Patents by Inventor Kenji Awamoto

Kenji Awamoto 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: 20230258315
    Abstract: The present invention provides a deep ultraviolet radiation apparatus that is safe and has a high bacteria eliminating effect. The ultraviolet radiation apparatus comprises an optical filter that prevents the transmission of ultraviolet light of 240 nm or more emitted from a phosphor, wherein the optical filter is arranged facing light emitting surfaces of a gas-discharging tube array-type surface-emitting ultraviolet light source device comprising phosphor layer having a broad emission spectrum with a wavelength width of at least 210 nm to 250 nm with a peak wavelength of 228 nm. Light irradiated from the light source device is incident on a filter membrane with an incident angle thereof being altered by a transparent substrate of the optical filter. An ozone generation space may be formed between the surface-emitting ultraviolet light source device and the optical filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: Tsutae SHINODA, Hitoshi HIRAKAWA, Kenji AWAMOTO, Takefumi HIDAKA, Junichiro TAKAHASHI, Tetsuya MAKINO, Masayuki WAKITANI, Yoko SHINODA
  • Patent number: 11011367
    Abstract: A light-emitting tube array-type light source device includes: a plurality of light-emitting gas discharge tubes 11; and an electrode substrate 30 supporting the light-emitting gas discharge tubes in parallel on an upper surface thereof, the electrode substrate having a plurality of slits partially exposes a bottom surface of each light-emitting tube, thereby the light-emitting gas discharge tubes can be cooled through the slits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: SHIKOH TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tsutae Shinoda, Hitoshi Hirakawa, Kenji Awamoto, Takefumi Hidaka, Junichiro Takahashi, Tetsuya Makino
  • Publication number: 20200152442
    Abstract: A light-emitting tube array-type light source device includes: a plurality of light-emitting gas discharge tubes 11; and an electrode substrate 30 supporting the light-emitting gas discharge tubes in parallel on an upper surface thereof, the electrode substrate having a plurality of slits partially exposes a bottom surface of each light-emitting tube, thereby the light-emitting gas discharge tubes can be cooled through the slits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Tsutae SHINODA, Hitoshi HIRAKAWA, Kenji AWAMOTO, Takefumi HIDAKA, Junichiro TAKAHASHI, Tetsuya MAKINO
  • Patent number: 10128100
    Abstract: During a normal operation, alternating drive voltage to be applied between a pair of electrodes provided to face an outer surface of a bottom part of a gas discharge light emitting tube is switched to a voltage value V2 lower than a voltage value V1 at the time of starting lighting. Further, the alternating drive voltage to be applied during the normal discharge operation is intermittently applied in a predetermined cycle and duty ratio to enable adjustment of light emission intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: SHIKOH TECH LLC
    Inventors: Tsutae Shinoda, Hitoshi Hirakawa, Kenji Awamoto, Junichiro Takahashi, Takefumi Hidaka
  • Publication number: 20180144925
    Abstract: During a normal operation,alternating drive voltage to be applied between a pair of electrodes provided to face an outer surface of a bottom part of a gas discharge light emitting tube is switched to a voltage value V2 lower than a voltage value V1 at the time of starting lighting. Further, the alternating drive voltage to be applied during the normal discharge operation is intermittently applied in a predetermined cycle and duty ratio to enable adjustment of light emission intensity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2016
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventors: Tsutae SHINODA, Hitoshi HIRAKAWA, Kenji AWAMOTO, Junichiro TAKAHASHI, Takefumi HIDAKA
  • Patent number: 9947526
    Abstract: A gas discharge device includes a thin glass tube filled with a discharge gas; a pair of first and second long electrodes extending toward either side along a longitudinal direction with a discharge gap interposed therebetween are provided outside of a back side flat surface of a thin glass tube; and a ultraviolet phosphor layer formed on an inner surface at the back side flat surface, the thin glass tube filled with a discharge gas having a front side flat surface and the back side flat surface facing each other on a transverse section, wherein, starting with trigger discharge that is initially generated in the discharge gap as a result of a voltage increase when a voltage with a sine waveform or an inclined waveform is applied between both electrodes, the discharge gradually extends so as to move in the longitudinal direction of the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: SHIKOH TECH LLC
    Inventors: Tsutae Shinoda, Hitoshi Hirakawa, Kenji Awamoto, Bingang Guo, Takefumi Hidaka, Junichiro Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20170186596
