Patents by Inventor Katsuaki Minami

Katsuaki Minami 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).

  • Publication number: 20240088434
    Abstract: An all-solid-state battery includes a case, a battery element, and a restraint component. The case accommodates the battery element. The battery element includes an electrode part and a resin part. The resin part covers at least a part of a side face of the electrode part. The restraint component applies a first pressure to the electrode part. The restraint component applies a second pressure to the resin part. The ratio of the second pressure to the first pressure is from 1.5 to 18.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Motoshi ISONO, Masato ONO, Keiichi MINAMI, Kazuhito KATO, Katsuaki ODAGI
  • Patent number: 10170894
    Abstract: A multipoint ignition device for igniting an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an engine includes: an insulating member formed in an annular shape such that an inner periphery thereof faces the combustion chamber; and a plurality of electrodes held on the insulating member so as to form a plurality of ignition gaps in a circumferential direction inside the combustion chamber, wherein the insulating member includes a plurality of divided insulating members formed in divided form, and the divided insulating member close to an intake valve of the engine has a higher thermal conductivity than the divided insulating member close to an exhaust valve of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Patent number: 10084290
    Abstract: A multipoint ignition device for igniting an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an engine includes: an insulating member formed in an annular shape such that an inner periphery thereof faces the combustion chamber; a plurality of electrodes held on the insulating member so as to form a plurality of ignition gaps inside the combustion chamber; a main body portion provided on an outer periphery of the insulating member; and an intermediate member that is provided between the main body portion and the insulating member and has a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the insulating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: MIYAMA, INC.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Publication number: 20180241181
    Abstract: A multipoint ignition device for igniting an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an engine includes: an insulating member formed in an annular shape such that an inner periphery thereof faces the combustion chamber; and a plurality of electrodes held on the insulating member so as to form a plurality of ignition gaps in a circumferential direction inside the combustion chamber, wherein the insulating member includes a plurality of divided insulating members formed in divided form, and the divided insulating member close to an intake valve of the engine has a higher thermal conductivity than the divided insulating member close to an exhaust valve of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Publication number: 20180241180
    Abstract: A multipoint ignition device for igniting an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an engine includes: an insulating member formed in an annular shape such that an inner periphery thereof faces the combustion chamber; a plurality of electrodes held on the insulating member so as to form a plurality of ignition gaps inside the combustion chamber; a main body portion provided on an outer periphery of the insulating member; and an intermediate member that is provided between the main body portion and the insulating member and has a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the insulating member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2018
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Patent number: 10054100
    Abstract: A multipoint spark plug for igniting an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an engine includes a main body portion that is formed in a flattened shape and inserted into an insertion hole of the engine such that a tip end portion thereof opposes the combustion chamber, a pair of side electrodes provided via a gap in a lengthwise direction of the tip end portion, and at least one intermediate electrode provided in the gap between the pair of side electrodes such that a plurality of ignition gaps are formed in the lengthwise direction of the tip end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: MIYAMA, INC.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Patent number: 9742160
    Abstract: A multipoint spark plug includes side electrodes provided in a pair so as to extend in a lengthwise direction of a tip end portion via a gap, and an intermediate electrode provided in the gap between the pair of side electrodes such that a plurality of ignition gaps are formed in the lengthwise direction of the tip end portion. An electrode holding portion is formed from separate parts that hold the side electrodes and the intermediate electrode, respectively, so as to insulate the side electrodes and the intermediate electrode from the main body portion, and the respective parts thereof project into the combustion chamber from the tip end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: MIYAMA, INC.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Publication number: 20170229844
    Abstract: A multipoint spark plug includes side electrodes provided in a pair so as to extend in a lengthwise direction of a tip end portion via a gap, and an intermediate electrode provided in the gap between the pair of side electrodes such that a plurality of ignition gaps are formed in the lengthwise direction of the tip end portion. An electrode holding portion is formed from separate parts that hold the side electrodes and the intermediate electrode, respectively, so as to insulate the side electrodes and the intermediate electrode from the main body portion, and the respective parts thereof project into the combustion chamber from the tip end portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Publication number: 20170226982
    Abstract: A multipoint spark plug for igniting an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an engine includes a main body portion that is formed in a flattened shape and inserted into an insertion hole of the engine such that a tip end portion thereof opposes the combustion chamber, a pair of side electrodes provided via a gap in a lengthwise direction of the tip end portion, and at least one intermediate electrode provided in the gap between the pair of side electrodes such that a plurality of ignition gaps are formed in the lengthwise direction of the tip end portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Patent number: 7661402
    Abstract: A multipoint ignition engine (1) includes a central electrode pair (9), disposed in the center of a combustion chamber (2), for forming a central spark gap (10), and a plurality of peripheral electrode pairs (12) held in a head gasket (15), which has an opening portion having a substantially identical diameter to an opening portion of a cylinder (5) in a position corresponding to the opening portion of the cylinder (5), for forming a plurality of peripheral spark gaps (13) around the inner periphery of the opening portion in the cylinder (5). An air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber (2), which is obtained by mixing together fuel and air evenly to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or a richer/leaner air-fuel ratio than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, is ignited using both the central spark gap (10) and the plurality of peripheral spark gaps (13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Patent number: 7448356
