Patents by Inventor Akio Kihara

Akio Kihara 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).

  • Patent number: 10079924
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device that can be appropriately used as a type of electronic device that vibrates a panel attached to a housing. The electronic device includes a piezoelectric element, a panel, to which the piezoelectric element is attached, that vibrates due to the piezoelectric element to generate a vibration sound transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body, a housing supporting the panel with a first face, a microphone contained within the housing and disposed on a second face, and a buffer that damps vibration transmitted from the panel to the microphone through the first face and/or the second face, thereby reducing noise picked up by the microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Yasuhiro Katayama
  • Patent number: 9510105
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device including a housing and an acoustic device configured to generate vibration sound that is transmitted through vibration of a part of a human body. The acoustic device includes a panel configured to be joined to the housing; a piezoelectric element configured to be joined to the panel for vibrating the panel; and a vibration adjusting unit configured to be joined to the panel and vibrated together with the panel by the piezoelectric element. With the above configuration, a frequency characteristic is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Yasuhiro Katayama
  • Patent number: 9438990
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device that generates, by vibrating a vibration body, vibration sound by the vibration. The electronic device executes a side tone function by using sound collected by a microphone 7 during the vibration of the vibration body. When an open/close detector 100 detects a closed state, the electronic device also stops the side tone, improving usability of the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoaki Miyano, Tomohiro Inagaki, Shun Kazama, Akio Kihara
  • Patent number: 9392371
    Abstract: The content of sound leakage from a vibrating plate that vibrates due to a piezoelectric element is made difficult to recognize. An electronic device (1) according to the present invention includes a piezoelectric element (30) and a vibrating plate (10) that vibrates due to the piezoelectric element (30), the electronic device (1) causing the vibrating plate (10) to generate air-conducted sound and vibration sound that is transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body. The electronic device (1) also includes an air-conducted sound reducing unit that makes a portion or all of the air-conducted sound difficult to hear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Yasuhiro Katayama
  • Patent number: 9380140
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus that may reduce sound leakage from a housing and the like vibrated by a vibrator and echo caused by the sound leakage is provided. An electronic apparatus includes a panel, a panel retainer for supporting the panel, and an element for vibrating the panel and thereby generating a vibration sound to be delivered via a human body, wherein a region of the panel near a disposing position of the element is thinner in a normal direction of the panel than a remaining region of the panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Shun Kazama, Akio Kihara, Kiyokazu Sato
  • Patent number: 9374057
    Abstract: An echo caused by sound leakage from a housing that vibrates due to a vibrating body is reduced. An electronic device (1) according to the present invention includes a piezoelectric element (30), a vibrating plate (10) that vibrates due to the piezoelectric element (30), microphones (42, 43), and an equalizer (44), the electronic device (1) causing the vibrating plate (10) to generate air-conducted sound and vibration sound that is transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body. The equalizer (44) makes a low-range emphasis setting, to emphasize a low frequency range more than a high frequency range of the air-conducted sound, when the volume of the air-conducted sound collected by the microphones (42, 43) exceeds a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama
  • Patent number: 9351080
    Abstract: An electronic device (1) is provided with a piezoelectric element (30), a panel (10) holding the piezoelectric element (30), and a housing (60) holding the panel (10) and transmitting vibration through the panel (10). The electronic device (1) causes the panel (10) to generate vibration sound that is transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body. The electronic device (1) includes a stiffness varying portion (62, 63) in which the stiffness of the housing (60) varies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama
  • Patent number: 9300770
    Abstract: The electronic device including a piezoelectric element, a vibration plate having the piezoelectric element fixed thereto for generating air conduction sound by vibrating the piezoelectric element and sound to be transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body, a housing having the vibration plate fixed thereto, and an operation key provided to the housing, makes vibration of the vibration plate not likely to be transmitted to the operation key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Tomoaki Miyano, Satoshi Mizuta, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama
  • Publication number: 20160073202
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device including a housing and an acoustic device configured to generate vibration sound that is transmitted through vibration of a part of a human body. The acoustic device includes a panel configured to be joined to the housing; a piezoelectric element configured to be joined to the panel for vibrating the panel; and a vibration adjusting unit configured to be joined to the panel and vibrated together with the panel by the piezoelectric element. With the above configuration, a frequency characteristic is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Applicant: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshihisa NABATA, Satoshi MIZUTA, Tomoaki MIYANO, Kiyokazu SATO, Akio KIHARA, Shun KAZAMA, Yasuhiro KATAYAMA
  • Patent number: 9204223
    Abstract: In order to be appropriately usable as an electric device for vibrating a panel attached to a housing, an electronic device including a piezoelectric element; a housing having a first principle plane having the piezoelectric element fixed thereto and a second principle plane opposite to the first principle plane; and a lid member having a joint portion for removably joining to the second principle plane; causes the housing to generate sound transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body, such that the piezoelectric element is provided on a first side in a first direction parallel to the first principle plane, and a joint position of the joint portion is provided on a second side opposite to the first side in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Yasuhiro Katayama
  • Patent number: 9191748
