Patents by Inventor Eriko Noguchi
Eriko Noguchi 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: 9076371Abstract: A display device includes independently driven common and segment terminals. The common and segment terminals are connected to display components divided into display blocks that are turned ON to perform a display function and are turned OFF so as to not perform the display function. A first driver drives the common terminals using a scanning signal of a predetermined period and a second driver drives the segment terminals using a segment signal synchronized with the scanning signal to correspond to a display signal, so that the display components perform a display corresponding to the display signal. The first driver separates the common terminals into common terminal blocks and drives the common terminals. The first and second drivers perform the driving so that the common and segment terminals which are connected to display blocks that are turned OFF are not supplied with a turn-off signal and are maintained at ground potential.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2011Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Keisuke Tsubata, Hisao Nakamura, Tomohiro Ihashi, Yoshinori Sugai, Eriko Noguchi, Satoshi Sakai, Takanori Hasegawa, Shotaro Kamiyama
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Patent number: 8982675Abstract: A power supply unit has a first power supply circuit that supplies a voltage to a load driving unit and a second power supply circuit that supplies a voltage to circuits other than the load driving unit. A first switching unit connects any one of a power supply that supplies a power supply voltage and a voltage step-down circuit that supplies a step-down voltage of the power supply voltage to the first power supply circuit. A second switching unit connects any one of the power supply and the voltage step-down circuit to the second power supply circuit. A control unit controls the connection by the first switching unit and the connection by the second switching unit to switch the voltage supplied to the first power supply circuit and the voltage supplied to the second power supply circuit in accordance with properties of the load driving unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2011Date of Patent: March 17, 2015Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Toshitaka Fukushima, Keisuke Tsubata, Hisao Nakamura, Tomohiro Ihashi, Yoshinori Sugai, Eriko Noguchi, Satoshi Sakai, Takanori Hasegawa
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Patent number: 8586938Abstract: The ultraviolet ray sensor measures the intensity of ultraviolet rays irradiated to the ultraviolet ray receiving surface. The CPU performs control to measure ultraviolet intensity in a case in which the ultraviolet ray receiving surface of the ultraviolet ray sensor faces in a predetermined direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2011Date of Patent: November 19, 2013Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Keisuke Tsubata, Tomohiro Ihashi, Satoshi Sakai, Hisao Nakamura, Eriko Noguchi, Kazuo Kato, Yoshinori Sugai
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Patent number: 8406086Abstract: An electronic timepiece can reduce a burden imposed on a user who performs a manipulation for correcting the positional displacement of a pointer when a position of the pointer is displaced due to the demonstration of the pointer movement. The electronic timepiece includes: a pointer which is rotated in a first direction based on a manipulation signal corresponding to a manipulation from the outside; and a control part which performs the demonstration of the pointer movement in which the pointer is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction and the first direction, wherein the pointer is positioned at a position where a rotational angle in the first direction from a preset reference position is smaller than a rotational angle in a second direction from the reference position.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2011Date of Patent: March 26, 2013Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Hiroshi Shimizu, Tomohiro Ihashi, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazuo Kato, Kazumi Sakumoto, Akira Takakura, Eriko Noguchi, Takanori Hasegawa, Keishi Honmura, Saburo Manaka, Kosuke Yamamoto
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Publication number: 20130003508Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a first frequency division portion that frequency-divides a clock signal by a first frequency division ratio, a second frequency division portion that frequency-divides the first clock signal which has been frequency-divided by the first frequency division portion by a second frequency division ratio, and a regulation frequency division portion that performs logical regulation of the clock signal using a second clock signal which has been frequency-divided by the second frequency division portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 27, 2012Publication date: January 3, 2013Inventors: Kazuo KATO, Akira Takakura, Toshitaka Fukushima, Keisuke Tsubata, Hisao Nakamura, Tomohiro Ihashi, Yoshinori Sugai, Eriko Noguchi, Satoshi Sakai, Takanori Hasegawa
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Patent number: 8295131Abstract: In a chronograph timepiece in which the chronograph hands are electrically rotated by a motor drive pulse and are mechanically zero-restoring-controlled, a basic drive control unit controls a motor so as to drive the chronograph hands when it is detected by a contact portion and a setting releasing detection portion that the setting of the chronograph hands by a setting mechanism has been released.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2010Date of Patent: October 23, 2012Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Kenji Ogasawara, Saburo Manaka, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Tomohiro Ihashi, Keishi Honmura, Takanori Hasegawa, Kosuke Yamamoto, Eriko Noguchi
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Patent number: 8289816Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece whose chronograph hands are electrically drive-controlled and mechanically zero-restoring-controlled, wherein it possible to perform a normal operation at the time of start operation and reset operation. After a mechanical control unit releases the setting of chronograph hands in response to the start operation of a start/stop button, a contact portion is placed in a start state, and an electrical control unit starts a time measurement operation to electrically hand-movement-drive the chronograph hands, and, after a contact portion is placed in a reset state in response to a reset operation of a reset button and the electrical control unit electrically resets the time measurement operation, the mechanical control unit mechanically zero-restores and sets the chronograph hands.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2010Date of Patent: October 16, 2012Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Kenji Ogasawara, Saburo Manaka, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Tomohiro Ihashi, Keishi Honmura, Takanori Hasegawa, Kosuke Yamamoto, Eriko Noguchi