    Abstract: A plurality of electrode pairs (P1 to P8) are caused to project from a side wall of a combustion chamber (2) of an engine, and a distance between ignition gaps (G1 to G8) and the side wall of the combustion chamber (2) is varied according to the positions of the plurality of electrode pairs (P1 to P8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Patent number: 7441539
    Abstract: Respective heat values of a plurality of electrode pairs P1 to P8 are set individually such that the temperatures of all of the plurality of electrode pairs (P1 to P8) are kept within an appropriate temperature range in which a temperature no lower than a self-cleaning temperature is set as a lower limit temperature and a lower temperature than a pre-ignition temperature is set as an upper limit temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Patent number: 7441526
    Abstract: A multipoint ignition device comprises: a head gasket (1) interposed between a cylinder head and a cylinder block of an engine, having an opening (3) in a position corresponding to a cylinder opening portion; and a plurality of intermediate members (6) connected respectively to a plurality of electrode pairs (2) and held in the head gasket (1). Respective heat values of the plurality of electrode pairs (2) are set individually by varying the contact area between the plurality of intermediate members (6) and the head gasket (1) according to the respective disposal positions of the plurality of intermediate members (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Patent number: 7441540
    Abstract: A multipoint ignition device comprises: a head gasket (1) interposed between a cylinder head and a cylinder block of an engine, having an opening (3) in a position corresponding to a cylinder opening portion; and a plurality of intermediate members (6) connected respectively to a plurality of electrode pairs (2) and held by the head gasket (1). A part of at least one of the plurality of intermediate members (6) is exposed to the opening (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Publication number: 20070209634
    Abstract: A multipoint ignition engine (1) includes a central electrode pair (9), disposed in the center of a combustion chamber (2), for forming a central spark gap (10), and a plurality of peripheral electrode pairs (12) held in a head gasket (15), which has an opening portion having a substantially identical diameter to an opening portion of a cylinder (5) in a position corresponding to the opening portion of the cylinder (5), for forming a plurality of peripheral spark gaps (13) around the inner periphery of the opening portion in the cylinder (5). An air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber (2), which is obtained by mixing together fuel and air evenly to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or a richer/leaner air-fuel ratio than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, is ignited using both the central spark gap (10) and the plurality of peripheral spark gaps (13).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Publication date: September 13, 2007
    Applicant: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Patent number: 7072762
    Abstract: The evaluation system for vehicle operating conditions comprises an automatic control device (10, 27) for setting target vehicle operating conditions and controlling the vehicle so as to achieve the target operating conditions, and a display device (4) mounted on the vehicle. The system determines whether operation that worsens fuel economy has been performed or not on the basis of the operating conditions of the vehicle; determines the operating state of the automatic control device (10, 27) based on the operating conditions of the vehicle; computes the excess fuel consumption, which is the fuel amount consumed in excess by operation that worsens the fuel economy, based on operating conditions of the vehicle and the operating state of the automatic control device (10, 27); and displays the computed excess fuel consumption to the display device (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventors: Katsuaki Minami, Satoshi Kumagai, Takao Hamuro, Hideki Nagahara
  • Patent number: 7024306
    Abstract: A calculation unit (3) determines whether or not an operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed, and if it is determined that an operation which worsens fuel economy has been performed, the calculation unit (3) respectively calculates the actual amount of consumed fuel and an amount of fuel that would have been consumed had the operation that worsens fuel economy not been performed. The calculation unit (3) then calculates an amount of fuel consumed in excess due to the operation which worsens fuel economy by subtracting the amount of fuel that would have been consumed had the operation that worsens fuel economy not been performed from the actual amount of consumed fuel. A display (4) displays the calculated excess fuel consumption amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventors: Katsuaki Minami, Satoshi Kumagai, Takao Hamuro, Hideki Nagahara
  • Patent number: 6985804
    Abstract: An evaluation system for vehicle operating conditions which is applied to a vehicle provided with an engine (1) and a manual transmission (8) connected to the engine (1) comprises a sensor (21, 24) for detecting the operating conditions of the engine (1) and a controller (30). On the basis of the operating conditions of the engine (1), the controller (30) determines whether or not the fuel economy of the vehicle would be improved by shifting the transmission (8) upward from the current gear position to a gear position one step further toward a HIGH side, and instructs a driver to shift the transmission (8) upward when it is determined that the fuel economy of the vehicle would be improved by shifting the transmission (8) upward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Miyama, Inc.
    Inventor: Katsuaki Minami
  • Publication number: 20050096836
    Abstract: An operation management system is provided, which includes a database (105) that accumulates operation information, including a fuel consumption amount, that is gathered from a running vehicle (A1 to B2) through a network (20); and a management device (103, 104) that sends the gathered operation information and the operation information accumulated in the database (105) to a client computer (A10, B10) through the network (20). The management device (103, 104) receives an instruction for the vehicle (A1 to B2) from the client computer (A10 and B10), and sends the received instruction to the vehicle (A1 to B2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2003
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: Katsuaki Minami, Satoshi Sakaguchi
  • Publication number: 20050027423
    Abstract: The evaluation system for vehicle operating conditions comprises an automatic control device (10, 27) for setting target vehicle operating conditions and controlling the vehicle so as to achieve the target operating conditions, and a display device (4) mounted on the vehicle. The system determines whether operation that worsens fuel economy has been performed or not on the basis of the operating conditions of the vehicle; determines the operating state of the automatic control device (10, 27) based on the operating conditions of the vehicle; computes the excess fuel consumption, which is the fuel amount consumed in excess by operation that worsens the fuel economy, based on operating conditions of the vehicle and the operating state of the automatic control device (10, 27); and displays the computed excess fuel consumption to the display device (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2003
    Publication date: February 3, 2005
    Inventors: Katsuaki Minami, Satoshi Kumagai, Takao Hamuro, Hideki Nagahara