Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Igarashi

Hitoshi Igarashi 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: 8967749
    Abstract: To reduce noise during paper conveyance while ensuring printing efficiency of an inkjet printer, a printing device is equipped with a control unit for moving a recording head back and forth in the scan direction according to the rotation of a carriage motor, a conveyance unit for extracting and feeding paper, conveying the paper in the sub scan direction to match the movement of the recording head to print the fed paper, and ejecting the printed paper according to the rotation of a conveyance motor, a paper reversal unit for coordinating with the rotation of the rotation means of the conveyance motor to reverse the front and back of the paper, and a printing control unit for controlling spraying of the ink from the recording head, as well as controlling the carriage motor and the conveyance motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yohei Nunokawa, Yasuhiko Yoshihisa, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8962204
    Abstract: A fuel cell stack includes a heat exchange unit that performs heat exchange between a gas mixture containing source hydrogen and a circulating gas and cooling water used for controlling the temperature of the fuel cell stack. A system controller adjusts the temperature of the cooling water by controlling a temperature control unit on the basis of the temperature of source hydrogen flowing into a junction at which the source hydrogen and a circulating gas are mixed such that the temperature of a source/recirculated hydrogen mixture that is mixed at the junction and that is supplied to the fuel cell stack is kept within a managed temperature range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Yonekura, Masatoshi Iio, Hisashi Niioka, Takatada Usami, Hayato Chikugo, Mitsunori Kumada, Naoto Todoroki, Ikuhiro Taniguchi, Yoshinao Ootake, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8936348
    Abstract: A sliding section that slides on a guide rail to which grease is applied while integrally moving with a carriage is provided in a side surface of the carriage that is equipped with a liquid ejecting head and reciprocates in a moving direction. The sliding section has one side edge section extending so as to cross the moving direction in a position of one side in the moving direction, and the other side edge section extending so as to cross the moving direction in a position of the other side in the moving direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Nakata, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Publication number: 20150009263
    Abstract: A sliding section that slides on a guide rail to which grease is applied while integrally moving with a carriage is provided in a side surface of the carriage that is equipped with a liquid ejecting head and reciprocates in a moving direction. The sliding section has one side edge section extending so as to cross the moving direction in a position of one side in the moving direction, and the other side edge section extending so as to cross the moving direction in a position of the other side in the moving direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi NAKATA, Hitoshi IGARASHI
  • Publication number: 20140354722
    Abstract: When printing is performed by discharging ink from a printing head onto a lenticular, a carriage motor is controlled such that a carriage is moved in a main scanning direction at a velocity which is slower than a movement velocity of the carriage at the time of performing a normal printing process with respect to a recording medium different from the lenticular as a recording paper and further separated from a home position, and the printing head is controlled such that an ink discharge having a color according to printing data is started with respect to an end portion of the lenticular, and thus the printing of one pass is started. Since the velocity is slower than the movement velocity of the carriage at the time of performing the normal printing process, it is possible to improve printing quality at the time of performing printing with respect to the lenticular.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2014
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Manabu KONDO, Yasuhiko YOSHIHISA, Takayuki TANAKA, Yohei NUNOKAWA, Hitoshi IGARASHI
  • Patent number: 8864059
    Abstract: A printing device includes a first roller for rotatably retaining a roll body where a medium is rolled, a first motor for rotating the first roller, a second roller installed further to the downstream side of the roll body in the feeding direction of the medium to feed the medium in the feeding direction or in a reverse feeding direction which is opposite to the feeding direction corresponding to the rotating direction, a second motor for rotating the second roller, and a controller which causes the medium to become slack the first roller and the second roller by feeding the medium by a predetermined feeding amount in the reverse feeding direction by the second motor, and then rotates the roll body in a winding-up direction by the first motor so that the slackness decreases to calculate the diameter of the roll body based on the rotation amount of the first roller at that time and the predetermined feeding amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Hatada, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8845216
    Abstract: A printer includes a roll paper body driving mechanism that transports a medium by rotating a roll paper body on which the medium is wound, a first transport mechanism provided downstream of the roll paper body to transport the medium, a print head provided downstream of the first transport mechanism to carry out printing on the medium, a second transport mechanism provided between the roll paper body and the first transport mechanism to transport the medium, and a controller carries out control so that, in a range in which a velocity at which the first transport mechanism transports the media changes, the absolute value of a difference in an amount by which the medium is transported between transport mechanisms is larger between the roll paper body driving mechanism and the second transport mechanism than between the second transport mechanism and the first transport mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8708445
