Patents by Inventor Mamoru Yorimoto

Mamoru Yorimoto 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: 9070052
    Abstract: An image capturing unit includes a sensor unit that captures a predetermined area including a subject; a reference chart that is arranged in the predetermined area and captured together with the subject by the sensor unit; an optical path length changing member that is arranged on an optical path extending from the subject to the sensor unit and is capable of changing a length of the optical path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko Okada, Nobuyuki Satoh, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Mamoru Yorimoto, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Suguru Yokozawa, Tomokazu Kanzawa, Daisaku Horikawa, Hiroshi Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20150162372
    Abstract: An apparatus includes: a light source; a two-dimensional image sensor that receives reflected light from a subject including specular light of the source and outputs an image of the subject; and an optical member arranged in an optical path of light emitted from the source to the subject. When a specular position of the source in the subject arranged apart from the two-dimensional image sensor by a certain distance is defined as a first specular position, whereas a specular position of the source in the optical member is defined as a second specular position, a relative positional relation of the optical member and the source with respect to the two-dimensional image sensor is determined so that a difference between an incident angle from the source toward the first specular position and an incident angle from the source toward the second specular position is a reference value or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Mamoru Yorimoto, Nobuyuki Satoh, Masato Kobayashi, Masayuki Fujii, Hiroshi Matsumoto, Daisaku Horikawa, Suguru Yokozawa, Kenji Morita
  • Publication number: 20150158309
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a printing unit that prints at least one object image using a color material; a color information acquiring unit that acquires color information of the object image; and a control unit that starts one of colorimetry of the object image using the color information acquired by the color information acquiring unit and color adjustment of the printing unit after a variation amount of color information of the object image measured at different points of time is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Publication date: June 11, 2015
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Masayuki Fujii, Nobuyuki Satoh, Mamoru Yorimoto, Masato Kobayashi, Hiroshi Matsumoto, Daisaku Horikawa, Suguru Yokozawa, Kenji Morita, Yuichi Sakurada, Tomohiro Sasa, Masaya Kawarada
  • Patent number: 9039118
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed which reads a test pattern formed by ejecting liquid droplets onto a recording medium to adjust an ejection timing of the liquid droplets. The image forming apparatus includes a reading unit; a relative movement unit; a second detected data obtaining unit; a first detected data obtaining unit; a subtraction processing unit which subtracts a value comparable to a local minimum value of first detected data sets from each of the first detected data sets and second detected data sets; and a signal correction unit which calculates a proportion of the subtracted first detected data sets relative to the subtracted second detected data sets to align a local maximum value of the first detected data sets such that it is generally constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa, Mamoru Yorimoto, Makoto Moriwaki
  • Patent number: 9039119
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which reads a test pattern formed onto a recording medium to adjust an ejection timing of liquid droplets is disclosed. The apparatus includes a reading unit; a pattern data storage unit; an image forming unit; a relative movement unit; an intensity data obtaining unit which obtains intensity data on a reflected light which is received by a light receiving unit from a scanning position of a light while the light moves over the test pattern; and a position detecting unit which applies a line position determining operation on the intensity data and detects a line position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko Okada, Mamoru Yorimoto, Daisaku Horikawa, Makoto Moriwaki
  • Publication number: 20150109646
    Abstract: An image capturing unit includes a sensor section that images a predetermined range including a subject; a reference chart section that is imaged by the sensor section with the subject; and an illumination light source that illuminates the subject and the reference chart section. The illumination light source is arranged at a position where a mirror reflection region that mirror reflects light entering from the illumination light source to the sensor section is outside a region of the subject and the reference chart section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventors: Suguru YOKOZAWA, Nobuyuki Satoh, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Mamoru Yorimoto, Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa, Masahiro Shigemoto, Kazushi Takei, Hideaki Suzuki, Satoshi Iwanami
  • Patent number: 8982408
    Abstract: An image capturing unit includes: a sensor unit that captures an image of a predetermined area including an image capture object; a reference chart portion that is disposed in the predetermined area and an image of which is captured together with an image of the image capture object by the sensor unit; an illumination light source that illuminates the image capture object and the reference chart portion; and a specular reflection preventing member that prevents that specular reflection light of light emitted from the illumination light source enters the sensor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Suzuki, Nobuyuki Satoh, Mamoru Yorimoto, Suguru Yokozawa, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Tatsuhiko Okada, Tomokazu Kanzawa, Daisaku Horikawa, Hiroshi Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20150070737
