Patents by Inventor Atsushi Kawai

Atsushi Kawai 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).

  • Publication number: 20240112571
    Abstract: A congestion prediction device, a congestion prediction method, and a storage medium are provided. A mapping outputs an output variable when input variables are input to the mapping. The output variable indicates a degree of congestion in a predetermined specific area. The mapping is learned in advance by machine learning. The input variables include congestion variables. Each of the congestion variables indicates a degree of congestion in the specific area at regular time intervals within a specific period. The output variable indicates a degree of congestion after a lapse of the regular time interval from an end time of the specific period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ayumu SHIOMI, Atsushi MIYAGAWA, Hiroki TAKEUCHI, Toshiyuki KAWAI, Ryosuke FUKAYA, Hiroyuki TOKITA, Yusuke IKENOUE, Tsukasa KATO, Katsuhisa YOSHIKAWA, Yuta ICHIJYO, Takayuki AKAISHI, Shintaro KAWAI
  • Publication number: 20240101396
    Abstract: A method for using a lifting magnet and a lifting magnet. The lifting magnet includes a plurality of electromagnet coils that are each independently ON/OFF-controllable and voltage-controllable, and a magnetic pole that is excited by application of a voltage to the electromagnet coils. An electromagnet coil to be used for lifting steel plates is determined based on a total thickness of the steel plates to be lifted. An amount of passing magnetic flux ?r in the magnetic pole in a case where magnetic flux passes through only the steel plates to be lifted when the electromagnet coil is used is calculated. An application voltage to be applied to the electromagnet coil used for lifting the steel plates is determined based on the amount of passing magnetic flux ?r. The application voltage is applied to the electromagnet coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki TAKAKI, Yusaku TAKEMURA, Atsushi KURIMOTO, Ayaka KAWAI
  • Patent number: 11591631
    Abstract: A glucose monitoring method and a glucose sensor, both of which use glucose dehydrogenase having a Michaelis constant (Km) for xylose of 600 mM or more and 3000 mM or less, and a Km for glucose of 0.1 mM or more and 100 mM or less, which provide for evaluating FADGDH in an aqueous system while reducing the practical influence of FADGDH on D-xylose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOBO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Yamazaki, Atsushi Kawai, Takahide Kishimoto
  • Patent number: 11212404
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a reception part that receives specification of a print mode and specification of a sheet type to be used for printing; a sheet supply part that sends a sheet to a sheet conveyance path; a detection part that detects a type of a sheet sent to the sheet conveyance path; and a hardware processor that controls a printing operation, wherein when a sheet type received by the reception part is a type for which printing in the print mode received by the reception part is allowed, the sheet supply part sends a sheet to the sheet conveyance path, the hardware processor determines whether or not the print mode received by the reception part is a prohibition mode, when it is determined that the print mode is the prohibition mode, the detection part detects a type of a sheet sent to the sheet conveyance path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hideyuki Matsuda, Akira Murakawa, Atsushi Kawai
  • Patent number: 11099511
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feeding tray that stores a sheet; a sheet thickness measurement device that measures a sheet thickness of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray; a hardware processor that: determines a type of the sheet of which the sheet thickness is measured, a sheet type associated with each of sheet thickness ranges, and the sheet thickness measured by the sheet thickness measurement device; and adjusts a first sheet thickness range to cause the first sheet thickness range to be expandable to at least one of an upper limit value side or a lower limit value side; and an image former that forms an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray under image forming conditions corresponding to the sheet type determined by the hardware processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Mie Kawabata, Akira Murakawa, Atsushi Kawai
  • Patent number: 10962913
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feeding tray that stores a sheet; a sheet thickness measurement device that measures a sheet thickness of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray; a hardware processor that: determines a type of the sheet of which the sheet thickness is measured, a sheet type associated with each of sheet thickness ranges, and the sheet thickness measured by the sheet thickness measurement device; and adjusts a first sheet thickness range by expanding the first sheet thickness range to at least one of an upper limit value side or a lower limit value side; and an image former that forms an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray under image forming conditions corresponding to the sheet type determined by the hardware processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Mie Kawabata, Akira Murakawa, Atsushi Kawai
  • Publication number: 20210075928