    Abstract: The object of this invention is to provide a gas discharge device which has a simple configuration, inexpensive, and has excellent luminous efficiency, for an ultraviolet or visible light source. The invention provides a gas discharge device in which first and second long electrodes extending toward either side along a longitudinal direction with a discharge gap interposed therebetween are provided outside of a back side flat surface of a thin glass tube, the thin glass tube filled with a discharge gas having a front side flat surface and the back side flat surface facing each other on a transverse section, wherein, starting with trigger discharge that is initially generated in the discharge gap as a result of a voltage increase when a voltage with a sine waveform or an inclined waveform is applied between both electrodes, the discharge gradually extends so as to move in the longitudinal direction of the electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Inventors: Tsutae SHINODA, Hitoshi HIRAKAWA, Kenji AWAMOTO, Bingang GUO, Takefumi HIDAKA, Junichiro TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 8816938
    Abstract: A large-scale display device having a plurality of display units which each include a plurality of elongated plasma tubes each filled with a discharge gas, and at least one pair of display electrodes disposed outside the plasma tubes, voltage applying means which applies a drive voltage to the display electrodes to cause electric discharge in the plasma tubes for display. Vertically adjoining ones of the display units respectively have adjoining portions which are offset thicknesswise from each other for prevention of contact between the plasma tubes of the vertically adjoining display units. The voltage applying means is disposed away from the adjoining portions of the vertically adjoining display units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Shinoda Plasma Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Tamura, Hitoshi Hirakawa, Koji Shinohe, Yoshio Shibukawa, Takamitsu Bunno, Kenji Awamoto, Yoko Shinoda, Tetsuya Makino
  • Patent number: 8796949
    Abstract: The present invention provides an ultraviolet light irradiation device having a planer UV light source in which the irradiation intensity of UV light can be adjusted finely in a wider range. The ultraviolet light irradiation device of the present invention comprises an UV light source and a housing that holds the planer UV light source. In the UV light source, a plurality of thin plasma tubes, each of which has an UV phosphor layer formed therein, are arranged in parallel with each other on an electrode support sheet, and drive circuits apply a pulse voltage to electrode pairs provided between the electrode support sheet and an array of the thin plasma tubes. A control circuit controls a factor of the pulse voltage to be applied to the electrode pairs so as to adjust the irradiation intensity of the UV light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignees: Shinoda Plasma Co., Ltd., Yumex Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Awamoto, Bingang Guo, Koji Shinohe, Tsutae Shinoda, Yoshitaka Chigi, Tetsuro Nishimoto, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Mikihiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8330676
    Abstract: This invention provides a plasma tube array-type display device and a luminance correcting method realizing reduced variations in luminance values of a plasma tube array. A gradient of the luminance value in the longitudinal direction of one plasma tube is calculated on the basis of the obtained luminance value at a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of at least one plasma tube. A difference of the luminance value of each plasma tube obtained at the same relative position. On the basis of the gradient of the luminance value and the difference of the luminance value of each plasma tube at the same relative position, a correction luminance value in each discharge cell in the longitudinal direction of each of the plurality of plasma tubes is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Shinoda Plasma Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Shinohe, Koji Kishimoto, Tetsuya Makino, Hitoshi Hirakawa, Kenji Awamoto
  • Patent number: 8310606
    Abstract: This invention provides a display device capable of maintaining a high image quality of a display image even when a plurality of plasma tube array-type display sub-modules is joined horizontally to one another. A display device comprises a plasma tube array-type display sub-module in which a plurality of plasma tubes 31, 31, . . . , are arranged in parallel being held between an address electrode support sheet where address electrodes are formed and a display electrode support sheet 35 where display electrodes are formed, wherein the plurality of plasma tube array-type display sub-modules 30, 30, . . . , are joined horizontally to one another so that an interval between the adjacent plasma tube array-type display sub-modules 30, 30, . . . , and a clearance between the adjacent plasma tubes 31, 31 are substantially equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Shinoda Plasma Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Itamasu, Koji Kishimoto, Koji Shinohe, Manabu Ishimoto, Hitoshi Hirakawa, Kenji Awamoto
  • Patent number: 8305292
    Abstract: A large-scale display device having a plurality of display units which each include a plurality of elongated plasma tubes each filled with a discharge gas, and at least one pair of display electrodes disposed outside the plasma tubes, voltage applying means which applies a drive voltage to the display electrodes to cause electric discharge in the plasma tubes for display. Vertically adjoining ones of the display units respectively have adjoining portions which are offset thicknesswise from each other for prevention of contact between the plasma tubes of the vertically adjoining display units. The voltage applying means is disposed away from the adjoining portions of the vertically adjoining display units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Shinoda Plasma Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Tamura, Hitoshi Hirakawa, Koji Shinohe, Yoshio Shibukawa, Takamitsu Bunno, Tetsuya Makino, Kenji Awamoto, Yoko Shinoda
