Patents by Inventor Minoru Kurosawa

Minoru Kurosawa 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: 6003370
    Abstract: An elastic surface wave gyroscope includes two transducers attached on a piezoelectric substrate to generate elastic surface waves having different frequencies on the piezoelectric substrate, and two pair of reflectors for reflecting the different elastic surface waves toward the generators to produce two different standing waves, and another pair of reflectors for reflecting an elastic surface wave caused by a Coriolis force to produce a third standing wave, and a detector for detecting an electric signal corresponding to the third standing wave. This gyroscope has a high detection sensitivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Yukawa, Yoshimitsu Fukuda, Toshiro Higuchi, Minoru Kurosawa
  • Patent number: 5917267
    Abstract: A drive mechanism comprises an electromechanical conversion element, drive member fixedly attached to said electromechanical conversion element, driven member friction-bonded to said drive member, and a drive pulse generator for accomplishing telescopic displacement of said electromechanical conversion element, wherein telescopic displacement comprising expansion and contraction at different speeds is generated in said electromechanical conversion element via said drive pulse generating means to produce movement of the driven members friction-bonded to said drive member, and wherein said drive pulse generator is provided with a means for controlling the time a drive pulse is applied to said electromechanical conversion element so as to control the electrical load applied to said electromechanical conversion element by controlling the time of said application, and thereby control the driving speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masayuki Miyazawa, Yasuhiro Okamoto, Minoru Kurosawa
  • Patent number: 5233257
    Abstract: The instant invention relates to a piezo-electric motor. The motor comprises:a support (2)a stator (8) integral with the support (2)a rotor (30) rotatably mounted with respect to the support, the rotor being capable of being displaced in a displacement plane (Pdm) about a geometric axis of rotation (XI)transmission means (36) to transmit the vibratory movement of the stator (8) to the rotor (30) and to rotate it andmeans to support (40) the rotor on the stator the rotor being characterized in that the stator (8) has vibratory movement having velocity components essentially normal to the displacement plane (Pdm) of the rotor (30), the stator (8) cooperating with means for converting the vibratory movement of the stator in order to rotate the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1993
    Assignee: Asulab, SA
    Inventors: Roland Luthier, Minoru Kurosawa
  • Patent number: 5001382
    Abstract: According to the invention, there is provided a stepping motor comprising a laminate type torsion actuator having a pair of cylindrical outer peripheries to be torsionally displaced relative to each other, a cylindrical fixed member surrounding said laminate type torsion actuator with certain space therebetween, first longitudinally vibrating elements placed between said fixed member and one of the cylindrical outer peripheries of said laminate type torsion actuator for selectively connecting or separating the fixed member and the torsion actuator through its elongation or contraction, second longitudinally vibrating elements placed between said fixed member and the other cylindrical peripheries of said torsion actuator with certain space therebetween for selectively connecting or separating the fixed member and the torsion actuator through its elongation or contraction with a phase inverse to that of the first elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 19, 1991
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mikio Umeda, Kazumasa Ohnishi, Minoru Kurosawa
  • Patent number: 4885499
    Abstract: An ultrasonic driven type motor in which an ultrasonic torsional vibrator is activated to generate a forward turning torque for driving a rotor synchronously with the expansion of at least one piezoelectric actuator provided between the vibrator and the rotor, and to generate a return turning torque synchronously with the constriction of the piezoelectric actuator, and the piezoelectric actuator has a coupling control characteristic so that only the forward turning torque is selectively transmitted to the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 5, 1989
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Sadayuki Ueha, Minoru Kurosawa, Michiyuki Masuda