Patents by Inventor Makoto Tachibana

Makoto Tachibana 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: 20170024082
    Abstract: An spatial image display apparatus and method for displaying a spatial image in an aerial space, sensing an object traversing the spatial image, calculating the position of the object's effective centroid, and performing an input operation is disclosed. The spatial image display apparatus detects distances from the object's surface thrust into the aerial display to more precisely determine the position on the spatial image at which the user intends to indicate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Applicant: Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto TACHIBANA, Tsuyoshi ITO
  • Publication number: 20170003198
    Abstract: A tire inspection device according to the present invention includes a support portion which supports a tire such that a center axis of the tire is positioned along a vertical direction, a lifting and lowering portion which moves the tire and a rim relative to each other in the vertical direction to fit the rim to the tire, a position detection unit which detects a position of a surface of the tire in the vertical direction at three or more detection points, and a posture detection unit which detects posture information of the tire based on position information detected by the position detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Publication date: January 5, 2017
    Applicant: Litsubishi Heavy Industries Machineary Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Morihiro IMAMURA, Hiroaki YONEDA, Kunio MATSUNAGA, Makoto TACHIBANA
  • Patent number: 9479872
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus that reproduces left and right audio signals based on data acquired from a sound source; acquires left and right surrounding sounds collected by left and right microphones included in a headphone unit connected to the information processing apparatus; combines a sound corresponding to at least one of the left and right surrounding sounds with at least one of the left and right audio signals; and outputs the left and right audio signals combined with the sound corresponding to the at least one of the left and right surrounding sounds to left and right earphones of the headphone unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Takashi Shiina, Tetsuya Naruse, Yuichi Shirai, Chikashi Yajima, Susumu Takatsuka
  • Publication number: 20160252431
    Abstract: A tire holding device includes a guide which is provided between a pair of conveyors in a plan view and is provided on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of any one of an upper rim and a lower rim in a tire transport direction, and the guide guides a tire so that the center of the tire is coincident with the center of any one of the upper rim and the lower rim in the tire transport direction as the tire approaches any one of the upper rim and the lower rim by means of a lifting device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2014
    Publication date: September 1, 2016
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto TACHIBANA, Morihiro IMAMURA
  • Publication number: 20160205460
    Abstract: A mobile device system that includes left and right earphones, and a mobile device connectable to the left and right earphones. Each of the left and right earphones includes at least one of an acceleration sensor and a geomagnetic sensor. The mobile device includes a controller that monitors a wearing state of the individual left and right earphones by a user on a basis of output from the least one of the acceleration sensors and the geomagnetic sensors, and controls a behavior of the mobile device connected to the left and right earphones according to the monitored wearing state of the left and right earphones by the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Applicants: SONY CORPORATION, SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
    Inventors: Makoto TACHIBANA, Takashi SHIINA, Tetsuya NARUSE, Yuichi SHIRAI, Chikashi YAJIMA, Susumu TAKATSUKA
  • Publication number: 20160187229
    Abstract: A tire holding apparatus is provided with a first support part for supporting a tire, a second support part for supporting the tire, and an air supply and removal part for supplying and removing air from the inside of the tire. The second support part has a protrusion that protrudes toward the first support part. The air supply and removal part has a first flow path for allowing air to flow, a second flow path for allowing air to flow from an opening formed at the leading end of the protrusion to the inside of the tire, and a collection part that is attached to the opening and collects foreign matter that has been mixed into the second flow path from the inside of the tire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: Tatsuya UEDA, Makoto TACHIBANA
  • Patent number: 9355628
    Abstract: A voice analysis method includes a variable extraction step of generating a time series of a relative pitch. The relative pitch is a difference between a pitch generated from music track data, which continuously fluctuates on a time axis, and a pitch of a reference voice. The music track data designate respective notes of a music track in time series. The reference voice is a voice obtained by singing the music track. The pitch of the reference voice is processed by an interpolation processing for a voiceless section from which no pitch is detected. The voice analysis method also includes a characteristics analysis step of generating singing characteristics data that define a model for expressing the time series of the relative pitch generated in the variable extraction step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Tachibana
  • Patent number: 9351090
