Patents by Inventor Kazuaki Uchida

Kazuaki Uchida 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: 20150073454
    Abstract: A liquid ejection device includes: a liquid chamber with a variable inside volume; a volume varying unit which varies the volume inside the liquid chamber according to a drive signal; a volume changing unit which changes a representative volume of the liquid chamber; an ejection tube having an ejection port for ejecting a liquid from the liquid chamber; and a control unit which controls the volume varying unit and the volume changing unit and thereby adjusts pressure inside the liquid chamber. The control unit changes the representative volume according to a moving speed of the ejection port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Kazuaki UCHIDA, Atsuya HIRABAYASHI, Hirokazu SEKINO
  • Patent number: 8919664
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: an inflow channel to which liquid is supplied; an outflow channel communicated with a nozzle; a liquid chamber formed with a spiral flow channel having a substantially constant cross-sectional area between the inflow channel and the outflow channel and having a given volume; a volume changing portion configured to deform the liquid chamber so as to change the volume of the liquid chamber to a volume smaller than the given volume; and an ejection control unit configured to cause the liquid to be ejected from the nozzle in a pulsed manner by driving the volume changing portion in a state in which the liquid chamber is filled with the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Seto, Hirokazu Sekino, Kazuaki Uchida, Kazuo Kawasumi
  • Publication number: 20140316452
    Abstract: A liquid ejection device includes a liquid chamber, a volume varying unit, a liquid supplying unit, and a control unit. An interior volume of the liquid chamber can be varied. The volume varying unit varies the volume in the liquid chamber. The liquid supplying unit supplies liquid to the liquid chamber. The control unit controls the volume varying unit and the liquid supplying unit to thereby adjust the pressure in the liquid chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirokazu SEKINO, Hideki KOJIMA, Kazuaki UCHIDA
  • Publication number: 20140296896
    Abstract: A fluid ejection device includes a fluid chamber, a volume varying unit, a fluid supplying unit, and an ejection pipe. The volume varying unit generates pulsation in the pressure of a fluid in the fluid chamber. The fluid supplying unit supplies the fluid to the fluid chamber through a first channel. The ejection pipe receives the supply of the fluid, in which the pulsation is generated, from the fluid chamber through a second channel and ejects the supplied fluid from an ejection port. In a connecting part to the fluid chamber, the cross-sectional area of the second channel is five times or more as large as the cross-sectional area of the first channel. In the connecting part to the fluid chamber, the first channel and the second channel are arranged to be opposed to each other via the vicinity of the center of the fluid chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideki KOJIMA, Kazuaki UCHIDA
  • Publication number: 20140296892
    Abstract: A fluid ejection device which ejects a fluid includes: an ejection pipe having an opening to eject the fluid; a fluid chamber which communicates with the ejection pipe and changes in volume due to displacement of a piezoelectric element; a supply channel which communicates with the fluid chamber; an opening/closing unit which is provided on the supply channel and opens and closes the supply channel; a fluid supplying unit which pressurizes the fluid and supplies the fluid to the fluid chamber via the supply channel; and a voltage controller which applies a drive voltage to the piezoelectric element. The voltage controller controls the drive voltage applied to the piezoelectric element so that the drive voltage reaches a predetermined voltage after the supply channel is opened by the opening/closing unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuaki UCHIDA, Junichi KARASAWA, Takahiro MATSUZAKI
  • Publication number: 20140134001
    Abstract: A fluid supply apparatus which supplies fluid to a medical apparatus includes: a pump mechanism including a first pump capable of a suction operation of the fluid after a feeding operation of the fluid, and a second pump capable of a suction operation of the fluid during the feeding operation and a feeding operation of the fluid during the suction operation; a flow path which includes an elastic member and which communicates with the first pump and the second pump and supplies the fluid to the medical apparatus; and a flow path deforming unit which deforms a part of the flow path. The flow path deforming unit starts first deformation of the flow path before the first pump switches from the feeding operation to the suction operation, and completes the first deformation and starts second deformation of the flow path during the feeding operation by the second pump.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuaki UCHIDA, Atsuya HIRABAYASHI, Takeshi SETO, Takahiro MATSUZAKI
  • Publication number: 20140127037
    Abstract: A fluid supply apparatus which supplies a fluid to a medical apparatus includes: a pump mechanism including a first pump capable of carrying out a intake operation of a fluid and a feeding operation of the fluid, and a second pump capable of alternately carrying out a intake operation of the fluid and a feeding operation of the fluid; a flow passage which includes an elastic member and which communicates with the pumps and supplies the fluid to the medical apparatus; a pressure fluctuation detecting unit capable of detecting fluctuation in internal pressure in the flow passage; and a flow passage deforming unit which deforms the flow passage according to the fluctuation in the internal pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuaki UCHIDA, Takeshi SETO, Takahiro MATSUZAKI, Atsuya HIRABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20130310862
    Abstract: Liquid is ejected in a pulse-like manner from a nozzle provided at the distal end of a liquid ejection pipe. When the liquid is ejected, moving speed of the nozzle is detected. A driving frequency of a piezoelectric element is increased when the moving speed increase. The driving frequency is reduced when the moving speed decreases. Consequently, it is possible to prevent the number of times the liquid is ejected per unit length from changing according to the moving speed of the nozzle. Therefore, it is possible to excise a biological tissue at stable excision depth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2013
