Patents by Inventor Kei Nambu

Kei Nambu 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: 12215920
    Abstract: The present invention provides a highly reliable and safe heating device that can uniformly heat an object to be heated and provides a refrigerator having a storage space in which frozen products as storage products can be easily thawed to a high-quality state. A heating device of the present invention includes an oscillation electrode disposed on one hand of the heating space and having an electrode surface on which an electric field concentration region is formed, a counter electrode disposed on the other hand of the heating space and having an electrode surface that faces the electrode surface of the oscillation electrode, and a high-frequency electric field forming unit for forming a high-frequency electric field applied to between the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Mori, Kei Nambu, Tsuyoki Hirai
  • Patent number: 12130075
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigerator that includes the following: a storage chamber having a space to store a preserved product; an oscillator that forms high frequency power; and oscillation electrode (24) and counter electrode (25) disposed facing each other and connected to the oscillator, oscillation electrode (24) and counter electrode (25) receiving the high frequency power from the oscillator to generate an electric field in the storage chamber. Oscillation electrode (24) and counter electrode (25) are provided at interval H that is shorter than a long side dimension of oscillation electrode (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Mori, Kei Nambu, Tsuyoki Hirai
  • Patent number: 11933537
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a cooling/heating chamber capable of cooling and heating foods. The cooling/heating chamber is divided into a heating zone that is a space where foods to be heated are placed, and a non-heating zone that is a space continuous with the heating zone where foods not to be heated are placed. The refrigerator further includes an oscillation electrode and a counter electrode that are arranged so as to face each other with the heating zone in between, and an oscillating unit that applies an AC voltage to between the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Mori, Kei Nambu, Tsuyoki Hirai
  • Patent number: 11573044
    Abstract: A refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes at least one storage chamber and uses an electromagnetic wave to heat a stored object inside the storage chamber. A first electromagnetic wave shield is provided on a door of the storage chamber, and a second electromagnetic wave shield is provided on a housing part of the refrigerator that is in contact with the door while the door is closed. This makes it possible to provide a structure capable of exhibiting a function as an electromagnetic wave shield even for a refrigerator door in which wiring to a grounding part is difficult.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Mori, Kei Nambu, Tsuyoki Hirai
  • Publication number: 20220252335
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigerator that includes the following: a storage chamber having a space to store a preserved product; an oscillator that forms high frequency power; and oscillation electrode (24) and counter electrode (25) disposed facing each other and connected to the oscillator, oscillation electrode (24) and counter electrode (25) receiving the high frequency power from the oscillator to generate an electric field in the storage chamber. Oscillation electrode (24) and counter electrode (25) are provided at interval H that is shorter than a long side dimension of oscillation electrode (24).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Kiyoshi MORI, Kei NAMBU, Tsuyoki HIRAI
  • Publication number: 20220252339
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigerator that includes a storage chamber capable of storing a preserved product, power supply unit (48), oscillation circuit (22), oscillation electrode (24) and counter electrode (25), matching unit (52) that matches impedance, controller (50), and a shield. Power supply unit (48) includes a first power supply part that rectifies an alternating current from a commercial alternating-current power supply and converts the alternating current into a direct current, a first ground part that serves as a reference potential of the first power supply part, a second power supply part and a third power supply part that each step down an output voltage of the first power supply part and output the stepped-down output voltage, a second ground part that serves as a reference potential of the second power supply part, and a third ground part that serves as a reference potential of the third power supply part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Inventors: Kiyoshi MORI, Kei NAMBU, Tsuyoki HIRAI
  • Publication number: 20210389049
    Abstract: A refrigerator includes a cooling/heating chamber capable of cooling and heating foods. The cooling/heating chamber is divided into a heating zone that is a space where foods to be heated are placed, and a non-heating zone that is a space continuous with the heating zone where foods not to be heated are placed. The refrigerator further includes an oscillation electrode and a counter electrode that are arranged so as to face each other with the heating zone in between, and an oscillating unit that applies an AC voltage to between the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Inventors: Kiyoshi MORI, Kei NAMBU, Tsuyoki HIRAI
  • Publication number: 20210381755
    Abstract: The present invention provides a highly reliable and safe heating device that can uniformly heat an object to be heated and provides a refrigerator having a storage space in which frozen products as storage products can be easily thawed to a high-quality state. A heating device of the present invention includes an oscillation electrode disposed on one hand of the heating space and having an electrode surface on which an electric field concentration region is formed, a counter electrode disposed on the other hand of the heating space and having an electrode surface that faces the electrode surface of the oscillation electrode, and a high-frequency electric field forming unit for forming a high-frequency electric field applied to between the oscillation electrode and the counter electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Kiyoshi MORI, Kei NAMBU, Tsuyoki HIRAI
  • Publication number: 20210018246
    Abstract: A refrigerator according to the present disclosure includes at least one storage chamber and uses an electromagnetic wave to heat a stored object inside the storage chamber. A first electromagnetic wave shield is provided on a door of the storage chamber, and a second electromagnetic wave shield is provided on a housing part of the refrigerator that is in contact with the door while the door is closed. This makes it possible to provide a structure capable of exhibiting a function as an electromagnetic wave shield even for a refrigerator door in which wiring to a grounding part is difficult.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Publication date: January 21, 2021
    Inventors: Kiyoshi MORI, Kei NAMBU, Tsuyoki HIRAI
  • Publication number: 20120103025
    Abstract: A washing machine includes a washing tub, a water tub, a drive unit, a feed-water unit, a drain unit, a water softening unit, a pH increasing unit, a pH decreasing unit, and a control unit. The water softening unit is disposed between the feed-water unit and the water tub, and is filled with a weak acid cation exchange material having weak acidic cation exchange groups with a pH from 7.5 to 14 at point of zero charge. The pH increasing unit increases the pH of washing water, and the pH decreasing unit decreases the pH of the washing water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kei Nambu, Keiko Yasui, Katsunori Zaizen