Patents by Inventor Kei Shinada

Kei Shinada 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: 11604165
    Abstract: A discharge ionization detector includes: a gas passage (104, 120) through which an electric-discharge gas is to be passed; a plasma generation electrode (106-108) configured to generate an electric discharge in the gas passage so as to generate plasma from the electric-discharge gas; a sample-gas introduction section (124) through which a sample gas is introduced into the gas passage; a collection electrode (117) configured to collect ions generated from a sample with the plasma; a bias electrode (113) located between the plasma generation electrode and the collection electrode, and configured to create an electric field for guiding the charged particles to the collection electrode; and a DC power unit (131, 133) capable of independently controlling a voltage applied to the bias electrode and a voltage applied to the collection voltage. A peak-shape abnormality in a signal output can be suppressed by appropriately adjusting the voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kei Shinada
  • Patent number: 11558952
    Abstract: A BID includes: a discharger (2) including a dielectric pipe (8) and a pair of electrodes (14, 16) attached on an outer wall of the dielectric pipe, the pair of electrodes (14, 16) being arranged at a distance from each other in a direction along a central axis of the dielectric pipe (8), the discharger (2) being arranged so that plasma generating gas is introduced from a first end of the dielectric pipe (8) and configured to generates dielectric barrier discharge inside the dielectric pipe (8) to generate plasma; a detection section (4) including a sample gas introduction section (31) and a collection electrode (26) for collecting ions, the detection section (4) being configured to ionize components in the sample gas using light emitted from the plasma generated in the discharger (2) and to detect the generated ions by collecting them using the collection electrode (26); and a voltage supply (6; 6?) for generating a potential difference between the pair of electrodes (14, 16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignees: Shimadzu Corporation, OSAKA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Kei Shinada, Katsuhisa Kitano
  • Patent number: 11327366
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device includes a step (A) of preparing an active matrix substrate, a step (B) of preparing a counter substrate, and a step (C) of producing a liquid crystal display panel using the prepared active matrix substrate and counter substrate. The step (C) includes a step (C1) of bonding the active matrix substrate with the counter substrate with a predetermined gap interposed therebetween and a step (C2) of forming a liquid crystal layer before or after the step (C1). An alignment film is an alignment film having a specific resistance of 1×1014 ?·cm or greater when a backlight is illuminated. The step (C) further includes, after the steps (C1) and (C2), a step (C3) of irradiating the active matrix substrate, the liquid crystal layer, and the counter substrate with ultraviolet light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kei Shinada, Taichi Sasaki, Masahiro Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20220099636
    Abstract: A light source emits excitation light to discharge gas that flows through a dielectric tube. A ground electrode unit includes a first ground electrode and a second ground electrode arranged at a distance from each other in an axial direction of the dielectric tube. A high-voltage electrode is provided between the first ground electrode and the second ground electrode. A first distance between the first ground electrode and the high-voltage electrode is shorter than a second distance between the second ground electrode and the high-voltage electrode. A cover is provided on an outer wall of the dielectric tube at a position between the first ground electrode and the high-voltage electrode. The light source is arranged to emit excitation light such that an optical axis thereof is directed toward a position where the cover is not provided on the outer wall of the dielectric tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Inventors: Kei SHINADA, Satoshi MATSUOKA, Katsuhisa KITANO
  • Publication number: 20220034841
    Abstract: A discharge ionization detector includes: a gas passage (104, 120) through which an electric-discharge gas is to be passed; a plasma generation electrode (106-108) configured to generate an electric discharge in the gas passage so as to generate plasma from the electric-discharge gas; a sample-gas introduction section (124) through which a sample gas is introduced into the gas passage; a collection electrode (117) configured to collect ions generated from a sample with the plasma; a bias electrode (113) located between the plasma generation electrode and the collection electrode, and configured to create an electric field for guiding the charged particles to the collection electrode; and a DC power unit (131, 133) capable of independently controlling a voltage applied to the bias electrode and a voltage applied to the collection voltage. A peak-shape abnormality in a signal output can be suppressed by appropriately adjusting the voltages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kei SHINADA
