Patents by Inventor Masaru Kobayashi

Masaru Kobayashi 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: 11035452
    Abstract: A wave bearing of a wave generator of a strain wave gearing is provided with steel or stainless steel cylindrical hollow rollers between an inner-race-side raceway surface and an outer-race-side raceway surface, the hollow rollers serving as rolling elements. The ratio Di/Do of the inner diameter Di to the outer diameter Do of the hollow rollers is set to 0.95 or more. The relative radius of curvature of hollow rollers that have been flexed into an ellipsoidal shape increases with respect to the inner-race raceway surface and the outer-race raceway surface with which the hollow rollers are in contact, and the Hertz maximum contact stress is reduced. The hardness of the hollow rollers, the inner-race raceway surface, and the outer-race raceway surface can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Masaru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10962098
    Abstract: A wave generator for a strain wave gearing is provided with a rigid plug having an ellipsoidal plug-outer-circumferential surface, and a ring-shaped displacement body that is flexed to an ellipsoidal shape by the plug. The ring-shaped displacement body is provided with a plurality of radially arranged displacing sections. The plug-contacting surfaces of the displacing sections are in sliding contact with the plug-outer-circumferential surface and when the plug rotates, the displacing sections are repeatedly displaced in the radial direction. By the displacement of the displacing sections, wave motion is generated in an external gear. It is possible to achieve a wave generator capable of generating wave motion in the external gear with a small rotational torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Masaru Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20210081074
    Abstract: Provided are an imaging apparatus, an imaging method, and a program capable of accurately and simply controlling a movement sensitivity of an index displayed on a finder monitor to a sensitivity desired by a user by using a touch panel installed on a rear monitor. The imaging apparatus (10) has a finder that includes the finder monitor (13), the touch panel (31) that receives a swipe operation for moving the index, and an image processing unit (24). The image processing unit (24) includes a sensitivity setting unit that sets a first sensitivity for coarsely moving the index by the swipe operation or a second sensitivity for finely moving the index by detecting a contact operation to the touch panel in the swipe operation, and a movement control unit that moves the index on the basis of the swipe operation on the touch panel and the sensitivity set by the sensitivity setting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Yuki SUGIHARA, Masaru KOBAYASHI, Kazuki ISHIDA, Masahiko MIYATA
  • Patent number: 10935121
    Abstract: A strain wave gearing has a rigid internally toothed gear, a flexible externally toothed gear, and a sliding-contact type wave generator. The wave generator has: a plurality of gear pressing members that flexes the externally toothed gear in the radial direction at positions at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction to form plurality of meshing portions which mesh with the internally toothed gear; and piezoelectric elements that generate ultrasonic vibration of 20 kHz to 80 kHz in the gear pressing members in the radial direction. Ultrasonic vibration is applied at contact sites where the gear pressing members and the externally toothed gear contact each other. As a result of a squeeze film effect, the apparent friction coefficient of each contact surface at the contact sites can be greatly reduced and rotational torque, of the wave generator can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventor: Masaru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10907717
    Abstract: A wave generator of a strain wave gearing is provided with a rigid plug, a wave bearing mounted to the ellipsoidal outer peripheral surface of the rigid plug, and four elastic claws that rotate integrally with the rigid plug. The balls of the wave bearing include balls in a loose state and balls in a tight state. The loose-state balls adjacent to the tight-state balls are applied with braking force by the elastic claws immediately before they transition into a tight state, and the orbital motion thereof is temporarily prevented or suppressed, whereby the gaps between the loose-state balls and the adjacent tight-state balls are secured. It is possible to prevent increase in rotational torque, damage to the balls or other defects due to ball-to-ball contact by the tight-state balls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Masaru Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20210006702
    Abstract: Provided is an imaging apparatus, an inter-exposure zoom imaging method, a program, and a recording medium capable of performing inter-exposure zoom imaging as intended by a user. The inter-exposure zoom imaging method according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a step of setting an imaging mode of inter-exposure zoom imaging by an imaging mode setting unit; a step S14 of setting an end angle of view of the inter-exposure zoom imaging by an end angle of view setting unit; and a step S26 of starting exposure in an imaging element of the inter-exposure zoom imaging (step S18 and step S20) in a case where the imaging mode and the end angle of view of the inter-exposure zoom imaging are set and an imaging instruction is received, and ending the exposure in the imaging element of the inter-exposure zoom imaging at least in a case where an angle of view of a zoom lens zoomed by a manual operation reaches the set end angle of view (step S24), by an exposure controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko MIYATA, Yuki SUGIHARA, Masaru KOBAYASHI, Kazuki ISHIDA
  • Patent number: 10883591
    Abstract: The wave generator of a strain wave gearing is provided with an ellipsoidally contoured wave generator plug and a wave generator bearing. The wave generator bearing is provided with an annular body fitted between inner and outer races in a sliding contact state. The annular body is composed of an endless coil spring and has a rigidity that is able to maintain a constant gap between the inner and outer races. The annular body also has a specified overall flexibility in the radial direction so that the annular body can be flexed into an ellipsoidal shape by the wave generator plug. Since sliding occurs between the annular body and the inner race when the wave generator plug rotates, it is possible to generate a wave motion in an externally toothed gear with a small rotational torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventor: Masaru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10863110
