Patents by Inventor Tomomi AKIEDA

Tomomi AKIEDA 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: 11787122
    Abstract: A droplet discharge apparatus includes a discharge head including a nozzle, a nozzle surface observation device, and processing circuitry. The discharge head including the nozzle is configured to discharge a droplet onto a discharge receiving medium formed of powder. The nozzle surface observation device is configured to observe a nozzle surface of the nozzle of the discharge head. The processing circuitry is configured to calculate an adhesion amount of attached matter to the nozzle surface based on an observation result of the nozzle surface observation device. The processing circuitry is configured to determine, based on a calculation result of the adhesion amount of the attached matter, an operation on a control target that controls at least one of a mass and a discharge speed of the droplet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoichi Ito, Tsuyoshi Arao, Yoichi Sakurai, Tomomi Akieda
  • Publication number: 20230264422
    Abstract: A three-dimensional fabricating apparatus includes a discharge head, a detector, a non-contact cleaner, and a controller. The discharge head discharges droplets to fabricate a three-dimensional object. The detector detects a state of the discharge head. The non-contact cleaner cleans the discharge head in a non-contact manner. The controller controls an operation of the three-dimensional fabricating apparatus according to the state of the discharge head detected by the detector after the non-contact cleaner cleans the discharge head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi Ito, Tsuyoshi Arao, Tomomi Akieda, Takashi Matsumura
  • Publication number: 20230211550
    Abstract: A liquid fabrication applied to a layer of powder containing an inorganic particle, wherein the liquid fabrication has a powder contact angle with the inorganic particle of 50 degrees or greater and satisfies the following relationship 1: ?cos?/??1.5 m/s, where ? represents the powder contact angle, ? represents a surface tension in mN/m of the liquid fabrication at 23 degrees C., and ? represents a viscosity in mPa·s of the liquid fabrication at 25 degrees C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2023
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji TAKIMOTO, Shinichiroh Satoh, Keisuke Shiba, Yuki Shingai, Noriaki Okada, Yuji Nagatomo, Tomoki Kai, Hisataka Takagi, Yoichi Ito, Tsuyoshi Arao, Takashi Matsumura, Tomomi Akieda
  • Publication number: 20210299966
    Abstract: A droplet discharge apparatus includes a discharge head including a nozzle, a nozzle surface observation device, and processing circuitry. The discharge head including the nozzle is configured to discharge a droplet onto a discharge receiving medium formed of powder. The nozzle surface observation device is configured to observe a nozzle surface of the nozzle of the discharge head. The processing circuitry is configured to calculate an adhesion amount of attached matter to the nozzle surface based on an observation result of the nozzle surface observation device. The processing circuitry is configured to determine, based on a calculation result of the adhesion amount of the attached matter, an operation on a control target that controls at least one of a mass and a discharge speed of the droplet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi ITO, Tsuyoshi ARAO, Yoichi SAKURAI, Tomomi AKIEDA
  • Publication number: 20190255765
    Abstract: A fabricating apparatus includes a heater, a discharger, and circuitry. The heater is configured to heat a first fabrication material layer formed of a fabrication material. The discharger is configured to discharge a molten fabrication material onto the first fabrication material layer heated by the heater, to stack a second fabrication material layer on the first fabrication material layer. The circuitry is configured to control a heating of the heater according to shape data so that the first fabrication material layer does not exceed a threshold temperature defined by the fabrication material when the heater heats the first fabrication material layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinobu TAKEYAMA, Tsuyoshi ARAO, Yoichi ITO, Atsushi TAKAI, Tomomi AKIEDA
  • Publication number: 20190255766
    Abstract: A fabricating apparatus includes a heater, a discharger, and circuitry. The heater is configured to heat a first fabrication material layer formed of a fabrication material. The discharger is configured to discharge a melted fabrication material onto the first fabrication material layer heated by the heater, to stack a second fabrication material layer on the first fabrication material layer. The circuitry is configured to control a heating amount of the heater according to shape data when the heater heats the first fabrication material layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinobu TAKEYAMA, Yoichi Ito, Atsushi Takai, Tsuyoshi Arao, Tomomi Akieda