  • Patent number: 11189914
    Abstract: A liquid crystal cell according to the present invention includes: a TFT substrate including a first dielectric substrate, TFTs supported on the first dielectric substrate, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs; a slot substrate including a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode including slots supported on the second dielectric substrate; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate which are arranged in a form in which the patch electrode and the slot electrode face each other; antenna units each including one of the patch electrodes and the slot electrode including at least one of the slots arranged corresponding to the one of the patch electrodes; and alignment films formed on surfaces of both of the TFT substrate and the slot substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, made of a polyimide-based resin, and having a relative dielectric constant of 3.8 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kei Shinada, Isamu Miyake, Takashi Katayama
  • Publication number: 20210026205
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device includes a step (A) of preparing an active matrix substrate, a step (B) of preparing a counter substrate, and a step (C) of producing a liquid crystal display panel using the prepared active matrix substrate and counter substrate. The step (C) includes a step (C1) of bonding the active matrix substrate with the counter substrate with a predetermined gap interposed therebetween and a step (C2) of forming a liquid crystal layer before or after the step (C1). An alignment film is an alignment film having a specific resistance of 1×1014 ?·cm or greater when a backlight is illuminated. The step (C) further includes, after the steps (C1) and (C2), a step (C3) of irradiating the active matrix substrate, the liquid crystal layer, and the counter substrate with ultraviolet light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: KEI SHINADA, TAICHI SASAKI, MASAHIRO SHIMIZU
  • Patent number: 10770486
    Abstract: A method of producing a liquid crystal cell includes: a thin-film forming step of forming, on a surface of one electrode-attached substrates including a TFT substrate and a slot substrate, the TFT substrate including a first dielectric substrate, TFTs, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs, the slot substrate including a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode supported on the second dielectric substrate and having slots, a thin film so as to cover the patch electrodes and/or the slot electrode; and a light irradiating step of irradiating the thin film with light including p-polarized light to provide the thin film with alignment-regulating capability of aligning liquid crystal molecules to thereby obtain an alignment film. The thin film includes a polymer including a photoreactive functional group and exhibiting the alignment-regulating capability of the thin film in a direction orthogonal to a polarization axis of the p-polarized light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Katayama, Isamu Miyake, Akira Hirai, Kei Shinada
  • Patent number: 10739309
    Abstract: A dielectric barrier discharge ionization detector capable of achieving a high signal-to-noise ratio is provided. The detector includes: a discharging section for generating plasma from argon-containing gas by electric discharge; and a charge-collecting section for ionizing a component in a sample gas by an effect of the plasma and for detecting ion current formed by the ionized component. The discharging section includes a cylindrical dielectric tube having a high-voltage electrode connected to AC power source as well as upstream-side and downstream-side ground electrodes and formed on its outer circumferential wall. A semiconductor film is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the tube. The upstream-side and downstream-side ground electrodes are respectively made longer than the initiation distances for a creeping discharge between the high-voltage electrode and a tube-line tip member as well as between the high-voltage electrode and the charge-collecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignees: Shimadzu Corporation, Osaka University
    Inventors: Kei Shinada, Katsuhisa Kitano
  • Publication number: 20200236772
    Abstract: A BID includes: a discharger (2) including a dielectric pipe (8) and a pair of electrodes (14, 16) attached on an outer wall of the dielectric pipe, the pair of electrodes (14, 16) being arranged at a distance from each other in a direction along a central axis of the dielectric pipe (8), the discharger (2) being arranged so that plasma generating gas is introduced from a first end of the dielectric pipe (8) and configured to generates dielectric barrier discharge inside the dielectric pipe (8) to generate plasma; a detection section (4) including a sample gas introduction section (31) and a collection electrode (26) for collecting ions, the detection section (4) being configured to ionize components in the sample gas using light emitted from the plasma generated in the discharger (2) and to detect the generated ions by collecting them using the collection electrode (26); and a voltage supply (6; 6?) for generating a potential difference between the pair of electrodes (14, 16).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Inventors: Kei Shinada, Katsuhisa Kitano
