Patents Assigned to NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20240272201
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a contact probe includes: forming external shapes of a plurality of main body part base materials on a plate material, each of the plurality of main body part base materials being connected to a base part via a connection part and used for forming a main body part of a pipe member; forming a plurality of protrusions on each of the plurality of main body part base materials; forming the pipe member by bending each of the plurality of main body part base materials into a C-shape such that the protrusions protrude toward an inner side of the pipe member; assembling the contact probe by inserting first and second plungers and a coil spring into the pipe member connected to the connection part; and cutting the pipe member from the connection part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2024
    Publication date: August 15, 2024
    Applicant: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Yamada, Shuji Takahashi, Jun Kinoshita
  • Publication number: 20240268235
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric body having a first main surface and a second main surface located on a side opposite to the first main surface, a first electrode provided on the first main surface, and a second electrode provided on the second main surface. The first electrode includes a first peripheral edge and a first slit extending from the first peripheral edge. An end portion of the first slit is separated from the first peripheral edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2024
    Publication date: August 8, 2024
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mikio ARAI, Ryosuke YONEKURA
  • Publication number: 20240264200
    Abstract: A contact probe includes: a first plunger including a tip end configured to be contact with one of electrode, and a flange that is continuous to the tip end; and a coil spring configured to be joined to the first plunger. The tip end includes: a tip contact including a tip configured to be contact with the one of the electrode; a columnar first base portion provided to a base end side of the tip contact, and including a lateral side surface extending along a longitudinal axis of the first plunger; and a second base portion provided to an end of the first base portion, the end being on a side opposite to the tip contact, the second base portion including an inclined lateral side inclined in a manner approaching the longitudinal axis of the first plunger, as the inclined lateral side extends toward the flange.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2024
    Publication date: August 8, 2024
    Applicant: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuya Soma, Hajime Arai
  • Patent number: 12054080
    Abstract: In a vehicle seat frame, a connection member that connects left and right links together in a seat left-right direction is disposed below a rear portion of a cushion pan included in a seat cushion frame. A sloped surface sloped with a downward gradient toward a seat rear side is formed at a lower surface of the rear portion of the cushion pan. The sloped surface of the cushion pan slides in a seat rearward and diagonally downward direction relative to the connection member when the cushion pan deforms in a seat downward direction under load from the occupant during a head-on collision of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignees: NHK SPRING CO., LTD., SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Syunichirou Osa, Hiroki Matsuda, Jun Shirai, Masafumi Takano, Kenji Nagumo, Fumito Kitanaka, Suguru Ishikawa, Naoki Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20240253251
    Abstract: A flexible structure with a multi-joint function is formed by connecting flexing parts in which wave washers are stacked and welded to each other. The flexible structure includes a first flexing part, a second flexing part, and a connection part. The first flexing part and the second flexing part are capable of flexing and extending. The connection part is welded in an axial direction between the first flexing part and the second flexing part and has a rigidity higher than the first flexing part and the second flexing part. The first flexing part and the second flexing part each include wave washers stacked in the axial direction and welded to each other. The connection part has a circulating shape in which an inner circumference and an outer circumference are each continuous in a circumferential direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Publication date: August 1, 2024
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi HIRATA, Yuki HOTODA, Yuki HAYAKAWA
  • Patent number: 12051449
    Abstract: A flexure of a suspension for a disk drive includes a metal base and a wiring portion provided along the metal base and including a base insulation layer, a conductor layer overlaid on the base insulation layer, and a cover insulation layer overlaid on the conductor layer. The flexure includes a first area on which an electronic component is mounted and a second area aligned alongside the first area, and the first area includes a thin-walled portion which overlaps the electronic component and having a thickness less than a thickness of the second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yukie Yamada
  • Patent number: 12038060
