Patents by Inventor Hiromu Watanabe

Hiromu 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: 8967805
    Abstract: An ophthalmology apparatus may be provided with an input device, a processor, and an output device. The input device may be configured to input a corneal endothelial cell image to the processor. The corneal endothelial cell image can be obtained by photographing a corneal endothelial cell. The processor may be configured to extract a dark area from the corneal endothelial cell image input by the input device, and to analyze the extracted dark area. The output device may output a result of the analysis by the processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Tomey Corporation
    Inventors: Hisashi Kataoka, Hiromu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8801970
    Abstract: A nitride phosphor contains europium as an activating element and strontium, or strontium and calcium, as divalent metal elements. The phosphor further includes aluminum and silicon. Of the europium in the phosphor, at least 85% is in the form of Eu2+. The phosphor has a peak emission wavelength of from 590 nm to 650 nm. A phosphorescent body that includes the phosphor can be suitable for converting a wavelength of at least a portion of light emitted from an excitation light source in a light-emitting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromu Watanabe, Masumi Itou, Keiichi Seki, Hiroshi Wada, Motoyuki Shigeiwa, Kaoru Terada, Naoto Kijima
  • Patent number: 8636920
    Abstract: A method for industrially producing a phosphor with high performance, in particular, high brightness. Also disclosed is a nitrogen-containing alloy and an alloy powder useful for producing the high performance phosphor. The method for producing the phosphor includes heating a raw material for a phosphor in whole or in part comprising an alloy containing two or more different metal elements under a nitrogen-containing atmosphere and heating the raw material for a phosphor under conditions such that the temperature change per minute is 50° C. or lower. Using an alloy as all or part of the raw material constituting the phosphor precursor, it is possible to suppress the rapid progression of nitridation during heat treatment and industrially produce a phosphor with high performance, in particular, high brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Kijima, Hiromu Watanabe, Keiichi Seki
  • Publication number: 20130293839
    Abstract: An ophthalmology apparatus may be provided with an input device, a processor, and an output device. The input device may be configured to input a corneal endothelial cell image to the processor. The corneal endothelial cell image can be obtained by photographing a corneal endothelial cell. The processor may be configured to extract a dark area from the corneal endothelial cell image input by the input device, and to analyze the extracted dark area. The output device may output a result of the analysis by the processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Publication date: November 7, 2013
    Applicant: TOMEY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hisashi Kataoka, Hiromu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8460580
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a phosphor comprising a nitride or an oxynitride, comprising an X-ray powder diffraction pattern comprising at least one Region having at least one peak with an intensity ratio I of 8% or less, the X-ray powder diffraction pattern measured in the 2? range from 10° to 60° using a CuK? line (1.54184 {acute over (?)}), wherein the Region is the 2? range from 41.5° to 47°, the intensity of each peak is a value obtained after background correction, and the intensity ratio I is defined by the formula (Ip×100)/Imax (%), where Imax represents the height of the most intense peak present in the 2? range from 34° to 37° and Ip represents the height of each peak.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromu Watanabe, Masumi Itou, Keiichi Seki, Hiroshi Wada, Motoyuki Shigeiwa, Kaoru Terada, Naoto Kijima
  • Patent number: 8333079
    Abstract: An adsorption heat pump is provided in which water vapor can be efficiently adsorbed and desorbed using a heat source having a lower temperature than ones heretofore in use because the pump employs an adsorbent which has a large difference in water adsorption amount in adsorption/desorption and can be regenerated (release the adsorbate) at a low temperature. The invention provides an adsorption heat pump which comprises an adsorbate, an adsorption/desorption part having an adsorbent for adsorbate adsorption/desorption, a vaporization part for adsorbate vaporization which has been connected to the adsorption/desorption part, and a condensation part for adsorbate condensation which has been connected to the adsorption/desorption part, wherein the adsorbent, when examined at 25° C., gives a water vapor adsorption isotherm which, in the relative vapor pressure range of from 0.05 to 0.30, has a relative vapor pressure region in which a change in relative vapor pressure of 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc., Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kakiuchi, Takahiko Takewaki, Masaru Fujii, Masanori Yamazaki, Hideaki Takumi, Hiromu Watanabe, Kouji Inagaki, Atsushi Kosaka, Seiji Inoue, Satoshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8323530
    Abstract: Provided is a phosphor for scintillator that can absorb radiation and convert it into visible light, and which has a short fluorescence decay time. The phosphor contains a lutetium sulfide-containing host material and an activator agent ion, for example, a phosphor comprising a composition represented by the general formula (Lu1-xPrx)2S3, or (Lu1-xCex)2S3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsukasa Takahashi, Motoyuki Tanaka, Shunichi Hatamoto, Hiromu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8265735
