Patents by Inventor Hirofumi Watanabe

Hirofumi Watanabe 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: 12295121
    Abstract: The heat sink includes a heat transport member having an evaporation portion to be thermally connected to a heat-generating element, a tube body which is connected to a connection portion located in a condensation portion of the heat transport member, and a heat radiation fin group which is thermally connected to the tube body, in which the heat transport member has an integral internal space, the internal space of the heat transport member communicates with an internal space of the tube body via the connection portion, the tube body has a circular portion in which a shape in a radial direction is a circular shape, and a flat portion in which a shape in the radial direction is a flat shape, the circular portion is located in the connection portion, and the flat portion is located in a part to which the heat radiation fin group is thermally connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2024
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yosuke Watanabe, Hirofumi Aoki
  • Publication number: 20250127478
    Abstract: An acoustic sensor includes a piezoelectric plate including a conductor plate with first and second surfaces, and a piezoelectric element on the second surface, a cover facing the first surface of the conductor plate, a support substrate facing the second surface of the conductor plate and the piezoelectric element, a first connector including a conductor between the piezoelectric element and the support substrate and electrically connecting the piezoelectric element and the support substrate, a first insulating structure including an insulator between the second surface of the conductor plate and the support substrate at an outer edge of the second surface of the conductor plate, and a second connector including a conductor on an outer edge of the first surface of the conductor plate and electrically connecting the conductor plate and the cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2024
    Publication date: April 24, 2025
    Inventors: Hiroyuki KOMATSU, Takatoshi KATO, Hirofumi WATANABE, Kohei SUGAHARA
  • Publication number: 20250085656
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, an image bearer movable in a moving direction, a transferor, a cleaner, a sensor, and circuitry. The circuitry controls the image forming unit to form multiple toner patches arranged at a first interval on the image bearer in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the moving direction and controls the sensor to detect the multiple toner patches. The circuitry adjusts the image forming unit based on a detection of the multiple toner patches by the sensor as an adjustment operation. The circuitry is configured to separate the transferor from the image bearer during the adjustment operation and control the image forming unit to form multiple patterns arranged at a second interval in the moving direction. Each of the multiple patterns has a band shape extending in the orthogonal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2024
    Publication date: March 13, 2025
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takaaki TAWADA, Shotaro HOSHI, Kazuhiko WATANABE, Hirofumi FUJII
  • Publication number: 20250076805
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearer, an image forming unit, a transferor, a cleaner, and circuitry. The image bearer is movable in a moving direction at multiple linear speeds. The image forming unit contacts the image bearer to form one or more patterns on the image bearer with toner. The transferor contacts the image bearer to form a transfer nip. The cleaner contacts the image bearer to clean the one or more patterns on the image bearer. The circuitry is configured to set one of the multiple linear speeds, determine a number of the one or more patterns based on the one of the multiple linear speeds, and control the image forming unit to form one pattern on the image bearer or form multiple patterns on the image bearer at a predetermined interval in the moving direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2024
    Publication date: March 6, 2025
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko WATANABE, Shotaro HOSHI, Takaaki TAWADA, Hirofumi FUJII
  • Publication number: 20250040612
    Abstract: To provide an inhaler cartridge and an inhaler including a novel structure. Provided is a cartridge for an inhaler. The cartridge includes: a housing including an accommodation space capable of accommodating a liquid, an air flow passage, and a partition member partitioning the accommodation space and the air flow passage in a longitudinal direction; and a heater configured to be capable of heating the liquid and arranged in the air flow passage. The partition member includes an opening opened in a transverse direction to bring the accommodation space into communication with the air flow passage. The opening includes an upstream-side opening edge and a downstream-side opening edge. The partition member includes an upstream-side end and a downstream-side end. A distance between the upstream-side opening edge and the upstream-side end is smaller than a distance between the downstream-side opening edge and the downstream-side end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Applicant: JAPAN TOBACCO INC.
