Patents by Inventor Chikashi Ihara

Chikashi Ihara 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: 20220316955
    Abstract: A method for estimating a heat generation distribution in a honeycomb structure includes: a first step of allowing a predetermined minute current to flow between electrode layers A1 and B1 to energize a honeycomb structure, and measuring surface potentials at multiple points; a second step of allowing a predetermined minute current to flow between electrode layers A2 and B2 to energize the honeycomb structure, and measuring surface potentials at multiple points; a third step of quantifying, based on the measured surface potentials at the multiple points, at least one of resistances at the multiple points in the honeycomb structure, resistance ratios for energization paths, voltage sharing ratios, and surface potentials of the electrode layers A1, A2, B1 and B2; and a step of estimating a heat generation distribution in the honeycomb structure based on the values quantified in the third step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi NORO, Shungo Watanabe, Chikashi Ihara
  • Patent number: 11034624
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a silicon carbide-based honeycomb structure, including a firing step of introducing extruded honeycomb formed bodies containing a silicon carbide-based component, together with firing members into a firing furnace, and firing the honeycomb formed bodies, to manufacture the silicon carbide-based honeycomb structure, wherein the firing members are formed by using a ceramic material containing 70 wt % or more of alumina, and the firing step further includes: an inert gas supplying step of supplying an inert gas to a furnace space of the firing furnace, and a gas adding step of adding a reducing gas to the furnace space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chikashi Ihara, Shinya Yoshida, Masato Shimada, Yoshiyuki Kamei
  • Patent number: 10974912
    Abstract: A method for transferring a plurality of columnar honeycomb structures according to the present invention includes: subjecting first side surfaces of the plurality of columnar honeycomb structures to vacuum suction; and correctively transferring the plurality of the columnar honeycomb structures, optionally while supporting second side surfaces opposing to the first side surfaces of the plurality of columnar honeycomb structures by a supporting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chikashi Ihara, Masato Shimada, Shinya Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20200309454
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a ceramic product containing silicon carbide, including a step of firing a formed body of a green body containing silicon carbide by transporting the formed body from an inlet to an outlet of a continuous furnace, wherein the continuous furnace includes the inlet, a heating zone, a cooling zone, and the outlet in this order, and a furnace atmosphere in both the heating zone and the cooling zone is an inert gas having an oxygen concentration of 100 ppm by volume or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kamei, Chikashi Ihara, Masato Shimada, Kazuhi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10774009
    Abstract: An inert gas substituting method includes: a closing step of accommodating a honeycomb formed body in an indoor space of a gas substituting chamber and closing the same with airtightness from the outside being maintained; a pressure reducing step of reducing the pressure in the indoor space to a preset first vacuum pressure; a pressure increasing step of introducing argon gas into the pressure-reduced indoor space and increasing the pressure to a second vacuum pressure which is higher than the first vacuum pressure and lower than atmospheric pressure; a pressure re-reducing step of reducing the pressure to the first vacuum pressure again; and a pressure recovering step of repeating the pressure increasing step and the pressure re-reducing step at least twice, introducing argon gas into the indoor space in which the pressure has been reduced to the first vacuum pressure again, and recovering the pressure to atmospheric pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: NGK Insulatros, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chikashi Ihara, Takashi Goshima, Yoshiyuki Kamei
  • Publication number: 20190218150
    Abstract: A method of producing a ceramic fired body may includes a step of passing a first accommodating shelf through a firing kiln, the first accommodating shelf including a stack of units of a shelf plate and a frame placed on the shelf plate, one or more ceramic bodies placed on the shelf plate being surrounded by the frame extending in a circumferential direction between the shelf plates; a step of retrieving one or more frames from the first accommodating shelf which has passed through the firing kiln; a step of using the one or more retrieved frames to build a second accommodating shelf for passing through the firing kiln; and a step of rotating the retrieved frame such that a rotational position of the retrieved frame when the second accommodating shelf passes through the firing kiln is different from a rotational position of the retrieved frame when the first accommodating shelf passed through the firing kiln.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2018
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Chikashi IHARA, Shinya YOSHIDA, Yoshiyuki KAMEI, Masato SHIMADA
  • Publication number: 20190177096
    Abstract: A method for transferring a plurality of columnar honeycomb structures according to the present invention includes: subjecting first side surfaces of the plurality of columnar honeycomb structures to vacuum suction; and correctively transferring the plurality of the columnar honeycomb structures, optionally while supporting second side surfaces opposing to the first side surfaces of the plurality of columnar honeycomb structures by a supporting member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Chikashi IHARA, Masato Shimada, Shinya Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10101254
