Patents by Inventor Atsushi Oshima

Atsushi Oshima 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: 7731317
    Abstract: A liquid jetting device includes a plurality of nozzles provided in a liquid jetting head, a charge-discharge actuator provided in correspondence with each nozzle, and a driving section for applying a driving signal to the charge-discharge actuator to jet liquid from the corresponding nozzle. The liquid jetting device includes a driving wave-form signal generating section configured to generate a driving wave-form signal as a basis of a signal for controlling a drive state of the actuator. A driving signal generating section is configured to amplify the driving wave-form signal generated by the driving wave-form signal generating section using a charge-use transistor and a discharge-use transistor connected in a push-pull configuration, and output a driving signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Oshima
  • Publication number: 20100127777
    Abstract: A power amplifier includes: a modulator pulse-modulating a drive waveform signal serving as a reference of a drive signal applied to an actuator and outputting a plurality of modulated signals; a digital power amplifier having a plurality of digital power amplifier stages each including a pair of push-pull switching elements, amplifying the power of the plurality of modulated signals, and outputting multi-value amplified digital signals; and a low pass filter smoothing the amplified digital signals and outputting the drive signal, wherein the modulator includes a control section switching one of a state where the same modulated signal is connected to two or more of the digital power amplifier stages and a state where different modulated signals are connected to different digital power amplifier stages to the other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki YOSHINO, Atsushi OSHIMA, Noritaka IDE, Kunio TABATA, Nobuaki AZAMI, Shinichi MIYAZAKI
  • Patent number: 7717530
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus of the invention includes a drive waveform generator that generates a drive waveform signal, a modulator that pulse-modulates the drive waveform signal so as to produce a modulated signal, a digital power amplification circuit that amplifies the power of the modulated signal so as to produce an amplified digital signal, and a low pass filter that smoothes the amplified digital signal so as to produce a drive signal. The digital power amplification circuit includes multiple stages of digital power amplifiers each including a pair of switching elements that are push-pull-connected. The amplified digital signal is a multi-value signal that reaches a larger number of steps of electric potentials than the number of digital power amplifiers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Oshima
  • Publication number: 20100117732
    Abstract: A power amplifier includes: a modulator pulse-modulating a drive waveform signal serving as a reference of a drive signal applied to actuators and outputting a modulated signal; a digital power amplifier amplifying the power of the modulated signal and outputting an amplified digital signal; a low pass filter smoothing the amplified digital signal and outputting the drive signal; and an inverse filter circuit being disposed at a front stage of the modulator and capable of obtaining a desired waveform precision of the drive signal even when a frequency characteristic of a filter including the low pass filter and an electrostatic capacitor of the actuators varies depending on the number of driven actuators, wherein the inverse filter circuits include a plurality of inverse filters connected in series.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kunio TABATA, Atsushi OSHIMA, Noritaka IDE, Shinichi MIYAZAKI, Hiroyuki YOSHINO, Nobuaki AZAMI
  • Publication number: 20100118078
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus includes a plurality of nozzles, an actuator provided for each nozzle and connected to the respective nozzle, and a drive unit that applies a drive signal to the actuator, wherein the drive unit includes: a drive waveform signal generation unit that generates a drive waveform signal for controlling the operation of the actuator, a modulator unit that pulse-modulates the drive waveform signal to produce a modulated signal, a digital power amplifier for power-amplifying the modulated signal to produce an amplified signal, a low-pass filter for smoothing the amplified signal and supplying the actuator with the drive signal, and a carrier frequency adjusting unit that adjusts a carrier frequency of the pulse modulation by the modulator unit in accordance with the number of actuators to be driven.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi OSHIMA, Kunio TABATA
  • Publication number: 20100103212
    Abstract: A fluid ejection device configured to eject fluid from an ejection port includes a driving element that pressurizes the fluid and causes it to be ejected from the ejection port by being driven according to a voltage applied thereto. A driving voltage waveform selecting unit selects a driving voltage waveform to be applied to the driving element from among a plurality of types of the stored driving voltage waveforms. Power sources set the voltage to be outputted. A power source voltage determining unit determines voltages to be set to the power sources on the basis of the selected driving voltage waveform. A driving voltage waveform applying unit applies the selected driving voltage waveform to the driving element by setting the determined voltages to the power sources and connecting the power sources to the driving element while switching the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kunio TABATA, Nobuaki AZAMI, Hiroyuki YOSHINO, Shinichi MIYAZAKI, Atsushi OSHIMA, Noritaka IDE
