Patents by Inventor Hirokazu Kobayashi

Hirokazu Kobayashi 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: 20250034673
    Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a steel strip, includes: a first water tank part that stores cooling water for immersing and cooling a steel strip; a water cooling nozzle unit that is provided in the first water tank part and injects cooling water to a surface of the steel strip; a second water tank part connected to the first water tank part through a joining port; an opening and closing door that opens and closes the joining port; and a conveyance control part that conveys the water cooling nozzle unit such that the water cooling nozzle unit passes through the joining port and is positioned at either a cooling water injection position inside the first water tank part or a non-water cooling standby position inside the second water tank part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: JFE Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Hirokazu KOBAYASHI, Gentaro TAKEDA, Munesuke SUZUKI, Kazuki OKAMOTO, Hidenori SHIMADA
  • Publication number: 20240426092
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a housing in which a distance sensor is placed, fittings attaching the housing to a toilet bowl in a toilet, and a control unit. The sensor measures the distance to an object located in a direction of the inside of a toilet seat installed on the bowl when the seat is placed on the top surface of a rim of the bowl. The control unit detects that a user of the toilet is in a state of sitting on the seat when a first distance being a result of measurement by the sensor is less than a predetermined threshold value. The fittings are components attaching the housing in such a way that the sensor is placed at a position located inside the rim and located under the seat in the vertical direction when the seat is placed on the top surface of the rim.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 4, 2022
    Publication date: December 26, 2024
    Applicant: NEC Platforms, Ltd.
    Inventors: Junpei Kumagai, Keita Yamaguchi, Ikuhiro Aota, Hiroshi Katayanagi, Kazutoshi Ohishi, Takeshi Yamamoto, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Takeyoshi Obara
  • Publication number: 20240392403
    Abstract: A method anneals a hot-rolled steel strip contains 1.6 to 5.0 mass % Si for an electrical steel sheet using annealing equipment including a heating zone, a soaking zone, and a cooling zone arranged in this order from the upstream side, a thickness meter and a rapid heating device are arranged on the upstream side of the soaking zone, and the heating temperature of the rapid heating device for the steel strip is determined based on the value of LSD defined by the thickness of the steel strip measured with the thickness meter and the threading speed of the steel strip during annealing as represented by the following Expression (1): LSD=t×LS . . . (1), where t is the thickness (mm) of the steel strip, and LS is the threading speed (m/min) of the steel strip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Publication date: November 28, 2024
    Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirokazu KOBAYASHI, Yukihiro MATSUBARA
  • Publication number: 20240366045
    Abstract: An information collection apparatus includes: a sitting sensor detecting that a user of a toilet bowl in a toilet is sitting on a toilet seat placed on the top surface of a rim of the bowl; an information collector collecting information about an excretion in the bowl; and a housing in which the sensor and the collector are placed. The apparatus includes: a bridge component bridging the inside of the rim and the outside of the rim by placing part of the component on the top surface of the rim of the bowl and sandwiching the rim; and a fitting being attached to an end of the component in a direction of the inside of the rim and attaching the housing. The apparatus includes a change mechanism changing the distance from the end to the housing in a direction along an inner wall forming the inside of the rim.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Publication date: November 7, 2024
    Applicant: NEC Platforms, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Yamamoto, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Junpei Kumagai, Kazutoshi Ohishi, Hiroshi Katayanagi, Keita Yamaguchi, Takeyoshi Obara
  • Publication number: 20240360528
    Abstract: A metal-sheet quenching apparatus cools a metal sheet while conveying the metal sheet and includes a cooling tank in which a cooling fluid is to be stored and the metal sheet is immersed in the cooling fluid to be cooled; restraining rolls that are installed inside the cooling tank and convey the metal sheet that has been cooled in the cooling tank while restraining the metal sheet in the thickness direction; a water-level adjustor that adjusts the height of a fluid surface of the cooling fluid inside the cooling tank; and a position control device that adjusts the height of the fluid surface of the cooling fluid inside the cooling tank by controlling the operation of the water-level adjustor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: October 31, 2024
    Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soshi YOSHIMOTO, Hirokazu KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20240360530
    Abstract: A metal-sheet quenching apparatus that cools a metal sheet while conveying the metal sheet. The metal-sheet quenching apparatus includes a cooling device that cools a metal sheet that is conveyed, restraining rolls that convey the metal sheet cooled by the cooling device while restraining the metal sheet in the thickness direction, a roll moving device that moves the restraining rolls in the conveyance direction of the metal sheet, and a movement control device that controls the operation of the roll moving device to adjust the position of the restraining rolls.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: October 31, 2024
    Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Soshi YOSHIMOTO, Hirokazu KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 12124975
