Patents by Inventor Yoshiaki Heinouchi

Yoshiaki Heinouchi 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: 6548940
    Abstract: A speaker is constructed such that a vibrator contained therein is easily positioned, and peeling of the vibrator from a cushioning material provided on a supporting member which supports the vibrator is prevented. A rim of a metal plate which defines the vibrator, and a portion of a first main surface of the metal plate located near the rim clip into a step provided in the cushioning material, which is secured to the supporting member. Furthermore, an adhesive member and the cushioning material are arranged to extend on a second main surface of the metal plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 6356642
    Abstract: A multi-speaker apparatus generates and transmits sound waves in all directions toward and away from a surface upon which the apparatus is installed or mounted. The multi-speaker apparatus includes a middle/high frequency sound range speaker and a low frequency sound range speaker. The middle/high frequency sound range speaker and the low frequency sound range speaker are arranged relative to each other such that center axes thereof are aligned with an axis that is substantially perpendicular the surface upon which the apparatus is installed or mounted. A horn and a cabinet are arranged such that sound waves generated from the middle/high frequency sound range speaker and the low frequency sound range speaker are emitted in all directions both toward and away from the surface upon which the apparatus is supported or mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi, Takao Mori
  • Patent number: 6242848
    Abstract: A protection plate 36a and a protection plate 36b, which are each of a substantially rectangular shape and which extend upwards from respective substantially central portions of opposite lengthwise ends of an attachment platform 34, are formed in the attachment platform 34 by bending part of the attachment platform 34. Also, stoppers 46a and 46b, which have notches 48for protecting two surfaces on either side of the ridge line of the oscillator 12, are attached to the attachment platform 34. Further the oscillator 12, the attachment platform 34, and the stoppers 46a and 46b etc. are housed in a box-shaped case 50. Accordingly, the vicinities of both lengthwise ends of the oscillator 12 are surrounded and protected by the stoppers 46a and 46b. The protection plates 36a and 36b, and the inner side surface of the case 50 as the protection members in the predetermined space d. By means of this structure, an oscillation gyroscope is provided in which the shock resistance is further improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Mori, Yoshiaki Heinouchi, Yukio Sakashita
  • Patent number: 6243475
    Abstract: A speaker has a substantially reduced size, is efficient in the low sound range and is unidirectional relative to the plane of installation or support of the speaker. The speaker includes a vibrator having a semispherical vibrating body made of a piezoelectric material polarized in a thickness direction. Electrodes are provided on the inner and outer surfaces of the vibrating body. A cavity is created inside of the vibrator. A sound path in the form of a horn includes inner parts of a first cylinder which communicates with the cavity, a second cylinder, a third cylinder, a fourth cylinder, a fifth cylinder and other cylinders. Cutouts functioning as openings of the sound path are disposed almost along the whole azimuth of the fifth cylinder at the outside of the horn relative to the plane of speaker support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 6141429
    Abstract: A speaker has a structure such that vibrations of a ring-shaped vibrator are reliably damped by ensuring contact between the rim of the vibrator and a bottom of a groove provided in a supporting member, even in a hot and moist environment. A ring-shaped rim of a vibrator is secured in the bottom of the groove formed in the supporting member, via a doughnut-shaped double-sided tape. The groove is filled with urethane resin which is hardened. Even when the urethane resin is expanded in a hot and moist environment, the vibrator does not rise up from the bottom of the groove. Consequently, the vibrations of the vibrator are reliably damped, the desired excellent impedance characteristics are obtained, and as a result, evenness of sound waves is ensured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 6130951
    Abstract: A speaker has a substantially reduced overall size while producing a complete low frequency sound range at high output amplitude. The speaker includes a main body having open sections at both ends thereof. A sounding body pinched by ringed first dampers is secured to each of the open sections of the main body so that the inside of the main body is kept air-tight. A first opening is provided at the middle part of the side of the main body. Lid members are secured on the outside of the two sounding bodies via a ringed second damper so as to keep the inside of the lid member air-tight. A second opening is created around the middle of the bottom of each of the lid members. A disc-like membrane is secured to the second dampers such that the lid members cover the membranes and cover the open section of the main body to keep the inside of the lid members air-tight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2000
    Assignee: Murata Manfacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 6108429
    Abstract: A speaker has a substantially reduced overall size while producing a complete low frequency sound range at high output amplitude. The speaker includes a main body having open sections at both ends thereof. A sounding body pinched by ringed first dampers is secured to each of the open sections of the main body so that the inside of the main body is kept air-tight except for one opening. A first opening is provided at the middle part of the side of the main body. Lid members are secured on the outside of the two sounding bodies via a ringed second damper so as to keep the inside of the lid member air-tight. A second opening is created around the middle of the bottom of each of the lid members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 6064746
