Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Kitada
Hiroaki Kitada 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: 12484448Abstract: A deformation detection sensor is provided that includes a detection electrode, a first ground electrode, a piezoelectric film sandwiched between the detection electrode and the first ground electrode, a substrate on which the detection electrode and a second ground electrode are formed, a wiring connected to the detection electrode, and a joint member that joins the wiring and the detection electrode.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2022Date of Patent: November 25, 2025Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Shingo Harada, Hidekazu Kano, Mei Watanabe, Hiroaki Kitada
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Publication number: 20250334461Abstract: An electronic device that includes: a housing; a first plate-shaped member that has a first upper main surface and a first lower main surface that are arranged in a vertical direction, and is fixed to the housing such that a part of a body of a user or an operation member is capable of contacting the first upper main surface; a sensor that detects deformation of the first plate-shaped member; and a first adhesive member in at least a part of a region surrounding the first plate-shaped member as viewed in the vertical direction and which fixes the first lower main surface of the first plate-shaped member to the housing. The first adhesive member has a storage elastic modulus of 1 MPa to 20 MPa.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2024Publication date: October 30, 2025Inventors: Hiroaki KITADA, Hidekazu KANO
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Patent number: 12339179Abstract: An electronic device that includes: an operation panel having an upper main surface and a lower main surface; a buffer member that has an upper main surface and a lower main surface, and is fixed to the lower main surface of the operation panel; a plate-shaped member that has an upper main surface and a lower main surface, and is fixed to the lower main surface of the buffer member; and a sensor that is fixed to the lower main surface of the plate-shaped member and detects deformation of the operation panel. A value of a product of a Young's modulus of the plate-shaped member and a cube of a thickness of the plate-shaped member is 1.6×10?3 N·m to 1.6 N·m.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2024Date of Patent: June 24, 2025Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hiroaki Kitada, Hidekazu Kano
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Patent number: 12204714Abstract: An operation detection sensor is provided and an electronic apparatus is provided that detect an operation on an operation target regardless of a waveform state of an output voltage of a sensor. The operation detection sensor includes a piezoelectric element, a voltage detection circuit that detects a voltage generated in the piezoelectric element, and a calculation unit that obtains a reference voltage by averaging detection voltages of the voltage detection circuit, and detects an operation on an operation target when a state in which a voltage difference between the reference voltage and the detection voltage is a predetermined value or more continues for a predetermined time or more.Type: GrantFiled: September 6, 2022Date of Patent: January 21, 2025Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Yuuki Tachibana, Hiroaki Kitada
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Publication number: 20240385710Abstract: A sensor that includes: a piezoelectric film including an upper principal surface and a lower principal surface aligned in an up-down direction; a lower electrode on the lower principal surface of the piezoelectric film; an electrode member including an upper electrode; and a bonding member that fixes the electrode member to the upper principal surface of the piezoelectric film. A Young's modulus of the bonding member is 0 MPa to 10 MPa.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2024Publication date: November 21, 2024Inventor: Hiroaki KITADA
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Publication number: 20240385061Abstract: An electronic device that includes: an operation panel having an upper main surface and a lower main surface; a buffer member that has an upper main surface and a lower main surface, and is fixed to the lower main surface of the operation panel; a plate-shaped member that has an upper main surface and a lower main surface, and is fixed to the lower main surface of the buffer member; and a sensor that is fixed to the lower main surface of the plate-shaped member and detects deformation of the operation panel. A value of a product of a Young's modulus of the plate-shaped member and a cube of a thickness of the plate-shaped member is 1.6×10?3 N·m to 1.6 N·m.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2024Publication date: November 21, 2024Inventors: Hiroaki KITADA, Hidekazu KANO
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Publication number: 20240381543Abstract: An electronic device that includes: an operation panel having a first upper main surface and a first lower main surface that are arranged in a vertical direction such that a part of a body of a user or an operation member is capable of contacting the first upper main surface; a sensor fixed to the first lower main surface and constructed to detect deformation of the operation panel; and an adhesive member fixing the sensor to the first lower main surface. The adhesive member has a Young's modulus of 0.9 MPa to 10 MPa.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2024Publication date: November 14, 2024Inventors: Hiroaki KITADA, Hidekazu KANO
