Patents by Inventor Nobuhiro Noto

Nobuhiro Noto 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: 6702432
    Abstract: An inkjet head 100 includes a pair of support plates 17A, 17B and a diaphragm plate 9 interposed between the support plates 17A, 17B. In this configuration, even when adhesion between the diaphragm plate 9 and the support plate 17B is insecure, and when a piezoelectric element 12 deforms a diaphragm 7 toward a pressure chamber 3, that is, in a direction away from the support plate 17B, the support plate 17A prevents the diaphragm plate 9 from peeling off the support plate 17B. Accordingly, the dimension and thus a deforming amount of the diaphragm 7 is maintained uniform, whereby a uniform ink ejection performance is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi Printing Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahagi, Nobuhiro Noto, Takashi Sato, Akira Kashimura, Kenji Yamada, Kenichi Kugai
  • Patent number: 6682179
    Abstract: An ink jet print head includes pressure chambers, nozzles, and ink channels in a one-to-one correspondence. A diaphragm forms a side of each pressure chamber. The ink channels are formed in a restrictor plate. Piezoelectric elements are attached to the diaphragm and to a piezoelectric element fixing plate, which supports the piezoelectric elements. A housing of the head is formed with a common ink channel for supplying ink to the ink channels and an internal space into which the piezoelectric elements and the piezoelectric element fixing plate are at least partially inserted. A cover is provided for covering the piezoelectric element fixing plate. The cover is connected to the housing and is provided with an internal space large enough to maintain a gap between the cover and the piezoelectric element fixing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi Printing Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahagi, Nobuhiro Noto, Kenichi Kugai, Nobuhiro Kurosawa, Kenji Yamada
  • Patent number: 6679589
    Abstract: An ink jet print head includes pressure chambers, a diaphragm forming a side of the pressure chambers, stacked piezoelectric elements, a piezoelectric element fixing plate, and a housing. The stacked piezoelectric elements are attached to the diaphragm in a one-to-one correspondence with pressure chambers. The piezoelectric element fixing plate is fixedly attached to and supports the stacked piezoelectric elements. The housing includes a common ink channel portion that supplies ink to the pressure chambers. The piezoelectric element fixing plate and the stacked piezoelectric elements are disposed at least partially in the space defined by the diaphragm and internal side walls of the ink channel portion with a gap existing between the piezoelectric element fixing plate and the internal side walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi Printing Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahagi, Nobuhiro Noto, Yutaka Shoji, Yoshitaka Akiyama, Kenji Yamada, Kenichi Kugai
  • Patent number: 6592196
    Abstract: An appropriate pulse width of a driving pulse for driving a piezoelectric element of ink jet head is determined by using the head difference. That is, the pulse width with which the least change in the ink speed occurs can be used as the pulse width of the driving signal for the piezoelectric actuator. As a result, a reliable ink jet printer head capable of stably ejecting ink droplets over a long period of time and having excellent frequency characteristics can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Akiyama, Nobuhiro Noto, Yutaka Shoji, Hiroshi Takahagi, Osamu Machida, Yoshinari Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20020180844
    Abstract: An ink jet print head includes pressure chambers, a diaphragm forming a side of the pressure chambers, stacked piezoelectric elements, a piezoelectric element fixing plate, and a housing. The stacked piezoelectric elements are attached to the diaphragm in a one-to-one correspondence with pressure chambers. The piezoelectric element fixing plate is fixedly attached to and supports the stacked piezoelectric elements. The housing includes a common ink channel portion and internal side walls. The common ink channel portion is formed with a common ink channel that supplies ink to the pressure chambers. The internal side walls adjoin the diaphragm at one side to define a space that is open at an end opposite from the diaphragm. The piezoelectric element fixing plate and the stacked piezoelectric elements are disposed at least partially in the space with a gap existing between the piezoelectric element fixing plate and the internal side walls that define the space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahagi, Nobuhiro Noto, Yutaka Shoji, Yoshitaka Akiyama, Kenji Yamada, Kenichi Kugai
  • Publication number: 20020171715