    Abstract: A piezoelectric speaker has a substantially reduced size and reproduces sound in the low sound range. The piezoelectric speaker includes a cylindrical main body. First and second sounding members are secured to apertures of both sides of the main body in an air tight arrangement via ringed dampers made of rubber. An external opening is created at the middle of a side surface of the main body. The opening is created so as to have an area which is less than area of a vibrating portion of the sounding members. Sound absorbing members are provided within the main body, on the outside of the first sounding member and on the outside of the second sounding member. Caps having a plurality of holes are secured to the apertures of the both sides of the main body so as to cover the sound absorbers. The main body is supported on concave portions of leg members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 5913244
    Abstract: A vibrator includes a vibrating member, and piezoelectric devices formed on both surfaces thereof. Supporting portions are formed at one end of the vibrating member with connecting portions provided therebetween. A weight is mounted to the other end of the vibrating member with other connecting portions provided therebetween. The supporting portions are fixed to a holding member having a concave portion. The hardness of the holding member is set lower than the hardness of the vibrating member. As the material for the holding member, it is preferable to use a vibration-absorbing material for efficiently absorbing vibrations leaking from the vibrating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1999
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 5896460
    Abstract: A speaker has a substantially reduced size, is efficient in the low sound range and is unidirectional relative to the plane of installation or support of the speaker. The speaker includes a vibrator having a semispherical vibrating body made of a piezoelectric material polarized in a thickness direction. Electrodes are provided on the inner and outer surfaces of the vibrating body. A cavity is created inside of the vibrator. A sound path in the form of a horn includes inner parts of a first cylinder which communicates with the cavity, a second cylinder, a third cylinder, a fourth cylinder, a fifth cylinder and other cylinders. Cutouts functioning as openings of the sound path are disposed almost along the whole azimuth of the fifth cylinder at the outside of the horn relative to the plane of speaker support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1999
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 5767611
    Abstract: An oscillator includes an oscillatory element in the form of a triangular prism. Two supporting members are fixed at their center to the oscillatory element. The two supporting members include annular coils, each with a single turn. The supporting members have inner peripheral portions which are fixed to the ridge of the oscillatory element at a location adjacent to its nodes. The oscillatory element has three sides on which three piezoelectric elements are correspondingly formed. When a drive signal is applied to two of the piezoelectric elements, then the oscillatory element is bent or oscillated in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the other piezoelectric element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1998
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 5668316
    Abstract: A vibrating gyroscope includes a vibrator. The vibrator is installed on a work plate via supporting members. A work cover is installed on the work plate so as to cover the vibrator. The vibrator, the work plate, and the work cover are installed on one main surface of a circuit board. Both end portions of the work cover and both end portions of the circuit board are surrounded by two cushion members. The work cover, the circuit board, and the cushion members are contained in a case. Though bottom faces and top faces of the cushion members respectively touch a surface of a packing on a bottom board of the case and an inside face of a case body, the work cover and the circuit board do not touch the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Iwai, Jyunichi Hashimoto, Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi, Akira Kumada, Yoshio Kawai, Tsuguji Kanbayashi, Atushi Morikawa
  • Patent number: 5635647
    Abstract: A vibrating gyroscope 10 includes a piezoelectric vibrator 12. The piezoelectric vibrator 12 includes a vibrating body 14 having a regular triangular prism shape. Grooves 16 are formed on one side face of the vibrating body 14 along its width direction. The grooves 16 are formed at portions corresponding to nodal points of the vibrating body 14. Piezoelectric elements 18a, 18b and 18c are formed on three side faces of the vibrating body 14. An M-shaped supporting members 26 are attached to the vibrating body 14 at portions in grooves 16.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1997
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 5574219
    Abstract: A piezoelectric vibrator 12 used for a vibrating gyroscope 10 includes a vibrating body 14 having, for example, regular triangular prism shape. Piezoelectric elements 14a, 14b and 14c are formed respectively on three side faces of the vibrating body 14. Supporting members 24a and 24b are attached to a ridge line of the vibrating body 14 in the vicinity of nodal points. The supporting members 24a and 24b are secured to two supporting substrates 26a and 26b. The supporting substrates 26a and 26b are attached to a base substrate 30 via buffer blocks 28a and 28b. The vibrating body 14 makes a bending vibration, and two ridge lines (A) at symmetrical portions against basic bending vibration are pressed, and the hardness of the two ridge line portions (A) is made high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 12, 1996
