Patents by Inventor Tomohiro Nodsu

Tomohiro Nodsu 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: 11878517
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes: a head having a plurality of nozzles; and a controller. The controller executes: a discharging processing of discharging liquid, from each of the nozzles toward a recording medium, in a liquid droplet amount which is selected for each of pixels from at least three kinds of liquid droplet amounts; and a total discharge amount calculating processing of calculating a total discharge amount of the liquid to be discharged from the nozzles in the discharging processing, based on the liquid droplet amount selected for each of the pixels and a discharge duty which is density of the liquid droplet per a unit area of the recording medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Publication number: 20230421714
    Abstract: In a printing device, a print head performs printing based on image data. The image data represents an original image including a plurality of original pixels. The controller displays a preview image based on the image data. In the preview image, each preview-image pixel corresponds to one of the plurality of original pixels and has a color based on a color of the corresponding original pixel. The controller receives information on a preview-image pixel specified by a user. The controller sets an expanded region in the original image on the basis of a printing resolution. The expanded region includes original pixels having an original pixel corresponding to the specified preview pixel. The controller generates patch chart print data based on color values of original pixels in the expanded region. The controller controls the print head to print the patch chart image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2023
    Publication date: December 28, 2023
    Inventor: Tomohiro NODSU
  • Publication number: 20230249465
    Abstract: A printing device includes a printing portion, a maintenance portion, and a controller. The printing portion includes an ejection head and prints using ink. The maintenance portion performs maintenance on the ejection head. The maintenance involves consumption of ink. The controller has a manual maintenance mode and an automated maintenance mode. In the manual maintenance mode, the controller executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance command signal based on a manual operation. In the automated maintenance mode, the controller automatically executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance execution condition being met.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2023
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Inventors: Masahiro HAYASHI, Sadaaki MIYAZAKI, Tomohiro NODSU
  • Patent number: 11628672
    Abstract: A printing device includes a printing portion, a maintenance portion, and a controller. The printing portion includes an ejection head and prints using ink. The maintenance portion performs maintenance on the ejection head. The maintenance involves consumption of ink. The controller has a manual maintenance mode and an automated maintenance mode. In the manual maintenance mode, the controller executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance command signal based on a manual operation. In the automated maintenance mode, the controller automatically executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance execution condition being met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Hayashi, Sadaaki Miyazaki, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Patent number: 11584125
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a conveyer; head chips; a circulation channel; and a controller. Each head chip includes a manifold; a nozzle group, and actuators. Each head chip is configured to execute discharge drive and non-discharge vibration drive. The head chips include: an end head chip; a facing head chip facing the recording medium; and a non-facing head chip not facing the recording medium. The controller is configured to make at least one of a circulation flowing amount of a liquid in the circulation channel in the facing head chip and a frequency of the non-discharge vibration drive by an actuator included in the actuators in the facing head chip larger than those of the non-facing head chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nodsu, Yuichi Ito
  • Publication number: 20220314607
    Abstract: There is provided a printing device, which includes a print engine provided with an ejection head configured to eject droplets of ink introduced from a container containing the ink and configured to perform printing using the ink droplets on a recording sheet, and a controller. The controller is configured to automatically set a drive signal pattern defining a signal pattern to drive the ejection head in accordance with contract information concluded for the printing device or for a use by a user of the printing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Masahiro HAYASHI, Satoru ARAKANE, Tomohiro NODSU
  • Publication number: 20220063263
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes: a head having a plurality of nozzles; and a controller. The controller executes: a discharging processing of discharging liquid, from each of the nozzles toward a recording medium, in a liquid droplet amount which is selected for each of pixels from at least three kinds of liquid droplet amounts; and a total discharge amount calculating processing of calculating a total discharge amount of the liquid to be discharged from the nozzles in the discharging processing, based on the liquid droplet amount selected for each of the pixels and a discharge duty which is density of the liquid droplet per a unit area of the recording medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Patent number: 11241883