    Abstract: An inkjet head 100 includes a pair of support plates 17A, 17B and a diaphragm plate 9 interposed between the support plates 17A, 17B. In this configuration, even when adhesion between the diaphragm plate 9 and the support plate 17B is insecure, and when a piezoelectric element 12 deforms a diaphragm 7 toward a pressure chamber 3, that is, in a direction away from the support plate 17B, the support plate 17A prevents the diaphragm plate 9 from peeling off the support plate 17B. Accordingly, the dimension and thus a deforming amount of the diaphragm 7 is maintained uniform, whereby a uniform ink ejection performance is maintained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2002
    Publication date: November 21, 2002
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahagi, Nobuhiro Noto, Takashi Sato, Akira Kashimura, Kenji Yamada, Kenichi Kugai
  • Patent number: 6457222
    Abstract: During a method for manufacturing an ink-jet print head, piezoelectric element bars are fixed to a base plate. Then, two corners of the piezoelectric element bars are cut. The bare are then diced to be separated into individual piezoelectric elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuji Torii, Nobuhiro Noto, Keiji Watanabe, Yoshitaka Akiyama, Kenichi Kugai, Nobuhiro Kurosawa, Shigenori Suematsu, Yasuo Takano
  • Publication number: 20020126186
    Abstract: An ink jet print head includes pressure chambers, nozzles, and ink channels in a one-to-one correspondence. A diaphragm forms a side of each pressure chamber. The ink channels are formed in a restrictor plate. Piezoelectric elements are attached to the diaphragm and to a piezoelectric element fixing plate, which supports the piezoelectric elements. A housing of the head is formed with a common ink channel for supplying ink to the ink channels and an internal space into which the piezoelectric elements and the piezoelectric element fixing plate are at least partially inserted. A cover is provided for covering the piezoelectric element fixing plate. The cover is connected to the housing and is provided with an internal space large enough to maintain a gap between the cover and the piezoelectric element fixing plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takahagi, Nobuhiro Noto, Kenichi Kugai, Nobuhiro Kurosawa, Kenji Yamada
  • Patent number: 6394589
    Abstract: An ink jet printhead composed of: a reservoir storing a quantity of printing ink, an ink manifold defining an ink supply volume in communication with the reservoir for holding a supply of ink received from the reservoir and a plurality of individually controlled ink jet delivery channels, each of the channels having an ink drop ejection transducer and an orifice to eject successive ink drops on demand in response to pressure pulses produced by the transducer, and each of the channels being in communication with the ink supply volume for receiving ink from the ink supply volume. The manifold is constructed to give the ink supply volume a large acoustic compliance to minimize propagation of pressure disturbances in the ink supply volume and acoustic signal crosstalk between the channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Charles A. Willus, Stuart D. Howkins, Nobuhiro Noto, Yoshitaka Akiyama
  • Publication number: 20020057304
    Abstract: An appropriate pulse width of a driving pulse for driving a piezoelectric element of ink jet head is determined by using the head difference. That is, the pulse width with which the least change in the ink speed occurs can be used as the pulse width of the driving signal for the piezoelectric actuator. As a result, a reliable ink jet printer head capable of stably ejecting ink droplets over a long period of time and having excellent frequency characteristics can be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2001
    Publication date: May 16, 2002
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Akiyama, Nobuhiro Noto, Yutaka Shoji, Hiroshi Takahagi, Osamu Machida, Yoshinari Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6378972
    Abstract: To increase the size of dot printed on a print medium with an on-demand multi-nozzle ink jet head, at least two unit pulses are applied in succession to a piezoelectric element which varies the volume of an ink chamber. The unit pulse has a pulse width substantially equal to a period of Helmholtz natural oscillation determined based on dimensions, materials, and physical properties of an ink channel and the piezoelectric element and other components relating to oscillation. An off duration between adjacent unit pulses applied in succession to the piezoelectric element is preferably set one fifth to one fourth of the unit pulse width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Akiyama, Takuji Torii, Nobuhiro Noto, Kazuaki Akimoto, Kazuo Shimizu, Shigenori Suematsu, Kenichi Kugai
