Patents by Inventor Kei Yoshizawa

Kei Yoshizawa 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: 11813853
    Abstract: To provide a technology capable of appropriately suppressing deterioration in cutting accuracy of a slitter although the rigidity of a print medium changes, a printing apparatus is equipped with: a first conveyance unit configured to convey a print medium; a printing unit configured to print an image by applying ink to the print medium conveyed by the first conveyance unit; a cutting unit disposed on a downstream side in a conveyance direction in which the print medium is conveyed by the first conveyance unit and configured to cut the print medium, which is conveyed by the first conveyance unit, along the conveyance direction; and a second conveyance unit disposed on the cutting unit, and the printing apparatus includes a correction unit configured to correct a parameter related to conveyance of at least one of the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit, based on information about the print medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kawafuji, Hiroshi Taira, Kazuhiko Sato, Taku Yokozawa, Noboru Kunimine, Akiko Aichi, Satoshi Azuma, Sae Mogi, Kei Yoshizawa, Shingo Nishioka, Junichi Saito, Hajime Nagai, Naoko Baba, Yuji Konno, Serena Yoshikawa, Satoshi Wada
  • Patent number: 11766882
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an image processing unit and generates a product by performing printing on a print medium conveyed in a conveyance direction intersecting a width direction, based on data for printing, and then cutting a width-direction end portion of a printed image, wherein the image processing unit calculates a first ink application amount of a first area formed at one end portion in the width direction on a leading edge side of the image which is located on a downstream side in the conveyance direction during printing and a second ink application amount of a second area formed at the other end in the width direction on the leading edge and enlarges the image data at a predetermined ratio to obtain the data for printing in a case where at least one of the first ink application amount and the second ink application amount exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuji Konno, Satoshi Wada, Naoko Baba, Hajime Nagai, Shingo Nishioka, Kei Yoshizawa, Junichi Saito, Serena Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 11700346
    Abstract: Luminance data indicating luminance of the print product illuminated by the lighting is calculated and processing for causing a high luminance region to have gradation characteristics is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Wada, Yuji Konno, Takeshi Yazawa, Naomi Yamamoto, Kei Yoshizawa
  • Publication number: 20230142347
    Abstract: A generation unit, which is configured to process image data to generate print data for applying an ink and a reaction liquid such that the print data corresponds to respective passes, generates print data for the ink such that the ink is applied only in a pass of which the elapsed time after application of the reaction liquid to the print medium is equal to or longer than the first time and shorter than the second time. The first time is from the timing where the reaction liquid is applied to the print medium up to the timing where adjacent droplets of the applied reaction liquid come into contact with each other and coalesce to form a reaction liquid film. The second time is from the timing where the reaction liquid is applied to the print medium up to the timing where the formed reaction liquid film is dissolved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2022
    Publication date: May 11, 2023
    Inventors: Kei Yoshizawa, Yosuke Ishii, Tatsuo Shimmoto
  • Patent number: 11504984
    Abstract: A printing apparatus provides a conveyance operation in which a conveyance unit conveys a print medium in a conveyance direction, and includes a control unit to control a printing unit such that, in a case where an image is to be printed onto a print medium of a first type in a first state in which the print medium of the first type is supported by a first conveyance member and not supported by a second conveyance member, the printing unit uses a printing element included in a first region from which a distance to the print medium of the first type in a height direction perpendicular to a surface where the printing elements are arrayed is a first distance, and does not use a printing element included in a second region from which a distance to the print medium of the first type in the height direction is a second distance greater than the first distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Yazawa, Yuji Konno, Hidehiko Kanda, Hajime Nagai, Shingo Nishioka, Keiji Kuriyama, Kei Yoshizawa, Serena Yoshikawa
  • Publication number: 20220324223
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus is configured to print the image in N (N is an integer of four or more) print scanning operations of a print head for a unit region of the print medium by using N mask patterns used in the N print scanning operations. The inkjet printing apparatus includes: an obtaining unit configured to obtain defective nozzle information specifying a defective nozzle; and a correction unit configured to divide the N mask patterns into mask groups each corresponding to two or more print scanning operations and correct the mask patterns based on the defective nozzle information in each of the divided mask groups.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Hajime Nagai, Yuji Konno, Satoshi Wada, Naoko Baba, Shingo Nishioka, Kei Yoshizawa, Junichi Saito, Serena Yoshikawa
  • Publication number: 20220080754
