Patents by Inventor Minoru Aoki
Minoru Aoki 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).
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Publication number: 20120004554Abstract: The ultrasound probe according to the present embodiment comprises ultrasound oscillators configured to transmit and receive ultrasound waves, an intermediate layer configured to have greater acoustic impedance than the ultrasound oscillators, a backing material configured to support the ultrasound oscillators, and a buffer layer. The ultrasound oscillators, the intermediate layer and the backing material are disposed in that order of the ultrasound oscillator, the intermediate layer and the backing material. The buffer layer, which has smaller acoustic impedance than the intermediate layer and the backing material, is disposed between the intermediate layer and the backing material.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2011Publication date: January 5, 2012Applicants: TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBAInventors: Minoru AOKI, Koichi SHIBAMOTO, Kentaro TSUZUKI, Takashi TAKEUCHI, Hiroyuki SHIKATA
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Patent number: 8082794Abstract: A ultrasonic probe has a plurality of piezoelectric transducers arranged in the array direction. Each piezoelectric transducer has a piezoelectric element which vibrates in the thickness direction. A signal electrode is formed on the lower surface of the piezoelectric element. An earth electrode is formed on the upper surface of the piezoelectric element. Inside the piezoelectric element, a plurality of non-piezoelectric elements are arranged along the lens direction. Each non-piezoelectric element does not come in contact with the signal electrode and the earth electrode.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2008Date of Patent: December 27, 2011Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems CorporationInventors: Minoru Aoki, Hiroyuki Shikata
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Publication number: 20110121687Abstract: A flexible printed circuit board, interposed between an intermediate member and a backing material, covers an almost whole back face of the intermediate member and has first and second wiring patterns. A first electrode is interposed between the piezoelectric transducer and the intermediate member, extracted onto the side face of the intermediate member contiguous with one side face of the piezoelectric transducer, and electrically connected to the first wiring pattern. A second electrode is formed on the ultrasound transmission face of the piezoelectric transducer, extracted by being routed on the other side face of the piezoelectric transducer and a side face of the intermediate member contiguous with the other side face of the piezoelectric transducer, and electrically connected to the second wiring pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2010Publication date: May 26, 2011Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventor: Minoru AOKI
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Publication number: 20110013213Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a casing, a light emitting section, a substrate, a support member, and a light guide. The light emitting section includes plural point light sources disposed in a row. The light emitting section is installed to a first face of the substrate. The support member is installed to the casing and supports a second face of the substrate at a projection portion where a position of the light emitting section is projected at the second face of the substrate. The light guide is installed to the casing adjacent to the light emitting section, and guides light from the light emitting section to a read-face.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 16, 2010Publication date: January 20, 2011Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.Inventors: Kaoru TAKAHASHI, Hironori Shimada, Minoru Aoki, Masayuki Saito
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Patent number: 7830563Abstract: An image scanner includes a scanning unit that scans a white scanning member via a contact glass on one line basis when the image scanner is powered on and outputs image data of the white scanning member, and a determining unit that determines whether at least one of the contact glass and the white scanning member has dirt or a scratch thereon by comparing the image data with reference data on one line basis. The reference data is acquired by scanning the scanning member in a situation that there is no dirt or scratch on the scanning member.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2006Date of Patent: November 9, 2010Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.Inventor: Minoru Aoki
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Publication number: 20100215844Abstract: A nozzle for injecting a semiconductive coating material from the internal diameter side of a stator to the external diameter side of the stator is inserted in a core duct serving as an air flow passage between adjacent slots, and the semiconductive coating material is coated on the surface of the stator coil exposed to the air flow passage without drawing out the stator coil from the slot in the stator core to form a semiconductive coating layer, thereby repairing exfoliation of the semiconductive coating material on the surface of the stator coil.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2009Publication date: August 26, 2010Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventor: Minoru Aoki
