Patents by Inventor Hironori Kaji

Hironori Kaji 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: 8375772
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to improve the accuracy in analysis repeatability of a liquid chromatography apparatus that feeds different eluent by use of a plurality of pumps and achieves the mixture of eluent. Each of the pumps includes means for notifying an automatic sampler and a higher-level control unit that the specified timing of a liquid feeding cycle is reached. A pump whose liquid feeding cycle is the slowest transmits own information so that analysis is synchronized with a liquid feeding cycle. Moreover, a cycle position of a liquid feeding cycle at the end of analysis is expected, and the analysis time is automatically adjusted so that the wait time until the start of the next analysis becomes the shortest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Masato Fukuda, Hiroyuki Wada, Masahito Ito, Hironori Kaji, Kosaku Toyosaki
  • Patent number: 8191405
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a stable solvent delivery device capable of delivering solvent both at high pressure and at constant flow rate. A solvent delivery device comprises a plurality of plungers which reciprocate in the respective pump chambers including an eluent charge side pump chamber and an eluent discharge side pump chamber, a motor to reciprocate these plungers, a control unit to control the operation of the motor, valves which are respectively set at the eluent inlet and outlet of the eluent charge side pump chamber, a first sensor to measure the quantity of load received by the plunger in the eluent charge side pump chamber, and a second sensor to measure the pressure of the eluent discharged from the eluent discharge side pump chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Naoya Yasuhara, Hironori Kaji, Kimihiko Ishii, Hiroyuki Wada
  • Publication number: 20120128533
    Abstract: It is possible to correctly determine whether a change in the pressure or flow rate is caused by normal opening and closing operations of a check valve and to monitor in real time whether an operation of a check valve is normal or abnormal in a liquid supply device. Light is introduced in the check valve and a change in the quantity of light transmitted through or reflected by the check valve, caused by the opening and closing of the valve is detected, so that the opening and closing operations of the check valve can be directly detected. The check valve is arranged in a pipe in the liquid supply device, and a change in the pressure in the pipe is monitored on the basis of a signal from a pressure sensor and a signal which represents the opening and closing of the check valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kisaburo Deguchi, Hironori Kaji, Kimihiko Ishii, Daisuke Akieda, Kunihiko Takao, Masaru Yamasaki, Kenji Hiraku, Yoshihiro Nagaoka
  • Publication number: 20120055581
    Abstract: In a liquid delivery device, when an inlet-side check valve and an outlet-side check valve of a first cylinder are both closed, and compression of an eluent inside the first cylinder is started by means of a first plunger inside the first cylinder, a control unit doubles the rotational speed of a step motor, and measures the amount of change in the pressure inside the first cylinder which changes for a prescribed time by means of a first cylinder internal pressure detector. The time elapsed until the pressure inside the first cylinder is the same as the pressure inside a discharge-side flow passage is predicted using the rate of change over time of the pressure of the eluent. When the predicted elapsed time has elapsed, the rotational speed of the step motor is returned to the original speed, and the compression of the eluent inside the first cylinder is completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Akieda, Kisaburo Deguchi, Hironori Kaji
  • Patent number: 8123496
    Abstract: A pump device which accurately detects a flow rate of a pump, performs real-time control of the flow rate, and thus can suppress a flow rate error caused by occurrence of pulsation. Control of a pump rotation speed by a pressure sensor has low responsiveness in a low pressure region, and a correlation between a pressure and a flow rate is incomplete in a high flow rate region. With this taken into consideration, a flow rate sensor is disposed at an outlet port of a second pump. A position detection sensor detects a point where a first pump is shifted from a suction mode to a discharge mode. Moreover, the flow rate sensor detects that there is no discharge from the pump, and that there is discharge from the pump alone. Accordingly, a controller sets a rotation speed of a motor to a speed double the previous speed (double the normal rotation speed).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kimihiko Ishii, Kiyotoshi Mori, Masahito Ito, Hironori Kaji, Takefumi Yokokura
  • Publication number: 20110104703
    Abstract: This invention relates to a nucleic acid analyzer comprising: reaction containers capable of containing nucleic-acid-containing samples and reagents; an incubation mechanism capable of controlling temperatures of reaction containers set at different levels; an analysis mechanism for analyzing the samples contained in the reaction containers; and a transport mechanism for transporting a reaction container. In accordance with the assay technique to be performed on a nucleic-acid-containing sample, the transport mechanism transports a reaction container to a given incubation mechanism in a given order. The reaction container subjected to the process of sample preparation is transported to the analysis mechanism at a given time and the sample is analyzed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kohshi Maeda, Ishizawa Masato, Minoru Sano, Hironori Kaji
  • Patent number: 7921696
    Abstract: This liquid feeding system has the first and second pumps each of which is provided with a plunger. Liquid sucked through each of the pump suction ports is discharged out of the discharging port through the first pump and/or second pump. Under the starting operation mode, the second pump is stopped and only the first pump is operated. When the discharging pressure at the discharging port reaches up to a predetermined value, the starting operation mode is changed over to the normal operation mode. Under the normal operation mode, the first pump is stopped and only the second pump is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Takao, Hironori Kaji, Masahito Ito
