Patents Examined by Carlos J. Gamino
  • Patent number: 11964338
    Abstract: A low-temperature joining method effectively suppresses reductions in the mechanical properties of a junction of various types of high-tensile steel or aluminum, and of a heat-affected zone; and produces a joint structure. A method for joining two metal materials by forming a joint interface in which the two metal materials face each other at a joint portion and plunge a rotation tool caused to rotate at a prescribed speed into the joint, the method for low-temperature joining of metal materials characterized in that the peripheral velocity of the outermost periphery of the rotation tool is set to 51 mm/s or less, whereby the recrystallization temperature inherent to the metal materials is reduced by introducing a large strain to the joint, and recrystallized grains are generated at the joint interface by setting the joining temperature to less than the recrystallization temperature inherent to the metal materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: OSAKA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Fujii, Rintaro Ueji, Yoshiaki Morisada
  • Patent number: 11963307
    Abstract: A ball-grid-array component of a ball-grid array assembly is analyzed prior to reflow. A predicted warping pattern of the ball-grid-array component that is likely to occur during reflow is predicted based on the analyzing. A solder ball ball-grid-array defect that could be caused by the predicted warping pattern is predicted. An initial via suction pattern to mitigate the ball-grid-array defect is assigned. A vacuum head is applied to a via in the ball-grid-array assembly. The solder ball is located at the opposite end of the via from the vacuum head. Suction is applied to the via based on the via suction pattern. The suction draws a portion of the solder ball into the via during reflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew Doyle, Thomas W. Liang, Layne A. Berge, John R. Dangler, Jason J. Bjorgaard, Kyle Schoneck, Matthew A. Walther
  • Patent number: 11951485
    Abstract: An improved hammer mill hammer constructed by forming a groove in an edge of the grinding end of a hammer for receiving hard facing material and placing hard facing in the groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Jacobs Corporation
    Inventor: Chad J. Plumb
  • Patent number: 11938556
    Abstract: The present invention concerns an ultrasonic welding installation comprising an ultrasonic vibration unit having a sonotrode and a converter, wherein the sonotrode and the converter are arranged in mutually adjacent relationship along a longitudinal axis and the ultrasonic vibration unit can be caused to resonate with an ultrasonic vibration in the direction of the longitudinal axis with a wavelength ?/2, wherein there is provided a holder for holding the ultrasonic vibration unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: HERRMANN ULTRASCHALLTECHNIK GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Raffaele Mancini, Johannes Pohl, Ulrich Vogler, Stefan Zendler
  • Patent number: 11938558
    Abstract: A double-action friction stir joining system, which includes a double-action friction stir joining device, a cleaning mechanism having a dressing member, a robot, and a control device. The double-action friction stir joining device includes a first rotary driver configured to rotate a pin member and a shoulder member, and a tool driver configured to reciprocate the pin member and the shoulder member. The control device is adapted to (A) operate the tool driver so that the pin member is thrusted into the shoulder member, (B) operate the first rotary driver so that the shoulder member rotates, and (C) operate the robot so that the robot holds the double-action friction stir joining device and the dressing member contacts an inner circumferential surface of the shoulder member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Miyake, Kengo Maeda, Masato Fukushima, Yohei Ishido
  • Patent number: 11936153
    Abstract: A precision soldering fixture provides a way to align and hold wires in place for soldering. The precision soldering fixture comprises a support member and a clamping assembly. The support member includes one or more elongated channels and may include a connector notch for holding and soldering wires. The clamping assembly comprises a nut and bolt base mechanism including clamping bars to hold the wires and preferably knurled fingers nuts, tightening the clamping bars, and thus the wires, in place. There can also be attachments secured to the support member to facilitate use. One such attachment may be a vise block fastened to the support member when securing the precision soldering fixture in a vise. Additionally, an alligator clip may be secured between the support member and the vise block, clipping the precision soldering fixture for soldering wires in situ. Further, a base with a magnet may be attached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Inventor: James McCommons
  • Patent number: 11878361
    Abstract: An ultrasonic joining horn disclosed herein can generate ultrasonic vibration in a predetermined vibration direction and includes a base portion, a stand portion that rises from an upper surface of the base portion, and a pressure contact portion formed of a plurality of protrusions that protrude from an upper surface of the stand portion. Each of the protrusions is formed into a pyramid shape or a truncated pyramid shape, the protrusions are arrayed, and when viewed from top, at least a portion of a peripheral edge of a portion in which the protrusions are arrayed has a zigzag shape. The zigzag portion is formed along at least one of the vibration direction and a perpendicular direction to the vibration direction. The upper surface of the base portion has an exposed surface on which the stand portion is not formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Takahiro Sakurai, Kosuke Suzuki, Kota Ohata
  • Patent number: 11865809
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of forming a multi-layered metallic part. The method comprises stacking at least two metallic layers, each made of a metallic material having a ductility, to form a multi-layered metallic assembly. The method also comprises interposing a diffusion-bond preventing element directly between adjacent ones of the at least two metallic layers of the multi-layered metallic assembly. The method further comprises diffusion bonding the at least two metallic layers to each other at locations other than a location contiguous with the diffusion-bond preventing element to produce a multi-layered metallic part having a non-bonded region between the at least two metallic layers at the location of the diffusion-bond preventing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Marc R. Matsen, Mark A. Negley, Landon K. Henson, John R. Hull
