Patents by Inventor Katsumi Fujimoto

Katsumi Fujimoto 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: 20230408298
    Abstract: An angle sensor is provided that includes a multilayer substrate having multiple layers, a drive coil in the multilayer substrate, and first and second detection coils, which can be two-phase detection coils, that are provided in the multilayer substrate. Each of the multiple layers in the multilayer substrate has a first main surface and a second main surface facing each other. The drive coil and the first and second detection coils are provided on respective different main surfaces, among the first main surfaces and the second main surfaces of the multiple layers in the multilayer substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Inventor: Katsumi FUJIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20230390712
    Abstract: A bubble generating device includes a vibration plate, a first cylindrical body, a spring portion, a second cylindrical body, and a piezoelectric element. The vibration plate includes openings, a first surface in contact with a liquid in a liquid tank, and a second surface in contact with a gas. The first cylindrical body has a first end portion supporting the vibration plate. The spring portion has a plate shape and supports a second portion of the first cylindrical body. The second cylindrical body has an end portion supporting the spring portion at a position outward of a position at which the first cylindrical body is supported. The piezoelectric element causes the spring portion to vibrate and is inward of a portion of a surface of the spring portion supported by the second cylindrical body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2023
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Inventor: Katsumi FUJIMOTO
  • Patent number: 11806750
    Abstract: A MEMS device includes a piezoelectric layer made of a piezoelectric single crystal, a first electrode on a first surface of the piezoelectric layer, and a first layer covering the first surface of the piezoelectric layer. At least a portion of the piezoelectric layer is included in a membrane portion. The first electrode is covered with the first layer and includes a recess. The piezoelectric layer includes a through hole that passes through the piezoelectric layer between a surface of the piezoelectric layer, which is opposite to the first direction, and the recess at a position corresponding to at least a portion of the first electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Kishimoto, Shinsuke Ikeuchi, Katsumi Fujimoto, Tetsuya Kimura, Fumiya Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 11796896
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a cylindrical body, a light-transmissive body connected to a first end portion of the cylindrical body, and a piezoelectric element fixed to the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body includes a first flange portion extending radially outward from an outer peripheral surface, and a second flange portion. The first flange portion is located closer to the first end portion side relative to the second flange portion. The piezoelectric element is fixed to the second flange portion. By driving the piezoelectric element, the first flange portion vibrates to displace an outer peripheral edge of the first flange portion in an axial direction of the cylindrical body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Katsumi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 11784629
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a membrane portion and a piezoelectric layer made of single crystal of a piezoelectric body. At least a portion of the piezoelectric layer is included in the membrane portion. An electrode is provided on a surface of the piezoelectric layer in the membrane portion. The piezoelectric layer includes a first polarization region in a first polarization state and a second polarization region in a second polarization state, and the first polarization region and the second polarization region are spaced apart from each other in a thickness direction or an in-plane direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Kishimoto, Shinsuke Ikeuchi, Katsumi Fujimoto, Tetsuya Kimura, Fumiya Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 11770078
    Abstract: A vibration device is provided that includes a vibration element with a piezoelectric vibrator and a driving device that causes the vibration element to vibrate. The vibration element includes a translucent body and the piezoelectric vibrator is electrically coupled to the driving device. The driving device includes a first circuit that applies an electric signal to the piezoelectric vibrator to render the vibration element in a resonant state, a second circuit that applies an electric signal to the piezoelectric vibrator according to a feedback signal output from the piezoelectric vibrator, and a switch that switches coupling between the first circuit and the piezoelectric vibrator and coupling between the second circuit and the piezoelectric vibrator at a certain timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Katsumi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 11754830
