Patents by Inventor Kenichi Iida

Kenichi Iida 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: 10372060
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a halftone processing unit configured to perform halftone processing on image data by a dither matrix that includes a plurality of submatrices and decide an exposure region of an image. In at least one of a first dither matrix corresponding to a first section, and a second dither matrix corresponding to a second section adjacent to the first dither matrix in the main scanning direction and corresponding to a second section different from the first section in tone value, at least a size of an exposure region of an image formed by using a first submatrix corresponding to a predetermined tone value in the dither matrix and a size of an exposure region of an image formed by using a second submatrix corresponding to the predetermined tone value are different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Iida, Yusuke Shimizu, Jun Hara
  • Publication number: 20190227472
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a container that contains a developer, a temperature information acquisition unit that acquires temperature information of the container, and a control unit that controls an image formation operation for forming an image and, in the image formation operation, the control unit executes a suspension operation for suspending the image formation operation in the case that t?toth(toth?0) is satisfied, where t is defined to be an elapsed time from when a temperature corresponding to the temperature information of the container exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature Tth, and where toth is defined to be an exceeding time threshold value related to a period during which the temperature corresponding to the temperature information of the container remains higher than the threshold temperature Tth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Jun Hara, Kenichi Iida, Ryuji Hamasaki, Keisuke Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20190219942
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises: a photosensitive member; a charger unit configured to charge the photosensitive member; an exposing unit configured to form a latent image by scanning the photosensitive member by laser light which has a different spot diameter in accordance with a scanning position of the photosensitive member in a main scanning direction; a developing unit configured to develop an image by adhering a toner to the photosensitive member on which the latent image is formed; and a control unit configured to control a luminance of the laser light and a resolution of the photosensitive member in a sub-scanning direction in accordance with the scanning position of the photosensitive member in the main scanning direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Yusuke Shimizu, Kenichi Iida, Hikaru Osada, Tomoo Akizuki
  • Publication number: 20190219944
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a photosensitive member; a scan unit configured to scan the photosensitive member with light based on image data, and form a latent image on the photosensitive member; a developing unit configured to form an image on the photosensitive member by attaching toner to the latent image formed on the photosensitive member; and a correction unit configured to correct an exposure amount of the photosensitive member such that a density change of the image in a main scanning direction due to a configuration of the scan unit and a density of the image to be formed is reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Tomoo Akizuki, Kenichi Iida, Hikaru Osada, Yusuke Shimizu
  • Patent number: 10351719
    Abstract: A photo-curable ink contains an oil-based liquid containing a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and an aqueous liquid containing water. When the photo-curable ink is stirred at a rotational speed of 15000 rpm or more for 3 minutes and then allowed to stand at 25° C. for one hour or more, droplets formed with the aqueous liquid are dispersed in the oil-based liquid without layer separation between the oil-based liquid and the aqueous liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Honma, Motokazu Kobayashi, Yoshinori Kotani, Kenichi Iida, Shiori Yonezawa, Kazumi Iwashita, Kaori Kawa
  • Publication number: 20190196377
    Abstract: A control unit controls a transfer power source in such a manner that a current value detected by a detection unit is a predetermined value while a transfer medium is not held in a transfer portion, and the control unit sets a transfer voltage based on a voltage value applied from the transfer power source to a transfer member. Then, the transfer voltage is applied from the transfer power source to a transfer roller after the leading edge of the transfer medium in the conveyance direction for the transfer medium is held in the transfer portion and before the leading edge is held in a fixing portion. While the transfer voltage is applied, the control unit sets a voltage to be applied from the transfer power source to the transfer member based on the value of current detected by the detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Jun Hara, Yusuke Shimizu, Kenichi Iida
  • Patent number: 10293619
    Abstract: Provided is a metallic image forming method by which a metallic image that assumes sufficient metallic feeling can be acquired. The metallic image forming method is a method of forming a metallic image on a recording medium through use of an ink containing metal particles and includes an ink application step of applying an ink onto a recording medium having an underlayer formed thereon such that the ink overlaps at least a part of the underlayer, the underlayer having a black color or an opposite color with respect to diffusion light of the ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Iida, Taketoshi Okubo
  • Patent number: 10281846
