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).

  • Patent number: 10915005
    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: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinsuke Ikeuchi, Katsumi Fujimoto, Masanobu Nomura, Kenji Nishiyama
  • Publication number: 20200406298
    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: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Inventors: Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Hitoshi SAKAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 10862405
    Abstract: A method of driving a vibration device including a light-transmitting body and a piezoelectric element connected to the light-transmitting body is provided to vibrate the light-transmitting body. The method atomizes and removes liquid drops sticking to the light-transmitting body. A driving voltage to vibrate the piezoelectric element is swept at a sweep speed in a range of about 1 Hz to about 50 Hz so as to sweep a vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element to cover a frequency range including both of a resonant frequency of the light-transmitting body without liquid drops sticking to the light-transmitting body and a resonant frequency of the light-transmitting body with the liquid drops sticking to the light-transmitting body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Chikahiro Horiguchi, Yasuhiro Kuratani, Satoshi Ichihara, Kiyoyuki Miyazawa
  • Publication number: 20200379320
    Abstract: A vibration unit includes a light transmitting member including at least a portion of a detection region of an imaging element, and a vibration element including a vibrating body coupled to the light transmitting member. The light transmitting member includes a central region and a peripheral region located around the central region. The light transmitting member includes a hydrophilic film in the peripheral region thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Kenji NISHIYAMA, Yasuhiro KURATANI
  • Publication number: 20200379321
    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: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventor: Katsumi FUJIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20200373856
    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: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventor: Katsumi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 10768507
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a vibration body including a light-transmitting portion including first and second main surfaces opposing each other and a vibration portion that is continuous with the light-transmitting portion and vibrates with a main vibration together with the light-transmitting portion, and a piezoelectric vibrator fixed to the vibration portion. Localized vibration portions which generate a localized vibration different from the main vibration are provided at a position not overlapping with a center or approximate center of the light-transmitting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Kenji Nishiyama, Masanobu Nomura
  • Publication number: 20200225466
    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: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2020
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: Hitoshi SAKAGUCHI, Katsumi FUJIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20200213495
    Abstract: A vibrating device includes a dome-shaped cover, a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical vibrating body, and a piezoelectric element. The dome-shaped cover is disposed so as to include a detection field of an optical detector element, and the cylindrical or substantially cylindrical vibrating body is fixed to the cover. The piezoelectric element is fixed to the vibrating body and vibrates the cover via the vibrating body. The vibrating body includes a cylinder portion, a first connection portion connected to a first end portion of the cylinder portion, a first ring-shaped portion connected to the first connection portion at a position near the cover, a second connection portion connected to a second end portion of the cylinder portion, and a second ring-shaped portion connected to the second connection portion at a position opposite to a surface to which the cylinder portion is connected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Hitoshi SAKAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20200168787
    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: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Inventors: Shinsuke IKEUCHI, Tetsuya KIMURA, Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Yutaka KISHIMOTO, Fumiya KUROKAWA
  • Publication number: 20200168785
    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: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Inventors: Shinsuke IKEUCHI, Tetsuya KIMURA, Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Yutaka KISHIMOTO, Fumiya KUROKAWA, Yuzo KISHI
  • Publication number: 20200144939
    Abstract: A method of driving a vibration device including a light-transmitting body and a piezoelectric element connected to the light-transmitting body is provided to vibrate the light-transmitting body. The method atomizes and removes liquid drops sticking to the light-transmitting body. A driving voltage to vibrate the piezoelectric element is swept at a sweep speed in a range of about 1 Hz to about 50 Hz so as to sweep a vibration frequency of the piezoelectric element to cover a frequency range including both of a resonant frequency of the light-transmitting body without liquid drops sticking to the light-transmitting body and a resonant frequency of the light-transmitting body with the liquid drops sticking to the light-transmitting body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Inventors: Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Chikahiro HORIGUCHI, Yasuhiro KURATANI, Satoshi ICHIHARA, Kiyoyuki MIYAZAWA
  • Publication number: 20200057301
    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: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Yasuhiro KURATANI, Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Kenji NISHIYAMA, Chikahiro HORIGUCHI, Shinichiro ICHIGUCHI, Masaaki TAKATA, Yuzo MIZUSHIMA, Yuuki ISHII
  • Publication number: 20200055087
    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: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Chikahiro Horiguchi, Kenji Nishiyama, Yasuhiro Kuratani, Shinichiro Ichiguchi, Hitoshi Sakaguchi
  • Publication number: 20200038914
    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: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Chikahiro HORIGUCHI, Kenji NISHIYAMA, Yasuhiro KURATANI, Shinichiro ICHIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20200039475
    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: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Shinichiro ICHIGUCHI, Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Chikahiro HORIGUCHI, Kenji NISHIYAMA, Yasuhiro KURATANI
  • Patent number: 10444495
    Abstract: A vibration device includes a cylindrical vibration body portion including a cylindrical member and a piezoelectric vibrator fixed to the cylindrical member, and a light-transparent body portion that includes an outer peripheral portion connected to an end surface of the cylindrical member and a light-transparent portion positioned in front of a lens. The light-transparent body portion vibrates in a bending mode by vibration of the cylindrical vibration body portion. The bending mode includes a first bending mode in which a center-maximum-displacement portion of the light-transparent body portion and the outer peripheral portion of the light-transparent body portion connected to the end surface are displaced in the same direction and a second bending mode in which the center-maximum-displacement portion of the light-transparent body portion and the outer peripheral portion of the light-transparent body portion are displaced in opposite directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Shinsuke Ikeuchi, Kenji Nishiyama, Masanobu Nomura
  • Patent number: 10338023
    Abstract: A temperature and humidity sensor includes a substrate, a first electrode provided on the substrate, a linear second electrode at least part of which is so provided as to extend along the first electrode, and a moisture sensitive film provided between the part of the second electrode extending along the first electrode and the first electrode. The second electrode has a section that is formed in a spiral shape when viewed from above so as to form an inductor. With this, a precise oscillation circuit can be configured so that a temperature-humidity sensor small in size and capable of being easily manufactured can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Fujimoto, Hiroshi Shiraki, Keisuke Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20190176195
    Abstract: A vibrating device includes a tubular body including a first end, a second end, and a plurality of side surfaces that connect the first and second ends, piezoelectric vibrators that are fixed to the tubular body and vibrate the tubular body, and a light transmitting body unit that is directly or indirectly connected to the second end of the tubular body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Chikahiro HORIGUCHI, Kenji NISHIYAMA, Yasuhiro KURATANI, Shinichiro ICHIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20190151897
    Abstract: A vibrating device includes a tubular body including first and second end surfaces, and a side wall portion that connects the first and second end surfaces, a piezoelectric vibrator provided on the first end surface of the tubular body, and a light transmitting body that is directly or indirectly connected to the second end surface and covers an opening in the second end surface of the tubular body. A connecting portion is connected to the first end surface of the tubular body inside or outside an opening in the first end surface. A tubular bent portion is connected to a surface of the connecting portion that faces toward the second end surface of the tubular body. The tubular bent portion extends in a direction from the first end surface toward the second end surface of the tubular body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventors: Katsumi FUJIMOTO, Chikahiro HORIGUCHI, Kenji NISHIYAMA, Yasuhiro KURATANI, Shinichiro ICHIGUCHI