Patents by Inventor Kazuo Itoh

Kazuo Itoh 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).

  • Publication number: 20190305846
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a receiver including a receiver circuit, a control circuit, and a wireless communications circuit. The control circuit retrieves identification information and content information from a plurality of transmitters based on an output of the receiver circuit. The control circuit retrieves, when having failed to retrieve content information from the plurality of transmitters, identification information from at least two of the plurality of transmitters, identifies one of the at least two of the plurality of transmitters as a target transmitter in association with the retrieved identification information, and also identifies another one the at least two of the plurality of transmitters as a non-target transmitter in association with the retrieved identification information. The wireless communications circuit transmits the control signal to allow the target transmitter to transmit the second optical signal and cause the non-target transmitter not to transmit the second optical signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Shojiro KIDO, Teruhito TAKEDA, Hiromichi GOTO, Kazuo ITOH, Hiroyuki NISHINO
  • Publication number: 20190268069
    Abstract: A visible light communication apparatus includes: an on/off switch connected in series to a load circuit including a light emitting diode; an impedance circuit connected in series to the on/off switch; a feedback circuit that feeds back an error between a voltage drop across the impedance circuit and a reference voltage potential to a voltage source as a feedback signal; a drive circuit that turns on and off the on/off switch in accordance with a communication signal which is a binary signal; an isolation circuit that transmits power while being electrically isolated; and an auxiliary power supply circuit that is connected between two output terminals of the voltage source, generates an auxiliary supply voltage, and supplies power based on the auxiliary supply voltage generated to the on/off switch and the drive circuit via the isolation circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Inventors: Hiroyuki NISHINO, Hiromichi GOTO, Kazuo ITOH, Shojiro KIDO, Teruhito TAKEDA
  • Patent number: 10322883
    Abstract: An object is to provide a conveyor that enables the number of information read-out devices to be largely reduced and that can be easily constructed. An object identifying device (45) is installed in the first zone. The object identifying device (45) is a bar code reader. Information read by the bar code reader is transmitted to a host control device (46). The host control device (46) identifies an object from information described in a bar code, makes an inquiry about a conveyance destination of an object, transmits the address of the target place to a zone controller (10) of the second zone, and inputs the address to a conveyance destination storage unit of the zone controller (10) of the second zone. The conveyance destination information input to the conveyance destination storage unit is passed on to the downstream zone controller (10) with the conveyance of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Toshiyuki Tachibana, Akira Takanaga, Yoshiyuki Kujihashi
  • Patent number: 10308442
    Abstract: A discharge device is constructed so that, when conveyance destinations for a preceding conveyed object and a closely spaced succeeding conveyed object are different, the objects can be conveyed without stopping the conveyance of the succeeding conveyed object. The device has: a) discharge members that extend and retract between a plurality of conveying bodies in a main conveying conveyor, come into contact with a conveyed object when the discharge members extend between the conveying bodies, and impart a conveying force to the conveyed object, the force being in a direction different from that of the conveying bodies; b) a base member that supports the discharge members; and c) a and base swinging unit that swings the base member. By swinging the base member, it is possible to make the discharge members on the upstream side and the downstream side in the conveyance direction individually extend and retract between the conveying bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Makoto Mitsuyoshi
  • Patent number: 10301123
    Abstract: A transfer device having: a frame; a main conveyer unit having a main conveying passage disposed in a fixed planar area; and a sub conveyer unit having a sub conveying passage disposed in a planar area identical to the planar area of the main conveying passage and conveying an object in a direction crossing a conveying direction of the main conveying passage. A lifting and lowering unit lifts one of the conveying passages to a position above the other conveying passage. A regulating unit is provided for allowing linear upward and downward movement of at least one of the conveyer units. The regulating unit is a plate body or a linear body that bends and/or tilts. A bending direction or a tilting direction is aligned with an upward and downward movement direction of the main conveyer unit or the sub conveyer unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Jun Maekawa
  • Publication number: 20190135542
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to develop a conveying device capable of carrying out an object in multiple directions. The conveying device includes a plurality of conveying cells 1 that move the object, and the plurality of conveying cells 1 are arranged in plane. The conveying cell 1 includes a conveying direction changing unit that changes a conveying direction and a controller. An address is given to the conveying cell 1, and based on a conveying destination of the Object carried in the conveying cell 1 and an own address of the conveying cell 1, the controller determines a carrying-out direction of the conveying cell 1 such that the object approaches the conveying destination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2017
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Inventors: Kazuo ITOH, Toshiyuki TACHIBANA, Yoshiyuki KUJIHASHI, Masayuki SHIMODA
  • Publication number: 20190127153
