Patents by Inventor Akihiro Sato

Akihiro Sato 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).

  • Publication number: 20120070303
    Abstract: The present invention provides a Ni-based single crystal superalloy which has the following composition by weight: 0.1 wt % or more and 9.9 wt % or less of Co, 5.1 wt % or more and 10.0 wt % or less of Cr, 1.0 wt % or more and 4.0 wt % or less of Mo, 8.1 wt % or more and 11.0 wt % or less of W, 4.0 wt % or more and 9.0 wt % or less of Ta, 5.2 wt % or more and 7.0 wt % or less of Al, 0.1 wt % or more and 2.0 wt % or less of Ti, 0.05 wt % or more and 0.3 wt % or less of Hf, 1.0 wt % or less of Nb and less than 3.0 wt % of Re with the remainder including Ni and unavoidable impurities. This Ni-based single crystal superalloy has a low Re content and also has excellent high-temperature strength, mainly creep strength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Aoki, Akihiro Sato
  • Publication number: 20120067869
    Abstract: Provided is a substrate processing apparatus capable of maintaining a temperature of a furnace port part at a heat-resistant temperature or less of each member constituting the furnace part. The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber configured to process a plurality of substrates vertically stacked at predetermined intervals; a substrate retainer configured to hold the plurality of substrates in the process chamber; and a first heat exchanger installed in the process chamber to support the substrate retainer from a lower portion of the substrate retainer, and configured to perform a heat exchange with a gas flowing in a downward direction from a side of the substrate retainer in the process chamber, wherein the first heat exchanger includes a hollow cylindrical insulating tube vertically extending in the downward direction and an insulating plate installed in the insulating tube, and regions in the insulating tube over and under the insulating plate are spatially connected to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Kenji SHIRAKO, Takatomo YAMAGUCHI, Shuhei SAIDO, Akihiro SATO
  • Publication number: 20120034098
    Abstract: A Ni-based single crystal superalloy which has the following composition: Co: 0.0 wt % or more to 15.0 wt % or less, Cr: 4.1 to 8.0 wt %, Mo: 2.1 to 4.5 wt %, W: 0.0 to 3.9 wt %, Ta: 4.0 to 10.0 wt %, Al: 4.5 to 6.5 wt %, Ti: 0.0 to 1.0 wt %, Hf: 0.00 to 0.5 wt %, Nb: 0.0 to 3.0 wt %, Re: 8.1 to 9.9 wt % and Ru: 0.5 to 6.5 wt % with the remainder including Ni and unavoidable impurities. As a result, the Ni-based single crystal superalloy which includes more than 8 wt % of Re in the composition ratio and has excellent specific creep strength and the turbine blade incorporating the Ni-based single crystal superalloy may be made.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Aoki, Nobuhito Sekine, Akihiro Sato, Kazuhito Miyata, Kazuyoshi Chikugo
  • Patent number: 8107185
    Abstract: A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic head assembly, which includes magnetic heads, support plates, and a flexible wiring substrate that are integrally formed. The magnetic heads include heating elements for making head element parts protrude toward magnetic disks by thermal expansion, the support plate supports the magnetic head, the flexible wiring substrate is provided along the support plate and electrically connects the magnetic heads to a circuit system, and the magnetic head assembly and the magnetic disks are assembled in a case. The magnetic disk device includes a sensor and a floating distance control circuit. The sensor detects at least one of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity in the case. The floating distance control circuit increases or decreases current supplied to the heating element on the basis of the output of the sensor and controls the floating distance of the magnetic head so that the floating distance is constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Alps Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Okamoto, Yuki Ono, Yukihiro Gorai, Mitsuru Watanabe, Akihiro Sato, Keitaro Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20110306212
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein relate to a substrate processing apparatus includes a reaction tube, a processing chamber provided inside the reaction tube to process a substrate therein, an induction target provided inside the reaction tube to surround the processing chamber and configured to heat the substrate, a heat insulator provided inside the reaction tube to surround the induction target, an induction target provided outside the reaction tube to inductively heat at least the induction target, a first gas supply unit for supplying a first gas into the processing chamber, and a second gas supply unit for supplying a second gas to a first gap provided between the induction target and the heat insulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Akihiro SATO, Akinori TANAKA, Takeshi ITOH, Masanao FUKUDA, Kazuhiro MORIMITSU
  • Publication number: 20110263756
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a molding material comprising an unsaturated polyester resin and microfibrillated plant fibers, the microfibrillated plant fibers comprising cellulose and hemicellulose, and having a specific surface area of 5 to 20 m2/g; a method of producing the molding material; a molded article obtained by curing the molding material; and a method of producing an unsaturated polyester resin molded article comprising microfibrillated plant fibers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: Kyoto University
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Yano, Akihiro Sato, Antonio Norio Nakagaito, Fumiaki Nakatsubo
  • Publication number: 20110245033
    Abstract: In a vehicular hybrid drive system including an engine, a first rotary machine that is mechanically connected to the engine and is used at least as a generator, a belt-and-pulley continuously variable transmission to which output of the engine and the first rotary machine is transmitted via an input shaft, and a clutch device that permits and interrupts power transmission between the belt-and-pulley continuously variable transmission and driving wheels, and a second rotary machine that is used at least as an electric motor, and is arranged to cause a vehicle to run even when the engine is stopped, an input pulley of the belt-and-pulley continuously variable transmission is disposed coaxially with the engine, and is mechanically connected to the engine via the input shaft, such that the input pulley is rotated and stopped along with the engine at all times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro SATO, Yasuyuki KATO, Akiko NISHIMINE, Masami KANNO
  • Publication number: 20110210118
