Patents by Inventor Masaaki Sakai

Masaaki Sakai 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: 20240132315
    Abstract: A medium conveyance apparatus includes a drive signal output circuit to output a drive signal at a predetermined timing, a first sound wave emitter to output a sound wave based on the drive signal outputted at the predetermined timing, a first sound wave receiver to output a first sound wave signal corresponding to the received sound wave, a second sound wave emitter to output a sound wave based on the drive signal outputted at the predetermined timing, a second sound wave receiver to output a second sound wave signal corresponding to the received sound wave, a processor to determine a state of the medium based on the first sound wave signal and the second sound wave signal, and an output circuit to output the first sound wave signal and the second sound wave signal to the processor at timings different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2023
    Publication date: April 25, 2024
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai
  • Patent number: 11952238
    Abstract: Provided are a multi-feed detection apparatus, a control method, and a control program to suitably determine whether or not the multi-feed detection apparatus returns a fed medium to a direction of a medium tray when multi-feed has occurred. A multi-feed detection apparatus includes an ultrasonic sensor to generate an ultrasonic signal, a multi-feed determination module to determine that feeding of the medium is normal when a signal value of the ultrasonic signal is equal to or more than a first threshold value, and determine that a multi-feed of the medium has occurred when the signal value of the ultrasonic signal is less than the first threshold value, and a control module to control the feed module to return the fed medium to a direction of the medium tray when the signal value of the ultrasonic signal is less than a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Kiichiro Shimosaka, Masaaki Sakai
  • Publication number: 20240110269
    Abstract: A degradable structural member made of a magnesium alloy is produced, the degradable structural member having a sufficient strength and being degradable at a proper timing in an aqueous environment. The magnesium alloy used (i) contains not less than 7.0% by mass and not more than 13.0% by mass of Al, not less than 4.5% by mass and not more than 13.0% by mass of Cu, and not less than 0% by mass and less than 0.10% by mass of Mn, with the balance being Mg and unavoidable impurities; and (ii) includes finely dispersed intermetallic compounds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Inventors: Takahiro SAKAI, Akihiko KOSHI, Masaaki YAMAMOTO, Jinsun LIAO
  • Patent number: 11891266
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a rectangular medium, and a processor to generate an input image acquired by imaging the conveyed medium, detect an overlap of the conveyed medium, detect an object area from the input image, determine whether an outer shape of the object area is rectangular, determine whether a multi-feed of the medium has occurred based on whether the overlap of the medium has been detected and whether the outer shape of the object area is rectangular, and execute an abnormality processing when it is determined that the multi-feed of the medium has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai
  • Publication number: 20240034584
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a medium, an overlap detection sensor, a processor to detect an overlap portion in which it is determined that an overlap has occurred on the medium based on a detection output by the overlap detection sensor for the medium conveyed by the conveying roller, calculate an overlap length where the overlap portion is continuous based on a detection result of the overlap portion, determine whether a multi-feed has occurred based on the overlap length, and execute an abnormal processing for the multi-feed based on a determination result of the multi-feed. The processor determines that a first overlap portion and a second overlap portion are continuous when a distance between the first overlap portion and the second overlap portion is within a predetermined distance in calculating the overlap length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventor: Masaaki SAKAI
  • Patent number: 11856170
    Abstract: Provided are a medium conveyance apparatus, control method, and control program is to enable more precisely detecting an end part in a main scan direction of a medium from an image. A medium conveyance apparatus includes a conveying module to convey a medium, an imaging device to capture an image of the conveyed medium, a storage device to store a low reliability region inside an input image of a medium captured by the imaging device based on a positional relationship between an imaging position of the imaging device and arrangement position of the conveying module, an edge pixel detection module to detect edge pixels from the input image, an end part detection module to detect an end part in a main scan direction of the medium based on edge pixels detected from a region not including the low reliability region inside the input image, and an output control module to output information relating to the detected end part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai
  • Patent number: 11820624
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a medium, an overlap detection sensor, a processor to detect an overlap portion in which it is determined that an overlap has occurred on the medium based on a detection output by the overlap detection sensor for the medium conveyed by the conveying roller, calculate an overlap length where the overlap portion is continuous based on a detection result of the overlap portion, determine whether a multi-feed has occurred based on the overlap length, and execute an abnormal processing for the multi-feed based on a determination result of the multi-feed. The processor determines that a first overlap portion and a second overlap portion are continuous when a distance between the first overlap portion and the second overlap portion is within a predetermined distance in calculating the overlap length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai
  • Patent number: 11807489
