Patents by Inventor Chikara Kojima

Chikara Kojima 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: 20250001328
    Abstract: A fluidic device that uses ultrasonic waves to trap microparticles contained in a fluid, the fluidic device includes: a body having a flow path through which the fluid flows and an ultrasonic element provided on a flow path wall forming the flow path of the body and configured to transmit ultrasonic waves in first direction to form a standing wave in the flow path, wherein the body has, with a portion where the ultrasonic element is arranged as a trapping section, an inflow section configured to cause the fluid to flow into the trapping section along a second direction intersects with the first direction, a first outflow section through which concentrated fluid containing microparticles trapped by the standing wave flows out from the trapping section, and a second outflow section through which diluted fluid having a concentration of the microparticles lower than that of the concentrated fluid flows out from the trapping section, the inflow section is provided at a negative side of the trapping section in the
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2024
    Publication date: January 2, 2025
    Inventors: Keita KUBO, Chikara KOJIMA, Hiroto TOMIOKA, Yoshio ARAI
  • Patent number: 12163540
    Abstract: A fluid device includes: a flow path through which a fluid flows; and an ultrasonic wave transmitter configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave to generate a standing wave to the fluid in the flow path along a first direction orthogonal to a flowing direction of the fluid. The ultrasonic wave transmitter is in contact with the fluid and faces an antinode region corresponding to any antinode in the standing wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chikara Kojima, Tomohide Onogi, Kanechika Kiyose, Mitsuru Miyasaka, Mio Sasaki
  • Patent number: 12156475
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a substrate having opening portions, a vibrating plate provided to overlap with the substrate and having a plurality of vibrating regions overlapping with the opening portions in a plan view as seen from a thickness direction of the substrate, piezoelectric elements provided in the vibrating regions, and bypass wires provided outside of the vibrating regions of the vibrating plate and electrically coupled to the plurality of piezoelectric elements, wherein slits penetrating the bypass wires in the thickness direction are provided in the bypass wires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chikara Kojima, Koji Ohashi, Hironori Suzuki, Kanechika Kiyose, Katsuhiro Imai, Yasuyuki Matsumoto, Takahiro Kamijo
  • Patent number: 12135251
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element device includes: a substrate including a plurality of vibrating portions having a first vibrating portion and a second vibrating portion; a piezoelectric element group in which a plurality of piezoelectric elements having a first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element provided in the plurality of vibrating portions are coupled in parallel to each other; a plurality of load detectors having a first load detector including the first vibrating portion and the first piezoelectric element provided in the first vibrating portion and a second load detector including the second vibrating portion and the second piezoelectric element provided in the second vibrating portion; and a resin layer covering the piezoelectric element group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Chikara Kojima
  • Publication number: 20240324991
    Abstract: An ultrasound probe includes: an ultrasound device configured to perform at least one of transmission and reception of an ultrasound wave; and a case housing the ultrasound device. The ultrasound device includes a vibration plate and a piezoelectric element disposed at the vibration plate. The case is provided with an opening facing the vibration plate, and a first communication hole that is provided at a position different from a position of the opening and that communicates an internal space of the case with outside of the case. The case includes a sealing mechanism configured to prevent entry of a water droplet from the opening into the internal space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2024
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Keita KUBO, Hikaru IWAI, Eiji OSAWA
  • Publication number: 20240324997
    Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes: an ultrasonic device configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave; and an acoustic sheet provided at a transmission surface of the ultrasonic wave of the ultrasonic device. The acoustic sheet includes an acoustic lens configured to guide the ultrasonic wave output from the transmission surface in a predetermined direction, a base material covering at least a part of the acoustic lens and having a difference in acoustic impedance from a measurement target less than a predetermined threshold, and a first fixing portion provided at least at a first surface of the base material and configured to detachably fix the acoustic sheet to the measurement target, the first surface being configured to face the measurement target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2024
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Inventors: Keita KUBO, Chikara KOJIMA, Hikaru IWAI, Eiji OSAWA
  • Patent number: 12083558
