Patents by Inventor Kohei SUGAHARA

Kohei SUGAHARA 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: 20240142323
    Abstract: A sensor device includes a force sensor on a substrate, a light emitter to emit light from over the substrate, a light receiver to receive light on the substrate and detect proximity of an object, and an elastic member made of an elastic material and including a first portion covering the force sensor, a second portion extending around the light emitter and the light receiver, through at least spaces between the light emitter, the light receiver, and the force sensor, and a third portion coupling the first portion and the second portion to each other. The third portion in the elastic member has a lower height from the substrate than the first and second portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2024
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventors: Hiroshi WATANABE, Kohei SUGAHARA, Koichi INOUE, Takatoshi KATO
  • Patent number: 11953351
    Abstract: A tactile and proximity sensor includes a light source, a light receiver, an elastic structure, and a reflecting mirror. The light source emits light. The light receiver receives light and generates a signal indicating a result of reception of the light. The elastic structure includes an elastic body deformable in response to an external force and includes a reflecting portion to reflect light and transmitting portions to transmit light. The reflecting mirror faces the light source to guide the light from the light source to the reflecting portion and the transmitting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takatoshi Kato, Hiroshi Watanabe, Kohei Sugahara
  • Patent number: 11933684
    Abstract: A tactile and proximity sensor includes a light source, a light receiving section, and a cover. The light source emits light. The light receiving section receives light and generates a signal providing a result of the received light. The cover includes an elastic body that deforms under external force and that covers the light source and the light receiving section. The cover includes a reflective section that reflects light between the light source and the light receiving section and a transmission section that allows light to pass through in a first direction from the light source and that allows light to pass through in a second direction from the light receiving section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takatoshi Kato, Hiroshi Watanabe, Kohei Sugahara, Hironari Yamamoto, Hiraku Kawai
  • Patent number: 11933936
    Abstract: An optical sensor includes a light source, a light receiver, and a convex portion. The light source emits light to an object. The light receiver receives reflected light of the emitted light reflected by an object and generates a signal showing a light reception result. The convex portion has a height higher than a height of the light source and the light receiver. The convex portion is between the light source and the light receiver to block reflected light from the light receiver when light from the light source is reflected within a range of a predetermined distance from the convex portion. The light receiver outputs a signal to show a light reception result of equal to or less than a threshold amount of light indicating that the reflected light is not received in response to proximity of the object being within a range of a predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Watanabe, Kohei Sugahara, Takatoshi Kato
  • Publication number: 20240053210
    Abstract: A sensor device includes a substrate, a force sensor on the substrate, and a proximity sensor including light emitting elements on the substrate and light receiving elements to receive light from the light emitting elements. At least one of the light emitting elements and the light receiving elements of the proximity sensor is located at three or more positions that surround the force sensor on the substrate. A position of a center of gravity with respect to the three or more positions is within a range in which the force sensor is positioned on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Hiroshi WATANABE, Kohei SUGAHARA, Takatoshi KATO, Koichi INOUE
  • Publication number: 20240044671
    Abstract: A proximity sensor includes one or more detection electrodes to be capacitively coupled to an object, a contact electrode contactable with the object, an excitation circuit connected to one of the one or more detection electrodes or the contact electrode to supply an excitation voltage to the electrode to which the excitation circuit is connected, and a detection circuit connected to the other of the one or more detection electrodes or the contact electrode to generate, based on a detection voltage at the electrode connected to the detection circuit, a detection signal in response to an electrostatic capacitance between the one of the one or more detection electrodes and the object. The detection circuit generates the detection signal in response to the electrostatic capacitance. The detection signal indicates a proximity of the object in contact with the contact electrode to the one of the one or more detection electrodes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Inventors: Takatoshi KATO, Hiroshi WATANABE, Kohei SUGAHARA, Koichi INOUE
  • Patent number: 11698295
    Abstract: An optical sensor includes a light emitter to emit light, a light receiver to receive the light emitted from the light emitter, a first resin body that covers the light emitter and the light receiver to transmit the light emitted from the light emitter to emit the light outside, and a second resin body that seals the light emitter and the light receiver, in which the second resin body is included inside the first resin body, and the second resin body is harder than the first resin body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Watanabe, Kohei Sugahara, Takatoshi Kato
  • Publication number: 20220283303
    Abstract: An optical sensor includes a first light source to emit light, a first photodetector to receive light and generate a signal representing a result of receiving the light, a cover made of an elastic material deformable in response to an external force and covering the first light source and the first photodetector, the cover including a reflective portion that reflects light and a transmissive portion that transmits light, a force detector to detect a force corresponding to deformation of the cover based on a signal from the first photodetector, the signal representing a result of receiving light emitted by the first light source, an optical assembly outside the covering component, and a proximity detector to detect the object being in proximity by using the optical assembly and one of the first light source and the first photodetector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventors: Takatoshi KATO, Hiroshi WATANABE, Kohei SUGAHARA, Yuta AOKI
  • Publication number: 20220276405
    Abstract: An optical sensor includes a light source, a light receiver, and a convex portion. The light source emits light to an object. The light receiver receives reflected light of the emitted light reflected by an object and generates a signal showing a light reception result. The convex portion has a height higher than a height of the light source and the light receiver. The convex portion is between the light source and the light receiver to block reflected light from the light receiver when light from the light source is reflected within a range of a predetermined distance from the convex portion. The light receiver outputs a signal to show a light reception result of equal to or less than a threshold amount of light indicating that the reflected light is not received in response to proximity of the object being within a range of a predetermined distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2022
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Inventors: Hiroshi WATANABE, Kohei SUGAHARA, Takatoshi KATO
  • Publication number: 20220128397
    Abstract: An optical sensor includes a light emitter to emit light, a light receiver to receive the light emitted from the light emitter, a first resin body that covers the light emitter and the light receiver to transmit the light emitted from the light emitter to emit the light outside, and a second resin body that seals the light emitter and the light receiver, in which the second resin body is included inside the first resin body, and the second resin body is harder than the first resin body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2022
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Inventors: Hiroshi WATANABE, Kohei SUGAHARA, Takatoshi KATO
  • Publication number: 20210310835
    Abstract: A tactile and proximity sensor includes a light source, a light receiver, an elastic structure, and a reflecting mirror. The light source emits light. The light receiver receives light and generates a signal indicating a result of reception of the light. The elastic structure includes an elastic body deformable in response to an external force and includes a reflecting portion to reflect light and transmitting portions to transmit light. The reflecting mirror faces the light source to guide the light from the light source to the reflecting portion and the transmitting portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Inventors: Takatoshi KATO, Hiroshi WATANABE, Kohei SUGAHARA
  • Publication number: 20210072101
    Abstract: A tactile and proximity sensor includes a light source, a light receiving section, and a cover. The light source emits light. The light receiving section receives light and generates a signal providing a result of the received light. The cover includes an elastic body that deforms under external force and that covers the light source and the light receiving section. The cover includes a reflective section that reflects light between the light source and the light receiving section and a transmission section that allows light to pass through in a first direction from the light source and that allows light to pass through in a second direction from the light receiving section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Inventors: Takatoshi KATO, Hiroshi WATANABE, Kohei SUGAHARA, Hironari YAMAMOTO, Hiraku KAWAI