Patents by Inventor Shoji Yokoi

Shoji Yokoi 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: 20180117648
    Abstract: A waste material treatment apparatus is provided which: supplies a reactant to facilitate a prompt reaction between an oxidation agent or a neutralizing agent and gases that contain chlorine, hydrocarbons, and the like, and that are emitted from non-plastic garbage present in waste materials when heated instantaneously; renders the non-plastic garbage harmless and reduced in volume without generating dioxins or carbon dioxide by repeating the instantaneous heating; and renders plastics harmless and cleaned, thereby enabling recycling thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventors: Shoji YOKOI, Pengzhi HANG, Yukinori ASANO
  • Patent number: 9902616
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes one or more electrode pairs each containing two electrodes arranged at a distance of a predetermined gap length and a power source for applying an alternating-current voltage between the two electrodes. In the ozone generator, ozone is produced when a source gas flows at least between the two electrodes and a discharge is generated between the two electrodes. The ozone generator has a discharge space formed between the two electrodes, and the ozone generator satisfies the condition of 0.5<V/f/L wherein V (m/s) represents a flow velocity of the source gas flowing through the discharge space, f (Hz) represents a frequency of the alternating-current voltage, and L (m) represents a length of the discharge space in the main flow direction of the source gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Kondo, Shoji Yokoi, Tatsuya Terazawa, Naoya Takase
  • Publication number: 20160264419
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes one or more electrode pairs each containing two electrodes arranged at a distance of a predetermined gap length and a power source for applying an alternating-current voltage between the two electrodes. In the ozone generator, ozone is produced when a source gas flows at least between the two electrodes and a discharge is generated between the two electrodes. The ozone generator has a discharge space formed between the two electrodes, and the ozone generator satisfies the condition of 0.5<V/f/L wherein V (m/s) represents a flow velocity of the source gas flowing through the discharge space, f (Hz) represents a frequency of the alternating-current voltage, and L (m) represents a length of the discharge space in the main flow direction of the source gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshimasa KONDO, Shoji YOKOI, Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Naoya TAKASE
  • Publication number: 20160208397
    Abstract: The electrode includes an insulator having a hollow portion (first hollow portion and second hollow portion) and a conductor provided in the hollow portion of the insulator. An edge portion of one end surface of at least the conductor is covered with the insulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Inventors: Masashi OHNO, Satoshi ISHIBASHI, Shoji YOKOI, Naoya TAKASE
  • Publication number: 20160145100
    Abstract: A first electrode structural body includes a plurality of electrode pairs. Of a plurality of electrodes forming the plurality of electrode pairs, at least one electrode forms a common electrode common to the plurality of electrode pairs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventors: Mikio MAKINO, Yoshiyuki KASAI, Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Naoya TAKASE, Shoji YOKOI
  • Patent number: 9321645
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes a housing having an internal cavity and a plurality of electrode pairs located in the internal cavity. The electrode pairs each contain two electrodes arranged at a distance of a predetermined gap length, and a discharge space is formed between the two electrodes, whereby ozone is produced when a source gas flows at least between the two electrodes and a discharge is generated between the two electrodes. The ozone generator has a non-discharge portion in an arbitrary cross-section having a normal direction parallel to a main flow direction of the source gas in the internal cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Kondo, Shoji Yokoi, Tatsuya Terazawa, Naoya Takase
  • Publication number: 20160046489
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes a transformer, a direct current power supply unit connected to a primary side of the transformer, a reactor connected to a secondary side of the transformer, a semiconductor switch connected between one end of a primary winding of the transformer and the direct current power supply unit, and a control circuit for implementing ON-OFF control of the semiconductor switch at a set switching frequency to thereby apply a voltage to the reactor. The interior of the reactor is set to conditions for making it easy to generate an electric discharge therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Publication date: February 18, 2016
    Inventors: Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Shoji YOKOI, Naoya TAKASE
  • Publication number: 20160039671
