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: 20150047790
    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: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2012
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kunio Matsunaga, Makoto Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20150040743
    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: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventor: Makoto TACHIBANA
  • Publication number: 20140230534
    Abstract: A tire testing apparatus includes: a lower rim that is formed with a lower through hole, and a rim-side inclined surface that increases in diameter in a downward direction of an inner peripheral surface of a lower end portion of the lower through hole; an upper rim that is held to face the lower rim; an insertion part capable of being inserted through the lower through hole; and an apparatus-side inclined surface that is provided at a lower end portion of the insertion part, increases in diameter from an outer peripheral surface of the insertion part in the downward direction, and is capable of coming into contact with the rim-side inclined surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Jiro Agawa, Morihiro Imamura, Tatsuya Ueda, Yoshinori Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 8718930
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus that detects a current location of the information processing apparatus; obtains a direction of a destination from the detected current location as a target direction; detects a facial orientation of a user wearing a headphone unit connected to the information processing apparatus via a wired or wireless connection in relation to a reference orientation based on outputs of a geomagnetic sensor and an acceleration sensor connected to the headphone unit; obtains a relative target angle based on a difference between the target direction and the user's facial orientation; and generates sound to be output by the headphone unit based on the obtained relative target angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Takashi Shiina, Tetsuya Naruse, Yuichi Shirai, Chikashi Yajima, Susumu Takatsuka
  • Publication number: 20140093088
    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: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2013
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Mobile Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto TACHIBANA, Takashi Shiina, Tetsuya Naruse, Yuichi Shirai, Chikashi Yajima, Susumu Takatsuka
  • Publication number: 20140086438
    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: September 24, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Takashi Shiina, Tetsuya Naruse, Yuichi Shirai, Chikashi Yajima, Susumu Takatsuka
  • Publication number: 20140072154
    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: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Mobile Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto TACHIBANA, Takashi Shiina, Tetsuya Naruse, Yuichi Shirai, Chikashi Yajima, Susumu Takatsuka
  • Publication number: 20140069180
    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: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya Ueda, Makoto Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20140060181
    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: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES MACHINERY TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Jiro Agawa, Morihiro Imamura, Tatsuya Ueda, Yoshinori Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20140062842
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus including a communication interface configured to be connected to an external posture detecting device to be worn by a user; a display configured to rotatably display a display image; and circuitry configured to control a rotation angle of the image displayed by the display based on posture information received from the external posture detecting device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Mobile Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto TACHIBANA, Takashi Shiina, Tetsuya Naruse, Yuichi Shirai, Chikashi Yajima, Susumu Takatsuka
  • Publication number: 20140054365
    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: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Jiro Agawa, Morihiro Imamura, Tatsuya Ueda, Yoshinori Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20140058662
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus that detects a current location of the information processing apparatus; obtains a direction of a destination from the detected current location as a target direction; detects a facial orientation of a user wearing a headphone unit connected to the information processing apparatus via a wired or wireless connection in relation to a reference orientation based on outputs of a geomagnetic sensor and an acceleration sensor connected to the headphone unit; obtains a relative target angle based on a difference between the target direction and the user's facial orientation; and generates sound to be output by the headphone unit based on the obtained relative target angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Mobile Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Makoto TACHIBANA, Takashi SHIINA, Tetsuya NARUSE, Yuichi SHIRAI, Chikashi YAJIMA, Susumu TAKATSUKA
  • Patent number: 8364478
    Abstract: An audio signal processing apparatus, includes an environmental ambient noise level detection unit for detecting an environmental ambient noise level contained in an audio signal inputted through sound collection means for collecting a transmission sound at the time of a voice call, a signal level adjustment unit which has a level adjustment function to adjust an output signal level with respect to an input signal level, and an input/output characteristic change function to change an input/output characteristic when adjusting a level in the level adjustment function by means of a control signal, and in which a received sound signal in the case of the telephone call voice is arranged to be an input signal, and a control signal generation unit for generating the control signal for changing the input/output characteristic of the signal level adjustment unit from the environmental ambient noise level detected by the environmental ambient noise level detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Mobile Communicatins Japan, Inc.