    Abstract: There are provided a substrate processing apparatus and a method of manufacturing a substrate in which induction heating of members made of a metal material and installed outside an induction coil is suppressed and safety may be improved during processing of a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus includes: a reaction tube for accommodating a substrate; an induction heating unit installed to surround an outer circumference of the reaction tube; a shielding unit installed to surround an outside of the induction heating unit; a gas supply unit for supplying at least a source gas into the reaction tube; and a controller for processing the substrate by heating an inside of the reaction tube using the induction heating unit, and supplying at least the source gas from the gas supply unit into the reaction tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: HITACHI KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Yukitomo HIROCHI, Akinori TANAKA, Akihiro SATO, Takeshi ITOH, Daisuke HARA, Kenji SHIRAKO, Kazuhiro MORIMITSU, Masanao FUKUDA
  • Publication number: 20110204036
    Abstract: Provided is a heat treatment apparatus having a temperature detection unit installed outside a reaction chamber and capable of preventing a process gas from contacting the temperature detection unit to form a film and improving reliability and reproduction of a measurement value of the temperature detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.
    Inventors: Masaki MUROBAYASHI, Takatomo YAMAGUCHI, Kenji SHIRAKO, Shuhei SAIDO, Akihiro SATO, Daisuke HARA
  • Publication number: 20110194971
    Abstract: Disclosed is a novel heat-resistant superalloy for turbine disks having a chemical composition consisting of, in mass %, 19.5-55% of cobalt, 2-25% of chromium, 0.2-7% of aluminum, 3-15% of titanium and the balance of nickel and inevitable impurities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Publication date: August 11, 2011
    Inventors: Hiroshi Harada, Yuefeng Gu, Chuanyong Cui, Makoto Osawa, Akihiro Sato, Toshiharu Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20110056434
    Abstract: Provided is a heat treatment apparatus in which the temperature of an insulator heated by an induction current can be kept low and a susceptor can be efficiently heated. The heat treatment apparatus is provided for growing silicon carbide single crystal films or silicon carbide polycrystal films on a plurality of silicon carbide substrates. The heat treatment apparatus comprises a coil installed around an outside of a reaction tube to generate a magnetic field, a susceptor installed in the reaction tube and configured to be heated by an induction current, and an insulator installed between the susceptor and the reaction tube. The insulator is divided into parts in a circumferential direction, and an insulating material is inserted between the divided parts of the insulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Applicant: HITACHI-KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Takatomo YAMAGUCHI, Akihiro SATO, Kenji SHIRAKO, Shuhei SAIDO
  • Patent number: 7896933
    Abstract: A hydrogen supplying apparatus equipped with a hydrogen separation membrane and a catalyst plate, which is made by forming a catalyst layer on a metal plate, wherein the metal material of the membrane is different in hardness from that of the catalyst plate. A method of producing the hydrogen supplying apparatus, which comprises: bonding a catalyst plate and a hydrogen separation membrane to each other, by friction-stir welding, wherein a welding tool is pressed towards only one of the membrane and catalyst plate, forming a reaction layer between the membrane and the catalyst plate by the frictional heat, and forming ripples in the welded interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Sato, Takao Ishikawa, Kinya Aota
  • Publication number: 20100314837
    Abstract: A lip type end face sealing device having excellent sealability to different kinds of liquids on both sides in the axial direction and having excellent durability. A case is tight fitted to an inner peripheral face of a housing and includes case members. One pair of seal lips is integrally fitted to inner peripheral flange parts, positioned oppositely each other in the axial direction, and opened in a tapered shape. One pair of the seal lips is slidably contacted with flange parts of slingers tight fitted to an outer periphery of a rotary shaft. Pressure in seal internal spaces between the seal lips is released through a vent hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: NOK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takehiro Nakagawa, Akihiro Sato, Tetsuo Tasaki, Hiromi Takahashi, Junya Hoshi, Hiroshi Okubo, Masahiro Anzai
  • Publication number: 20100282166
    Abstract: Provided is a heat treatment apparatus. The heat treatment apparatus comprises a process chamber configured to grow silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxial films on SiC substrates, a substrate holding tool configured to hold a plurality of substrates in a state where the substrates are vertically arranged and approximately horizontally oriented, so as to hold the substrates in the process chamber, a first reaction gas supply nozzle configured to supply a carbon-containing gas into the process chamber, a second reaction gas supply nozzle configured to supply a silicon-containing gas into the process chamber, a magnetic field generating coil disposed at an outside of the process chamber for electromagnetic induction heating, and a coil supporter configured to support the magnetic field generating coil. An upper end of the second reaction gas supply nozzle is lower than a lower end of the coil supporter configured to support the magnetic field generating coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2010
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: HITACHI-KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Masanao FUKUDA, Akihiro SATO, Akinori TANAKA, Kazuhiro MORIMITSU
  • Publication number: 20100283361
    Abstract: A storage cabinet with key is provided with an electronic key having an electronic key ID memory means that stores electronic key ID, a storage box that stores an item to be kept, an opening and closing permission means that permits opening and closing of storage boxes, and an opening and closing control means that, when it reads out the electronic key ID and authenticates the right, makes the opening and closing permission means permit opening and closing of the storage boxes. The electronic key checks individual identification information input by one or more buttons arranged at the electronic key with specific individual identification information registered at an individual identification information memory means arranged at the electronic key.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: TOKAI RIKEN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Sato, Nobuhiko Segi
  • Publication number: 20100275848
    Abstract: Provided is a heat treatment apparatus that can form films having a uniform thickness on a plurality of substrates. The heat treatment apparatus comprises a process chamber configured to grow silicon carbide (SiC) films on wafers, a boat configured to hold a plurality of wafers in a state where the wafers are vertically arranged and approximately horizontally oriented so as to hold the wafers in the process chamber, a heating unit installed in the processing chamber, and a gas supply nozzle configured to supply a reaction gas. The heating unit comprises a susceptor configured to cover at least a part of the boat, and a susceptor wall disposed between the boat and the susceptor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2010
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicant: HITACHI-KOKUSAI ELECTRIC INC.
