Patents Examined by Julian D. Huffman
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Patent number: 12272798Abstract: A battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention is composed of a plurality of battery cells. The battery module includes one positive (+) output terminal formed by connecting the plurality of battery cells, a field effect transistor (FET) provided on a current path between the positive (+) output terminal and an external device to block charging or discharging of a battery module, a protection integrated circuit (IC) chip for controlling the FET, and a high temperature detector for detecting whether the battery module is above a predetermined temperature and including a plurality of positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistors connected in series with each other.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2020Date of Patent: April 8, 2025Assignee: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.Inventors: Kyung Jik Kim, Jin Hyun Lee, Young Su Son
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Patent number: 12257849Abstract: An image forming apparatus, having a cartridge detachably attached to the image forming apparatus and including a first compartment configured to store a colorant, a container configured to be connected with the cartridge and including a second compartment configured to store the colorant flowing from the cartridge, and a display configured to display a first object indicating a first remainder amount and a second object indicating a second remainder amount in a single screen, is provided. The first remainder amount is a remainder amount of the colorant stored in the first compartment, and the second remainder amount is a remainder amount of the colorant stored in the second compartment.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2022Date of Patent: March 25, 2025Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Shunsuke Minamikawa, Kenta Horade
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Patent number: 12255639Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a field-effect transistor (FET) controlling apparatus and method for accurately, controlling an operation state of a FET by adaptively adjusting a voltage applied to the FET to correspond to a voltage of a source terminal of the FET. The voltage applied to the gate terminal of the FET may be adaptively controlled according to the voltage of the source terminal using a capacitor. Therefore, even when the source terminal is not connected to the ground but connected to an external load, there is an advantage that the operation state of the FET may be smoothly and accurately controlled. In addition, there is an advantage that a voltage within a certain range may be applied to the gate terminal of the FET.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2020Date of Patent: March 18, 2025Assignee: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.Inventors: Yang-Soo An, Sang-Jin Lee
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Patent number: 12249855Abstract: A power system includes a battery charge path and capacitor charge path arranged in parallel. During an inrush event, a current limiting element restricts current flow along the battery charge path to relieve battery stress. During the inrush event, current flow between the battery and load along a bypass path is also prevented by a switch element. Under steady state charging conditions, the resistance of the current limiting element decreases, thus increasing current flow between the battery and load along the battery charge path. During steady state conditions, a switch circuit controls operation of the switch element to also allow current flow between the battery and load along the bypass path. The change in the resistance of the current limiting element and/or actuation of the switch element by the switch circuit are optionally based on changes in temperature, and are passively effectuated without requiring an external control input signal.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2021Date of Patent: March 11, 2025Assignee: Yazaki North America, Inc.Inventors: Yuanyuan Wu, Kenneth John Russel
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Patent number: 12224613Abstract: A charging system includes a primary power source, a power source controller coupled to the primary power source, a first switch, a third switch, and a first port. The power source controller includes an auxiliary power source, a first auxiliary power terminal coupled to the auxiliary power source for providing a first detection current, and a load detection circuit. The power source controller initially sets the first switch to be off, the third switch to be on, and the first auxiliary power terminal to provide the first detection current to the first port through the third switch. When the first detection current is less than a threshold value, the power source controller maintains the first switch to be off, the third switch to be on, and the first auxiliary power terminal to provide the first detection current through the third switch.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2021Date of Patent: February 11, 2025Assignee: ARK MICROELECTRONIC CORP. LTD.Inventor: Li-Hsin Huang
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Patent number: 12220916Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a pressure chamber substrate laminated on a first surface of a diaphragm and including a partition wall partitioning a pressure chamber communicating with a nozzle for discharging liquid, a piezoelectric element laminated on a second surface of the diaphragm and including a first active portion that overlaps a center of the pressure chamber when viewed in a thickness direction of the diaphragm and a second active portion that overlaps the pressure chamber at a position closer to an outer edge of the pressure chamber than the first active portion, and a drive signal generation portion that generates a drive signal, and a shrinkage step is executed in which a first period during which a first shrinkage element is supplied to the first active portion and a second period during which a second shrinkage element is supplied to the second active portion overlap.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2023Date of Patent: February 11, 2025Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Masanori Mikoshiba, Motoki Takabe, Takanori Aimono, Jingling Wang
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Patent number: 12220998Abstract: A European standard-based double-gun high-power quick charging system and method are disclosed. The system includes a battery management system, and at least two paths composed of corresponding charging communication modules, chargers and high-voltage charging loops, each of the chargers connected to at least one charging gun; the battery management system independently controls the charging communication module and high-voltage charging loop, and performs mapping management on a control signal and high-voltage charging loop; information interaction between different charging control units and chargers is carried out independently.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2020Date of Patent: February 11, 2025Assignee: HIGER BUS COMPANY LIMITEDInventors: Guogang Yan, Jinfeng Xiong, Jianli Zhang, Tao Chen
