Patents by Inventor Fumio Ichikawa

Fumio Ichikawa 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: 10794778
    Abstract: A physical quantity detecting device includes a vibrating element and a charge amplifier. The vibrating element includes a first detection electrode, a second detection electrode, a third detection electrode, and a fourth detection electrode. The first and fourth detection electrodes have the same electrical polarity, the second and third detection electrodes have the same electrical polarity, and the first and second detection electrodes have opposite electrical polarities. The first and fourth detection electrodes are connected to the charge amplifier, and the second and third detection electrodes are connected to the charge amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuta Nishizawa, Keiji Nakagawa, Keiichi Yamaguchi, Atsushi Matsuo, Fumio Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20180100775
    Abstract: A physical quantity detecting device includes a vibrating element and a charge amplifier. The vibrating element includes a first detection electrode, a second detection electrode, a third detection electrode, and a fourth detection electrode. The first and fourth detection electrodes have the same electrical polarity, the second and third detection electrodes have the same electrical polarity, and the first and second detection electrodes have opposite electrical polarities. The first and fourth detection electrodes are connected to the charge amplifier, and the second and third detection electrodes are connected to the charge amplifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Publication date: April 12, 2018
    Inventors: Ryuta NISHIZAWA, Keiji NAKAGAWA, Keiichi YAMAGUCHI, Atsushi MATSUO, Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 9874484
    Abstract: A physical quantity detecting device includes a vibrating element and a charge amplifier. The vibrating element includes a first detection electrode, a second detection electrode, a third detection electrode, and a fourth detection electrode. The first and fourth detection electrodes have the same electrical polarity, the second and third detection electrodes have the same electrical polarity, and the first and second detection electrodes have opposite electrical polarities. The first and fourth detection electrodes are connected to the charge amplifier, and the second and third detection electrodes are connected to the charge amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryuta Nishizawa, Keiji Nakagawa, Keiichi Yamaguchi, Atsushi Matsuo, Fumio Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20170234725
    Abstract: A gyro sensor element includes a base, driving vibrating arms, which extend from the base, have a first surface and a second surface located on an opposite side to the first surface, and make a driving vibration, and detecting vibrating arms, which extend from the base, have a third surface located on a same side as the first surface and a fourth surface located on an opposite side to the third surface, and vibrate in accordance with a physical quantity applied to the driving vibrating arms, wherein the driving vibrating arms have bottomed grooves on at least one of the first surface and the second surface, and driving electrodes disposed on inner surfaces of the bottomed grooves, and the detecting vibrating arms have through holes penetrating the detecting vibrating arms in a direction crossing the third surface and the fourth surface, and detecting electrodes disposed on at least a part of an inner wall surface of the through holes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20170141288
    Abstract: A vibrator device includes a first vibration arm (detection arm) that has walls located on both sides with the through hole, which is penetrated through front and rear surfaces, interposed therebetween; and two electrodes in which the walls are arranged on two internal surfaces located on the walls of the through hole, to which mutually different potentials are applied, and which extend in parallel along the front and rear surfaces. Of the electrodes, a first electrode (first detection electrode) located on the front surface side of one of the internal surfaces and a second electrode (second detection electrode) located on the rear surface side of the other internal surface are short-circuited by a first wire disposed on one of end side surfaces connecting the two internal surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Inventor: Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 9534894
    Abstract: In order to provide a resonator element having high production efficiency and low impedance in a small size, the resonator element includes a base portion, and a driving arm which extends from the base portion and includes a through hole, in which the driving arm vibrates along an in-plane direction, and includes a plurality of broad portions of which a width in the in-plane direction is broad and a plurality of narrow portions of which a width in the in-plane direction is narrow which alternate with each other, and the through hole is disposed in the broad portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Fumio Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 9341477
    Abstract: A vibrator element including: a base portion; vibrating arms which extend from the base portion; a first drive section and a second drive section, and a first detecting section and a second detecting sensor which are respectively provided in the vibrating arms; adjusting arms which extend from the base portion in parallel to the vibrating arms; and a first adjusting section and a second adjusting section which are respectively provided on a principal surface of the adjusting arms, wherein, in the first adjusting section and the second adjusting section, a first electrode, piezoelectric layers, and adjustment electrodes are laminated on the first principal surface to be formed, and output signals of the first adjusting section and the second adjusting section are in antiphase to charges generated by the first detecting section and the second detecting section when no angular velocity is added to the vibrating arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Fumio Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 9329040