    Inventors: Tomoichi WATANABE, Hirofumi MATSUMOTO, Takuma NAKANO, Kei OISHI
  • Publication number: 20250029553
    Abstract: A display device includes a plurality of pixels and a de-multiplexer. The plurality of pixels are electrically connected to a plurality of data signal lines and a scan signal line, and configured to receive a scan signal through the scan signal line. The de-multiplexer includes a plurality of switch transistors electrically connected to the plurality of pixels through the plurality of data signal lines. The plurality of switch transistors are controlled by a plurality of clock signals. A period of a scan waveform of the scan signal is at least partially overlapped with a period of one of the plurality of clock signals with a last clock waveform. The period of the scan waveform of the scan signal is started after a start of the last clock waveform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2024
    Publication date: January 23, 2025
    Applicant: Innolux Corporation
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Watanabe, Hirofumi Watsuda
  • Publication number: 20240397259
    Abstract: A bioacoustic sensor includes a diaphragm including a contact surface contactable with a living body and a back surface, and being displaceable in a thickness direction, and a piezoelectric plate including a first surface facing the back surface of the diaphragm with a gap therebetween and a second surface on a side opposite to the first surface to convert the vibration of the diaphragm into an electric signal. The diaphragm is in contact with a center side portion of the first surface of the piezoelectric plate when viewed in the thickness direction, and a housing supports an outer side portion of the second surface of the piezoelectric plate when viewed in the thickness direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2024
    Publication date: November 28, 2024
    Inventors: Takatoshi KATO, Hirofumi WATANABE, Hironari YAMAMOTO, Koichi INOUE
  • Publication number: 20240335874
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a pure copper or copper alloy powder for use in additive manufacturing using a laser beam system, and which is capable of increasing the laser absorptance and simultaneously decreasing the oxygen concentration in an object. Provided is a pure copper or copper alloy powder with an oxide coating, wherein the oxide coating contains carbon, and a ratio of the oxygen concentration to the carbon concentration ((oxygen concentration)/(carbon concentration)) is 5 or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2022
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Inventors: Hirofumi WATANABE, Yoshitaka SHIBUYA, Masashi KUMAGAI
  • Patent number: 12089002
    Abstract: A bioacoustic sensor includes a diaphragm including a contact surface contactable with a living body and a back surface, and being displaceable in a thickness direction, and a piezoelectric plate including a first surface facing the back surface of the diaphragm with a gap therebetween and a second surface on a side opposite to the first surface to convert the vibration of the diaphragm into an electric signal. The diaphragm is in contact with a center side portion of the first surface of the piezoelectric plate when viewed in the thickness direction, and a housing supports an outer side portion of the second surface of the piezoelectric plate when viewed in the thickness direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takatoshi Kato, Hirofumi Watanabe, Hironari Yamamoto, Koichi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20240245381
    Abstract: A biological information acquisition device includes a main body including a facing surface facing a living body when mounted, a first biosensor provided in the main body such that at least a portion of the first biosensor protrudes from the facing surface of the main body and including a first contact surface contactable with the living body, and an adhesive tape attached to the facing surface of the main body and having a thickness less than a protrusion amount of the first biosensor from the facing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2024
    Publication date: July 25, 2024
    Inventors: Shohei MORIKAWA, Hirofumi WATANABE, Kiyoshi KANAGAWA, Kiyotaka ASAI
  • Patent number: 11872647
    Abstract: A production method of an additive manufactured object is provided. The method is an EB-based additive manufacturing method of spreading a pure copper powder, preheating the pure copper powder and thereafter partially melting the pure copper powder by scanning the pure copper powder with an electron beam, solidifying the pure copper powder to form a first layer, newly spreading a pure copper powder on the first layer, preheating the pure copper powder and thereafter partially melting the pure copper powder by scanning the pure copper powder with an electron beam, solidifying the pure copper powder to form a second layer, and repeating the foregoing process to add layers. The pure copper powder is a pure copper powder with a Si coating formed thereon, and the preheating temperature is set to be 400° C. or higher and less than 800° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: JX METALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Watanabe, Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, Yoshitaka Shibuya, Kenji Sato, Satoru Morioka, Akihiko Chiba, Kenta Aoyagi
  • Patent number: 11872624
    Abstract: Provided is a copper alloy powder which is a metal powder to be used for additive manufacturing by a laser beam system, and which is able to achieve a higher laser absorption rate and additionally suppress heat transfer through necking, and a method for producing this copper alloy powder. A copper alloy powder which contains one or more elements selected from among Cr, Zr and Nb in a total amount of 15 wt % or less, with a balance being made up of Cu and unavoidable impurities, and which is characterized in that a coating film containing Si atoms is formed on the copper alloy powder, and a Si concentration in the copper alloy powder with the coating film is 5 wt ppm or more and 700 wt ppm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: JX METALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Watanabe, Yoshitaka Shibuya
  • Patent number: 11757336
    Abstract: A wiring board (3) has first and second rigid sections (11, 12) each having six metal leaf layers, and a flexible section (13) having two metal leaf layers that connect the both rigid sections (11, 12). A capacitor unit (34) and a filter unit 31, which supplies power to an inverter, are mounted on the first rigid section (11), and a CPU (21) and a pre-driver circuit element (22) are mounted on the second rigid section (12). Mutually-independent two control systems are arranged so as to be symmetrical about a board center line (M). Detection signal lines (51) of rotation sensors (37, 38) located at the middle of the first rigid section (11) extend along the board center line (M) on the flexible section (13). Each of the two control systems is configured along a wiring direction of the detection signal lines (51).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsurou Tateyama, Kumiko Yoshinaga, Eiji Ichikawa, Hirofumi Watanabe, Mototaka Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20220385147
