Patents by Inventor Kozo Kawai

Kozo Kawai 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: 7584759
    Abstract: In a hair dryer with a brush emitting minus ion to a hair in brushing, effect of the minus ion for hair treatment is increased. The hair dryer is comprised of a main body and a brush unit detachably engaged with an air outlet of the main body. A plurality of ion outlets is provided on a housing of the main body and disposed outside of the air outlet so that minus ion is emitted toward the brush unit. Since the minus ion emitted from the ion outlet is not shielded by the hair in brushing, the minus ion can be sprayed widely to the hair, and not directly heated by hot air flow blowing from the brush unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichirou Yasuda, Kiyoshi Takashima, Kozo Kawai
  • Patent number: 7350317
    Abstract: In an electrostatic atomizing hairdryer, electrostatically atomized mist generated in an electrostatic atomizing unit is effectively scattered into airflow emitted from a main body of the hairdryer so that the mist can be sprayed to hair uniformly and a time necessary for treatment of hair can be shortened. A tank constituting the electrostatic atomizing unit is detachably provided on a portion in the vicinity of an outer periphery of the main body, and an electrode unit for generating the mist is provided in a path of airflow sucked in an inside of the main body so as to be insulated from heat of a heating unit by an adiabator. A mist emitting opening from which the mist is emitted is disposed on a plane substantially the same as and at substantially the center of an air exit opening of the main body. Thereby, the mist emitted from the mist emitting opening is effectively scattered into the airflow emitted from the air exit opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunori Matsui, Osamu Imahori, Shosuke Akisada, Fumio Mihara, Akihide Sugawa, Toshihisa Hirai, Takashi Nakagawa, Kozo Kawai, Naofumi Kodama, Tomohiro Yamaguchi, Kiyoshi Takashima, Kousuke Katayama, Junichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7155986
    Abstract: In a power fastening tool for fastening a fastening member such as a screw or a fastening member, malfunction that driving of a motor is stopped before the fastening member is fastened completely can be prevented. A fastening judger judges that the fastening operation is completed when a value of an estimated torque T for fastening the fastening member becomes larger than a predetermined lower limit value T1 previously set by a user and a value of a torque variation ratio ??T varies from positive to negative. Thus, it is possible to prevent malfunction for stopping driving of a motor even when the value of the torque variation ratio ??T varies from positive to negative due to trouble before the vale of the estimated torque T becomes larger than the lower limit value T1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kozo Kawai, Yoshinori Sainomoto, Tatsuhiko Matsumoto, Tadashi Arimura, Toshiharu Ohashi, Hiroshi Miyazaki, Hidenori Shimizu, Fumiaki Sawano
  • Publication number: 20060064892
    Abstract: In an electrostatic atomizing hairdryer, electrostatically atomized mist generated in an electrostatic atomizing unit is effectively scattered into airflow emitted from a main body of the hairdryer so that the mist can be sprayed to hair uniformly and a time necessary for treatment of hair can be shortened. A tank constituting the electrostatic atomizing unit is detachably provided on a portion in the vicinity of an outer periphery of the main body, and an electrode unit for generating the mist is provided in a path of airflow sucked in an inside of the main body so as to be insulated from heat of a heating unit by an adiabator. A mist emitting opening from which the mist is emitted is disposed on a plane substantially the same as and at substantially the center of an air exit opening of the main body. Thereby, the mist emitted from the mist emitting opening is effectively scattered into the airflow emitted from the air exit opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunori Matsui, Osamu Imahori, Shosuke Akisada, Fumio Mihara, Akihide Sugawa, Toshihisa Hirai, Takashi Nakagawa, Kozo Kawai, Naofumi Kodama, Tomohiro Yamaguchi, Kiyoshi Takashima, Kousuke Katayama, Junichi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20050284495
    Abstract: In a hair dryer with a brush emitting minus ion to a hair in brushing, effect of the minus ion for hair treatment is increased. The hair dryer is comprised of a main body and a brush unit detachably engaged with an air outlet of the main body. A plurality of ion outlets is provided on a housing of the main body and disposed outside of the air outlet so that minus ion is emitted toward the brush unit. Since the minus ion emitted from the ion outlet is not shielded by the hair in brushing, the minus ion can be sprayed widely to the hair, and not directly heated by hot air flow blowing from the brush unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2005
    Publication date: December 29, 2005
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichirou Yasuda, Kiyoshi Takashima, Kozo Kawai
  • Patent number: 6978846
    Abstract: In a power impact tool for fastening a screw or a bolt, malfunction that driving of a motor is stopped before the screw or the bolt is fastened completely can be prevented. A fastening judger judged that the fastening operation is completed at least when a torque variation ratio becomes substantially zero and a reference index becomes equal to or larger than a threshold value of trouble judgment. The reference index is a number of impact of a hammer in a term in which the torque variation ratios take positive values, and the threshold value of trouble judgment is calculated with using a maximum value of the torque variation ratio in the term. Since the number of the impact of the hammer due to trouble in fastening operation is smaller than that due to the screw or the bolt is fastened completely, it is possible to distinguish the increase of the torque in the former case from the increase of the torque in the latter case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kozo Kawai, Yoshinori Sainomoto