    Abstract: A sensor element has drive vibrating arms drive-vibrating by energization, adjustment vibrating arms vibrating with the drive vibrations of the drive vibrating arms, detection electrodes outputting charge in response to physical quantities applied to the drive vibrating arms, first electrodes provided on the adjustment vibrating arms, electrically connected to the detection electrodes, and outputting charge with the vibrations of the adjustment vibrating arms, and a pair of second electrodes provided on the adjustment vibrating arms, electrically connected to a pair of detection electrodes, and outputting charge having an opposite polarity to that of the first electrodes with the vibrations of the adjustment vibrating arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Fumio Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20150270825
    Abstract: In order to provide a resonator element having high production efficiency and low impedance in a small size, the resonator element includes a base portion, and a driving arm which extends from the base portion and includes a through hole, in which the driving arm vibrates along an in-plane direction, and includes a plurality of broad portions of which a width in the in-plane direction is broad and a plurality of narrow portions of which a width in the in-plane direction is narrow which alternate with each other, and the through hole is disposed in the broad portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventor: Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20150268107
    Abstract: A physical quantity detecting device includes a vibrating element and a charge amplifier. The vibrating element includes a first detection electrode, a second detection electrode, a third detection electrode, and a fourth detection electrode. The first and fourth detection electrodes have the same electrical polarity, the second and third detection electrodes have the same electrical polarity, and the first and second detection electrodes have opposite electrical polarities. The first and fourth detection electrodes are connected to the charge amplifier, and the second and third detection electrodes are connected to the charge amplifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventors: Ryuta NISHIZAWA, Keiji NAKAGAWA, Keiichi YAMAGUCHI, Atsushi MATSUO, Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 9140549
    Abstract: A physical quantity detection element includes a base part, a first connection part and a second connection part respectively extending from the base part in opposite directions to each other along the X-axis, a pair of first drive vibrating arm and second drive vibrating arm and a pair of third drive vibrating arm and fourth drive vibrating arm respectively extending from the first connection part or the second connection part in opposite directions to each other along the Y-axis, a first drive detection vibrating arm and a second drive detection vibrating arm obliquely extending from the first connection part, a third drive detection vibrating arm and a fourth drive detection vibrating arm obliquely extending from the second connection part, and a first detection vibrating arm and a second detection vibrating arm respectively extending from the base part in opposite directions to each other along the Y-axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Fumio Ichikawa, Yoichi Okumura, Takayuki Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 9103674
    Abstract: A sensor element includes a base part 21, drive vibration arms 221 and 222, adjustment vibration arms 241-244 that vibrate in response to drive vibration of the drive vibration arms 221 and 222, detection electrodes that output a charge according to a physical quantity applied to the drive vibration arms 221 and 222, first adjustment electrodes provided on the adjustment vibration arms 241 and 242 and electrically connected to the detection electrodes for outputting a charge in response to vibration of the adjustment vibration arms 241 and 242, and second adjustment electrodes provided on the adjustment vibration arms 243 and 244 and electrically connected to the detection electrodes for outputting a charge in a reverse polarity with respect to the first adjustment electrodes in response to vibration of the adjustment vibration arms 243 and 244.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Fumio Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20150222245
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a vibrating element includes: providing, on a substrate, a first protective layer and a second protective layer; disposing the substrate in an apparatus including an energy-beam emitting unit for dry etching; and etching, using an energy beam emitted from the energy-beam emitting unit, the substrate on which the first protective layer and the second protective layer are disposed on one side relative to an intersection point at which a center of the energy-beam emitting unit and the substrate intersect each other in a plan view of the substrate. When a distance between the intersection point and the first protective layer is shorter than a distance between the intersection point and the second protective layer, a width of the first protective layer in a direction intersecting the extending direction of the vibrating arm is made narrower than a width of the second protective layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Publication date: August 6, 2015
    Inventor: Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 9091542
