Patents by Inventor Yuichi Sakurada

Yuichi Sakurada 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: 8827401
    Abstract: A recording device having a recording head including a nozzle line that eject ink from nozzles arranged in a transfer direction of a recording medium, a carriage, a moving device that moves the carriage forward and backward, a transfer device that transfers the recording medium, an ejection control device that forms a detection pattern by ejecting the ink, a two-dimensional sensor that detects the detection pattern, an analyzer that analyzes the image data of the detection pattern, and a detection device that detects misalignment of the printed dots, the ejection control device having a first dot group formation device that forms a first dot group, a second dot group formation device that forms a second dot group, and a third dot group formation device that forms a third dot group, the detection pattern being formed of the first dot group, the second dot group, and the third dot group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomonori Kimura, Yasuo Sakurai, Nobuyuki Satoh, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Arata Suzuki
  • 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
  • Patent number: 8783822
    Abstract: A recording device includes: a detection unit converting scattering light generated by intersection between light emitted from a light-emitting unit and an ink droplet discharged from each nozzle of a nozzle array, into an electric signal in a light-receiving unit; a first signal generation unit amplifying the electric signal to generate a first electric signal; a determination unit determining presence or absence of an ink droplet based on a second electric signal representing change of the first electric signal; a relation information generation unit generating relation information in which an amplification value corresponding to the first electric signal generated when an arbitrary nozzle of the nozzle array discharges an ink droplet and the arbitrary nozzle are associated with each other; and a control unit performing control to amplify the electric signal at an amplification value according to a corresponding nozzle based on the relation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventor: Yuichi Sakurada
  • 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: 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: 8678537
    Abstract: A disclosed feed control apparatus includes a feed roller; a first detection unit detecting a rotational position of the feed roller; a sensor detecting plural marks arranged on a test chart; a difference calculation unit that calculates a difference between actual and theoretical positional information of a Nth mark when the feed roller rotates one revolution; a correction feeding amount calculation unit that calculates correction feeding amounts of the marks based on the difference and actual feeding amounts of the marks; an error calculation unit that calculates errors between the correction feeding amounts and theoretical feeding amounts by matching them to the corresponding rotational positions of the feeding roller; and a feeding amount control unit that controls the feeding amount based on a relationship between the rotational positions of the feeding roller and the corresponding errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Arata Suzuki, Nobuyuki Satoh, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa
  • Patent number: 8562096
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a first carriage having a print head independently movable in a main scanning direction, a second carriage having a print head movable with the first carriage, an encoder sheet, first and second home position reference units provided to the first and second carriages, a home position detector that detects the first and second home position reference units, and first and second position detectors provided to the first and second carriages, which detect positions of the first and second carriages by reading the encoder sheet. A control unit controls ejection of ink from the print head of the first carriage based on an output from the first position detector, and ejection of ink from the print head of the second carriage based on the output from the second position detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomonori Kimura, Yasuo Sakurai, Yuichi Sakurada, Arata Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20130242320
    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: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventors: Yasuyuki SUZUKI, Nobuyuki Satoh, Mamoru Yorimoto, Suguru Yokozawa, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Tatsuhiko Okada, Tomokazu Kanzawa, Daisaku Horikawa, Hiroshi Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20130242361
    Abstract: An image capturing device includes a sensor unit that captures a predetermined range including a subject; a reference chart that is captured by the sensor unit together with the subject; an illumination light source that illuminates the subject and the reference chart; a lens member including one or more lenses arranged in an optical path of reflected light extending from the subject and the reference chart to the sensor unit; and a lens moving unit that moves at least one lens of the lens member so as to change a position thereof in a direction along the optical path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventors: Hiroshi MATSUMOTO, Nobuyuki Satoh, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Mamoru Yorimoto, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Suguru Yokozawa, Tatsuhiko Okada, Tomokazu Kanzawa, Daisaku Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20130242321
    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: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko OKADA, Nobuyuki Satoh, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Mamoru Yorimoto, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Suguru Yokozawa, Tomokazu Kanzawa, Daisaku Horikawa, Hiroshi Matsumoto
  • Publication number: 20130242319
    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: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    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: 8534789