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes a substrate having a plurality of opening parts and a wall, a vibrating plate closing the opening parts, and vibrators provided to the vibrating plate, wherein the plurality of opening parts includes a first opening part, a second opening part adjacent to the first opening part via a first wall, and a third opening part adjacent to the first opening part via a second wall, a first vibrating section closing the first opening part and the vibrator constitute a first ultrasonic transmitter, a second vibrating section closing the second opening part and the vibrator constitute an ultrasonic receiver, a third vibrating section closing the third opening part and the vibrator constitute a second ultrasonic transmitter, and the wall width of the first wall is larger than the wall width of the second wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Chikara Kojima
  • Publication number: 20240278286
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes a vibration plate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, an acoustic matching layer that is provided on the first surface and is brought into contact with an object, a piezoelectric element provided on the second surface, and a prevention portion that is disposed in a manner of surrounding the piezoelectric element, and prevents vibration of the vibration plate. When a thickness of the acoustic matching layer is defined as t, a sound velocity of ultrasonic waves is defined as V, and a center frequency of ultrasonic waves transmitted from the first surface is defined as f, t?V/f is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2024
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Keita KUBO, Katsuhiro IMAI, Hironori SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20240278155
    Abstract: A fluid device includes a chamber that is provided with an inlet and an outlet opened at different positions on an X axis and is formed with a flow path space in which a fluid is caused to flow from the inlet to the outlet, a first ultrasonic element configured to generate a standing wave in a direction along an X axis in the fluid in the chamber, a driver configured to drive the first ultrasonic element, and a drive controller configured to control the driver such that a drive voltage applied to the first ultrasonic element is reduced over time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2024
    Publication date: August 22, 2024
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Yoshio ARAI, Keita KUBO, Hiroto TOMIOKA
  • Patent number: 12055168
    Abstract: A fluid device includes: a flow path through which a fluid flows; a pressure chamber spaced apart from the flow path in a first direction (Y direction) orthogonal to a flowing direction of the fluid in the flow path; a communication path that is formed along the Y direction and that communicates the flow path with the pressure chamber; and an ultrasonic wave transmitter configured to transmit ultrasonic waves to the fluid in the pressure chamber to generate a standing wave along the Y direction in the flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chikara Kojima, Tomohide Onogi, Kanechika Kiyose, Mitsuru Miyasaka, Mio Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20240183851
    Abstract: A method for producing an artificial antibody includes: an alignment step of supplying a dispersion containing monomers and molding patterns implemented by a biological material or a replica of the biological material to a guide, and aligning the molding patterns by the guide; a polymer layer forming step of forming a polymer layer by polymerizing the monomers in a state where the molding patterns are aligned; and a removal step of removing the molding patterns from the polymer layer and obtaining an artificial antibody including the polymer layer having a template with a three-dimensional structure complementary to a three-dimensional structure of the molding pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2023
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Masamitsu MOCHIZUKI, Shinji TERAO, Keita KUBO, Kazuki Sano, Kiyoaki MURAI, Masahiko KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20240183850
    Abstract: Provided is a replica of a biological material, which has a three-dimensional structure similar to a three-dimensional structure of the biological material and has a surface made of an inorganic material. The inorganic material may be an oxide or a nitride. The replica may include a body and a coating film which covers a surface of the body and is made of the inorganic material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2023
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Inventors: Chikara KOJIMA, Masamitsu MOCHIZUKI, Shinji TERAO, Keita KUBO, Kazuki Sano, Kiyoaki MURAI, Masahiko KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 11998390
    Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator includes a vibrating plate including a first surface that closes an opening provided in a substrate and a second surface in which a plurality of piezoelectric elements is provided, a suppression part configured to suppress a vibration of the vibrating plate, and a first wall and a second wall protruding from the first surface to the opening. When a portion where the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the second electrode overlap each other is an active part of the piezoelectric element, the first wall and the second wall are provided to sandwich the active part in plan view from the stacking direction of the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer and the second electrode, and the second wall is different from the first wall at least in one of the width, height, length and physical property.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Ohashi, Chikara Kojima, Makoto Furuhata, Tomohide Onogi, Tomohiro Sayama
  • Publication number: 20240147866
    Abstract: A mounting structure includes: a first substrate that has a first surface on which a functional element is provided; a wiring portion that is provided at a position, which is different from a position of the functional element on the first surface, and is conductively connected to the functional element; a second substrate that has a second surface that is opposite to the first surface; and a conduction portion that is provided on the second surface, is connected to the wiring portion, and is conductively connected the functional element. The shortest distance between the functional element and the second substrate is longer than the longest distance between the second substrate and a position where the wiring portion is connected to the conduction portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2024