  • Patent number: 8207911
    Abstract: A display device includes two or more plasma tube array units to provide a large sized screen. Each plasma tube array unit includes pairs of scan and sustain electrodes. The plasma tube array units are disposed adjacent to each other in a longitudinal direction of the scan and sustain electrodes. One scan driver which selectively applies a scan signal to the scan electrodes is coupled to the two adjacent plasma tube array units at a position between the two adjacent plasma tube array units. Two sustain voltage drivers which apply respective sustain voltage to the sustain electrodes are coupled to the sustain electrodes of the two respective adjacent plasma tube array units on two respective outermost sides of the two respective adjacent plasma tube array units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Shinoda Plasma Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Ishimoto, Hitoshi Hirakawa, Kenji Awamoto
  • Publication number: 20120154357
    Abstract: A method for driving a plasma display panel having at least three electrodes. The method includes applying a first pulse having a voltage changing with time in a positive direction and a second pulse having a voltage changing with time in a negative direction to a second main electrode in an address preparation period. The method also includes applying a scan pulse to the second main electrode in an address period. The method also includes at least one of the first and second pulses in the address preparation period has a stepwise waveform whose voltage rise or fall stepwise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI PATENT LICENSING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasunobu HASHIMOTO, Yasushi Yoneda, Kenji Awamoto, Seiichi Iwasa
  • Patent number: RE43267
    Abstract: When performing the line-sequential addressing for setting the state of each of the cells arranged in rows and columns that constitute a display screen, discharge is generated that has intensity in accordance with display data corresponding to each of all cells belonging to the selected row for each selection of the row. Thus, the priming effect in the following discharge is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Plasma Patent Licensing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunobu Hashimoto, Yasushi Yoneda, Kenji Awamoto, Seiichi Iwasa
  • Patent number: RE43268
    Abstract: When performing the line-sequential addressing for setting the state of each of the cells arranged in rows and columns that constitute a display screen, discharge is generated that has intensity in accordance with display data corresponding to each of all cells belonging to the selected row for each selection of the row. Thus, the priming effect in the following discharge is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Plasma Patent Licensing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunobu Hashimoto, Yasushi Yoneda, Kenji Awamoto, Seiichi Iwasa
  • Patent number: RE43269
    Abstract: When performing the line-sequential addressing for setting the state of each of the cells arranged in rows and columns that constitute a display screen, discharge is generated that has intensity in accordance with display data corresponding to each of all cells belonging to the selected row for each selection of the row. Thus, the priming effect in the following discharge is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Plasma Patent Licensing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunobu Hashimoto, Yasushi Yoneda, Kenji Awamoto, Seiichi Iwasa
  • Patent number: RE44003
    Abstract: When performing the line-sequential addressing for setting the state of each of the cells arranged in rows and columns that constitute a display screen, discharge is generated that has intensity in accordance with display data corresponding to each of all cells belonging to the selected row for each selection of the row. Thus, the priming effect in the following discharge is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi Plasma Patent Licensing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunobu Hashimoto, Yasushi Yoneda, Kenji Awamoto, Seiichi Iwasa
  • Patent number: RE44757
    Abstract: When performing the line-sequential addressing for setting the state of each of the cells arranged in rows and columns that constitute a display screen, discharge is generated that has intensity in accordance with display data corresponding to each of all cells belonging to the selected row for each selection of the row. Thus, the priming effect in the following discharge is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunobu Hashimoto, Yasushi Yoneda, Kenji Awamoto, Seiichi Iwasa
  • Patent number: RE45167
    Abstract: When performing the line-sequential addressing for setting the state of each of the cells arranged in rows and columns that constitute a display screen, discharge is generated that has intensity in accordance with display data corresponding to each of all cells belonging to the selected row for each selection of the row. Thus, the priming effect in the following discharge is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunobu Hashimoto, Yasushi Yoneda, Kenji Awamoto, Seiichi Iwasa