    Abstract: The lifting and lowering apparatus includes a plurality of shelf members 6 and 7 and a lifting and lowering mechanism 8. The shelf members 6 and 7 respectively include placing tables A and B positioned on different heights, and each placing table is provided with a conveying unit 10. The shelf members 6 and 7 are lifted and lowered by the lifting and lowering mechanism 8, whereby the placing table A (B) of the shelf member 6 (7) which is one of the shelf members 6 and 7 is adjusted to be on the same height as the placing table B (A) of the other shelf member 7 (6), and with this state, an object is transferred from the placing table of one of the shelf members to the placing table of the other shelf member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Kazuo ITOH, Tatsuhiko NAKAMURA, Koji TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20180319605
    Abstract: A transfer device having: a frame; a main conveyer unit having a main conveying passage disposed in a fixed planar area; and a sub conveyer unit having a sub conveying passage disposed in a planar area identical to the planar area of the main conveying passage and conveying an object in a direction crossing a conveying direction of the main conveying passage. A lifting and lowering unit lifts one of the conveying passages to a position above the other conveying passage. A regulating unit is provided for allowing linear upward and downward movement of at least one of the conveyer units. The regulating unit is a plate body or a linear body that bends and/or tilts. A bending direction or a tilting direction is aligned with an upward and downward movement direction of the main conveyer unit or the sub conveyer unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Jun Maekawa
  • Publication number: 20180295691
    Abstract: An illumination light communication apparatus to be connected to a light source that emits illumination light due to a current from a constant current generation device, and that modulates the illumination light includes: a switch connected in series to the light source; a signal generator circuit that generates a binary communication signal which controls ON and OFF states of the switch to modulate the illumination light; a current suppression circuit that is connected in series to the light source and the switch, and that suppresses the current flowing in the light source so that a current setting value corresponding to a reference value is not exceeded; and a controller that can change an ON duty ratio of the switch through the communication signal. The controller changes the ON duty ratio of the switch during a transition period in which a current flowing in the current suppression circuit changes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Teruhito TAKEDA, Shigeaki YAMASAKI, Shojiro KIDO, Kazuo ITOH, Hiromichi GOTO, Hiroyuki NISHINO
  • Patent number: 10071861
    Abstract: A path forming device for forming a part of a series of article conveying passage and opening a path for passing through when a worker crosses the article conveying passage, the path forming device including: a fixed side conveyor device located at a constant height position; a movable side conveyor device; a lifting and lowering function that lifts and lowers the movable side conveyor device; and a linear movement function that linearly moves the movable side conveyor device, wherein the movable side conveyor device is capable of taking: an article conveying posture in which the movable side conveyor device protrudes from the fixed side conveyor device in a cantilever state, and is linearly aligned with the fixed side conveyor at substantially the same height as the fixed side conveyor; and a path opening posture in which a height of the movable side conveyor device is lowered by the lifting and lowering function, the movable side conveyor device is made to move to the fixed side conveyor device by the linea
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Kosuke Toda
  • Patent number: 10053300
    Abstract: To develop a transfer device which has a lower overall height than that of a conventional technology. A transfer device 1 includes a main conveying unit 3 equipped with main conveying bodies 82, a sub conveying unit 2 equipped with sub conveying bodies 14, a lifting and lowering mechanism 4 which lifts and lowers the main conveying unit 3 and the sub conveying unit 2 such that the respective units 3 and 2 are located at different positions in the up-down direction, and a motor 5 which operates the lifting and lowering mechanism 4. A planar position of the motor 5 resides in a planar area overlapping with the main conveying bodies 82 and the sub conveying bodies 14. A position of the motor 5 in the height direction is set such that a part or the whole of the motor 5 is located above a height of a lower end of a rotational track or a traveling track of any one of the conveying bodies 82 and 14 in a lowered state of any one of the conveying units 3 and 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Jun Maekawa
  • Publication number: 20180229937
    Abstract: A conveying device has: a main conveyor unit; a sub conveyor unit; and a lifting and lowering unit that lifts and lowers at least one of the main conveyor unit and the sub conveyor unit, wherein the main conveyor unit has a main conveying passage disposed in a fixed region, the main conveying passage conveying a conveyance object, wherein the sub conveyor unit has a sub conveying passage disposed in the fixed region, the sub conveying passage conveying the conveyance object in an intersecting direction with respect to a conveying direction of the main conveying passage, wherein a conveyance attitude is capable of being changed between a main conveyance attitude in which a conveying surface of the sub conveying passage is located below a conveying surface of the main conveying passage, and a sub conveyance attitude in which both ends in the intersecting direction of the conveying surface of the sub conveying passage are located above the conveying surface of the main conveying passage, and in the sub conveyanc
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2017
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Koji Ueda, Takahiro Itoh
  • Publication number: 20180111767
    Abstract: Provided are a conveyance device capable of performing traveling operation and turning operation, a planar conveyance apparatus, and a conveyance unit. A conveyance device 1 has a travel part 5 having a belt 2 for allowing an article to be placed, and a turning table 6 that supports the travel part 5. The belt 2 is an endless member suspended between a pair of rollers 3. The belt 2 travels by being engaged with a driving body 4 to which power of a motor for traveling 9 is transmitted by a drive shaft 14. Power of a motor for turning 8 is transmitted to the turning table 6, so that the turning table 6 turns. That is, when the motor for turning 8 is driven, the travel part 5 turns along with the turning table 6.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Kazuwo Miki
