Patents by Inventor Akira Kataoka
Akira Kataoka 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).
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Patent number: 8912471Abstract: A heating cooker of the present invention includes a plurality of light emitting indicator units. The light emitting indicator units each have a temperature sensing unit that senses an ambient temperature of a light emission source. Therefore, deterioration of the light emission source of each of the light emitting indicator units can be suppressed to realize a further reduction in thickness, and to improve visibility of the indicator sheet.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2010Date of Patent: December 16, 2014Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Takehiko Shigeoka, Akira Kataoka, Eiji Matsui
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Publication number: 20140347526Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes a decimating unit configured to decimate pixels in a target image to obtain a decimated image containing a smaller number of pixels than the target image; an extracting unit configured to extract similar pixels at each of which a similarity to a pixel of interest is a threshold or more, from a region containing the pixel of interest among pixels of the decimated image; a first calculating unit configured to calculate a correction candidate value based on pixel values of the similar pixels; a second calculating unit configured to calculate a correction candidate value for each decimated pixel, based on the correction candidate value calculated for each pixel of the decimated image; and a correcting unit configured to correct a target pixel value of a target pixel in the target image, based on the correction candidate value calculated by the first or second calculating unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 4, 2013Publication date: November 27, 2014Inventors: Takayuki Hara, Kazuhiro Yoshida, Yoshikazu Watanabe, Akira Kataoka
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Patent number: 8853599Abstract: An induction heating cooking apparatus includes a magnetic flux-shielding plate 28 to restrain magnetic flux leakage from a heating coil 24 and define a cooling air trunk 33, through which cooling air from a fan 32 passes. An infrared sensor 26 for detecting infrared rays emitted from a cooking container 22 and a control circuit 27 for controlling an output of a heating coil 24 depending on an output from the infrared sensor 26 are accommodated within the same space with respect to the magnetic flux-shielding plate 28 to thereby enhance assemblage. Also, the infrared sensor 26 is mainly cooled by cooling air passing through a cooling air trunk 33 to thereby enhance the cooling efficiency of the infrared sensor 26 and conduct correct temperature detection.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2009Date of Patent: October 7, 2014Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Takaaki Kusaka, Akira Kataoka, Kazunori Takechi
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Publication number: 20140238978Abstract: In a non-contact power transmission device according to the present invention, a non-contact power receiving device includes a changeover portion for opening and closing the connection between a power receiving coil and a load device which is supplied with electric power from the power receiving coil, the power receiving coil being adapted to output electric power by receiving a high-frequency magnetic field from an induction heating apparatus used as a feeding apparatus, wherein a power-reception-side control portion for controlling opening/closing operations of the changeover portion is adapted to control the opening/closing operations of the changeover portion, in order to adjust the electric power supplied to the load device from the power receiving coil.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 14, 2012Publication date: August 28, 2014Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi Kitaizumi, Takehiko Shigeoka, Akira Kataoka
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Patent number: 8772678Abstract: A heating cooker of the present invention is structured such that, an indicator sheet of a light emitting indicator unit has a light transmitting portion that transmits light of a light emission source and a light blocking portion that is provided away from a heating unit than the light transmitting portion is and that blocks the light of the light emission source, and that the light emission source is disposed below the light blocking portion. Thus, uneven shining of the indicator sheet can be suppressed, and the effect of heat from a heating target cooking vessel to the light emission source can be suppressed, whereby a further reduction in thickness of the heating cooker can be realized.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2010Date of Patent: July 8, 2014Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Takehiko Shigeoka, Akira Kataoka, Eiji Matsui
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Publication number: 20140158680Abstract: A contactless power feeder of the present invention includes: a top plate which is mounted with a load; a primary coil which is arranged below the top plate and generates a high-frequency field; an inverter which feeds high-frequency power to the primary coil; a control part which controls the inverter; and a load discriminating part which determines whether the load is an object to be heated that is a metal container such as a pot and should be induction-heated, or a power receiving device provided with a secondary coil that is electromagnetically coupled with the primary coil, wherein the control part is configured to control the inverter in accordance with a result of determination by the load discriminating part.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2012Publication date: June 12, 2014Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi Kitaizumi, Akira Kataoka, Takehiko Shigeoka