  • Patent number: 11813686
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an Sn—Bi—Cu—Ni solder alloy or the like which has a low melting point, excellent ductility, and high tensile strength, and in which if soldering is performed on a Cu electrode subjected to electroless Ni plating treatment, a solder joint formed through this soldering exhibits high shear strength. In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an Sn—Bi—Cu—Ni solder alloy in which a solder joint formed through soldering exhibits high shear strength even for a Cu electrode which has not been subjected to plating treatment. Furthermore, still another object of the present invention is to provide, in addition to the above-described objects, a solder alloy or the like of which yellowish discoloration can be suppressed and in which change in viscosity of a solder paste over time can be suppressed. The solder alloy has an alloy composition consisting of, by mass %, 31% to 59% of Bi, 0.3% to 1.0% of Cu, 0.01% to 0.06% of Ni, 0.0040% to 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: SENJU METAL INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Kawasaki, Masato Shiratori, Yuji Kawamata
  • Patent number: 11817419
    Abstract: A bonding apparatus provided with a gas supplying unit for causing an inert gas to be sprayed from a spray aperture provided adjacent to a holding section of the bonding head. The spray aperture is provided so as to surround the holding section of the bonding head, in which a portion of the slits is a wide slit set to a higher jet flow rate of the inert gas than narrow slits of another portion, and the inert gas sprayed from the wide slit and the narrow slits forms an air curtain that surrounds the bonding portion between the semiconductor chip and the substrate. The inert gas sprayed from the wide slit forms a flow that passes between the semiconductor chip and the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: SHIBUYA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masato Kitagawa
  • Patent number: 11794286
    Abstract: Bulk copper solder is highly desired as a solder compound because it is very electrically conductive and has a high melting point relative to other solders. A composition for a copper solder includes copper(II) oxide powder in the range of 37-53% by mass, silicon carbide (SiC) powder in the range of 8-14% by mass, and a flux in the range of 35%-53% by mass. Energy in the form of microwave energy can be applied to the copper solder to convert the Cu(II)O to Cu, for a Cu product conversion of >93%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Michael P. Rowe
  • Patent number: 11794273
    Abstract: Provided are a friction stir welding apparatus and a friction stir welding method that achieve highly accurate and highly reliable joining while minimizing an effect of bending of a pressing force receiving portion (carrying table) as a result of a press by a joining tool unit. The friction stir welding apparatus joins joining target members by friction stir welding. The friction stir welding apparatus is characterized by including: an apparatus main body; a control device that controls an operation of the friction stir welding apparatus; a C-shaped frame connected to the apparatus main body via a first vertical movement drive mechanism unit; a holder unit connected to one end of the C-shaped frame via a second vertical movement drive mechanism unit; and a joining tool held by the holder unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Hitachi Power Solutions Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomio Odakura, Hiroki Abe, Akihiro Satou, Kohei Funahara, Koichi Ishiguro, Shun Shinohara, Yukihiro Sugimoto, Katsuya Nishiguchi, Koujirou Tanaka, Yasuhiro Morita
  • Patent number: 11780020
    Abstract: A method of furnace-less brazing of a substrate is provided. The method includes providing a substrate having a brazing region thereon; disposing braze precursor material containing a nickel powder, an aluminum powder, and a platinum group metal powder on the brazing region; and initiating an exothermic reaction of the braze precursor material such that the exothermic reaction produces a braze material that reaches a braze temperature above the liquidus temperature for the braze material. A braze precursor material is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Voramon Supatarawanich Dheeradhada, Raghavendra Rao Adharapurapu, Juan Borja, Don Mark Lipkin
  • Patent number: 11766729
    Abstract: An improved molten solder injection head having a vacuum filter and differential gauge system is provided. In one aspect, an injection head is provided. The injection head includes: a reservoir; an injection port on a bottom of the injection head connected to the reservoir; a vacuum port adjacent to the injection port on the bottom of the injection head connected to a vacuum source; and a filter disposed between the bottom of the injection head and the vacuum source. A method for molten solder injection using the present injection head is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Jae-Woong Nah, John U. Knickerbocker, Eric P. Lewandowski
  • Patent number: 11697168
    Abstract: The present application discloses a reflow oven and the operation method thereof. The reflow oven can operate in air mode and inert gas mode. The reflow oven comprises a heating zone, a blocked exhaust zone and a cooling zone. The reflow oven further comprises a first pipeline, a second pipeline and a third pipeline. When the reflow oven operates in air mode, external clean air is delivered to the heating zone and is discharged from the heating zone and the blocked exhaust zone. When the reflow oven operates in inert gas mode, an inert gas is delivered from the blocked exhaust zone to the heating zone and is discharged from the heating zone. Satisfying the accurate temperature profiling necessary for reflow processing in the operation atmosphere of air or an inert gas, the reflow oven in the present application can effectively discharge volatile pollutants to reduce the number of follow-up services and maintenances. In addition, the reflow oven in the present application can save the expensive inert gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC.