    Abstract: A wiring board (3) has first and second rigid sections (11, 12) each having six metal leaf layers, and a flexible section (13) having two metal leaf layers that connect the both rigid sections (11, 12). A capacitor unit (34) and a filter unit 31, which supplies power to an inverter, are mounted on the first rigid section (11), and a CPU (21) and a pre-driver circuit element (22) are mounted on the second rigid section (12). Mutually-independent two control systems are arranged so as to be symmetrical about a board center line (M). Detection signal lines (51) of rotation sensors (37, 38) located at the middle of the first rigid section (11) extend along the board center line (M) on the flexible section (13). Each of the two control systems is configured along a wiring direction of the detection signal lines (51).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2022
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Applicant: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsurou TATEYAMA, Kumiko YOSHINAGA, Eiji ICHIKAWA, Hirofumi WATANABE, Mototaka TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20220362844
    Abstract: Provided is a copper alloy powder which is a metal powder to be used for additive manufacturing by a laser beam system, and which is able to achieve a higher laser absorption rate and additionally suppress heat transfer through necking, and a method for producing this copper alloy powder. A copper alloy powder which contains one or more elements selected from among Cr, Zr and Nb in a total amount of 15 wt % or less, with a balance being made up of Cu and unavoidable impurities, and which is characterized in that a coating film containing Si atoms is formed on the copper alloy powder, and a Si concentration in the copper alloy powder with the coating film is 5 wt ppm or more and 700 wt ppm or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2021
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Inventors: Hirofumi WATANABE, Yoshitaka SHIBUYA
  • Patent number: 11498122
    Abstract: A pure copper powder with a Si coating formed thereon, wherein a Si adhesion amount is 5 wtppm or more and 200 wtppm or less, a C adhesion amount is 15 wtppm or more, and a weight ratio C/Si is 3 or less. An object of the present invention is to provide a pure copper powder with a Si coating formed thereon and a production method thereof, as well as an additive manufactured object using such pure copper powder capable of suppressing the partial sintering of the pure copper powder caused by the preheating thereof in additive manufacturing based on the electron beam (EB) method, and suppressing the loss of the degree of vacuum caused by carbon (C) during the molding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: JX NIPPON MINING & METALS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Watanabe, Hiroyoshi Yamamoto, Yoshitaka Shibuya
  • Patent number: 11444516
    Abstract: A wiring board (3) has first and second rigid sections (11, 12) each having six metal leaf layers, and a flexible section (13) having two metal leaf layers that connect the both rigid sections (11, 12). A capacitor unit (34) and a filter unit 31, which supplies power to an inverter, are mounted on the first rigid section (11), and a CPU (21) and a pre-driver circuit element (22) are mounted on the second rigid section (12). Mutually-independent two control systems are arranged so as to be symmetrical about a board center line (M). Detection signal lines (51) of rotation sensors (37, 38) located at the middle of the first rigid section (11) extend along the board center line (M) on the flexible section (13). Each of the two control systems is configured along a wiring direction of the detection signal lines (51).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsurou Tateyama, Kumiko Yoshinaga, Eiji Ichikawa, Hirofumi Watanabe, Mototaka Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20220286773
    Abstract: A bioacoustic sensor includes a diaphragm including a contact surface contactable with a living body and a back surface, and being displaceable in a thickness direction, and a piezoelectric plate including a first surface facing the back surface of the diaphragm with a gap therebetween and a second surface on a side opposite to the first surface to convert the vibration of the diaphragm into an electric signal. The diaphragm is in contact with a center side portion of the first surface of the piezoelectric plate when viewed in the thickness direction, and a housing supports an outer side portion of the second surface of the piezoelectric plate when viewed in the thickness direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventors: Takatoshi KATO, Hirofumi WATANABE, Hironari YAMAMOTO, Koichi INOUE
  • Patent number: 11419208
    Abstract: A circuit board (3) is provided with a first rigid part (11) having a power system electronic component mounted thereon, a second rigid part (12) having a control system electronic component mounted thereon, and a thin flexible part (13) connecting the first and second rigid parts to each other. The flexible part (13) is provided with a plurality of conductive wires (27) conducted with the electronic components of the first and second rigid parts (11, 12). A non-conductive metal pattern (33) that is a dummy pattern is formed along an outer edge (13a) of the flexible part (13). By the non-conductive metal pattern (33), the disconnection of the conductive wires (27) due to cracking is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Kumiko Yoshinaga, Eiji Ichikawa, Hirofumi Watanabe, Mototaka Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11100354
    Abstract: A mark information recording apparatus includes an output unit and a recording unit. The output unit is configured to output, for displaying a partial image being a part of an entire image having an arbitrary resolution among entire images generated at a plurality of different resolutions with respect to a single target, the partial image. The recording unit is configured to associate mark information with information on a position within the entire image and information on the resolution of the output partial image and record the mark information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Kimoto, Masato Kajimoto, Seiji Miyama, Hirofumi Watanabe