Patents by Inventor Satoshi Hirano

Satoshi Hirano 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).

  • Publication number: 20040194942
    Abstract: The present invention is a cooling plate including a groove, which becomes a passage of a coolant, inside a body, wherein one or more fins are provided inside the groove, wherein the groove is covered with a lid having width larger than the groove, wherein the lid is joined to the body by friction stir welding, and wherein a weld bead formed by the joining is outside the passage, and the weld bead formed by the joining is formed within the body and further, is characterized by a manufacturing method of a cooling plate that has a first groove, which becomes a passage of a coolant, and a second groove, which has width larger than the first groove and receives a lid on the first groove, inside a body, receives the lid on the second groove, and is joined to the body, the manufacturing method of a cooling plate wherein, while the lid and the body are joined together by the friction stir welding owing to insertion of a rotation tool having a shoulder and a pin, the joining is performed so that a weld bead formed by
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2004
    Publication date: October 7, 2004
    Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd, Hitachi Cable Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazutaka Okamoto, Masayuki Doi, Hisanori Okamura, Yasuhisa Aono, Manabu Kagawa, Satoshi Hirano, Kinya Aota
  • Publication number: 20040173663
    Abstract: The invention provides a friction stir welding apparatus and method and a processing apparatus and method, which are not easily affected by deformations of a work being processed. The friction stir welding apparatus inserts a rotating tool into the work and moves the rotating tool relative to the work to join members of the work. The friction stir welding apparatus and method and the processing apparatus and method of the invention, the latter cutting or grinding the work with a rotating cutter or grindstone, comprises controlling a relative distance between the tool, cutter or grindstone and the work under the joining or processing operation or an insertion depth so that the load factor or electric current of a spindle motor for rotating the tool, cutter or grindstone is within a predetermined range, and a controller therefor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2004
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Inventors: Kazutaka Okamoto, Satoshi Hirano, Masayuki Doi, Hisanori Okamura, Masahisa Inagaki, Tomio Odakura, Masaru Tomobe
  • Publication number: 20040155094
    Abstract: Different metallic materials are joined in such a manner that friction heat generated by fiction between a rotating probe made of a hard material and one of the metallic materials having a lower mechanical strength or a lower melting point than the other to effect plastic flow of the one material and the probe is inserted into a pit formed in a joint zone of the other material to fill the pit with the plastic flow material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2004
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Kazutaka Okamoto, Satoshi Hirano, Masahisa Inagaki, Yasuhisa Aono
  • Patent number: 6772823
    Abstract: A heat storage device comprises a heat storage tank 2 charged with a heat storage material 1 for storing the heat supplied from the outside, and a heat exchanger 3 for executing an injection and an extraction of heat between the inside of the storage tank 2 and the outside by the heat exchange between the heat storage material and a heat transfer medium. The heat exchanger 3 is disposed so as to execute a heat exchange between the central portion 2a in the heat storage tank 2 and the outside, and suppresses the natural convection of the heat storage material 1 of the outer portion 2b by, for example, dispersing a liquid-absorbent material 5 in the outer portion 2b surrounding the central portion in the heat storage tank 2, whereby reduces the influence of external environment on the central portion 2a in the heat storage tank, thereby suppressing the heat loss toward the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Agency of Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventor: Satoshi Hirano
  • Patent number: 6757486
    Abstract: A heat-storage heater which has a function of compensating a time lag between the generation and emission of heat and comprises a device such as a heat exchanger or electric heater supplying heat to a heat-storing material 1 capable of being supercooled, the heat-storing material 1 being filled into a plurality of small containers 2, a device such as a heat exchanger, thermoelectric element, electrodes, or vibrator 3 for releasing the supercooled state of the heat-storing material, and a thermal radiation surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventor: Satoshi Hirano
  • Patent number: 6729526
