Patents by Inventor Ken Yamamoto

Ken Yamamoto 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: 20150092892
    Abstract: Provided with one or more first transistors of a first conductivity type each including a gate, a source, and a drain, the gate being connected to an input terminal, the source being configured to be connected to a first voltage source, the drain being connected to an output node, one or more second transistors of a second conductivity type each including a gate, a source, and a drain, the gate being connected to the input terminal, the source being configured to be connected to a second voltage source, the drain being connected to the output node, a first resistor that is inserted and connected between the input terminal and the output node, a first output terminal that is connected to the input terminal, and a second output terminal that is directly or indirectly connected to the output node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Naoto Yoshikawa, Ken Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20150034050
    Abstract: A multi-layer piezoelectric element includes: a stacked body comprising an active section, and inactive sections disposed at opposite ends in a stacking direction of the active section; an electrically-conductive bonding material disposed on a side surface of the stacked body from the active section to the inactive sections; and an external electrode plate attached, through the electrically-conductive bonding material, to the side surface of the stacked body, a spacing between a side surface of at least one of the inactive sections and the external electrode plate being wider than a spacing between a side surface of the active section and the external electrode plate, and the electrically-conductive bonding material situated between the side surface of at least one of the inactive sections and the external electrode plate being larger in thickness than the electrically-conductive bonding material situated between the side surface of the active section and the external electrode plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Applicant: KYOCERA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ken Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20150021974
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to reduce an axial dimension of an in-wheel motor driving device in which a motor section A and a wheel hub bearing section C are connected coaxially in series via a speed reducer section B, thereby providing a large inside space of a vehicle as well as increasing freedom of routing a power supply wires. A terminal box for the power supply wires which supply power to the motor section A is disposed on the outer circumferential side surface of the housing which holds the motor section A. The power supply wires 61 are routed out of the terminal box to an inboard side and are anchored by an power supply wire holder which extends perpendicularly to an axial centerline of the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Minoru SUZUKI, Ken YAMAMOTO, Ryou YUKISHIMA
  • Publication number: 20150015056
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to always maintain an outer pin holder and a housing in a speed reducer section at their predetermined positions, to prevent damage to such components as revolving members, outer circumferential engagers, and motion conversion mechanism upon a large axial load due to turning or sudden acceleration/deceleration, etc., and to eliminate rattling noise caused by the housing and the outer pin holder. A casing immobilizing member which is fixed to an inner surface of a speed reducer section casing and a housing immobilizing member which is fixed to an outer surface of a speed reducer section housing are provided between the speed reducer section casing and the speed reducer section housing. The casing immobilizing member and the housing immobilizing member are bonded with each other via a rubber member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2014
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventor: Ken YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 8933373
    Abstract: Provided is a highly durable ceramic heater capable of suppressing development of cracks in a base body resulting from a difference in thermal expansion between the ceramic-made base body and a heat generating element. A ceramic heater of the invention includes a ceramic base body and a heat generating resistor including a heat generation section composed of a bend portion and two rectilinear portions extending from opposite ends of the bend portion, respectively, the heat generating resistor being embedded within the ceramic base body. The two rectilinear portions include inner sides opposed to each other in a transverse section, and the inner sides include recesses in at least a midportion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventor: Ken Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20150005130
    Abstract: A wheel driving device is proposed in which it is possible to prevent vibration of an internal gear due to torque transmitted to the internal gear from being transmitted to a speed reducer casing. The wheel driving device includes a speed reducer for transmitting the rotation of an electric motor to a hub ring supporting a vehicle wheel after reducing its speed. The speed reducer is a cycloid speed reducer including an external gear, and an internal gear meshing with the external gear and rotationally fixed to the speed reducer casing through a rotationally fixing arrangement which is also capable of elastically supporting the internal gear. The rotationally fixing arrangement absorbs, by elastic deformation, vibration of the internal gear due to torque transmitted from the external gear to the internal gear, thereby preventing the vibration of the internal gear from being transmitted to the speed reducer casing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2013
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ken Yamamoto, Minoru Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8857546
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to always maintain an outer pin holder and a housing in a speed reducer section at their predetermined positions, to prevent damage to such components as revolving members, outer circumferential engagers, and motion conversion mechanism upon a large axial load due to turning or sudden acceleration/deceleration, etc., and to eliminate rattling noise caused by the housing and the outer pin holder. A casing immobilizing member which is fixed to an inner surface of a speed reducer section casing and a housing immobilizing member which is fixed to an outer surface of a speed reducer section housing are provided between the speed reducer section casing and the speed reducer section housing. The casing immobilizing member and the housing immobilizing member are bonded with each other via a rubber member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventor: Ken Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8857062
