Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Kitano

Hiroaki Kitano 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).

  • Patent number: 9243599
    Abstract: Provided is an engine starting device enabling the meshing engagement of a pinion gear and a ring gear to be quickly and quietly achieved in an automatic idle-stop system while an engine is rotating by inertia. The engine starting device includes: a ring gear connected to a crankshaft of an engine; a starter motor for starting the engine; a pinion gear for transmitting rotation of the starter motor to the ring gear; pinion-gear moving portion for moving the pinion gear so as to achieve meshing engagement with the ring gear; and starter control portion for executing any one of a plurality of control modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Masahiko Kurishige, Koichiro Kamei, Kazuhiro Odahara, Naohito Kaneda
  • Patent number: 9231430
    Abstract: There is provided a charging system including at least one battery device that includes a secondary cell therein, a charging device that performs contactless power transmission to transmit power to the battery device, and a charging control device that controls the contactless power transmission between the charging device and the battery device, wherein the battery device is a hexagonal cylinder having a bottom surface with a substantially regular hexagonal shape and having a predetermined height, wherein the charging device is a hexagonal cylinder having a bottom surface with a substantially regular hexagonal shape and having a predetermined height, and wherein the contactless power transmission is performed between the charging device and the battery device under control of the charging control device by stacking the battery device on the charging device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tetsu Natsume, Hiroaki Kitano
  • Publication number: 20150345457
    Abstract: In an automatically stopped internal combustion engine, a rotation speed at next and subsequent ignition timings is predicted at every ignition timing of the internal combustion engine after the internal combustion engine is stopped automatically. Whether self-restorable restarting is allowed is determined according to a comparison result of the predictive rotation speed and a self-restoration determination rotation speed, so that self-restorable restarting is performed in a reliable manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohisa SHODA, Osamu ISHIKAWA, Takeru OKABE, Hiroaki KITANO
  • Publication number: 20150278451
    Abstract: In a plurality of data analysis apparatuses communicatively coupled to one another, a database is accessed at a given access level. Based on the data acquired from the database, an application program is executed to perform data analysis. Communication control is performed to allow transmission and reception of a data analysis result with respect to another data analysis apparatus at a different access level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicants: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, SBX Corporation, The Systems Biology Institute
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Samik Ghosh, Yukiko Matsuoka
  • Publication number: 20150260144
    Abstract: The engine starter includes a pinion-mobile component which is linked to an output shaft by a helical spline and can be slid in a shaft direction, in a state where the pinion-mobile component includes; an overrunning clutch which is idled when the pinion gear, which is engaged to the ring gear, is driven by the engine via the ring gear so as to be rotated at a rotational speed which is higher than a rotational speed of the output shaft; and a breaking mechanism in which the overrunning clutch breaks a transmission of a torque, which is generated in accordance with a rotation of the motor and is transmitted to the ring gear, when a value of the torque is a predetermined condition value with respect to a direction where the torque is transmitted to the ring gear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihiro SASAKI, Daisuke MIZUNO, Hiroaki KITANO, Koichiro KAMEI, Kazuhiro ODAHARA, Takenobu MATSUBARA
  • Patent number: 9137122
    Abstract: The present invention involves retrieving edges that do not constitute a designated network model which is a network model designated by a user and are linked to nodes that constitute the designated network model, displaying retrieval results that include the retrieved edges and network model IDs corresponding to the edges in a selectable manner, and generating an integrated network model in which, when the retrieval results are selected by the user, the edges that are included in the selected retrieval results and the nodes that do not constitute the designated network model and are linked to the edges, are integrated into the designated network model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignees: OKINAWA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY GRADUATE UNIVERSITY, The Systems Biology Institute
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Yukiko Matsuoka, Samik Ghosh
  • Publication number: 20150242752
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the present invention, similarity centrality measures that are centrality measures of proteins that a protein similarity network includes are calculated, interaction centrality measures that are centrality measures of the proteins that the protein-protein interaction network includes are calculated, a rejection score that represents probability of a compound to be validated to be classified as a rejected drug is calculated using classifiers that use, as training data, the approval attributes of the respective drugs, the sum and average of the similarity centrality measures per target for each drug, and the sum and average of the interaction centrality measures per target for each drug, and the rejection score is output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2013