  • Patent number: 10634644
    Abstract: To suppress baseline current other than baseline current derived from the ionization of impurities, and to achieve the enhancement of the SN ratio of a detection signal and the improvement of the lower limit of detection, the inner diameter of a bias electrode for collecting an ion derived from a sample component is made smaller than the inner diameter of an insulating member separating the bias electrode and a collector electrode. Light emitted from plasma formed by dielectric barrier discharge is shielded by the bias electrode, so that the light is not cast directly on the surface of the insulating member. Therefore, the photoelectric effect caused by casting light of high energy does not occur on the surface of the insulating member, whereby a decrease in electric resistance of the surface can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kei Shinada
  • Patent number: 10589191
    Abstract: Provided is a method for separating a substance accommodated in a vessel-shaped structure comprising subjecting a vessel-shaped structure 1, which includes a vessel portion a, a vessel portion b, and a self-fusing material X connecting the both vessel portions, and which accommodates a substance selected from the group consisting of a liquid, a solid a gas, and a dispersion system, to the steps: (i) pulling the vessel portion a and the vessel, portion b away from each other to extend the self-fusing material X; (ii) fusing the extended self-fusing material X together between the vessel portion a and the vessel portion b to separate the accommodated substance; and (iii) cutting a fused part of the self-fusing material X to separate the vessel-shaped structure 1 into a separated structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsuo Ohashi, Yukio Oikawa, Kei Shinada
  • Patent number: 10585073
    Abstract: A discharge ionization current detector of the present invention is used for a detector for a gas chromatograph and suitable for analyzing high-boiling components. A discharge ionization current detector 10 is mainly constituted by a plasma generating section 20 and an ion collecting section 30. Regarding the ion collecting section 30, an ion collecting electrode 31 and a bias electrode 32 are arranged, and furthermore, an insulating member made of sapphire or aluminum oxide having a purity equal to or greater than 99.5% is arranged between the ion collecting electrode 31 and the bias electrode 32.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeyoshi Horiike, Kei Shinada
  • Publication number: 20200043957
    Abstract: A method of producing a liquid crystal cell includes: a thin-film forming step of forming, on a surface of electrode-attached substrates including a TFT substrate and a slot substrate, the TFT substrate including a first dielectric substrate, TFTs, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs, the slot substrate including a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode supported on the second dielectric substrate and having slots, a thin film so as to cover the patch electrodes and/or the slot electrode; and a light irradiating step of irradiating the thin film with light including p-polarized light to provide the thin film with alignment-regulating capability of aligning liquid crystal molecules to thereby obtain an alignment film. The thin film includes a polymer including a photoreactive functional group and exhibiting the alignment-regulating capability of the thin film in a direction orthogonal to a polarization axis of the p-polarized light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Takashi KATAYAMA, Isamu MIYAKE, Akira HIRAI, Kei SHINADA
  • Patent number: 10545118
    Abstract: A dielectric barrier discharge ionization detector (BID) capable of achieving a high level of signal-to-noise ratio in a stable manner is provided. In a BID having a high-voltage electrode, upstream-side ground electrode and downstream-side ground electrode circumferentially formed on the outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical dielectric tube, a heater for heating the cylindrical dielectric tube or tube-line tip member attached to the upper end of the same tube is provided. Increasing the temperature of the cylindrical dielectric tube by this heater improves the stability of the electric discharge, whereby the amount of noise is reduced and a high level of signal-to-noise is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventor: Kei Shinada
  • Patent number: 10436751