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus that detects an output from a 3-axis acceleration sensor included in an earphone unit worn by a user while the user is in a still state; monitors the output of the 3-axis acceleration sensor while a nodding gesture is performed by the user; detects a time when an angle of the nodding gesture reaches a maximum; and determines an earphone wearing state based on the output from the 3-axis acceleration sensor in the still state and the output from the 3-axis acceleration sensor at the time of detecting the maximum nodding angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Takashi Shiina, Tetsuya Naruse, Yuichi Shirai, Chikashi Yajima, Susumu Takatsuka
  • Patent number: 9326058
    Abstract: A mobile device system that includes left and right earphones, and a mobile device connectable to the left and right earphones. Each of the left and right earphones includes at least one of an acceleration sensor and a geomagnetic sensor. The mobile device includes a controller that monitors a wearing state of the individual left and right earphones by a user on a basis of output from the least one of the acceleration sensors and the geomagnetic sensors, and controls a behavior of the mobile device connected to the left and right earphones according to the monitored wearing state of the left and right earphones by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Takashi Shiina, Tetsuya Naruse, Yuichi Shirai, Chikashi Yajima, Susumu Takatsuka
  • Patent number: 9321315
    Abstract: A tire holding apparatus which holds a tire using an annular rim that is detachably mounted, includes: a body section having a support surface which supports the rim; an inflation gas supply portion which has an inflation flow passage that passes from an inner portion of the body section to a center portion of the rim and supplies inflation gas into a tire supported by the rim; and a clamping portion which is mounted on the body section and clamps the rim to the support surface of the body section by using pressure of the inflation gas that flows through the inflation flow passage as a drive force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kunio Matsunaga, Makoto Tachibana
  • Patent number: 9322734
    Abstract: A tire testing apparatus allows attachment and detachment of a rim assembly in which first and second rims are integrated and performs testing of a tire attached to the rim assembly. The tire testing apparatus includes a first attaching part; a second attaching part; a rotating part that rotates the first attaching part around a reference axis orthogonal to the first reference surface of the first rim attached to the first attaching part; a fixing part that fixes the first attaching part and the second attaching part to each other and is capable of releasing the fixation; an attaching portion moving part that adjusts the distance in a direction along the reference axis between the first attaching part and the second attaching part; and a rotation regulating part that regulates rotation of the second attaching part around the reference axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Jiro Agawa, Morihiro Imamura, Tatsuya Ueda, Yoshinori Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20160016275
    Abstract: A tire grinding device grinds a surface of a tire, and the tire grinding device includes: a grindstone holding portion which holds a grindstone which grinds the surface of the tire; a cover which is disposed with a gap with respect to the surface of the tire, and covers the grindstone held by the grindstone holding portion; and an air layer forming portion which forms an air layer which prevents ground chips of the ground tire from being discharged through the gap formed between an edge of the cover and the surface of the tire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2013
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventors: Tatsuya UEDA, Makoto TACHIBANA
  • Patent number: 9194768
    Abstract: A rim assembly includes a first rim on which a first reference surface is formed, a second rim on which a second reference surface is formed, a through-hole that extends to intersect the first reference surface of the first rim and into which an inserting part is inserted, pins erected on one of the first and second reference surfaces, protruding portions formed on the other of the first and second reference surfaces, first supporting members provided for the first reference surface, and second supporting members provided for the second reference surface. Groove portions with which the protruding portions are engaged are formed around the outer peripheral surfaces of the pins. The first and second supporting members come into contact with each other when the protruding portions are separated from the groove portions, and are separated from each other when the protruding portions are engaged to the groove portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Jiro Agawa, Morihiro Imamura, Tatsuya Ueda, Yoshinori Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9194767
    Abstract: Provided is a rim exchange apparatus of a tire testing machine having a simple and space-saving configuration and capable of rotating a turntable having a plurality of rim placing parts with no interference and appropriately identifying a plurality of rim assemblies set on the turntable. A turntable is installed to be rotated about a rotary shaft with respect to the support part, a plurality of rim placing parts on which a rim assembly is placed are provided to the turntable about the rotary shaft, and reading parts are attached to the support part at a lower side of the turntable. Then, the reading parts read rim identification information of the rim assembly placed on the rim placing parts through the turntable at a predetermined reading position. Accordingly, the identification information of the rim assembly can be appropriately read with no interference with rotation of the turntable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Jiro Agawa, Morihiro Imamura, Tatsuya Ueda, Yoshinori Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9170095
