Patents by Inventor Tomoaki Inoue

Tomoaki Inoue 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: 6676296
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a bearing used in a transmission. The radial bearing for supporting a rotating shaft of the transmission has a substantial elliptical-cylinder-shaped inner circumferential surface. At least two lubricating resin members are provided on the inner circumferential surface so that the members are extending in the axial direction and symmetric with respect to the central axis of the bearing. The rigidity of the bearing is increased as increasing the rotation speed of the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoaki Inoue, Kohji Aizawa, Masaaki Nakano, Masanori Katayama
  • Publication number: 20020131657
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a bearing used in a transmission. The radial bearing for supporting a rotating shaft of the transmission has a substantial elliptical-cylinder-shaped inner circumferential surface. At least two lubricating resin members are provided on the inner circumferential surface so that the members are extending in the axial direction and symmetric with respect to the central axis of the bearing. The rigidity of the bearing is increased as increasing the rotation speed of the shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2001
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Inventors: Tomoaki Inoue, Kohji Aizawa, Masaaki Nakano, Masanori Katayama
  • Patent number: 5973878
    Abstract: A recording disk apparatus comprises a clearance between a shaft and a thrust bearing portion tapered in a circumferential direction, a lubricant communication groove of a bearing covered by the shaft so that a lubricant on a radial bearing portion communicates with the lubricant on the thrust bearing portion through the lubricant communication groove, a lubricant circulating path which extends axially from the thrust bearing portion to the radial bearing portion to prevent the lubricant flowing out of the thrust bearing portion from returning directly to the thrust bearing portion without passing the radial bearing portion, and/or a clearance between a slide bearing and a magnetic fluid seal device substantially filled with a magnetic fluid lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Yoshida, Takashi Kono, Kenji Tomida, Tomoaki Inoue, Masaaki Nakano, Hideaki Amano, Kenji Mori
  • Patent number: 5885005
    Abstract: A bearing device where a sliding bearing rotatably supporting a shaft is molded with an inexpensive sintered material, three asymmetrical circular arc-shaped radial bearings are formed in the inner peripheral surface of the shaft, taper land-shaped thrust bearings are formed in the opposite end surfaces of the radial bearing surface, T-shaped bubble removing means which is constituted by axial and radial flow passages formed in the shaft opposed to the radial bearing is provided, and magnetic fluid is used as a lubricant. A magnetic disk unit using the bearing device is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Japan Servo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Nakano, Takashi Kono, Kenji Tomida, Tomoaki Inoue, Hiroshi Nishida, Yuji Nishimura, Takeru Sato, Sachio Hatori
  • Patent number: 5659445
    Abstract: A recording disk apparatus comprises a clearance between a shaft and a thrust bearing portion tapered in a circumferential direction, a lubricant communication groove of a bearing covered by the shaft so that a lubricant on a radial bearing portion communicates with the lubricant on the thrust bearing portion through the lubricant communication groove, a lubricant circulating path which extends axially from the thrust bearing portion to the radial bearing portion to prevent the lubricant flowing out of the thrust bearing portion from returning directly to the thrust bearing portion without passing the radial bearing portion, and/or a clearance between a slide bearing and a magnetic fluid seal device substantially filled with a magnetic fluid lubricant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 19, 1997
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Yoshida, Takashi Kono, Kenji Tomida, Tomoaki Inoue, Masaaki Nakano, Hideaki Amano, Kenji Mori
  • Patent number: 5463511
    Abstract: A rotor magnet is attached to the inner peripheral portion of a hub to attach a magnetic disk or the like and a stator is provided in the outer peripheral portion of a bearing housing so as to face the rotor magnet, thereby forming a rotating mechanism. A magnetic pre-load mechanism is provided and a spindle is pressed to one side of a radial bearing, thereby stabilizing the rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1995
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Nakano, Tomoaki Inoue, Hideaki Amano, Akio Takatsuka, Osamu Beppu, Kenji Mori, Takashi Yoshida, Takashi Kohno
  • Patent number: 4964740
    Abstract: A bearing apparatus for a rotary machine having a horizontal rotating shaft comprises a bearing for supporting the horizontal rotating shaft, a bearing box for supporting the bearing therein, a lubricating oil tank disposed in a lower portion of the bearing box for storing lubricating oil, a lubricating supply device for picking up the lubricating oil in the lubricating oil tank and supplying the lubricating oil to the bearing, and oil guide device disposed beneath the bearing and allowing the lubricating oil discharged from the bearing to flow along a side wall of the bearing box to be stored in the lubricating oil tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 23, 1990