  • Publication number: 20100102882
    Abstract: An electric load driving circuit for driving an electric load having a capacity component includes a plurality of power sources generating different voltages, capacitors provided parallel to the plurality of power sources, a switch control unit that switches connections between the capacitors and the electric load and thereby switching a voltage applied to the electric load, discharge paths that enable discharging electric charge stored in the capacitor, and a discharge control unit that controls a quantity of electric charge discharged from the discharge paths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki YOSHINO, Nobuaki AZAMI, Shinichi MIYAZAKI, Kunio TABATA, Atsushi OSHIMA, Noritaka IDE
  • Publication number: 20100103213
    Abstract: A fluid ejection device that ejects fluid from an ejection port includes: a drive element that ejects fluid in accordance with a difference between voltages applied to a first terminal and a second terminal; a drive voltage waveform storing unit that stores a drive voltage waveform applied to the drive element; a plurality of power supplies each having a different voltage; and a drive voltage waveform applying unit that applies the drive voltage waveform to the drive element by switching among the plurality of power supplies connected to the first and second terminals of the drive element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noritaka IDE, Kunio TABATA, Shinichi MIYAZAKI, Atsushi OSHIMA, Hiroyuki YOSHINO, Nobuaki AZAMI
  • Publication number: 20100097114
    Abstract: A pulse width modulation circuit includes: a reference signal generator which generates a plurality of mutually differing reference signals; a comparator which compares the reference signals and an input signal with respect to magnitude, and outputs results of the comparison as a plurality of comparison signals with mutually differing phases; and a synthesizer which, using a logical operation, outputs the plurality of comparison signals output from the comparator as a pulse width modulated signal configured of one or more binary signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichi MIYAZAKI, Hiroyuki YOSHINO, Nobuaki AZAMI, Atsushi OSHIMA, Noritaka IDE, Kunio TABATA
  • Publication number: 20100097419
    Abstract: A liquid jetting device includes a plurality of nozzles. A driving signal generated by a driving signal generating section is applied to a charge-discharge actuator in correspondence with each nozzle to jet liquid from the nozzle. A charging source potential preliminary adjusted wave-form signal is pulse modulated and electrically amplified using a charging source potential transistor pair connected in a push-pull configuration, and output by a ripple filter to a collector of a charge-use transistor of the driving signal generating section to make a preliminary adjustment to the charging source potential for the driving signal generating section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi OSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20100091059
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of nozzles, an actuator provided for each nozzle and connected to the respective nozzle, and a drive unit for applying a drive signal to the actuator. The drive unit includes a drive waveform generator that generates a drive waveform signal for controlling the drive of the actuator, a modulator for performing a pulse modulation of the drive waveform signal to produce a modulated signal, a digital power amplifier for power amplifying the modulated signal to produce an amplified signal, a low-pass filter for smoothing the amplified signal and supplying the drive signal to the actuator, and a modulation signal correcting unit that corrects the modulated signal according to a power supply voltage of the digital power amplifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi OSHIMA, Kunio TABATA
  • Publication number: 20090303271
    Abstract: A head drive apparatus of an ink jet printer having: a plurality of nozzles for jetting liquid drops that are provided for an ink jet head; a plurality of actuators provided in correspondence to the nozzles; and a drive unit that applies a drive signal to the actuators, wherein the drive unit comprising: a drive waveform generator that generates a drive waveform signal being standard of a signal to control drive of the actuators; a modulator that modulates a pulse of a drive waveform signal generated by the drive waveform generator; a digital power amplifier for amplifying power of a modulated signal subjected to the pulse modulation by the modulator; and a low pass filter for smoothing an amplified digital signal subjected to the power amplification by the digital power amplifier and supplying the signal as a drive signal to the actuators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2006
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kunio Tabata, Atsushi Oshima, Osamu Shinkawa, Toshiyuki Suzuki, Tomoki Hatano
  • Publication number: 20090289980
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus including a plurality of nozzles provided to a liquid jet head, an actuator corresponding to each of the nozzles, and drive unit that applies a drive pulse to each of the actuators, wherein the drive unit includes correction value storing unit that stores a drive pulse application timing correction value corresponding to the number of actuators to be driven at the same time, and drive pulse application timing correction unit that corrects the drive pulse application timing using the drive pulse application timing correction value stored in the correction value storing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kunio TABATA, Toshiyuki SUZUKI, Atsushi OSHIMA, Osamu SHINKAWA, Tomoki HATANO