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a medium, and a processor to detect transmission information of an ultrasonic wave transmitted through the medium or thickness information of the medium at a plurality of positions in the conveyed medium, calculate a size of an area in which the transmission information or the thickness information is within a predetermined range in the conveyed medium, determine whether a multi-feed of the medium has occurred, by comparing a value based on the transmission information or the thickness information with a threshold, and execute an abnormality processing when it is determined that the multi-feed of the medium has occurred. The processor changes the threshold according to the size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai
  • Publication number: 20230331005
    Abstract: Provided are a medium conveying apparatus, a control method, and a control program to enable determining whether multi-feed of the medium has occurred with higher accuracy. A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying module to convey a medium, a detection module to detect transmission information of ultrasonic waves transmitted through the medium or thickness information of the medium at a plurality of positions in the medium conveyed by the conveying module, a determination module to determine whether multi-feed of the medium has occurred, by comparing a value based on the transmission information or the thickness information with a threshold, for each of the plurality of positions, and a control module to execute an abnormality process when it is determined that multi-feed of the medium has occurred.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventor: Masaaki SAKAI
  • Publication number: 20230276011
    Abstract: Provided are a medium conveyance apparatus, control method, and control program is to enable more precisely detecting an end part in a main scan direction of a medium from an image. A medium conveyance apparatus includes a conveying module to convey a medium, an imaging device to capture an image of the conveyed medium, a storage device to store a low reliability region inside an input image of a medium captured by the imaging device based on a positional relationship between an imaging position of the imaging device and arrangement position of the conveying module, an edge pixel detection module to detect edge pixels from the input image, an end part detection module to detect an end part in a main scan direction of the medium based on edge pixels detected from a region not including the low reliability region inside the input image, and an output control module to output information relating to the detected end part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Inventor: Masaaki SAKAI
  • Patent number: 11706855
    Abstract: A light emitting element driving device includes a light emitting element to emit light in response to a supply of a first current, a first switching element to turn ON/OFF the first current supplied to the light emitting element, a second switching element to turn ON/OFF a second current not supplied to the light emitting element, a constant current circuit to adjust a total current amount of the first current and the second current to be constant, and a control circuit. The control circuit turns ON the first switching element in a state of flowing the second current to the second switching element by turning ON the second switching element, and after turning ON the first switching element, flows the first current to the light emitting element and the first switching element by turning OFF the second switching element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: PFU LIMITED
    Inventors: Shumpei Koshima, Masaaki Sakai
  • Publication number: 20230091074
    Abstract: Provided are a medium conveying apparatus, a control method, and a control program to enable more accurate detennination whether a medium conveyance abnormality has occurred. A medium conveying apparatus includes an ultrasonic transmitter capable of outputting an ultrasonic wave, an ultrasonic receiver opposed to the ultrasonic transmitter, to receive the ultrasonic wave and output an ultrasonic signal corresponding to the received ultrasonic wave, a pressure detection module to detect atmospheric pressure, based on the ultrasonic signal, a sound receiver to receive a sound and generate a sound signal corresponding to the received sound, an abnormality determination module to determine whether a medium conveyance abnormality has occurred, based on the sound signal, and a modification module to modify sensitivity of the sound receiver, correct the sound signal, or modify a criterion for determination of a medium conveyance abnormality by the abnormality determination module, based on the atmospheric pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: Ayame TAKAYAMA, Masaaki SAKAI
  • Publication number: 20230020031
    Abstract: A light emitting element driving device includes a light emitting element to emit light in response to a supply of a first current, a first switching element to turn ON/OFF the first current supplied to the light emitting element, a second switching element to turn ON/OFF a second current not supplied to the light emitting element, a constant current circuit to adjust a total current amount of the first current and the second current to be constant, and a control circuit. The control circuit turns ON the first switching element in a state of flowing the second current to the second switching element by turning ON the second switching element, and after turning ON the first switching element, flows the first current to the light emitting element and the first switching element by turning OFF the second switching element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Inventors: Shumpei Koshima, Masaaki Sakai
  • Patent number: 11512037
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing a compound represented by formula (I), comprising the steps of (a) reacting a compound represented by formula (II) with dimethyl sulfate in the presence of an alkali carbonate in a aqueous ketone solvent to obtain the compound represented by formula (I) as a crystalline material, and (b) washing the crystalline material with heated water at 30 to 100° C. and then further washing with an organic solvent at 30 to 80° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: SDS BIOTECH K.K.
