Patents by Inventor Ken Ishihara

Ken Ishihara 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: 5934278
    Abstract: A non-invasive blood analyzer includes a light applying device for applying light to a detection region including a blood vessel in a living body and a capturing device for capturing an image of the detection region to which the light is applied. Finally, an analyzing device is included for further processing the captured image to analyze blood cells in the blood vessel included in the detection region. Preferably, the analyzing device includes a reference image forming device for forming a reference image by using at least one of a plurality of images which the capturing device repeatedly captures with respect to the same detection region. In addition, it includes a differential image forming device for calculating a difference in pixel information between the reference image and one of the plurality of images to form a differential image by using the calculated difference as pixel information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: TOA Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ken Ishihara, Kaoru Asano, Yasunori Maekawa
  • Patent number: 5791345
    Abstract: A non-invasive blood analyzer is intended to capture images of a prescribed volume of blood in a blood vessel in a non-invasive manner and with a good contrast without collecting blood from a living body. The non-invasive blood analyzer includes a light application device for illuminating a detection region of vessels contained in a part of a living body, an image capturing device for capturing images of the detection region illuminated by the light application device, and an analyzer for analyzing blood components contained in the detection region by processing the images captured by the image capturing device. The image capturing device includes an object lens for converging the reflected light from the detection region. The light application device illuminates the detection region at an incident angle larger than an aperture angle of the object lens with respect to the detection region to provide dark-field illumination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ken Ishihara, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Mitsuru Watanabe, Kaoru Asano, Akio Suzuki, Yasunori Maekawa, Yasuhiro Kouchi
  • Patent number: 5769076
    Abstract: A non-invasive blood analyzer contains a light applicator for illuminating a detection region under the skin of a living body including a blood vessel; a camera for capturing an image of the illuminated detection region; an analyzer for processing the captured image and analyzing at least a component of blood in the blood vessel; a transparent plate; and a support for supporting the transparent plate and contacting the transparent plate closely with the skin over the detection region. The light applicator and the camera are constructed to illuminate the detection region and capture the image of the detection region through the transparent plate. Further, a drive controller is included for driving the support to move the transparent plate contacted closely with the skin in order to adjust the detection region to thereby compensate for any change in position of the blood vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignee: TOA Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasunori Maekawa, Kaoru Asano, Yasuhiro Kochi, Ken Ishihara
  • Patent number: 5741213
    Abstract: An apparatus for analyzing blood includes an image capturing device for capturing an image including at least one object blood cell and an analyzer for analyzing the captured image as an image F(x, y) in an x-y coordinate system. The analyzer includes an edge calculator for calculating an edge intensity distribution E(x, y) representing an outline of the image F(x, y); a weight memory for storing in advance a weight distribution W(i, j) corresponding to an average outline of the object cell; an assessment value calculator for obtaining an assessment value C (x, y) at each point (x, y) by calculating a degree of correspondence between the edge intensity distribution E (x, y) and the weight distribution W(i, j) for each point (x, y); and an extractor for extracting a point (x, y) at which the assessment value C(x, y) is larger than a predetermined value, thereby determining that the object blood cell is present at the point (x, y). The apparatus is useful as a device for identifying the object blood cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kouchi, Kaoru Asano, Ken Ishihara
  • Patent number: 5722398
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring a concentration of hemoglobin includes a light application device for applying light to a detection region containing a blood vessel present in a living body; an image capturing device for capturing an image of the detection region to which the light is applied; and an analyzer for analyzing the concentration of hemoglobin in blood flowing through the blood vessel by processing the captured image. The analyzer includes a light intensity detector for detecting a light intensity of a body tissue and a light intensity of blood using the captured image. It further includes a calculator for calculating the concentration of hemoglobin from a ratio of the light intensity of the body tissue relative to the light intensity of blood thus detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: TOA Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ken Ishihara, Kaoru Asano, Yasunori Maekawa
  • Patent number: 5598842
    Abstract: A non-invasive blood analyzer includes a light application device for applying light to a detection region of vessels contained in part of the living body, an imaging device for imaging the detection region to which light is applied, a fixing device for relatively fixing the imaging device and the part of the living body; a stabilizing device for stabilizing a focus of the imaging device with respect to the detection region; and an analyzer for analyzing the morphology and/or number of blood cells contained in the detection region by processing images captured with the imaging device, the light application device and the imaging device forming one image with a light application and capturing process during an interval of one ten thousandth to one billionth of a second.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1997