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including a discharge head including nozzles and actuators; a liquid detecting sensor; and a controller. The controller is configured to: cause the actuators to perform a discharge operation; calculate a discharge amount of the liquid discharged from each of the nozzles; determine the discharge amount of the liquid; and cause a first actuator corresponding to a first nozzle, whose discharge amount is less than a first predetermined amount, and a second actuator corresponding to a second nozzle, whose discharge amount is not less than the first predetermined amount and less than a second predetermined amount, to perform a flushing, without causing a third actuator corresponding to a third nozzle, whose discharge amount is not less than the second predetermined amount, to perform the flushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Publication number: 20210402777
    Abstract: A printing device includes a printing portion, a maintenance portion, and a controller. The printing portion includes an ejection head and prints using ink. The maintenance portion performs maintenance on the ejection head. The maintenance involves consumption of ink. The controller has a manual maintenance mode and an automated maintenance mode. In the manual maintenance mode, the controller executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance command signal based on a manual operation. In the automated maintenance mode, the controller automatically executes a maintenance using the maintenance portion in response to a maintenance execution condition being met.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Masahiro HAYASHI, Sadaaki MIYAZAKI, Tomohiro NODSU
  • Patent number: 10994536
    Abstract: There is provided an image recording apparatus including: a head; a driving element; a controller configured to output, to the driving element, a driving signal having a first voltage level or a second voltage level greater than the first voltage level; and a moving mechanism causing one of the recording medium and the head to move relative to the other of the recording medium and the head. The controller sets the voltage level of the driving signal to be the first voltage level in a case that the controller causes the head to move relative to the recording medium at the first velocity; and the controller sets the voltage level of the driving signal to be the second voltage level in a case that the controller causes the head to move relative to the recording medium at the second velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Publication number: 20210031511
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including: a conveyer; head chips; a circulation channel; and a controller. Each head chip includes a manifold; a nozzle group, and actuators. Each head chip is configured to execute discharge drive and non-discharge vibration drive. The head chips include: an end head chip; a facing head chip facing the recording medium; and a non-facing head chip not facing the recording medium. The controller is configured to make at least one of a circulation flowing amount of a liquid in the circulation channel in the facing head chip and a frequency of the non-discharge vibration drive by an actuator included in the actuators in the facing head chip larger than those of the non-facing head chip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nodsu, Yuichi Ito
  • Publication number: 20210031528
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including a discharge head including nozzles and actuators; a liquid detecting sensor; and a controller. The controller is configured to: cause the actuators to perform a discharge operation; calculate a discharge amount of the liquid discharged from each of the nozzles; determine the discharge amount of the liquid; and cause a first actuator corresponding to a first nozzle, whose discharge amount is less than a first predetermined amount, and a second actuator corresponding to a second nozzle, whose discharge amount is not less than the first predetermined amount and less than a second predetermined amount, to perform a flushing, without causing a third actuator corresponding to a third nozzle, whose discharge amount is not less than the second predetermined amount, to perform the flushing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2020
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Inventor: Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Patent number: 10857788
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus, including: a recording head including a first nozzle communicating with a first chamber storing a first ink and a second nozzle communicating with a second chamber storing a second ink whose viscosity change rate differs from the first ink; and a controller configured to determine a drive voltage to be a first voltage and determine voltage application timings for the respective first and second nozzles to be a first timing when estimated viscosity of the first ink is lower than a first viscosity and to determine the drive voltage to be a second voltage higher than the first voltage, determine the voltage application timing for the first nozzle to be the first timing, and determine the voltage application timing for the second nozzle to be a second timing different from the first timing when the estimated viscosity is equal to or higher than the first viscosity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Shota Iida, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Publication number: 20200061989
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus, including: a recording head including a first nozzle communicating with a first chamber storing a first ink and a second nozzle communicating with a second chamber storing a second ink whose viscosity change rate differs from the first ink; and a controller configured to determine a drive voltage to be a first voltage and determine voltage application timings for the respective first and second nozzles to be a first timing when estimated viscosity of the first ink is lower than a first viscosity and to determine the drive voltage to be a second voltage higher than the first voltage, determine the voltage application timing for the first nozzle to be the first timing, and determine the voltage application timing for the second nozzle to be a second timing different from the first timing when the estimated viscosity is equal to or higher than the first viscosity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2019