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Patent number: 8674272Abstract: An induction heating cooker includes: a top plate on which a cooking container is placed; a temperature measuring device which has an infrared ray sensor operable to detect infrared rays radiated from the cooking container and a temperature converting unit operable to calculate a temperature of the cooking container from an output of the infrared ray sensor; a heating coil operable to receive a supply of a high frequency current and generate an induction magnetic field for heating the cooking container; and a heating control unit operable to control the high frequency current of the heating coil based on the temperature measured by the temperature measuring device, and control heating power to be supplied to the cooking container.Type: GrantFiled: October 22, 2009Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Tomoya Fujinami, Sunao Okuda, Naoaki Ishimaru, Akira Kataoka
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Patent number: 8669502Abstract: The present invention provides an operation device which has a stable operation feeling with a simple configuration and has a high reliability and an excellent operability. An electrode terminal portion which is arranged just below an operation region on a top plate made of a material having an electric insulating property, and serves as an electrostatic capacity type touch switch has a detection portion which comes into close contact with a back surface of the operation region, a spring portion which has an elastic force pressing the detection portion to the back surface of the top plate, and a slide portion which is movably retained in the guide holder.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2010Date of Patent: March 11, 2014Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Takehiko Shigeoka, Takaaki Kusaka, Akira Kataoka, Eiji Matsui
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Publication number: 20130270260Abstract: In an induction heating coil according to the present invention, in order to reduce heat losses for increasing the thermal efficiency and, also, in order to improve the heat resistance for ensuring safety, with a simple structure, a coil portion for performing induction heating on an object to be heated is constituted by a plurality of conductor wires which are made of a metal conductor and are wound spirally in substantially the same plane, and a space portion having at least an adhesive property and an insulation property which is adapted to adhere and secure adjacent conductor wires of the plurality of conductor wires wound spirally, with predetermined spacing provided therebetween, such that the conductor wires form an integrated disk shape.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 1, 2011Publication date: October 17, 2013Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Takehiko Shigeoka, Akira Kataoka, Takeshi Kitaizumi, Masayo Haji
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Patent number: 8426782Abstract: An induction heating device has an accurate sensing of the temperature of a to-be-heated object and is user-friendly. The induction heating device includes a sensor for sensing the temperature of the to-be-heated object and can carry out a heating operation only when it is determined that the to-be-heated object exists above the sensor. A display having a circular design and characters, for example, that shows the position of this sensor is provided on a top plate of the induction heating device.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2006Date of Patent: April 23, 2013Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Toshihiro Keishima, Akira Kataoka, Hirofumi Nakakura, Izuo Hirota
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Patent number: 8378274Abstract: An induction heating device includes a top plate, a thermo-sensitive device, a temperature detector, a coil, a controller, and a light-emitting section. The top plate places thereon a cooking utensil containing material to be cooked. The thermo-sensitive device changes its electrical characteristics with the temperature of the cooking utensil. The temperature detector detects the temperature of the cooking utensil based on the electrical characteristics of the thermo-sensitive device. The coil heats the cooking utensil. The controller controls the coil based on the temperature information of the temperature detector, thereby controlling an amount of the electric heating power to be supplied to the cooking utensil. The light-emitting section emits visible light to the area over the thermo-sensitive device. The light from the light-emitting section illuminates the area over the thermo-sensitive device through the top plate.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2007Date of Patent: February 19, 2013Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Tomoya Fujinami, Naoaki Ishimaru, Izuo Hirota, Akira Kataoka
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Publication number: 20120223070Abstract: An inductive heating device is structured such that a coil base (5) and ferrites (6) placed under a heating coil (4) in the vertical direction are flushed with each other at their lower surfaces and are directly placed on a heat dissipation plate (12A). A heat conductive member (8) is charged between the ferrites (6) and an electrical insulating member (9) sandwiched between the heating coil (4) and the ferrites (6), at least at a portion thereof, so that thickness variations in the ferrites (6) are absorbed thereby, which realizes a state where they are thermally coupled to each other from the heating coil (4) to the heat dissipation plate (12A).Type: ApplicationFiled: October 21, 2010Publication date: September 6, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Eiji Matsui, Akira Kataoka, Takehiko Shigeoka
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Patent number: 8254663Abstract: A workpiece inspection apparatus includes a measured image generator unit configured to measure a pattern of a workpiece and generate a measured image; and a comparator unit configured to compare the measured image to a fiducial image, wherein said measured image generator unit includes a light-receiving device having an interconnection of two or more time delay integration (TDI) sensors each being arranged by two or more line sensors each being arranged by two or more pixels, for generating as the measured image an average value of pixel values excluding an abnormal pixel value from pixels of each TDI sensor with respect to a position of the pattern of the workpiece.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2009Date of Patent: August 28, 2012Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, NEC CorporationInventors: Akira Kataoka, Ikunao Isomura, Ryoichi Hirano, Nobutaka Kikuiri, Susumu Iida