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a light transmissive body, a first cylindrical body, a plate-shaped spring portion, a second cylindrical body, and a vibrating body. The light transmissive body includes a main body portion on an inner side of a portion supported by the first cylindrical body, and a protruding portion extending from the main body portion toward an outer circumference of the light transmissive body and protruding outward more than a portion supported by the first cylindrical body. A ratio between an equivalent mass calculated from a moment of inertia of the protruding portion and a weight of the main body portion is about 0.8 to about 1.2, and a resonant frequency of the light transmissive body is larger than a resonant frequency of the spring portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Takahide Nakadoi
  • Patent number: 11746000
    Abstract: A MEMS device includes a membrane portion, a piezoelectric layer made of a piezoelectric single crystal, a first electrode on a first surface of the piezoelectric layer, a second electrode on a second surface of the piezoelectric layer opposite to the first direction, and a first layer covering the first surface of the piezoelectric layer. At least a portion of the piezoelectric layer is included in the membrane portion. Each of the first electrode and the second electrode has a tapered cross-sectional shape with a width which decreases with increasing distance from the piezoelectric layer on a cross section along a plane vertical to the surface in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Kishimoto, Shinsuke Ikeuchi, Katsumi Fujimoto, Tetsuya Kimura, Fumiya Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 11745219
    Abstract: A vibration apparatus includes a vibrating body that has a tubular shape and includes first and second opening end portions, an outside surface, and an inside surface, a light transmissive body connected to the second opening end portion of the vibrating body, and a piezoelectric vibrator provided in the vibrating body. The vibrating body includes a flange portion extending from the outside surface of the vibrating body toward an outside. The vibration apparatus further includes a driving circuit that vibrates a connection body of the light transmissive body and the vibrating body in a vibration mode of light transmissive body vibration or a vibration mode of flange portion vibration and that alternately switches between the vibration mode of the light transmissive body vibration and the vibration mode of the flange portion vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Hitoshi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 11706988
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a piezoelectric single crystal body with a homogeneous polarization state and of which at least a portion flexurally vibrates, an upper electrode on an upper surface of the piezoelectric single crystal body, a lower electrode on a lower surface of the piezoelectric single crystal body, and a supporting substrate below the piezoelectric single crystal body. A recess extends from a lower surface of the supporting substrate toward the lower surface of the piezoelectric single crystal body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinsuke Ikeuchi, Tetsuya Kimura, Katsumi Fujimoto, Yutaka Kishimoto, Fumiya Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 11511322
    Abstract: A cleaning device for an imaging unit includes a housing that holds an imaging section, a protection cover provided in the visual field of the imaging section, a vibrator section that vibrates the protection cover, and a cleaning nozzle that discharges a cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid discharged by the discharge section reaches a surface of side of the protection cover that is opposite to the side thereof adjacent to or in a vicinity of the imaging section. According to the vibrator section vibrating the protection cover, a portion of surface of the protection cover exhibits an amount of displacement larger than that of a portion of surface of the protection cover that the discharged cleaning liquid has reached.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinichiro Ichiguchi, Katsumi Fujimoto, Chikahiro Horiguchi, Kenji Nishiyama, Yasuhiro Kuratani
  • Patent number: 11504742
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a light-transmitting body that is located on a subject side of an imaging element, a cylindrical body that includes a first end portion, a second end portion on the opposite side from the first end portion, and an outer surface and an inner surface that connect the first end portion and the second end portion to each other, the cylindrical body being connected to the light-transmitting body and holding the light-transmitting body on the first end portion side thereof, and a piezoelectric element provided along a circumferential direction of the cylindrical body and that torsionally vibrates the cylindrical body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Chikahiro Horiguchi, Kenji Nishiyama, Yasuhiro Kuratani, Shinichiro Ichiguchi
  • Patent number: 11503190
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a light-transmissive body defining a cover that includes a detection region of an imaging element as an optical detection element, a tubular support body which includes an interior space that includes the imaging element and is connected to the light-transmissive body, a vibrating body which is coupled to the support body and vibrates the light-transmissive body with the support body provided therebetween, and a drive circuit which drives the vibrating body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sakaguchi, Katsumi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 11495728
