Patents by Inventor Kenji Tamaki

Kenji Tamaki 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: 10054894
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that controls to cut off exciting currents supplied to a plurality of motors to drive conveyance roller pairs after a leading end of a paper sheet is brought in contact with a registration roller pair, and, when cutting off the exciting currents, cut off the exciting current for at least one of the motors at a different timing from the other motors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Hidenori Mine, Kenji Izumiya, Satoshi Ogata, Kenji Tamaki, Hirokatsu Kodama
  • Patent number: 10025235
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image holder that holds a toner image; a transferer that is disposed opposite to the image holder so as to be in contact with the image holder and transfers the toner image from the image holder onto a recording sheet that is going through a contact part where the transferer contacts the image holder, by applying a transfer voltage between the transferer and the image holder; a first power source that applies a voltage of a first polarity to the image holder; and a second power source that applies a voltage of a second polarity, which is reverse to the first polarity, to the transferer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Kenji Tamaki, Kenji Izumiya, Satoshi Ogata, Hidenori Mine, Hirokatsu Kodama
  • Patent number: 10007216
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second heaters and a controller. The first and second heaters have a same light distribution and heat a roller of an image fixing unit. The second heater generates a less heat amount than the first heater. The controller applies a drive voltage to a heater of the heaters. When a heat amount generated by the second heater has increased to a first threshold value by the controller controlling the drive voltage, the controller switches the drive-voltage-applied heater from the second heater to the first heater. When a heat amount generated by the first heater has decreased to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value by the controller controlling the drive voltage, the controller switches the drive-voltage-applied heater from the first heater to the second heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Tamaki, Teruhiko Toyoizumi, Tadashi Matsudaira, Hirofumi Nakajima, Tatsuo Ishizuka
  • Patent number: 10007215
    Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing unit which heats a recording medium to fix a color material adhered to the recording medium; a first heater which heats the fixing unit; a second heater with rated power smaller than the rated power of the first heater which heats the fixing unit; and a controller which performs preliminary control of energizing the second heater when heating of the fixing unit by the first heater is started and energizing control of stepping up power consumption of the first heater and stepping down the power consumption of the second heater such that a change amount when a sum of the power consumption of the first heater and the power consumption of the second heater changes becomes a value to make a flicker value indicating a degree of a flicker not larger than a predetermined standard value after executing the preliminary control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Yamamoto, Kenji Tamaki
  • Publication number: 20180113410
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that controls to cut off exciting currents supplied to a plurality of motors to drive conveyance roller pairs after a leading end of a paper sheet is brought in contact with a registration roller pair, and, when cutting off the exciting currents, cut off the exciting current for at least one of the motors at a different timing from the other motors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Inventors: Hidenori MINE, Kenji IZUMIYA, Satoshi OGATA, Kenji TAMAKI, Hirokatsu KODAMA
  • Publication number: 20180059584
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: an image holder that holds a toner image; a transferer that is disposed opposite to the image holder so as to be in contact with the image holder and transfers the toner image from the image holder onto a recording sheet that is going through a contact part where the transferer contacts the image holder, by applying a transfer voltage between the transferer and the image holder; a first power source that applies a voltage of a first polarity to the image holder; and a second power source that applies a voltage of a second polarity, which is reverse to the first polarity, to the transferer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventors: Kenji TAMAKI, Kenji IZUMIYA, Satoshi OGATA, Hidenori MINE, Hirokatsu KODAMA
  • Patent number: 9897999
    Abstract: A technology is provided to enable lowering the fault generation rate related to a parts installation device. A parts installation device (100) (calculation device (150)) fetches or calculates state parameter values that represent the relative position relationship or the distance of a part holder and a part during the operation of removing and holding, calculates the fluctuation values of the state parameters, and corrects parameters having a small increase in the cycle time and is effective in reducing fluctuations among the parameter values of the holding position of the part holder, stop time, operating speed, and operation acceleration when the value of the fluctuations exceeds a first threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryoji Asakura, Kenji Tamaki, Masahiro Hoshino, Hiroto Sekiguchi, Tomise Koyama
  • Patent number: 9832329
    Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable programs. The programs cause an information processing apparatus provided with a display unit having a display surface and an operation unit configured to output a signal depending on user operations to perform: displaying a target image which is an image to be selected in a first area of the display surface; specifying a selected area corresponding to a part of the target image or a whole of the target image, based on the signal outputted from the operation unit depending on the user operation with respect to the target image; and displaying a selected-area image which is an image corresponding to the selected area that has been specified, in a second area which is different from the first area, with a size same as a size of the selected area that has been specified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenji Tamaki
  • Publication number: 20170219968
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes halogen lamp heaters, an AC power supply, a temperature detection unit and a control unit. The heaters have a same light distribution and heat a fixing member of an image fixing unit. The detection unit detects a temperature of the fixing member. The control unit determines a combination of the heaters based on output of the detection unit and applies a drive voltage of a half-wave of an AC waveform of the AC power supply to a heater of the heaters. The half-wave is selected based on an application pattern having a duty cycle of a predetermined value or more. The heaters include at least one heater which generates a heat amount being a minimum heat amount required for fixing or less when turned on with the application pattern having the duty cycle of the predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Tamaki, Teruhiko Toyoizumi, Tadashi Matsudaira, Hirofumi Nakajima, Tatsuo Ishizuka
  • Publication number: 20170219970
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second heaters and a controller. The first and second heaters have a same light distribution and heat a roller of an image fixing unit. The second heater generates a less heat amount than the first heater. The controller applies a drive voltage to a heater of the heaters. When a heat amount generated by the second heater has increased to a first threshold value by the controller controlling the drive voltage, the controller switches the drive-voltage-applied heater from the second heater to the first heater. When a heat amount generated by the first heater has decreased to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value by the controller controlling the drive voltage, the controller switches the drive-voltage-applied heater from the first heater to the second heater.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Tamaki, Teruhiko Toyoizumi, Tadashi Matsudaira, Hirofumi Nakajima, Tatsuo Ishizuka
  • Patent number: 9651903
    Abstract: When changing the turn-on/off patterns, a controller of a fixing device sets a control interval of the turn-on/off pattern so as to be longer than a first period of time that does not exert any influence to a flicker value and to be shorter than a second period of time that does not exert any influence to a response to temperature control. The controller of the fixing device selects a third turn-on/off pattern in which power difference between power of a first turn-on/off pattern before the change in the turn-on/off pattern and power of a second turn-on/off pattern after the change in the turn-on/off pattern is smaller than a set reference power difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Takanobu Shiki, Kenji Tamaki, Kenji Yamamoto, Yukinobu Iguchi, Kosuke Sasaki, Shohei Otsu
  • Patent number: 9618901
    Abstract: A sheet humidification apparatus includes a detect sensor that detects a position of a sheet which is being conveyed; a humidifier that changes a humidification amount and humidifies the sheet; and a controller that controls the humidifier such that a first region on a front end side of the sheet in a conveyance direction is humidified with a first humidification amount, and a second region of the sheet other than the first region is humidified with a second humidification amount larger than the first humidification amount in accordance with a position of the sheet detected by the detect sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Teruhiko Toyoizumi, Kenji Tamaki, Hirofumi Nakajima, Tadashi Matsudaira, Masaaki Uchiyama, Kosuke Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20160379896
    Abstract: In time-series data indicating light emission of plasma when plasma processing is carried out on a sample by generating the plasma, an analysis apparatus creates combinations of a plurality of light emission wavelengths of elements and a plurality of time intervals within a plasma processing interval and calculates, for each of the combinations of the wavelengths and the time intervals, a correlation between an average value of light emission intensity and the number of times the plasma processing is carried out on the samples for each of the combinations of the wavelengths and the time intervals that have been created. Thereafter, the data analysis apparatus selects, as a combination of the wavelength and the time interval used to observe or control the plasma processing, a combination of a wavelength of light emitting from a specific element and a specific time interval having a maximum correlation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Ryoji ASAKURA, Kenji TAMAKI, Akira KAGOSHIMA, Daisuke SHIRAISHI, Masahiro SUMIYA
  • Publication number: 20160357135
    Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing unit which heats a recording medium to fix a color material adhered to the recording medium; a first heater which heats the fixing unit; a second heater with rated power smaller than the rated power of the first heater which heats the fixing unit; and a controller which performs preliminary control of energizing the second heater when heating of the fixing unit by the first heater is started and energizing control of stepping up power consumption of the first heater and stepping down the power consumption of the second heater such that a change amount when a sum of the power consumption of the first heater and the power consumption of the second heater changes becomes a value to make a flicker value indicating a degree of a flicker not larger than a predetermined standard value after executing the preliminary control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji YAMAMOTO, Kenji TAMAKI