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Patent number: 7755256Abstract: An ultrasonic probe including a piezoelectric vibrator configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, an acoustic lens configured to focus the ultrasonic waves and an acoustic matching layer arranged between the piezoelectric vibrator and the acoustic lens and configured to modify acoustic impedance from the piezoelectric vibrator to the acoustic lens. The acoustic matching layer includes a first region arranged at center areas along a direction of transmitting and receiving of the ultrasonic waves, a second region arranged between the first region and the piezoelectric vibrator and having a rate of change of acoustic impedance which is less than rate of change of acoustic impedance of the first region and a third region arranged between the first region and the acoustic lens, and having a rate of change of acoustic impedance which is less than a rate of change of acoustic impedance of the first region.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2006Date of Patent: July 13, 2010Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Koichi Shibamoto, Minoru Aoki, Yasuhisa Makita, Takashi Takeuchi, Hiroyuki Shikata
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Patent number: 7745977Abstract: An ultrasonic probe is provided which includes a piezoelectric vibrator having an earth electrode and a signal electrode on a rear surface, an acoustic matching layer disposed on a front surface side of the piezoelectric vibrator, a packing material disposed on the rear surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and a flexible printed circuit that is interposed between the piezoelectric vibrator and the packing material to cover the entire rear surface of the piezoelectric vibrator and has an earth wiring layer and a signal wiring layer. The earth wiring layer and the signal wiring layer are exposed from a surface facing the piezoelectric vibrator of the flexible printed circuit so as to be electrically connected to the earth electrode and the signal electrode through an exposed surface of the earth wiring layer and an exposed surface of the signal wiring layer, respectively.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2006Date of Patent: June 29, 2010Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems CorporationInventors: Minoru Aoki, Hiroyuki Shikata, Takashi Takeuchi, Yasuhisa Makita, Koichi Shibamoto
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Publication number: 20090306516Abstract: An ultrasound probe and an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus that can acquire 3-D ultrasound image data of a wide viewing scope including both a diagnosis portion and peripheral portions of the diagnosis portion by swinging a transducer unit in an orthogonal direction to an array of a plurality transducers in the transducer unit without sacrificing the operability of the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe includes a transducer unit having a plurality of transducers, an arm for holding one edge of the transducer unit so as to be extendable in a longitudinal direction, a rail body for holding the other edge of the transducer unit and a driving unit for driving the transducer unit along the rail body. The rail body is comprised of a main rail member having a first curvature in order to form a main track and at least one sub-rail member having a second curvature being larger than the first curvature for forming at least one sub-track.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2009Publication date: December 10, 2009Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATIONInventors: Yutaka OONUKI, Hideki KOSAKU, Yasuhisa MAKITA, Koichi SHIBAMOTO, Minoru AOKI, Tetsuya MOROKAWA
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Patent number: 7598658Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes piezoelectric elements each including grooves parallel to each other and arrayed in a direction substantially parallel to the grooves, and a mixed member which is to fill the grooves and obtained by mixing in a nonconductive resin member a nonconductive granular substance with a coefficient of thermal expansion of not more than substantially 10?5 K?1.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2007Date of Patent: October 6, 2009Assignees: Kabuhsiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems CorporationInventors: Takashi Takeuchi, Hiroyuki Shikata, Minoru Aoki, Shinichi Sato, Masaaki Sudo
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Publication number: 20090088643Abstract: A ultrasonic probe has a plurality of piezoelectric transducers arranged in the array direction. Each piezoelectric transducer has a piezoelectric element which vibrates in the thickness direction. A signal electrode is formed on the lower surface of the piezoelectric element. An earth electrode is formed on the upper surface of the piezoelectric element. Inside the piezoelectric element, a plurality of non-piezoelectric elements are arranged along the lens direction. Each non-piezoelectric element does not come in contact with the signal electrode and the earth electrode.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2008Publication date: April 2, 2009Inventors: Minoru AOKI, Hiroyuki Shikata
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Publication number: 20080238262Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes piezoelectric elements each including grooves parallel to each other and arrayed in a direction substantially parallel to the grooves, and a mixed member which is to fill the grooves and obtained by mixing in a nonconductive resin member a nonconductive granular substance with a coefficient of thermal expansion of not more than substantially 10?5 K?1.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2007Publication date: October 2, 2008Inventors: Takashi Takeuchi, Hiroyuki Shikata, Minoru Aoki, Shinichi Sato, Masaaki Sudo
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Patent number: 7286398Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: groups of memory cells that are connected to word lines; and select gates that are controlled by control word lines and are connected to the groups of memory cells, each of the select gates being capable of storing protection information for a respective one of the groups of memory cells.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2005Date of Patent: October 23, 2007Assignee: Spansion LLCInventors: Masaru Yano, Minoru Aoki