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes a transformer, a direct current power supply unit connected to a primary side of the transformer, a reactor connected to a secondary side of the transformer, a semiconductor switch connected between at least one end of a primary winding of the transformer and the direct current power supply unit, and a control circuit for implementing ON-OFF control of the semiconductor switch to thereby apply alternating current voltage to the reactor. The control circuit implements control of a frequency of the alternating current voltage applied to the reactor, so as to minimize electric signal on the primary side of the transformer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Shoji YOKOI, Naoya TAKASE
  • Publication number: 20160039672
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes a transformer, a direct current power supply unit connected to a primary side of the transformer, a reactor connected to a secondary side of the transformer, a semiconductor switch connected between one end of a primary winding of the transformer and the direct current power supply unit, and a control circuit for implementing ON-OFF control of the semiconductor switch to thereby apply alternating current voltage to the reactor. The control circuit implements control to minimize electric signal on the primary side of the transformer by updating a switching frequency by a fixed change width from a reference frequency, and determines that a failure has occurred if the number of updates by the fixed change width exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Shoji YOKOI, Naoya TAKASE
  • Patent number: 9159820
    Abstract: A semiconductor device contains a semiconductor substrate, a cathode, an anode, and a gate electrode. The semiconductor device has a cathode segment disposed in a portion corresponding to at least the cathode, an anode segment disposed in a portion corresponding to the anode, a plurality of embedded segments disposed in a portion closer to the cathode segment than to the anode segment, a takeoff segment disposed between the gate electrode and the embedded segments to electrically connect the gate electrode to the embedded segments, and a channel segment disposed between the adjacent embedded segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoji Yokoi, Naohiro Shimizu, Masakazu Kimura
  • Publication number: 20150274525
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes one or more electrode pairs, wherein the electrode pairs each contain two electrodes arranged at a distance of a predetermined gap length, and ozone is produced when a source gas flows at least between the two electrodes of the electrode pair and a discharge is generated between the two electrodes. One of the two electrodes is located on an upstream side of the source gas and another is located on a downstream side of the source gas. A direction from the one electrode toward the other electrode is inclined with respect to a supply direction of the source gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Yoshimasa KONDO, Shoji YOKOI, Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Naoya TAKASE
  • Publication number: 20150274526
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes a housing having an internal cavity and a plurality of electrode pairs located in the internal cavity. The electrode pairs each contain two electrodes arranged at a distance of a predetermined gap length, and a discharge space is formed between the two electrodes, whereby ozone is produced when a source gas flows at least between the two electrodes and a discharge is generated between the two electrodes. The ozone generator has a non-discharge portion in an arbitrary cross-section having a normal direction parallel to a main flow direction of the source gas in the internal cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Inventors: Yoshimasa KONDO, Shoji YOKOI, Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Naoya TAKASE
  • Publication number: 20150265998
    Abstract: An electrode structural body includes a first electrode and a second electrode, and further includes a first retainer and a second retainer for fixing the first electrode and the second electrode. The first electrode and the second electrode are separated from each other, their axial directions being parallel to each other. The first electrode contains a first insulating body having a first hollow portion and a first conducting body located in the first hollow portion. The second electrode contains a second insulating body having a second hollow portion and a second conducting body located in the second hollow portion. At least in the first electrode, at least one end surface of the first conducting body is positioned inside the first hollow portion at a distance from one end surface of the first insulating body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventors: Yoshimasa KONDO, Shoji YOKOI, Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Naoya TAKASE
  • Publication number: 20150210544
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes one or more electrode pairs each containing two electrodes arranged at a distance of a predetermined gap length. In the ozone generator, ozone is produced when a source gas flows at least between the two electrodes and a discharge is generated between the two electrodes. Each electrode contains a tubular dielectric body having a hollow portion and a conductive body disposed in the hollow portion. The gap length is less than 1.0 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Yoshimasa KONDO, Shoji YOKOI, Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Naoya TAKASE
  • Publication number: 20150210545