    Abstract: The present invention provides a flexible member having excellent load resistance and flexibility while achieving a reduction in size. This flexible member is provided with: a main body part which includes multiple wave washers that are stacked in an axial direction and are joined to one another by multiple joint parts, and which is capable of bending relative to the axial direction by elastic deformation of the wave washers; and easily deformable parts formed between the joint parts that are adjacent to one another in the circumferential direction in each wave washer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yosuke Kawai, Shimpei Kurokawa, Yuki Hayakawa
  • Publication number: 20240237158
    Abstract: An induction heating device according to one embodiment includes a first coil portion and a second coil portion. A bar-shaped workpiece is placed between the first coil portion and the second coil portion. The first coil portion includes a pair of first narrow pitch portions formed in respective end portions thereof, a first wide pitch portion formed between the first narrow pitch portions, and a first medium pitch portion formed in the center. The second coil portion includes a pair of second narrow pitch portions formed in respective end portions, a second wide pitch portion formed between the second narrow pitch portions, and a second medium pitch portion formed in the center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2024
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsuki YOSHIDA, Yuichiro YAMAUCHI, Hidetoshi MIZUTA
  • Publication number: 20240229884
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a coil spring is formed of a wire which is helically wound, and includes an end turn portion and an effective portion, and a surface of the wire in the end turn portion includes an area which is softer than a surface of the wire in the effective portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2023
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki OKADA, Yuichiro YAMAUCHI, Ryo TANAKA, Takeshi SUZUKI, Kosuke SHIBAIRI
  • Publication number: 20240207988
    Abstract: A workpiece holding device includes a suction chuck unit which includes an adsorption member, a chuck mechanism and a drive mechanism. When a drive member of the drive mechanism moves to a lower side, the chuck mechanism moves to an open position, and an adsorption portion is located at the position of a first height. After the adsorption portion adsorbs a cap member the drive member moves to a second height which is higher than the first height. When the drive member has moved to the second height, the cap member rises relative to a pin member. In this state, the chuck mechanism is closed. When the chuck mechanism is closed, of the pin member, a portion which is not covered with the cap member is sandwiched by the chuck mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2023
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kenichiro NAKANO
  • Patent number: 12018704
    Abstract: A shell member 10 constituting an accumulator 100 including a cover member 30, a shell member 10 having a cylindrical portion 11, an opening portion 13 formed at one end of the cylindrical portion 11 and welded to the cover member 30, and a closed portion 12 formed at another end of the cylindrical portion 11, and an accumulation part 70 accommodated in the shell member 10. The cylindrical portion 11 includes an upper end portion 11a, and a protruding portion 11c having the opening portion 13. The protruding portion 11c is thicker than the upper end portion 11a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mizukami, Naohito Nakano, Mieko Yanagida
  • Patent number: 12012023
    Abstract: A vehicle seat structure, including: a frame member that forms a framework of the vehicle seat; a pad member that is formed of a foam material and is disposed at a front face side of the frame member; and a first rear face member that is integrated with the pad member at a rear face side of the pad member, the first rear face member including: a main body portion that is fixed to the pad member, and an extension portion that extends from the pad member and is fixed to the frame member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignee: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toshiki Hirasawa
  • Publication number: 20240189981
    Abstract: Provided is a multi-joint bending structure body that makes it possible to obtain a structure capable of making a small-radius turn. The present invention comprises: a plurality of first bendable parts 9 and second bendable parts 11 that can elastically bend with respect to the axial direction; and an intermediate part 13 that is positioned between a first bendable part 9 and a second bendable part 11 which are adjacent to each other. The first bendable parts 9 and the second bendable parts 11 are provided with a flexible member 17 that is an integral body in the axial direction. The intermediate part 13 is attached to the flexible member 17 between the first bendable part 9 and the second bendable part 11 which are adjacent, and suppresses the bending of the flexible member 17 with respect to the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Publication date: June 13, 2024
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi HIRATA, Yuki HOTODA, Masahiro INABA, Yuki HAYAKAWA
  • Patent number: 12006994