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Patent number: 12072230Abstract: An electronic device is provided that includes a first casing and a second casing, and a distortion sensor attached to an inner wall of the casing. One side of the first casing is opened by a first opening, one side of the second casing is opened by a second opening, the casing is formed by fixing the first casing to the second casing to face each other. Moreover, the first and second casings are fixed by two or more fixing portions, the distortion sensor has a strip shape having first and second ends in the longitudinal direction, and the distortion sensor is attached to an inner wall of the second casing such that the longitudinal direction is a direction along an edge of the second opening, the first end is relatively close to the fixing portion, and the second end is far from the fixing portion.Type: GrantFiled: October 18, 2022Date of Patent: August 27, 2024Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventor: Hiroaki Kitada
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Patent number: 11983367Abstract: An electronic device is provided in which a capacitance of a capacitor that is formed between one or more reference second touch sensor electrodes and at least one first touch sensor electrodes is defined as a first reference capacitance with the capacitor formed when the touch sensor is folded along a folding line. Moreover, a capacitance of a capacitor formed between a left second touch sensor electrode and at least one of the plurality of first touch sensor electrodes is defined as a left capacitance. Furthermore, a capacitance of a capacitor formed between a right second touch sensor electrode and at least one of the plurality of first touch sensor electrodes is defined as a right capacitance. Using these capacitances, a determining unit of the electronic device can determine that a touch sensor is folded if both the left and the right capacitances are greater than the first reference capacitance.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 2022Date of Patent: May 14, 2024Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hidekazu Kano, Hiroaki Kitada
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Patent number: 11906373Abstract: A pressure sensor that includes a piezoelectric film having a first main surface and a second main surface, a first electrode on the first main surface of the piezoelectric film, and a second electrode on the second main surface of the piezoelectric film. At least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is formed of a material having an elastic modulus of 60 GPa or more, and the product of a thickness of the at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode in a stacking direction of the pressure sensor multiplied by an elastic modulus of the at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is 4 MPa·m or more.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2019Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventor: Hiroaki Kitada
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Publication number: 20230116596Abstract: An electronic device is provided that includes a first casing and a second casing, and a distortion sensor attached to an inner wall of the casing. One side of the first casing is opened by a first opening, one side of the second casing is opened by a second opening, the casing is formed by fixing the first casing to the second casing to face each other. Moreover, the first and second casings are fixed by two or more fixing portions, the distortion sensor has a strip shape having first and second ends in the longitudinal direction, and the distortion sensor is attached to an inner wall of the second casing such that the longitudinal direction is a direction along an edge of the second opening, the first end is relatively close to the fixing portion, and the second end is far from the fixing portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2022Publication date: April 13, 2023Inventor: Hiroaki KITADA
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Publication number: 20220413648Abstract: An operation detection sensor is provided and an electronic apparatus is provided that detect an operation on an operation target regardless of a waveform state of an output voltage of a sensor. The operation detection sensor includes a piezoelectric element, a voltage detection circuit that detects a voltage generated in the piezoelectric element, and a calculation unit that obtains a reference voltage by averaging detection voltages of the voltage detection circuit, and detects an operation on an operation target when a state in which a voltage difference between the reference voltage and the detection voltage is a predetermined value or more continues for a predetermined time or more.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2022Publication date: December 29, 2022Inventors: Yuuki TACHIBANA, Hiroaki KITADA
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Publication number: 20220344572Abstract: A deformation detection sensor is provided that includes a detection electrode, a first ground electrode, a piezoelectric film sandwiched between the detection electrode and the first ground electrode, a substrate on which the detection electrode and a second ground electrode are formed, a wiring connected to the detection electrode, and a joint member that joins the wiring and the detection electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2022Publication date: October 27, 2022Inventors: Shingo HARADA, Hidekazu KANO, Mei WATANABE, Hiroaki KITADA
