Patents by Inventor Tetsutaro KOUJI

Tetsutaro KOUJI 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: 10712153
    Abstract: Provided is a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor to reduce deterioration of automatic tracking performance, and a surveying instrument for the same. The present invention provides a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor in a surveying instrument including a rotary shaft, an ultrasonic motor that drives a rotary shaft, a tracking unit that includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit and tracks a target, and a clock signal oscillation unit that outputs a clock signal, wherein at the time of low-speed rotation of the ultrasonic motor, based on the clock signal, a ratio of an acceleration period in which a drive signal is applied and a deceleration period in which the drive signal is stopped in a drive cycle of the drive signal of the ultrasonic motor is set, and the light emitting unit is made to emit light in the deceleration period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: TOPCON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Satoshi Yanobe, Tetsutaro Kouji
  • Patent number: 10211387
    Abstract: Provided is a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor to reduce noise sounding during low-speed rotation in a surveying instrument adopting the ultrasonic motor for a rotary shaft, and a surveying instrument for the same. In a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor according to an aspect of the present invention, in a low-speed rotation range of an ultrasonic motor, a ratio of an acceleration period as a time of application of the drive signal in a control cycle is controlled, and a time to start the acceleration period is randomly shifted for each control cycle. In a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor according to another aspect, a time to start the acceleration period is regularly shifted for each control cycle. In a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor according to still another aspect, second-half acceleration control and first-half acceleration control are alternately repeated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: TOPCON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Satoshi Yanobe, Tetsutaro Kouji
  • Publication number: 20170309806
    Abstract: Provided is a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor to reduce noise sounding during low-speed rotation in a surveying instrument adopting the ultrasonic motor for a rotary shaft, and a surveying instrument for the same. In a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor according to an aspect of the present invention, in a low-speed rotation range of an ultrasonic motor, a ratio of an acceleration period as a time of application of the drive signal in a control cycle is controlled, and a time to start the acceleration period is randomly shifted for each control cycle. In a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor according to another aspect, a time to start the acceleration period is regularly shifted for each control cycle. In a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor according to still another aspect, second-half acceleration control and first-half acceleration control are alternately repeated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: Kaoru KUMAGAI, Satoshi YANOBE, Tetsutaro KOUJI
  • Publication number: 20170299386
    Abstract: Provided is a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor to reduce deterioration of automatic tracking performance, and a surveying instrument for the same. The present invention provides a method for controlling an ultrasonic motor in a surveying instrument including a rotary shaft, an ultrasonic motor that drives a rotary shaft, a tracking unit that includes a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit and tracks a target, and a clock signal oscillation unit that outputs a clock signal, wherein at the time of low-speed rotation of the ultrasonic motor, based on the clock signal, a ratio of an acceleration period in which a drive signal is applied and a deceleration period in which the drive signal is stopped in a drive cycle of the drive signal of the ultrasonic motor is set, and the light emitting unit is made to emit light in the deceleration period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Kaoru KUMAGAI, Satoshi YANOBE, Tetsutaro KOUJI