Patents by Inventor Takafumi Okuma

Takafumi Okuma 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: 20240019242
    Abstract: A displacement sensor includes a first emission particles layer provided to be contactable with a measurement object, and in which first emission particles that emit light at a first wavelength by excitation energy are distributed over at least a one-dimensional extent, a second emission particles layer in which second emission particles that emit light at a second wavelength different from the first wavelength by the excitation energy are distributed over the above one-dimensional extent, and a spacer layer that separates the first emission particles layer and the second emission particles layer in a direction intersecting the above one-dimensional extent, and which includes an excitation energy absorbent that absorbs the excitation energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Inventors: YOSHIE TAKAHASHI, KAZUTO FUKUDA, TAKAFUMI OKUMA
  • Publication number: 20230331573
    Abstract: A method for producing a fine-particle powder containing calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide includes: preparing a pulverized powder of shells or eggshells; introducing the pulverized powder of shells or eggshells into a controlled atmosphere, vaporizing the pulverized powder under thermal plasma and then solidifying the pulverized powder in a gas phase to produce fine particles containing calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide; and collecting a powder of the fine particles containing calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide produced with the thermal plasma.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: HISAO NAGAI, HIROKI MARUYAMA, TAKESHI KOIWASAKI, TAKAFUMI OKUMA
  • Patent number: 11280027
    Abstract: A composite nitride-based film structure includes a bulk single crystal, a plurality of nitride microcrystals, and an amorphous nitride thin film. The plurality of nitride microcrystals is provided on the bulk single crystal, and has a specific orientation relationship with a crystal structure of the bulk single crystal. The nitride thin film is provided on the bulk single crystal, surrounds the nitride microcrystal, and covers a surface of the bulk single crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahide Hirasaki, Daisuke Suetsugu, Takafumi Okuma
  • Patent number: 11021788
    Abstract: A sputtering method of forming a thin film by allowing a target material to react with a gas includes narrowing down film deposition conditions from an existing period of nitrogen radicals by focusing on a nitriding process in thin-film forming processes when the thin film is formed by pulsing a waveform of electric current from a DC power supply at the time of generating plasma and applying the electric current to the target material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi Okuma, Daisuke Suetsugu, Takahide Hirasaki
  • Patent number: 10974220
    Abstract: A fine particle producing apparatus includes a reaction chamber extending vertically from the lower side to the upper side; a material supply device which is connected to a central part on one end side of the vertically lower side inside the reaction chamber and supplies a material particle into the reaction chamber of a vertically upper side from a material supply port; a first electrode arrangement region which protrudes in an inward radial direction to be disposed on an inner peripheral wall in the reaction chamber which is vertically above the material supply device, and includes a plurality of lower electrodes to which AC power is applied; a second electrode arrangement region which protrudes in an inward radial direction to be disposed on an inner peripheral wall in the reaction chamber which is vertically above the first electrode arrangement region, and includes a plurality of upper electrodes to which AC power is applied; a collector which is connected to the other end side in the reaction chamber of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisao Nagai, Takeshi Koiwasaki, Takafumi Okuma
  • Patent number: 10898957
    Abstract: A production apparatus and method for fine particles are capable of increasing a production amount and producing fine particles at low cost by efficiently inputting a large amount of material to plasma. The production apparatus includes a material supply device, which includes a plurality of material supply ports that supply a material gas containing material particles and are arranged below a plurality of electrodes in a vertical direction inside a vacuum chamber. The material supply device further includes a first gas supply port that supplies a first shield gas arranged in an inner periphery of the plural material supply ports and plural second gas supply ports that supply a second shield gas arranged in an outer periphery of the plural material supply ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Tanabe, Hisao Nagai, Takeshi Koiwasaki, Takafumi Okuma
  • Patent number: 10882114
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for producing fine particles includes a vacuum chamber, a material feeding device connected to the vacuum chamber and feeding material particles into the vacuum chamber from material feeing ports, and a plurality of electrodes connected to the vacuum chamber. Tip ends of the electrodes protrude into the vacuum chamber to generate plasma, and a collecting device is connected to the vacuum chamber and collects fine particles. The electrodes generate discharge inside the vacuum chamber and produce the fine particles from the material. The material feeding ports of the material feeding device are arranged in a lower side than (below) the plural electrodes in the vertical direction in the vacuum chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisao Nagai, Takafumi Okuma
