Patents by Inventor Eri Matsunaga
Eri Matsunaga 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).
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Patent number: 11976993Abstract: A loosening detection structure used to detect loosening of a bolt includes a material that is disposed between a fixing subject steel plate and a head portion of a metal bolt for fixing the steel plate and either attached to a seating surface of the head portion of the bolt or attached to a washer disposed between the steel plate and the head portion of the bolt, and that has electrical characteristics that vary in response to variation in a force for fastening the bolt to the steel plate.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2019Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone CorporationInventors: Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani, Masahito Nakamura, Masayuki Tsuda
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Patent number: 11976947Abstract: A transducer includes a conductive sheet installed on a sheath of a cable, an insulative sheet installed on the conductive sheet, holes being formed in predetermined positions of the insulative sheet, and a conductive sheet installed on the insulative sheet, holes being formed in predetermined positions of the conductive sheet. The transducer has structure in which, when the cable is tightened by the screw from the top of the conductive sheet and fixed, the distal end of the screw comes into contact with the conductive sheet passing through the holes formed in the insulative sheet and the conductive sheet, and the conductive sheet and the conductive sheet are electrically connected.Type: GrantFiled: July 26, 2019Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATIONInventors: Eri Matsunaga, Masahito Nakamura, Tadashi Minotani, Masayuki Tsuda
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Patent number: 11921055Abstract: Provided is a surface change detection body capable of detecting a change in the surface of an object only with passive components. The surface change detection body is disposed on a surface of an object to detect a change in the surface, and includes: a sensor unit that resonates with a high-frequency signal; a signal propagation unit that propagates the high-frequency signal to the sensor unit; and an incidence and reflection unit that receives the high-frequency signal from the outside and outputs a high-frequency signal reflected from the sensor unit to the outside, the sensor unit is a parallel plate resonator in which a dielectric is interposed, and the incidence and reflection unit is an antenna having a length which is an integral multiple of one fourth of an effective wavelength of a resonance frequency of the parallel plate resonator.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2019Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATIONInventors: Masahito Nakamura, Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani
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Publication number: 20230103121Abstract: A looseness detection sensor for detecting looseness of a bolt for fixing a component, including: a resonance unit arranged adjacent to a head portion of the bolt and made of an insulating material confining a high-frequency signal input externally; and a conductive member in conduction with the component across the resonance unit, wherein the conductive member is a cap put on the head portion of the bolt and includes a protrusion contacting a surface of the component.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 24, 2020Publication date: March 30, 2023Inventors: Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani, Masahito Nakamura, Masayuki Tsuda
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Publication number: 20230081045Abstract: A bolt tightening torque management structure for a bolt for fastening a component includes: the bolt including a plurality of projections of different heights on a bearing surface of a head; a non-conductive film that is formed on the surface of the component, has a shaft hole through which a shaft of the bolt extends, and has a predetermined size; and a conductive film that has the shaft hole and a plurality of grooves, through which the projections extend, is formed on the non-conductive film, and has the same planar shape as the non-conductive film. The projections other than the projection having the smallest height are configured to be in contact with the surface of the component when the tightening torque of the bolt is appropriate. The base of each projection has a width dimensioned to close the corresponding groove.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2020Publication date: March 16, 2023Inventors: Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani, Masayuki Tsuda
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Publication number: 20220397452Abstract: A sensor for detecting looseness of a plurality of bolts and nuts fixing parts includes: a non-conductive film attached to a surface of the part, which is one of the parts, including holes H from which the bolts are inserted; and a conductive film attached to the non-conductive film, configured to receive supply of a high-frequency signal, and having a same planar shape as that of the non-conductive film, wherein the planar shape is a shape in which a resonance frequency of the high-frequency signal confined in the non-conductive film is different according to a position of a loosened bolt, and the planar shape of the conductive film is a shape in which a distance between a bolt and an end portion of the conductive film is different for each of the plurality of bolts.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2019Publication date: December 15, 2022Inventors: Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani, Masahito Nakamura, Masayuki Tsuda