    Abstract: A sealed rolling bearing is proposed which makes it possible to reduce the torque loss while ensuring high sealing performance. Seal lips of seal members secured to the outer ring of the bearing at both ends thereof are in sliding contact with both ends of the outer periphery of the inner ring of the bearing. These portions of the inner ring that are in sliding contact with the seal lips are subjected to minute shot peening in which minute shots of molybdenum disulfide having a particle diameter of 20 to 200 micrometers are struck against these portions at a high speed of 50 meters per second. This decreases the friction torque attendant to sliding contact of the seal lips and makes it possible to decrease the torque loss of the bearing even if the contact pressure of the seal lips is increased sufficiently to ensure high sealing performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventor: Ken Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20140232175
    Abstract: An in-wheel motor drive assembly includes a motor case defining a motor chamber and a reduction mechanism chamber provided on one side of and isolated from the motor chamber by a partition wall. An electric motor is mounted in the motor chamber. A planetary gear reduction mechanism is mounted in the reduction mechanism chamber, and reduces the rotation of the electric motor and outputs the reduced rotation to a hub ring. The reduction mechanism is lubricated by lubricating oil stored in the reduction mechanism chamber. A tapered oil guide surface is formed at the center of the inner surface of the partition wall facing the reduction mechanism chamber. The oil guide surface guides lubricating oil splashed up by the rotating reduction mechanism and flowing down along the inner surface of the partition wall, onto the rotor shaft of the electric motor, thereby lubricating bearings mounted on the rotor shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2012
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventors: Ken Yamamoto, Aiko Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8733483
    Abstract: The in-wheel motor drive assembly 21 includes: a motor unit A; a wheel hub bearing unit having a tubular wheel hub 32, a cylindrical outer-ring-side member 22c surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the wheel hub, and a wheel hub bearing 33 disposed in an annular space formed between the outer circumferential surface of the wheel hub and the inner circumferential surface of the outer-ring-side member to rotatably support the wheel hub; and a speed reduction unit 101 being a speed reduction mechanism having an output shaft 28 extending in one direction and an input shaft 25 extending in the other direction and reducing the rotational speed of the input shaft and transmitting the reduced rotation to the output shaft, the output shaft being fixedly inserted in the center of the wheel hub 32 and the input shaft being fixedly inserted in the motor rotary shaft 35.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventors: Ken Yamamoto, Minoru Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8648517
    Abstract: A multilayer piezoelectric element includes a plurality of piezoelectric layers and a plurality of metal layers stacked alternately. The plurality of metal layers include a plurality of low-filled metal layers having a lower filling rate of metal composing the metal layers than oppositely disposed metal layers adjacent to each other in a stacking direction. The plurality of metal layers may include a plurality of thin metal layers having a smaller thickness than oppositely disposed metal layers adjacent to each other in a stacking direction. Where the plurality of metal layers are composed mainly of an alloy, the plurality of metal layers may include a plurality of high-ratio metal layers having a higher ratio of a component constituting the alloy than oppositely disposed metal layers adjacent to each other in a stacking direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Okamura, Masaki Terazono, Tomohiro Kawamoto, Takafumi Tsurumaru, Shigenobu Nakamura, Ken Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8610513
    Abstract: A crystal oscillator is provided, which varies a frequency drift compensation according to a power consumption and compensates a frequency drift characteristic caused by heat. An adder is used to add a temperature compensation control voltage from a temperature compensation circuit, an oscillating frequency control voltage from an AFC circuit, and a frequency drift compensation voltage corresponding to the power consumption from a frequency drift compensation circuit. A voltage added by the adder is outputted to voltage-variable capacitor elements and, which respectively are connected to an input side and an output side of an inverter IC that is connected in parallel to a crystal oscillating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ken Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20130292993
    Abstract: An in wheel motor driving device which has a deceased axial dimension and includes aluminum alloy housings having a minimum wall thickness for reduced weight while retaining good assemblability. An in-wheel motor driving device includes: a motor section which has an output shaft; a wheel hub bearing section C; and a speed reducer section which connects the output shaft of the motor section and the wheel hub bearing section coaxially with each other. A housing outer circumferential portion of the motor section and a housing outer circumferential portion of the speed reducer section are integral with each other, being provided by one, outer circumferential member. An outboard-side end member is fixed to an outboard-side end of the outer circumferential member by means of bolts, and the wheel hub bearing section has its fixing ring fixed to the outboard-side end member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2012
    Publication date: November 7, 2013
    Applicant: NTN Corporation
    Inventors: Ryou Yukishima, Minoru Suzuki, Ken Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8530802
