Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Yabuno

Hiroshi Yabuno 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: 10180382
    Abstract: A linear elastic modulus measurement method and a linear elastic modulus measurement device can reduce external disturbances such as oscillation and electrical noise, and accurately and stably measure the linear elastic modulus of a linear elastic body even in the case where damping due to viscous stress is large. The measurement device computes the oscillation velocity (dx/dt) of an oscillator from the displacement of the oscillator brought into contact with the linear elastic body, and multiplies dx/dt by a linear velocity feedback gain to generate a feedback control signal. The measurement device applies, to the oscillator, a force proportional to the oscillation velocity of the oscillator by the feedback control signal, to cause the oscillator to self-oscillate. The measurement device computes the linear elastic modulus of the linear elastic body from the frequency when the self-oscillation of the oscillator is detected and the mass of the oscillator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Masaharu Kuroda, Yasuyuki Yamamoto, Hiroshi Yabuno
  • Publication number: 20150094964
    Abstract: A linear elastic modulus measurement method and a linear elastic modulus measurement device can reduce external disturbances such as oscillation and electrical noise, and accurately and stably measure the linear elastic modulus of a linear elastic body even in the case where damping due to viscous stress is large. The measurement device computes the oscillation velocity (dx/dt) of an oscillator from the displacement of the oscillator brought into contact with the linear elastic body, and multiplies dx/dt by a linear velocity feedback gain to generate a feedback control signal. The measurement device applies, to the oscillator, a force proportional to the oscillation velocity of the oscillator by the feedback control signal, to cause the oscillator to self-oscillate. The measurement device computes the linear elastic modulus of the linear elastic body from the frequency when the self-oscillation of the oscillator is detected and the mass of the oscillator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Masaharu Kuroda, Yasuyuki Yamamoto, Hiroshi Yabuno
  • Patent number: 8893544
    Abstract: The oscillating velocity of an oscillating body in a fluid to be measured is positively fed back, so as to activate an actuator. The oscillating state of the oscillating body is monitored while making a velocity feedback gain increase. The velocity feedback gain when the oscillating body has oscillated is obtained as an oscillation limit gain at the oscillation limit, and this oscillation limit gain is used as a viscosity equivalent value representing viscosity of the measured fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Masaharu Kuroda, Hiroshi Yabuno
  • Publication number: 20120291528
    Abstract: The oscillating velocity of an oscillating body in a fluid to be measured is positively fed back, so as to activate an actuator. The oscillating state of the oscillating body is monitored while making a velocity feedback gain increase. The velocity feedback gain when the oscillating body has oscillated is obtained as an oscillation limit gain at the oscillation limit, and this oscillation limit gain is used as a viscosity equivalent value representing viscosity of the measured fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2011
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Masaharu Kuroda, Hiroshi Yabuno
  • Patent number: 7886366
    Abstract: The amplitude control of a cantilever based on the van der Pol model is performed through feedback using measurement data on a deflection of the cantilever. A self-oscillating circuit integrates a deflection angle signal of a cantilever detected by a deflection angle measuring mechanism using an integrator, multiplies a resulting integral value by linear feedback gain generated by a gain generator, and an output corresponding to the linear feedback signal is generated. Also, the self-oscillating circuit cubes the deflection angle signal using analog multipliers, integrates the resulting values using integrators, multiplies the resulting integral values by a nonlinear feedback gain generated by a gain generator, and an output corresponding to the nonlinear feedback signal is generated. Furthermore, the self-oscillating circuit adds the outputs together using an adder, and a voltage signal for a piezo element is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignees: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba
    Inventors: Masaharu Kuroda, Kentaro Nishimura, Takashi Someya, Hiroshi Yabuno
  • Patent number: 7856866