    Abstract: A disclosed recording apparatus includes a carriage having a recording head including nozzles, a moving unit configured to move the carriage, a platen including plural plate members connected in a carriage traveling direction to support a recording medium, a transferring unit to transfer the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the carriage traveling direction, a recording control unit to record patterns at predetermined positions to form a carriage traveling direction pattern array plural times in a transferring direction of the transferring unit by changing relative recording times for recording the carriage traveling direction pattern array in forward and backward traveling directions, a determination unit to determine ink ejecting times at the predetermined positions, and a time control unit to linearly interpolate between the determined ink ejecting times at the predetermined positions to control ink ejecting times for intervals between the predetermined positions based on the obtained linear
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Sakurada, Nobuyuki Satoh, Masato Kobayashi, Arata Suzuki, Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20130229671
    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: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    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
  • Publication number: 20130208289
    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: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Inventors: Nobuyuki SATOH, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Suguru Yokozawa, Mamoru Yorimoto, Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa, Ryo Honda
  • Patent number: 8496312
    Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a carriage having a recording head including nozzles, a moving unit moving the carriage, a platen including plate members connected in a carriage traveling direction to support a recording medium when the nozzles eject ink onto the recording medium, a transferring unit transferring the recording medium in a transferring direction perpendicular to the carriage traveling direction, a recording control unit recording patterns at predetermined positions in the carriage traveling direction while moving the carriage in forward and backward traveling directions to form a carriage traveling direction pattern array, a determination unit determining ink ejecting times at the predetermined positions in the carriage traveling direction, and a time control unit to linearly interpolate between the determined ink ejecting times at the predetermined positions in the carriage traveling direction to control ink ejecting times for intervals between the predetermined positions based on a result of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Sakurada, Nobuyuki Satoh, Masato Kobayashi, Arata Suzuki, Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa, Daisuke Sawada, Norikazu Taki
  • Patent number: 8491080
    Abstract: A recording device including a paper feeder tray that accommodated a recording medium, a print head that discharges ink on the recording medium to record an image thereon, a transfer roller that transfers the recording medium and a printed test chart on which multiple marks are arranged, a control device that controls the transfer roller, a first detection device that detects a rotation position of the transfer roller, a second detection device that detects the multiple marks arranged on the printed test chart, and a transfer device that transfers the recording medium from the paper feeder tray to the second detection device, wherein the control device obtains an difference between an actual transfer amount of each of the multiple marks obtained by detecting the multiple marks by the second detection device and a predetermined theoretical transfer amount of each of the multiple marks relating to a rotation position of the transfer roller, calculates a correction amount for the rotation amount of the transfer
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Sakurada, Nobuyuki Satoh, Masato Kobayashi, Tomonori Kimura, Arata Suzuki, Yasuo Sakurai
  • Publication number: 20130155136
    Abstract: A recording device includes: a detection unit converting scattering light generated by intersection between light emitted from a light-emitting unit and an ink droplet discharged from each nozzle of a nozzle array, into an electric signal in a light-receiving unit; a first signal generation unit amplifying the electric signal to generate a first electric signal; a determination unit determining presence or absence of an ink droplet based on a second electric signal representing change of the first electric signal; a relation information generation unit generating relation information in which an amplification value corresponding to the first electric signal generated when an arbitrary nozzle of the nozzle array discharges an ink droplet and the arbitrary nozzle are associated with each other; and a control unit performing control to amplify the electric signal at an amplification value according to a corresponding nozzle based on the relation information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Inventor: Yuichi SAKURADA
  • Patent number: 8453828
    Abstract: A conveying apparatus that rotates a roller and conveys an object, the conveying apparatus including: a roller driving unit that rotates the roller; a first operation unit that operates a rotation amount of the roller corresponding to a target movement amount of the object, on the basis of the target movement amount and information of a roller diameter, and quantizes the rotation amount; a random number generating unit that generates a random number; a second operation unit that operates a corrected rotation amount of the roller obtained by correcting the rotation amount, on the basis of the random number generated by the random number generating unit, a quantization error obtained by the first operation unit and a quantization method; and a driving control unit that controls driving of the roller according to the corrected rotation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Satoh, Masato Kobayashi, Yuichi Sakurada, Arata Suzuki, Tatsuhiko Okada, Daisaku Horikawa
  • Publication number: 20130135484
    Abstract: An image capturing unit includes a sensor unit that image-captures a predetermined area including a subject; and a reference chart unit that is arranged in the predetermined area and captured with the subject by the sensor unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Inventors: Nobuyuki SATOH, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Masato Kobayashi, Suguru Yokozawa, Tatsuhiko Okada, Mamoru Yorimoto, Daisaku Horikawa, Yuichi Sakurada