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Patent number: 8274863Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece in which it is possible to prevent the battery reliability service life time from being exceeded even when the period of time that the chronograph function is used is short, making it possible to prevent failure generation in the chronograph timepiece due to liquid leakage. A 24-hour counter down-counts a period of time that has elapsed starting from 24 hours, and a chronograph counter down-counts the period of time that chronograph measurement operation is performed from a predetermined time; when the count values of the 24-hour counter and the chronograph counter become equal to each other, a processing unit consumes a battery for the residual period of time of the two counters by a battery power consuming unit.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2010Date of Patent: September 25, 2012Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Tomohiro Ihashi, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazuo Kato, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Akira Takakura, Eriko Noguchi, Takanori Hasegawa, Keishi Honmura, Saburo Manaka, Kosuke Yamamoto
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Patent number: 8223594Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece in which it is possible to prevent the chronograph drive timing and the magnetic field detection timing from overlapping each other to unnecessarily effect driving with correction drive pulses. A processing unit controls drive circuits so as to drive a time indication motor and a chronograph indication motor with a predetermined timing based respectively on timekeeping information obtained and chronograph measurement information obtained, and effects control such that a magnetic field detecting unit detects a magnetic field with a predetermined timing; when the drive timing for the chronograph indication motor and the magnetic field detection timing for the magnetic field detecting unit overlap each other, the processing unit changes the magnetic field detection timing for the magnetic field detecting unit so that the drive timing for the chronograph indication motor and the magnetic field detection timing for the magnetic field detecting unit may not overlap each other.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2010Date of Patent: July 17, 2012Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Tomohiro Ihashi, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazuo Kato, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Akira Takakura, Eriko Noguchi, Takanori Hasegawa, Keishi Honmura, Saburo Manaka, Kosuke Yamamoto
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Patent number: 8215827Abstract: When it is judged that a chronograph second counter and a chronograph minute counter have measured a maximum measurement time, a maximum measurement control unit controls a drive pulse generation circuit so as to drive and stop a motor such that chronograph hand stops at predetermined positions. When, in this state, a restarting operation is performed on a start/stop button, a normal chronograph measurement operation is restarted. At this time, a mechanical structure has been restored to a reset state, so that even at the time of restarting after the measurement of the maximum measurement time, the load at the starting operation is the same as that of the normal operation, thus generating no sense of incongruity.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2010Date of Patent: July 10, 2012Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Kenji Ogasawara, Saburo Manaka, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Tomohiro Ihashi, Keishi Honmura, Takanori Hasegawa, Kosuke Yamamoto, Eriko Noguchi
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Patent number: 8213268Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece in which it is possible to prevent a non-rotation state at the time of first driving when chronograph measuring operation is reset during motor drive and restarting is effected. When a resetting operation is performed on a reset button during the driving of a motor and a rotation detection circuit detects non-rotation, a drive control unit controls a drive pulse generation circuit such that the control is completed without reversing the polarity of a motor drive pulse output from the drive pulse generation circuit, and that the motor is driven by a drive pulse of the same polarity as that at the time of the previous resetting in response to a starting operation performed on a start/stop button, driving the motor by the drive pulse of the same polarity at the time of restarting after the resetting.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2010Date of Patent: July 3, 2012Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Kenji Ogasawara, Saburo Manaka, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Tomohiro Ihashi, Keishi Honmura, Takanori Hasegawa, Kosuke Yamamoto, Eriko Noguchi
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Publication number: 20120057437Abstract: A power supply unit includes: a first power supply circuit that supplies a voltage to a load driving unit that drives a load unit; a second power supply circuit that supplies a voltage to circuits other than the load driving unit; and a control unit that switches the voltage supplied to the first power supply circuit and the voltage supplied to the second power supply circuit in accordance with properties of the load driving unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2011Publication date: March 8, 2012Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Toshitaka Fukushima, Keisuke Tsubata, Hisao Nakamura, Tomohiro Ihashi, Yoshinori Sugai, Eriko Noguchi, Satoshi Sakai, Takanori Hasegawa
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Publication number: 20120056745Abstract: The invention is intended to prevent sunburn of a user. A CPU prompts the user to perform sunburn preventing treatment after an elapse of a first period, and notifies the elapse of a second period after the elapse of the second period from the prompt.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2011Publication date: March 8, 2012Inventors: Eriko Noguchi, Keisuke Isubata, Kazuo Kato, Yoshinori Sugai, Tomohiro Ihashi, Hisao Nakamura, Satoshi Sakai
