Patents by Inventor Naokichi Imai

Naokichi Imai 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: 11926088
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a fiber-reinforced composite material achieving both lightweight properties and mechanical properties, a laminate thereof, and a prepreg capable of easily molding a sandwich structure thereof. The present invention is a prepreg comprising a reinforced fiber substrate (B) impregnated with a resin (A), wherein the reinforced fiber substrate (B) exists in a folded state having a plurality of folds with a fold angle of 0° or more and less than 90° in the prepreg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Kotaro Shinohara, Masato Honma
  • Patent number: 11794385
    Abstract: The following configuration is adopted for the purpose of solving reduction in strength and rigidity at a weldline which is a problem of an injection molding body, and enabling free design such as thin wall molding or complex shape molding of the injection molding body. That is, there is provided an integrally molded body in which a substrate for reinforcement (a) having a discontinuous fiber (a1) and a resin (a2) and an injection molding body (b) having a discontinuous fiber (b1) and a resin (b2) are integrated, the substrate for reinforcement (a) covering a part or all of a weldline of the injection molding body (b) to be integrated with the injection molding body (b), the ratio of thickness Ta of the substrate for reinforcement (a) to thickness T of a weldline part of the integrally molded body satisfying relational expression: in a case of Ea?Ebw, Ta/T?((Ebw??(Ea·Ebw))/(Ebw?Ea)) in a case of Ea=Ebw, Ta/T?0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Takafumi Suzuki, Yuichiro Sento, Naokichi Imai, Mitsushige Hamaguchi, Masato Honma
  • Publication number: 20230075860
    Abstract: Provided is a composite prepreg including a region (A) containing a thermosetting resin (a) and a reinforcing fiber and a region (B) containing a thermosetting resin (b) and a reinforcing fiber, the composite prepreg satisfying conditions (i) and (ii) or satisfying conditions (ii) and (iii): (i) The thermosetting resin (b) is a resin having a gel time Tb longer than a gel time Ta of the thermosetting resin (a), and in at least a part of a temperature range of 40° C. or more and 180° C. or less, satisfy Ta/Tb 0.8; (ii) A ratio of the region (A) on a surface of the composite prepreg is 20 to 80%; and (iii) The thermosetting resin (b) is a resin having a higher heat generation starting temperature Eb than a heat generation starting temperature Ea of the thermosetting resin (a), and in a differential scanning calorimetry chart obtained by measuring at 5° C./min with 40° C. as a starting temperature, satisfy Eb?Ea?30.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Masato Honma
  • Publication number: 20230040874
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to obtain a fiber-reinforced composite material achieving both lightweight properties and mechanical properties at a high level. The present invention provides a fiber-reinforced composite material including a resin (A) and a reinforcing fiber (B), and having: a porous structure portion having micropores with an average pore diameter of 500 ?m or less as measured by a mercury intrusion method; and a coarse cavity portion defined by the porous structure portion and having a maximum length of more than 500 ?m as a cross-sectional opening portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Kotaro Shinohara, Masato Honma
  • Publication number: 20220410502
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to obtain a fiber-reinforced composite material achieving both lightweight properties and mechanical properties at a high level. The present invention is a fiber-reinforced composite material including: a resin (A); and a reinforcing fiber (B), and including: a fiber-reinforced structure portion including an in-plane orientation portion having an average fiber orientation angle of the reinforcing fiber (B) of 0° or more and 45° or less and an out-of-plane orientation portion having an average fiber orientation angle of the reinforcing fiber (B) of more than 45° and 90° or less; and a cavity portion defined by the in-plane orientation portion and the out-of-plane orientation portion of the fiber-reinforced structure portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Kotaro Shinohara, Masato Honma
  • Publication number: 20220410465
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a fiber-reinforced composite material achieving both lightweight properties and mechanical properties, a laminate thereof, and a prepreg capable of easily molding a sandwich structure thereof. The present invention is a prepreg comprising a reinforced fiber substrate (B) impregnated with a resin (A), wherein the reinforced fiber substrate (B) exists in a folded state having a plurality of folds with a fold angle of 0° or more and less than 90° in the prepreg.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2020
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Kotaro Shinohara, Masato Honma
  • Publication number: 20220212426
    Abstract: A fiber-reinforced plastic substrate is described in which a plurality of resins having different properties are firmly compounded and that includes components [A], [B], and [C]: [A] reinforcing fibers; [B] thermoplastic resin (b); and [C] thermoplastic resin (c), wherein the component [A] is arranged in one direction, in the fiber-reinforced plastic substrate, a resin area including the component [B] and a resin area including the component [C] are present, the resin area including the component [B] is present on a surface of one side of the fiber-reinforced plastic substrate, and a distance Ra(bc) between Hansen solubility parameters of the component [B] and the component [C] satisfies formula (1): Ra(bc)={4(?DB??DC)2+(?PB??PC)2+(?HB??HC)2}1/2?8 wherein Ra(bc), ?DB, ?DC, ?PB, ?PC, ?HB and ?HC are as defined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Fujioka, Naokichi Imai, Masato Honma, Yoshiki Takebe, Kotaro Shinohara
