • Patent number: 8035267
    Abstract: A spindle motor includes: a stator yoke having a circular cylinder shape; a rotor magnet disposed opposite to the stator yoke with an air gap therebetween; a sheet-like coil disposed at a surface of the stator yoke opposing the rotor magnet; and a bearing structure, wherein the sheet-like coil includes a plurality of individual coils having a spiral-shape and arrayed in a circumferential direction, and a pattern made of a same material as the individual coils and disposed between two adjacent individual coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuzuru Suzuki, Yuuki Takahashi, Miyuki Furuya
  • Patent number: 8035269
    Abstract: An electric machine having a rotor and a stator that encloses the rotor, and having a first flange arrangement on at least one end face of the stator, wherein the first flange arrangement has a first flange component that has a connecting surface which adjoins the first end face of the stator and whose geometry is adapted to the geometry of the end face of the stator so that a stator winding, which is wound onto the stator and the adjoining connecting surface, connects the stator and the first flange component to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Axel Bottger, Ullrich Kreiensen
  • Publication number: 20110241499
    Abstract: A brushless DC motor is provided and includes: a stator assembly; a rotor assembly including a sleeve; a case assembly; and a circuit board assembly which has an electronic component mounted thereon. The case assembly is provided with an opening, the electronic component passes through the opening so as to protrude inside the case assembly, and a groove is formed at an axial end of the sleeve of the rotor assembly in order to prevent the electronic component from making contact with any part of the rotor assembly. Thus, the axial dimension of the brushless DC motor that includes the electronic component disposed to protrude inside the case assembly can be successfully reduced in such a manner that the electronic component is accommodated within the groove. Further, no electronic component is disposed around the outer circumference of the stator assembly and therefore the radial dimension also can be kept small.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Manabu NAKAMURA, Yuzuru SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20110242854
    Abstract: There is provided switching power unit comprising: a PFC voltage detector that detects PFC voltages of the power-factor improvement unit; an output voltage detector that is provided in a current resonance converter unit; a switching controller into which output signals from the PFC voltage detector and output signals from the output voltage detector are input, wherein the switching controller in a full-bridge circuit of first to fourth switching elements, based on output signals from the PFC voltage detector and the output voltage detector, controls the PFC voltages by changing on-duty of the first and second switching elements, and also controls the output voltages by changing switching frequencies of the full-bridge circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji MINAMI, Shigemi MASUDA
  • Patent number: 8018186
    Abstract: An electronic system for controlling a fan motor includes a microcontroller and a drive circuit. The microcontroller draws power from a first voltage source and generates control signals for sending drive current to stator coils of a fan motor via the drive circuit. The electronic system further includes a second voltage source to provide the microcontroller with an amount of energy sufficient to operate for a short period of time when the voltage of the first voltage source drops below a predetermined level. The microcontroller is configured to detect when the voltage level of the first voltage source drops below a given level and generates control signals for the drive circuit to discharge energy in the stator coils of the fan motor to quickly stop operation of the fan motor within a short period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Scott Frankel, Christopher Best
  • Patent number: 8018100
    Abstract: A permanent magnet motor having an axially magnetized pull magnet consisting of a baseplate on which a stator lamination stack having stator windings is disposed, wherein a hub is disposed opposite the baseplate, the hub being connected to a shaft that is supported with respect to a bearing bush via one or more fluid bearings wherein the hub carries at least one annular rotor magnet that lies radially opposite the stator lamination stack, wherein a pulling device acting in an axial direction and operating under the influence of magnetic tensile forces is disposed in the region between the hub and the stationary part of the motor, wherein the pulling device consists of a permanent magnetic pull magnet on the side of the rotor that interacts magnetically with surfaces on the side of the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Vladimir V. Popov
  • Patent number: 8007177
    Abstract: A fluid dynamic bearing system that has a first bearing part and a second bearing part that is rotatable with respect to the first bearing part, both of which form a bearing gap filled with a bearing fluid between opposing bearing surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Martin Engesser, Stefan Schwamberger
  • Publication number: 20110205502
    Abstract: There is provided a projector at least comprising: a light source; a color wheel; a condensing lens; a spatial light modulator; and a projection optical system, wherein the light source includes a red illuminant and a blue illuminant, and the color wheel includes a disc made of optically permeable materials, the disc being composed of a green-light generating portion, a blue-light generating portion and a blue-and-green light generating portion, the green-light generating portion and the blue-and-green light generating portion each including a phosphor layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki KATO, Atsushi KITAMURA