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Publication number: 20220390307Abstract: A loosening detection structure used to detect loosening of a bolt includes a material that is disposed between a fixing subject steel plate and a head portion of a metal bolt for fixing the steel plate and either attached to a seating surface of the head portion of the bolt or attached to a washer disposed between the steel plate and the head portion of the bolt, and that has electrical characteristics that vary in response to variation in a force for fastening the bolt to the steel plate.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2019Publication date: December 8, 2022Inventors: Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani, Masahito Nakamura, Masayuki Tsuda
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Patent number: 11493074Abstract: A looseness detection structure configured to detect looseness between a bolt and a nut that fix two components including a conductive film configured to be attached on a surface of the component, the surface of the component including a hole into which the bolt is inserted, the conductive film being attached such that the conductive film is not directly conductive to the component, a part of the conductive film having a dimension relating to a half wavelength of a high-frequency signal propagating inside the components, and a non-conductive film between a surface of the component and the conductive film in a case where surfaces of the components are conductors, and a second conductive film on a surface of the component in a case where the surfaces of the components are insulators, the second conductive film being opposite to the conductive film.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2019Date of Patent: November 8, 2022Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATIONInventors: Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani, Masahito Nakamura, Masayuki Tsuda
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Patent number: 11454607Abstract: A crack detection device includes: a sensor unit that has a three-layer structure of conductor-insulator-conductor and is attached to a structure; a frequency characteristics acquisition unit that sweeps a predetermined frequency range to acquire a plurality of frequencies at which the impedance of the sensor unit is maximum or minimum; a crack presence/absence determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a crack based on a nonuniformity of the plurality of frequencies; a crack position table in which a relationship between crack positions and frequency shift directions is recorded; and a crack position detection unit that, when the crack presence/absence determination unit determines that there is a crack, takes a difference between two frequencies acquired by the frequency characteristics acquisition unit to determine a sign, and then refers to the crack position table in accordance with the sign to detect a crack position.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2019Date of Patent: September 27, 2022Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATIONInventors: Tadashi Minotani, Eri Matsunaga, Masahito Nakamura, Masayuki Tsuda
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Publication number: 20220268599Abstract: A transducer includes a conductive sheet installed on a sheath of a cable, an insulative sheet installed on the conductive sheet, holes being formed in predetermined positions of the insulative sheet, and a conductive sheet installed on the insulative sheet, holes being formed in predetermined positions of the conductive sheet. The transducer has structure in which, when the cable is tightened by the screw from the top of the conductive sheet and fixed, the distal end of the screw comes into contact with the conductive sheet passing through the holes formed in the insulative sheet and the conductive sheet, and the conductive sheet and the conductive sheet are electrically connected.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2019Publication date: August 25, 2022Inventors: Eri Matsunaga, Masahito Nakamura, Tadashi Minotani, Masayuki Tsuda
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Publication number: 20220244138Abstract: A loosening detection device according to the present embodiment includes multiple washers having holes that allow bolts to pass therethrough, and including metals insulated from each other, a transmission line that electrically connects between the metals and between the metals of the washers, and a transmission line that includes a terminal pair at one end thereof, and that has the other end electrically connected to the metals of the washer. A resonance frequency is measured from the terminal pair to detect loosening of the bolts on the basis of a change in the resonance frequency.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2019Publication date: August 4, 2022Inventors: Tadashi Minotani, Masayuki Tsuda, Eri Matsunaga, Masahito Nakamura
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Publication number: 20220228996Abstract: A looseness detection structure includes: a structure (transducer) T which is formed on a surface of a cable; a screw which tightens and fixes the cable in contact with the structure T; and a terminal (detection unit) which transmits a transmission signal to the structure T, receives a reception signal returning after propagating through the structure T, and detects the loosening of the screw based on a change in the reception signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 30, 2019Publication date: July 21, 2022Inventors: Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani, Masahito Nakamura, Masayuki Tsuda, Takashi Sawada