    Abstract: A vehicle management device includes one or more processors configured to: manage a plurality of vehicles to be provided for users in a car sharing service; manage, as a plurality of first vehicles, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to an on-demand use in which the users use the car sharing service without reservation; manage, as a plurality of second vehicles, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to a reservation use in which the users use the car sharing service with the reservation; and change at least one of the second vehicles to the first vehicles when the number of the first vehicles is less than a first predetermined number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka Takiguchi, Tetsushi Okamoto, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Minoru Nakadori, Daiki Kaneichi
  • Patent number: 12115876
    Abstract: An automated valet parking system enables a plurality of charging parking frames in a parking place to be utilized and reduces inconvenience to an EV user using an automated valet parking service. The management device acquires a vehicle usage schedule and a remaining charge amount of each EV and determines a parking frame usage schedule of a charging parking frame. Specifically, with respect to an EV scheduled to be used on the next day, the management device assigns a charging parking frame closer to the departure/arrival place to an EV having earlier use start time on the next day. With respect to an EV not scheduled to be used on the next day and an EV whose usage schedule is unknown, the management device assigns a charging parking frame farther from the departure/arrival place to an EV with smaller remaining charge amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shogo Momoshima, Ryuji Okamura, Tetsushi Okamoto, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Daiki Kaneichi, Minoru Nakadori
  • Publication number: 20240337474
    Abstract: A measuring device includes a first scale provided on a rotary scale, arranged around an rotation axis of the rotary scale, and having first patterns arranged along a circumferential direction, a second scale provided on the rotary scale, arranged around the rotation axis, and having a plurality of second patterns arranged along the circumferential direction, first pattern detection sections arranged around the rotation axis, a second detection section that faces the second scale and reads at least a part of the plurality of second patterns, and a calculator configured to identify an absolute angle of the rotary scale, on a basis of a reading result of the first pattern detection sections and a reading result of the second pattern detection section. A number of the second pattern detection section is less than a number of the plurality of first pattern detection sections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2024
    Publication date: October 10, 2024
    Inventors: Shunsuke Tanaka, Hirokazu Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20240302150
    Abstract: A measuring device includes a rotary encoder having a rotary scale and a plurality of detection portions, and a control device. The rotary scale are arranged around a rotation axis and has a scale pattern in which a plurality of patterns are arranged along a circumferential direction. The plurality of detection portions are arranged around the rotation axis, and reads the plurality of patterns from the scale pattern. The control device causes one or some detection portions to perform a first reading of the plurality of patterns at a first timing, causes another or other detection portions different from the one or some detection portions to perform a second reading of the plurality of patterns at a second timing different from the first timing, and calculates a measurement result based on a first reading result of the first reading and a second reading result of the second reading.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2024
    Publication date: September 12, 2024
    Inventors: Shunsuke Tanaka, Hirokazu Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20240254592
    Abstract: An alloy composed of two types of elements, wherein all the standard deviation of distribution in the alloy of each element constituting the alloy are 18 atomic % or less provides a novel alloy composed of three or more types of elements and having a high solid solution uniformity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2021
    Publication date: August 1, 2024
    Inventors: Hiroshi KITAGAWA, Kohei KUSADA, Hirokazu KOBAYASHI, Yuki DOKO, Quan ZHANG, Shinya OKAZOE, Naoki ARAKI, Hogara KAMO, Syo MATSUMURA, Tomokazu YAMAMOTO, Xuan Quy TRAN
  • Publication number: 20240235264
    Abstract: A wireless power supply system includes a plurality of power transmitters including a master power transmitter and slave power transmitters controlled by the master power transmitter, and a power receiver to which power is supplied by a radio waves transmitted from each of the plurality of power transmitters. A first power transmitter of the plurality of power transmitters includes a determination unit configured to determine a power transmitter serving as the master power transmitter, based on a signal received from the power receiver or each of other power transmitters of the plurality of power transmitters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Inventor: HIROKAZU KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20240224069
    Abstract: A communication terminal and a control method that can provide a situation with good reception sensitivity are provided. A communication terminal that communicates with a base station includes an antenna that can transmit and/or receive a plurality of beams having directivity in different directions; a communication unit that communicates with the base station through the plurality of beams using the antenna and detects a received level of each of the plurality of beams; and a control unit that signals an indication prompting to change an orientation of the communication terminal based on the detected received level and directivity data indicating a received level of each of the plurality of beams in a corresponding plurality of directions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Publication date: July 4, 2024