    Inventor: Yuwei Wang
  • Patent number: 11697174
    Abstract: A method of diffusion bonding metal or metal alloy containing workpieces, comprises (a) coating the bonding surfaces of the metal or metal alloy containing workpieces with a layer of a coating material, (b) abrading the coated bonding surfaces to remove surface oxide, the coating material being in liquid form, (c) removing excess coating material or excess abraded metal or metal alloy containing workpiece material from the coated bonding surfaces, and (d) diffusion bonding the coated bonding surfaces of the metal or metal alloy containing workpieces together. The coating material is operable to form a stable barrier on the bonding surfaces of the metal or metal alloy containing workpieces under ambient conditions, and evaporates from the bonding surfaces under diffusion bonding conditions. There is also a bonded workpiece formed using the method of diffusion bonding metal or metal alloy containing workpieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Inventors: Alec Gordon Gunner, Nicholas Philip Ludford
  • Patent number: 11691210
    Abstract: By a method of determining the state of an iron tip according to the present invention, in a soldering device including: an iron tip that includes a solder hole into which a solder piece is supplied and that heats and melts the solder piece in the solder hole; a gas supply source that supplies a gas; and a gas supply portion that makes the gas supply source communicate with the solder hole and that supplies the gas from the gas supply source into the solder hole, the total flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas supply portion or a supply pressure is constant, a physical quantity of the gas flowing within the gas supply portion is measured and the measured physical quantity is compared with a previously provided reference value or table such that the state of the iron tip is determined. In this way, it is possible to constantly accurately determine the state of the iron tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: AND CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Mitsuo Ebisawa
  • Patent number: 11685977
    Abstract: Undercooled liquid metallic core-shell particles, whose core is stable against solidification at ambient conditions, i.e. under near ambient temperature and pressure conditions, are used to join or repair metallic non-particulate components. The undercooled-shell particles in the form of nano-size or micro-size particles comprise an undercooled stable liquid metallic core encapsulated inside an outer shell, which can comprise an oxide or other stabilizer shell typically formed in-situ on the undercooled liquid metallic core. The shell is ruptured to release the liquid phase core material to join or repair a component(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Thuo, Ian Tevis
  • Patent number: 11684998
    Abstract: An exothermic reaction mold includes a reaction chamber, a weld chamber communicating with the reaction chamber and at least one user configurable port communicating with the weld chamber for receiving cables to be welded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Hubbell Incorporated
    Inventors: Charles Mitchell Stilwell, Richard Wallace Ceass, Louis Webster Ruffin, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11679444
    Abstract: Disclosed in the present application is a cooling system for a reflow furnace, the reflow furnace comprising a heating zone, and the cooling system being used to regulate a temperature of the heating zone, the cooling system comprising: at least one gas inlet and at least one gas discharge port, the at least one gas inlet and the at least one gas discharge port being disposed on the heating zone; a blowing apparatus; at least one gas intake pipeline, an inlet of the at least one gas intake pipeline being connected to the blowing apparatus, an outlet of the at least one gas intake pipeline being connected to the at least one gas inlet, the at least one gas intake pipeline being able to controllably establish fluid communication between the blowing apparatus and the at least one gas inlet; and at least one gas discharge pipeline, an inlet of the at least one gas discharge pipeline being connected to the at least one gas discharge port, an outlet of the at least one gas discharge pipeline being connected to the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Shenghu Yan, Peng Shu, Dong Zhang