Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Enami

Hiroshi Enami 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: 7061182
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp has an arc tube including an arc tube container made of an oxide-based translucent ceramic material. The arc tube is filled with cerium halide as a luminescent material and a halide of a rare earth element that is more reactive with the ceramic material than is the cerium halide. Accordingly, a reaction between the oxide-based translucent ceramic material and the halide of a rare earth element is accelerated while a reaction between the oxide-based translucent ceramic material and the cerium halide is suppressed. This suppresses a decrease of the cerium halide that serves for light emission, and also reduces changes in the lamp color temperature. Thereby, during aging of the lamp, the flux maintenance factor and color temperature are improved. Therefore, the indoor-outdoor metal halide lamp provides a white light source color that has high-wattage, high luminous efficiency, and a long service life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Higashi, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Shigefumi Oda, Hiroshi Enami, Shunsuke Kakisaka
  • Patent number: 7057347
    Abstract: A first electrode part in a rod shape is placed on an upper side, and a second electrode part in a rod shape having a higher melting point than that of the first electrode part is placed on a lower side, so that ends of the first and second electrode parts are brought into contact. Contact ends or vicinities thereof are irradiated with a laser beam, so that the electrode parts are welded. Here, a region irradiated with the laser beam is in a long narrow shape having a minor axis directed in a vertical direction and a major axis directed in a horizontal direction. This makes it possible to manufacture an electrode with a consistent high quality with a high yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kawamura, Toshizo Kobayashi, Hiroshi Enami, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Takaharu Yanata
  • Patent number: 7018260
    Abstract: A first electrode part in a rod shape is placed on an upper side, and a second electrode part in a rod shape having a higher melting point than that of the first electrode part is placed on a lower side, so that ends of the first and second electrode parts are brought into contact. Contact ends or vicinities thereof are irradiated with a laser beam, so that the electrode parts are welded. Here, a region irradiated with the laser beam is in a long narrow shape having a minor axis directed in a vertical direction and a major axis directed in a horizontal direction. This makes it possible to manufacture an electrode with a consistent high quality with a high yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kawamura, Toshizo Kobayashi, Hiroshi Enami, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Takaharu Yanata
  • Patent number: 7007980
    Abstract: A duct connection assemble, whereby upon connecting a saddle flange (2a) of the joint duct (8) to the main ribbed duct (3) through the communication hole (1b), the rubber sealant (1) is interposed between the saddle flange (2a) and a circumferential area of the communication hole (1b) so that protuberances (2b) uniformly press the rubber sealant (1) through the recesses (1d) to tightly engage the saddle flange (2a) against an outer surface of the main ribbed duct (3) through rib-fitting grooves (1a) and the water sealing small projective rings (1c). The joint duct (2) is brought into an elastical engagement with the main ribbed duct (3) to achieve a good water sealing action for an extended period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sanritsu
    Inventors: Norio Otsuga, Hiroshi Enami, Kazumasa Okayama
  • Patent number: 6984938
    Abstract: A metal vapor discharge lamp including an arc tube 1 that includes a container 10 and power transmission members 20a and 20b. The container 10, made of translucent ceramic, is divided into a main tube portion 11 and narrow tube portions 12a and 12b extending out from both ends of the main tube portion 11. The power transmission members 20a and 20b respectively include electrode pins 21a and 21b made of tungsten. Coils 22a and 22b made of tungsten are respectively wound around ends of electrode pins 21a and 21b, which are respectively joined with electrode supporting members 23a and 23b made of conductive cermet. Electrode length L1 is set to (0.041P+0.5) mm to (0.041P+8.0) mm, ā€œPā€ representing a lamp power in watts. Alternatively, a narrow tube portion length L2 is set to (0.032P+3.5) mm to (0.032P+8.0) mm inclusive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LTD
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kakisaka, Tatsuo Nishimoto, Masanori Higashi, Mikio Miura, Hiroshi Enami, Yoshiharu Nishiura