  • Patent number: 11141893
    Abstract: In order to solve reduction in strength and rigidity at a weldline which is a problem of an injection molding body, and enable free design such as thin wall molding or complex shape molding of the injection molding body, there is provided an integrally molded body in which a substrate for reinforcement (a) having a discontinuous fiber (a1) and a resin (a2) and an injection molding body (b) having a discontinuous fiber (b1) and a resin (b2) are integrated, in which the substrate for reinforcement (a) has a difference in an orientation angle of the discontinuous fiber (a1) in each of regions obtained by dividing a major axis direction of the substrate for reinforcement (a) into 10 equal parts of within 10°, and the substrate for reinforcement (a) covers a part or all of a weldline of the injection molding body (b) to be integrated with the injection molding body (b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Takafumi Suzuki, Yuichiro Sento, Naokichi Imai, Mitsushige Hamaguchi, Masato Honma
  • Patent number: 11034809
    Abstract: A resin supply material used for press molding or vacuum-pressure molding of a fiber-reinforced resin, the resin supply material including a continuous porous material and a thermosetting resin, wherein an average pore cross-sectional area ratio P expressed by formula (I) is 1.1 or more: P=AII/AI??(I) AI: average pore cross-sectional area in region I AII: average pore cross-sectional area in region II Region I: region occupying 10% of total volume of continuous porous material from surface layer on both surfaces thereof Region II: whole region of continuous porous material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Takehara, Satoshi Seike, Masato Honma, Naokichi Imai, Satomi Hiasa
  • Patent number: 10908651
    Abstract: An electronic device housing includes: a bottom cover; a top cover; a partition structure that is disposed in a space divided by the bottom cover and the top cover and has an opening; and a heat generation member. The partition structure is joined to the bottom cover or the top cover to form a hollow structure, and the heat generation member is disposed on a surface of the partition structure on the hollow structure side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Masato Honma, Yoshiki Takebe, Naokichi Imai, Takashi Fujioka
  • Publication number: 20200198193
    Abstract: The following configuration is adopted for the purpose of solving reduction in strength and rigidity at a weldline which is a problem of an injection molding body, and enabling free design such as thin wall molding or complex shape molding of the injection molding body. That is, there is provided an integrally molded body in which a substrate for reinforcement (a) having a discontinuous fiber (a1) and a resin (a2) and an injection molding body (b) having a discontinuous fiber (b1) and a resin (b2) are integrated, the substrate for reinforcement (a) covering a part or all of a weldline of the injection molding body (b) to be integrated with the injection molding body (b), the ratio of thickness Ta of the substrate for reinforcement (a) to thickness T of a weldline part of the integrally molded body satisfying relational expression: in a case of Ea?Ebw, Ta/T?((Ebw??(Ea·Ebw))/(Ebw?Ea)) in a case of Ea=Ebw, Ta/T?0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Takafumi Suzuki, Yuichiro Sento, Naokichi Imai, Mitsushige Hamaguchi, Masato Honma
  • Publication number: 20200198194
    Abstract: In order to solve reduction in strength and rigidity at a weldline which is a problem of an injection molding body, and enable free design such as thin wall molding or complex shape molding of the injection molding body, there is provided an integrally molded body in which a substrate for reinforcement (a) having a discontinuous fiber (a1) and a resin (a2) and an injection molding body (b) having a discontinuous fiber (b1) and a resin (b2) are integrated, in which the substrate for reinforcement (a) has a difference in an orientation angle of the discontinuous fiber (a1) in each of regions obtained by dividing a major axis direction of the substrate for reinforcement (a) into 10 equal parts of within 10°, and the substrate for reinforcement (a) covers a part or all of a weldline of the injection molding body (b) to be integrated with the injection molding body (b).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Takafumi Suzuki, Yuichiro Sento, Naokichi Imai, Mitsushige Hamaguchi, Masato Honma
  • Patent number: 10583640
    Abstract: A method for producing a fiber-reinforced composite material is provided. By satisfying particular conditions, this method is capable of suppressing the problem of poor appearance caused by the release film in the production of the fiber-reinforced composite material having a three-dimensional shape by heat-press molding to enable production of the fiber-reinforced composite material having a high quality appearance in high cycle. A method for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced composite material wherein a fiber-reinforced substrate containing a reinforcing fiber (A) and a thermosetting resin (B) is sandwiched between release films (C) to constitute a layered material, and the layered material is pressed in a mold heated to molding temperature to thereby cure the thermosetting resin (B), wherein the method satisfies the following (i), (ii), and (iii) or (i), (ii), and (iv): (i) the fiber-reinforced composite material has at least 1 bent part, (ii) the molding temperature is 130 to 180° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Masato Honma
  • Patent number: 10472498