  • Patent number: 10873824
    Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system each of which obtains sound data based on a plurality of sound signals respectively output from a plurality of microphones, receives a user instruction for enhancing directivity of sensitivity characteristics of at least one of the plurality of microphones in a specific direction, and generates sound data having the directivity in the specific direction, based on the obtained sound data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takafumi Okuma
  • Publication number: 20200255977
    Abstract: A composite nitride-based film structure includes a bulk single crystal, a plurality of nitride microcrystals, and an amorphous nitride thin film. The plurality of nitride microcrystals is provided on the bulk single crystal, and has a specific orientation relationship with a crystal structure of the bulk single crystal. The nitride thin film is provided on the bulk single crystal, surrounds the nitride microcrystal, and covers a surface of the bulk single crystal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: TAKAHIDE HIRASAKI, DAISUKE SUETSUGU, TAKAFUMI OKUMA
  • Publication number: 20190342692
    Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system each of which obtains sound data based on a plurality of sound signals respectively output from a plurality of microphones, receives a user instruction for enhancing directivity of sensitivity characteristics of at least one of the plurality of microphones in a specific direction, and generates sound data having the directivity in the specific direction, based on the obtained sound data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takafumi Okuma
  • Patent number: 10397723
    Abstract: An apparatus, method, and system each of which obtains sound data based on a plurality of sound signals respectively output from a plurality of microphones, receives a user instruction for enhancing directivity of sensitivity characteristics of at least one of the plurality of microphones in a specific direction, and generates sound data having the directivity in the specific direction, based on the obtained sound data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takafumi Okuma
  • Publication number: 20190247822
    Abstract: A fine particle producing apparatus includes a reaction chamber extending vertically from the lower side to the upper side; a material supply device which is connected to a central part on one end side of the vertically lower side inside the reaction chamber and supplies a material particle into the reaction chamber of a vertically upper side from a material supply port; a first electrode arrangement region which protrudes in an inward radial direction to be disposed on an inner peripheral wall in the reaction chamber which is vertically above the material supply device, and includes a plurality of lower electrodes to which AC power is applied; a second electrode arrangement region which protrudes in an inward radial direction to be disposed on an inner peripheral wall in the reaction chamber which is vertically above the first electrode arrangement region, and includes a plurality of upper electrodes to which AC power is applied; a collector which is connected to the other end side in the reaction chamber of
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Inventors: HISAO NAGAI, TAKESHI KOIWASAKI, TAKAFUMI OKUMA
  • Patent number: 10363540
    Abstract: A production apparatus for fine particles includes a vacuum chamber, a material feeding device connected to the vacuum chamber and feeding material particles from a material feeding port into the vacuum chamber, electrodes arranged in the vacuum chamber for generating plasma and a fine particle collection device connected to the vacuum chamber and collecting fine particles. The fine particles are produced from the material by generating electric discharge inside the vacuum chamber. The apparatus includes an inner chamber which forms an outside space with respect to the vacuum chamber installed between a wall of the vacuum chamber and a plasma generation region and gas supply pipes which supply a gas to the outside space between the wall of the vacuum chamber and a wall of the inner chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Koiwasaki, Hisao Nagai, Takafumi Okuma
  • Publication number: 20190169738
    Abstract: To provide a sputtering method as a reactive sputtering method of forming a thin film by allowing a target material to react with a gas, in which film deposition conditions are narrowed down from an existing period of nitrogen radicals by focusing on a nitriding process in thin-film forming processes when the thin film is formed by pulsing a waveform of electric current from a DC power supply at the time of generating plasma and applying the electric current to the target material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: TAKAFUMI OKUMA, DAISUKE SUETSUGU, TAKAHIDE HIRASAKI
  • Publication number: 20190151955
