Patents by Inventor Koichi Nishiwaki

Koichi Nishiwaki 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: 10196104
    Abstract: An example method includes determining a plurality of candidate support regions for a support member of a robotic device. The method also includes determining a support region score (SRS) for each candidate support region, wherein the SRS for a given candidate support region depends on a surface geometry of the given candidate support region. The method additionally includes determining an adjacent relation scores (ARS) for each candidate support region, wherein the ARS for a particular candidate support region is based at least on a plurality of SRSs of a plurality of support regions surrounding the particular candidate support region. Based on the determined SRSs and the determined ARSs, the method further includes selecting at least one support region from the plurality of candidate support regions and providing instructions for the robotic device to place the support member on the at least one selected support region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Schaft Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Kagami, Koichi Nishiwaki
  • Patent number: 9950430
    Abstract: A robotic system may include an incremental encoder coupled to a joint of the system. The robotic system may include a memory configured to store representations of angular positions of the joint. The robotic system may include a motor coupled to the joint, where rotation of the joint while the motor is powered off (i) causes rotation of the motor such that electric power is generated, and (ii) updates the angular position of the joint. The robotic system may use the electric power to power on the incremental encoder and the memory while the robotic system is powered off. One or more processors may obtain, when the robotic system powers on after being powered off, the updated angular position of the joint from the memory, where the incremental encoder provides the updated angular position to the memory while the robotic system is powered off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: Schaft Inc.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Ito, Junichi Urata, Koichi Nishiwaki
  • Patent number: 9555547
    Abstract: A robotic system may include an incremental encoder coupled to a joint of the system. The robotic system may include a memory configured to store representations of angular positions of the joint. The robotic system may include a motor coupled to the joint, where rotation of the joint while the motor is powered off (i) causes rotation of the motor such that electric power is generated, and (ii) updates the angular position of the joint. The robotic system may use the electric power to power on the incremental encoder and the memory while the robotic system is powered off. One or more processors may obtain, when the robotic system powers on after being powered off, the updated angular position of the joint from the memory, where the incremental encoder provides the updated angular position to the memory while the robotic system is powered off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: X Development LLC
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Ito, Junichi Urata, Koichi Nishiwaki
  • Patent number: 9261893
    Abstract: A robotic system may include an incremental encoder coupled to a joint of the system. The robotic system may include a memory configured to store representations of angular positions of the joint. The robotic system may include a motor coupled to the joint, where rotation of the joint while the motor is powered off (i) causes rotation of the motor such that electric power is generated, and (ii) updates the angular position of the joint. The robotic system may use the electric power to power on the incremental encoder and the memory while the robotic system is powered off. One or more processors may obtain, when the robotic system powers on after being powered off, the updated angular position of the joint from the memory, where the incremental encoder provides the updated angular position to the memory while the robotic system is powered off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Ito, Junichi Urata, Koichi Nishiwaki
  • Patent number: 8132881
    Abstract: A printing apparatus that measures a consumption of a colorant during printing, includes a shade level measuring unit that measures a print shade level on a print sheet, a range segment counting unit that counts the number of print sheets falling within each of a plurality of print shade range segments based on the measurement results of the shade level measuring unit, and an output unit that outputs the count results of the range segment counting unit on a per print shade range segment basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Azami, Koichi Nishiwaki, Masahiro Owa
  • Publication number: 20090201330
    Abstract: A printing apparatus that measures a consumption of a colorant during printing, includes a shade level measuring unit that measures a print shade level on a print sheet, a range segment counting unit that counts the number of print sheets falling within each of a plurality of print shade range segments based on the measurement results of the shade level measuring unit, and an output unit that outputs the count results of the range segment counting unit on a per print shade range segment basis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Osamu Azami, Koichi Nishiwaki, Masahiro Owa
  • Patent number: 7044576
    Abstract: The machine adjustment device of the invention displays a list of components constituting a printer in a sequential manner and asks the user to select one or multiple components to be removed or replaced. The machine adjustment device extracts adjustment parameters, which require adjustment accompanied with removal or replacement of the one or multiple selected components, and sets an adjustment order of the extracted adjustment parameters. The machine adjustment device outputs display of an adjustment window including the extracted adjustment parameters in the preset adjustment order and interactively executes adjustment of the printer with operations of the user. This arrangement enables even an unskilled user to implement easy, quick, and adequate adjustment required in the case of removal or replacement of the components in the printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Kune, Koichi Nishiwaki, Takahiro Minamoto
  • Publication number: 20040138764
    Abstract: The machine adjustment device of the invention displays a list of components constituting a printer in a sequential manner and asks the user to select one or multiple components to be removed or replaced. The machine adjustment device extracts adjustment parameters, which require adjustment accompanied with removal or replacement of the one or multiple selected components, and sets an adjustment order of the extracted adjustment parameters. The machine adjustment device outputs display of an adjustment window including the extracted adjustment parameters in the preset adjustment order and interactively executes adjustment of the printer with operations of the user. This arrangement enables even an unskilled user to implement easy, quick, and adequate adjustment required in the case of removal or replacement of the components in the printer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Kune, Koichi Nishiwaki, Takahiro Minamoto
  • Patent number: 5349003
    Abstract: An aqueous fluorine-containing polymer dispersion having particle diameters of 0.05-3 .mu.m, which is obtainable by emulsion-polymerizing 5-95 parts by weight of a monomer mixture consisting of at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of alkyl acrylates whose alkyl groups have 1-18 carbon atoms and alkyl methacrylates whose alkyl groups have 1-18 carbon atoms and optionally an ethylenically unsaturated compound copolymerizable with the alkyl acrylates and the alkyl methacrylates, in an aqueous medium in the presence of 100 parts by weight of particles of a vinylidene fluoride polymer; and an aqueous dispersion containing a fluorine-containing polymer which consists essentially of 95-30 parts by weight (in terms of solids content) of said aqueous fluorine-containing polymer dispersion and 5-70 parts by weight (in terms of solids content) of an aqueous dispersion of a water-soluble resin and/or a water-dispersible resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1994
    Assignee: Japan Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Kato, Teruo Hiraharu, Koichi Nishiwaki, Hiroshi Tadenuma