Patents by Inventor Toru Imura

Toru Imura 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: 5449418
    Abstract: A strain sensor for detecting strain in automobiles, robots, and the like includes a magnetostrictive layer. The magnetostrictive layer is formed by irradiating an alloy layer with a high energy density beam (such as a laser) to form a magnetostrictive layer having an amorphous structure. The resulting magnetostrictive layer has a magnetic inductance in the direction of irradiation that is much higher than in a perpendicular direction thereof. Using such a sensor, it is possible to selectively detect components of stresses and strains in a given direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 12, 1995
    Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Takagi, Fusao Hirose, Hideshi Mori, Nozomu Okumura, Toru Imura
  • Patent number: 5026601
    Abstract: A zirconia-base sintered body comprising a sintered substrate containing 30% by volume or more of tetragonal zirconia and a coating film disposed thereon, characterized in that the diffusion coefficient of oxygen in a material forming said coating film at no higher than 550.degree. C. is smaller than that of oxygen in said tetragonal zirconia at a temperature of no higher than said temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1991
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Iio, Masakazu Watanabe, Toru Imura, Kotaro Kuroda, Hiroyasu Saka
  • Patent number: 4906306
    Abstract: A composite article comprising a metal and an amorphous metal bonded thereto by the explosion, being free from residual stress and compression stress in the amorphous metal portion, and having excellent magnetic properties inherent to the amorphous metal can be obtained by heating a composite article produced by bonding an amorphous metal to a metal through the explosion pressure to remove the residual stress caused in the amorphous metal during the explosion bonding, and then subjecting the heat treated composite article to a plastic working so as to give a tensile stress in the amorphous metal in an amount sufficient to offset the compression stress caused in the amorphous metal due to the heat treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: March 6, 1990
    Assignees: Nippon Oil and Fats Co., Ltd., Nippon Denso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatada Araki, Yutaka Kuroyama, Yukihisa Takeuchi, Makoto Takagi, Yoshihito Kawamura, Toru Imura
  • Patent number: 4857414
    Abstract: An amorphous metal-metal composite article comprising a metal and an amorphous metal thin sheet firmly bonded thereto and having high durability and reliability can be obtained by a method, wherein the surface roughness of a metal to be bonded with an amorphous metal thin sheet is adjusted to a certain surface roughness and an explosion shock is applied to an assembly of the metal and the amorphous metal thin sheet superposed thereon, under a condition that the moving velocity of the collision point of the amorphous metal thin sheet to the metal is higher than the sound velocity in the amorphous metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1989
    Assignee: Nippon Oil & Fats Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatada Araki, Yutaka Kuroyama, Yukihisa Takeuchi, Makoto Takagi, Yoshihito Kawamura, Toru Imura
  • Patent number: 4713871
    Abstract: Amorphous alloy shaped articles having excellent magnetic properties, high hardness and strength, or high corrosion resistance can be obtained by a method, wherein amorphous alloy or atomized alloy raw material powder layer is laminately arranged adjacently to a metal powder layer having a shock impedance a little different from that of the raw material powder layer, and a shock pressure is applied to the raw material powder layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1985
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1987
    Assignees: Nippon Oil & Fats Co., Ltd., Nippon Denso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatada Araki, Yutaka Kuroyama, Yukihisa Takeuchi, Makoto Takagi, Toru Imura