    Assignee: Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ken Ishihara, Hiroshi Yamamoto, Mitsuru Watanabe, Kaoru Asano, Akio Suzuki, Yasunori Maekawa
  • Patent number: 5465721
    Abstract: A two-dimensional echogram or a tomogram (B-mode image) and a volume of an organ are displayed in real time while radiating an ultrasonic wave to the organ. The volume of the organ is obtained by first designating a plurality of line segments traversing the image of the organ on the two-dimensional echogram, by obtaining a pair of intersections between each line segment and the wall of the organ by using a signal intensity profile (A-mode image) of each line segment, by obtaining a length between the pair of intersections, and by calculating the volume by the Simpson method by using the obtained length. In order to improve the precision of volume calculation, the signal intensity profile is smoothed and the intensity is normalized. The intersections are displayed superposed upon the two-dimensional echogram to allow an operator to visually check easily whether the intersections are correctly aligned with the wall of the organ.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1995
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Shinji Kishimoto, Masa Harashima, Hiroshi Kanda, Akira Sasaki, Kozi Tanabe, Kenji Nosaka, Satoru Hanasaka, Ken Ishihara
  • Patent number: 5325859
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus comprises an ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting ultrasonic signals to a subject and receiving reflected echo signals reflected from the subject; a unit for controlling the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving unit such that the ultrasonic signals repetitively scan the subject at a predetermined scan period; an image memory unit for storing a plurality of image data pieces; a detection unit for detecting biophysical signals of the subject; a unit for setting a reference timing on the basis of the biophysical signals; an image display unit for displaying an image corresponding to the image data piece being delivered out of the image memory unit, the image display unit displaying the image at a predetermined display unit; a unit for controlling the image memory unit so as to store the plurality of image data pieces based on the reflected echo signals, wherein the plurality of image data pieces respectively correspond to two-dimensional images of the s
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignees: Ken Ishihara, Hitachi Medical Corp.
    Inventors: Ken Ishihara, Toshihiko Kawano
  • Patent number: 5241473
    Abstract: The present invention includes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for forming differential image data by performing differential operation among topographic image data obtained in time series, an apparatus for giving color codes which designate display colors to differential image data, an apparatus for cumulating a plurality of frames of differential image data, and an apparatus for displaying respective cumulated differential images in colors designated by the color codes in which motion of a moving portion of a patient's body is displayed in colors by superposing a plurality of differential images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1993
    Assignees: Ken Ishihara, Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Ken Ishihara, Hiroya Kondo, Akihiro Ueyama, Toshio Ogawa, Shinji Kishimoto
  • Patent number: 5224481
    Abstract: An image displaying method in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus obtains differential image data between first image data and second image data in image data sequentially obtained from an echo signal received by transmitting an ultrasonic wave to a body to be examined. A time difference between a point of time, where the first image data are measured, and another point of time, where the second image data are measured is determined. A synthesized image data capable of displaying simultaneously a differential image and the time difference by combining the differential image data and data representing the time difference is obtained and displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1993
    Assignees: Ken Ishihara, Jun Tanouchi, Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Ken Ishihara, Jun Tanouchi, Takashi Sugiyama, Shinji Kishimoto
  • Patent number: 5190766
    Abstract: A drug carrier carrying a drug is introduced to a diseased region of the living body while it is observed in the B mode echograms. The drug carrier is irradiated with an ultrasonic wave for strongly vibrating the drug carrier, thereby releasing the drug from the drug carrier for curing the diseased portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1993
    Inventor: Ken Ishihara
  • Patent number: 4841341
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices and in particular an excimer laser exposure apparatus includes, an integrator for uniformly distributing the excimer laser beam used as an exposure light source to render the exposure illuminance uniform at an exposure area. The integrator is characterized by a plurality of concentric-circular or parallel stripe-like recesses on one of two main opposing surfaces so that the light entering one main surface is dispersively radiated fromthe other main surface to render the excimer laser light from the light source uniform so as to reduce uneven exposure illuminance in the exposure area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1989
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazufumi Ogawa, Masaru Sasago, Masayuki Endo, Ken Ishihara
  • Patent number: 4144921
    Abstract: Projections made of a different and less abrasion resistant kind of rubber to that constituting the exterior of the tire are arranged to contact the road during low pressure conditions, whereby the amount of rubber worn off indicates the amount of fatigue accumulated and degree of internal damage done by running the tire at that pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1977
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1979
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Company, Limited, The Toyo Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keiichiro Yabuta, Nagayuki Marumo, Yoichi Shimabara, Masahiro Ishigaki, Ken Ishihara, Yoshiki Mayama