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a reception part that receives specification of a print mode and specification of a sheet type to be used for printing; a sheet supply part that sends a sheet to a sheet conveyance path; a detection part that detects a type of a sheet sent to the sheet conveyance path; and a hardware processor that controls a printing operation, wherein when a sheet type received by the reception part is a type for which printing in the print mode received by the reception part is allowed, the sheet supply part sends a sheet to the sheet conveyance path, the hardware processor determines whether or not the print mode received by the reception part is a prohibition mode, when it is determined that the print mode is the prohibition mode, the detection part detects a type of a sheet sent to the sheet conveyance path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hideyuki MATSUDA, Akira MURAKAWA, Atsushi KAWAI
  • Publication number: 20210048771
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feeding tray that stores a sheet; a sheet thickness measurement device that measures a sheet thickness of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray; a hardware processor that: determines a type of the sheet of which the sheet thickness is measured, a sheet type associated with each of sheet thickness ranges, and the sheet thickness measured by the sheet thickness measurement device; and adjusts a first sheet thickness range to cause the first sheet thickness range to be expandable to at least one of an upper limit value side or a lower limit value side; and an image former that forms an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray under image forming conditions corresponding to the sheet type determined by the hardware processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Mie KAWABATA, Akira MURAKAWA, Atsushi KAWAI
  • Publication number: 20210048770
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet feeding tray that stares a sheet; a sheet thickness measurement device that measures a sheet thickness of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray; a hardware processor that: determines a type of the sheet of which the sheet thickness is measured, a sheet type associated with each of sheet thickness ranges, and the sheet thickness measured by the sheet thickness measurement device; and adjusts a first sheet thickness range by expanding the first sheet thickness range to at least one of an upper limit value side or a lower limit value side; and an image former that forms an image on the sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray under image forming conditions corresponding to the sheet type determined by the hardware processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2020
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Mie KAWABATA, Akira MURAKAWA, Atsushi KAWAI
  • Publication number: 20200172950
    Abstract: A glucose monitoring method and a glucose sensor, both of which use glucose dehydrogenase having a Michaelis constant (Km) for xylose of 600 mM or more and 3000 mM or less, and a Km for glucose of 0.1 mM or more and 100 mM or less, which provide for evaluating FADGDH in an aqueous system while reducing the practical influence of FADGDH on D-xylose.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOBO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro YAMAZAKI, Atsushi KAWAI, Takahide KISHIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20200130971
    Abstract: A sheet type discrimination device includes a holder that holds a sheet, a conveyor that conveys a sheet from the holder along a conveyance path, a measurer that measures a basis weight of the sheet conveyed along the conveyance path, a storage that stores a type discrimination table describing a relationship between the basis weight and a type of a sheet, and a hardware processor that sets the type of the sheet held in the holder on the basis of the basis weight measured by the measurer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Mie KAWABATA, Akira MURAKAWA, Atsushi KAWAI
  • Patent number: 10261458
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an expendable item having a specific function, installed replaceably with respect to a main body of the image forming apparatus, wherein there are several types of expendable items, and an engine control unit. The engine control unit judges end of lifetime of the expendable item by using one of a plurality of lifetime judgment methods. The engine control unit selects a lifetime judgment method used in the judgment, according to a type of the expendable item. It makes possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately determining the reaching of the lifetime end of expendable items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Atsushi Kawai
  • Patent number: 10108134
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive member; a charger that charges a surface of the photosensitive member; an exposure device that forms a latent image; and a developing device that applies toner to the latent image, wherein the photosensitive member is incorporated in a detachable photosensitive member unit, and the developing device is incorporated in a detachable developing unit, the image forming apparatus including: an optimization controller that performs optimization of a charging bias of the charger and a developing bias of the developing device; and a replacement determiner that determines which of the photosensitive member unit and the developing unit is to be replaced when an optimized developing bias is out of a predetermined allowable range, wherein the replacement determiner determines that the developing unit is to be replaced, and determines that the photosensitive member unit is to be replaced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hideo Mae, Tatsutoshi Yamada, Atsushi Kawai, Hideaki Komiyama
  • Publication number: 20180275583