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Patent number: 8234933Abstract: An ultrasonic meter may include, but is not limited to, an emitter that emits a series of ultrasonic burst signals towards a fluid containing bubbles and/or particles, the series of ultrasonic burst signals being reflected by the air bubbles and/or particles in the fluid to be a series of reflected signals, a receiver that receives the series of reflected signals, and a calculator that calculates a plurality of correlation coefficients by performing a correlation processing on a series of received signals outputted from the receiver, the calculator calculating a physical quantity of the fluid based on the plurality of correlation coefficients.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2009Date of Patent: August 7, 2012Assignee: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Satoshi Fukuhara, Akira Kataoka, Nobuhiro Ukezono, Kohei Izu, Kazutoshi Okamoto
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Publication number: 20120152935Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an induction heating apparatus that can enable a plurality of heating coil to perform heating by sharing a inverter having semiconductor switches in use, thereby adjusting a power without increasing losses of the semiconductor switches so much with respect to the respective heating coils, the present invention being configured such that the inverter alternately outputs drive signals respectively having each of two operating frequencies to the plurality of heating coils in every predetermined operation lapse of time and the plurality of heating coils are respectively connected to capacitance circuits in the inverter to have the different frequency characteristics.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2011Publication date: June 21, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Takeshi Kitaizumi, Yoichi Kurose, Akira Kataoka
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Publication number: 20120152933Abstract: To reduce the air exhausted to outside a main body after cooling a heat generating component from being taken in again from an intake port. The flow of cooling wind cooled the heat generating component is discharged from an exhaust port 21 at other than a first peripheral wall 19 with the flow bent inside the main body. When rectified inside the main body and discharged from the exhaust port 21, the cooling wind grows to a flow speed of a certain extent to become an exhaust air that a flowing direction is clearly defined, so that it is less likely to be taken in again from the intake port 20, it is less likely to be subjected to the influence of obstacles of the exhaust port, use can be made in a kitchen cabinet of the intake and exhaust air at the back side, and it is satisfactory and is less likely to be damaged without involving sense of unpleasantness by the exhaust air to the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2011Publication date: June 21, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Eiji Matsui, Akira Kataoka, Takehiko Shigeoka, Takaaki Kusaka, Kenji Ogawa
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Patent number: 8203106Abstract: An infrared permeable window 4a, which is surrounded by a light shielding layer 7b and is narrower than an infrared sensor display window 4g, is formed inwardly of the infrared sensor display window 4g, and an infrared incident area 43a for detecting infrared rays of light and a light emitting unit 56a are provided below the infrared permeable window 4a. Also, a light emitting surface 4b is provided inwardly of the infrared permeable window 4a, so that the user can assuredly place a cooking container P on the infrared permeable window 4a.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2008Date of Patent: June 19, 2012Assignee: Panasonic CorporationInventors: Akira Kataoka, Toshihiro Keishima, Yasushi Morimoto
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Publication number: 20120118714Abstract: The present invention provides an operation device which has a stable operation feeling with a simple configuration and has a high reliability and an excellent operability. An electrode terminal portion which is arranged just below an operation region on a top plate made of a material having an electric insulating property, and serves as an electrostatic capacity type touch switch has a detection portion which comes into close contact with a back surface of the operation region, a spring portion which has an elastic force pressing the detection portion to the back surface of the top plate, and a slide portion which is movably retained in the guide holder.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 22, 2010Publication date: May 17, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Takehiko Shigeoka, Takaaki Kusaka, Akira Kataoka, Eiji Matsui
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Publication number: 20120118870Abstract: A heating cooker of the present invention is structured such that, an indicator sheet 29 of a light emitting indicator unit 25 has a light transmitting portion 29a that transmits light of a light emission source 28 and a light blocking portion 29b that is provided away from a heating unit 23 than the light transmitting portion 29a is and that blocks the light of the light emission source 28, and that the light emission source 28 is disposed below the light blocking portion 29b. Thus, uneven shining of the indicator sheet 29 can be suppressed, and the effect of heat from a heating target cooking vessel to the light emission source 28 can be suppressed, whereby a further reduction in thickness of the heating cooker can be realized.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2010Publication date: May 17, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Takehiko Shigeoka, Akira Kataoka, Eiji Matsui
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Publication number: 20120118281Abstract: A heating cooker of the present invention includes a plurality of light emitting indicator units 25. The light emitting indicator units 25 each have a temperature sensing unit 29 that senses an ambient temperature of a light emission source 28. Therefore, deterioration of the light emission source 28 of each of the light emitting indicator units 25 can be suppressed to realize a further reduction in thickness, and to improve visibility of the indicator sheet 30.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 2, 2010Publication date: May 17, 2012Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATIONInventors: Takehiko Shigeoka, Akira Kataoka, Eiji Matsui