    Abstract: A device including an emitter that transmits light in a series of frames, wherein each frame in the series includes at least one pulse. The device includes a receiver that receives, for each frame in the series, the at least one pulse reflected from a target, and generates, in response to receiving the at least one pulse in a current frame, an output for calculating a distance between the target and the device for the current frame. The device includes circuitry that calculates, for each frame in the series, the distance between the target and the device based on the receiver output. The circuitry dynamically controls a frame rate for each frame in the series based on the distance calculated in a frame immediately preceding the current frame, and controls the emitter such that the at least one pulse is emitted in the current frame at the calculated frame rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20150285623
    Abstract: A device including an emitter that transmits light in a series of frames, wherein each frame in the series includes at least one pulse. The device includes a receiver that receives, for each frame in the series, the at least one pulse reflected from a target, and generates, in response to receiving the at least one pulse in a current frame, an output for calculating a distance between the target and the device for the current frame. The device includes circuitry that calculates, for each frame in the series, the distance between the target and the device based on the receiver output. The circuitry dynamically controls a frame rate for each frame in the series based on the distance calculated in a frame immediately preceding the current frame, and controls the emitter such that the at least one pulse is emitted in the current frame at the calculated frame rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: October 8, 2015
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Makoto Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20150234467
    Abstract: A device includes a display and one or more motion sensors configured to track positions of two or more feature points of an object when the object is used to perform a gesture at a position remote from the display, and generate, based on the tracked positions of the feature points, sequential position data that indicates a relative position of the feature points with respect to each other and to the display. The device includes circuitry configured to determine, based on the sequential position data, whether the gesture corresponds to one of a plurality of predetermined input operations, and execute processing related to the predetermined input operation when a correspondence is determined. The circuitry is configured to determine whether the gesture corresponds to the predetermined input operation based on variations in the relative positions of the feature points with respect to each other and to the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Makoto TACHIBANA
  • Publication number: 20150185113
    Abstract: A rim assembly includes a first rim on which a first reference surface is formed, a second rim on which a second reference surface is formed, a through-hole that extends to intersect the first reference surface of the first rim and into which an inserting part is inserted, pins erected on one of the first and second reference surfaces, protruding portions formed on the other of the first and second reference surfaces, first supporting members provided for the first reference surface, and second supporting members provided for the second reference surface. Groove portions with which the protruding portions are engaged are formed around the outer peripheral surfaces of the pins. The first and second supporting members come into contact with each other when the protruding portions are separated from the groove portions, and are separated from each other when the protruding portions are engaged to the groove portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Publication date: July 2, 2015
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Jiro Agawa, Morihiro Imamura, Tatsuya Ueda, Yoshinori Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 9046445
    Abstract: To provide a rim assembly to which even a small tire can be mounted, a tire testing machine, and a rim assembly replacement method. The rim assembly having an upper rim and a lower rim in a pair to which a tire to be tested is mounted, includes: a pin provided on the lower rim; a pin receiving portion that is provided on the upper rim and engageable with the pin; and a groove portion having a recessed groove with a recessed section that can house at least a part of a tip of the pin, formed in a surface of the upper rim on a side of the lower rim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya Ueda, Makoto Tachibana
  • Patent number: 8996378
    Abstract: In a voice synthesis apparatus, a phoneme piece interpolator acquires first phoneme piece data corresponding to a first value of sound characteristic, and second phoneme piece data corresponding to a second value of the sound characteristic. The first and second phoneme piece data indicate a spectrum of each frame of a phoneme piece. The phoneme piece interpolator interpolates between each frame of the first phoneme piece data and each frame of the second phoneme piece data so as to create phoneme piece data of the phoneme piece corresponding to a target value of the sound characteristic which is different from either of the first and second values of the sound characteristic. A voice synthesizer generates a voice signal having the target value of the sound characteristic based on the created phoneme piece data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Jordi Bonada, Merlijn Blaauw, Makoto Tachibana