    Abstract: A detecting apparatus includes: a lifting mechanism section that is provided with a lifting portion for lifting honeycomb structures and a shelf plate; an actual load value measuring section that measures an actual load value; a total load value calculating section that adds up the plurality of measured actual load value; a total load value determining section that compares a standard total weight value of the honeycomb structures and the shelf plate to the total load value and determines whether to satisfy a total load value determining condition; an actual load value determining section that compares the actual load value to the specified load value and determines whether to satisfy an actual load value determining condition; and a shelf-plate crack determining section that determines that the shelf plate is cracked when the total load value determining condition or the actual load value determining condition is not satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chikashi Ihara, Takeshi Tokunaga, Kazuyuki Yamasawa
  • Publication number: 20180265419
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a silicon carbide-based honeycomb structure, including a firing step of introducing extruded honeycomb formed bodies containing a silicon carbide-based component, together with firing members into a firing furnace, and firing the honeycomb formed bodies, to manufacture the silicon carbide-based honeycomb structure, wherein the firing members are formed by using a ceramic material containing 70 wt % or more of alumina, and the firing step further includes: an inert gas supplying step of supplying an inert gas to a furnace space of the firing furnace, and a gas adding step of adding a reducing gas to the furnace space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Chikashi IHARA, Shinya YOSHIDA, Masato SHIMADA, Yoshiyuki KAMEI
  • Publication number: 20180244584
    Abstract: An inert gas substituting method includes: a closing step of accommodating a honeycomb formed body in an indoor space of a gas substituting chamber and closing the same with airtightness from the outside being maintained; a pressure reducing step of reducing the pressure in the indoor space to a preset first vacuum pressure; a pressure increasing step of introducing argon gas into the pressure-reduced indoor space and increasing the pressure to a second vacuum pressure which is higher than the first vacuum pressure and lower than atmospheric pressure; a pressure re-reducing step of reducing the pressure to the first vacuum pressure again; and a pressure recovering step of repeating the pressure increasing step and the pressure re-reducing step at least twice, introducing argon gas into the indoor space in which the pressure has been reduced to the first vacuum pressure again, and recovering the pressure to atmospheric pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Chikashi IHARA, Takashi GOSHIMA, Yoshiyuki KAMEI
  • Patent number: 9776922
    Abstract: The invention provides a shuttle kiln that can fire ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders in a shorter period of time than in conventional methods without occurring breaks due to a temperature difference between the inside and the outside. The shuttle kiln of the invention is suited for firing of ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders. It includes a gas suction path 4 that suctions in-furnace gas and discharges it via an afterburner 5 and a circulation path 7 that suctions the in-furnace gas to the furnace outside to burn organic binder gas and then returns it into the furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jotaro Miyata, Chikashi Ihara, Takashi Yasue
  • Patent number: 9650304
    Abstract: The invention provides a tunnel kiln for firing ceramic porous bodies which can fire ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders in a shorter period of time than in conventional methods without producing breaks or requiring nitrogen gas. The tunnel kiln includes a preheating zone 1, a firing zone 2, and a cooling zone 3 and fires the ceramic porous bodies loaded on a carriage 7 by driving it in a furnace. A heat storage regenerative burner 10 is used as means of heating the firing zone 2 so that low-oxygen-concentration exhaust gas discharged from the heat storage regenerative burner 10 may be returned to an exhaust gas return line 14 and supplied into the preheating zone 1. The exhaust gas return line 14 may be provided with a combustion device 17 that reduces the oxygen concentration by consuming oxygen contained in the exhaust gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jotaro Miyata, Chikashi Ihara, Takashi Yasue
  • Publication number: 20160282248
    Abstract: A detecting apparatus includes: a lifting mechanism section that is provided with a lifting portion for lifting honeycomb structures and a shelf plate; an actual load value measuring section that measures an actual load value; a total load value calculating section that adds up the plurality of measured actual load value; a total load value determining section that compares a standard total weight value of the honeycomb structures and the shelf plate to the total load value and determines whether to satisfy a total load value determining condition; an actual load value determining section that compares the actual load value to the specified load value and determines whether to satisfy an actual load value determining condition; and a shelf-plate crack determining section that determines that the shelf plate is cracked when the total load value determining condition or the actual load value determining condition is not satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Chikashi IHARA, Takeshi TOKUNAGA, Kazuyuki YAMASAWA
  • Publication number: 20140011151