    Inventor: Makoto Tachibana
  • Patent number: 8346311
    Abstract: An audio signal processing apparatus includes a band signal component extraction unit for extracting signal components in a predetermined frequency band from an audio signal input by an audio collection unit for collecting at least an outgoing call audio upon an audio phone call, a stationary signal component extraction unit for extracting a stationary signal component from the signal components, a signal adjustment unit having a level adjustment function of adjusting an output signal level with respect to an input signal level and an input and output characteristics change function of changing input and output characteristics upon level adjustment in the level adjustment function through a control signal and configured to set an incoming call audio signal upon the audio phone call as the input signal, and a control signal generation unit for generating the control signal for changing the input and output characteristics by using the stationary signal component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Japan, Inc.
    Inventor: Makoto Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20120310650
    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: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: YAMAHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jordi BONADA, Merlijn BLAAUW, Makoto Tachibana
  • Patent number: 8210224
    Abstract: An apparatus for joining a carcass ply, which butt-joins a wind start end and a wind finish end of a carcass ply wound around a cylindrical drum, is disclosed. The apparatus comprises: a joining section for joining the ends of the carcass ply; and aligning sections for aligning the ends of the carcass ply during joining by the joining section, the joining section and the aligning sections being disposed below the cylindrical drum supported in a horizontal state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Tachibana, Yoshinori Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 8176775
    Abstract: In a tire testing machine, a test tire transported onto a belt conveyor is entrusted to a lower rim by lowering the belt conveyor. In this state, an upper rim is lowered to the position of the lower rim, whereby the upper and lower rims are fitted to the test tire, and then the test tire is inflated. An inflation method for the tire testing machine comprises stopping the belt conveyor at an intermediate position, without lowering the belt conveyor to a descent limit, when entrusting the test tire to the lower rim by lowering the belt conveyor; and inflating the test tire, with the weight of the test tire being shouldered by the belt conveyor as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Morihiro Imamura, Makoto Tachibana
  • Publication number: 20110203362
    Abstract: In a tire testing machine, a test tire transported onto a belt conveyor is entrusted to a lower rim by lowering the belt conveyor. In this state, an upper rim is lowered to the position of the lower rim, whereby the upper and lower rims are fitted to the test tire, and then the test tire is inflated. An inflation method for the tire testing machine comprises stopping the belt conveyor at an intermediate position, without lowering the belt conveyor to a descent limit, when entrusting the test tire to the lower rim by lowering the belt conveyor; and inflating the test tire, with the weight of the test tire being shouldered by the belt conveyor as well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Morihiro IMAMURA, Makoto TACHIBANA
  • Patent number: 7905969
    Abstract: The feeding apparatus is provided with a first feeding section for feeding a long-formed sheet in the longitudinal direction of the sheet, a second feeding section for feeding the long-formed sheet delivered from the first feeding section in a direction intersecting obliquely with the feeding direction of the first feeding section and a control section for controlling the first feeding section and the second feeding section so that the second feeding section starts to operate before the leading end of the long-formed sheet delivered from the first feeding section is in contact with the second feeding section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Miyahara, Jiro Agawa, Makoto Tachibana, Yoshinori Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20110047550
    Abstract: The present invention provides a software program execution device which can accept a processing request even during a setting change of a software program without interrupting the processing in-execution. An execution monitoring unit monitors, in processing units and based on an instruction of a software program control unit, the operation of a server application unit which executes a software program in a process, and notifies a software program control unit that the processing being executed in a first process is completed. Upon receiving the notification, the software program control unit stops and then restarts the first process, and the first process is restarted while reflecting the setting change recorded in a setting storage unit during the restart step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2010
    Publication date: February 24, 2011
    Inventor: MAKOTO TACHIBANA