    Abstract: A digital camera that includes an imaging sensor having a stop 2 arranged in front of an imaging surface includes an imaging control unit that starts exposure of pixels on the entire imaging surface at the same time and then, ends the exposure of the pixels at the same time in a state where light from a subject is incident on the imaging surface, by controlling an imaging sensor drive circuit which drives the imaging sensor, and a processor that sequentially changes an F number of the stop 2 to a plurality of values during a period from the start of the exposure until the end of the exposure. The processor controls a time in which the F number is maintained at each of the plurality of values to be a time that is based on a function indicating light transmittance characteristics of an APD filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Hasegawa, Masaru Kobayashi, Makoto Kobayashi, Hitoshi Sakurabu, Tomonori Masuda
  • Publication number: 20200373583
    Abstract: A carbon electrode material is disclosed for a redox flow battery that particularly, even when using an Mn—Ti type electrolyte, while stabilizing Mn ions and suppressing a rise in cell resistance during initial charge and discharge, has excellent oxidation resistance. The electrode material includes a carbonaceous fiber, and a carbonaceous material for binding the carbonaceous fiber, and satisfies the requirements: (1) when the size of a crystallite in a c axis direction found by X-ray diffraction in the carbonaceous material (B) is Lc(B), Lc(B) is 10 nm or greater; (2) when the size of the crystallite in the c axis direction found by X-ray diffraction in the carbonaceous fiber (A) is Lc(A), Lc(B)/Lc(A) is 1.0 or greater; and (3) the number of bonded oxygen atoms of the carbon electrode material surface is 1.0% or greater than the total number of carbon atoms of the carbon electrode material surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Applicants: TOYOBO CO., LTD., SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshikatsu Enjoji, Takahiro Matsumura, Ryouhei Iwahara, Masaru Kobayashi, Masako Tatsuta, Yongrong Dong, Masayuki Oya, Kenichi Itou, Yoshiyasu Kawagoe
  • Patent number: 10816073
    Abstract: In a strain wave gearing, a flexible externally toothed gear flexed by a wave generator meshes with a flexible internally toothed gear while in an overlapping meshing state. A floating ring, which supports the internally toothed gear from the outer circumferential side, maintains the overlapping state of the meshing and supports the internally toothed gear in a floating state that allows displacement following a state of radial flexion in the tooth trace direction of the internal teeth of the internally toothed gear. Differences between the meshing states of both gears can be alleviated at each position in the tooth trace direction. Degradation in the transmission characteristics and the strength characteristics of the strain wave gearing caused by manufacturing dimensional accuracy of each component and assembly accuracy can be suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventors: Masaru Kobayashi, Akira Maruyama
  • Patent number: 10801585
    Abstract: The flexible external gear of a strain wave gearing is provided with: a cylindrical body part capable of flexing in the radial direction; external teeth formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof with a constant pitch; and grooves formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body section along the circumferential direction thereof with the same pitch as the external teeth. The grooves are grooves with a wave-shaped cross-sectional shape having the center line of the tooth crest of the external tooth as the center and extend in the width direction of the external teeth. It is possible to increase the tooth bottom fatigue strength of the flexible external gear by increasing the tooth bottom thickness, while maintaining ease of flexing and a tooth shape that can withstand tangential forces due to meshing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Masaru Kobayashi, Tatsuro Hoshina
  • Publication number: 20200284332
    Abstract: A wave bearing of a wave generator of a strain wave gearing is provided with steel or stainless steel cylindrical hollow rollers between an inner-race-side raceway surface and an outer-race-side raceway surface, the hollow rollers serving as rolling elements. The ratio Di/Do of the inner diameter Di to the outer diameter Do of the hollow rollers is set to 0.95 or more. The relative radius of curvature of hollow rollers that have been flexed into an ellipsoidal shape increases with respect to the inner-race raceway surface and the outer-race raceway surface with which the hollow rollers are in contact, and the Hertz maximum contact stress is reduced. The hardness of the hollow rollers, the inner-race raceway surface, and the outer-race raceway surface can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2016
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Applicant: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventor: Masaru KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 10718419
    Abstract: A strain wave gearing has contact parts which are the portions to be lubricated other than the teeth of an externally toothed gear and an internally toothed gear, the contact parts being respectively lubricated with an inorganic lubricating powder having a lamellar crystal structure. The lubricating powder, during the operation of the strain wave gearing, is crushed between the contact surfaces of each of the contact parts to move and adhere to the contact surfaces, thereby forming thin surface films thereon. Additionally, the powder is thinly spread by pressure and reduced into finer particles to change into a shape which facilitates intrusion into the space between the contact surfaces. By both the fine particles having changed in shape and the surface films, the lubrication of the contact parts is maintained. Neither the fine particles nor the surface films are viscous.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventor: Masaru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10718420
