Patents by Inventor Nobuo Tsukada

Nobuo Tsukada 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: 5254899
    Abstract: A traveller having two ultrasonic motors, each of which movable member drives the driving wheel respectively. The ultrasonic motor comprises a vibrating member, a moving member and a pressure regulating member. The driving circuit sends signals to turn the ultrasonic motor, which turn the moving memeber to turn the driving wheel. With the driving wheel turning, the traveller travels freely in any direction. Each of two ultrasonic motors receives respective signals to travel freely in any direction as a effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1993
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto Suzuki, Nobuo Tsukada, Ichiro Horikoshi, Fujio Ozawa, Masao Kasuga
  • Patent number: 5079470
    Abstract: A standing-wave type ultrasonic motor utilizing flexible standing-wave components. Protuberances are provided nearly at every other intermediate positions of the loops and the nodes of flexible standing-waves generated in the vibration member by the piezo-electric element or the electro-strictive element, and a moving member is brought into pressed contact with the protuberances so as to be frictionally driven. A standing-wave type ultrasonic motor is driven in the forward direction and in the reverse direction while fulfilling the reduction in size, stabilization in performance and improvement in efficiency.Furthermore, an analog-type electronic timepiece is obtained using display means that is driven by the standing-wave type ultrasonic motor, featuring reduced size and thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1992
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Masao Kasuga, Nobuo Tsukada, Hiroshi Kitamura
  • Patent number: 5056201
    Abstract: A travelling-wave motor utilizes a flexible travelling waves generated in a stator for driving a rotor. The stator has an elastic vibrating body and a ceramic piezoelectric vibrator provided on one side of the elastic vibrating body. The central portion of the vibrating body is locked and supported on a central axis provided on a ground way. An output extracting projection for driving inside of the outermost periphery of the vibrating body on the one of the vibrating body and the rotor to press and contact with each other. The vibrating body and the piezoelectric vibrator is excited radially in a primary vibration mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1991
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Masao Kasuga, Takayuki Mori, Nobuo Tsukada
  • Patent number: 5043956
    Abstract: A wristwatch with an oscillation alarm uses an ultrasonic motor as its drive source. A vibration member has a piezoelectric element adhered thereto on one side and comb-like projections on the other side. A rotor has a sliding member composed of resin at its contacting portion with the comb-like projections and an eccentric weight at its outer circumferential portion. Shock absorbers are sandwiched between the weight and the rotor to absorb shocks applied to the rotor and thus prevent rotor damage. In the vicinity of the upper or lower side of the weight, there is disposed an abutment portion made of rigid material, the abutment portion abutting with the weight when shocks of large magnitude are applied to the rotor to assist the shock absorbers in preventing damage to the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 27, 1991
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Nobuo Tsukada, Kou Yamazaki, Keishi Honmura
  • Patent number: 5025186
    Abstract: An ultrasonic motor adapted to generate a travelling wave by a piezoelectric element and a vibrator to which the piezoelectric element is bonded, the displacement of these parts due to the travelling wave being amplified by a comb-like projection of the vibrator, arranged alternately in the circumferential direction thereof, to frictionally drive a movable member engaged under pressure with the vibrator characterized in that the piezoelectric element is provided on one surface thereof with fan-shaped electrode patterns, the number of which is a multiple of 4, arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction thereof, wherein the number of the fan-shaped electrode patterns and that of the vibrator have no common divisor with respect to each other, whereby the scatter of performance of ultrasonic motors, which is caused by a difference in the position in which the piezoelectric element and vibrator are bonded together, is eliminated to enable ultrasonic motors of uniform performance to be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1991
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventor: Nobuo Tsukada
  • Patent number: 5023853
    Abstract: A timepiece in which a vibration member starts vibration at an alarm time to let a person know the alarm time. The timepiece comprises a case having a shape of thin, small-sized wrist watch form, timekeeping circuit for counting a present time, alarm circuit for setting alarm time, detection circuit for detecting a coincidence a present time with the alarm time and the vibration member actuated at a set time to indicate time. The vibration member comprises a ultrasonic wave motor and an eccentric weight wheel driven by the ultrasonic motor and having its center of gravity deviated from its axis. The whole timepiece is vibrated by the unbalanced centrifugal forces produced by the turn of the weight wheel at the set time to indicate the time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1991
    Inventors: Masayuki Kawata, Nobuo Tsukada
  • Patent number: 5006746
    Abstract: A travelling-wave motor utilizes a flexible travelling waves generated in a stator for driving a rotor. The stator has an elastic vibrating body and a ceramic piezoelectric vibrator provided on one side of the elastic vibrating body. The central portion of the vibrating body is locked and supported on a central axis provided on a ground way. An output extracting projection for driving inside of the outermost periphery of the vibrating body on the one of the vibrating body and the rotor to press and contact with each other. The vibrating body and the piezoelectric vibrator is excited radially in a primary vibration mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 9, 1991
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Masao Kasuga, Takayuki Mori, Nobuo Tsukada
  • Patent number: 4721058
    Abstract: An automated drawing system has an automatic drawing machine which receives input data from a central control unit for making a drawing on a roll of drawing paper in accordance with the input data. At the time of making the drawing, the automatic drawing machine also encodes the drawing paper with a bar code pattern representative of the lengthwise and widthwise size of the drawing. The drawing paper is then advanced to a paper cutter system which includes a bar code reader for reading and decoding the bar code pattern and for producing therefrom control signals indicative of the desired lengthwise and widthwise size of the drawing. These control signals are fed to a Y-axis or widthwise cutter and an X-axis or lengthwise cutter which accordingly cut the drawing paper in lengthwise and widthwise directions to obtain a cut piece of drawing paper containing thereon the drawing and having a size determined by the bar code pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1988
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments & Electronics Ltd.