  • Publication number: 20090273625
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus according to the present invention includes a drive circuit adapted to apply a drive signal to an actuator of a liquid jet head, and a power supply voltage control circuit adapted to control a power supply voltage to the drive signal to be a waveform voltage set previously based on a reference signal obtained from one of the drive signal and a signal in a generation stage of the drive signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi OSHIMA, Kunio TABATA, Noritaka IDE, Shinichi MIYAZAKI, Hiroyuki AIZAWA, Seiichi TANIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20090267979
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus according to the present invention is a liquid jet apparatus including a plurality of nozzles, an actuator provided for each nozzle and connected to the respective nozzle, a drive waveform signal generation unit that generates a drive pulse, and a drive unit that applies the drive pulse to the actuator, wherein the drive unit includes a transistor pair, wherein the transistor pair: has two transistors connected to each other in a push-pull manner, and power-amplifies the drive pulse. The drive unit also includes a low-pass filter disposed between the transistor pair and the actuator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2009
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kunio TABATA, Atsushi OSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20090266640
    Abstract: Since a housing 101 is integrally formed with a frame main body 123A of a frame 223 so as to surround a rotor yoke 258 and a stator yoke 242, heat generated from a motor 109 is conducted to the housing 101 to be thereby emitted to the outside. Accordingly, a heat transfer property and a cooling effect of the motor 109 are remarkably improved compared with a case that the housing 101 is formed into a member separated from a frame 123. As a result, it is possible to realize an increase in output of the motor 109 as well as a decrease in size and weight, thereby realizing a decrease in size of an electric power steering apparatus as a whole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Oshima, Shigeru Endou
  • Patent number: 7607749
    Abstract: A printer includes a first transporting belt that transports a print medium and a second transporting belt that receives the print medium from the first transporting belt and further transports the print medium. A liquid ejection head ejects liquid according to a liquid-ejection timing signal to the print medium transported by the first transporting belt and the second transporting belt. A signal generator outputs the liquid-ejection timing signal according to a first signal and a second signal that correspond to the travel of the first and second transporting belts, respectively. When the phase difference between the first and second signals has a predetermined threshold value or less, the signal generator switches from outputting the liquid-ejection timing signal according to the first signal to outputting the liquid-ejection timing signal according to the second signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kunio Tabata, Toshiyuki Suzuki, Atsushi Oshima
  • Patent number: 7585037
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus includes a plurality of nozzles provided to a liquid jet head, an actuator provided corresponding to each of the nozzles, and drive unit for applying a drive pulse to the actuator, wherein the drive unit includes drive waveform signal generation unit that generates one or more of drive waveform signals each providing basis of the drive pulse to the actuator, one or more of transistor pairs provided as many as the number of the actuators in order for power-amplifying the one or more of drive waveform signals generated by the drive waveform signal generation unit, and each having two transistors forming a pair and connected to each other in a push-pull manner, and one or more of low-pass filters provided as many as the number of the actuators and each disposed between a connection point of the transistor pair and the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kunio Tabata, Atsushi Oshima
  • Publication number: 20090219373
    Abstract: A belt transport device includes: a drive roller which is driven by a power source; a driven roller which is held in a rotatable manner; an endless belt which is wound on the drive roller and the driven roller; a band-like detecting section which is arranged on the endless belt in a circumferential direction of the endless belt; a sensor which detects the band-like detecting section; a displacement unit which displaces a relative positional relationship between the band-like detecting section and the sensor in a width direction of the endless belt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2009
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kunio TABATA, Toshiyuki SUZUKI, Atsushi OSHIMA
  • Patent number: 7581802
    Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus includes a plurality of nozzles provided to a liquid jet head, an actuator provided corresponding to each of the nozzles, and drive unit that applies a drive pulse to the actuator, wherein the drive unit includes correction value storing unit that stores a drive pulse application timing correction value corresponding to the number of actuators to be driven, and drive pulse application timing correction unit that corrects the drive pulse application timing using the drive pulse application timing correction value corresponding to the number of actuators to be driven stored in the correction value storing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kunio Tabata, Toshiyuki Suzuki, Atsushi Oshima, Osamu Shinkawa, Tomoki Hatano