    Abstract: A glossiness determining device includes: a light source; a two-dimensional sensor that receives reflected light containing a specular reflection component of a subject illuminated by the light source, and outputs an image of the subject; and a determining unit that determines glossiness of the subject by using a saturated image, which is the image of the subject output by the two-dimensional sensor and in which pixel values of a partial area are saturated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirata, Nobuyuki Satoh, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Hideaki Suzuki, Satoshi Iwanami, Mamoru Yorimoto, Masayuki Fujii, Masato Kobayashi, Hiroshi Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8960835
    Abstract: A disclosed image forming apparatus includes a reading unit including a light emitting element for emitting light to a record medium, and a light receiving element for receiving reflected light; a print data storing unit storing print data of a uniform pattern which has a color different from a color of the test pattern and is provided in an area including the test pattern, a pattern forming unit printing the test pattern on the uniform pattern after the uniform pattern is printed, a relatively moving unit moving the record medium or the reading unit relatively at a constant speed, a first detection data obtaining unit obtaining first detection data received as the reflection light while the light moves and impinges on the test pattern, and a position detecting unit providing a calculation for determining a position of a line of the test pattern to detect the test pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Yamazaki, Tatsuhiko Okada, Mamoru Yorimoto, Daisaku Horikawa, Makoto Moriwaki
  • Patent number: 8947724
    Abstract: An image capturing unit includes a sensor section that images a predetermined range including a subject; a reference chart section that is imaged by the sensor section with the subject; and an illumination light source that illuminates the subject and the reference chart section. The illumination light source is arranged at a position where a mirror reflection region that mirror reflects light entering from the illumination light source to the sensor section is outside a region of the subject and the reference chart section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Suguru Yokozawa, Nobuyuki Satoh, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Mamoru Yorimoto, Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa, Masahiro Shigemoto, Kazushi Takei, Hideaki Suzuki, Satoshi Iwanami
  • Patent number: 8947731
    Abstract: An imaging unit includes a frame having an opening; a sensor unit that captures, via the opening, a subject located outside the frame; a reference chart unit that is arranged on the frame and is captured by the sensor unit together with the subject; and a cover member that covers the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Suzuki, Nobuyuki Satoh, Mamoru Yorimoto, Suguru Yokozawa, Yuichi Sakurada, Masato Kobayashi, Tatsuhiko Okada, Tomokazu Kanzawa, Daisaku Horikawa, Hiroshi Matsumoto, Ryo Honda, Makoto Moriwaki
  • Patent number: 8840221
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed which reads a test pattern, including a reading unit, a relative movement unit, a second detected data obtaining unit which obtains one or more second detected data sets of a reflected light which is received from a scanning position of a light by a light receiving unit while the reading unit moves relatively with respect to the recording medium before the test pattern is formed, a first detected data obtaining unit which obtains one or more first detected data sets of the reflected light which is received by the light receiving unit when the light moves over the test pattern at generally the same scanning position as the scanning position while the reading unit moves relatively with respect to the recording medium after the test pattern is formed, and a signal correction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisaku Horikawa, Mamoru Yorimoto, Tatsuhiko Okada, Makoto Moriwaki
  • Patent number: 8836992
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms adjustment patterns having a predetermined edge interval on a recording medium, while moving a carriage mounted with recording heads that eject a liquid droplet on the recording medium and formed of a sub-scanning motor and the like in a main-scanning direction by a main-scanning motor. The image forming apparatus performs a positional deviation correction process in which the adjustment pattern formed on the recording medium is read by a reading sensor mounted on the recording heads, while moving the carriage in the main-scanning direction, to correct a positional deviation of a landing position of the liquid droplet ejected from the recording heads based on an ideal interval between the adjustment patterns and a read result of the reading sensor repeatedly at least twice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mamoru Yorimoto, Tatsuhiko Okada, Yuichi Sakurada, Daisaku Horikawa, Makoto Moriwaki
  • Patent number: 8817329
    Abstract: A color measuring device includes a unit configured to calculate a reference-value matrix for converting imaged reference RGB value of a reference color patch a reference colorimetric value of the reference color patch; a unit configured to convert a color-measurement RGB value of a color measurement object into an imaged colorimetric value of the color measurement object by using the corresponding reference-value matrix; a unit configured to select reference color patches of which the reference colorimetric values each have a close distance from the imaged colorimetric value in the predetermined color space; a unit configured to select, as selection RGB values, the imaged reference RGB values of the selected patches; a unit configured to calculate a selection-RGB-value matrix for converting the selection RGB values into the reference colorimetric values; and a unit configured to convert the color-measurement RGB value into a colorimetric value by using the selection-RGB-value matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Satoh, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Suguru Yokozawa, Mamoru Yorimoto, Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa, Ryo Honda