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 5497044
    Abstract: A vibrator 12 includes a regular triangular prism-shaped vibrating body 14. Center portions of two supporting members 18a and 18b are fixed to the vibrating body 14. One supporting member 18a includes a linear intermediate portion 20a extending in a widthwise direction (y-axis direction) of the vibrator 12, and two linear leg portions 22a and 22a bend downward from both ends of the intermediate portion 20a. In this case, a distance W' between tips of the two leg portions 22a and 22a is expanded wider than a length W of the intermediate portion 20a. Similarly, the other supporting member 18b also includes a linear intermediate portion 20b and two leg portions 22b and 22b, a distance between tips of which is expanded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 5, 1996
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi, Takayuki Kaneko
  • Patent number: 5479822
    Abstract: A vibratory gyroscope 10 includes a vibrator 12. The vibrator 12 includes a regular triangular prism-shaped vibrating body 14. On centers of the three side faces of the vibrating body 14, piezoelectric elements 16a, 16b and 16c are formed respectively. The vibrating body 14 is supported above a base plate 20 by supporting members. The vibrating body 14 vibrates vertically with no rotation. A case 22 is secured so as to cover the vibrating body 14. An upper portion 26 of the case 22 is so formed that its inner size in the direction of the width is shorter than a half-wave length of a sound wave of a vibrating frequency of the vibrating body 14.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1996
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shozo Motohashi, Katsumi Fujimoto, Hiroshi Nishiyama, Yoshiaki Heinouchi, Kazuhiro Yoshitani, Yukio Sakashita
  • Patent number: 5434365
    Abstract: In a mounting board, two through-holes are formed which are used for inserting both ends of a supporting member for a vibrator. On a surface of the mounting board, a ground conductor pattern is formed. In the ground conductor pattern, two portions of arcs, where the ground conductor pattern is removed, are formed on respective peripheries of the two through-holes. Furthermore, on the mounting board, two connecting conductor patterns are formed on surfaces of portions defined by the two through-holes and so on, so as to extend from the ground conductor pattern. Both ends of the supporting member for the vibrator are respectively inserted into the two through-holes and soldered to two connecting conductor patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1995
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Mori, Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 5345822
    Abstract: A vibratory gyroscope includes a vibrator. The vibrator includes a triangular prism-shaped vibrating body. On three side faces of the vibrating body, piezoelectric elements are formed respectively. Supporting members are fixed to ridge-line portions in the vicinity of nodal points of the vibrating body. The supporting members are formed into a multi-layer structure. An elastic material having a large strength is used as inner portions of the supporting members, and a material having a good solderability is used as outer portions of the supporting members. Under the vibrator, a supporting plate is provided as a shield material. Furthermore, a work cover is provided on the side of and above the vibrator as a shield material. The supporting plate and the work cover are formed by a magnetic material such as iron, nickel, stainless steel or the like. In the vicinity of the supporting members, protective members are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 13, 1994
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Nakamura, Yoshiaki Heinouchi, Yukio Sakashita
  • Patent number: 4827380
    Abstract: An electric double-layer capacitor includes one or a group of electric double-layer capacitor element(s), an electrode structural member comprising of electrode plates and an insulating plate, stacked on the electric double-layer capacitor element(s), and a case for enclosing the electric double-layer capacitor element(s) and the electrode structural member. The case has a shelf-like stepped portion in the inner peripheral surface of its side wall. The shelf-like stepped portion and the side wall of the case are in close contact with the peripheral edge portion of the insulating plate, in order to airtightly seal the case and the insulating plate. Each electrode plate has an electrode terminal outwardly extending from the opening end portion of the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 2, 1989
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouichi Watanabe, Yoshiaki Heinouchi
  • Patent number: 4283649
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer comprises a composite vibrator, which comprises a bimorph vibrator and a resin made additional resonator of a frustum of a cone provided at the central portion of the bimorph vibrator. The composite vibrator gives rise to the first resonance by a piston vibration mode at the lower frequency region and the second resonance by a bending vibration mode at the higher frequency region as compared with the central frequency. The composite vibrator is fixed to an insulating base through a ring shaped elastic member, whereby a resonance characteristic by virtue of a piston vibration mode is enhanced. Preferably a protrusion of the diameter slightly smaller than the nodal circle by virtue of a bending vibration mode is formed on the transducing surface of the resin made additional resonator of a frustum of a cone. The protrusion serves to reduce the quality factor of the second resonance by virtue of a bending vibration mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1979
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1981
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Heinouchi