Patents by Inventor Katsuhiro USUI

Katsuhiro USUI 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: 11292214
    Abstract: A method for molding a composite material and a device for molding a composite material are provided which are able to suppress the occurrence of voids in a composite material and improve the mechanical characteristics and appearance quality of the composite material. In the method for molding a composite material (10), a seal region (270) including a cavity (250) in which a reinforcing base material (11) is disposed and an outer peripheral region (260) that communicates with an outer periphery of the cavity is air-tightly sealed by means of a first sealing member (310). Then, an operation of suctioning a gas from the outer peripheral region to evacuate the gas in the seal region is started, and a resin (12) is injected into a part of the cavity. Next, a mold (200) is clamped to provide a liquid-tight seal between the cavity and the outer peripheral region by means of a second sealing member (320) while pressing the resin to fill the cavity with the resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihisa Otsuki, Katsuhiro Usui
  • Patent number: 10668596
    Abstract: A surface treatment device includes a vacuum blast head, an air curtain-forming unit and an auxiliary air injection unit. The vacuum blast head includes an injection nozzle and a suction hole. The injection nozzle injects a polishing agent used for blast treatment on a surface of a material to be treated. The suction hole sucks up the injected polishing agent with suction air. The air curtain-forming unit injects air toward the surface of the material to be treated to form an air curtain that surrounds the injected polishing agent. The auxiliary air injection unit injects auxiliary air between the air curtain and the suction air toward the material to be treated at a lower pressure than the air that forms the air curtain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Usui, Takeshi Nagao
  • Patent number: 10647068
    Abstract: A composite material molding method is provided for forming a composite material. The molding includes disposing a reinforcing base material in a cavity inside an openable and closable mold, injecting resin into the cavity in a state in which a clamping pressure is exerted on the mold and curing the resin. When injecting the resin into the cavity, the injection pressure of the resin is adjusted between a first pressure that is higher than the clamping pressure and a second pressure that is lower than the clamping pressure, and the injection pressure of the resin is lowered from the pressure that is higher than the clamping pressure to the pressure that is lower than the clamping pressure at least once. The resin is thereby injected such that the pressure inside the cavity does not exceed the clamping pressure from the start of injection to the end of injection of the resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsuhiro Usui
  • Publication number: 20200070441
    Abstract: A method for molding a composite material and a device for molding a composite material are provided which are able to suppress the occurrence of voids in a composite material and improve the mechanical characteristics and appearance quality of the composite material. In the method for molding a composite material (10), a seal region (270) including a cavity (250) in which a reinforcing base material (11) is disposed and an outer peripheral region (260) that communicates with an outer periphery of the cavity is air-tightly sealed by means of a first sealing member (310). Then, an operation of suctioning a gas from the outer peripheral region to evacuate the gas in the seal region is started, and a resin (12) is injected into a part of the cavity. Next, a mold (200) is clamped to provide a liquid-tight seal between the cavity and the outer peripheral region by means of a second sealing member (320) while pressing the resin to fill the cavity with the resin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihisa OTSUKI, Katsuhiro USUI
  • Patent number: 10391678
    Abstract: A composite material is formed by irradiating a bonding position on a surface of the composite material with a laser to cause a reinforcing base member of the composite material, that is impregnated with a resin and onto which a bonding agent is applied, to be exposed and fluffed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Hamaguchi, Takafumi Fukumoto, Katsumi Morohoshi, Katsuhiro Usui, Ayako Takano
  • Patent number: 10105878
    Abstract: A composite material molding method is provided for forming a composite material. The molding includes disposing carbon fiber in a cavity inside an openable and closable mold, injecting resin into the cavity in a state in which a clamping pressure is exerted on the mold and curing the resin. When a threshold value of the pressure inside the cavity is set to a pressure that is lower than the clamping pressure and the resin is injected into the cavity while exerting an injection pressure that is equal to or greater than the clamping pressure on the resin until the pressure inside the cavity reaches the threshold value. Then, after the pressure inside the cavity has reached the threshold value, the inside of the cavity is suctioned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Usui, Naoki Arai
  • Publication number: 20180297172
    Abstract: A surface treatment device includes a vacuum blast head, an air curtain-forming unit and an auxiliary air injection unit. The vacuum blast head includes an injection nozzle and a suction hole. The injection nozzle injects a polishing agent used for blast treatment on a surface of a material to be treated. The suction hole sucks up the injected polishing agent with suction air. The air curtain-forming unit injects air toward the surface of the material to be treated to form an air curtain that surrounds the injected polishing agent. The auxiliary air injection unit injects auxiliary air between the air curtain and the suction air toward the material to be treated at a lower pressure than the air that forms the air curtain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Inventors: Katsuhiro USUI, Takeshi NAGAO
  • Publication number: 20170348875
    Abstract: A composite material is formed by irradiating a bonding position on a surface of the composite material with a laser to cause a reinforcing base member of the composite material, that is impregnated with a resin and onto which a bonding agent is applied, to be exposed and fluffed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2014
    Publication date: December 7, 2017
    Inventors: Yuji HAMAGUCHI, Takafumi FUKUMOTO, Katsumi MOROHOSHI, Katsuhiro USUI, Ayako TAKANO
  • Publication number: 20170312997
    Abstract: A composite material molding method is provided for forming a composite material. The molding includes disposing a reinforcing base material in a cavity inside an openable and closable mold, injecting resin into the cavity in a state in which a clamping pressure is exerted on the mold and curing the resin. When injecting the resin into the cavity, the injection pressure of the resin is adjusted between a first pressure that is higher than the clamping pressure and a second pressure that is lower than the clamping pressure, and the injection pressure of the resin is lowered from the pressure that is higher than the clamping pressure to the pressure that is lower than the clamping pressure at least once. The resin is thereby injected such that the pressure inside the cavity does not exceed the clamping pressure from the start of injection to the end of injection of the resin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsuhiro USUI
  • Publication number: 20170297235
    Abstract: A composite material molding method is provided for forming a composite material. The molding includes disposing carbon fiber in a cavity inside an openable and closable mold, injecting resin into the cavity in a state in which a clamping pressure is exerted on the mold and curing the resin. When a threshold value of the pressure inside the cavity is set to a pressure that is lower than the clamping pressure and the resin is injected into the cavity while exerting an injection pressure that is equal to or greater than the clamping pressure on the resin until the pressure inside the cavity reaches the threshold value. Then, after the pressure inside the cavity has reached the threshold value, the inside of the cavity is suctioned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Katsuhiro USUI, Naoki ARAI