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device including a housing and an acoustic device configured to generate vibration sound that is transmitted through vibration of a part of a human body. The acoustic device includes a panel configured to be joined to the housing; a piezoelectric element configured to be joined to the panel for vibrating the panel; and a vibration adjusting unit configured to be joined to the panel and vibrated together with the panel by the piezoelectric element. With the above configuration, a frequency characteristic is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Yasuhiro Katayama
  • Patent number: 9191749
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device that is capable of reducing sound leakage from a vibration plate vibrated by a piezoelectric element. An electronic device 1 of the present invention includes: a piezoelectric element 30; and a vibration plate 10 configured to be vibrated by the piezoelectric element 30. Vibration sound is transmitted by the vibration plate vibrating a part of a human body. The piezoelectric element 30 is vibrated using a processed sound signal in which at least a part of frequency components of a sound reproduction signal that are higher than a predetermined threshold value is cut or attenuated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Yasuhiro Katayama
  • Patent number: 9143867
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device including: a piezoelectric element; a vibration plate to which the piezoelectric element is joined for vibration; and a housing to which the vibration plate is joined. Vibration sound, which is transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body, is generated by the vibration plate. The vibration plate includes, in a plan view thereof, a first area including a joining portion with the piezoelectric element and a second area located further away from the joining portion than the first area is, and rigidity in a first area is lower than rigidity in the second area. With the above configuration, sound leakage or the like is reduced, and usability of the electronic device is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Yasuhiro Katayama
  • Patent number: 9131299
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device 1, including: a piezoelectric element 30; a panel 10 configured to support the piezoelectric element 30; and a housing 60 configured to hold the panel 10 and conduct a vibration through the panel 10, the panel 10 generating air-conduction sound and vibration sound that is transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body. The housing 60 includes a first housing portion 62 and a second housing portion 61 located inward of the first housing portion 62, and rigidity-reinforcing portions (63, 150; 64, 160; 65, 66, 170) are disposed between the first housing portion 62 and the second housing portion 61 for improving rigidity of the housing 60.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Masanori Umehara, Motonori Imamura
  • Publication number: 20150156295
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus that may reduce sound leakage from a housing and the like vibrated by a vibrator and echo caused by the sound leakage is provided. An electronic apparatus includes a panel, a panel retainer for supporting the panel, and an element for vibrating the panel and thereby generating a vibration sound to be delivered via a human body, wherein a region of the panel near a disposing position of the element is thinner in a normal direction of the panel than a remaining region of the panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shun Kazama, Akio Kihara, Kiyokazu Sato
  • Publication number: 20150117678
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device that generates, by vibrating a vibration body, vibration sound by the vibration. The electronic device executes a side tone function by using sound collected by a microphone 7 during the vibration of the vibration body. When an open/close detector 100 detects a closed state, the electronic device also stops the side tone, improving usability of the electronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki Miyano, Tomohiro Inagaki, Shun Kazama, Akio Kihara
  • Publication number: 20150043750
    Abstract: An echo caused by sound leakage from a housing that vibrates due to a vibrating body is reduced. An electronic device (1) according to the present invention includes a piezoelectric element (30), a vibrating plate (10) that vibrates due to the piezoelectric element (30), microphones (42, 43), and an equalizer (44), the electronic device (1) causing the vibrating plate (10) to generate air-conducted sound and vibration sound that is transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body. The equalizer (44) makes a low-range emphasis setting, to emphasize a low frequency range more than a high frequency range of the air-conducted sound, when the volume of the air-conducted sound collected by the microphones (42, 43) exceeds a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama
  • Publication number: 20150036843
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device 1, including: a piezoelectric element 30; a panel 10 configured to support the piezoelectric element 30; and a housing 60 configured to hold the panel 10 and conduct a vibration through the panel 10, the panel 10 generating air-conduction sound and vibration sound that is transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body. The housing 60 includes a first housing portion 62 and a second housing portion 61 located inward of the first housing portion 62, and rigidity-reinforcing portions (63, 150; 64, 160; 65, 66, 170) are disposed between the first housing portion 62 and the second housing portion 61 for improving rigidity of the housing 60.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Masanori Umehara, Motonori Imamura
  • Publication number: 20150030189
    Abstract: The content of sound leakage from a vibrating plate that vibrates due to a piezoelectric element is made difficult to recognize. An electronic device (1) according to the present invention includes a piezoelectric element (30) and a vibrating plate (10) that vibrates due to the piezoelectric element (30), the electronic device (1) causing the vibrating plate (10) to generate air-conducted sound and vibration sound that is transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body. The electronic device (1) also includes an air-conducted sound reducing unit that makes a portion or all of the air-conducted sound difficult to hear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Yasuhiro Katayama
  • Publication number: 20150030188
    Abstract: Provided is an electronic device including: a piezoelectric element; a vibration plate to which the piezoelectric element is joined for vibration; and a housing to which the vibration plate is joined. Vibration sound, which is transmitted by vibrating a part of a human body, is generated by the vibration plate. The vibration plate includes, in a plan view thereof, a first area including a joining portion with the piezoelectric element and a second area located further away from the joining portion than the first area is, and rigidity in a first area is lower than rigidity in the second area. With the above configuration, sound leakage or the like is reduced, and usability of the electronic device is improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nabata, Satoshi Mizuta, Tomoaki Miyano, Kiyokazu Sato, Akio Kihara, Shun Kazama, Yasuhiro Katayama