    Abstract: A strain wave gearing has a wave generator provided with a plug and a roller bearing. The roller bearing is provided with flange plates fixed to both sides of the plug, and outer circumferential edge portions of the flange plates protrude outwardly from a plug outer circumferential surface so as to locate on both sides, in an axial line direction, of the raceway of rollers. The movements of the rollers in the axial line direction are constrained by the outer circumferential edge portions. The movement of retainer in the axial line direction is constrained by engaging with the rollers. The movement of each component part of the roller bearing in the axial line direction can be constrained without using additional components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventors: Masaru Kobayashi, Tatsuro Hoshina
  • Publication number: 20200213546
    Abstract: A digital camerathat includes an imaging sensor having a stop 2 arranged in front of an imaging surface includes an imaging control unit that starts exposure of pixels on the entire imaging surface at the same time and then, ends the exposure of the pixels at the same time in a state where light from a subject is incident on the imaging surface, by controlling an imaging sensor drive circuit which drives the imaging sensor, and a processr that sequentially changes an F number of the stop 2 to a plurality of values during a period from the start of the exposure until the end of the exposure. The processr controls a time in which the F number is maintained at each of the plurality of values to be a time that is based on a function indicating light transmittance characteristics of an APD filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Applicant: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo HASEGAWA, Masaru KOBAYASHI, Makoto KOBAYASHI, Hitoshi SAKURABU, Tomonori MASUDA
  • Publication number: 20200158220
    Abstract: A strain wave gearing has a rigid internally toothed gear, a flexible externally toothed gear, and a sliding-contact type wave generator. The wave generator has: a plurality of gear pressing members that flexes the externally toothed gear in the radial direction at positions at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction to form plurality of meshing portions which mesh with the internally toothed gear; and piezoelectric elements that generate ultrasonic vibration of 20 kHz to 80 kHz in the gear pressing members in the radial direction. Ultrasonic vibration is applied at contact sites where the gear pressing members and the externally toothed gear contact each other. As a result of a squeeze film effect, the apparent friction coefficient of each contact surface at the contact sites can be greatly reduced and rotational torque, of the wave generator can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Applicant: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventor: Masaru KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 10655721
    Abstract: An internal contact part of a wave generator of a strain wave gearing, a contact part between an externally toothed gear and the wave generator, and tooth surface parts are lubricated by a lubricating fine powder. When the strain wave gearing is in operation, the lubricating fine powder is supplied to the internal contact part and the contact part by a first powder guide that rotates integrally with the wave generator. Having passed through these sections, the lubricating fine powder is supplied to the tooth surface parts by a second powder guide that rotates integrally with the wave generator. Each component part can be reliably lubricated regardless of the orientation of the strain wave gearing during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Masaru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10634895
    Abstract: A microscope apparatus includes an objective and an automatic focusing device. The automatic focusing device is an automatic focusing device of an active type that irradiates a specimen with automatic focusing light via the objective, and the automatic focusing device is configured in such away that an illumination light axis of the automatic focusing light passes through a position distant from an optical axis of the objective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaru Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10557539
    Abstract: A wave generator of a strain wave gearing has a rigid plug provided with an elliptical outer peripheral surface, and a roller bearing. The outer peripheral surface of the plug is provided with a major-axis-side outer-peripheral surface portion formed at a major axis position L1, and a minor-axis-side outer-peripheral surface portion formed at a minor axis position L2. The major-axis-side outer-peripheral surface portion is a tapered surface that is tapered along a center axis line, and the minor-axis-side outer-peripheral surface portion is an inverted tapered surface that is tapered in the opposite direction. An externally toothed gear can be supported and flexed into an elliptical shape without partial contact by using the wave generator in which the roller bearing is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.
    Inventor: Masaru Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20200032891
    Abstract: In a strain wave gearing, a flexible externally toothed gear flexed by a wave generator meshes with a flexible internally toothed gear while in an overlapping meshing state. A floating ring, which supports the internally toothed gear from the outer circumferential side, maintains the overlapping state of the meshing and supports the internally toothed gear in a floating state that allows displacement following a state of radial flexion in the tooth trace direction of the internal teeth of the internally toothed gear. Differences between the meshing states of both gears can be alleviated at each position in the tooth trace direction. Degradation in the transmission characteristics and the strength characteristics of the strain wave gearing caused by manufacturing dimensional accuracy of each component and assembly accuracy can be suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Applicant: HARMONIC DRIVE SYSTEMS INC.
    Inventors: Masaru KOBAYASHI, Akira MARUYAMA