  • Publication number: 20050263305
    Abstract: A rotary impact tool can be used continuously for fastening a plurality of fastening members such as screws, bolts or nuts in tight fastening mode. The rotary impact tool comprises a rotary driving mechanism including a motor for rotating a driving shaft, a hammer engaged with the driving shaft, an output shaft to which a driving force is applied by impact blow of the hammer, a main switch operated by a user for controlling fastening operation, and a controller for controlling on and off of the motor. The controller has a normal fastening mode and a tight fastening mode, and a tight fastening mode setting switch used for setting the tight fastening mode is further comprised. When the tight fastening mode setting switch is switched on, the controller continuously drives the rotary driving mechanism so as to perform tight fastening operation continuously.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2005
    Publication date: December 1, 2005
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidenori Shimizu, Toshiharu Ohashi, Kozo Kawai, Yoshinori Sainomoto, Fumiaki Sawano, Hiroshi Miyazaki, Tadashi Arimura, Tatsuhiko Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20050263303
    Abstract: A rotary impact tool can be used in a work especially precision or finishing of fastening is important. The rotary impact tool comprises a rotary driving mechanism including a driving source for rotating a driving shaft, a hammer fixed on the driving shaft, an output shaft to which a driving force is applied by impact blow of the hammer, a torque setting unit used for setting a fastening torque, a processor for calculating fastening torque from impact blow of the hammer, a rotation speed setting unit used for setting rotation speed of the driving shaft, and a controller for rotating the driving shaft of the rotary driving mechanism in a rotation speed set in the rotation speed setting unit and for stopping rotation of the driving shaft of the rotary driving mechanism when the fastening torque calculated in the processor becomes equal to or larger than a reference value of fastening torque previously set in the torque setting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2005
    Publication date: December 1, 2005
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidenori Shimizu, Toshiharu Ohashi, Kozo Kawai, Yoshinori Sainomoto, Fumiaki Sawano, Hiroshi Miyazaki, Tadashi Arimura, Tatsuhiko Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 6945337
    Abstract: In a power impact tool for fastening a fastening member, a torque for fastening the fastening member can be estimated without using a high-resolution sensor and a high-speed processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kozo Kawai, Yoshinori Sainomoto, Tatsuhiko Matsumoto, Tadashi Arimura, Toshiharu Ohashi, Hiroshi Miyazaki, Hidenori Shimizu, Fumiaki Sawano
  • Publication number: 20050109520
    Abstract: In a power fastening tool for fastening a fastening member such as a screw or a fastening member, malfunction that driving of a motor is stopped before the fastening member is fastened completely can be prevented. A fastening judger judges that the fastening operation is completed when a value of an estimated torque T for fastening the fastening member becomes larger than a predetermined lower limit value T1 previously set by a user and a value of a torque variation ratio ??T varies from positive to negative. Thus, it is possible to prevent malfunction for stopping driving of a motor even when the value of the torque variation ratio ??T varies from positive to negative due to trouble before the vale of the estimated torque T becomes larger than the lower limit value T1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2004
    Publication date: May 26, 2005
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kozo Kawai, Yoshinori Sainomoto, Tatsuhiko Matsumoto, Tadashi Arimura, Toshiharu Ohashi, Hiroshi Miyazaki, Hidenori Shimizu, Fumiaki Sawano
  • Publication number: 20050109519
    Abstract: In a power impact tool for fastening a fastening member, a torque for fastening the fastening member can be estimated without using a high-resolution sensor and a high-speed processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2004
    Publication date: May 26, 2005
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kozo Kawai, Yoshinori Sainomoto, Tatsuhiko Matsumoto, Tadashi Arimura, Toshiharu Ohashi, Hiroshi Miyazaki, Hidenori Shimizu, Fumiaki Sawano
  • Publication number: 20050045353
    Abstract: In a power impact tool for fastening a screw or a bolt, malfunction that driving of a motor is stopped before the screw or the bolt is fastened completely can be prevented. A fastening judger judged that the fastening operation is completed at least when a torque variation ratio becomes substantially zero and a reference index becomes equal to or larger than a threshold value of trouble judgment. The reference index is a number of impact of a hammer in a term in which the torque variation ratios take positive values, and the threshold value of trouble judgment is calculated with using a maximum value of the torque variation ratio in the term. Since the number of the impact of the hammer due to trouble in fastening operation is smaller than that due to the screw or the bolt is fastened completely, it is possible to distinguish the increase of the torque in the former case from the increase of the torque in the latter case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2004
    Publication date: March 3, 2005
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kozo Kawai, Yoshinori Sainomoto
  • Patent number: 6538402