    Abstract: A ceramic heater includes a heating resistor including a first conducting portion and a second conducting portion which face each other and a ceramic base in which the heating resistor is embedded. The first conducting portion includes a first burr which extends from the first conducting portion and is located between the first conducting portion and the second conducting portion. The second conducting portion includes a second burr which extends from the second conducting portion and is located between the second conducting portion and the first conducting portion. At least a part of the first and second burrs is spaced apart from the line linking a starting point of the first burr and a starting point of the second burr in a cross-section perpendicular to a conduction direction of the first and second conducting portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventor: Ken Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20130119748
    Abstract: An object of the invention is to always maintain an outer pin holder and a housing in a speed reducer section at their predetermined positions, to prevent damage to such components as revolving members, outer circumferential engagers, and motion conversion mechanism upon a large axial load due to turning or sudden acceleration/deceleration, etc., and to eliminate rattling noise caused by the housing and the outer pin holder. A casing immobilizing member which is fixed to an inner surface of a speed reducer section casing and a housing immobilizing member which is fixed to an outer surface of a speed reducer section housing are provided between the speed reducer section casing and the speed reducer section housing. The casing immobilizing member and the housing immobilizing member are bonded with each other via a rubber member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ken Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8441174
    Abstract: In a multilayer piezoelectric element in which a plurality of piezoelectric layers and a plurality of metal layers are stacked alternately, the plurality of metal layers include a plurality of low-filled metal layers having a lower filling rate of metal composing the metal layers than oppositely disposed metal layers adjacent to each other in a stacking direction. In a multilayer piezoelectric element in which a plurality of piezoelectric layers and a plurality of metal layers are stacked alternately, the plurality of metal layers include a plurality of thin metal layers having a smaller thickness than oppositely disposed metal layers adjacent to each other in a stacking direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Okamura, Masaki Terazono, Tomohiro Kawamoto, Takafumi Tsurumaru, Shigenobu Nakamura, Ken Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8441161
    Abstract: An electric motor drive device (1) includes a motor (11), a speed reducing part (31) to reduce speed of a rotation outputted from the motor (11) and transmit it to the side of a wheel, and a connection/disconnection part (21) to disconnect or connect rotation transmission of the speed reducing part, a motor side rotation member (18) serving as an input shaft to input the rotation from the motor (11), an output shaft (34) to output the rotation to the side of the wheel, a double shaft (33) arranged coaxially with the input shaft and including a tube-shaped outer side rotation shaft (33o) and an inner side rotation shaft (33i) inserted into the outer side rotation shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoaki Makino, Fumihiro Isobe, Ken Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8393424
    Abstract: An in-wheel motor drive unit (21) includes a motor portion A, a speed reduction portion B, and a wheel hub C. The speed reduction portion B includes outer pins (27) engaging with circumferences of curve plates (26a) and (26b) to generate rotation movements of the curved plates, and an outer pin holding portion (45) fixedly fitted in an inner diameter surface of a casing (22) holding the speed reduction portion B, to hold the outer pins (27) parallel to a rotation axis of a motor side rotation member (25). The outer pin holding portion (45) includes a cylindrical portion (46), a pair of ring portions (47) and (48) extending from axial both ends of the cylindrical portion (46) to radially inner side, and a pair of outer pin holding holes (47a) and (48a) provided at opposed positions of the pair of ring portions (47) and (48), and extending parallel to the rotation axis of the motor side rotation member (25) to hold the axial ends of the outer pin (27).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: NTN Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoaki Makino, Ken Yamamoto, Minoru Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20130057117
    Abstract: A plurality of circumferential fins 22g are formed on an outer peripheral surface of a motor casing 22a, and a plurality of fins 22f are formed on an outer surface of a motor rear cover 22d. Lubricant circulates in a motor-casing oil passage 55 provided in the motor casing 22a, a motor-rear-cover oil passage 56 provided in the motor rear cover 22d, and a speed reduction portion B. This lubricant is cooled when flowing in the motor-casing oil passage 55 and the motor-rear-cover oil passage 56. Thus, an in-wheel motor drive device 21 is efficiently cooled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2011
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: NTN Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Suzuki, Ken Yamamoto, Tatsuya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8360186
    Abstract: An in-wheel motor drive device (21) includes a motor part A, a reducer part B, a wheel hub C, and a reducer part lubricating mechanism to supply a lubricant oil to the reducer part. The reducer part lubricating mechanism includes a lubricant oil path (25c), a lubricant oil supply port (25d), a lubricant oil discharge port (22b), a circulation oil path (45) passing through a casing (22) to connect the lubricant oil discharge port (22b) to the lubricant oil path (25c), and to return the lubricant oil discharged from the lubricant oil discharge port (22b) to the lubricant oil path (25c), a cooling water path (22e) provided in the casing (22) so as to be in contact with the circulation oil path (45) to cool down the lubricant oil passing through the circulation oil path (45), and a partition member (49) arranged in a contact position between the circulation oil path (45) and the cooling water path (22e), to separate them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignees: NTN Corporation, Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Ken Yamamoto, Tomoaki Makino, Minoru Suzuki, Takayuki Iio