  • Patent number: 6943498
    Abstract: To provide a high-efficiency and long-life high intensity discharge lamp that is obtained by a configuration in which a neon gas or a neon-based gaseous mixture is filled as a starting-assistance rare gas for an alumina ceramic arc tube, and a filling pressure is set to 13 kPa or more. The high intensity discharge lamp is provided with the alumina ceramic arc tube having a discharge arc tube, alumina ceramic narrow tubes formed at both end portions of the discharge arc tube, electrodes and power feeders, the electrodes and the power feeders being arranged to form spaces in the narrow tubes. The discharge arc tube is filled with the neon gas or the neon-based gaseous mixture as the starting-assistance rare gas at a filling pressure of 13 kPa or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Nishiura, Shigefumi Oda, Masanori Higashi, Shunsuke Kakisaka, Hiroshi Enami
  • Publication number: 20050029656
    Abstract: A first electrode part in a rod shape is placed on an upper side, and a second electrode part in a rod shape having a higher melting point than that of the first electrode part is placed on a lower side, so that ends of the first and second electrode parts are brought into contact. Contact ends or vicinities thereof are irradiated with a laser beam, so that the electrode parts are welded. Here, a region irradiated with the laser beam is in a long narrow shape having a minor axis directed in a vertical direction and a major axis directed in a horizontal direction. This makes it possible to manufacture an electrode with a consistent high quality with a high yield.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kawamura, Toshizo Kobayashi, Hiroshi Enami, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Takaharu Yanata
  • Publication number: 20050029950
    Abstract: A first electrode part in a rod shape is placed on an upper side, and a second electrode part in a rod shape having a higher melting point than that of the first electrode part is placed on a lower side, so that ends of the first and second electrode parts are brought into contact. Contact ends or vicinities thereof are irradiated with a laser beam, so that the electrode parts are welded. Here, a region irradiated with the laser beam is in a long narrow shape having a minor axis directed in a vertical direction and a major axis directed in a horizontal direction. This makes it possible to manufacture an electrode with a consistent high quality with a high yield.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kawamura, Toshizo Kobayashi, Hiroshi Enami, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Takaharu Yanata
  • Patent number: 6805603
    Abstract: A first electrode part in a rod shape is placed on an upper side, and a second electrode part in a rod shape having a higher melting point than that of the first electrode part is placed on a lower side, so that ends of the first and second electrode parts are brought into contact. Contact ends or vicinities thereof are irradiated with a laser beam, so that the electrode parts are welded. Here, a region irradiated with the laser beam is in a long narrow shape having a minor axis directed in a vertical direction and a major axis directed in a horizontal direction. This makes it possible to manufacture an electrode with a consistent high quality with a high yield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kawamura, Toshizo Kobayashi, Hiroshi Enami, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Takaharu Yanata
  • Publication number: 20040135367
    Abstract: In a duct connection assemble, whereby upon connecting a saddle flange 2a of the joint duct 8 to the main ribbed duct 3 through the communication hole 1b, the rubber sealant 1 is interposed between the saddle flange 2a and a circumferential area of the communication hole 1b so that protuberances 2b uniformly press the rubber sealant 1 through the recesses 1d to tightly engage the saddle flange 2a against an outer surface of the main ribbed duct 3 through rib-fitting grooves 1a and the water sealing small projective rings 1c. The joint duct 2 is brought into an elastical engagement with the main ribbed duct 3 to achieve a good water sealing action for an extended period of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Sanritsu
    Inventors: Norio Otsuga, Hiroshi Enami, Kazumasa Okayama
  • Patent number: 6756721