    Abstract: To provide a technology capable of appropriately suppressing deterioration in cutting accuracy of a slitter although the rigidity of a print medium changes, a printing apparatus is equipped with: a first conveyance unit configured to convey a print medium; a printing unit configured to print an image by applying ink to the print medium conveyed by the first conveyance unit; a cutting unit disposed on a downstream side in a conveyance direction in which the print medium is conveyed by the first conveyance unit and configured to cut the print medium, which is conveyed by the first conveyance unit, along the conveyance direction; and a second conveyance unit disposed on the cutting unit, and the printing apparatus includes a correction unit configured to correct a parameter related to conveyance of at least one of the first conveyance unit and the second conveyance unit, based on information about the print medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kawafuji, Hiroshi Taira, Kazuhiko Sato, Taku Yokozawa, Noboru Kunimine, Akiko Aichi, Satoshi Azuma, Sae Mogi, Kei Yoshizawa, Shingo Nishioka, Junichi Saito, Hajime Nagai, Naoko Baba, Yuji Konno, Serena Yoshikawa, Satoshi Wada
  • Publication number: 20220072878
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes an image processing unit and generates a product by performing printing on a print medium conveyed in a conveyance direction intersecting a width direction, based on data for printing, and then cutting a width-direction end portion of a printed image, wherein the image processing unit calculates a first ink application amount of a first area formed at one end portion in the width direction on a leading edge side of the image which is located on a downstream side in the conveyance direction during printing and a second ink application amount of a second area formed at the other end in the width direction on the leading edge and enlarges the image data at a predetermined ratio to obtain the data for printing in a case where at least one of the first ink application amount and the second ink application amount exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventors: Yuji Konno, Satoshi Wada, Naoko Baba, Hajime Nagai, Shingo Nishioka, Kei Yoshizawa, Junichi Saito, Serena Yoshikawa
  • Publication number: 20210268811
    Abstract: An object is to reduce deterioration of image quality at a leading edge portion and a trailing edge portion of a high-stiffness print medium. To achieve that, in a case of printing an image onto a leading edge portion of the print medium in its conveyance direction, the image is printed using printing elements included in a region in a printing element region that is close to a first conveyance member on the upstream side. Also, in a case of printing an image onto a trailing edge portion of the print medium in the conveyance direction, the image is printed using printing elements included in a region in the printing element region that is close to a second conveyance member on the downstream side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Takeshi Yazawa, Yuji Konno, Hidehiko Kanda, Hajime Nagai, Shingo Nishioka, Keiji Kuriyama, Kei Yoshizawa, Serena Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 10992842
    Abstract: An illumination condition, which is used to irradiate a print product with light having illuminance higher than normal illumination, is derived based on exposure condition information at the time of photographing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Yazawa, Satoshi Wada, Kei Yoshizawa, Naomi Yamamoto, Makoto Torigoe, Yuji Konno, Hiroshi Tajika, Hidetsugu Kagawa
  • Publication number: 20200412913
    Abstract: Luminance data indicating luminance of the print product illuminated by the lighting is calculated and processing for causing a high luminance region to have gradation characteristics is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2020
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Inventors: Satoshi Wada, Yuji Konno, Takeshi Yazawa, Naomi Yamamoto, Kei Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 10764469
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an obtaining unit to obtain image data and a dynamic range conversion unit to convert an input luminance signal included in the image data into an output luminance signal for an image printing apparatus by using a conversion parameter. A dynamic range of luminance of the converted image data is narrower than that of the unconverted image data before the dynamic range conversion. When the input luminance signal indicates an input black reference luminance value, the output luminance signal indicates an output black reference luminance value, and, when the input luminance signal indicates a predetermined reference input luminance value, the output luminance signal indicates a reference output luminance value, the reference output luminance value being a value calculated based on the predetermined reference input luminance value and the output black reference luminance value for observing a print product to be printed by the printing apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Suwa, Hidetsugu Kagawa, Satoshi Wada, Kei Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 10678159
    Abstract: An apparatus is configured to determine an illumination condition for irradiating a printed product with light. The printed product is generated by outputting an image onto a recording medium based on fed input image data. The apparatus includes an input unit configured to receive inputs of luminance dynamic range information of the input image data and exposure condition information at the time of imaging regarding the input image data, an acquisition unit configured to acquire characteristic information of the recording medium, and a determination unit configured to determine the illumination condition based on the luminance dynamic range information, the exposure condition information, and the characteristic information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Wada, Takeshi Yazawa, Kei Yoshizawa, Naomi Yamamoto, Makoto Torigoe, Yuji Konno, Hiroshi Tajika, Hidetsugu Kagawa
