Patents by Inventor Hiromitsu Murata

Hiromitsu Murata 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: 20240127496
    Abstract: A HUD apparatus that is an AR display apparatus mounted on an on-vehicle system includes: an image selection unit configured to input an image photographed by a camera, select and extract an area of an object from the image; a visibility judgment unit configured to judge visibility of a user with respect to the area of the object on a basis of an index value; an AR image generator unit configured to generate an AR image regarding the object by subjecting the area to image processing for improving the visibility on a basis of the visibility of the area of the object; and an AR display unit configured to superimpose and display the AR image onto a screen. The visibility judgment unit controls whether the AR image is to be displayed or not and content of the image processing to be changed in accordance with the visibility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Hiromitsu MORI, Seiji MURATA, Tomoto KAWAMURA
  • Patent number: 11272820
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a primary dust container that includes a container body, the container body delineating a dust collecting chamber that accumulates dust sucked into the vacuum cleaner and including a waste outlet that discharges the dust accumulated in the dust collecting chamber, the primary dust container also including a waste-outlet lid that opens and closes the waste outlet. A station includes a secondary dust container that accumulates the dust discharged from the primary dust container, and a driving source that generates opening driving force and closing driving force for the waste outlet. The electric vacuum cleaner generates a driving force for opening and closing an air passage connecting a primary dust container and a secondary dust container, without impairing convenience of a vacuum cleaner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Sato, Masatoshi Tanaka, You Torizawa, Yukio Machida, Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Hiromitsu Murata, Takayoshi Shimizu, Yuuji Ohtsuka
  • Publication number: 20200315419
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a primary dust container that includes a container body, the container body delineating a dust collecting chamber that accumulates dust sucked into the vacuum cleaner and including a waste outlet that discharges the dust accumulated in the dust collecting chamber, the primary dust container also including a waste-outlet lid that opens and closes the waste outlet. A station includes a secondary dust container that accumulates the dust discharged from the primary dust container, and a driving source that generates opening driving force and closing driving force for the waste outlet. The electric vacuum cleaner generates a driving force for opening and closing an air passage connecting a primary dust container and a secondary dust container, without impairing convenience of a vacuum cleaner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Applicant: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi SATO, Masatoshi TANAKA, You TORIZAWA, Yukio MACHIDA, Hiromitsu ICHIKAWA, Hiromitsu MURATA, Takayoshi SHIMIZU, Yuuji OHTSUKA
  • Patent number: 10264938
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, driving wheels, side brushes, an obstacle sensor, and a controller. The driving wheels enable the main casing to travel. The side brushes are reciprocatively movable in both a direction of protruding from an outer frame of the main casing and its opposite direction, enabling cleaning of dust and dirt located outside the outer frame of the main casing. The obstacle sensor detects an obstacle by detecting a movement of the side brush in the opposite direction due to its contact with the obstacle. The controller controls drive of the driving wheels based on detection of an obstacle by the obstacle sensor to make the main casing autonomously travel. The vacuum cleaner can detect an obstacle at a position of a side brush while securely cleaning dust and dirt located outside an outer frame of a main casing by the side brush.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Masatoshi Tanaka, Hiromitsu Murata, Atsushi Morishita, Yukio Machida
  • Patent number: 10226158
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner capable of ensuring communication between a suction port and a dust collecting unit even in a state that a body portion of a cleaning unit has pivoted along an up/down direction relative to a main casing. The body portion is provided on the main casing to be pivotable along the up/down direction. A sliding-contact surface portion is provided in the body portion and curved along a pivoting direction of the body portion. A curved surface portion is provided in the communicating section body and curved along the pivoting direction of the body portion to be brought into sliding contact with the sliding-contact surface portion by pivoting motion of the body portion. A communicating opening is opened in the curved surface portion to communicate with the dust collecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Masatoshi Tanaka, Atsushi Morishita, Yukio Machida, Hiromitsu Murata
  • Patent number: 10201261