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for producing fine particles capable of increasing the production and producing fine particles at low costs by feeding a large quantity of material efficiently into the plasma. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a material feeding device connected to the vacuum chamber and feeding material particles into the vacuum chamber from material feeding ports, a plurality of electrodes connected to the vacuum chamber, tip ends of which protrude into the vacuum chamber to generate plasma and a collecting device connected to the vacuum chamber and collecting fine particles, which generates discharge inside the vacuum chamber and produces the fine particles from the material, in which the material feeding ports of the material feeding device are arranged in a lower side than the plural electrodes in the vertical direction in the vacuum chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventors: HISAO NAGAI, TAKAFUMI OKUMA
  • Patent number: 10252339
    Abstract: To provide an apparatus and a method of producing fine particles capable of increasing evaporation efficiency of a material, increasing the production of fine particles and reducing costs by heating the inputted material by a gas heated by thermal plasma. A fine particle production apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a material feeding device connected to the vacuum chamber and feeding material particles from a material feeding port into the vacuum chamber, electrodes arranged in the vacuum chamber for generating plasma and a collection device connected to the vacuum chamber and collecting fine particles, which produces the fine particles from the material by generating electric discharge inside the vacuum chamber, in which the collection device and the material feeding device are connected by piping, and a material heating and circulation device which heats the material by heat of a gas inside the chamber heated by the plasma through the piping is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisao Nagai, Takeshi Koiwasaki, Daisuke Suetsugu, Takafumi Okuma
  • Patent number: 10226821
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for producing fine particles capable of increasing the production and producing fine particles at low costs by feeding a large quantity of material efficiently into the plasma. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a material feeding device connected to the vacuum chamber and feeding material particles into the vacuum chamber from material feeing ports, a plurality of electrodes connected to the vacuum chamber, tip ends of which protrude into the vacuum chamber to generate plasma and a collecting device connected to the vacuum chamber and collecting fine particles, which generates discharge inside the vacuum chamber and produces the fine particles from the material, in which the material feeding ports of the material feeding device are arranged in a lower side than the plural electrodes in the vertical direction in the vacuum chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hisao Nagai, Takafumi Okuma
  • Patent number: 10124406
    Abstract: A production apparatus for fine particles includes a vacuum chamber, a material supply device, a plurality of electrodes arranged and a collection device connecting to the other end of the vacuum chamber and collecting fine particles, which generates plasma and produces fine particles from the material particles, in which a first electrode arrangement region on the material supply port's side and a second electrode arrangement region apart from the first electrode arrangement region to the collection device's side which respectively cross a direction in which the material flows between the vicinity of the material supply port and the collection device are provided in the intermediate part of the vacuum chamber, and both the first electrode arrangement region and the second electrode arrangement region are provided with a plurality of electrodes respectively to form the electrodes in multi-stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisao Nagai, Takeshi Koiwasaki, Masaaki Tanabe, Takafumi Okuma
  • Publication number: 20180304374
    Abstract: A production apparatus and method for fine particles are capable of increasing a production amount and producing fine particles at low cost by efficiently inputting a large amount of material to plasma. The production apparatus includes a material supply device, which includes a plurality of material supply ports that supply a material gas containing material particles and are arranged below a plurality of electrodes in a vertical direction inside a vacuum chamber. The material supply device further includes a first gas supply port that supplies a first shield gas arranged in an inner periphery of the plural material supply ports and plural second gas supply ports that supply a second shield gas arranged in an outer periphery of the plural material supply ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventors: MASAAKI TANABE, HISAO NAGAI, TAKESHI KOIWASAKI, TAKAFUMI OKUMA
  • Publication number: 20180290208
    Abstract: A production apparatus for fine particles includes a vacuum chamber, a material supply device, a plurality of electrodes arranged and a collection device connecting to the other end of the vacuum chamber and collecting fine particles, which generates plasma and produces fine particles from the material particles, in which a first electrode arrangement region on the material supply port's side and a second electrode arrangement region apart from the first electrode arrangement region to the collection device's side which respectively cross a direction in which the material flows between the vicinity of the material supply port and the collection device are provided in the intermediate part of the vacuum chamber, and both the first electrode arrangement region and the second electrode arrangement region are provided with a plurality of electrodes respectively to form the electrodes in multi-stages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: HISAO NAGAI, TAKESHI KOIWASAKI, MASAAKI TANABE, TAKAFUMI OKUMA