    Abstract: The invention provides a shuttle kiln that can fire ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders in a shorter period of time than in conventional methods without occurring breaks due to a temperature difference between the inside and the outside. The shuttle kiln of the invention is suited for firing of ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders. It includes a gas suction path 4 that suctions in-furnace gas and discharges it via an afterburner 5 and a circulation path 7 that suctions the in-furnace gas to the furnace outside to burn organic binder gas and then returns it into the furnace.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jotaro MIYATA, Chikashi IHARA, Takashi YASUE
  • Publication number: 20140011150
    Abstract: The invention provides a tunnel kiln for firing ceramic porous bodies which can fire ceramic porous bodies containing organic binders in a shorter period of time than in conventional methods without producing breaks or requiring nitrogen gas. The tunnel kiln includes a preheating zone 1, a firing zone 2, and a cooling zone 3 and fires the ceramic porous bodies loaded on a carriage 7 by driving it in a furnace. A heat storage regenerative burner 10 is used as means of heating the firing zone 2 so that low-oxygen-concentration exhaust gas discharged from the heat storage regenerative burner 10 may be returned to an exhaust gas return line 14 and supplied into the preheating zone 1. The exhaust gas return line 14 may be provided with a combustion device 17 that reduces the oxygen concentration by consuming oxygen contained in the exhaust gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jotaro MIYATA, Chikashi IHARA, Takashi YASUE
  • Patent number: 8411723
    Abstract: There is provided an electric heater support plate which is not likely to be softened or deformed during firing at a high temperature, even if a material to be fired contains an alkaline component or an Si component as a volatile component. A passage 2 for the material to be fired surrounded by a ceiling refractory 11, wall refractories 12 and a floor refractory 13 is provided with an electric heater 3 heating from above and an electric heater 5 heating from below. This electric heater 3 has at least its heating part 31 mounted and supported on a fire-resistant support plate 4, and this support plate 4 in this invention has a two-layer structure in which an insulating ceramic support plate 41 is laminated on an SiC-based ceramic plate 42.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jotaro Miyata, Takashi Goshima, Chikashi Ihara
  • Patent number: 8025728
    Abstract: A seed crystal is immersed in a melt containing a flux and a single crystal material in a growth vessel to produce a nitride single crystal on the seed crystal. A difference (TS-TB) of temperatures at a gas-liquid interface of the melt (TS) and at the lowermost part of the melt (TB) is set to 1° C. or larger and 8° C. or lower. Preferably, the substrate of seed crystal is vertically placed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignees: NGK Insulators, Ltd., Osaka University
    Inventors: Mikiya Ichimura, Katsuhiro Imai, Chikashi Ihara, Takatomo Sasaki, Yusuke Mori, Fumio Kawamura
  • Patent number: 7997897
    Abstract: A to-be-burned object including a metal Si component or SiC or Si3N4 can be burned in such a manner that vaporized SiO can be safely exhausted without causing SiO attached to a wall of a furnace or an inner face of an exhaust duct. An exhaust method of a continuous furnace for continuously burning a to-be-burned object containing a metal Si component or highly-fire-resistant SiC or Si3N4 includes steps of 1) exhausting in-furnace gas including SiO vaporized during a burning process. An exhaust duct 2 used for this exhaust is provided at an upper part of a side wall 12 of the furnace having a higher temperature (1300 degrees C. or more) than a concentration temperature of SiO vaporized during a burning process. 2) oxidizing the exhausted SiO at the outside of the furnace to detoxify SiO. The in-furnace gas exhausted by the exhaust duct 2 is guided to an exhaust pipe 3 connected to an outlet of the exhaust duct 2 at the outside of the furnace. This exhaust pipe 3 includes oxygen supply holes 31a and 31b.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Jotaro Miyata, Takashi Goshima, Chikashi Ihara
  • Publication number: 20090095212
    Abstract: A seed crystal 9 is immersed in a melt 10 containing a flux and a single crystal material in a growth vessel 7 to produce a nitride single crystal 8 on the seed crystal 9. A difference (TS?TB) of temperatures at a gas-liquid interface of the melt (TS) and at the lowermost part of the melt (TB) is set to 1° C. or larger and 8° C. or lower. Preferably, the substrate of seed crystal is vertically placed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicants: NGK Insulators, Ltd., Osaka University
    Inventors: Mikiya Ichimura, Katsuhiro Imai, Chikashi Ihara, Takatomo Sasaki, Yusuke Mori, Fumio Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20080280244
    Abstract: A to-be-burned object including a metal Si component or SiC or Si3N4 can be burned in such a manner that vaporized SiO can be safely exhausted without causing SiO attached to a wall of a furnace or an inner face of an exhaust duct. An exhaust method of a continuous furnace for continuously burning a to-be-burned object containing a metal Si component or highly-fire-resistant SiC or Si3N4 includes steps of 1) exhausting in-furnace gas including SiO vaporized during a burning process. An exhaust duct 2 used for this exhaust is provided at an upper part of a side wall 12 of the furnace having a higher temperature (1300 degrees C. or more) than a concentration temperature of SiO vaporized during a burning process. 2) oxidizing the exhausted SiO at the outside of the furnace to detoxify SiO. The in-furnace gas exhausted by the exhaust duct 2 is guided to an exhaust pipe 3 connected to an outlet of the exhaust duct 2 at the outside of the furnace. This exhaust pipe 3 includes oxygen supply holes 31a and 31b.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2008
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Jotaro MIYATA, Takashi GOSHIMA, Chikashi IHARA