    Abstract: A printing device includes: a driving motor that applies a power rotating a roll body in which a medium is rolled; a driving roller that transfers the power of the driving motor to the roll body; a transport motor that applies a power transporting the medium; a transport roller that is provided further to the downstream side than the roll body in the transport direction of the medium; and a looseness acquiring unit that acquires an looseness between the driving roller and the transport roller. When the looseness is equal to or more than a predetermined looseness, the driving motor is controlled on the basis of the looseness acquired by the looseness acquiring unit. When the looseness is less than the predetermined looseness, the driving motor is controlled on the basis of tension between the driving roller and the transport roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Hatada, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8687176
    Abstract: To press a medium using an appropriate pressing force and perform colorimetric measurement, a color measurement device for performing colorimetric measurement of a print pattern printed on a medium, the color measurement device comprising a pressing member for pressing the medium; a power source for outputting power for the pressing member to press the medium; a detecting part for detecting a pressing force on the medium; a color measurement section for performing colorimetric measurement of the print pattern; and a control part for controlling the power source so that the pressing force detected by the detecting part is equal to a predetermined pressing force, and for causing the color measurement section to perform colorimetric measurement of the print pattern printed on the medium pressed by the pressing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Hatada, Hitoshi Igarashi, Jun Ushiama
  • Patent number: 8663858
    Abstract: A fuel cell system which prevents the deterioration of the fuel cell stack when feeding of the oxidant gas is paused under a load to perform a fuel conservation operation. Controller shuts down oxidant gas compressor and cooling water circulating pump to execute fuel conservation operation at a low fuel cell system load. The controller gives a current draw instruction to electric power controller. In the fuel conservation operation, electric power controller draws a current larger than zero from fuel cell stack, and keeps the total charge drawn per unit time constant or substantially constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Ono, Takahiro Fujii, Takashi Iimori, Akira Matsunaga, Ryoichi Shimoi, Kazuo Saito, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Publication number: 20140043383
    Abstract: To reduce noise during paper conveyance while ensuring printing efficiency of an inkjet printer, a printing device is equipped with a control unit for moving a recording head back and forth in the scan direction according to the rotation of a carriage motor, a conveyance unit for extracting and feeding paper, conveying the paper in the sub scan direction to match the movement of the recording head to print the fed paper, and ejecting the printed paper according to the rotation of a conveyance motor, a paper reversal unit for coordinating with the rotation of the rotation means of the conveyance motor to reverse the front and back of the paper, and a printing control unit for controlling spraying of the ink from the recording head, as well as controlling the carriage motor and the conveyance motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2013
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yohei NUNOKAWA, Yasuhiko YOSHIHISA, Hitoshi IGARASHI
  • Patent number: 8641185
    Abstract: To prevent conveyance defects due to kicking, a printing device includes a conveyance roller for conveying a medium in a conveyance direction; a guide for supporting the medium on a top surface of the guide on an upstream side in the conveyance direction from the conveyance roller; and a head for ejecting ink and printing on the medium on a downstream side in the conveyance direction from the conveyance roller; wherein the top surface of the guide is positioned higher than a line tangent to the conveyance roller at a position of contact between the conveyance roller and the medium; and an end part of the guide on the downstream side in the conveyance direction has a smaller thickness in the direction in which the medium is supported than on the upstream side of the end part in the conveyance direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8541141
    Abstract: A fuel cell system and method of controlling a fuel cell system capable of preventing deterioration in performance when the system reinitiates a normal operation from an idle stop state. For a predetermined time after reinitiating the supply of fuel gas and oxidant gas from the idle stop state, discharge of off-gas occurs and the cessation of fuel gas and oxidant gas supply is prohibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Yonekura, Hitoshi Igarashi, Tetsuya Kamihara
  • Patent number: 8470486
    Abstract: A fuel cell system has a plurality of fuel cells stacked in one or more groups of fuel cells. Each fuel cell includes a fuel electrode supplied with fuel gas at a fuel gas supply pressure, an oxidizing electrode supplied with oxidizing gas at an oxidizing gas supply pressure, and an electrolyte membrane disposed between the fuel electrode and the oxidizing electrode. A pressure-difference control unit generates a pressure difference across the membrane such that the fuel gas supply pressure is greater than the oxidizing gas supply pressure in each fuel cell, a cell-voltage measuring device measures a cell voltage for each fuel cell or each group of fuel cells in the fuel cell stack, and a leakage determination unit determines the presence or absence of a leaking cell based on the behavior of the cell voltage of each fuel cell while the pressure difference is increased with time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Sato, Susumu Maeshima, Kazuo Saito, Ryoichi Shimoi, Takahiro Fujii, Nobuo Matsuba, Hitoshi Igarashi, Kenji Yonekura