    Abstract: An ozone generator includes one or more electrode pairs each containing two electrodes arranged at a distance of a predetermined gap length and a power source for applying an alternating-current voltage between the two electrodes. In the ozone generator, ozone is produced when a source gas flows at least between the two electrodes and a discharge is generated between the two electrodes. The ozone generator has a discharge space formed between the two electrodes, and the ozone generator satisfies the condition of 0.5<V/f/L wherein V (m/s) represents a flow velocity of the source gas flowing through the discharge space, f (Hz) represents a frequency of the alternating-current voltage, and L (m) represents a length of the discharge space in the main flow direction of the source gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Yoshimasa KONDO, Shoji YOKOI, Tatsuya TERAZAWA, Naoya TAKASE
  • Patent number: 9048281
    Abstract: A semiconductor device satisfies the condition Db?(?)×Da, in which Da represents a distance between a top surface of a cathode segment and an end of an embedded gate segment facing an anode segment, and Db represents a distance between a highest-impurity concentration portion in the embedded gate segment and an end of the cathode segment facing the anode segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohiro Shimizu, Shoji Yokoi
  • Patent number: 8633683
    Abstract: The apparatus is provided with an abnormality determination means for determining abnormality of the apparatus where two different combinations of two electrodes are selected from the three electrodes, an alternating-current voltage is applied to an electrode in one combination by the voltage-applying portion to measure a value of a current flowing to the other electrode via the dielectric body by electrostatic coupling, an alternating-current voltage is applied to an electrode in another combination out of the at least two different combinations by the voltage-applying portion to measure a value of a current flowing to the other electrode via the dielectric body by electrostatic coupling, and an abnormality of the apparatus is determined from the current values measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignees: NGK Insulators, Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoji Yokoi, Takayuki Sakurai, Tatsuya Okayama, Masanobu Miki, Keizo Iwama, Makoto Hattori, Hidetaka Ozawa
  • Patent number: 8482288
    Abstract: The particulate matter detection device of the present invention is a particulate matter detection device 100 including an electrode portion 21 and detection means 23 for detecting an electrical characteristic of the electrode portion 21, whereby a particulate matter 36 contained in an exhaust gas 32 is detected on the basis of a change of the electrical characteristic due to the particulate matter 36 attached to the electrode portion 21. The particulate matter detection device i00 further includes removal means 25 and abnormality judgment means 26 for comparing an initial electrical characteristic in a use initial state of the device with the electrical characteristic measured in a state where the particulate matter 36 attached to the surface of the electrode portion 21 is removed by the removal means 25, to judge whether or not the particulate matter detection device i00 has an abnormality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignees: NGK Insulators, Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoji Yokoi, Takayuki Sakurai, Tatsuya Okayama, Masanobu Miki, Keizo Iwama, Makoto Hattori, Hidetaka Ozawa
  • Publication number: 20120059598
    Abstract: A particulate matter detection device 100 includes characteristics measurement means having a voltage applying circuit which applies a voltage signal of a sine wave obtained by tuning a voltage signal of a square wave with a low pass filter having a Q-value of 1.5 to 3, a current-voltage conversion circuit, a detection circuit, and two or more calibration elements electrically connected to the voltage applying circuit and the current-voltage conversion circuit in a state where the calibration elements and the pair of measurement electrodes are switchable, and the device calculates a calibration matrix Q of the voltage applying circuit from two or more calibrating detection values measured by using two or more calibration elements, respectively, and original true values of the two or more calibration elements, to calibrate a detected value measured between the pair of measurement electrodes in the particulate matter detection device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoji YOKOI, Takayuki Sakurai
  • Publication number: 20120006094
    Abstract: A particulate matter detector of the present invention has an electrode portion, a signal measuring portion, and a calculation portion and further has a measurement signal memory portion for memorizing the values of the measurement signal measured by the signal measuring portion, a signal judgement portion for judging the necessity of correction by comparing a calculated amount of change with a value of a background signal noise after calculating an amount of change between values of the consecutive measurement signals of 10 or less samples memorized by the measurement signal memory portion, and a correction portion for correcting the value of the measurement signal, if the calculated amount of the change shows a decrease of at least twice the value of the background signal noise, by adding the decrease value to the value of the measurement signal where the decrease is confirmed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Applicant: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoji YOKOI, Takayuki Sakurai