    Abstract: An optical coherence tomography (OCT) anterior eye part imaging apparatus includes a tomographic image obtaining unit obtaining a tomographic image of an anterior eye part of subject's eye in a depth direction by optical coherence tomography, an imaging unit imaging a frontal image of subject's eye, a display unit displaying the image of subject's eye, a corneal apex location detecting unit detecting a location of subject's eye, an alignment unit moving an apparatus body relative to the holder so that the location of corneal apex corresponds with a predetermined image obtaining location, a designating unit designating an area or a location where the tomographic image is obtained on subject's frontal image displayed on the display unit, and a scan line setting unit setting a scan line in the tomographic image obtaining unit on a straight line passing the corneal apex according to the designated area or location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Tomey Corporation
    Inventors: Chihiro Kato, Keiichiro Okamoto, Kenichi Hayashi, Hiromu Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20120168678
    Abstract: Provided is a phosphor for scintillator that can absorb radiation and convert it into visible light, and which has a short fluorescence decay time. The phosphor contains a lutetium sulfide-containing host material and an activator agent ion, for example, a phosphor comprising a composition represented by the general formula (Lu1-xPrx)2S3, or (Lu1-xCex)2S3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: MITSUI MINING & SMELTING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tsukasa Takahashi, Motoyuki Tanaka, Shunichi Hatamoto, Hiromu Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20120171360
    Abstract: A method for industrially producing a phosphor with high performance, in particular, high brightness. Also disclosed is a nitrogen-containing alloy and an alloy powder useful for producing the high performance phosphor. The method for producing the phosphor includes heating a raw material for a phosphor in whole or in part comprising an alloy containing two or more different metal elements under a nitrogen-containing atmosphere and heating the raw material for a phosphor under conditions such that the temperature change per minute is 50° C. or lower. Using an alloy as all or part of the raw material constituting the phosphor precursor, it is possible to suppress the rapid progression of nitridation during heat treatment and industrially produce a phosphor with high performance, in particular, high brightness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2012
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto KIJIMA, Hiromu Watanabe, Keiichi Seki
  • Publication number: 20120125437
    Abstract: A solar cell module including a thin-film solar cell element protected with a novel gas barrier film is provided. The solar cell module includes a laminate obtained by laminating a gas barrier film on a layer including at least a solar cell element. The gas barrier film is obtained by laminating at least a substrate film, weather-resistant coating layer, and inorganic thin film layer. The weather-resistant coating layer is made of at least one of (a) a material obtained by crosslinking modified polyvinyl alcohol, (b) a material obtained by crosslinking polycaprolactone polyol and/or a material obtained by crosslinking polycarbonate polyol, and (c) an acrylic polymer having at least one group selected from the group consisting of an UV-stabilizing group, UV-absorbing group, and cycloalkyl group. The solar cell element is a thin-film solar cell element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2012
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicants: MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION, MITSUBISHI PLASTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Chiharu OKAWARA, Shigenobu Yoshida, Tooru Hachisuka, Hiromu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8178001
    Abstract: A method for producing a CASN phosphor which has an emission peak wavelength in a long wavelength range and which is prevented from being reduced in emission peak intensity, a phosphor suitable for use in displays having a NTSC ratio higher than that of conventional one, a composition containing the phosphor, a light-emitting device containing the phosphor, a display, and a lighting system. A method for producing an inorganic compound represented by the following formula from a feedstock in which the amount of Si is greater than one mole and less than 1.14 moles per mole of Al: M1aM2bAlSiX3??(I) where M1 represents an activation element containing at least Eu, M2 represents one or more selected from alkaline-earth metal elements, X represents one or more selected from the group consisting of O and N, and a and b each represent a positive number satisfying the inequalities 0<a?0.1 and 0.8?a+b?1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Hideaki Kaneda, Hiromu Watanabe, Naoto Kijima
  • Patent number: 8123980
    Abstract: There is provided a method for industrially producing a phosphor with high performance, in particular, high brightness. There is also provided a nitrogen-containing alloy and an alloy powder that can be used for the production method. A method for producing a phosphor includes a step of heating a raw material for the phosphor under a nitrogen-containing atmosphere, in which an alloy containing two or more different metal elements constituting the phosphor is used as the whole or part of the raw material for the phosphor, and in the heating step, the heating is performed under conditions such that the temperature change per minute is 50° C. or lower. It is possible to suppress the rapid progress of a nitridation reaction in heat treatment in producing the phosphor using an alloy for a phosphor precursor as the whole or part of the raw material, thereby industrially producing the phosphor with high performance, in particular, high brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Kijima, Hiromu Watanabe, Keiichi Seki
  • Publication number: 20110182072
    Abstract: To provide an alkaline-earth metal halogen phosphor that has high luminescent characteristics even when used with an excitation light source that emits light of the near-ultraviolet region, a phosphor-containing composition and a light emitting device using the phosphor, and a display and an illuminating device using the light emitting device, the phosphor of the present invention has a chemical composition represented by the formula (1) below and an external quantum efficiency, when excited with light of 400-nm wavelength, of 77% or higher. (Sr10-x-y-zMxEuyMnz)(PO4)6(Cl1-aQa)2??(1) (In the above formula (1), “M” represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Ba, Ca, Mg, and Zn, “Q” represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of F, Br, and I, and each of “x”, “y”, “z”, and “a” represents a number satisfying the following requirements: 0?x<10, 0.3?y?1.5, 0?z?3, 0?a?1, and x+y+z?10.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Etsuo Shimizu, Kumie Shimizu, Seiko Ogiri, Hiromu Watanabe, Naoto Kijima, Naoki Sako, Noriko Endou, Hideaki Kaneda