  • Patent number: 8425003
    Abstract: A position detecting device for detecting a position of an object, includes a light emitting portion that emits light, a light receiving portion that receives the light from the light emitting portion, and a scale that is arranged between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion, and includes a position detecting pattern and a smear detecting pattern. The position detecting pattern has a first light transmitting portion for transmitting the light from the light emitting portion and a first light interception portion for intercepting the light from the light emitting portion which are alternately arranged in a detection range of the object. The smear detecting pattern for detecting smear of the scale has a second light transmitting portion for transmitting the light from the light emitting portion and a second light interception portion for intercepting the light from the light emitting portion which are alternately arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Nakata, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8419154
    Abstract: A motor control device includes: a first motor that provides a driving force for rotating a roll on which a roll paper is wound to supply the roll paper from the roll; a second motor that provides a driving force for driving a transport driving roller which is provided on a downstream side than the roll along a supply direction of the roll paper and used for transporting the roll paper; a load measuring unit that measures a relationship between a load on the first motor and a driving speed of the first motor when the second motor is not driven and the first motor is driven; and a motor control unit that simultaneously drives the first and second motors at a certain timing, provides to the first motor an interpolation output based on the measurement result of the load measurement unit and a driving speed of the second motor during the control, and transports the roll paper to the downstream side by driving the second motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Igarashi, Kenji Hatada
  • Patent number: 8328318
    Abstract: There is provided a printing method using a first motor that applies a driving force for rotating a roll body around which a printing medium is wound, a second motor that applies a driving force for intermittently driving a transport driving roller that transports the printing medium, and a print head that intermittently ejects ink onto the printing medium alternately with the driving of the second motor. The printing method includes driving the first motor such that tension applied to the printing medium is constant during at least a part of a period in which the second motor is driven and stopping the driving of the first motor during at least a part of a period in which the driving of the second motor is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Igarashi, Kenji Hatada
  • Patent number: 8287083
    Abstract: A position detecting device for detecting a position of an object, includes a light emitting portion that emits light, a light receiving portion that receives the light from the light emitting portion, and a scale that is arranged between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion, and includes a position detecting pattern and a smear detecting pattern. The position detecting pattern has a first light transmitting portion for transmitting the light from the light emitting portion and a first light interception portion for intercepting the light from the light emitting portion which are alternately arranged in a detection range of the object. The smear detecting pattern for detecting smear of the scale has a second light transmitting portion for transmitting the light from the light emitting portion and a second light interception portion for intercepting the light from the light emitting portion which are alternately arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Nakata, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8283083
    Abstract: A fuel cell system including: a fuel cell supplied with a fuel gas to a fuel electrode thereof and air to an air electrode thereof; a fuel gas supplying device which supplies the fuel gas to the fuel electrode; an air supplying device which supplies air to the air electrode; a fuel gas pressure regulator which regulates fuel gas pressure at the fuel electrode; a purge valve which discharges exhaust fuel gas from the fuel electrode to the outside; and a controller. The controller continues power generation of the fuel cell, controlling the fuel gas pressure regulator to lower the fuel gas pressure at the fuel electrode, having the air supplying device continuing supplying air to the air electrode with the purge valve closed; and after the fuel gas pressure at the fuel electrode becomes equal to or lower than the atmospheric pressure, stops power generation of the fuel cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Kamihara, Takashi Iimori, Hitoshi Igarashi
  • Publication number: 20120200628
    Abstract: A printer includes a roll driving mechanism for causing a roll to rotate and a medium to be conveyed, a roll driving section for driving the roll driving mechanism, a first conveying mechanism for conveying the medium, a first driving section for driving the first conveying mechanism, a second conveying mechanism for conveying the medium, and a second driving section for driving the second conveying mechanism, and a controller for performing a control in such a way that when there is a change in the rate at which the first conveying mechanism conveys the medium, the maximum amount of the difference between the amount of the medium conveyed by the roll driving mechanism and the amount of the medium conveyed by the second conveying mechanism exceeds the maximum amount of the difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hitoshi IGARASHI