Patents by Inventor Tomoaki Nakamura

Tomoaki Nakamura 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: 20140138857
    Abstract: The invention provides an encapsulant equipped with the supporting substrate which is an encapsulant for collectively encapsulating a semiconductor devices mounting surface of a substrate having semiconductor devices mounting thereon or a semiconductor devices forming surface of a wafer having semiconductor devices forming thereon, and the encapsulant equipped with the supporting substrate comprises a supporting substrate having a difference of a linear expansion coefficient from that of the substrate or the wafer of 5 ppm or less and a thermosetting resin layer being laminated, wherein the thermosetting resin layer has a shape having a height difference to a thickness direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki AKIBA, Toshio SHIOBARA, Susumu SEKIGUCHI, Tomoaki NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20140138856
    Abstract: A fiber-containing resin substrate for collectively encapsulating a semiconductor-device-mounting surface of a substrate on which semiconductor devices are mounted or a semiconductor-device-forming surface of a wafer on which a semiconductor device is formed, including a resin-impregnated fibrous base material which is obtained by impregnating a fibrous base material with a thermosetting resin and semi-curing or curing the thermosetting resin and has a linear expansion coefficient (ppm/° C.) in an X-Y direction of less than 3 ppm, and an uncured resin layer formed of an uncured thermosetting resin on one side of the resin-impregnated fibrous base material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: SHIN-ETSU CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Susumu SEKIGUCHI, Toshio SHIOBARA, Hideki AKIBA, Tomoaki NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20140103781
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer device includes a substrate on which a plurality of openings are arranged; a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements, each of the ultrasonic transducer elements being provided to each of the openings of the plurality of openings, on a first surface of the substrate; and a member fixed to a second surface of the substrate, which is a surface on the opposite side of the first surface of the substrate. Provided to the member are a plurality of first groove sections, and a second groove section for bundling together the plurality of the first groove sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki NAKAMURA, Yasunori ONISHI, Kazuki YOSHIDA, Kogo ENDO
  • Patent number: 8664830
    Abstract: An ultrasonic device is configured to transmit ultrasonic waves and includes a substrate, a diaphragm, a piezoelectric member and a control unit. The substrate has an opening. The diaphragm covers the opening of the substrate. The piezoelectric member is coupled to the diaphragm, and includes a first piezoelectric part and a second piezoelectric part. The control unit controls a voltage applied to the first piezoelectric part to be a vibration voltage and controls a voltage applied to the second piezoelectric part to be a constant voltage when the ultrasonic device transmits the ultrasonic waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tsukasa Funasaka, Tomoaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8659811
    Abstract: An actuator, includes: a movable plate; a supporter to support the movable plate; a pair of linking portions to link the movable plate and the supporter so as to allow the movable plate to rotate relative to the supporter; and a piezoelectric element to rotate the movable plate. The piezoelectric element elongated and contracted by an energization twists the pair of linking portions to rotate the movable plate, and each of the pair of the linking portions includes an axial member extending from the movable plate and a returned portion that links the axial member and the supporter and is formed so as to return to a side adjacent to the movable plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoaki Nakamura, Yasushi Mizoguchi
  • Publication number: 20130338509
    Abstract: A biological testing device includes a device body including an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving part, and a mounting member for mounting the device body on a tested object. The ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving part includes a sensor array substrate including ultrasonic transducers, first and second resin material parts, and an ultrasonic wave transmitting medium. The first resin material part forms a first space closed off from an outside space between the first resin material part and the sensor array substrate with the first resin material part facing the ultrasonic transducers. The second resin material part forms a second space communicating with the first space. The second space is closed off from the outside space, at least a portion of the second resin material part including a flexible portion configured and arranged to bulge toward the outside space. The ultrasonic wave transmitting medium fills the first space and the second space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoaki NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20130338508
    Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes a substrate, a diaphragm, a thin-film piezoelectric element, a communication passage, and an air hole. The substrate has first and second cavities thereon. The diaphragm is configured at the first cavity. The thin-film piezoelectric element is configured to the diaphragms. The communicating passage is configured in the substrate and extending from the first cavity to the second cavity. The air hole extends between the communicating passage to an outside of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Inventors: Tomoaki NAKAMURA, Hiroaki HOSOMI