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Koji OHASHI, Chikara KOJIMA, Hiroshi MATSUDA, Hironori SUZUKI, Shuichi TANAKA
  • Patent number: 11917922
    Abstract: A mounting structure includes: a first substrate that has a first surface on which a functional element is provided; a wiring portion that is provided at a position, which is different from a position of the functional element on the first surface, and is conductively connected to the functional element; a second substrate that has a second surface that is opposite to the first surface; and a conduction portion that is provided on the second surface, is connected to the wiring portion, and is conductively connected the functional element. The shortest distance between the functional element and the second substrate is longer than the longest distance between the second substrate and a position where the wiring portion is connected to the conduction portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Ohashi, Chikara Kojima, Hiroshi Matsuda, Hironori Suzuki, Shuichi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11884558
    Abstract: A fluid device includes: a flow main body including a side wall along a first axis and configured to flow a fluid from an inflow portion provided at one side of the first axis toward an outflow portion provided at the other side of the first axis; a plate provided at the other side of the first axis of the flow main body and having a first surface intersecting the first axis; a standing wall extending along the first axis from the first surface toward the one side of the first axis and having a length along the first axis shorter than the side wall; and an ultrasonic element disposed at an outer side of a collection region of the plate and configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave along the first axis when the standing wall and a region surrounded by the standing wall on the first surface are defined as the collection region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chikara Kojima, Tomohide Onogi, Kanechika Kiyose, Mitsuru Miyasaka
  • Patent number: 11872592
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device includes a base material that has an opening, a vibration plate that is provided on the base material and closes the opening, and a piezoelectric element that is provided on the vibration plate, in which the vibration plate has a first layer provided on the base material, and a second layer that is disposed between the first layer and the piezoelectric element and that suppresses diffusion of a component contained in the piezoelectric element, and a bending rigidity of the second layer is equal to or larger than a bending rigidity of the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Inventors: Chikara Kojima, Koji Ohashi, Eiji Osawa
  • Publication number: 20240003932
    Abstract: A fluid device 10 includes: a flow path 20 through which a fluid containing a fine particle flows; an ultrasonic transmitter 60 configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave to the fluid in the flow path 20 in response to an input of a drive signal; a flow velocity measurement unit 40 configured to measure a flow velocity of the fluid in the flow path 20; and a controller 70 configured to control the ultrasonic transmitter 60. The controller 70 sets an amplitude of the drive signal according to a measured flow velocity that is a flow velocity measured by the flow velocity measurement unit 40, and inputs the drive signal having the set amplitude to the ultrasonic transmitter 60.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Keita KUBO, Chikara KOJIMA, Mitsuru MIYASAKA, Yoshio ARAI, Hiroto TOMIOKA
  • Publication number: 20240000423
    Abstract: An ultrasonic probe is attached to a target to perform ultrasonic measurement. The ultrasonic probe includes: a first substrate including an ultrasonic element array in which a plurality of ultrasonic elements performing at least one of transmission of ultrasonic waves and reception of ultrasonic waves are arranged in an array, the ultrasonic element array being arranged on a first surface of the first substrate; a second substrate facing a second surface opposite to the first surface of the first substrate; and a housing that houses the first substrate and the second substrate therein and is provided with an opening through which the ultrasonic waves pass at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic element array. The second substrate includes a communication unit coupled to the plurality of ultrasonic elements and capable of wirelessly communicating with another terminal device. A weight of the ultrasonic probe is 150 g or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Yoshio ARAI, Chikara KOJIMA, Hiroto TOMIOKA, Keita KUBO
  • Patent number: 11858000
    Abstract: Provided is an ultrasonic device including a substrate and a vibration plate provided on the substrate and having one or more vibrators configured to generate an ultrasonic wave by vibration. The vibration plate has a movable portion provided with the vibrator and configured to vibrate accompanying with the vibration of the vibrator, and a fixed portion fixed to the substrate. A vibration frequency of a reflected wave based on a wave transmitted from the movable portion and received by the movable portion is outside a vibration frequency band region of the vibrator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chikara Kojima, Koji Ohashi, Tomohiro Sayama, Seiji Izuo, Kanechika Kiyose