    Abstract: The invention provides a friction stir welding apparatus and method and a processing apparatus and method, which are not easily affected by deformations of a work being processed. The friction stir welding apparatus inserts a rotating tool into the work and moves the rotating tool relative to the work to join members of the work. The friction stir welding apparatus and method and the processing apparatus and method of the invention, the latter cutting or grinding the work with a rotating cutter or grindstone, comprises controlling a relative distance between the tool, cutter or grindstone and the work under the joining or processing operation or an insertion depth so that the load factor or electric current of a spindle motor for rotating the tool, cutter or grindstone is within a predetermined range, and a controller therefor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazutaka Okamoto, Satoshi Hirano, Masayuki Doi, Hisanori Okamura, Masahisa Inagaki, Tomio Odakura, Masaru Tomobe
  • Publication number: 20040079787
    Abstract: The invention provides a discontinuous friction stir welding apparatus and welding method having a compact machine head capable of corresponding to a wide usage. In a friction stir welding apparatus provided with a tool (1) having a shoulder portion (1a) with a large diameter and a pin portion (1b) with a small diameter protruding in an axial direction, and welding by inserting the tool to a material to be welded while rotating the tool, the tool, a moving mechanism of the tool and a backing member (5) for the welded material are received in one frame (10). The tool moving mechanism has a main axis motor (2) for rotating the tool, an axial moving apparatus (4, 13a, 13b, 14) for moving the tool in a direction of a rotation axis, and a welding direction moving apparatus (9, 17) for moving the tool along a weld line of the welded material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2003
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Inventors: Kazutaka Okamoto, Satoshi Hirano, Masayuki Doi, Masahisa Inagaki
  • Publication number: 20040074944
    Abstract: In a frictional stirring weld apparatus for bonding elements with a rotary tool, a head is movable with respect to the elements to position and orient the rotary tool so that a pin of the rotary tool is aligned along a boundary between first surfaces and a shoulder of the rotary tool faces to second surfaces extending radially outward from the first surfaces, and to generate a relative movement between the rotary tool and the elements along the second surfaces, and a compensating member is capable of holding thereon the rotary tool, at least partially rotatable on the rotational axis with respect to the head to rotate the rotary tool, and supported on the head movably along the rotational axis with respect to the head so that a positional relationship between the rotary tool and a combination of the elements is adjustable in a direction parallel to the rotational axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2003
    Publication date: April 22, 2004
    Inventors: Kazutaka Okamoto, Satoshi Hirano, Masahisa Inagaki, Tomio Odakura
  • Patent number: 6715665
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a friction stir welding method and apparatus capable of maintaining a rotating tool and workpieces at a substantially constant geometrical relation for arbitrary curved surfaces having a three-dimensional shape, as well as a welded structure obtained thereby.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirano, Hisanori Okamura, Yasuhisa Aono, Kazutaka Okamoto, Kinya Aota, Tomio Odakura, Shinichi Hasshuu
  • Publication number: 20040057782
    Abstract: Different metallic materials are joined in such a manner that friction heat generated by friction between a rotating probe made of a hard material and one of the metallic materials having a lower mechanical strength or a lower melting point than the other to effect plastic flow of the one material and the probe is inserted into a pit formed in a joint zone of the other material to fill the pit with the plastic flow material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2003
    Publication date: March 25, 2004
    Inventors: Kazutaka Okamoto, Satoshi Hirano, Masahisa Inagaki, Yasuhisa Aono
  • Patent number: 6710319
    Abstract: A novel system for facilitating the work for setting the horizontal direction of a guide laser beam is disclosed. The guide laser beam (P) can be radiated in vertical and lateral directions from the horizontal direction as a reference by a guide laser beam radiator (20). The reference horizontal direction position of the guide laser beam radiator (20) is detected by a first GPS unit (75). A pole (81) has a second GPS unit (76) for detecting a horizontal position. A reference horizontal direction position of the guide laser radiator (20) is detected by the first GPS unit (75). A first horizontal direction position is detected by the second GPS unit (76) of the pole (81) set up at a first position (83), thereby specifying the direction Z1 in which the guide laser beam (P) is to be radiated from the reference horizontal direction position as an origin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Topcon