  • Patent number: 9944468
    Abstract: An object is to improve a conveyor device including a curved passage and to provide a conveyor device that enables the curvature radius of a curved passage to be reduced. A conveyor device (1) includes an introducing side linear conveyor (2), a curved passage conveyor (3), and a discharging side linear conveyor (5). The curved passage conveyor (3) conveys an object with a rotation trajectory of approximately 180°. The curved passage conveyor (3) includes a circular plate (6), and the upper face of the circular plate (6) functions as a conveying surface. The circular plate (6) is curved or bent. A part of the circular plate (6) other than the curved passage conveyor (3) gets under the conveying surfaces of the introducing side linear conveyor (2) and the discharging side linear conveyor (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Tomohiro Takami
  • Patent number: 9926140
    Abstract: There is provided a roller conveyor that has a function capable of specifying a failure part or a defective part. When a signal for executing a failure detection operation is transmitted from a host controller (50) to each zone controller (10), each zone controller (10) immediately activates the corresponding motor-incorporating roller (5a). Then, after a certain time, the motor-incorporating roller (5a) is stopped. A pulse interval thereafter is detected by a pulse interval monitoring program (36) to determine whether a delay phenomenon has occurred. The delay phenomenon is a phenomenon in which the pulse signal generation interval is temporarily extended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Toshiyuki Tachibana, Yoshinori Nagai, Shinji Sayama
  • Patent number: 9893648
    Abstract: A controller switches between modes each having a different connection state of a DC power supply and the capacitor with respect to first and second output points by controlling switches. A generation unit generates a reference wave including at least one carrier wave. The modes are classified into a sustaining mode in which no current is caused to flow to the capacitor, a charging mode in which a current is caused to flow to the capacitor, and a discharging mode in which a current in a direction opposite to that in the charging mode is caused to flow to the capacitor. The controller switches between the sustaining mode and a charging or discharging mode according to the comparison result between a signal wave and the reference wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mariko Kifuji, Kazunori Kidera, Mitsuru Tanabe, Kazuo Itoh
  • Publication number: 20180035624
    Abstract: Provided is a plant cultivation device where installation work, repair, partial improvement or remodeling work can be performed easily. A plurality of seedling growing units 2 are connected to each other in series. The seedling growing unit 2 has a case which has both ends thereof opened and can cover a peripheral surface of the seedling growing unit 2. A tray mounting base, a conveyance device, an illumination unit, and a water supply/discharge facility are disposed inside the case. The cases of the seedling growing units 2 are connected to each other thus forming a continuous cylindrical space. A series of conveyance units are formed by the conveyance devices inside the cases. Cultivation trays are disposed in the continuous cylindrical space formed by the cases, and the cultivation trays are movable toward a downstream side by the conveyance unit in a state where the cultivation tray strides over the case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Inventors: Kazuo ITOH, Tatsuhiko NAKAMURA, Masaki TANAKA
  • Patent number: 9878857
    Abstract: The objective is to develop a conveying device and a conveyer device having high conveying efficiency and high reliability when an article is transferred to a conveyer line with different height. Branching units (8) of a lower-level side conveyer line (5) and an upper-level side conveyer line (6) are connected to an inclined connection conveyer line (10). The branching unit (8) has a sub conveying passage (53) for conveying an article (60) in the same direction as a conveying direction of the connection conveyer line (10). The sub conveying passage (53) has a lifting and lowering motor-incorporating roller (43) and cams (46a, 46b). When the lifting and lowering motor-incorporating roller (43) is driven, the cams (46a, 46b) rotate, and the sub conveying passage (53) is connected to the connection conveyer line (10) in an inclined attitude. As a result, the article (60) can move between the lower-level side conveyer line (5) and the upper-level side conveyer line (6) via the connection conveyer line (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura, Makoto Mitsuyoshi
  • Patent number: 9873565
    Abstract: Provided is a motor-incorporating roller capable of preventing a grease supply portion from separating. The motor-incorporating roller has a motor and a reducer in a cylindrical roller body and the reducer is provided with a gear train including a plurality of gears. The motor-incorporating roller has a grease supply portion that supplies grease to the plurality of gears in the reducer and is capable of containing grease therein. Furthermore, the motor-incorporating roller has a power output member that outputs power and a shaft portion that pivotally supports the gears. The grease supply portion is integrated with the power output member through the shaft portion to restrict movement of the shaft portion in an axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Tatsuhiko Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9868594
    Abstract: The present invention aims to develop a dedicated control device for a transfer apparatus and a transfer apparatus controller that enables labor-saving wiring work, and to provide a conveying apparatus that switches a destination to which a conveyed object is to be conveyed by way of the transfer apparatus controller. A transfer apparatus includes a main conveying passage 101 that conveys a conveyed object 125 in one direction, an auxiliary conveying passage 102 for conveying a conveyed object 125 in a direction crossing the main conveying passage 101, and a lifting and lowering unit 115 that generates a height difference between both conveying passages 101 and 102 by lifting or lowering at least one of the conveying passages 101 and 102.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Itoh Denki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Itoh, Masayuki Toma, Yoshinori Nagai