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: Japan Science and Technology Agency
    Inventors: Tiago Jose Da Silva Lopes, Hiroaki Kitano, Yoshihiro Kawaoka
  • Patent number: 9115683
    Abstract: A ring gear to be coupled to a crankshaft of an engine; a starter motor for starting the engine; a pinion gear for transmitting rotation of the starter motor to the ring gear; pinion-gear meshing-engagement unit for moving the pinion gear to achieve meshing engagement with the ring gear; rpm-difference acquiring unit for acquiring an rpm difference between the pinion gear and the ring gear; and restart control unit for allowing the pinion gear to be moved by the pinion-gear meshing-engagement unit when the rpm difference between the pinion gear and the ring gear, which is acquired by the rpm-difference acquiring unit, becomes smaller than a threshold value are provided. The restart control unit includes threshold-value setting unit, and the threshold value corresponding to a characteristic to be input to the threshold-value setting unit is preset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Takashi Iwasaki, Masahiko Kurishige, Koichiro Kamei, Kazuhiro Odahara, Naohito Kaneda
  • Publication number: 20150220797
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing system including a first control unit configured to associate handwriting action trajectory information indicating a user's handwriting action trajectory with meta information capable of being detected from an actual environment where the user's handwriting action is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Publication date: August 6, 2015
    Inventors: MAKOTO SAITO, HIROAKI KITANO
  • Publication number: 20150169822
    Abstract: The present invention acquires compound structure data and candidate protein structure data on a candidate protein serving as a candidate for interaction with the compound. The present invention calculates a binding strength between the candidate protein and the compound using a docking simulation method, determines a predicted binding strength corresponding to the binding strength predicted by making a comprehensive evaluation of the binding strength, and determines a predicted protein corresponding to the candidate protein predicted to interact with the compound. The present invention calculates an interaction strength using a binding strength simulation method and determines a predicted interaction strength corresponding to the interaction strength predicted by making the comprehensive evaluation of the interaction strength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Applicants: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, The Systems Biology Institute
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Kun-yi Hsin, Samik Ghosh
  • Publication number: 20150096535
    Abstract: The engine starting device for stopping, when an engine automatic stop condition is satisfied, fuel injection to the engine to automatically stop the engine, and for thereafter restarting the engine when an engine restart condition is satisfied, includes: a ring gear coupled to a crankshaft of the engine; a starter motor rotated by a current supply; a pinion gear for transmitting the rotation of the starter motor to the ring gear; a pinion gear moving part for moving the pinion gear toward the ring gear by a current supply, thereby meshing the pinion gear with the ring gear; and a fuel injection control part for restarting the fuel injection so that combustion is generated in a predetermined compression cylinder after the engine restart condition is satisfied and after the pinion gear moving part starts the movement of the pinion gear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Daisuke Mizuno, Osamu Ishikawa, Takeru Okabe, Koichiro Kamei
  • Publication number: 20150088480
    Abstract: A simulation system includes an interface component connected to a public or shared network that has less restrictive access than networks inside the firewall, generating a simulation job and registering the simulation job in a database, a job control component accessing said database to retrieve the simulation job and scheduling the simulation job for execution, and a simulation execution component receiving the simulation job from the job control component, creating executable codes for numerical and parallel computing algorithms and distributing computing processes to multiple computers to execute the simulation job.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2013
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Applicants: OKINAWA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL CORPORATION, THE SYSTEMS BIOLOGY INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Asai, Takeshi Abe, Hiroaki Kitano, Masao Okita, Samik Ghosh, Yukiko Matsuoka
  • Publication number: 20150046878
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus including a content information acquisition part configured to acquire pieces of content information extracted based on an extraction condition, and a display controller configured to cause content icons corresponding to the pieces of content information, respectively, to be displayed on a track placed around a region. In a first display stage, the display controller causes the content icons to be displayed sequentially on a first track in a manner that the content icons appear at a first point on the first track and disappear at a second point on the first track, the second point being different from the first point, and, in a second display stage, the display controller causes a predetermined number of the content icons corresponding to the pieces of content information, respectively, to be displayed on a second track.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2013