    Inventors: Mamoru Hayamizu, Nobuo Tsukada
  • Patent number: 4645356
    Abstract: A wristwatch comprises a watch movement having an outwardly curved frame portion, and a micro motor mounted on the watch movement. The micro motor comprises a curved magnetic core, a coil wound on the magnetic core, and a stator connected to the magnetic core to define therewith a closed magnetic flux path and having an opening therein in which a rotor is rotatably disposed. The magnetic core is curved outwardly with a curvature similar to and conforming to that of the outwardly curved frame of the watch movement, and the curved magnetic core overlies the curved frame of the watch movement so that no wasted space exists therebetween. The stator comprises a pair of stator pieces each connected at one end to a respective end portion of the curved magnetic core and the stator pieces have curved side edge portions extending at least partly along the curvature of said curved mangetic core to thereby form a compact overall assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1987
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments & Electronics Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiichi Matsuura, Nobuo Tsukada
  • Patent number: 4447163
    Abstract: A winding stem mechanism for a watch having a winding stem and a pinion with a shaft body. The winding stem and pinion are dimensioned to slidably fit within a base plate recess, and have respective facing ends. One facing end is provided with a square blind bore, and the other facing end is square and complementary to the blind bore and dimensioned to slidably fit within the blind bore so that the winding stem can slide away from the pinion without displacing same and the winding stem can slide toward the pinion and displace same in the direction of travel of the winding stem. The pinion engages a setting wheel for setting a wheel train.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 8, 1984
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments & Electronics Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo Tsukada, Isamu Nishida
  • Patent number: 4114365
    Abstract: A battery lead plate assembly comprises a one-piece integral structure for connecting together a circuit block and a battery of an electronic timepiece. The assembly comprises a casing composed of electrically insulative material and having a slotted arm portion, a lead plate element composed of electrically conductive material and having an end portion inserted into the slot, and an insulating plate composed of electrically insulative material and having an end portion inserted into the slot - all three parts being thermo compression bonded into a one-piece integral structure. The lead plate element is configured so as to contact and make electrical connection between the circuit block and the battery and the insulating plate is configured so as to extend along the side of the lead plate element opposite the battery for electrically insulating the lead plate element from other parts of the timepiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1976
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1978
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Daini Seikosha
    Inventors: Eiichi Matsuura, Keikichi Takahashi, Nobuo Tsukada, Yoshio Tatsumi
  • Patent number: 4102123
    Abstract: A timepiece has a wheel and pinion mechanism having upper and lower shafts rotatably mounted in bearings which are fixed in a pair of spaced apart plates. The bearing fixed in one plate has a cylindrical portion which surrounds the pinion portion of the wheel and pinion mechanism and which is spaced therefrom a slight distance which is sufficiently small to enable the pinion portion to abut the inner wall of the bearing cylindrical portion in the event the wheel and pinion mechanism tilts on its lower shaft a predetermined amount from its intended orientation thereby preventing falling of the mechanism during assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1976
    Date of Patent: July 25, 1978
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Daini Seikosha
    Inventors: Yoshio Tatsumi, Eiichi Matsuura, Keikichi Takahashi, Nobuo Tsukada
  • Patent number: 4023055
    Abstract: A quartz vibrator device comprises a quartz element of the tuning fork type, a supporting spring member for supporting the quartz element, a pedestal on which is mounted the supporting spring member and a protective casing in which is mounted the quartz element. One end portion of said supporting spring member supports one end portion of said quartz element and has at least two separate U-shaped spring portions,the other end portion of said spring member being fixed to said pedestal portion of said casing. The U-shaped portions extend past the center of gravity of said quartz element, whereby said spring member has the same flexure angle between one spring section of said spring member and other spring section of said spring member at the center of gravity of said quartz element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1975
    Date of Patent: May 10, 1977
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Daini Seikosha
    Inventor: Nobuo Tsukada
  • Patent number: 4012899
    Abstract: A micro motor for a timepiece comprises a curved magnetic core, a coil winding wound on the magnetic core, a stator connected to the magnetic core to define therewith a closed magnetic flux path and having an opening therein in which a rotor is rotatably disposed. The stator comprises a pair of stator pieces each connected at one end to a respective end portion of the curved magnetic core and the stator pieces have curved portions extending at least partly along the curvature of said curved magnetic core to thereby form a compact overall assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 1975
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1977
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Daini Seikosha
    Inventors: Eiichi Matsuura, Nobuo Tsukada