    Publication date: November 21, 2013
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi SETO, Kazuaki UCHIDA, Hideki KOJIMA, Hirokazu SEKINO
  • Publication number: 20130243616
    Abstract: A liquid circulating device includes a pump chamber whose volume is changed by a volume changing unit; an inlet channel that is an inflow passage of the liquid to the pump chamber; a liquid resistance element; an outlet channel; a circulation channel of a length L through which the liquid circulates from the outlet channel to the inlet channel; and a pressure regulating mechanism that contains the liquid of a volume Vb during the non-operation of the volume changing unit and supplies the contained liquid as part of the circulating liquid during the operation of the volume changing unit. When the compliance of the circulation channel is defined as Cs, and the pressure of the liquid in the circulation channel at the position of a length x from the outlet channel during the operation of the volume changing unit is defined as P(x), the volume Vb satisfies a predetermined relationship.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi SETO, Atsushi OSHIMA, Takahiro MATSUZAKI, Kazuaki UCHIDA, Atsuya HIRABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20130064698
    Abstract: A fluid feed pump is configured, such that a fluid is fed from an outlet channel of the fluid feed pump through an outlet buffer chamber to a fluid channel. The outlet buffer chamber is designed to have a higher compliance than a compliance of a pump chamber. The driving period of the fluid feed pump is set to a shorter period than a time constant defined by the compliance of the pump chamber and a flow resistance between an inlet of the outlet channel and an outlet of the fluid channel. This enables the fluid to be fed with high efficiency by taking advantage of the pressure oscillation occurring between the pump chamber and the outlet buffer chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Oshima, Takahiro Matsuzaki, Kazuaki Uchida, Akio Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8382702
    Abstract: Fluid is pressurized and supplied to a fluid chamber with a fluid pressurizing and supplying unit. The pressurized fluid within the fluid chamber is ejected through an injection nozzle by reduction of the volume of the fluid chamber caused by applying a driving voltage to a volume varying unit. In applying the driving voltage to the volume varying unit, the effect imposed on fluid injection by pressure fluctuations of the fluid pressurized and supplied to the fluid chamber is compensated by changing the voltage waveform of the driving voltage. When the pressure of the supply flow amount is decreased to a pressure lower than a predetermined pressure, the time intervals of the driving waveform are corrected. The maneuverability of a fluid injection device does not deteriorate even when the pressure of the fluid pressurized and supplied to the fluid chamber fluctuates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuaki Uchida, Hideki Kojima, Atsuya Hirabayashi
  • Publication number: 20120181352
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: an inflow channel to which liquid is supplied; an outflow channel communicated with a nozzle; a liquid chamber formed with a spiral flow channel having a substantially constant cross-sectional area between the inflow channel and the outflow channel and having a given volume; a volume changing portion configured to deform the liquid chamber so as to change the volume of the liquid chamber to a volume smaller than the given volume; and an ejection control unit configured to cause the liquid to be ejected from the nozzle in a pulsed manner by driving the volume changing portion in a state in which the liquid chamber is filled with the liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2012
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeshi Seto, Hirokazu Sekino, Kazuaki Uchida, Kazuo Kawasumi
  • Publication number: 20120095401
    Abstract: A liquid supply pump includes: three chambers of a first liquid chamber, a second liquid chamber, and a third liquid chamber disposed in series and produced by dividing a space between an inlet channel into which liquid is supplied and an outlet channel from which liquid is delivered; a first movable partition and a second movable partition which section the respective chambers and change the volumes of the chambers; channels each of which penetrates the corresponding one of the first and second movable partitions so that the two adjoining chambers can communicated with each other; and non-return valves each of which opens and closes the corresponding one of the channels. Each of the non-return valves closes when the corresponding movable partition shifts from the inlet channel side toward the outlet channel side, and opens when the corresponding movable partition shifts from the outlet channel side toward the inlet channel side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuaki Uchida, Takeshi Seto, Kazuo Kawasumi
  • Publication number: 20120046605
    Abstract: Fluid is pressurized and supplied to a fluid chamber with a fluid pressurizing and supplying unit. The pressurized fluid within the fluid chamber is ejected through an injection nozzle by reduction of the volume of the fluid chamber caused by applying a driving voltage to a volume varying unit. In applying the driving voltage to the volume varying unit, the effect imposed on fluid injection by pressure fluctuations of the fluid pressurized and supplied to the fluid chamber is compensated by changing the voltage waveform of the driving voltage. When the pressure of the supply flow amount is decreased to a pressure lower than a predetermined pressure, the time intervals of the driving waveform are corrected. The maneuverability of a fluid injection device does not deteriorate even when the pressure of the fluid pressurized and supplied to the fluid chamber fluctuates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2011
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuaki UCHIDA, Hideki KOJIMA, Atsuya HIRABAYASHI