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; an ionically conductive intermediate transferring belt; a primary transfer member; an opposing member that opposes the current supply member through the intermediate transferring belt, and a control unit configured to execute a recovery operation in a state where a primary transfer in which a toner image is primarily transferred to the image intermediate transferring belt from the image bearing member is not performed, wherein the recovery operation includes to supply a current flowing in a flow direction opposite to a flow direction of a current in the primary transfer through the opposing member from the current supply member to remove an uneven distribution of the conductive agent in the intermediate transferring belt caused by primary transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Iida, Takao Kume, Yusuke Shimizu, Keisuke Ishizumi, Toshihiko Takayama
  • Publication number: 20190127600
    Abstract: An ink jet printing method includes printing an image on a printing medium including a transparent substrate and an ink-receiving layer on one side of the transparent substrate by applying a first ink and a second ink onto the surface of the ink-receiving layer of the printing medium in such a manner that the first ink and the second ink are at least partially superposed one on the other. The first ink is an aqueous ink containing silver particles, and the second ink is an aqueous ink containing a dye. The particle size at 50% in the cumulative volume distribution of the silver particles is larger than the average pore size of the ink-receiving layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Tetsufumi Shiba, Kenichi Iida, Kazuhiko Araki
  • Publication number: 20190107699
    Abstract: To enhance the safety of medical practices, such as surgery and inspection, there is provided a medical observation device, including: an imaging section (310) that acquires imaged video data being video data obtained by photographing an observation target; a supporting section that supports the imaging section (310); a discriminating section (342) that discriminates existence or nonexistence of an input of a visual field moving instruction to an image to be displayed on a display device on a basis of the imaged video data and existence or nonexistence of an occurrence of an image movement to an image to be displayed on the display device on a basis of the imaged video data; and a correcting section (343) that creates display video data being video data to be displayed on the display device on a basis of the imaged vide data by correcting the image movement in a case where the discriminating section (342) has discriminated that there does not exist an input of the visual field moving instruction and the image
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Applicant: Sony Olympus Medical Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Kenichi IIDA, Kenji HIROSE
  • Patent number: 10197940
    Abstract: In a non-image forming state, an image forming apparatus changes the magnitude of a control signal output by a control portion, and when a current supply member supplies a belt with an amount of current generated by adding, to a predetermined target current used for image formation, an amount of current that flows from a contact member to the ground and changes in accordance with the magnitude of the control signal, the image forming apparatus acquires the magnitude of the control signal generated when the current, which is supplied from the current supply member to the belt and flows to a voltage adjusting member from the belt via the contact member, becomes zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shingo Ito, Toshihiko Takayama, Keisuke Ishizumi, Shohei Ishio, Kenichi Iida
  • Publication number: 20180333970
    Abstract: An inkjet printing method including the steps of applying a first ink to a printing medium and applying a second ink to the printing medium so as to at least overlap a region provided with the first ink, wherein the first ink is an aqueous ink containing silver particles, the second ink is an aqueous ink containing an anionic dye, the printing medium includes an ink-receiving layer containing at least one cationic compound selected from a group consisting of a polyvalent metal salt and a salt of a cationic resin, and the content (g/m2) of the cationic compound per unit area of the ink-receiving layer is 0.20 g/m2 or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: Kenichi Iida, Kazuhiko Araki, Tetsufumi Shiba, Takatoshi Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20180329335
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a halftone processing unit configured to perform halftone processing on image data by a dither matrix that includes a plurality of submatrices and decide an exposure region of an image. In at least one of a first dither matrix corresponding to a first section, and a second dither matrix corresponding to a second section adjacent to the first dither matrix in the main scanning direction and corresponding to a second section different from the first section in tone value, at least a size of an exposure region of an image formed by using a first submatrix corresponding to a predetermined tone value in the dither matrix and a size of an exposure region of an image formed by using a second submatrix corresponding to the predetermined tone value are different.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Inventors: Kenichi Iida, Yusuke Shimizu, Jun Hara
  • Patent number: 10120323