  • Publication number: 20140152737
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head in which a plurality of nozzles for discharging liquid droplets; and a pattern forming unit configured to form a test pattern used for positional deviation adjustment including a first pattern serving as a reference pattern and a second pattern serving as an adjustment pattern. The first pattern and the second pattern each are a linear pattern that is parallel to a nozzle arrangement direction and has a disconnected portion. The disconnected portion of the first pattern and the disconnected portion of the second pattern are shifted from each other in the nozzle arrangement direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko Okada, Mamoru Yorimoto, Daisaku Horikawa, Yuichi Sakurada, Makoto Moriwaki
  • Publication number: 20140152735
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus which reads a test pattern formed by ejecting liquid droplets onto a recording medium to adjust an ejection timing of the liquid droplets is disclosed. The image forming apparatus includes a reading unit including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit; a sensitivity adjusting unit; a relative movement unit; a first correction unit which detects a position of the test pattern; a second correction unit which detects the position of the test pattern; and a correction method selecting unit which selects the first correction unit or the second correction unit based on adjusting results of sensitivity adjusted by the sensitivity adjusting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Mamoru YORIMOTO, Tatsuhiko OKADA, Daisaku HORIKAWA, Makoto MORIWAKI
  • Publication number: 20140153006
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus forms adjustment patterns having a predetermined edge interval on a recording medium, while moving a carriage mounted with recording heads that eject a liquid droplet on the recording medium and formed of a sub-scanning motor and the like in a main-scanning direction by a main-scanning motor. The image forming apparatus performs a positional deviation correction process in which the adjustment pattern formed on the recording medium is read by a reading sensor mounted on the recording heads, while moving the carriage in the main-scanning direction, to correct a positional deviation of a landing position of the liquid droplet ejected from the recording heads based on an ideal interval between the adjustment patterns and a read result of the reading sensor repeatedly at least twice.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Mamoru Yorimoto, Tatsuhiko Okada, Yuichi Sakurada, Daisaku Horikawa, Makoto Moriwaki
  • Publication number: 20140146101
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording-head carrier including a recording head for ejecting a liquid droplet onto a recording medium, a relative moving unit configured to relatively move the recording-head carrier and the recording medium; an image recording unit configured to drive the recording head by a driving signal having a driving waveform to eject liquid droplets toward the recording medium while relatively moving the recording-head carrier and the recording medium; a driving-waveform determining unit configured to determine the driving waveform of the driving signal based on a detected temperature near the recording head; a drive-timing determining unit configured to determine drive timing at which the recording head is driven by the driving signal, based on the detected temperature; and a drive control unit configured to set the driving waveform and the drive timing to the image recording unit to drive the recording head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, LTD
    Inventors: Yuichi Sakurada, Mamoru Yorimoto, Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa, Makoto Moriwaki
  • Patent number: 8573726
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a first carriage having a first recording head to eject black liquid droplets, a second carriage having a second recording head to eject color liquid droplets and separatably dockable with the first carriage, a position detector to detect a position of the second carriage relative to the first carriage in a state in which the first and second carriages are docked with each other, and a landing position corrector to correct landing positions of liquid droplets ejected from at least one of the first and second recording heads. The landing position corrector holds the position of the second carriage obtained by the position detector as a reference position and adjusts a correction amount for correcting the landing positions based on an amount of shift between the reference position and a present position of the second carriage docked with the first carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryusuke Mase, Ichiro Komuro, Mamoru Yorimoto, Shinichiro Naruse, Soichi Saiga
  • Patent number: 8556379
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a first carriage having a recording head that ejects black liquid droplets and is movable in a main scanning direction and a second carriage having a recording head that ejects color liquid droplets and is detachably attachable to the first carriage within a scanning range of the first carriage in the main scanning direction. The second carriage when attached to the first carriage is movable in the main scanning direction together with the first carriage. Attachment and detachment of the second carriage to and from the first carriage are performed based on a predetermined reference position of the first carriage in the main scanning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichiro Naruse, Ichiro Komuro, Mamoru Yorimoto, Soichi Saiga, Ryusuke Mase