    Inventors: HIROKAZU KOBAYASHI, HIROKI KASHIWAGI
  • Patent number: 11935905
    Abstract: An imaging device comprises pixels. The pixel includes first semiconductor regions of a first conductivity type provided in a surface part of a semiconductor substrate and a second semiconductor region of a second conductivity type provided in the surface part of the semiconductor substrate between the first semiconductor regions. The pixel includes: a light-receiving unit in which photodiodes each configured between the second semiconductor region and one of the first semiconductor regions; quenching circuits, each connected to a corresponding one of the first semiconductor regions; and a counter unit connected to each of connection nodes between the first semiconductor regions and the quenching circuits and counts a pulse generated in response to a photon being incident on the light-receiving unit. The second semiconductor region is provided across a deeper part of the semiconductor substrate than the first semiconductor regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirokazu Kobayashi, Hisataka Hirose, Satoshi Kumaki, Yasuhiro Matsuo
  • Publication number: 20240086783
    Abstract: A vehicle management device includes one or more processors configured to: manage a plurality of vehicles to be provided for users in a car sharing service; manage, as a plurality of first vehicles, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to an on-demand use in which the users use the car sharing service without reservation; manage, as a plurality of second vehicles, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to a reservation use in which the users use the car sharing service with the reservation; and change at least one of the second vehicles to the first vehicles when the number of the first vehicles is less than a first predetermined number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka TAKIGUCHI, Tetsushi OKAMOTO, Hirokazu KOBAYASHI, Minoru NAKADORI, Daiki KANEICHI
  • Patent number: 11915164
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus manages a vehicle used for a car-sharing service. The information processing apparatus includes a control unit configured to acquire, from a user, as application information for using the vehicle, one of application information for reservation use for making a reservation in advance and application information for on-demand use for accepting use of a vehicle stopped at an on-demand stand-by station. The same vehicle can be used for both the reservation use and the on-demand use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka Takiguchi, Tetsushi Okamoto, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Minoru Nakadori, Daiki Kaneichi
  • Patent number: 11887024
    Abstract: A vehicle management device includes one or more processors configured to: manage a plurality of vehicles to be provided for users in a car sharing service; manage, as a plurality of first vehicles, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to an on-demand use in which the users use the car sharing service without reservation; manage, as a plurality of second vehicles, a part of the vehicles to be allocated to a reservation use in which the users use the car sharing service with the reservation; and change at least one of the second vehicles to the first vehicles when the number of the first vehicles is less than a first predetermined number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuka Takiguchi, Tetsushi Okamoto, Hirokazu Kobayashi, Minoru Nakadori, Daiki Kaneichi
  • Publication number: 20230370745
    Abstract: An image pickup device includes a plurality of pixels each provided with a plurality of photoelectric conversion portions and outputting a first voltage signal based on a charge of at least one photoelectric conversion portion of the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions and a second voltage signal based on a combined charge of charges of the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions, and a plurality of holding circuits provided in a one-to-one relationship with the plurality of pixels, the plurality of holding circuits holding voltage signals based on charges generated by the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions, and each one of the plurality of holding circuits includes a plurality of holding portions including a first holding portion that holds the first voltage signal and a second holding portion that holds the second voltage signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventor: Hirokazu KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 11807479
    Abstract: Provided is a device for correcting meandering of a strip material capable of correcting meandering caused in the strip material and conducting stable conveyance even when the meandering amount is small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirokazu Kobayashi, Yuichi Ohashi, Yuhei Iwami
  • Publication number: 20230276143
    Abstract: A plurality of pixel circuits are arranged in a row direction and a column direction. Each of the pixel circuits includes a photoelectric conversion circuit for light from a subject. Signal charge of the photoelectric conversion circuit is transferred to a charge holding circuit and is discharged via an overflow gate (OFG). A signal processing substrate includes a plurality of signal holding circuits for the plurality of pixel circuits. The signal holding circuit includes a holding capacity circuit that holds a voltage signal or signal charge transferred from the charge holding circuit. Driving for converting signals of the holding capacity circuit into digital signals in a row-sequential manner and outputting the digital signals is performed in a period of intermittent charge accumulation in which transfer and discharge of charge from the photoelectric conversion circuit to the charge holding circuit are alternately performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2023
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Inventors: HIROKAZU KOBAYASHI, YUUICHIROU HATTORI