  • Patent number: 7901573
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a separation column comprising a porous block covered with a coating wherein space-free adhesion is attainable therebetween by low temperature process without releasing octadecylsilyl bases and others from the porous block. A monolith rod 1 is covered with a metal or resin coating 2. Then, the monolith rod 1 covered by the coating 2 is further covered with a rod retainer 3 made of a low melting point metal (melting point 100-200 degrees C.) to form a column body 19. Since the rod retainer 3 is formed by pressure molding at low temperature (100-200 degrees C.). It is therefore possible to absorb the surface irregularities of the monolith rod 1 by the coating 2 while octadecylsilyl bases and others from are released when the retainer 3 is formed. This allows the potential separation ability of the porous block to be brought out maximally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kimihiko Ishii, Hironori Kaji, Masahito Ito, Yoshihiro Nagaoka, Kunihiko Takao
  • Publication number: 20110042283
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid delivery device for liquid chromatographs which, by performing liquid delivery at an accurate flow rate with limited pulsation, gives accurate results of analyses. The present invention, with a view to preventing erroneous operation due to errors in measurements at the time of judgment of completion of compression of liquid, establishes the judgment point before the pressure measured by a cylinder pressure detector agrees with the pressure measured by a discharge pressure detector and also calculates the point of completion of compression. Control in this manner prevents pressure fluctuation. It also calculates for control the point of completion of compression from the history of compression performed previously.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2010
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hironori KAJI, Hiroyuki Wada, Masato Fukuda
  • Patent number: 7850844
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid delivery device for liquid chromatographs which, by performing liquid delivery at an accurate flow rate with limited pulsation, gives accurate results of analyses. The present invention, with a view to preventing erroneous operation due to errors in measurements at the time of judgment of completion of compression of liquid, establishes the judgment point before the pressure measured by a cylinder pressure detector agrees with the pressure measured by a discharge pressure detector and also calculates the point of completion of compression. Control in this manner prevents pressure fluctuation. It also calculates for control the point of completion of compression from the history of compression performed previously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Hironori Kaji, Hiroyuki Wada, Masato Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20100288027
    Abstract: A pump device is realized, which accurately detects a flow rate of a pump, performs real-time control of the flow rate, and thus can suppress a flow rate error caused by occurrence of pulsation. Control of a pump rotation speed by a pressure sensor has low responsiveness in a low pressure region, and a correlation between a pressure and a flow rate is incomplete in a high flow rate region. With this taken into consideration, a flow rate sensor 10 is disposed at an outlet port 9 of a second pump 4. A position detection sensor 14 detects a point where a first pump 3 is shifted from a suction mode to a discharge mode. Moreover, the flow rate sensor 10 detects that there is no discharge from the pump 3, and that there is discharge from the pump 4 alone. Accordingly, a controller 15 sets a rotation speed of a motor 12 to a speed double the previous speed (double the normal rotation speed).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicant: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kimihiko Ishii, Kiyotoshi Mori, Masahito Ito, Hironori Kaji, Takefumi Yokokura
  • Patent number: 7588423
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid chromatograph pump system which sucks eluent from an eluent reserving container, and which feeds pressurized high pressure eluent into a column, wherein a plunger reciprocating in a cylinder is formed on its outer peripheral surface with a stepped part along the sliding direction of the plunger in the cylinder so as to define a working chamber between the stepper part and the inner wall surface of the cylinder, the flow rate of the liquid chromatograph pump being determined by the volume of the working chamber and the traveling speed of the plunger, thereby it is possible to stably feed a liquid at an extremely low flow rate, and to satisfactorily expel air bubbles upon a start of the liquid chromatograph pump system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Takao, Kenji Hiraku, Isao Hayase, Hironori Kaji, Masahito Ito
  • Publication number: 20090218267
    Abstract: The present invention provides a separation column including a monolithic rod without a resin coating material. The separation column can prevent the monolithic rod from destroying, and a liquid can be delivered at a high pressure into the separation column. The separation column includes the monolithic rod (monolithic silica rod) in a tapered-columnar shape, and a clad with the interior formed in a tapered-columnar shape. The monolithic rod is built into the clad.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2009
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi MORI, Hironori Kaji, Masahito Ito, Kimihiko Ishii, Tomohiro Shoji, Kousaku Toyosaki
  • Publication number: 20090193879