  • Publication number: 20130308425
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer includes a substrate, a supporting film, and a piezoelectric element. The substrate includes an opening. The supporting film is configured on the substrate to cover the opening. The piezoelectric element is configured at a part of the supporting film. The part overlaps with the opening in a planar view in a thickness direction of the substrate. A thickness of the part of at a center of gravity in the planar view is smaller than a thickness of an outer edge portion of the part. The outer edge portion is closer to the substrate than the center to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Inventors: Tomoaki NAKAMURA, Hironori SUZUKI, Jiro TSURUNO
  • Publication number: 20130261465
    Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes an element chip, a flexible wiring member and a control circuit. The element chip includes a substrate forming a plurality of openings arranged in an array pattern and a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements disposed at the openings. The flexible wiring member is connected to the element chip, and forming at least a part of an annular body surrounding a space. The control circuit is connected to the flexible wiring member and electrically connected to the ultrasonic transducer elements via the flexible wiring member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki NAKAMURA, Tsutomu NISHIWAKI, Yasunori ONISHI, Takao MIYAZAWA
  • Publication number: 20130258802
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer element chip includes a substrate, ultrasonic transducer elements and a reinforcing member. The substrate defines openings arranged in an array pattern. The ultrasonic transducer elements are respectively disposed at the openings on a first surface of the substrate. The reinforcing member is fixed on a second surface of the substrate opposite to the first surface of the substrate. The reinforcing member includes linear groove parts formed on a surface of the reinforcing member fixed on the substrate so that internal spaces of the openings and an external space of the substrate are in communication with each other via the linear groove parts. The linear groove parts extend along a plane of the surface of the reinforcing member, and they are arranged at an interval in a first direction smaller than a width of each opening on the second surface of the substrate in the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki NAKAMURA, Jiro TSURUNO, Kanechika KIYOSE
  • Publication number: 20130258803
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer element chip includes a substrate, a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements, a reinforcing member and a ventilation passage. The substrate defines a plurality of openings arranged in an array pattern. The ultrasonic transducer elements are respectively disposed at the openings on a first surface of the substrate. The reinforcing member is fixed on a second surface of the substrate opposite to the first surface of the substrate to reinforce the substrate. Through the ventilation passage, internal spaces of the openings and an external space of the substrate are in communication with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki NAKAMURA, Jiro TSURUNO, Kanechika KIYOSE
  • Patent number: 8546997
    Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor includes a support body having an opening, a support film closing the opening, a piezoelectric body disposed on the support film in an inner region of the opening in a plan view, a first resin material forming a first space closed off from an outside space between the first resin material and the support film in at least a region in which the opening is formed in the plan view and the first resin material having an contacting portion facing the opening and being configured to contact with a test object, a second resin material forming a second space closed off from the outside space and communicating with the first space, and an ultrasonic wave transmitting medium filling the first and second spaces. A flexible portion having lower rigidity than the support film in the film thickness direction is provided in a portion of the second resin material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8536763
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer includes: a support member having an opening section; a diaphragm adapted to cover the opening section; and a piezoelectric member provided to the diaphragm and at least one of expanding and contracting in an in-plane direction in response to application of a voltage, wherein the diaphragm has a concave groove section formed to have a concave shape on a surface on an opposite side to one side exposed to the opening section, and the piezoelectric member is fixed to the diaphragm in an area outside the concave groove section, and disposed to cover the concave groove section so as to be opposed to a bottom of the concave groove section via a space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoaki Nakamura, Tsutomu Nishiwaki
  • Patent number: 8451694
    Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor unit includes a transmission base plate and a reception base plate. The transmission base plate includes an ultrasonic transmission sensor configured and arranged to transmit ultrasonic waves. The reception base plate includes an ultrasonic reception sensor configured and arranged to receive the ultrasonic waves. One of the transmission base plate and the reception base plate define a through-hole at a position corresponding to one of the ultrasonic transmission sensor and the ultrasonic reception sensor provided in the other of the transmission base plate and the reception base plate so that the one of the ultrasonic transmission sensor and the ultrasonic reception sensor is exposed through the through-hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8446492
    Abstract: An image capturing device is equipped with an external parameter estimating unit for estimating external parameters using a distance image obtained by a TOF camera and a luminance image obtained by a CCD camera, a corresponding pixel determining unit for determining a correspondence relationship between pixel positions in the distance image and pixel positions in the luminance image, using previously stored internal parameters of the TOF camera and the CCD camera or the CCD camera, and the external parameters, and an occlusion searching unit for searching for an occlusion region in the distance image, using the correspondence relationship between pixel positions in the distance image and pixel positions in the luminance image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mikio Nakano, Takayuki Nagai, Akira Mizutani, Tomoaki Nakamura, Kotaro Funakoshi
  • Publication number: 20130072796
    Abstract: An ultrasonic probe includes a substrate having an opening section, a support film disposed on the substrate, a piezoelectric body disposed on the support film at the opening section, first and second resin sections, and a communicating section. The first resin section is disposed at a position overlapping the opening section in the plan view and spaced apart from the support film with the liquid being arranged therebetween. The communicating section is connected to the first resin section. The second resin section is connected to the communicating section to house the liquid flowing in through a communication hole of the communicating section. At least portions of the first and second resin sections are configured to deform such that a first liquid filled volume formed between the first resin section and the support film and a second liquid filled volume formed by the second resin section are changed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki NAKAMURA, Hiroaki HOSOMI
  • Patent number: 8390912
    Abstract: An actuator, includes: a movable plate; a supporter to support the movable plate; a pair of linking portions to link the movable plate and the supporter so as to allow the movable plate to rotate relative to the supporter; and a piezoelectric element to rotate the movable plate. The piezoelectric element elongated and contracted by an energization twists the pair of linking portions to rotate the movable plate, and each of the pair of the linking portions includes an axial member extending from the movable plate and a returned portion that links the axial member and the supporter and is formed so as to return to a side adjacent to the movable plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoaki Nakamura, Yasushi Mizoguchi
  • Patent number: 8344595
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer is configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic transducer includes a vibrating member and a piezoelectric member coupled to the vibrating member. The piezoelectric member includes a first piezoelectric part configured and arranged to be deformed by applied voltage to vibrate the vibrating member or configured and arranged to be deformed by vibration of the vibrating member to produce a potential difference, and a second piezoelectric part configured and arranged to be deformed by applied voltage to statically deflect the vibrating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tsukasa Funasaka, Tomoaki Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20120306316
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer includes a resin substrate, a support film and a piezoelectric element. The resin substrate has an opening. The support film blocks off the opening in the resin substrate. The piezoelectric element is disposed on the support film in a region that blocks off the opening in plan view from a thickness direction of the support film. The piezoelectric element includes a lamination of a lower electrode, a piezoelectric body, and an upper electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki NAKAMURA, Hironori SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20120304778
    Abstract: A stress-detecting element includes a support body, a support film, a first piezoelectric element, first and second elastic parts. The support body has an opening part with first and second rectilinear sections extending parallel to each other. The support film blocks off the opening part. The first piezoelectric element straddles the first rectilinear section from an interior area to an exterior area of the opening part as seen in plan view. The first elastic part straddles the first rectilinear section from the interior area to the exterior area of the opening part. The second elastic part straddles the second rectilinear section from the interior area to the exterior area of the opening part. The first and second elastic parts respectively have first and second elastic end sections disposed in the interior area of the opening part and spaced apart from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoaki NAKAMURA, Tsutomu NISHIWAKI