    Abstract: An improved self-oscillation system for a linear oscillatory actuator composed of a stator and a reciprocator. The stator carries a winding to which an electric current is periodically supplied for making a resonant oscillation of the reciprocator. The system includes a self-oscillation circuit for continuing the resonant oscillation of the actuator by a positive feedback manner based upon a back electromotive force (Vbemf) appearing across the winding. The system further includes a PWM control for increasing the electric current in response to a decreasing oscillation amplitude due to an increasing load applied to the reciprocator. A detector circuit is included to monitor the oscillation amplitude of the reciprocator and provides a corresponding detector output in response to which the self-oscillation circuit provides a drive pulse of varying pulse width for making the PWM control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Halit S. Gokturk, Satoshi Nakayama, Kozo Kawai, Hideaki Abe, Toyokatsu Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20010008355
    Abstract: An improved self-oscillation system for a linear oscillatory actuator composed of a stator and a reciprocator. The stator carries a winding to which an electric current is periodically supplied for making a resonant oscillation of the reciprocator. The system includes a self-oscillation circuit for continuing the resonant oscillation of the actuator by a positive feedback manner based upon a back electromotive force (Vbemf) appearing across the winding. The system further includes a PWM control for increasing the electric current in response to a decreasing oscillation amplitude due to an increasing load applied to the reciprocator. A detector circuit is included to monitor the oscillation amplitude of the reciprocator and provides a corresponding detector output in response to which the self-oscillation circuit provides a drive pulse of varying pulse width for making the PWM control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2001
    Publication date: July 19, 2001
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Halit S. Gokturk, Satoshi Nakayama, Kozo Kawai, Hideaki Abe, Toyokatsu Okamoto
  • Patent number: 6183426
    Abstract: An ultrasonic wave applying apparatus which is safe and convenient for use. The apparatus includes an hand-held applicator having a vibration element which is, in use, contact with a skin of a user to apply ultrasonic waves to the skin, a power source providing a DC voltage, an oscillator circuit which is energized by the DC voltage from the power source to generate an oscillating output for driving the vibration element, and a load detecting circuit which monitors whether the vibration element is loaded such as by contact with the skin and provides a load detection signal when the vibration element is so loaded. In addition, a motion detecting circuit is provided to monitor whether the vibration element is moving and give a motion detection signal when the vibration element is so moving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shosuke Akisada, Hiromitu Inoue, Hideaki Abe, Kozo Kawai, Motoharu Muto, Masayuki Hayashi, Shinji Nishimura, Itaru Saida
  • Patent number: 5974358
    Abstract: A navigation apparatus is provided for surveying a present spot of the apparatus carried by a vehicle or a user with such surveying unit as a global positioning system (GPS), displaying on a display unit a present spot mark by means of latitudinal and longitudinal lines X and Y of the surveyed spot, showing on a guide display unit positions to be in coincidence with the latitudinal and longitudinal lines according to the surveyed spot, and transferring with a writing guide unit the positions of the latitudinal and longitudinal lines shown on the guide display unit onto a map. Then, the user places the apparatus on the map, and the present spot can be optimumly recognized on the map by means of the present spot mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kozo Kawai, Kaname Okuno
  • Patent number: 5819199
    Abstract: A navigation apparatus is provided for surveying the position of the apparatus with such surveying unit as a global positioning system (GPS), to have respective figures of reference latitudinal and longitudinal lines X and Y displayed on a display device and, at the same time, to have the latitude and longitude of the position to be indicated by a present position mark of the apparatus calculated in accordance with a preliminarily set scale of reduction of a map utilized. Then, the user places the apparatus on the map so that the latitudinal and longitudinal lines X and Y displayed on the apparatus will coincide with corresponding latitudinal and longitudinal lines on the map, and then the present position can be recognized by the user by means of the present position mark of the display device on the map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kozo Kawai, Kaname Okuno, Yoshinobu Sakamura
  • Patent number: 4576149
    Abstract: A massager for massaging user's body with a pair of massaging elements pressed thereto, which comprises a main shaft carrying the massaging elements operatively with the shaft, a driving shaft shiftable vertically with respect to the axis with rotatable means carried at both ends for driving the main shaft and massaging elements, and means for controlling movements of the massaging elements in both directions of the main shaft axis and perpendicular thereto and rendering the movements to be startable always from a predetermined position, that is, from the inner side to the outer side of the user's shoulders or from his shoulder side on the back towards his waist, whereby the massaging elements can start from an optimum position for an intended massaging effect, ensuring an excellent convenience of use and a highly effective massaging operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 1984
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1986
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinpei Otuka, Kozo Kawai, Toshio Kusunoki