    Abstract: A dielectric barrier discharge ionization detector Includes: a dielectric tube; a high-voltage electrode connected to an AC power source and circumferentially formed on the outer wall of the dielectric tube; upstream-side and downstream-side ground electrodes and circumferentially formed above and below the high-voltage electrode; a discharging section for generating electric discharge to create plasma, from a gas containing argon; and a charge-collecting section for ionizing sample-gas components by the plasma and detecting an ion current formed by the ionized components. The detector also satisfies one or both of the following conditions: the upstream-side ground electrode is longer than a creeping discharge initiation distance between a tube-line tip member at the upper end of the dielectric tube and the high-voltage electrode; or the downstream-side ground electrode is longer than a creeping discharge initiation distance between the high-voltage electrode and the charge-collecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventor: Kei Shinada
  • Patent number: 10436750
    Abstract: The dielectric barrier discharge ionization detector includes: a dielectric tube through which a plasma generation gas is passed; a high-voltage electrode formed on the outer wall of the dielectric tube; two ground electrodes and formed on the outer wall of the dielectric tube, with the high-voltage electrode in between; a voltage supplier for applying AC voltage between the high-voltage electrode and each ground electrode to generate electric discharge within the dielectric tube and thereby generate plasma from the plasma generation gas; and a charge-collecting section for detecting an ion current formed by ionized sample-component gas produced by the plasma. The distance between one ground electrode and the high-voltage electrode is longer than a discharge initiation distance between these two electrodes, while the distance between the other ground electrode and the high-voltage electrode is shorter than the discharge initiation distance between these two electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignees: Shimadzu Corporation, Osaka University
    Inventors: Kei Shinada, Katsuhisa Kitano
  • Publication number: 20190302539
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes an active matrix substrate, a counter substrate, and a liquid crystal layer. The active matrix substrate includes an alignment film defining an initial alignment azimuth, and a first electrode and a second electrode to generate a fringing field. The counter substrate includes a transparent substrate and a third electrode provided on a side of the transparent substrate closer to the liquid crystal layer. The first electrode is a pixel electrode, and the second electrode is a common electrode. A DC voltage Vd is applied to the third electrode, the DC voltage Vd being different from a common voltage Vcom which is applied to the common electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: KEI SHINADA, TOMOHISA MATSUSHITA, MASAHIRO SHIMIZU, TETSUO FUKAYA, TAICHI SASAKI
  • Publication number: 20190221927
    Abstract: A liquid crystal cell according to the present invention includes: a TFT substrate including a first dielectric substrate, TFTs supported on the first dielectric substrate, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs; a slot substrate including a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode including slots supported on the second dielectric substrate; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate which are arranged in a form in which the patch electrode and the slot electrode face each other; antenna units each including one of the patch electrodes and the slot electrode including at least one of the slots arranged corresponding to the one of the patch electrodes; and alignment films formed on surfaces of both of the TFT substrate and the slot substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, made of a polyimide-based resin, and having a relative dielectric constant of 3.8 or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Kei SHINADA, Isamu MIYAKE, Takashi KATAYAMA
  • Patent number: 10215732
    Abstract: A dielectric barrier discharge ionization detector includes: a discharging section for generating plasma from argon-containing gas by electric discharge, including a dielectric tube on the outer wall of which a high-voltage electrode connected to AC power source as well as upstream-side and downstream-side ground electrodes and are circumferentially formed; and a charge-collecting section for ionizing sample-gas components by the plasma and detecting ion current formed by ionized components. The dielectric tube is made of a material whose resistivity is 1.0×1013 ?cm or lower. Furthermore, the detector satisfies at least one of the following conditions: the upstream-side ground electrode is longer than a ground electrode length which allows creeping discharge between the high-voltage electrode and a tube-line tip member; or the downstream-side ground electrode is longer than a ground electrode length which allows creeping discharge between the high-voltage electrode and the charge-collecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventor: Kei Shinada