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a piezoelectric body at least a portion of which can bend and vibrate, an upper electrode on an upper surface of the piezoelectric body and in which distortion of a crystal lattice is reduced as a distance from the upper surface of the piezoelectric body increases, a lower electrode on a lower surface of the piezoelectric body and in which distortion of a crystal lattice is reduced as a distance from the upper surface of the piezoelectric body increases, and a support substrate below the piezoelectric body, in which a recess extending from a lower surface of the support substrate toward the lower surface of the piezoelectric device is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinsuke Ikeuchi, Tetsuya Kimura, Katsumi Fujimoto, Yutaka Kishimoto, Fumiya Kurokawa, Yuzo Kishi
  • Patent number: 11467396
    Abstract: A cleaning device includes a casing holding an image capturing device, a protective cover disposed in a visual field of the image capturing device, a vibrator to vibrate the protective cover, a controller to control the vibrator, a monitor to detect an electrical characteristic value associated with a vibration of the vibrator, and a storage to store determination criteria based on which the controller evaluates the electrical characteristic value detected by the monitor. The controller is configured to evaluate the electrical characteristic value based on the plurality of determination criteria stored in the storage and clean a surface of the translucent body by controlling the vibrator according to the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kuratani, Katsumi Fujimoto, Kenji Nishiyama, Chikahiro Horiguchi, Shinichiro Ichiguchi, Masaaki Takata, Yuzo Mizushima, Yuuki Ishii
  • Patent number: 11454807
    Abstract: A vibrating device includes a tubular vibrating body and a lens cover coupled to a first surface of the tubular vibrating body. The tubular vibrating body includes a tubular member and piezoelectric vibrators. The lens cover includes a mode changing coupler and a light transmitting body unit disposed in front of a lens of a camera. The mode changing coupler includes a thin portion having a thickness smaller than a thickness of the tubular member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinsuke Ikeuchi, Katsumi Fujimoto, Masanobu Nomura, Kenji Nishiyama
  • Patent number: 11434891
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a top plate elastic body, a cylindrical body that includes a first end portion and a second end portion and is coupled with the top plate elastic body to retain the top plate elastic body on a side of the first end portion. The cylindrical body includes on a side of the second end portion, a ring-shaped flange portion extended outward in a radial direction of the cylindrical body, and a piezoelectric element fixed to the ring-shaped flange portion to cause the cylindrical body to vibrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Chikahiro Horiguchi, Kenji Nishiyama, Yasuhiro Kuratani, Shinichiro Ichiguchi, Hitoshi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 11433426
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a protective cover to transmit light with a predetermined wavelength, a first cylindrical body to hold the protective cover at one end, a plate spring to support the other end of the first cylindrical body, a second cylindrical body to support, at one end, a portion of the plate spring in an outer side portion of a portion that supports the first cylindrical body, and a vibrating body that is provided at the other end of the second cylindrical body to vibrate in an axial direction of the second cylindrical body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Yuuki Ishii, Hitoshi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 11383274
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a protective cover that transmits light with a predetermined wavelength, a first cylindrical body that holds the protective cover at one end, a plate-shaped plate spring that supports the other end of the first cylindrical body, a second cylindrical body that supports, at one end, a portion of the plate spring in an outer side portion of a portion that supports the first cylindrical body, and a plurality of piezoelectric elements on side surfaces of the second cylindrical body and that vibrates in a direction perpendicular to a penetrating direction of the second cylindrical body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Yuuki Ishii, Hitoshi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 11369996
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a protective cover, a first cylindrical body, a plate spring, a second cylindrical body, a piezoelectric element, and a vibrating plate. The vibration device further includes a non-equilibrium structure that removes a mass of a portion of or adds a mass to at least one of the protective cover, the first cylindrical body, the plate spring, the second cylindrical body, and the vibrating plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Yuuki Ishii, Hitoshi Sakaguchi