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Patent number: 12214592Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a diaphragm, a pressure chamber substrate including a partition wall partitioning a pressure chamber communicating with a nozzle discharging liquid, a piezoelectric element including a first active portion that overlaps a center of the pressure chamber and a second active portion that overlaps the pressure chamber at a position closer to an outer edge of the pressure chamber than the first active portion, and a drive signal generation portion that generates a discharge signal for discharging the liquid by being supplied to one of the first active portion and the second active portion and a correction signal that is supplied to the other of the first active portion and the second active portion, in which a potential of the discharge signal changes over time and a potential of the correction signal is constant during a discharge period for discharging the liquid.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2023Date of Patent: February 4, 2025Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Masanori Mikoshiba, Motoki Takabe, Takanori Aimono, Jingling Wang
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Patent number: 12218540Abstract: The present disclosure provides a control device for a secondary battery, and the control device includes a controller configured to correct battery characteristics on an open circuit voltage to a remaining capacity of the secondary battery. In the control device for the secondary battery, the controller acquires data of a plurality of open circuit voltages in the battery characteristics during charging the secondary battery. When the secondary battery is fully charged, the controller corrects the open circuit voltages between respective pairs selected and combined from at least one part of the data of the plurality of open circuit voltages. The controller weighted-averages and corrects full charge capacities, which are calculated by the correction of the open circuit voltages between the respective data pairs, with differences each between respective remaining capacities each corresponding between the respective data pairs.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2021Date of Patent: February 4, 2025Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kazuhiko Namikawa, Yudai Yamaguchi, Junya Kamijima, Toru Wanibuchi
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Patent number: 12208620Abstract: In a method for controlling a liquid ejection apparatus including a liquid ejection head that ejects a plurality of types of liquids through a plurality of nozzles, a cap configured to form a closed space in which the nozzles open, and a cleaning unit configured to perform cleaning that causes liquid to be discharged from the nozzles to the cap and causes liquid to be discharged outside from the cap, cleaning is performed based on a result of correcting a relationship between a change in water evaporation rate and a change in viscosity of each type of liquid by using the amount of water contained in each type of liquid before water evaporation, a humectant substance amount in each type of liquid, an amount of water contained in a mixed liquid, which is a mixture of the types of liquids, before water evaporation, and a humectant substance amount in the mixed liquid.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2023Date of Patent: January 28, 2025Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventor: Midori Watanabe
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Patent number: 12208609Abstract: The printing apparatus includes a light source that emits light to a first surface of a printing sheet; a sensor that detects the light reflected from the printing sheet; a reflection member located at a position facing the sensor and coming into contact with a second surface opposite to the first surface of the printing sheet; and a control unit configured to determine a type of the printing sheet based on a feature amount obtained by the sensor detecting the light from a plurality of positions of the printing sheet being conveyed, wherein a first area and a second area whose reflectance is lower than that of the first area are included in the reflection member and a position corresponding to the first area and a position corresponding to the second area are included in the plurality of positions.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2023Date of Patent: January 28, 2025Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Toshiyuki Kitazawa
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Patent number: 12202282Abstract: A media processing device includes: a housing; a cover rotatable between open and closed positions; a main logic board (MLB) supporting a controller, and having a slot extending into the MLB from an open end at a perimeter of the MLB, the slot traversing the MLB from an upper surface to a lower surface; a receiver affixed to the MLB on a first side of the slot, and an emitter affixed to the MLB on a second side of the slot, to emit radiation detectable by the receiver; and a tab movably coupled to the housing, to obstruct the slot and prevent detection of the radiation by the receiver when the cover is in a first one of the open and closed positions, and to clear the slot and permit detection of the radiation by the receiver when the cover is in the other of the open and closed positions.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2024Date of Patent: January 21, 2025Assignee: Zebra Technologies CorporationInventors: Huanhua Liao, Yunbo Yuan, Zhong Gui Wang
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Patent number: 12187035Abstract: In an inkjet printer of the present invention, an air blowing outlet is formed around a slit through which ink droplets pass in a cap of a head cover, and air is blown toward a printing object from the blowing outlet. The air blowing outlet is formed independent of the slit, and the direction in which the air is blown is substantially parallel to the flight direction of ink droplets, and thus hardly any blown air meets the ink droplets that have passed through the slit and are flying toward the printing object. On the other hand, ink particles that have rebounded off the printing object are repelled by the air blown from the blowing outlet, and thus the amount of ink particles entering the head cover via the slit is suppressed.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2023Date of Patent: January 7, 2025Assignee: KISHU GIKEN KOGYO CO., LTD.Inventor: Ryusuke Horiguchi