    Abstract: A sensor element includes a base part, drive vibration arms that extend from the base part, an adjustment vibration arm 241 that extends from the base part and vibrates in response to drive vibration of the drive vibration arms, detection electrodes that output a signal according to a physical quantity applied to the drive vibration arms, and adjustment electrodes 551 and 553 provided on the adjustment vibration arm 241 and electrically connected to the detection electrodes for outputting a charge in a reverse polarity with respect to the detection electrodes in response to vibration of the adjustment vibration arm 241. The adjustment electrode 551 has a common part 60 electrically connected to the detection electrodes and a plurality of branch parts 61 branching out from the common part 60 and arranged side by side along an extension direction of the adjustment vibration arm 241.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Fumio Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20150180448
    Abstract: A resonator element inhibiting an unwanted vibration such as a torsional vibration from occurring and having a high Q-value, an electronic device, an electronic apparatus, and a moving object each equipped with the resonator element are provided. The resonator element is provided with a base section, a vibrating arm extending from the base section, and a groove section having a groove with a bottom formed from a first principal surface of the vibrating arm toward a second principal surface on an opposite side to the first principal surface, and is further provided with a mass section disposed on at least a part of the second principal surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Publication date: June 25, 2015
    Inventor: Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20140298908
    Abstract: A vibration element includes a base section, a support arm extending from the base section, a driving vibration arm extending from the support arm in a direction intersecting with the extending direction of the support arm, a drive section provided to the driving vibration arm, and having a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and a first piezoelectric layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, the first electrode layer being disposed on the driving vibration arm side, and a monitor section adapted to detect a vibration of the driving vibration arm, provided to the driving vibration arm, and having a third electrode layer, a fourth electrode layer, and a second piezoelectric layer disposed between the third electrode layer and the fourth electrode layer, the third electrode layer being disposed on the driving vibration arm side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20130312519
    Abstract: A vibrator element including: a base portion; vibrating arms which extend from the base portion; a first drive section and a second drive section, and a first detecting section and a second detecting sensor which are respectively provided in the vibrating arms; adjusting arms which extend from the base portion in parallel to the vibrating arms; and a first adjusting section and a second adjusting section which are respectively provided on a principal surface of the adjusting arms, wherein, in the first adjusting section and the second adjusting section, a first electrode, piezoelectric layers, and adjustment electrodes are laminated on the first principal surface to be formed, and output signals of the first adjusting section and the second adjusting section are in antiphase to charges generated by the first detecting section and the second detecting section when no angular velocity is added to the vibrating arms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Fumio Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20130081474
    Abstract: A sensor element includes a base part, drive vibration arms that extend from the base part, an adjustment vibration arm 241 that extends from the base part and vibrates in response to drive vibration of the drive vibration arms, detection electrodes that output a signal according to a physical quantity applied to the drive vibration arms, and adjustment electrodes 551 and 553 provided on the adjustment vibration arm 241 and electrically connected to the detection electrodes for outputting a charge in a reverse polarity with respect to the detection electrodes in response to vibration of the adjustment vibration arm 241. The adjustment electrode 551 has a common part 60 electrically connected to the detection electrodes and a plurality of branch parts 61 branching out from the common part 60 and arranged side by side along an extension direction of the adjustment vibration arm 241.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20130081473
    Abstract: A sensor element includes a base part 21, drive vibration arms 221 and 222, adjustment vibration arms 241-244 that vibrate in response to drive vibration of the drive vibration arms 221 and 222, detection electrodes that output a charge according to a physical quantity applied to the drive vibration arms 221 and 222, first adjustment electrodes provided on the adjustment vibration arms 241 and 242 and electrically connected to the detection electrodes for outputting a charge in response to vibration of the adjustment vibration arms 241 and 242, and second adjustment electrodes provided on the adjustment vibration arms 243 and 244 and electrically connected to the detection electrodes for outputting a charge in a reverse polarity with respect to the first adjustment electrodes in response to vibration of the adjustment vibration arms 243 and 244.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Fumio ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20130074597
    Abstract: A sensor element has drive vibrating arms drive-vibrating by energization, adjustment vibrating arms vibrating with the drive vibrations of the drive vibrating arms, detection electrodes outputting charge in response to physical quantities applied to the drive vibrating arms, first electrodes provided on the adjustment vibrating arms, electrically connected to the detection electrodes, and outputting charge with the vibrations of the adjustment vibrating arms, and a pair of second electrodes provided on the adjustment vibrating arms, electrically connected to a pair of detection electrodes, and outputting charge having an opposite polarity to that of the first electrodes with the vibrations of the adjustment vibrating arms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2012
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Fumio ICHIKAWA