  • Publication number: 20200021717
    Abstract: An illumination condition, which is used to irradiate a print product with light having illuminance higher than normal illumination, is derived based on exposure condition information at the time of photographing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Inventors: Takeshi Yazawa, Satoshi Wada, Kei Yoshizawa, Naomi Yamamoto, Makoto Torigoe, Yuji Konno, Hiroshi Tajika, Hidetsugu Kagawa
  • Publication number: 20190364171
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus has a dynamic range compression unit that converts an input luminance signal included in a developed data into an output luminance signal by using a conversion parameter. The unit obtains an input black reference luminance value and an input white reference luminance value of the luminance information included in the developed data. The unit, on a basis of print medium information and observation environment information, obtains an output black reference luminance value and an output white reference luminance value and calculates a reference output luminance value for observation. The unit generates a conversion line and generates the conversion parameter by using the conversion line. The conversion line indicating a correspondence between the input luminance signal and the output luminance signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventors: Tetsuya Suwa, Hidetsugu Kagawa, Satoshi Wada, Kei Yoshizawa
  • Publication number: 20180314182
    Abstract: An apparatus is configured to determine an illumination condition for irradiating a printed product with light. The printed product is generated by outputting an image onto a recording medium based on fed input image data. The apparatus includes an input unit configured to receive inputs of luminance dynamic range information of the input image data and exposure condition information at the time of imaging regarding the input image data, an acquisition unit configured to acquire characteristic information of the recording medium, and a determination unit configured to determine the illumination condition based on the luminance dynamic range information, the exposure condition information, and the characteristic information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventors: Satoshi Wada, Takeshi Yazawa, Kei Yoshizawa, Naomi Yamamoto, Makoto Torigoe, Yuji Konno, Hiroshi Tajika, Hidetsugu Kagawa
  • Patent number: 9227423
    Abstract: In a color mode, among clear ink data CL1 and CL2, only the data CL2 is set to a uniform use amount of 20%, while the use amount for the data CL1 is set to zero. Meanwhile, in a monochrome photo mode, the data CL1 indicates a usage of 10% to 40% near a white point, but starting at the intermediate gradations the data CL1 use amount decreases while the data CL2 use amount increases, with a data CL2 use amount of 20% near a black point. In so doing, it is possible to sufficiently suppress bronzing in the color mode where coloring ink data exists, without imparting a particularly strong unnatural look except for specific colors. Meanwhile, in the monochrome photo mode where coloring ink data does not exist, high-level suppression of bronzing is possible, at the cost of a slight reduction in the glossiness of the printed material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Yazawa, Makoto Torigoe, Hinako Ojiro, Kei Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 9087264
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head having a common liquid chamber and a plurality of nozzles configured to discharge ink supplied from the common liquid chamber using generation of bubbles, and a recovery unit configured to perform recovery processing on the plurality of nozzles, wherein the recovery unit performs the recovery processing while the recovery unit changes a distribution of flow velocity of the ink flowing from the common liquid chamber to the plurality of nozzles by generating bubbles within apart of the nozzles among the plurality of nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kei Yoshizawa, Hiroshi Tajika
  • Patent number: 9007653
    Abstract: Provided is an ink jet printing apparatus that, without causing an increase in apparatus size, can print an image having high evenness in both of image clarity and glossiness regardless a gradation or gamut of the image. For this purpose, on the basis of input image data, pieces of multivalued color data respectively corresponding to colored inks, and first multivalued data and second multivalued data that correspond to image enhancing liquid are generated. On a print medium, the colored inks and the image enhancing liquid according to the first multivalued data are printed at nearly the same timing, and after the printing of them has been completed, the image enhancing liquid according to the second multivalued data is printed. In doing so, gloss properties appearing on the print medium can be made to fall within certain ranges, respectively, independently of input image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hinako Ojiro, Takeshi Yazawa, Kei Yoshizawa, Makoto Torigoe
  • Patent number: 8950844
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus is provided which minimizes the amount of inks consumed for preventing the sedimentation of ejected inks on the platen ink absorber and which can effectively prevent the sedimentation of inks. To this end, a comparison is made between the ejected volume of easily sedimenting inks and the ejected volume of sedimentation restraining inks in terms of ink components. If the ejected volume of the sedimentation restraining inks is found not enough, a required amount of sedimentation restraining ink is additionally ejected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Takahashi, Yuji Hamasaki, Kei Yoshizawa, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Nobuhiro Kitabatake, Seiji Ogasawara