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Shota Iida, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Publication number: 20200039216
    Abstract: There is provided an image recording apparatus including: a head; a driving element; a controller configured to output, to the driving element, a driving signal having a first voltage level or a second voltage level greater than the first voltage level; and a moving mechanism causing one of the recording medium and the head to move relative to the other of the recording medium and the head. The controller sets the voltage level of the driving signal to be the first voltage level in a case that the controller causes the head to move relative to the recording medium at the first velocity; and the controller sets the voltage level of the driving signal to be the second voltage level in a case that the controller causes the head to move relative to the recording medium at the second velocity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Patent number: 10532581
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes: an ink-jet head provided with first and second nozzles for jetting a first ink and a second ink respectively, first and second drive elements which apply energy to the first and second inks respectively; a power supply circuit; and a controller. The controller estimates viscosity of the first ink in the first nozzle, controls the power supply circuit to generate a first drive voltage or a second drive voltage higher than the first drive voltage based on the viscosity of the first ink in the first nozzle estimated, drives the first and second drive elements by use of the drive voltage generated in the power supply circuit, and calculates a jetting amount of the first ink to be jetted from the first nozzle and a jetting amount of the second ink to be jetted from the second nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shotaro Iida, Satoru Arakane, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Publication number: 20190061368
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes: an ink-jet head provided with first and second nozzles for jetting a first ink and a second ink respectively, first and second drive elements which apply energy to the first and second inks respectively; a power supply circuit; and a controller. The controller estimates viscosity of the first ink in the first nozzle, controls the power supply circuit to generate a first drive voltage or a second drive voltage higher than the first drive voltage based on the viscosity of the first ink in the first nozzle estimated, drives the first and second drive elements by use of the drive voltage generated in the power supply circuit, and calculates a jetting amount of the first ink to be jetted from the first nozzle and a jetting amount of the second ink to be jetted from the second nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Shotaro Iida, Satoru Arakane, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Publication number: 20170066234
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes: an ink-jet head including an energy applier that causes ejection of ink; a medium supplier that supplies a recording medium; a first sensor provided on a supply path through which the recording medium is to be supplied to the ink-jet head by the medium supplier; and a controller. The controller controls the energy applier to perform first preparatory driving including flushing before the ink-jet head performs image recording. The controller controls the energy applier to perform second preparatory driving including the flushing or ink agitation driving after the first preparatory driving and detection of the recording medium by the first sensor. The controller controls the energy applier to perform the second preparatory driving in accordance with an elapsed time extending from an input of a recording command to the detection of the recording medium by the first sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Furuhata, Tomohiro Nodsu, Shin Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 9579897
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes: an ink-jet head including an energy applier that causes ejection of ink; a medium supplier that supplies a recording medium; a first sensor provided on a supply path through which the recording medium is to be supplied to the ink-jet head by the medium supplier; and a controller. The controller controls the energy applier to perform first preparatory driving including flushing before the ink-jet head performs image recording. The controller controls the energy applier to perform second preparatory driving including the flushing or ink agitation driving after the first preparatory driving and detection of the recording medium by the first sensor. The controller controls the energy applier to perform the second preparatory driving in accordance with an elapsed time extending from an input of a recording command to the detection of the recording medium by the first sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Furuhata, Tomohiro Nodsu, Shin Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 9561648
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus stores ejection pattern information and slight vibration pattern information indicating two-dimensional arrangements of ejection information and slight vibration information, respectively. A controller transmits an ejection signal when the ejection information at a first position in the ejection pattern information is first information and when the slight vibration information at a second position in the slight vibration pattern information is third information or fourth information. The controller transmits a slight vibration signal the ejection information at the first position is second information and when the slight vibration information at the second position is the third information. The controller transmits a non-vibration signal when the ejection information at the first position is the second information and when the slight vibration information at the second position is the fourth information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Sekiguchi, Yuichi Ito, Tomohiro Nodsu