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicants: SONY ELECTRONICS INC., SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhiro SUTOU, Hiroaki KITANO, Hirokazu SHIRADO, Steven FRIEDLANDER, David YOUNG, Koichi OSHIMA, Yasuo SAKUMA
  • Publication number: 20150046860
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus including a processor configured to cause a display to show a screen, the screen including an input area which accepts a text input or a drag & drop input performed by a user, a first icon which is associated with the input area and executes a first operation based on an input accepted by the input area, a second icon which is associated with the input area and executes a second operation based on an input accepted by the input area, the second operation being different from the first operation, a first display area for information acquired by the first operation, and a second display area for information acquired by the second operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro SUTOU, Hiroaki Kitano, Midori Kawano
  • Patent number: 8892340
    Abstract: The engine controller includes: an engine-rpm increase amount computing section for computing an amount of increase in an engine rpm, generated by first ignition of an engine after a restart condition is satisfied; a start failure determination crank-angle change amount determination value setting section for setting a restart failure determination threshold value based on the amount of increase in the engine rpm; and a restart failure determination section for determining a restart failure when a crank-angle change amount from a first ignition timing of the engine after the satisfaction of the restart condition becomes larger than the restart failure determination threshold value although a complete combustion of the engine is not determined, interrupting a restart operation of the engine, and restarting the restart operation of the engine after elapse of a predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Ishikawa, Takeru Okabe, Tomohisa Shoda, Hiroaki Kitano
  • Publication number: 20140278961
    Abstract: Provided is an information processing device including a content acquiring unit configured to acquire content, a first display unit configured to display the content, a promotion information acquiring unit configured to acquire promotion information related to the content, and a second display unit configured to display the promotion information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventor: Hiroaki Kitano
  • Publication number: 20140258414
    Abstract: According to an illustrative embodiment, an information processing system is provided. The information processing system includes at least one control unit to designate a user-access position within sequential content at which a user accesses the sequential content, and to associate the user with other users who each access the sequential content at a position that is the same, or close to, the user-access position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Kitano
  • Patent number: 8757120
    Abstract: An engine starting device for an automatic idling stop system includes: a crank angle sensor for detecting a crank angle of an engine; a ring gear connected to a crankshaft of the engine, for transmitting rotation of the engine; ring gear rpm detecting section; a starter motor for starting the engine; a pinion gear for transmitting rotation of the starter motor to the ring gear; pinion-gear push-out section for pushing out the pinion gear into meshing engagement with the ring gear; and pinion gear push-out control section for driving the pinion-gear push-out section to bring the pinion gear and the ring gear into meshing engagement when the ring gear rpm detected by the ring gear rotational speed detection section becomes smaller than a threshold value which is determined by at least one of the crank angle, a gear range, and a restart condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Masahiko Kurishige, Daisuke Mizuno, Koichiro Kamei, Shiro Yonezawa, Kazuhiro Odahara, Naohito Kaneda
  • Publication number: 20140163894
    Abstract: A motif finding program is configured to enable an information processor to function as an extraction unit, an alignment unit, a calculation unit and a determination unit. The extraction unit extracts a plurality of sequence fragments as ortholog candidates upstream of the respective transcriptional start sites in DNA sequences of a species of interest and species for comparison. The alignment unit aligns the sequence fragments. The calculation unit calculates a first statistics based on a likelihood ratio of the likelihood that the sequence fragments are orthologous versus the likelihood that they are non-orthologous; and a second statistics representing a degree of conservation among the sequence fragments. The determination unit determines transcription factor binding site motif candidates in a sequence fragment of the species of interest, on the basis of the first statistics and the second statistics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Natalia Polouliakh, Hiroaki Kitano
  • Patent number: RE45190
    Abstract: The invention provides an information retrieval apparatus and an information retrieval method by which information can be retrieved in an improved operability. A CPU controls a video camera to fetch an image and controls a GPS to detect a current position. The CPU reads out, from within image data stored in a corresponding relationship with URLs of WWW servers, those image data which correspond to position data regarding positions around the detected current position from a WWW data base via a modem and a host machine. Then, the CPU selects, from among the read out image data, that image data which matches with the fetched data, reads out a URL corresponding to the image data and accesses a WWW server designated by the URL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Junichi Rekimoto