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp has an arc tube including an envelope as an arc tube container made of an oxide-based translucent ceramic material, and the arc tube is filled with luminescent materials comprising at least a cerium halide, a sodium halide, a thallium halide and an indium halide. An amount of the cerium halide is in a range from 20 wt % to 69.0 wt %, an amount of the sodium halide is in a range from 30 wt % to 79.0 wt %, and a total amount of the thallium halide and the indium halide is in a range from 1.0 wt % to 20 wt % with respect to the entire metal halides. Accordingly, the arc discharge is spread, bending of the arc discharge toward the arc tube wall is suppressed, and thus, the metal halide lamp has improved luminescent efficiency, where lowering of the flux maintenance factor is suppressed even after a long-time use, and hues of the luminescent colors are corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Higashi, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Shigefumi Oda, Shunsuke Kakisaka, Hiroshi Enami
  • Publication number: 20040104677
    Abstract: A metal vapor discharge lamp including an arc tube 1 that includes a container 10 and power transmission members 20a and 20b. The container 10, made of translucent ceramic, is divided into a main tube portion 11 and narrow tube portions 12a and 12b extending out from both ends of the main tube portion 11. The power transmission members 20a and 20b respectively include electrode pins 21a and 21b made of tungsten. Coils 22a and 22b made of tungsten are respectively wound around ends of electrode pins 21a and 21b, which are respectively joined with electrode supporting members 23a and 23b made of conductive cermet. Electrode length L1 is set to (0.041P+0.5) mm to (0.041P+8.0) mm, “P” representing a lamp power in watts. Alternatively, a narrow tube portion length L2 is set to (0.032P+3.5) mm to (0.032P+8.0) mm inclusive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2003
    Publication date: June 3, 2004
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kakisaka, Tatsuo Nishimoto, Masanori Higashi, Mikio Miura, Hiroshi Enami, Yoshiharu Nishiura
  • Patent number: 6713962
    Abstract: A high-pressure discharge lamp includes: an arc tube that is made from a translucent ceramic material and composed of a main-tube part in which a discharge space is formed and thin-tube parts extending from both ends of the main-tube part; and a pair of electrodes having rods respectively extending from the two thin-tube parts into the discharge space so that the tops face each other with a distance in-between. The rod of at least one of the electrodes is held by a tubular electrode holder made of a halide-resistant metal embedded in and bonded to the thin-tube part via an adhesive agent including a sintered halide-resistant metal impregnated with mixture glass. The electrode holder is at such a position that satisfies “L≧0.012P+2.5 [mm]”, where “L” is distance [mm] between the electrode top and one end of the electrode holder closer to the discharge space, and “P” is lamp wattage [W].
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nohara, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Takashi Maniwa, Hiroshi Enami, Shiki Nakayama, Masato Wada
  • Patent number: 6707252
    Abstract: A safety metal halide lamp with a high luminous efficiency and a long lamp life is provided. The metal halide lamp includes an arc tube made of light-transmissive ceramic, in which a pair of electrodes is provided and cerium iodide (CeI3) and sodium iodide (NaI) are enclosed as a light-emitting substance, wherein a molar composition rate NaI/CeI3 of the light-emitting substance is specified within a range of 3.8 to 10, inclusive, and a wall load on the arc tube ranges from 13 to 23 W/cm2, inclusive, and on a series of X, Y coordinates, where X denotes a value of a lamp watt (W) and Y denotes a value of Le/&phgr;i, where Le and &phgr;i denote a distance between the pair of electrodes and an internal diameter of the arc tube, respectively, values of the Le/&phgr;i and the lamp watt are specified to be within a range surrounded by lines passing through the points (200, 0.75), (300,0.80), (400, 0.85), (700, 1.00), (1,000, 1.15), (1,000, 2.10), (700, 2.00), (400, 1.90), (300, 1.80), and (200, 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kakisaka, Shigefumi Oda, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Masanori Higashi, Hiroshi Enami
  • Publication number: 20030085657
    Abstract: A high-pressure discharge lamp includes: an arc tube that is made from a translucent ceramic material and composed of a main-tube part in which a discharge space is formed and thin-tube parts extending from both ends of the main-tube part; and a pair of electrodes having rods respectively extending from the two thin-tube parts into the discharge space so that the tops face each other with a distance in-between. The rod of at least one of the electrodes is held by a tubular electrode holder made of a halide-resistant metal embedded in and bonded to the thin-tube part via an adhesive agent including a sintered halide-resistant metal impregnated with mixture glass. The electrode holder is at such a position that satisfies “L≧0.012P+2.5 [mm]”, where “L” is distance [mm] between the electrode top and one end of the electrode holder closer to the discharge space, and “P” is lamp wattage [W].