    Abstract: In a tapping mode Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) system, a probe is excited at an excitation frequency other than the probe's first natural frequency to produce a response signal manifesting a grazing bifurcation between “non-collision” and “collision” states of the AFM system, so that an additional characteristic frequency component is generated in the “collision” state. The magnitude of the additional characteristic frequency component is monitored in real time, and the probe-sample separation is adjusted to maintain the monitored magnitude at an optimal value to operate the AFM system at near-grazing conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignees: University of Maryland, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Andrew James Dick, Balakumar Balachandran, Hiroshi Yabuno, Masatoshi Numatsu, Keiichi Hayashi, Masaharu Kuroda, Kiwamu Ashida
  • Publication number: 20090293161
    Abstract: The amplitude control of a cantilever based on the van der Pol model is performed through a feedback using the measurement data on a deflection of the cantilever. A self-oscillating circuit integrates a deflection angle signal of a cantilever detected by a deflection angle measuring mechanism using an integrator, multiplies a resulting integral value by linear feedback gain Klin generated by a gain generator, and an output corresponding to the linear feedback signal is generated. Also, the self-oscillating circuit cubes the deflection angle signal using analog multipliers, integrates the resulting values using integrators, multiplies the resulting integral values by a nonlinear feedback gain Knon generated by a gain generator, and an output corresponding to the nonlinear feedback signal is generated. Furthermore, the self-oscillating circuit 40 adds the outputs together using an adder, and a voltage signal VC for a piezo element is generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2008
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicants: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba
    Inventors: Masaharu Kuroda, Kentaro Nishimura, Takashi Someya, Hiroshi Yabuno
  • Patent number: 7570061
    Abstract: A cantilever control device is provided that can prevent, in an atomic force microscope, self-excited oscillation of a cantilever from stopping and prevent a probe of the cantilever from coming into contact with a measurement object. In the atomic force microscope, a cantilever control device 1 is constituted from a cantilever 10 having a probe 12, an actuator 20 that causes self-excited oscillation in the cantilever 10, an oscillation velocity detector 30 that detects the oscillation velocity of the cantilever 10, a displacement calculator 32 that calculates the oscillation displacement of the cantilever 10, and a controller 40 that generates a signal for driving the actuator 20. A feedback control signal S is represented as (K?G·x2)·dx/dt, where x is the oscillation displacement of the cantilever 10, dx/dt is the oscillation velocity of the cantilever 10, and both K and G are feedback gains of a positive value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignees: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba
    Inventors: Masaharu Kuroda, Hiroshi Yabuno
  • Publication number: 20090064771
    Abstract: In a tapping mode Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) system, a probe is excited at an excitation frequency other than the probe's first natural frequency to produce a response signal manifesting a grazing bifurcation between “non-collision” and “collision” states of the AFM system, so that an additional characteristic frequency component is generated in the “collision” state. The magnitude of the additional characteristic frequency component is monitored in real time, and the probe-sample separation is adjusted to maintain the monitored magnitude at an optimal value to operate the AFM system at near-grazing conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Inventors: Andrew James Dick, Balakumar Balachandran, Hiroshi Yabuno, Masatoshi Numatsu, Keiichi Hayashi, Masaharu Kuroda, Kiwamu Ashida
  • Publication number: 20070294042
    Abstract: A cantilever control device is provided that can prevent, in an atomic force microscope, self-excited oscillation of a cantilever from stopping and prevent a probe of the cantilever from coming into contact with a measurement object. In the atomic force microscope, a cantilever control device 1 is constituted from a cantilever 10 having a probe 12, an actuator 20 that causes self-excited oscillation in the cantilever 10, an oscillation velocity detector 30 that detects the oscillation velocity of the cantilever 10, a displacement calculator 32 that calculates the oscillation displacement of the cantilever 10, and a controller 40 that generates a signal for driving the actuator 20. A feedback control signal S is represented as (K?G·x2)·dx/dt, where x is the oscillation displacement of the cantilever 10, dx/dt is the oscillation velocity of the cantilever 10, and both K and G are feedback gains of a positive value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicants: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba
    Inventors: Masaharu Kuroda, Hiroshi Yabuno