    Inventors: Masanao Fukuda, Kenji Shirako, Akihiro Sato, Kazuhiro Morimitsu, Sadao Nakashima
  • Patent number: 7806412
    Abstract: An objective of the present invention is to provide a lip type end face sealing device 6 having excellent sealability to different kinds of liquids on the both sides in the axial direction and having excellent durability. A case 61 tight fitted to an inner peripheral face 2a of a housing 2 comprises case members 611 and 612. One pair of seal lips 62 and 63 is integrally fitted to inner peripheral flange parts 611b and 612b, positioned oppositely each other in the axial direction, and opened in a tapered shape. One pair of the seal lips 62 and 63 is slidably contacted with flange parts 64b and 65b of slingers 64 and 65 tight fitted to an outer periphery of a rotary shaft 3. Pressure in seal internal spaces S2 between the both seal lips 62 and 63 and the both slingers 64 and 65 is released through a vent hole 22 opened on the inner peripheral face 2a of the housing 2, an air hole 611c opened on the case 61, and between the case members 611 and 612.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: NOK Corporation
    Inventors: Takehiro Nakagawa, Akihiro Sato, Tetsuo Tasaki, Hiromi Takahashi, Junya Hoshi, Hiroshi Okubo, Masahiro Anzai
  • Publication number: 20100248726
    Abstract: A communication method in a communication system, wherein the communication system includes a mobile terminal, a communication server that distributes data to the mobile terminal, and plural base stations that are capable of relaying the data, and one of the base stations among the plural base stations is responsible for relaying the data. The communication method includes transmitting, to the communication server, restriction instruction information to restrict a data transmission rate, by a first base station that is responsible for relaying the data among the plural base stations, and hand-overing, by the first base station, causing a second base station different from the first base station to take over the responsibility of relaying.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomonari KAGIMOTO, Yohji FUKUZAWA, Akihiro SATO, Tatsuhiko TAKATA, Kazunori UMEZAKI
  • Patent number: 7738216
    Abstract: A thin film magnetic head includes a slider that floats from a surface of a recording medium by an airflow generated on the surface of the recording medium to be rotated, and a thin film magnetic head element structure that is formed on an air discharging end face of the slider. A thermal plastic deformation portion is provided in the vicinity of the air discharging end face on a back surface of a recording medium facing surface of a slider so that a part of the thin film magnetic head element structure is further spaced from the surface of the recording medium than the recording medium facing surface of the slider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Masanobu Sato, Akihiro Sato, Hiroyuki Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20100143182
    Abstract: A Ni-based single crystal superalloy according to the invention has, for example, a composition including: 5.0 to 7.0 wt % of Al, 4.0 to 10.0 wt % of Ta, 1.1 to 4.5 wt % of Mo, 4.0 to 10.0 wt % of W, 3.1 to 8.0 wt % of Re, 0.0 to 2.0 wt % of Hf, 2.5 to 8.5 wt % of Cr, 0.0 to 9.9 wt % of Co, 0.0 to 4.0 wt % of Nb, and 1.0 to 14.0 wt % of Ru in terms of weight ratio; and the remainder including Ni and incidental impurities. In addition, the contents of Cr, Hf and Al are preferably set so as to satisfy the equation OP?108. According to the Ni-based single crystal superalloy of the invention, high creep strength can be maintained and the oxidation resistance can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2007
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Inventors: Akihiro Sato, Hiroshi Harada, Kyoko Kawagishi, Toshiharu Kobayashi, Tadaharu Yokokawa, Yutaka Koizumi, Yasuhiro Aoki, Mikiya Arai, Kazuyoshi Chikugo, Shoju Masaki