  • Patent number: 6328397
    Abstract: To eliminate influence of cross-talk in an on-demand multi-nozzle ink jet head, drive pulses to be applied to piezoelectric elements for driving nozzles aligned in a row are individually adjusted so that the nozzles eject ink droplets at the same speed when the nozzles are driven simultaneously. To the piezoelectric elements which are deactuated during printing, a dummy drive pulse having a voltage level in a range from 50 to 75% of a minimum voltage for ejecting an ink droplet is applied, whereby the ejection speed achieved when individual nozzles are driven approaches the ejection speed achieved when all nozzles are driven simultaneously. As such, the print quality is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Shimizu, Takuji Torii, Nobuhiro Noto, Yoshitaka Akiyama, Masatoshi Sakata, Shigenori Suematsu
  • Patent number: 6328418
    Abstract: A print head for ink jet printer having a reduced length in a main scanning direction and an elongated length in an auxiliary scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. A plurality of linear print head modules are arrayed in the auxiliary scanning direction, and each linear print head module extends in a slanting direction with respect to the main scanning direction by a predetermined angle. Further, each linear print head module has a width in a direction perpendicular to its extending direction. The slanting angle and the width determine scanning pitch extending in the auxiliary scanning direction and can reduces the length of the print head in the main scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., LTD
    Inventors: Takahiro Yamada, Hiroomi Kozawa, Takuji Torii, Kazunobu Hayashi, Toshitaka Ogawa, Satoru Tobita, Makoto Kurosawa, Kenji Yamada, Nobuhiro Noto, Osamu Machida, Katsunori Kawasumi, Hitoshi Kida, Mamoru Okano
  • Patent number: 6264310
    Abstract: An on-demand ink jet head includes a plurality of piezoelectric elements in alignment with one another with one end of each facing in the same direction. The end of each piezoelectric element is bonded by an adhesive material to a diaphragm which, together with a nozzle plate, forms a pressurizing chamber. To confine the fluid state adhesive material expelled out of the endmost piezoelectric elements, a dummy piezoelectric element is disposed outside each endmost piezoelectric element. The adhesive material, when dried, serves as a damper of the piezoelectric element for damping unwanted vibrations of the piezoelectric elements. By the provision of the dummy piezoelectric elements, the distribution of the adhesive material becomes substantially even between the piezoelectric elements, resulting in uniform operations of the piezoelectric elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuji Toru, Nobuhiro Noto, Kenichi Kugai, Takao Matsuoka, Yoshitaka Akiyama, Kazuaki Akimoto, Nobuhiro Kurosawa, Yasuo Takano
  • Patent number: 6102512
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element is driven by a predetermined pulse width in the range of 60 to 100% of the Helmholtz resonance vibration period of an ink vibration system comprising an orifice, a pressurizing chamber, a restrictor, the piezoelectric element, and an elastic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuji Torii, Nobuhiro Noto, Kazuaki Akimoto, Shigenori Suematsu, Yoshitaka Akiyama, Ryoji Yabuki
  • Patent number: 6053602
    Abstract: An on-demand multi-nozzle ink jet head includes a diaphragm and a plurality of piezoelectric stacks. The diaphragm forms at least one wall of a pressurizing chamber used to increase the pressure of the ink. When print signals are applied to the piezoelectric stacks. The stacks generate pressure fluctuations in the walls of the pressurizing chamber. An elastic material with adhesive properties is used to bond the diaphragm to the piezoelectric stacks, which elastic material has a Shore hardness of less than 80 on the A scale and less than 30 on the D scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Noto, Takuji Torii, Yoshitaka Akiyama, Yasuo Takano, Norimasa Kondo, Nobuhiro Kurosawa
  • Patent number: 5558571
    Abstract: A grinder has a grinding member. The grinder includes a rotatable spindle having an engagement portion. A first flange engages the engagement portion of the spindle. The first flange and the engagement portion of the spindle define a given play therebetween in a direction of rotation. The grinding member is held between the first flange and a second flange. A lubricant solid material is provided between the first flange and the engagement portion of the spindle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Hitachi Koki Company Limited
    Inventors: Takeshi Toyoshima, Yo Kawakami, Hiroyasu Ishikawa, Takao Abe, Satsuo Sato, Nobuhiro Noto, Tadahiro Kaneko, Takayoshi Kaneta, Juurou Kobayahsi, Osamu Kawanobe