  • Patent number: 7824573
    Abstract: The present invention provides an alloy powder that is a material for producing inorganic functional materials such as phosphors, a phosphor with high brightness, and a method for producing the phosphor. An alloy powder for an inorganic functional material precursor contains at least one metal element and at least one activating element M1 and has a weight-average median diameter D50 of 5 ?m to 40 ?m. A method for producing a phosphor includes a step of heating an alloy, containing two or more metal elements for forming the phosphor, in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromu Watanabe, Masumi Itou, Keiichi Seki, Hiroshi Wada, Motoyuki Shigeiwa, Kaoru Terada, Naoto Kijima
  • Publication number: 20100231121
    Abstract: A method for producing a CASN phosphor which has an emission peak wavelength in a long wavelength range and which is prevented from being reduced in emission peak intensity, a phosphor suitable for use in displays having a NTSC ratio higher than that of conventional one, a composition containing the phosphor, a light-emitting device containing the phosphor, a display, and a lighting system. A method for producing an inorganic compound represented by the following formula from a feedstock in which the amount of Si is greater than one mole and less than 1.14 moles per mole of Al: M1aM2bAlSiX3 ??(I) where M1 represents an activation element containing at least Eu, M2 represents one or more selected from alkaline-earth metal elements, X represents one or more selected from the group consisting of O and N, and a and b each represent a positive number satisfying the inequalities 0<a?0.1 and 0.8?a+b?1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2008
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
    Inventors: Hideaki Kaneda, Hiromu Watanabe, Naoto Kijima
  • Publication number: 20100213822
    Abstract: In order to improve quantum efficiency and/or durability of phosphors, a complex oxynitride phosphor is provided represented by the following formula, which can be obtained by firing a phosphor precursor in the presence of flux. M1xBayM2zLuOvNw (In the formula, M1 represents at least one kind of activation element selected from the group consisting of Mn, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Yb, M2 represents at least one kind of bivalent metal element selected from the group consisting of Sr, Ca, Mg and Zn, L represents a metal element selected from the metal elements belonging to the fourth group or the fourteenth group of the periodic table, and 0.00001?x?3, 0?y?2.99999, 2.6?x+y+z?3, 0<u?11, 6<v?25, and 0<w?17.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Inventors: Satoshi Shimooka, Kyota Ueda, Naoto Kijima, Takashi Hase, Chisato Shimooka, Hiromu Watanabe, Tomoyuki Kurushima
  • Publication number: 20100052515
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a phosphor comprising a nitride or an oxynitride, comprising an X-ray powder diffraction pattern comprising at least one Region having at least one peak with an intensity ratio I of 8% or less, the X-ray powder diffraction pattern measured in the 2? range from 10° to 60° using a CuK? line (1.54184 {acute over (?)}), wherein the Region is the 2? range from 41.5° to 47°, the intensity of each peak is a value obtained after background correction, and the intensity ratio I is defined by the formula (Ip×100)/Imax (%), where Imax represents the height of the most intense peak present in the 2? range from 34° to 37° and Ip represents the height of each peak.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Publication date: March 4, 2010
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromu WATANABE, Masumi Itou, Keiichi Seki, Hiroshi Wada, Motoyuki Shigeiwa, Kaoru Terada, Naoto Kijima
  • Publication number: 20090149742
    Abstract: An optical coherence tomography (OCT) anterior eye part imaging apparatus includes a tomographic image obtaining unit obtaining a tomographic image of an anterior eye part of subject's eye in a depth direction by optical coherence tomography, an imaging unit imaging a frontal image of subject's eye, a display unit displaying the image of subject's eye, a corneal apex location detecting unit detecting a location of subject's eye, an alignment unit moving an apparatus body relative to the holder so that the location of corneal apex corresponds with a predetermined image obtaining location, a designating unit designating an area or a location where the tomographic image is obtained on subject's frontal image displayed on the display unit, and a scan line setting unit setting a scan line in the tomographic image obtaining unit on a straight line passing the corneal apex according to the designated area or location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Publication date: June 11, 2009
    Applicant: TOMEY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chihiro KATO, Keiichiro Okamoto, Kenichi Hayashi, Hiromu Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20090140205
    Abstract: There is provided a method for industrially producing a phosphor with high performance, in particular, high brightness. There is also provided a nitrogen-containing alloy and an alloy powder that can be used for the production method. A method for producing a phosphor includes a step of heating a raw material for the phosphor under a nitrogen-containing atmosphere, in which an alloy containing two or more different metal elements constituting the phosphor is used as the whole or part of the raw material for the phosphor, and in the heating step, the heating is performed under conditions such that the temperature change per minute is 50° C. or lower. It is possible to suppress the rapid progress of a nitridation reaction in heat treatment in producing the phosphor using an alloy for a phosphor precursor as the whole or part of the raw material, thereby industrially producing the phosphor with high performance, in particular, high brightness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2007
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Kijima, Hiromu Watanabe, Keiichi Seki