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes link mechanisms that connect a bumper to be movable in a relatively horizontal direction with respect to a case main body. A coil spring energizes the bumper in a direction separated from the case main body. Obstacle sensors are arranged at positions facing the bumper in the case main body, and detect an obstacle by detecting movement of the bumper, due to contact with the obstacle, in at least one of a direction opposite to an energizing direction of the coil spring and a direction crossing such a direction. A controller controls the drive of a driving wheel based on detection of the obstacle by the obstacle sensor to allow the main body case to travel autonomously. The vacuum cleaner can detect an obstacle brought into contact with the bumper in a wide range with a simple configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatoshi Tanaka, Atsushi Morishita, Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Hiromitsu Murata, Yukio Machida
  • Patent number: 10154767
    Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner includes a main body case, driving wheels, and a cleaning portion. The main body case includes an electric blower, and a dust collecting portion communicating with a suction side of the electric blower. The driving wheels allow the main body case to travel on the surface to be cleaned. The cleaning portion includes a main body portion, the suction port, and wheels. The main body portion with a bottom surface portion facing the surface to be cleaned is located in a lower portion of the main body case and can move up and down. The suction port is provided on the bottom surface portion and communicates with the dust collecting portion. The wheels protrude downward from the bottom surface portion to contact the surface to be cleaned, thereby causing the main body portion to move up and down to trace the surface to be cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Masatoshi Tanaka, Atsushi Morishita, Hiromitsu Murata, Yukio Machida
  • Patent number: 10143348
    Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaning apparatus including an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner that autonomously moves between surfaces to be cleaned and collects dust and a station fluidly connectable to the autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner. The autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner includes: a container body accumulating collected dust, the container body including: a bottom wall including a disposal port; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station unit includes: a dust transfer pipe connected to the disposal port; a secondary dust container accumulating dust; and a secondary electric blower that generates negative suction pressure in the dust transfer pipe via the secondary dust container. At least one irregularly shaped ventilation groove that causes air to flow below the dust within the container body by the negative pressure generated by the secondary electric blower is provided to the inner surface of the bottom wall of the container body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukio Machida, Masatoshi Tanaka, Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Hiromitsu Murata
  • Patent number: 10111568
    Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaning apparatus including an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner that autonomously moves between surfaces to be cleaned and collects dust and a station fluidly connectable to the autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner. The autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner includes: a container body accumulating collected dust, the container body including: a bottom wall including a disposal port; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station unit includes: a dust transfer pipe connected to the disposal port; a secondary dust container accumulating dust; and a secondary electric blower that generates negative suction pressure in the dust transfer pipe via the secondary dust container. At least one irregularly shaped ventilation groove that causes air to flow below the dust within the container body by the negative pressure generated by the secondary electric blower is provided to the inner surface of the bottom wall of the container body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukio Machida, Masatoshi Tanaka, Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Hiromitsu Murata
  • Publication number: 20180199776
    Abstract: An electric cleaning apparatus, which comprises an autonomous cleaning unit which moves autonomously over a surface to be cleaned and collects dust, and a station unit which has a charging electrode for the autonomous cleaning unit, wherein the autonomous cleaning unit includes a first body case having a first inlet, a secondary battery which accumulates electric power supplied from the charging electrode, a first dust collecting container which accumulates dust sucked from the first inlet, and an electric blower which is driven by electric power supplied from the secondary battery and makes negative pressure act on the first dust collecting container, and wherein the station unit is provided with a second body case having a second inlet which sucks other dust different from the dust which the autonomous cleaning unit collects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Applicant: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi SATO, Yuuji OHTSUKA, Hiromitsu ICHIKAWA, Satoshi OHSHITA, Hiromitsu MURATA, Masatoshi TANAKA, Yukio MACHIDA
  • Patent number: 10022029
    Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner, including a cleaning unit includes a body case including a dust container opening, and a primary dust container including: a container body detachably provided to the body case accumulating dust collected by the cleaning unit; a connecting part exposed from or facing the dust container opening, when attached to the body case; a disposal port provided in the connecting part, for discharging dust from inside the container body; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station includes a dust transfer pipe contacting the connecting part of the primary dust container and connected to the disposal port, and a secondary dust container in which dust discharged from the primary dust container through the dust transfer pipe is accumulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukio Machida, Masatoshi Tanaka, Atsushi Morishita, Yuji Ohtsuka, Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Hiromitsu Murata
  • Patent number: 9931012
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes: a body case having an outer circumferential surface formed along either a circular arc or a polygon; a drive wheel allowing travel of the body case on a cleaning target surface; a side brush provided to the body case to be movable in a certain direction. The side brush: projects from the outer circumferential surface of the body case by an amount that changes in response to movement; includes a brush body movable to retreat toward the outer circumferential surface of the body case in response to external force acting in a direction crossing the certain direction; and includes a cleaning unit rotatably provided to the brush body. The cleaning unit rotates to clean the cleaning target surface. The side brush projecting from an outer circumferential surface of a body case can retreat readily and reliably when the side brush contacts an obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Masatoshi Tanaka, Atsushi Morishita, Yukio Machida, Hiromitsu Murata
  • Patent number: 9907447
    Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner in which a dust container inside an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaning unit can be fluidically connected to a station using propulsive force of the cleaning unit moving to a dust discharge position. The cleaning unit includes a body case, and a primary dust container including: a container body accumulating dust collected by the cleaning unit; a disposal port discharging dust from inside the container body; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station includes a dust transfer pipe connected to the disposal port of the primary dust container; a lever hooked by the disposal lid while the cleaning unit is homing, opening the disposal lid and connecting the disposal port and the dust transfer pipe; and a secondary dust container in which dust discharged from the primary dust container through the dust transfer pipe is accumulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatoshi Tanaka, Yukio Machida, Atsushi Morishita, Yuji Ohtsuka, Hiromitsu Ichikawa, Hiromitsu Murata
  • Publication number: 20170273532
    Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaning apparatus including an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner that autonomously moves between surfaces to be cleaned and collects dust and a station fluidly connectable to the autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner. The autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner includes: a container body accumulating collected dust, the container body including: a bottom wall including a disposal port; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station unit includes: a dust transfer pipe connected to the disposal port; a secondary dust container accumulating dust; and a secondary electric blower that generates negative suction pressure in the dust transfer pipe via the secondary dust container. At least one irregularly shaped ventilation groove that causes air to flow below the dust within the container body by the negative pressure generated by the secondary electric blower is provided to the inner surface of the bottom wall of the container body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Applicant: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukio MACHIDA, Masatoshi TANAKA, Hiromitsu ICHIKAWA, Hiromitsu MURATA
  • Publication number: 20170231450
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner capable of ensuring communication between a suction port and a dust collecting unit even in a state that a body portion of a cleaning unit has pivoted along an up/down direction relative to a main casing. The body portion is provided on the main casing to be pivotable along the up/down direction. A sliding-contact surface portion is provided in the body portion and curved along a pivoting direction of the body portion. A curved surface portion is provided in the communicating section body and curved along the pivoting direction of the body portion to be brought into sliding contact with the sliding-contact surface portion by pivoting motion of the body portion. A communicating opening is opened in the curved surface portion to communicate with the dust collecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromitsu ICHIKAWA, Masatoshi TANAKA, Atsushi MORISHITA, Yukio MACHIDA, Hiromitsu MURATA
  • Publication number: 20170188767
    Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner includes a main body case, driving wheels, and a cleaning portion. The main body case includes an electric blower, and a dust collecting portion communicating with a suction side of the electric blower. The driving wheels allow the main body case to travel on the surface to be cleaned. The cleaning portion includes a main body portion, the suction port, and wheels. The main body portion with a bottom surface portion facing the surface to be cleaned is located in a lower portion of the main body case and can move up and down. The suction port is provided on the bottom surface portion and communicates with the dust collecting portion. The wheels protrude downward from the bottom surface portion to contact the surface to be cleaned, thereby causing the main body portion to move up and down to trace the surface to be cleaned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Publication date: July 6, 2017
    Applicant: TOSHIBA LIFESTLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromitsu ICHIKAWA, Masatoshi TANAKA, Atsushi MORISHITA, Hiromitsu MURATA, Yukio MACHIDA
  • Publication number: 20170181593
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes a main casing, driving wheels, side brushes, an obstacle sensor, and a controller. The driving wheels enable the main casing to travel. The side brushes are reciprocatively movable in both a direction of protruding from an outer frame of the main casing and its opposite direction, enabling cleaning of dust and dirt located outside the outer frame of the main casing. The obstacle sensor detects an obstacle by detecting a movement of the side brush in the opposite direction due to its contact with the obstacle. The controller controls drive of the driving wheels based on detection of an obstacle by the obstacle sensor to make the main casing autonomously travel. The vacuum cleaner can detect an obstacle at a position of a side brush while securely cleaning dust and dirt located outside an outer frame of a main casing by the side brush.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Applicant: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiromitsu ICHIKAWA, Masatoshi TANAKA, Hiromitsu MURATA, Atsushi MORISHITA, Yukio MACHIDA
  • Publication number: 20170181591
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner includes link mechanisms that connect a bumper to be movable in a relatively horizontal direction with respect to a case main body. A coil spring energizes the bumper in a direction separated from the case main body. Obstacle sensors are arranged at positions facing the bumper in the case main body, and detect an obstacle by detecting movement of the bumper, due to contact with the obstacle, in at least one of a direction opposite to an energizing direction of the coil spring and a direction crossing such a direction. A controller controls the drive of a driving wheel based on detection of the obstacle by the obstacle sensor to allow the main body case to travel autonomously. The vacuum cleaner can detect an obstacle brought into contact with the bumper in a wide range with a simple configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2015
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Applicant: Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi TANAKA, Atsushi MORISHITA, Hiromitsu ICHIKAWA, Hiromitsu MURATA, Yukio MACHIDA
  • Publication number: 20170150861
    Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner in which a dust container inside an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaning unit can be fluidically connected to a station using propulsive force of the cleaning unit moving to a dust discharge position. The cleaning unit includes a body case, and a primary dust container including: a container body accumulating dust collected by the cleaning unit; a disposal port discharging dust from inside the container body; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station includes a dust transfer pipe connected to the disposal port of the primary dust container; a lever hooked by the disposal lid while the cleaning unit is homing, opening the disposal lid and connecting the disposal port and the dust transfer pipe; and a secondary dust container in which dust discharged from the primary dust container through the dust transfer pipe is accumulated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Applicant: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masatoshi TANAKA, Yukio MACHIDA, Atsushi MORISHITA, Yuji OHTSUKA, Hiromitsu ICHIKAWA, Hiromitsu MURATA
  • Publication number: 20170150862
    Abstract: An electric vacuum cleaner, including a cleaning unit includes a body case including a dust container opening, and a primary dust container including: a container body detachably provided to the body case accumulating dust collected by the cleaning unit; a connecting part exposed from or facing the dust container opening, when attached to the body case; a disposal port provided in the connecting part, for discharging dust from inside the container body; and a disposal lid opening and closing the disposal port. The station includes a dust transfer pipe contacting the connecting part of the primary dust container and connected to the disposal port, and a secondary dust container in which dust discharged from the primary dust container through the dust transfer pipe is accumulated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Applicant: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukio MACHIDA, Masatoshi TANAKA, Atsushi MORISHITA, Yuji OHTSUKA, Hiromitsu ICHIKAWA, Hiromitsu MURATA