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Satoshi Hirano, Ray O'Connor, Kunihiro Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20040053489
    Abstract: A method of producing a multilayer wiring substrate is disclosed. The multilayer wiring substrate is free from a core substrate and includes a build up layer which includes an insulator layer and a wiring layer. One of a first main surface and a second main surface of the build up layer is formed with a metal supporting frame body. The method includes the steps of: forming a first insulator layer on a first main surface of a metal supporting plate, where the first insulator layer is included in the insulator layer and becomes a first resist layer which is positioned on the first main surface's side of the build up layer, and forming a first metal pad layer in a given position on a first main surface of the first insulator layer, where the first metal pad layer is included in the wiring layer and becomes a metal pad layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2003
    Publication date: March 18, 2004
    Applicants: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD., NEC ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiichiro Kata, Hirokazu Honda, Kazuhiro Baba, Tadanori Shimoto, Katsumi Kikuchi, Rokuro Kambe, Satoshi Hirano, Shinya Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 6674017
    Abstract: A multilayer-wiring substrate having a via hole structure and method for fabricating the same. Referring to FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), after a via-hole 5 is formed by exposure and development in lithography or by laser-drilling, a bottom portion of the via-hole 5 is subjected to resin-etching so as to expose a surface 4A of a lower conductor 4 as shown in FIG. 3(b). The exposed surface 4A of the lower conductor 4 is chemically etched so that the conductor 4 is undercut. As a result, undesired material 5B such as adhered residual resin shown in FIG. 3(b) is completely removed. In etching the conductor 4 at the bottom of the via hole 5, the lower conductor 4 is preferably etched in an amount of 5-30% of the thickness of the lower conductor 4 to form a depression or recess 6A at a via hole bottom 5C as shown in FIG. 3(b), thereby reliably establishing electrical continuity between the lower conductor 4 and the upper conductor 8 by means of a via-hole conductor 7 as shown in FIG. 3(c).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kozo Yamasaki, Osamu Hisada, Katsuhiko Hasegawa, Naoki Kito, Satoshi Hirano
  • Publication number: 20030216266
    Abstract: A lubricating oil composition employable in combination with a low sulfur content fuel oil is preferably composed of a base oil having a sulfur content of at most 0.2 wt. %, an ashless dispersant comprising an alkenyl- or alkyl-succinimide or a derivative thereof, a metal-containing detergent containing an organic acid metal salt, a zinc dialkyldithiophosphate, a zinc dialkylaryldithiophosphate, and an oxidation inhibitor selected from the group consisting of a phenol compound, an amine compound, and a molybdenum-containing compound, wherein a ratio of the phosphorus content of the zinc dialkyldithiophosphate to the phosphorus content of the zinc dialkylaryldithiophosphate is in the range of 20:1 to 2:1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2003
    Publication date: November 20, 2003
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirano, Shigeru Iwamoto, Morikuni Nakazato
  • Publication number: 20030098337
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a friction stir welding method and apparatus capable of maintaining a rotating tool and workpieces at a substantially constant geometrical relation for arbitrary curved surfaces having a three-dimensional shape, as well as a welded structure obtained thereby.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2003
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirano, Hisanori Okamura, Yasuhisa Aono, Kazutaka Okamoto, Kinya Aota, Tomio Odakura, Shinichi Hasshuu
  • Patent number: 6569818
    Abstract: A lubricating oil composition having a low P content of 0.01 to 0.1 wt. %, and a sulfated ash of 0.1 to 1 wt. %, which is composed of a) a major amount of mineral base oil having a low S content of at most 0.1 wt. %; b) an ashless alkenyl or alkyl-succinimide dispersant; c) a metal-containing detergent (non-sulfurized alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of an alkylsalicylic acid and/or non-sulfurized alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of an alkylphenol derivative having a Mannich base structure); d) Zn-DTP; e) an oxidation inhibitor (phenol compound and/or amine compound) and wherein the sulfur content is 0.01 to 0.3 wt %. The lubricating oil composition shows good high temperature detergency notwithstanding its low S, P, and sulfated ash content, and is favorably employable in diesel engines using fuel of an extremely low sulfur content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Chevron Oronite Company, LLC