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Nakano, Tomoaki Inoue, Kazuhiko Kawaike, Yuji Yamamoto, Motoyuki Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 4915349
    Abstract: A gas governor apparatus comprises an inner casing removably mounted on an outer casing. Further, a driving mechanism for driving a valve body to control pressure and flow rate of fluid between the valve body and a valve seat formed in the inner casing comprises a drive motor and a drive shaft. The drive shaft has a dual drive sleeve construction where an outer drive sleeve and the valve body are constituted as a rotating drive mechanism and an inner drive sleeve and the outer drive sleeve are constituted as an axial shifting drive mechanism. The outer and inner drive sleeves are axially shiftable by means of an elastic member. The valve body and the inner casing are maintained sealingly by dual expansible members. A flow passage is defined by the dual expansible members and the inner casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1988
    Date of Patent: April 10, 1990
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoaki Inoue, Yoshiaki Chiba, Kazuhiko Kawaike, Seishi Watahiki, Shinji Sonoda
  • Patent number: 4481819
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting metal wipe damages of plane bearings with the metal wipe generating an ultrasonic signal as an acoustic emission signal when it occurs. The ultrasonic signal has a periodic appearance therefore, the metal wipe damages, can be detected by monitoring the periodic nature of the ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic signal is received by a transducer fixed to the plane bearing with the periodic nature of the received ultrasonic signal being computed by a processing unit so as to provide a output signal of the occurrence of a metal wipe when the received ultrasonic signal is periodic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1983
    Date of Patent: November 13, 1984
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takao Yoneyama, Ichiya Satoh, Sanshiro Obara, Tomoaki Inoue, Tsuguaki Koga
  • Patent number: 4460451
    Abstract: A carbon dioxide sensor for measuring dissolved carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide in gas is sterilizable with steam under pressure at a temperature of 120-130 degrees Celsius. The sensor comprises an outer tube having on its one end a gas-permeable membrane and a pH electrode disposed in the outer tube and supporting a spacer of poor hydrophobicity positioned between the distal end of the electrode and the membrane. For measurement of carbon dioxide, a liquid containing sodium bicarbonate is poured into the outer tube to form a layer of electrolyte at the spacer, and the outer tube is mounted on a fermentor. The pH electrode can be removed from the outer tube which is attached to the fermentor, and a membrane protecting rod can be inserted into the outer tube for sterilization of the membrane. The gas-permeable membrane can easily be replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1983
    Date of Patent: July 17, 1984
    Assignee: Oriental Yeast Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoaki Inoue, Yoichi Ishikawa, Mitsunori Kaneko
  • Patent number: 4406169
    Abstract: A method of and a system for monitoring the conditions of a journal bearing having a bearing surface for supporting a rotatable shaft through an oil film. Detectors detect the speed of rotation of the shaft and the pressure of the oil film. The load on the journal bearing is calculated based on the rotational speed of the shaft and the pressure of the oil film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 1981
    Date of Patent: September 27, 1983
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Ikeuchi, Tsuguaki Koga, Tomoaki Inoue, Katsumi Oyabu
  • Patent number: 4376681
    Abstract: A carbon dioxide sensor for measuring dissolved carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide in gas is sterilizable with steam under pressure at a temperature of 120-130 degrees Celsius. The sensor comprises an outer tube having on its one end a gas-permeable membrane and a pH electrode disposed in the outer tube and supporting a spacer of poor hydrophobicity so as to be positioned between the distal end of the electrode and the membrane. For measurement of carbon dioxide, a liquid containing sodium bicarbonate is poured into the outer tube to form a layer of electrolyte at the spacer, and the outer tube is mounted on a fermentor. The pH electrode can be removed from the outer tube which is attached to the fermentor, and a membrane protecting rod can be inserted into the outer tube for sterilization of the membrane. The gas-permeable membrane can easily be replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1983
    Assignee: Oriental Yeast Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoaki Inoue, Yoichi Ishikawa, Mitsunori Kaneko
  • Patent number: 4376389
    Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for diagnosis of the operating conditions of a bearing wherein pressures of a film of oil formed on a sliding surface of the bearing journalling a rotary shaft are detected at a plurality of points on the sliding surface, and the pressure differential between the pressures of the oil film detected at the plurality of points is calculated. The deflection of the bearing with respect to the rotary shaft is calculated based on the calculated oil pressure film pressure differential, so that the operating conditions of the bearing are judged based on the deflection thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 15, 1983
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoaki Inoue, Kinpei Okano, Kazuo Ikeuchi, Tsuguaki Koga