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nohara, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Takashi Maniwa, Hiroshi Enami, Shiki Nakayama, Masato Wada
  • Publication number: 20030062832
    Abstract: To provide a high-efficiency and long-life high intensity discharge lamp that is obtained by a configuration in which a neon gas or a neon-based gaseous mixture is filled as a starting-assistance rare gas for an alumina ceramic arc tube, and a filling pressure is set to 13 kPa or more. The high intensity discharge lamp is provided with the alumina ceramic arc tube having a discharge arc tube, alumina ceramic narrow tubes formed at both end portions of the discharge arc tube, electrodes and power feeders, the electrodes and the power feeders being arranged to form spaces in the narrow tubes. The discharge arc tube is filled with the neon gas or the neon-based gaseous mixture as the starting-assistance rare gas at a filling pressure of 13 kPa or more. This prevents a discharge arc from jumping from tip portions of the electrodes to the spaces at starting of the lamp, and avoids occurrence of cracks and breakages in the narrow tubes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Nishiura, Shigefumi Oda, Masanori Higashi, Shunsuke Kakisaka, Hiroshi Enami
  • Publication number: 20030030373
    Abstract: A first electrode part in a rod shape is placed on an upper side, and a second electrode part in a rod shape having a higher melting point than that of the first electrode part is placed on a lower side, so that ends of the first and second electrode parts are brought into contact. Contact ends or vicinities thereof are irradiated with a laser beam, so that the electrode parts are welded. Here, a region irradiated with the laser beam is in a long narrow shape having a minor axis directed in a vertical direction and a major axis directed in a horizontal direction. This makes it possible to manufacture an electrode with a consistent high quality with a high yield.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Kawamura, Toshizo Kobayashi, Hiroshi Enami, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Takaharu Yanata
  • Publication number: 20030025453
    Abstract: A safety metal halide lamp with a high luminous efficiency and a long lamp life is provided. The metal halide lamp includes an arc tube made of light-transmissive ceramic, in which a pair of electrodes is provided and cerium iodide (CeI3) and sodium iodide (NaI) are enclosed as a light-emitting substance, wherein a molar composition rate NaI/CeI3 of the light-emitting substance is specified within a range of 3.8 to 10, inclusive, and a wall load on the arc tube ranges from 13 to 23 W/cm2, inclusive, and on a series of X, Y coordinates, where X denotes a value of a lamp watt (W) and Y denotes a value of Le/&phgr;i, where Le and &phgr;i denote a distance between the pair of electrodes and an internal diameter of the arc tube, respectively, values of the Le/&phgr;i and the lamp watt are specified to be within a range surrounded by lines passing through the points (200, 0.75), (300,0.80), (400, 0.85), (700, 1.00), (1,000, 1.15), (1,000, 2.10), (700, 2.00), (400, 1.90), (300, 1.80), and (200, 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kakisaka, Shigefumi Oda, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Masanori Higashi, Hiroshi Enami
  • Publication number: 20030020408
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp has an arc tube including an arc tube container as an envelope made of an oxide-based translucent ceramic material such as alumina, and the arc tube is filled with cerium halide as a luminescent material and a halide of a rare earth element that is more reactive with the ceramic material than is the cerium halide. Accordingly, a reaction between the oxide-based translucent ceramic material and the halide of a rare earth element is accelerated while a reaction between the oxide-based translucent ceramic material and the cerium halide is suppressed. This suppresses a decrease of the cerium halide that serves for light emission, and also reduces changes in the lamp color temperature. Thereby, lowering of flux maintenance factor and color temperature in aging of the lamp are suppressed, and the thus provided metal halide lamp with an alumina ceramic tube for indoor and outdoor use has a white light source color and it has a high-wattage, high luminous efficiency, and a long service life.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Higashi, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Shigefumi Oda, Hiroshi Enami, Shunsuke Kakisaka
  • Publication number: 20030015949
    Abstract: A metal halide lamp has an arc tube including an envelope as an arc tube container made of an oxide-based translucent ceramic material, and the arc tube is filled with luminescent materials comprising at least a cerium halide, a sodium halide, a thallium halide and an indium halide. An amount of the cerium halide is in a range from 20 wt % to 69.0 wt %, an amount of the sodium halide is in a range from 30 wt % to 79.0 wt %, and a total amount of the thallium halide and the indium halide is in a range from 1.0 wt % to 20 wt % with respect to the entire metal halides. Accordingly, the arc discharge is spread, bending of the arc discharge toward the arc tube wall is suppressed, and thus, the metal halide lamp has improved luminescent efficiency, where lowering of the flux maintenance factor is suppressed even after a long-time use, and hues of the luminescent colors are corrected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2002
    Publication date: January 23, 2003
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Higashi, Yoshiharu Nishiura, Shigefumi Oda, Shunsuke Kakisaka, Hiroshi Enami