Patents by Inventor Kosuke MINAMI

Kosuke MINAMI 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: 11879863
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for analyzing a liquid sample that solves a problem of a kinetically slow equilibrium at a liquid-solid interface, the problem occurring when liquid sample analysis is performed with a chemical sensor. In the method for analyzing a liquid sample according to an embodiment of the present invention, a component to be analyzed in a liquid sample is adsorbed on a receptor layer of a chemical sensor, one or more kinds of gases are then supplied to the chemical sensor, and a response thereof is measured. As a result, since a slow equilibrium at a liquid-solid interface is not used, a high-sensitivity measurement can be performed in a short time, and existing findings regarding analysis of gas samples on which much progress in research has been achieved can be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Kosuke Minami, Genki Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 11796408
    Abstract: A method for cleaning a receptor layer of a surface stress sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes, in a surface stress sensor that detects a change in surface stress of a thin film, the change being caused by a receptor layer disposed on a surface of the thin film, causing at least a part of a surface region of the thin film to generate heat or supplying heat to the receptor layer from the outside of the surface stress sensor. This makes it possible to easily perform efficient cleaning of a surface stress sensor such as a sensor that performs detection using a piezoresistor while avoiding structural complications as much as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Genki Yoshikawa, Takahiro Nemoto, Makito Nakatsu, Naoto Takeda, Kota Shiba, Kosuke Minami
  • Patent number: 11774346
    Abstract: In an analysis of a fluid component using a nanomechanical sensor covered with a receptor, the same receptor is caused to express different response characteristics. In a measuring system of analyzing a response when a sample gas and a purge gas are supplied to a nanomechanical sensor while switching the sample gas and the purge gas, a gas (external gas) different from both gases is mixed into a gas channel and supplied to the sensor for measurement. Since a response characteristic of a receptor is modulated by mixing of the external gas, the object described above is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Kosuke Minami, Gaku Imamura, Kota Shiba, Genki Yoshikawa
  • Publication number: 20230273183
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily determine a presence or absence of ketosis and/or the possibility of ketosis in an animal on site or the like. Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for performing the determination. A method for determining ketosis according to one embodiment of the present invention includes providing gas detection means with a gas generated from a body fluid collected from an animal (except for humans), and determining ketosis of the animal based on a composition of the gas generated from the body fluid using a response of the gas detection means to the gas generated from the body fluid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Ryoh NAKAKUBO, Mitsuyoshi ISHIDA, Genki YOSHIKAWA, Kosuke MINAMI, Gaku IMAMURA, Hideki MATSUZAKA, Takahiro NEMOTO
  • Publication number: 20230147626
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily evaluate silage fermentation quality on site or the like. In one embodiment of the present invention, a gas generated from silage is applied to a surface stress sensor, and the amount of either one of organic acids and nitrogen-containing compounds contained in the silage is determined. The surface stress sensor can detect trace components in a gas by a simple device configuration and in simple procedures. Therefore, by utilizing the fact that relationship between the content of these components and the fermentation quality is known, the evaluation of fermentation quality can be easily realized by the above measurement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Ryo NAKAKUBO, Mitsuyoshi ISHIDA, Masanori TOHNO, Hisami KOBAYASHI, Genki YOSHIKAWA, Kosuke MINAMI, Gaku IMAMURA, Hideki MATSUZAKA, Takahiro NEMOTO
  • Publication number: 20230090065
    Abstract: The present invention makes it possible to represent or synthesize any odor by separating the odor into a combination of a relatively small number of odors, similarly to separating a color into three primary colors. Since the “primary odors” corresponding to the primary colors have not yet been ascertained, the present invention provides a feasible method and apparatus in which, instead of presetting such fixed primary odors, the separation, synthesis, and the like can be performed by selecting a subset of odors from among a set consisting of a plurality of odors which subset or odors enables approximation of other odors as much as possible by mixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Ryo TAMURA, Hanxiao XU, Koki KITAI, Kosuke MINAMI, Makito NAKATSU, Genki YOSHIKAWA, Kota SHIBA, Koji TSUDA
  • Publication number: 20220291185
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to detect ammonia with high sensitivity and high selectivity using a nanomechanical sensor with a structure that is as simple as possible. A method for detecting ammonia according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises supplying a sample gas possibly containing ammonia to a nanomechanical sensor that detects a stress or a displacement using poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) as a material of a receptor layer, and detecting presence or absence of ammonia or a content of ammonia in the sample gas based on an output signal from the nanomechanical sensor, in which the sample gas is a humidified sample gas with controlled relative humidity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Gaku IMAMURA, Kosuke MINAMI, Kota SHIBA, Genki YOSHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220260540
    Abstract: The present invention suppresses an adverse effect caused when an additional gas such as water vapor is mixed in a sample gas or the like that is subjected to gas measurement. In an embodiment of the present invention, in gas measurement for analyzing sensor output signals obtained by alternately supplying a sample gas and a reference gas to a sensor element while alternately switching between the sample gas and the reference gas, the sample gas and the reference gas pass through a humidity equilibration device partitioned by a water vapor permeable membrane, and then are supplied to the sensor element. As a result, since both gases have substantially the same value of humidity at the time of being supplied to the sensor element, influences of water vapor are substantially cancelled out in signals output from the sensor element by the alternate supply of the sample gas and the reference gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventors: Genki YOSHIKAWA, Takahiro NEMOTO, Masaaki MATOBA, Kosuke MINAMI