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Publication number: 20070239021Abstract: A generating unit generates a polurality of ultrasonic cross-sectional images at a plurality of angles when an ultrasonic wave emitting surface in an ultrasonic probe is rotated. A regenerating unit saves information on the angle of the ultrasonic wave emitting surface when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and rotates the ultrasonic wave emitting surface from the angle of the ultrasonic wave emitting surface different from the saved angle information to the angle based on the saved angle information.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 1, 2007Publication date: October 11, 2007Inventors: Yutaka Oonuki, Hiroyuki Shikata, Hideki Kosaku, Takashi Ogawa, Minoru Aoki
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Patent number: 7265773Abstract: An image detection device includes a light source, an image sensor, a light guiding device, an image focusing device and a housing. The light source is configured to irradiate a pattern image with a light beam. The light guiding device is located on a first light path from the light source to the pattern image and is configured to guide the light beam irradiated by the light source to the image and further guide the light reflected from the pattern image to the image sensor along a second light path. The image focusing device is located on the second light path of from the light guiding device to the image sensor and is configured to focus the light reflected from the pattern image on the image sensor. The housing is configured to contain the light source, the image sensor, the light guiding device and the image focusing device.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2004Date of Patent: September 4, 2007Assignee: Ricoh Company LimitedInventors: Nobuyuki Satoh, Minoru Aoki
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Publication number: 20070146816Abstract: An image scanner includes a scanning unit that scans a white scanning member via a contact glass on one line basis when the image scanner is powered on and outputs image data of the white scanning member, and a determining unit that determines whether at least one of the contact glass and the white scanning member has dirt or a scratch thereon by comparing the image data with reference data on one line basis. The reference data is acquired by scanning the scanning member in a situation that there is no dirt or scratch on the scanning member.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2006Publication date: June 28, 2007Inventor: Minoru Aoki
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Publication number: 20070145860Abstract: An ultrasonic probe is provided which includes a piezoelectric vibrator having an earth electrode and a signal electrode on a rear surface, an acoustic matching layer disposed on a front surface side of the piezoelectric vibrator, a packing material disposed on the rear surface of the piezoelectric vibrator, and a flexible printed circuit that is interposed between the piezoelectric vibrator and the packing material to cover the entire rear surface of the piezoelectric vibrator and has an earth wiring layer and a signal wiring layer. The earth wiring layer and the signal wiring layer are exposed from a surface facing the piezoelectric vibrator of the flexible printed circuit so as to be electrically connected to the earth electrode and the signal electrode through an exposed surface of the earth wiring layer and an exposed surface of the signal wiring layer, respectively.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2006Publication date: June 28, 2007Inventors: Minoru Aoki, Hiroyuki Shikata, Takashi Takeuchi, Yasuhisa Makita, Koichi Shibamoto
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Publication number: 20070108872Abstract: An ultrasonic probe including a piezoelectric vibrator configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, an acoustic lens configured to focus the ultrasonic waves and an acoustic matching layer arranged between the piezoelectric vibrator and the acoustic lens and configured to modify acoustic impedance from the piezoelectric vibrator to the acoustic lens. The acoustic matching layer includes a first region arranged at center areas along a direction of transmitting and receiving of the ultrasonic waves, a second region arranged between the first region and the piezoelectric vibrator and having a rate of change of acoustic impedance which is less than rate of change of acoustic impedance of the first region and a third region arranged between the first region and the acoustic lens, and having a rate of change of acoustic impedance which is less than a rate of change of acoustic impedance of the first region.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2006Publication date: May 17, 2007Applicant: Kabushi Kaisha ToshibaInventors: Koichi Shibamoto, Minoru Aoki, Yasuhisa Makita, Takakshi Takeuchi, Hiroyuki Shikata
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Patent number: 7184338Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a latch circuit that latches a given signal in a test mode; and a generating circuit that generates a signal that defines a program voltage used for programming of a memory cell in accordance with the signal latched in the latch circuit. The generating circuit includes: a circuit that generates the signal that defines an initial voltage of the program voltage; a circuit that generates the signal that defines a pulse width of the program voltage; and a circuit that generates the signal that defines a step width of the program voltage when the program voltage is a voltage that increases stepwise.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2005Date of Patent: February 27, 2007Assignee: Spansion LLCInventors: Harunobu Nakagawa, Minoru Aoki, Shigekazu Yamada
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Publication number: 20060215451Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: groups of memory cells that are connected to word lines; and select gates that are controlled by control word lines and are connected to the groups of memory cells, each of the select gates being capable of storing protection information for a respective one of the groups of memory cells.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2005Publication date: September 28, 2006Inventors: Masaru Yano, Minoru Aoki