Patents by Inventor Eriko Sugawara

Eriko Sugawara 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: 20140042329
    Abstract: A radiographic apparatus includes a scintillator configured to convert radiation into first light, a photoelectric conversion unit including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements each configured to convert the first light into an electrical signal, and a light detection unit configured to detect the first light. In such a radiographic apparatus, the photoelectric conversion unit and the light detection unit are arranged to sandwich the scintillator therebetween, and the light detection unit includes a light guide plate, a photodetector arranged on a side face of the light guide plate, and a light reflection section arranged to reflect the first light toward the photodetector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2013
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideyuki Okada, Toshio Kameshima, Tomoyuki Yagi, Katsuro Takenaka, Sho Sato, Atsushi Iwashita, Eriko Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20140008544
    Abstract: A radiation image pickup apparatus includes a pixel array having pixels each including a conversion element and a switch element, a drive circuit for controlling the switch element between a conducting state and a non-conducting state, a detection unit for outputting a detection signal varying with the intensity of irradiation of the pixel array, and an arithmetic unit for calculating a start threshold value used to detect start of irradiation based on the signal output from the detection unit during a period when radiation is not emitted onto the pixel array in which the switch elements are sequentially set in a conducting state on a row-by-row basis by the drive circuit and the signal output from the detection unit during a period when radiation is emitted onto the pixel array in which the switch elements are sequentially set in a conducting state on a row-by-row basis by the drive circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Inventors: Toshio Kameshima, Tomoyuki Yagi, Katsuro Takenaka, Sho Sato, Atsushi Iwashita, Eriko Sugawara, Hideyuki Okada
  • Publication number: 20140008519
    Abstract: A radiation image pickup apparatus capable of setting an optimum threshold value used for instantaneously and highly accurately detecting the presence/absence of irradiation includes a pixel array having a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, where each of the pixels includes a conversion element and a switch element, a drive circuit for supplying a drive signal for controlling the switch element between a conducting state and a non-conducting state, a detection unit for outputting a detection signal varying with the intensity of irradiation of the pixel array, and an arithmetic unit for calculating an end threshold value used to detect end of irradiation on the basis of the signal output from the detection unit during a period of time during which irradiation is applied to the pixel array in which the switch elements of the pixels are set in a non-conducting state by the drive circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Inventors: Toshio Kameshima, Tomoyuki Yagi, Katsuro Takenaka, Sho Sato, Atsushi Iwashita, Eriko Sugawara, Hideyuki Okada
  • Publication number: 20130264489
    Abstract: A radiation imaging apparatus includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix in which each pixel includes a conversion element configured to convert radiation into a charge and a switch element configured to transfer an electric signal based on the charge, a bias wiring through which the conversion element is supplied with a voltage for the conversion element to convert the radiation into the charge, a power supply unit configured to supply the voltage to the bias wiring; and a detecting unit configured to detect start of radiation irradiation to the pixel array, in which the detecting unit includes a detecting circuit configured to detect the start of the radiation irradiation to the pixel array on the basis of a comparison result through computation on at least two currents flowing through at least two bias wirings among the plurality of bias wirings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Yagi, Toshio Kameshima, Katsuro Takenaka, Sho Sato, Atsushi Iwashita, Eriko Sugawara, Hideyuki Okada
  • Publication number: 20130264490
    Abstract: A radiation imaging apparatus includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix in which each pixel includes a conversion element configured to convert radiation into a charge and a switch element configured to transfer an electric signal based on the charge, a plurality of wirings arranged in the pixel array, and a detecting unit configured to detect radiation irradiation to the pixel array, in which the detecting unit includes a detecting circuit configured to detect the radiation irradiation to the pixel array on the basis of a plurality of currents flowing through the plurality of wirings detected for each of the plurality of wirings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuro Takenaka, Toshio Kameshima, Tomoyuki Yagi, Hideyuki Okada, Sho Sato, Atsushi Iwashita, Eriko Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20130264487
    Abstract: A radiation imaging apparatus includes plural pixels arranged in a matrix each including a conversion element and a switch element, plural drive wires arranged in a column direction, a drive circuit configured to sequentially supply a conduction voltage to the plural drive wires and supply a non-conduction voltage to the drive wires other than the drive wire supplied with the conduction voltage among the plural drive wires, and a sensing unit configured to sense radiation irradiation to the pixel, in which the sensing unit includes a sensing circuit configured to sense the radiation irradiation to the pixel on the basis of a current flowing through the drive wire supplied with the non-conduction voltage among the plurality of drive wires.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Inventors: Hideyuki Okada, Toshio Kameshima, Tomoyuki Yagi, Katsuro Takenaka, Sho Sato, Atsushi Iwashita, Eriko Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20130264488
    Abstract: A radiation imaging apparatus including pixels; driving lines; a driving circuit; bias lines; an acquisition unit configured to acquire an evaluation value based on a current flowing in the bias line; a determination unit configured to compare the evaluation value with a comparison target value to determine whether radiation is irradiated; a control unit configured to control the acquisition unit and the determination unit; and a storage unit configured to store the evaluation value used in the determination process, is provided. A comparison target value used in a given determination process is based on one or more evaluation values used in one or more determination processes which are performed before the given determination process and in which it is determined that radiation has not been irradiated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Eriko Sugawara, Toshio Kameshima, Tomoyuki Yagi, Katsuro Takenaka, Sho Sato, Atsushi Iwashita, Hideyuki Okada
  • Publication number: 20130240712
    Abstract: A radiation imaging apparatus, comprising an imaging unit in which a plurality of pixels are arranged to form a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, and a control unit configured to control the imaging unit so as to perform reset operation for initializing each of the plurality of pixels repeatedly, and readout operation, after the reset operation, for reading out a signal from each of the plurality of pixels sequentially, wherein one cycle length of the reset operation is shorter than a period of time required for the readout operation, and a pulse width of a signal supplied to each of the plurality of pixels in the reset operation is shorter than a pulse width of a signal supplied to each of the plurality of pixels in the readout operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuro Takenaka, Toshio Kameshima, Tomoyuki Yagi, Hideyuki Okada, Sho Sato, Atsushi Iwashita, Eriko Sugawara