    Abstract: A valve spring includes a nitrided layer, and a core portion that is further inward than the nitrided layer. A chemical composition of the core portion consists of, in mass %, C: 0.53 to 0.59%, Si: 2.51 to 2.90%, Mn: 0.70 to 0.85%, P: 0.020% or less, S: 0.020% or less, Cr: 1.40 to 1.70%, Mo: 0.17 to 0.53%, V: 0.23 to 0.33%, Ca: 0.0001 to 0.0050%, Cu: 0.050% or less, Ni: 0.050% or less, Al: 0.0050% or less, Ti: 0.050% or less, and N: 0.0070% or less, with the balance being Fe and impurities. In the core portion, a number density of V-based precipitates having a maximum diameter ranging from 2 to 10 nm is 500 to 8000 per ?m2, and in the core portion, a numerical proportion of Ca sulfides with respect to a total number of oxide-based inclusions and sulfide-based inclusions is 0.20% or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignees: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION, NHK SPRING CO., LTD., NIPPON STEEL SG WIRE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinya Teramoto, Yutaka Neishi, Michimasa Aono, Shuji Kozawa, Fumio Takahashi, Shigekazu Nishimoto, Mitsuhiro Kondo, Tatsuro Ochi, Shoichi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20240181658
    Abstract: A bending structure includes a bending part that is elastically bendable with respect to the axial direction, a movable part serving as an end member that is attached to an end of the bending part in the axial direction, a thin part that is formed at the movable part and is thinner than the movable part in the axial direction, a notch that is provided at the movable part and exposes the thin part in the axial direction in a manner capable of being irradiated with a laser light of laser welding, and a welding part that is formed at the thin part by laser welding and joins the thin part to the bending part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi HIRATA, Yuki HOTODA, Yuki HAYAKAWA
  • Patent number: 11998943
    Abstract: An application method of an application device configured to apply an adhesive to an object. The method includes applying, prior to applying the adhesive to a specified part of the object, the adhesive to a part different from the specified part, calculating an application quantity of the adhesive applied to the part different from the specified part, making a first correction configured to correct an application condition of the adhesive based on a result of the calculation, and applying the adhesive to the specified part using the application condition corrected in the first correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akira Homma
  • Patent number: 12000737
    Abstract: A temperature sensor includes a block body, a first thermocouple, and a second thermocouple. The first thermocouple includes a first strand, a second strand, a first insulator surrounding the first strand and the second strand, and a first metal sheath surrounding the first insulator. The second thermocouple includes a third strand, a fourth strand, a second insulator surrounding the third strand and the fourth strand, and a second metal sheath surrounding the second insulator. An end portion of each of the first thermocouple and the second thermocouple is buried in the block body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoya Kida, Arata Tatsumi, Kenji Sekiya, Naoya Aikawa, Masaya Takanashi
  • Publication number: 20240178049
    Abstract: A placement board includes: a main body unit configured to form a flow channel for circulation of a medium for heat exchange and place a workpiece thereon, the main body unit being made of a metallic material; and a heater provided in an outer edge region of the main body unit. A temperature difference between the outer edge region and an inner region of the main body unit at a surface of the main body unit where the workpiece is placed is 20° C. or more in a state where the medium has been caused to circulate through the flow channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Publication date: May 30, 2024
    Applicant: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoya Kida, Jun Futakutiya, Daisuke Fujino, Naoya Aikawa, Keiko Wada, Aya Nakajima
  • Patent number: 11996591
    Abstract: An attachment structure for a deformation absorption member of a fuel-cell-stack includes a first raised piece raised from one surface of a base material in a grid pattern, and having an extension portion extending from a proximal end, the extension portion abutting at least one of the cathode side separator or the anode side separator, a second raised piece having a proximal end, and a joint portion formed by partially joining a location between the proximal end of the first raised piece and the proximal end of the second raised piece, proximal end of the first raised piece being adjacent the proximal end of the second raised piece in a second direction that intersects a first direction taken from the proximal end of the first raised piece to an extension portion side, to the at least one of the anode side separator and the cathode side separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yosuke Fukuyama, Takeshi Shiomi, Yusuke Terada, Norihiro Tajima
  • Patent number: 11994535
    Abstract: A probe unit includes: a first contact probe configured to come in contact with a signal electrode; a second contact probe configured to come in contact with a ground electrode; a probe holder including a first holder hole through which the first contact probe passes, and a second holder hole through which the second contact probe passes; and a conductive floating member including a first through hole to which the first contact probe is inserted and the signal electrode is inserted, and a second through hole to which the second contact probe is inserted and the ground electrode is inserted. The probe holder is configured such that at least an inner circumferential surface of the first holder hole has an insulating property, and the probe unit has a coaxial structure in which central axes of the first contact probe and the first through hole are aligned with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Inuma, Shuji Takahashi