  • Publication number: 20160320748
    Abstract: A sheet humidification apparatus includes a detect sensor that detects a position of a sheet which is being conveyed; a humidifier that changes a humidification amount and humidifies the sheet; and a controller that controls the humidifier such that a first region on a front end side of the sheet in a conveyance direction is humidified with a first humidification amount, and a second region of the sheet other than the first region is humidified with a second humidification amount larger than the first humidification amount in accordance with a position of the sheet detected by the detect sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Publication date: November 3, 2016
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Teruhiko Toyoizumi, Kenji Tamaki, Hirofumi Nakajima, Tadashi Matsudaira, Masaaki Uchiyama, Kosuke Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9464936
    Abstract: An etching apparatus calculates an emission intensity in the vicinity of each of a plurality of wavelengths, at which a specified element should emit light, from information indicating light emission measured by an optical emission spectroscope during etching processing and, if it is determined that the calculated emission intensity information and emission intensity information stored in a storage unit are similar, extracts a wavelength, corresponding to the calculated emission intensity, with the wavelength associated with the element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Ryoji Asakura, Akira Kagoshima, Daisuke Shiraishi, Kenji Tamaki
  • Patent number: 9462143
    Abstract: A medium stores computer-executable programs. The programs cause an information processing apparatus including a communication unit communicable with a scanner to perform: displaying a first window including a first icon which causes the scanner to execute a scanning process; judging whether a selection operation to the first icon is performed; transmitting a scan command to the scanner in a case that the information processing apparatus judges that the selection operation to the first icon is performed; receiving scan data from the scanner via the communication unit as a response to the scan instruction; and displaying a second window, on a display unit, which displays an image based on the scan data received from the scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Aiko Mizutani, Kenji Tamaki
  • Patent number: 9443704
    Abstract: A stable etching process is realized at an earlier stage by specifying the combination of wavelength and time interval, which exhibits a minimum prediction error of etching processing result within a short period. For this, the combination of wavelength and time interval is generated from wavelength band of plasma emission generated upon etching of the specimen, the prediction error upon prediction of etching process result is calculated with respect to each combination of wavelength and time interval, the wavelength combination is specified based on the calculated prediction error, the prediction error is further calculated by changing the time interval with respect to the specified wavelength combination, and the combination of wavelength and time interval, which exhibits the minimum value of calculated prediction error is selected as the wavelength and the time interval used for predicting the etching processing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Ryoji Asakura, Kenji Tamaki, Akira Kagoshima, Daisuke Shiraishi
  • Publication number: 20160225681
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus, plasma processing method, and plasma processing analysis method in which a suitable combination of wavelength, time interval, and etching condition parameter for control to change etching conditions is determined among wavelengths, time intervals, and changeable parameters for spectroscopic measurement data in order to ensure stable etching conditions. Specifically, a regression equation which represents the correlation between emission intensity and etching result at a wavelength and a time interval is obtained for each of two or more combinations of wavelength, time interval, and etching condition parameter. Furthermore, for each of the combinations, the amount of change is calculated from the regression equation when the value set for the etching condition parameter is changed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Inventors: Ryoji ASAKURA, Kenji TAMAKI, Daisuke SHIRAISHI, Akira KAGOSHIMA, Satomi INOUE
  • Publication number: 20160203957
    Abstract: A stable etching process is realized at an earlier stage by specifying the combination of wavelength and time interval, which exhibits a minimum prediction error of etching processing result within a short period. For this, the combination of wavelength and time interval is generated from wavelength band of plasma emission generated upon etching of the specimen, the prediction error upon prediction of etching process result is calculated with respect to each combination of wavelength and time interval, the wavelength combination is specified based on the calculated prediction error, the prediction error is further calculated by changing the time interval with respect to the specified wavelength combination, and the combination of wavelength and time interval, which exhibits the minimum value of calculated prediction error is selected as the wavelength and the time interval used for predicting the etching processing process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Inventors: Ryoji ASAKURA, Kenji TAMAKI, Akira KAGOSHIMA, Daisuke SHIRAISHI