  • Patent number: 11215585
    Abstract: The present invention provides a nanomechanical sensor in which a negative influence of water in a sample on measurement is suppressed. In an embodiment of the present invention, as a receptor material of the nanomechanical sensor, a low-hygroscopic material such as polysulfone, polycaprolactone, poly(vinylidene fluoride), or poly(4-methylstyrene) is used. According to this embodiment, a negative influence, such as saturation of a receptor layer by water in the sample, or masking of an output signal based on trace components by an output signal based on water contained in the sample in a large amount, can be suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Kota Shiba, Kosuke Minami, Genki Yoshikawa
  • Publication number: 20210396699
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for analyzing a liquid sample that solves a problem of a kinetically slow equilibrium at a liquid-solid interface, the problem occurring when liquid sample analysis is performed with a chemical sensor. In the method for analyzing a liquid sample according to an embodiment of the present invention, a component to be analyzed in a liquid sample is adsorbed on a receptor layer of a chemical sensor, one or more kinds of gases are then supplied to the chemical sensor, and a response thereof is measured. As a result, since a slow equilibrium at a liquid-solid interface is not used, a high-sensitivity measurement can be performed in a short time, and existing findings regarding analysis of gas samples on which much progress in research has been achieved can be used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Kosuke MINAMI, Genki YOSHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20210215556
    Abstract: A method for cleaning a receptor layer of a surface stress sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes, in a surface stress sensor that detects a change in surface stress of a thin film, the change being caused by a receptor layer disposed on a surface of the thin film, causing at least a part of a surface region of the thin film to generate heat or supplying heat to the receptor layer from the outside of the surface stress sensor. This makes it possible to easily perform efficient cleaning of a surface stress sensor such as a sensor that performs detection using a piezoresistor while avoiding structural complications as much as possible.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Genki YOSHIKAWA, Takahiro NEMOTO, Makito NAKATSU, Naoto TAKEDA, Kota SHIBA, Kosuke MINAMI
  • Publication number: 20210199563
    Abstract: In an analysis of a fluid component using a nanomechanical sensor covered with a receptor, the same receptor is caused to express different response characteristics. In a measuring system of analyzing a response when a sample gas and a purge gas are supplied to a nanomechanical sensor while switching the sample gas and the purge gas, a gas (external gas) different from both gases is mixed into a gas channel and supplied to the sensor for measurement. Since a response characteristic of a receptor is modulated by mixing of the external gas, the object described above is achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Publication date: July 1, 2021
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Kosuke MINAMI, Gaku IMAMURA, Kota SHIBA, Genki YOSHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20210190655
    Abstract: Provided is a novel material analysis technique using a chemical sensor. By reversing the conventional approach, a material to be measured is provided as a receptor of the chemical sensor, and a response signal of the chemical sensor obtained by supplying a known gas or the like to the chemical sensor is obtained. From the response signal, it is possible to identify and distinguish the receptor material, and to obtain its composition and the like. By analyzing the response signal by means of a statistical or machine learning technique such as principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis, or a support vector machine, the above-mentioned identification and the like can be performed with high accuracy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Kosuke MINAMI, Genki YOSHIKAWA, Gaku IMAMURA, Kota SHIBA
  • Publication number: 20200249201
    Abstract: The present invention provides a nanomechanical sensor in which a negative influence of water in a sample on measurement is suppressed. In an embodiment of the present invention, as a receptor material of the nanomechanical sensor, a low-hygroscopic material such as polysulfone, polycaprolactone, poly(vinylidene fluoride), or poly(4-methylstyrene) is used. According to this embodiment, a negative influence, such as saturation of a receptor layer by water in the sample, or masking of an output signal based on trace components by an output signal based on water contained in the sample in a large amount, can be suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Kota SHIBA, Kosuke MINAMI, Genki YOSHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 10564082
    Abstract: According to improvement of the receptor layer of various sensors of the type for detecting physical parameters (for example, a surface stress sensor, QCM, and SPR), all of high sensitivity, selectivity, and durability are achieved simultaneously. A porous material or a particulate material, e.g., nanoparticles, is used in place of a uniform membrane which has been conventionally used as a receptor layer. Accordingly, the sensitivity can be controlled by changing the membrane thickness of the receptor layer, the selectivity can be controlled by changing a surface modifying group to be fixed on the porous material or particulate material, and the durability can be controlled by changing the composition and surface properties of the porous material or particulate material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Kota Shiba, Genki Yoshikawa, Yusuke Yamauchi, Norihiro Suzuki, Gaku Imamura, Kosuke Minami, Hamish Hei-Man Yeung
  • Publication number: 20180003604
    Abstract: According to improvement of the receptor layer of various sensors of the type for detecting physical parameters (for example, a surface stress sensor, QCM, and SPR), all of high sensitivity, selectivity, and durability are achieved simultaneously. A porous material or a particulate material, e.g., nanoparticles, is used in place of a uniform membrane which has been conventionally used as a receptor layer. Accordingly, the sensitivity can be controlled by changing the membrane thickness of the receptor layer, the selectivity can be controlled by changing a surface modifying group to be fixed on the porous material or particulate material, and the durability can be controlled by changing the composition and surface properties of the porous material or particulate material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Publication date: January 4, 2018
    Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE
    Inventors: Kota SHIBA, Genki YOSHIKAWA, Yusuke YAMAUCHI, Norihiro SUZUKI, Gaku IMAMURA, Kosuke MINAMI, Hamish Hei-Man YEUNG