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Patent number: 11280752Abstract: Provided are a crack detection system and a crack detection method that distinguish between a case where a crack is generated in a structure and other cases not to bring about erroneous detection. In a sensor terminal that detects, from a crack generated in a transducer provided on a structure, a crack in the structure, the transducer having a three-layered structure of conductor-insulator-conductor, the crack detection system including: an impedance measurement unit that measures impedance between the two conductors of the transducer; and a crack detection processing unit that calculates, from a frequency characteristic of the impedance, periodicity data regarding periodicity of a frequency at which impedance becomes a peak, and detects a presence of a crack in the structure in a case of periodicity data different from initially-measured periodicity data being included.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2019Date of Patent: March 22, 2022Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATIONInventors: Tadashi Minotani, Eri Matsunaga, Soichi Oka
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Publication number: 20220010826Abstract: There is provided an abnormality detection device and a fixing structure which are suitable for detecting an abnormality of a fastener such as a bolt or a nut. An abnormality detection device detects an abnormality of a fixing structure including a bolt, a nut, and a washer which include a conductor and fix steel plates to each other, and a spacer which includes an insulator and is disposed between the steel plates and the washer, the abnormality detection device including: a transmission antenna that radiates electromagnetic waves to the fixing structure; a reception antenna that receives electromagnetic waves reflected by the fixing structure; and an abnormality detector that changes a frequency of the electromagnetic waves radiated from the transmission antenna to acquire frequency characteristics of standing waves received by the reception antenna and detects an abnormality of the fixing structure by comparing the frequency characteristics with frequency characteristics in a normal state.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2019Publication date: January 13, 2022Inventors: Masahito Nakamura, Tadashi Minotani, Eri Matsunaga
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Publication number: 20220003688Abstract: Provided is a surface change detection body capable of detecting a change in the surface of an object only with passive components.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2019Publication date: January 6, 2022Inventors: Masahito Nakamura, Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani
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Publication number: 20210404502Abstract: A looseness detection structure configured to detect looseness between a bolt and a nut that fix two components including a conductive film configured to be attached on a surface of the component, the surface of the component including a hole into which the bolt is inserted, the conductive film being attached such that the conductive film is not directly conductive to the component, a part of the conductive film having a dimension relating to a half wavelength of a high-frequency signal propagating inside the components, and a non-conductive film between a surface of the component and the conductive film in a case where surfaces of the components are conductors, and a second conductive film on a surface of the component in a case where the surfaces of the components are insulators, the second conductive film being opposite to the conductive film.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2019Publication date: December 30, 2021Inventors: Eri Matsunaga, Tadashi Minotani, Masahito Nakamura, Masayuki Tsuda
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Publication number: 20210364459Abstract: A crack detection device includes: a sensor unit that has a three-layer structure of conductor-insulator-conductor and is attached to a structure; a frequency characteristics acquisition unit that sweeps a predetermined frequency range to acquire a plurality of frequencies at which the impedance of the sensor unit is maximum or minimum; a crack presence/absence determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a crack based on a nonuniformity of the plurality of frequencies; a crack position table in which a relationship between crack positions and frequency shift directions is recorded; and a crack position detection unit that, when the crack presence/absence determination unit determines that there is a crack, takes a difference between two frequencies acquired by the frequency characteristics acquisition unit to determine a sign, and then refers to the crack position table in accordance with the sign to detect a crack position.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 1, 2019Publication date: November 25, 2021Inventors: Tadashi Minotani, Eri Matsunaga, Masahito Nakamura, Masayuki Tsuda
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Publication number: 20210109050Abstract: Provided are a crack detection system and a crack detection method that distinguish between a case where a crack is generated in a structure and other cases not to bring about erroneous detection. In a sensor terminal that detects, from a crack generated in a transducer provided on a structure, a crack in the structure, the transducer having a three-layered structure of conductor-insulator-conductor, the crack detection system including: an impedance measurement unit that measures impedance between the two conductors of the transducer; and a crack detection processing unit that calculates, from a frequency characteristic of the impedance, periodicity data regarding periodicity of a frequency at which impedance becomes a peak, and detects a presence of a crack in the structure in a case of periodicity data different from initially-measured periodicity data being included.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2019Publication date: April 15, 2021Inventors: Tadashi Minotani, Eri Matsunaga, Soichi Oka