    Inventors: Morikuni Nakazato, Shigeru Iwamoto, Satoshi Hirano
  • Patent number: 6540128
    Abstract: A friction stir welding system capable of maintaining a rotating tool and workpieces at a substantially constant geometrical relation for arbitrary curved surfaces having a three-dimensional shape, as well as a welded structure obtained thereby. A method comprises joining workpieces while setting rotational angles of two rotational axes of a rotating tool which the two rotational axes are rotatable in intersecting directions or perpendicularly intersecting directions independently of rotation of the rotating tool, detecting a normal line direction with respect to joint surfaces of the workpieces and a tangential direction of a joint line, and joining the workpieces in three-dimensional directions while setting, on the basis of the detected normal line direction and tangential direction, an angle relative to a normal line direction, as well as a tangential direction, at a tip end of the rotating tool, and also resides in a friction stir welding apparatus using the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirano, Hisanori Okamura, Yasuhisa Aono, Kazutaka Okamoto, Kinya Aota, Tomio Odakura, Shinichi Hasshuu
  • Publication number: 20030047590
    Abstract: The invention provides a friction stir welding apparatus and method and a processing apparatus and method, which are not easily affected by deformations of a work being processed. The friction stir welding apparatus inserts a rotating tool into the work and moves the rotating tool relative to the work to join members of the work. The friction stir welding apparatus and method and the processing apparatus and method of the invention, the latter cutting or grinding the work with a rotating cutter or grindstone, comprises controlling a relative distance between the tool, cutter or grindstone and the work under the joining or processing operation or an insertion depth so that the load factor or electric current of a spindle motor for rotating the tool, cutter or grindstone is within a predetermined range, and a controller therefor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2002
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventors: Kazutaka Okamoto, Satoshi Hirano, Masayuki Doi, Hisanori Okamura, Masahisa Inagaki, Tomio Odakura, Masaru Tomobe
  • Publication number: 20030047584
    Abstract: The invention provides a friction stir welding apparatus and method and a processing apparatus and method, which are not easily affected by deformations of a work being processed. The friction stir welding apparatus inserts a rotating tool into the work and moves the rotating tool relative to the work to join members of the work. The friction stir welding apparatus and method and the processing apparatus and method of the invention, the latter cutting or grinding the work with a rotating cutter or grindstone, comprises controlling a relative distance between the tool, cutter or grindstone and the work under the joining or processing operation or an insertion depth so that the load factor or electric current of a spindle motor for rotating the tool, cutter or grindstone is within a predetermined range, and a controller therefor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2002
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventors: Kazutaka Okamoto, Satoshi Hirano, Masayuki Doi, Hisanori Okamura, Masahisa Inagaki, Tomio Odakura, Masaru Tomobe
  • Publication number: 20020180746
    Abstract: A video signal interpolation can adapt an image of input video signal to voluntary aspect ratios widely. The invention also allows a display device to uniformly line-sequential scan and uses at least two line-memories (LM1, LM2) which are applied with an input digital video signal and controls writing and reading for these line-memories to generate a video signal subjected to vertical interpolation from a reading output of the line-memories. In the control, any one of the line-memories are circularly selected, and a sample sequence of the input digital video signal is sequentially written into the selected line-memory at its sample rate while sequentially reading out samples of the written sequence at a constant rate which is higher than the sample rate and which is according to a desired ratio of interpolation (vertical expansion ratio), wherein, when one of the line-memories is in writing operation, the other one of the line-memories is repeatedly read out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Masaru Yasui, Satoshi Hirano, Takeo Kamiya, Akira Kamiya