Patents by Inventor Tsutomu Kotani

Tsutomu Kotani 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: 7085213
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for discriminating an optical recording medium and a method for discriminating an optical recording medium which can reliably discriminate the kind of an optical recording medium even in the case where the optical recording medium to be discriminated is warped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Fukunaga, Toshikazu Hosobuchi, Takashi Namioka, Yasufumi Takasugi, Giichi Shibuya, Hideki Hirata, Kazuki Suzawa, Tsutomu Kotani
  • Publication number: 20050152249
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for discriminating an optical recording medium and a method for discriminating an optical recording medium which can reliably discriminate the kind of an optical recording medium even in the case where the optical recording medium to be discriminated is warped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2003
    Publication date: July 14, 2005
    Applicant: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuo Fukunaga, Toshikazu Hosobuchi, Takashi Namioka, Yasufumi Takasugi, Giichi Shibuya, Hideki Hirata, Kazuki Suzawa, Tsutomu Kotani
  • Patent number: 6670731
    Abstract: A stepping motor including a rotor having a plurality of magnetic poles, one stator base arranged near the rotor, a pair of magnetic yokes fixed on the stator base and arranged to face the magnetic poles of the rotor, a pair of excitation coils for exciting the pair of magnetic yokes respectively in response to drive pulses which have phase difference, and a pair of stator magnetic polar portions integrally formed with the stator base. The stepping motor is constructed to form magnetic paths together with the number of magnetic turns of the excitation coils without increasing the size of the magnetic yokes, thereby enhancing operations and reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Kotani, Kazunori Mishima
  • Publication number: 20020135243
    Abstract: A stepping motor includes:
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2002
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Applicant: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu Kotani, Kazunori Mishima
  • Patent number: 6025771
    Abstract: A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor device for improving workability during assembly of a PTC thermistor element in a casing while eliminating risk of damaging electrode surfaces with enhanced element position stability. To this end, the casing is provided with an insulating guide section for guiding the PTC thermistor element at or near one end, causing the PTC thermistor element to be elastically held by first and second terminals both at a position on one electrode surface which position is near the other edge of the PTC thermistor element and at a position centrally placed on the remaining electrode surface. The guide section essentially consists of first and second guide sections which oppose each other with the PTC thermistor element being sandwiched between, allowing PTC thermistor element to be held by either one of the first and second guide sections and by the first and second terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2000
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Kazumi Kobayashi, Tsutomu Kotani, Kazuo Saitoh
  • Patent number: 5396796
    Abstract: A humidity meter has a housing (1) which has a separated sensor room (5) recessed in said housing (1) for securing a humidity sensor assembly (3). The humidity meter also has an electronic circuit (2) mounted on a printed circuit board (21) fixed in said housing (1), for processing humidity signal supplied by said humidity sensor assembly (3). Some examples of the process are analog-digital conversion of measured humidity signal, visible indication on a display screen, and/or interface with external circuit. Said humidity sensor assembly (3) is removably fixed on said printed circuit board (21) which doubles as a bottom wall (53) of said sensor room (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Kotani, Shiro Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 5021701
    Abstract: System for mounting a piezoelectric vibrator comprises an annular projected vibrator support (27) integrally formed with an insulating support (21), a piezoelectric vibrator (1) located on the annular vibrator support (27) and an elastic annular holder (22) having an essentially L-shaped section for holding down the periphery of the piezoelectric vibrator (1) fitted to the insulating support (21), a plurality of connecting electrode members (23,24) being mounted on the vibrator support (27) and each of the connecting electrode members (23,24) being pressed against the corresponding electrodes (2B,2A') of the piezoelectric vibrator (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1991
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Takahashi, Tsutomu Kotani, Shinichi Endo
  • Patent number: 4849843
    Abstract: A magnetic head of a cassette tape recorder set is demagnetized by a demagnetizer mounted in a tape cassette housing. The demagnetizer has an erase head which faces with the magnetic head which is subject to a demagnetizing action, a pair of rotatable rings which engage with spindles of the tape recorder set, energizing means for energizing said erase head with AC decreasing current, and coupling means for coupling said rings for simultaneous rotation of the rings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1989
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Motoyoshi Fujita, Akikazu Kunuki, Noboru Uemura, Tsutomu Kotani, Shunpei Saeki, Toshiharu Kawano
  • Patent number: 4840183
    Abstract: A displacement sensor for an electrocardiograph attaches a permanent magnet chip directly on a living body, and movement or vibration of the living body is sensed by measuring flux by said magnet. The electrocardiograph has a magnet assembly having an adhesive film mounting a permanent magnet at the center of the film supported on a bottom ring which has a plurality of upright walls with jaws, for detachably engaging the magnet assembly with a sensor body. The sensor body has saturable inductors which are placed in flux by said magnet and are coupled with a process circuit having an astable multivibrator with a collector load by said saturable inductors and a low-pass filter connected to the output of the multivibrator. The magnet assembly is first adhered on a living body, then, the sensor body is engaged with the same by engaging said jaws with a projection on the sensor body, then, the process circuit provides an output signal reflecting the movement of a living body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1989
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Takahashi, Tsutomu Kotani
  • Patent number: 4805633
    Abstract: A displacement sensor or an electrocardiogram attaches a permanent magnet chip directly on a living body, and movement or vibration of the living body is sensed by measuring flux by said magnet. The displacement sensor has a magnet assembly having an adhesive film mounting a permanent magnet at the center of the film supported on a bottom ring which has a plurality of upright walls with jaws, for detachably engaging the magnet assembly with a sensor body. The sensor body has saturable inductors which are placed in flux by said magnet and are coupled with a process circuit having an astable multivibrator with a collector load by said saturable inductors and a low-pass filter connected to the output of the multivibrator. The magnet assembly is first adhered on a living body, then, the sensor body is engaged with the same by engaging said jaws with a ring on the sensor body, then, the process circuit provides an output signal reflecting the movement of a living body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1989
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Kotani, Minoru Takahashi