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a stable solvent delivery device capable of delivering solvent both at high pressure and at constant flow rate. A solvent delivery device comprises a plurality of plungers which reciprocate in the respective pump chambers including an eluent charge side pump chamber and an eluent discharge side pump chamber, a motor to reciprocate these plungers, a control unit to control the operation of the motor, valves which are respectively set at the eluent inlet and outlet of the eluent charge side pump chamber, a first sensor to measure the quantity of load received by the plunger in the eluent charge side pump chamber, and a second sensor to measure the pressure of the eluent discharged from the eluent discharge side pump chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2009
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Inventors: Naoya Yasuhara, Hironori Kaji, Kimihiko Ishii, Hiroyuki Wada
  • Publication number: 20090090173
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to improve the accuracy in analysis repeatability of a liquid chromatography apparatus that feeds different eluent by use of a plurality of pumps and achieves the mixture of eluent. Each of the pumps includes means for notifying an automatic sampler and a higher-level control unit that the specified timing of a liquid feeding cycle is reached. A pump whose liquid feeding cycle is the slowest transmits own information so that analysis is synchronized with a liquid feeding cycle. Moreover, a cycle position of a liquid feeding cycle at the end of analysis is expected, and the analysis time is automatically adjusted so that the wait time until the start of the next analysis becomes the shortest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2008
    Publication date: April 9, 2009
    Inventors: Masato Fukuda, Hiroyuki Wada, Masahito Ito, Hironori Kaji, Kosaku Toyosaki
  • Publication number: 20090057227
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid delivery device for liquid chromatographs which, by performing liquid delivery at an accurate flow rate with limited pulsation, gives accurate results of analyses. The present invention, with a view to preventing erroneous operation due to errors in measurements at the time of judgment of completion of compression of liquid, establishes the judgment point before the pressure measured by a cylinder pressure detector agrees with the pressure measured by a discharge pressure detector and also calculates the point of completion of compression. Control in this manner prevents pressure fluctuation. It also calculates for control the point of completion of compression from the history of compression performed previously.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: Hironori KAJI, Hiroyuki Wada, Masato Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20080296209
    Abstract: This liquid feeding system has the first and second pumps each of which is provided with a plunger. Liquid sucked through each of the pump suction ports is discharged out of the discharging port through the first pump and/or second pump. Under the starting operation mode, the second pump is stopped and only the first pump is operated. When the discharging pressure at the discharging port reaches up to a predetermined value, the starting operation mode is changed over to the normal operation mode. Under the normal operation mode, the first pump is stopped and only the second pump is operated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Publication date: December 4, 2008
    Inventors: Kunihiko Takao, Hironori Kaji, Masahito Ito
  • Publication number: 20080283458
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a separation column comprising a porous block covered with a coating wherein space-free adhesion is attainable therebetween by low temperature process without releasing octadecylsilyl bases and others from the porous block. A monolith rod 1 is covered with a metal or resin coating 2. Then, the monolith rod 1 covered by the coating 2 is further covered with a rod retainer 3 made of a low melting point metal (melting point 100-200 degrees C.) to form a column body 19. Since the rod retainer 3 is formed by pressure molding at low temperature (100-200 degrees C.). It is therefore possible to absorb the surface irregularities of the monolith rod 1 by the coating 2 while octadecylsilyl bases and others from are released when the retainer 3 is formed. This allows the potential separation ability of the porous block to be brought out maximally.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Inventors: Kimihiko Ishii, Hironori Kaji, Masahito Ito, Yoshihiro Nagaoka, Kunihiko Takao
  • Patent number: 7350401
    Abstract: This liquid feeding system has the first and second pumps each of which is provided with a plunger. Liquid sucked through each of the pump suction ports is discharged out of the discharging port through the first pump and/or second pump. Under the starting operation mode, the second pump is stopped and only the first pump is operated. When the discharging pressure at the discharging port reaches up to a predetermined value, the starting operation mode is changed over to the normal operation mode. Under the normal operation mode, the first pump is stopped and only the second pump is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Kunihiko Takao, Hironori Kaji, Masahito Ito
  • Publication number: 20070084766
    Abstract: A pump device is realized, which accurately detects a flow rate of a pump, performs real-time control of the flow rate, and thus can suppress a flow rate error caused by occurrence of pulsation. Control of a pump rotation speed by a pressure sensor has low responsiveness in a low pressure region, and a correlation between a pressure and a flow rate is incomplete in a high flow rate region. With this taken into consideration, a flow rate sensor 10 is disposed at an outlet port 9 of a second pump 4. A position detection sensor 14 detects a point where a first pump 3 is shifted from a suction mode to a discharge mode. Moreover, the flow rate sensor 10 detects that there is no discharge from the pump 3, and that there is discharge from the pump 4 alone. Accordingly, a controller 15 sets a rotation speed of a motor 12 to a speed double the previous speed (double the normal rotation speed).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2006
    Publication date: April 19, 2007
    Inventors: Kimihiko Ishii, Kiyotoshi Mori, Masahito Ito, Hironori Kaji, Takefumi Yokokura