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Publication number: 20220334677Abstract: An electronic device is provided in which a capacitance of a capacitor that is formed between one or more reference second touch sensor electrodes and at least one first touch sensor electrodes is defined as a first reference capacitance with the capacitor formed when the touch sensor is folded along a folding line. Moreover, a capacitance of a capacitor formed between a left second touch sensor electrode and at least one of the plurality of first touch sensor electrodes is defined as a left capacitance. Furthermore, a capacitance of a capacitor formed between a right second touch sensor electrode and at least one of the plurality of first touch sensor electrodes is defined as a right capacitance. Using these capacitances, a determining unit of the electronic device can determine that a touch sensor is folded if both the left and the right capacitances are greater than the first reference capacitance.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 16, 2022Publication date: October 20, 2022Inventors: Hidekazu KANO, Hiroaki KITADA
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Patent number: 11320942Abstract: A pressing sensor includes a piezoelectric film and first and second detection electrodes. The piezoelectric film has a chiral polymer drawn at least in a uniaxial direction, and has a first main surface and a second main surface. The first and second detection electrodes are arranged on at least one of the first and second main surfaces. The first and second detection electrodes are arranged so as to face each other obliquely to the uniaxial direction.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2021Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventor: Hiroaki Kitada
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Patent number: 11163410Abstract: An operation detection device includes an operation target that accepts contact operation, an operation detection unit that detects contact operation on the operation target as a voltage, a detection unit that detects a frequency of a change in the voltage; and a determination unit that determines a mode of operation of a living body performed on the operation target based on the frequency detected by the detection unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2018Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Masamichi Ando, Hiroaki Kitada
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Publication number: 20210240289Abstract: A pressing sensor includes a piezoelectric film and first and second detection electrodes. The piezoelectric film has a chiral polymer drawn at least in a uniaxial direction, and has a first main surface and a second main surface. The first and second detection electrodes are arranged on at least one of the first and second main surfaces. The first and second detection electrodes are arranged so as to face each other obliquely to the uniaxial direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2021Publication date: August 5, 2021Inventor: Hiroaki Kitada
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Patent number: 11023069Abstract: A pressure sensor that includes a piezoelectric film having a flat part and a curved part and having opposed first and second main surfaces, a first electrode on the first main surface of the piezoelectric film, and a second electrode on the second main surfaces of the piezoelectric film. When the flat part of the piezoelectric film receives a pressing operation a first output is generated, and when the curved part of the piezoelectric film receives a pressing operation a second output different from the first output is generated.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2019Date of Patent: June 1, 2021Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventors: Hidekazu Kano, Hiroaki Kitada, Shiori Nagamori
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Patent number: 10928956Abstract: A pressure sensor for use in a folding structure that includes a foldable piezoelectric film, a first electrode disposed on a first main surface of the piezoelectric film, a plurality of second electrodes disposed side by side on a second main surface of the piezoelectric film so as to face the first electrode and to be positioned along a direction orthogonal to a folding line of the piezoelectric film, a folding detection unit that detects a folded state of the piezoelectric film, and a processing unit that changes processing of at least one of signals generated on the second electrode when the piezoelectric film receives a pressing operation and the folding detection unit is detecting the folded state of the piezoelectric film.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2019Date of Patent: February 23, 2021Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventor: Hiroaki Kitada
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Patent number: 10691267Abstract: A mobile terminal includes an operation surface, a capacitance sensor having a capacitance that changes in response to a touch operation on the operation surface and a touch-operation detection IC that detects the touch operation based on the change in capacitance in the capacitance sensor. When the operation surface is deformed, the touch-operation detection IC obtains a capacitance of the capacitance sensor which has changed due to the deformation of the operation surface, and grasps the change in capacitance of the capacitance sensor, made due to the touch operation, with the obtained capacitance taken as a new reference.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2017Date of Patent: June 23, 2020Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.Inventor: Hiroaki Kitada