Patents by Inventor Hironari FURUTA

Hironari FURUTA 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: 10969372
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes a sensing element, a metal shell that is tubular and that surrounds the sensing element, and a protector made of a metal and fixed to the metal shell. A back end portion of the protector is joined to an outer surface of the metal shell to form a joined portion. A coefficient of thermal expansion of a material of the protector at 800 degrees Celsius is higher than a coefficient of thermal expansion of a material of the metal shell at 800 degrees Celsius. In a cross section of a portion of the gas sensor including the joined portion, a minimum distance t1 between the outer surface of the metal shell and an outer surface of the protector and a minimum distance t2 between the outer surface of the metal shell and an inner surface of the metal shell satisfy 0.6?(t1/t2)?2.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji Shimazaki, Hironari Furuta, Kentaro Mori
  • Publication number: 20190178861
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes a sensing element, a metal shell that is tubular and that surrounds the sensing element, and a protector made of a metal and fixed to the metal shell. A back end portion of the protector is joined to an outer surface of the metal shell to form a joined portion. A coefficient of thermal expansion of a material of the protector at 800 degrees Celsius is higher than a coefficient of thermal expansion of a material of the metal shell at 800 degrees Celsius. In a cross section of a portion of the gas sensor including the joined portion, a minimum distance t1 between the outer surface of the metal shell and an outer surface of the protector and a minimum distance t2 between the outer surface of the metal shell and an inner surface of the metal shell satisfy 0.6?(t1/t2)?2.0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Yuji SHIMAZAKI, Hironari FURUTA, Kentaro MORI
  • Patent number: 9431731
    Abstract: A sensor includes a detection element; a plurality of terminal members, each of the terminal members including an elongated frame body portion extending along the axial direction, an element contact portion in elastic contact with an electrode terminal, and a folded portion connecting the frame body portion and the element contact portion; and a separator. The element contact portion of each of the terminal members has a turning portion which turns inward with respect to the width direction between the folded portion and a contact portion in contact with an electrode terminal. In those two of the terminal members which are adjacent to each other along the width direction, the distance along the width direction between the contact portions is smaller than the distance along the width direction between the frame body portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takehiro Oba, Yuichi Yamada, Shingo Ito, Takeshi Nanbu, Hironari Furuta, Makoto Kume
  • Publication number: 20140298931
    Abstract: A sensor includes a detection element; a plurality of terminal members, each of the terminal members including an elongated frame body portion extending along the axial direction, an element contact portion in elastic contact with an electrode terminal, and a folded portion connecting the frame body portion and the element contact portion; and a separator. The element contact portion of each of the terminal members has a turning portion which turns inward with respect to the width direction between the folded portion and a contact portion in contact with an electrode terminal. In those two of the terminal members which are adjacent to each other along the width direction, the distance along the width direction between the contact portions is smaller than the distance along the width direction between the frame body portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takehiro OBA, Yuichi YAMADA, Shingo ITO, Takeshi NANBU, Hironari FURUTA, Makoto KUME