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to suppressing image defects due to variations in the values of currents flowing through respective photosensitive drums during image formation, and reducing the absolute value of a voltage applied when a primary transfer power supply unit applies a voltage of polarity opposite to that during image formation, to primary transfer members. There is provided an image forming apparatus including a transfer member configured to make contact with an inner peripheral surface of a transfer belt, a first power supply unit configured to apply a voltage to the transfer member, a resistance element connected between the first power supply unit and the transfer member, and a diode connected in parallel with the resistance element in a direction in which a current flowing in a first direction is blocked and a current flowing in a second direction is passed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yusuke Shimizu, Kenichi Iida, Takao Kume, Keisuke Ishizumi, Toshihiko Takayama
  • Publication number: 20180208784
    Abstract: A photo-curable ink contains an oil-based liquid containing a polymerizable compound and a photopolymerization initiator, and an aqueous liquid containing water. When the photo-curable ink is stirred at a rotational speed of 15000 rpm or more for 3 minutes and then allowed to stand at 25° C. for one hour or more, droplets formed with the aqueous liquid are dispersed in the oil-based liquid without layer separation between the oil-based liquid and the aqueous liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventors: Takeshi Honma, Motokazu Kobayashi, Yoshinori Kotani, Kenichi Iida, Shiori Yonezawa, Kazumi Iwashita, Kaori Kawa
  • Patent number: 10025221
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a correction unit configured to correct a tone of each pixel in first image data in accordance with an image height on a photosensitive member, and output second image data; a halftone processing unit configured to determine exposed regions of pixels in an image by applying halftone processing to the second image data; and a scanning unit configured to form a latent image by scanning the photosensitive member with light that changes in scanning speed in accordance with an image height based on the exposed regions of the pixels. The scanning unit is further configured to perform partial exposure with respect to the pixels based on the exposed regions of the pixels, the partial exposure exposing partial regions of the pixels to light unlike entire exposure that exposes entire regions of the pixels to light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenichi Iida, Yusuke Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20180181020
    Abstract: In a non-image forming state, an image forming apparatus changes the magnitude of a control signal output by a control portion, and when a current supply member supplies a belt with an amount of current generated by adding, to a predetermined target current used for image formation, an amount of current that flows from a contact member to the ground and changes in accordance with the magnitude of the control signal, the image forming apparatus acquires the magnitude of the control signal generated when the current, which is supplied from the current supply member to the belt and flows to a voltage adjusting member from the belt via the contact member, becomes zero.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: Shingo Ito, Toshihiko Takayama, Keisuke Ishizumi, Shohei Ishio, Kenichi Iida
  • Publication number: 20180173142
    Abstract: A heating member of a fixing unit is situated in a fixing portion, and a commercial power source applies an alternating-current voltage to the heating member so that the heating member heats a transfer medium held in the fixing portion. In a case of transferring the toner image from an image bearing member onto the transfer medium in a transfer portion, a control unit controls a transfer power source based on a result of a comparison between a frequency obtained from a first detection result input from a detection unit with a predetermined frequency range including the frequency of the alternating-current voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Jun Hara, Kenichi Iida, Shimpei Ishikawa
  • Publication number: 20180157195
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; an ionically conductive intermediate transferring belt; a primary transfer member; an opposing member that opposes the current supply member through the intermediate transferring belt, and a control unit configured to execute a recovery operation in a state where a primary transfer in which a toner image is primarily transferred to the image intermediate transferring belt from the image bearing member is not performed, wherein the recovery operation includes to supply a current flowing in a flow direction opposite to a flow direction of a current in the primary transfer through the opposing member from the current supply member to remove an uneven distribution of the conductive agent in the intermediate transferring belt caused by primary transfer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Inventors: Kenichi Iida, Takao Kume, Yusuke Shimizu, Keisuke Ishizumi, Toshihiko Takayama
  • Publication number: 20180032023
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to suppressing image defects due to variations in the values of currents flowing through respective photosensitive drums during image formation, and reducing the absolute value of a voltage applied when a primary transfer power supply unit applies a voltage of polarity opposite to that during image formation, to primary transfer members. There is provided an image forming apparatus including a transfer member configured to make contact with an inner peripheral surface of a transfer belt, a first power supply unit configured to apply a voltage to the transfer member, a resistance element connected between the first power supply unit and the transfer member, and a diode connected in parallel with the resistance element in a direction in which a current flowing in a first direction is blocked and a current flowing in a second direction is passed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Inventors: Yusuke Shimizu, Kenichi Iida, Takao Kume, Keisuke Ishizumi, Toshihiko Takayama