    Abstract: A molded article includes 10 to 40% by mass of reinforcing fibers (A); and 60 to 90% by mass of a matrix resin (B) mainly including a polyarylene sulfide, the molded article satisfying conditions (I) to (IV) and having a tensile strength of 240 MPa or more in a main orientation direction of the reinforcing fibers (A) in the molded article: (I) strand tensile strength of the reinforcing fibers (A) is 1.5 to 5.5 OPa; (II) number average fiber length of the reinforcing fibers (A) in the molded article is 0.4 mm or more and less than 0.6 mm; (III) tensile elongation of the matrix resin (B) is 1.5 to 10%; and (IV) interfacial shear strength between the reinforcing fibers (A) and the matrix resin (B) is 20 MPa or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Kentaro Sano, Keisuke Inose
  • Patent number: 10308775
    Abstract: A fiber-reinforced resin composition includes a polyarylene sulfide (A), a carbodiimide compound (B) and carbon fibers (C) in specific blending amounts and in which the carbon fibers (C) are surface-treated with a sizing agent (D), the carbodiimide compound (B) is an aliphatic carbodiimide compound, and the sizing agent (D) is a compound having three or more specific functional groups in one molecule; and a fiber-reinforced composite material includes a thermoplastic resin (A?), an adhesive compound (B?) and reinforcing fibers (C?) and in which the adhesive compound (B?) is a compound having two or more specific structures in one molecule, the thermoplastic resin (A?) is a thermoplastic resin containing an element other than carbon in a repeating unit structure of a main chain, and an abundance ratio Rb of the adhesive compound (B?) is 1.2 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Toray Industries Inc.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Keisuke Inose, Kentaro Sano, Atsuki Tsuchiya
  • Publication number: 20180362760
    Abstract: Provided is a molding material which includes a composite of 1 to 50 wt % of a continuous reinforcing fiber bundle (A) and 0.1 to 20 wt % of a poly(phenylene ether ether ketone) oligomer (B); and 30 to 98.9 wt % of a thermoplastic resin (C) adhering to the composite, wherein the component (B) has a melting point of not higher than 270° C. Also provided are a method for molding the molding material, a method for producing the molding material, and a method for producing a fiber-reinforced composite material. A molded article having high heat resistance and dynamic properties can be easily produced without impairing the economic efficiency and productivity during the process for producing a molding material. In addition, a fiber-reinforced composite material can be produced with more ease and high productivity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Atsuki Tsuchiya, Masato Honma, Kohei Yamashita, Shunsuke Horiuchi, Koji Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 10093802
    Abstract: A molding material includes 5 to 50 parts by mass of reinforcing fibers (A) with a sizing agent (s) deposited thereon, 1 to 20 parts by mass of a component (B) containing a polycarbodiimide compound (B-1) that is liquid at 50° C., and 30 to 94 parts by mass of a thermoplastic resin (C) containing an element other than carbon in the repeating unit structure of the main chain, based on 100 parts by mass of the total of the components (A) to (C), wherein the molding material is a composite in which a composite fiber bundle (D) with the component (A) impregnated with the component (B) is covered with the component (C).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Kentaro Sano, Keisuke Inose, Naokichi Imai, Atsuki Tsuchiya
  • Publication number: 20180260003
    Abstract: An electronic device housing includes: a bottom cover; a top cover; a partition structure that is disposed in a space divided by the bottom cover and the top cover and has an opening; and a heat generation member. The partition structure is joined to the bottom cover or the top cover to form a hollow structure, and the heat generation member is disposed on a surface of the partition structure on the hollow structure side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Publication date: September 13, 2018
    Applicant: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Masato HONMA, Yoshiki TAKEBE, Naokichi IMAI, Takashi FUJIOKA
  • Publication number: 20180244879
    Abstract: A resin supply material used for press molding or vacuum-pressure molding of a fiber-reinforced resin, the resin supply material including a continuous porous material and a thermosetting resin, wherein an average pore cross-sectional area ratio P expressed by formula (I) is 1.1 or more: P=AII/AI ??(I) AI: average pore cross-sectional area in region I AII: average pore cross-sectional area in region II Region I: region occupying 10% of total volume of continuous porous material from surface layer on both surfaces thereof Region II: whole region of continuous porous material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2016
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Tomohiro Takehara, Satoshi Seike, Masato Honma, Naokichi Imai, Satomi Hiasa
  • Patent number: 10023737
    Abstract: Provided is a molding material comprising a composite of 1 to 50 wt % of a continuous reinforcing fiber bundle (A) and 0.1 to 20 wt % of a poly (phenylene ether ether ketone) oligomer (B); and 30 to 98.9 wt % of a thermoplastic resin (C) adhering to the composite, wherein the component (B) has a melting point of not higher than 270° C. Also provided are a method for molding the molding material, a method for producing the molding material, and a method for producing a fiber-reinforced composite material. A molded article having high heat resistance and dynamic properties can be easily produced without impairing the economic efficiency and productivity during the process for producing a molding material. In addition, a fiber-reinforced composite material can be produced with more ease and high productivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: TORAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Naokichi Imai, Atsuki Tsuchiya, Masato Honma, Kohei Yamashita, Shunsuke Horiuchi, Koji Yamauchi