Patents by Inventor Hironobu Mizutani

Hironobu Mizutani 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: 10153620
    Abstract: A spark plug having a ceramic insulator held by a crimp portion of a metallic shell. The crimp portion satisfies a relation of A?1.7 mm and a relation of t?1.20 mm in a cross section of the crimp portion taken along a plane containing the axial line, where A is the distance between a closest point which is a point within the cross section closest to the ceramic insulator and an intersection at which a first orthogonal line passing through the closest point and orthogonal to the axial line intersects with an outer circumference of the crimp portion, and t is a thickness of the proximal end of the crimp portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kentaro Kiuchi, Kazuhiko Mori, Hironobu Mizutani, Yuusuke Teranishi
  • Patent number: 10063037
    Abstract: A spark plug includes a central electrode and a noble metal tip, which are joined together with a fusion portion interposed therebetween. A tip-adjoining boundary of the fusion portion has a shape that curves convexly toward the fusion portion. A central-electrode-adjoining boundary of the fusion portion has a shape that curves convexly toward the central electrode. The outline of a portion of the fusion portion exposed to the outer surface has a shape that curves concavely into the inner side of the fusion portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Tokumaru, Kazuhiko Mori, Kei Takahashi, Hironobu Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20180212405
    Abstract: A spark plug having a ceramic insulator held by a crimp portion of a metallic shell. The crimp portion satisfies a relation of A?1.7 mm and a relation of t?1.20 mm in a cross section of the crimp portion taken along a plane containing the axial line, where A is the distance between a closest point which is a point within the cross section closest to the ceramic insulator and an intersection at which a first orthogonal line passing through the closest point and orthogonal to the axial line intersects with an outer circumference of the crimp portion, and t is a thickness of the proximal end of the crimp portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kentaro KIUCHI, Kazuhiko MORI, Hironobu MIZUTANI, Yuusuke TERANISHI
  • Publication number: 20170201074
    Abstract: A spark plug includes a central electrode and a noble metal tip, which are joined together with a fusion portion interposed therebetween. A tip-adjoining boundary of the fusion portion has a shape that curves convexly toward the fusion portion. A central-electrode-adjoining boundary of the fusion portion has a shape that curves convexly toward the central electrode. The outline of a portion of the fusion portion exposed to the outer surface has a shape that curves concavely into the inner side of the fusion portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2017
    Publication date: July 13, 2017
    Inventors: Masaki TOKUMARU, Kazuhiko MORI, Kei TAKAHASHI, Hironobu MIZUTANI
  • Patent number: 9236716
    Abstract: An ignition plug having a center electrode, a grounding electrode, an insulator, and a metal shell. The center electrode is held by the insulator, and the insulator is held by metal shell. A cavity is formed between the grounding electrode and the center electrode. The grounding electrode is joined to the inner wall surface of the metal shell via a melting portion. In the melting portion, in a predetermined cutting surface MS including a melting deepest point DP and a central axis CX, a percentage ratio MDD of a melting depth MD of the melting portion with respect to a thickness of the grounding electrode is 5% or more, and an area Sm of a portion included in an outer circumferential side of the metal shell is 10% or more of the entire area S.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hironobu Mizutani, Kei Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20150145403
    Abstract: An ignition plug having a center electrode, a grounding electrode, an insulator, and a metal shell. The center electrode is held by the insulator, and the insulator is held by metal shell. A cavity is formed between the grounding electrode and the center electrode. The grounding electrode is joined to the inner wall surface of the metal shell via a melting portion. In the melting portion, in a predetermined cutting surface MS including a melting deepest point DP and a central axis CX, a percentage ratio MDD of a melting depth MD of the melting portion with respect to a thickness of the grounding electrode is 5% or more, and an area Sm of a portion included in an outer circumferential side of the metal shell is 10% or more of the entire area S.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironobu MIZUTANI, Kei TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 7663296
    Abstract: A spark plug including: a cylindrical insulator having an axial hole extending through the insulator in an axial direction; a center electrode inserted in the axial hole; a metal shell provided around an outer periphery of the insulator and having a leading end surface, from which a leading end surface of the insulator protrudes; a ground electrode having a base end bonded to the leading end surface of the metal shell; and a noble metal tip disposed on a distal end of the ground electrode, an end of the noble metal tip protruding toward the center electrode in a radial direction, wherein: the spark plug forming a spark discharge path upon application of a discharging voltage between the protruding end of the noble metal tip and an end of the center electrode, the spark discharge path including an aerial discharge gap between a part of the protruding end of the noble metal tip and a part of the end of the insulator and a surface-creeping discharge path beginning at a part of the end of the insulator and a part
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Iwao Kunitomo, Yoshihiro Matsubara, Hironobu Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20070228916
    Abstract: A spark plug including: a cylindrical insulator having an axial hole extending through the insulator in an axial direction; a center electrode inserted in the axial hole; a metal shell provided around an outer periphery of the insulator and having a leading end surface, from which a leading end surface of the insulator protrudes; a ground electrode having a base end bonded to the leading end surface of the metal shell; and a noble metal tip disposed on a distal end of the ground electrode, an end of the noble metal tip protruding toward the center electrode in a radial direction, wherein: the spark plug forming a spark discharge path upon application of a discharging voltage between the protruding end of the noble metal tip and an end of the center electrode, the spark discharge path including an aerial discharge gap between a part of the protruding end of the noble metal tip and a part of the end of the insulator and a surface-creeping discharge path beginning at a part of the end of the insulator and a part
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Applicant: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Iwao Kunitomo, Yoshihiro Matsubara, Hironobu Mizutani