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Patent number: 12187056Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes an ejecting head and a camera unit for acquiring a state of the ejecting head, in which the camera unit includes a camera for imaging an object, a housing in which the camera is housed and which includes an opening on an imaging path that couples the camera and the object, and an opening/closing member, the opening/closing member includes a reference chart serving as a reference for adjustment of the camera and a chart cover, in a first mode, the opening/closing member brings the opening into a closed state, and the chart cover covers the reference chart, in a second mode, the opening/closing member brings the opening into an open state, and the chart cover covers the reference chart, and in a third mode, the opening/closing member brings the opening into the closed state, and the chart cover does not cover the reference chart.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2023Date of Patent: January 7, 2025Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Kazunori Hiramatsu, Yuichi Shikagawa, Mamoru Ukita
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Patent number: 12187039Abstract: A printing apparatus that includes: a first obtaining unit that obtains a usage amount of an expendable from a time point of detection of a situation where a remaining amount of the expendable in an expendable replenishment container is lower than a predetermined value; a second obtaining unit that obtains a remaining amount in a tank; a first determination unit that determines a state of the remaining amount of the expendable by comparing the usage amount obtained by the first obtaining unit and the remaining amount in the tank obtained by the second obtaining unit with thresholds set respectively for the usage amount and the remaining amount; and a detection unit that detects the situation where the remaining amount of the expendable is lower than the predetermined value, in a case where the state determined by the first determination unit is a remaining amount low state.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2023Date of Patent: January 7, 2025Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Koji Suda
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Patent number: 12179502Abstract: A three-dimensional printing device includes a first head having a first nozzle array that ejects liquid, a second head having a second nozzle array that ejects liquid, and a moving mechanism having a linear motion mechanism that changes relative positions of the heads with respect to a three-dimensional workpiece. The first region of the workpiece is more inclined with respect to the first axis than the second region of the workpiece. A time period when the first nozzle array faces the first region and the second nozzle array faces the second region is a first time period. In the first time period, the first nozzle array ejects the liquid onto the first region in a first ejection cycle. In the first time period, the second nozzle array ejects the liquid onto the second region in a second ejection cycle. The first ejection cycle is shorter than the second ejection cycle.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2022Date of Patent: December 31, 2024Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATIONInventors: Keigo Sugai, Masaru Kumagai
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Patent number: 12172446Abstract: The present invention provides an inkjet recording device capable of automatically cleaning the head tip and a cleaning method for inkjet recording apparatus. An inkjet recording apparatus has a printhead that receives a supply of ink and prints, a main unit that supplies said ink to said printhead, and a cleaning unit that has a cleaning tank into which said entire printhead is inserted and injects a cleaning solution from a cleaning nozzle to said printhead for cleaning. The cleaning unit has a cleaning nozzle that sprays cleaning liquid into the cleaning tank and a cleaning base section that has a housing section that accommodates the tip of the printhead and allows said cleaning liquid to flow into the housing section. The cleaning liquid is allowed to flow into the housing section to clean the tip of the printhead.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2020Date of Patent: December 24, 2024Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yusuke Okamoto, Takahiro Arima, Sho Mizoguchi, Akira Miyao, Tatsuo Matsumoto
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Patent number: 12168348Abstract: A tank unit is configured to introduce liquid supplied from a container and to lead out liquid toward a head configured to eject the liquid. The tank unit includes a storage section that stores the liquid supplied from the container, an introduction section that introduces the liquid supplied from the container into the storage section, an atmosphere opening section configured to open inside of the storage section to atmosphere, and an outlet section that leads out the liquid stored in the storage section. The introduction section is connected to the storage section, extends in a vertical direction in the storage section, and has an open end located within the storage section. The storage section includes a blocking section including a first protruding section located at a position in the vertical direction facing the open end and a second protruding section extending upward from the first protruding section.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2023Date of Patent: December 17, 2024Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Satoshi Inomata, Takanori Matsuda
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Patent number: 12157309Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes an ejection head including a plurality of nozzles communicating with a pressure chamber and an actuator configured to apply pressure on liquid stored in the pressure chamber, a carriage, a storage storing information relating to a first timing when a non-ejecting flashing operation is started, and a controller. The actuator applies pressure on the liquid in the pressure chamber in the non-ejecting flashing operation so as to vibrate, without ejecting, the liquid in the plurality of nozzles of the ejection head, while the carriage is decreased in speed so as to be stopped. The controller is configured to select, based on status information, one of the first timing and a second timing, and start the non-ejecting-flashing operation at the selected timing while the carriage is decreased in speed so as to be stopped.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2022Date of Patent: December 3, 2024Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Satoru Arakane
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Patent number: 12160553Abstract: A printing device is provided with a print head having a plurality of nozzles configured to eject ink droplets therefrom, a supplier configured to supply ink contained in a container to the print head, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform obtaining ink information having correlation with a height of a liquid surface of the ink contained in the container, obtaining subject image data representing an image to be printed, generating print data based on the subject image data, and causing the print head to eject ink droplets based on the print data. The generating includes adjusting the print data in accordance with the ink information.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2022Date of Patent: December 3, 2024Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yoshinori Osakabe, Sosuke Kuroyanagi, Masahiro Hoga, Hiroyuki Ishikawa, Jun Morikawa, Taichi Shirono, Fumio Nakazawa