Patents by Inventor Shingo Tsubotani

Shingo Tsubotani 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: 9289981
    Abstract: An object is to provide a head drive unit that prevents an increase in viscosity of inks in nozzles even when a head is present outside an image forming region and also provide an inkjet printer, and the head drive unit includes: a drive signal output device 31 that outputs either a discharge signal or a meniscus oscillation signal to each head; a cycle generator 326 that generates a cyclic oscillation timing signal for the meniscus oscillation signal; an input interruption detector 324 that detects that input of a print timing signal is interrupted; and a drive signal selector 32 that selects the meniscus oscillation signal as a drive signal output from the drive signal output device and continuously applies the meniscus oscillation signal to all nozzles of each head in synchronization with an oscillation timing signal when interruption of the input of the print timing signal is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Naoya Komada, Shingo Tsubotani
  • Publication number: 20150314592
    Abstract: According to the present invention, the temperature of a head unit is more reliably controlled. A control device for inkjet head, which controls the temperature of a head unit in an inkjet head that is provided with the head unit for ejecting an ink and a heating unit for heating the ink within the head unit. This control device for inkjet head is provided with: a first control unit which controls the action of the heating unit so that the temperature of the head unit is at a first temperature; and a second control unit which stops the action of the heating unit in cases where the temperature of the head unit reaches a second temperature or higher, said second temperature being higher than the first temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Inventors: Shingo TSUBOTANI, Akira TAKEYA
  • Publication number: 20150174898
    Abstract: An object is to provide a head drive unit that prevents an increase in viscosity of inks in nozzles even when a head is present outside an image forming region and also provide an inkjet printer, and the head drive unit includes: a drive signal output device 31 that outputs either a discharge signal or a meniscus oscillation signal to each head; a cycle generator 326 that generates a cyclic oscillation timing signal for the meniscus oscillation signal; an input interruption detector 324 that detects that input of a print timing signal is interrupted; and a drive signal selector 32 that selects the meniscus oscillation signal as a drive signal output from the drive signal output device and continuously applies the meniscus oscillation signal to all nozzles of each head in synchronization with an oscillation timing signal when interruption of the input of the print timing signal is detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Publication date: June 25, 2015
    Inventors: Naoya Komada, Shingo Tsubotani
  • Patent number: 7413279
    Abstract: An inkjet printer, including a recording head having a nozzle to jet ink droplets, a control section to control jetting of the ink droplets from the nozzle of the recording head at predetermined driving conditions for jetting the ink droplets, a velocity detecting section to detect ink droplets jetting velocity from the nozzle of the recording head, a temperature detecting section to detect temperature of the recording head or ambient temperature of the recording head, a first changing section to change the driving conditions to alter the ink droplets jetting velocity to a targeted velocity based on detected results of the velocity detecting section, and a second changing section to change the driving conditions at a time differing from a time of the first changing section to alter the ink droplets jetting velocity to the targeted velocity based on the detected results of the temperature detecting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Arakawa, Takayuki Kato, Shingo Tsubotani
  • Patent number: 7192110
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes: exchangeable first and second ink cartridges; a recording head which jets ink to a recording medium; an intermediate tank which receives the ink from the ink cartridge and supplies the ink to the recording head; a detecting sensor which detects whether ink residual quantity of an ink cartridge is not more than predetermined quantity based on ink quantity in the intermediate tank; a switching section which, if the ink residual quantity is not more than the predetermined quantity, switches the ink cartridge for supplying the ink to the intermediate tank; a first detector which detects the reset of the first ink cartridge; a second detector which detects the reset of the second ink cartridge; and a controller which, if the first ink cartridge is reset, controls the switching section to switch the second ink cartridge to the first ink cartridge, for supplying the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Akihiro Taguchi, Nobuya Yamamoto, Tetsushi Aoki, Takashi Muramatsu, Minoru Maekawara, Shingo Tsubotani
  • Publication number: 20060082605
    Abstract: An inkjet printer, including a recording head having a nozzle to jet ink droplets, a control section to control jetting of the ink droplets from the nozzle of the recording head at predetermined driving conditions for jetting the ink droplets, a velocity detecting section to detect ink droplets jetting velocity from the nozzle of the recording head, a temperature detecting section to detect temperature of the recording head or ambient temperature of the recording head, a first changing section to change the driving conditions to alter the ink droplets jetting velocity to a targeted velocity based on detected results of the velocity detecting section, and a second changing section to change the driving conditions at a time differing from a time of the first changing section to alter the ink droplets jetting velocity to the targeted velocity based on the detected results of the temperature detecting section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Publication date: April 20, 2006
    Inventors: Hiroaki Arakawa, Takayuki Kato, Shingo Tsubotani
  • Publication number: 20050035985
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes: exchangeable first and second ink cartridges; a recording head which jets ink to a recording medium; an intermediate tank which receives the ink from the ink cartridge and supplies the ink to the recording head; a detecting sensor which detects whether ink residual quantity of an ink cartridge is not more than predetermined quantity based on ink quantity in the intermediate tank; a switching section which, if the ink residual quantity is not more than the predetermined quantity, switches the ink cartridge for supplying the ink to the intermediate tank; a first detector which detects the reset of the first ink cartridge; a second detector which detects the reset of the second ink cartridge; and a controller which, if the first ink cartridge is reset, controls the switching section to switch the second ink cartridge to the first ink cartridge, for supplying the ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2004
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventors: Akihiro Taguchi, Nobuya Yamamoto, Tetsushi Aoki, Takashi Muramatsu, Minoru Maekawara, Shingo Tsubotani