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises an expendable item having a specific function, installed replaceably with respect to a main body of the image forming apparatus, wherein there are several types of expendable items, and an engine control unit. The engine control unit judges end of lifetime of the expendable item by using one of a plurality of lifetime judgment methods. The engine control unit selects a lifetime judgment method used in the judgment, according to a type of the expendable item. It makes possible to provide an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately determining the reaching of the lifetime end of expendable items.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventor: Atsushi Kawai
  • Publication number: 20180275582
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a rotatable photosensitive member included in a photosensitive unit that is attachable and detachable; an exposing device that forms a latent image on a surface of the photosensitive member; a developing device that forms a toner image by providing toner onto the latent image by using two-component developer; an image stabilization control part that performs optimization of a parameter value of image formation while image formation is not performed; and a replacement determiner that makes determination of replacement of the photosensitive unit on a basis of an optimized value that is the parameter value optimized by the image stabilization control part, wherein the replacement determiner determines that the photosensitive unit should be replaced in a case where the optimized value corresponds to a photosensitive member replacement event that has been determined in advance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hideaki KOMIYAMA, Atsushi KAWAI, Tatsutoshi YAMADA, Hideo MAE
  • Publication number: 20180275598
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive member; a charger that charges a surface of the photosensitive member; an exposure device that forms a latent image; and a developing device that applies toner to the latent image, wherein the photosensitive member is incorporated in a detachable photosensitive member unit, and the developing device is incorporated in a detachable developing unit, the image forming apparatus including: an optimization controller that performs optimization of a charging bias of the charger and a developing bias of the developing device; and a replacement determiner that determines which of the photosensitive member unit and the developing unit is to be replaced when an optimized developing bias is out of a predetermined allowable range, wherein the replacement determiner determines that the developing unit is to be replaced, and determines that the photosensitive member unit is to be replaced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hideo MAE, Tatsutoshi YAMADA, Atsushi KAWAI, Hideaki KOMIYAMA
  • Patent number: 9951892
    Abstract: A polyamide resin composition is provided which contains an anti-aging agent together with a deterioration inhibitor, such as a metal compound or a silica-based inorganic compound, for preventing deterioration caused by, for example, an acid component or a halogen component contained in a refrigerant or an oil, and which satisfactorily produces an anti-aging effect expected by adding the anti-aging agent. For producing a polyamide resin composition containing an (a) polyamide resin, a (b) polyolefin-based elastomer, at least one (c) deterioration inhibitor selected from the group consisting of hydroxides, oxides and basic salts of divalent or trivalent metals, and silica-based inorganic compounds, and a (d) anti-aging agent, a mixture prepared by mixing and kneading the (c) deterioration inhibitor and (b) polyolefin-based elastomer and a mixture prepared by mixing and kneading the (a) polyamide resin and the (d) anti-aging agent are mixed and kneaded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Kawai
  • Patent number: 9648227
    Abstract: A focus estimating device has an area setting unit which sets an area in which focusing of an image is determined and divides the area into a plurality of blocks, a block selecting unit which selects a block to be used for focus determination, a block focus determination unit which performs focus determination for each block from an edge in each color component of the block selected by the block selecting unit, and a focus determination unit which determines focusing of the area based on the focus determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Kawai
  • Publication number: 20160301856
    Abstract: A focus estimating device has an area setting unit which sets an area in which focusing of an image is determined and divides the area into a plurality of blocks, a block selecting unit which selects a block to be used for focus determination, a block focus determination unit which performs focus determination for each block from an edge in each color component of the block selected by the block selecting unit, and a focus determination unit which determines focusing of the area based on the focus determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi KAWAI
  • Patent number: 9392159
    Abstract: A focus estimating device has an area setting unit which sets an area in which focusing of an image is determined and divides the area into a plurality of blocks, a block selecting unit which selects a block to be used for focus determination, a block focus determination unit which performs focus determination for each block from an edge in each color component of the block selected by the block selecting unit, and a focus determination unit which determines focusing of the area based on the focus determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Kawai