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Publication number: 20110310317Abstract: A display driving circuit drives common terminals connected to display components using a scanning signal of a predetermined period and drives segment terminals using a segment signal synchronized with the scanning signal, so that the display components perform a display corresponding to the display signal from the control circuit. The common terminals and the segment terminals are able to be independently driven. At this time, the common terminals are separated into a plurality of common terminal blocks and are driven and the number of separated common terminal blocks is variable.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2011Publication date: December 22, 2011Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Keisuke Tsubata, Hisao Nakamura, Tomohiro Ihashi, Yoshinori Sugai, Eriko Noguchi, Satoshi Sakai, Takanori Hasegawa, Shotaro Kamiyama
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Patent number: 8060176Abstract: A living body data detector equipped with a fitting belt which does not deviate in position, does not fall down and does not press the chest even when taking exercise while fitting it on is provided. A living body data detector comprises a fitting belt having a pair of shoulder belt portions that is, a left shoulder belt portion and a right shoulder belt portion, a pair of electrode portions attached to the fitting belt, and a living body signal detector portion connected to the pair of electrode portions through connection cables, and attached to the fitting belt. The left shoulder belt portion and the right shoulder belt portion are forming an intersected coupling portion on the back side of the user. A living body signal detector portion is attached to the intersected coupling portion. The left shoulder belt portion is provided with an expansion portion and a separable coupling means, and the right shoulder belt portion is provided with an expansion portion and a separable coupling means.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2007Date of Patent: November 15, 2011Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.Inventor: Eriko Noguchi
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Publication number: 20110249536Abstract: For a chronograph timepiece that chronograph hands are mechanically reset to zero and electrically driven, the chronograph hands are prevented from being electrically driven while being mechanically locked. A chronograph timepiece that is mechanically reset to zero includes a chronograph motor for driving a chronograph hand, a drive unit configured to drive the chronograph motor according a time measurement operation in response to a starting operation by an operating section, and a control unit configured to control the drive unit. The control unit has a rotation detecting circuit for detecting a rotation status of the chronograph motor. When the rotation detecting circuit detects that the chronograph motor is not rotated after the chronograph motor has been rotated a predetermined time period, driving the chronograph motor by the drive unit is stopped for resetting the time measurement operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2011Publication date: October 13, 2011Inventors: Kenji Ogasawara, Akira Takakura, Saburo Manaka, Keishi Honmura, Takanori Hasegawa, Kosuke Yamamoto, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Kazuo Kato, Eriko Noguchi, Tomohiro Ihashi
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Publication number: 20110238364Abstract: A calculation unit calculates a magnitude of acceleration in at least one of three separate directions and calculates a synthesized value indicating the magnitudes of the accelerations in the three directions based on the calculated magnitude of the acceleration and the acceleration in the direction separate from at least one of the directions.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2011Publication date: September 29, 2011Inventors: Satoshi Sakai, Kazuo Kato, Keisuke Tsubata, Yoshinori Sugai, Tomohiro Ihashi, Hisao Nakamura, Eriko Noguchi, Akira Takakura
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Publication number: 20110222375Abstract: The ultraviolet ray sensor measures the intensity of ultraviolet rays irradiated to the ultraviolet ray receiving surface. The CPU performs control to measure ultraviolet intensity in a case in which the ultraviolet ray receiving surface of the ultraviolet ray sensor faces in a predetermined direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 28, 2011Publication date: September 15, 2011Inventors: Keisuke Tsubata, Tomohiro Ihashi, Satoshi Sakai, Hisao Nakamura, Eriko Noguchi, Kazuo Kato, Yoshinori Sugai
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Publication number: 20110216630Abstract: An electronic timepiece can reduce a burden imposed on a user who performs a manipulation for correcting the positional displacement of a pointer when a position of the pointer is displaced due to the demonstration of the pointer movement. The electronic timepiece includes: a pointer which is rotated in a first direction based on a manipulation signal corresponding to a manipulation from the outside; and a control part which performs the demonstration of the pointer movement in which the pointer is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction and the first direction, wherein the pointer is positioned at a position where a rotational angle in the first direction from a preset reference position is smaller than a rotational angle in a second direction from the reference position.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2011Publication date: September 8, 2011Inventors: Hiroshi Shimizu, Tomohiro Ihashi, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazuo Kato, Kazumi Sakumoto, Akira Takakura, Eriko Noguchi, Takanori Hasegawa, Keishi Honmura, Saburo Manaka, Kosuke Yamamoto
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Publication number: 20110122734Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece whose chronograph hands are electrically drive-controlled and mechanically zero-restoring-controlled, wherein it possible to perform a normal operation at the time of start operation and reset operation. After a mechanical control unit releases the setting of chronograph hands in response to the start operation of a start/stop button, a contact portion is placed in a start state, and an electrical control unit starts a time measurement operation to electrically hand-movement-drive the chronograph hands, and, after a contact portion is placed in a reset state in response to a reset operation of a reset button and the electrical control unit electrically resets the time measurement operation, the mechanical control unit mechanically zero-restores and sets the chronograph hands.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2010Publication date: May 26, 2011Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Kenji Ogasawara, Saburo Manaka, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Tomohiro Ihashi, Keishi Honmura, Takanori Hasegawa, Kosuke Yamamoto, Eriko Noguchi