    Inventors: Toshihiko Tabuchi, Masaaki Sakai, Teruhiko Ishii
  • Publication number: 20220281703
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a medium, an overlap detection sensor, a processor to detect an overlap portion in which it is determined that an overlap has occurred on the medium based on a detection output by the overlap detection sensor for the medium conveyed by the conveying roller, calculate an overlap length where the overlap portion is continuous based on a detection result of the overlap portion, determine whether a multi-feed has occurred based on the overlap length, and execute an abnormal processing for the multi-feed based on a determination result of the multi-feed. The processor determines that a first overlap portion and a second overlap portion are continuous when a distance between the first overlap portion and the second overlap portion is within a predetermined distance in calculating the overlap length.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventor: Masaaki SAKAI
  • Publication number: 20220274795
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a medium, a width detection sensor for detecting a width of the medium conveyed by the conveying roller in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction, an overlap detection sensor for detecting an overlap of the medium conveyed by the conveying roller, and a processor to determine whether to execute an abnormality processing for a multi-feed, based on the width of the medium acquired based on a detection result by the width detection sensor and a detection result by the overlap detection sensor. The processor acquires an overlap detection width being a width in which the medium is estimated to overlap in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, based on the detection result by the overlap detection sensor. The processor executes the abnormality processing when the width of the medium and the overlap detection width are equal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai
  • Publication number: 20220274794
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a medium, an end detection sensor for detecting a position of an end of the medium conveyed by the conveying roller, an overlap detection sensor for detecting an overlap of the medium conveyed by the conveying roller in a detection area, and a processor to determine whether an overlap detection is valid or invalid based on a positional relationship between the position of the end of the medium detected by the end detection sensor and the detection area, and execute an abnormality processing for multi-feed based on a detection result by the overlap detection sensor when it is determined that the overlap detection is valid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai
  • Publication number: 20220267244
    Abstract: The present invention provides a process for producing a compound represented by formula (I), comprising the steps of (a) reacting a compound represented by formula (II) with dimethyl sulfate in the presence of an alkali carbonate in a aqueous ketone solvent to obtain the compound represented by formula (I) as a crystalline material, and (b) washing the crystalline material with heated water at 30 to 100° C. and then further washing with an organic solvent at 30 to 80° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Toshihiko Tabuchi, Masaaki Sakai, Teruhiko Ishii
  • Publication number: 20220258997
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a rectangular medium, and a processor to generate an input image acquired by imaging the conveyed medium, detect an overlap of the conveyed medium, detect an object area from the input image, determine whether an outer shape of the object area is rectangular, determine whether a multi-feed of the medium has occurred based on whether the overlap of the medium has been detected and whether the outer shape of the object area is rectangular, and execute an abnormality processing when it is determined that the multi-feed of the medium has occurred.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai
  • Publication number: 20220258996
    Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a conveying roller to convey a medium, and a processor to detect transmission information of an ultrasonic wave transmitted through the medium or thickness information of the medium at a plurality of positions in the conveyed medium, calculate a size of an area in which the transmission information or the thickness information is within a predetermined range in the conveyed medium, determine whether a multi-feed of the medium has occurred, by comparing a value based on the transmission information or the thickness information with a threshold, and execute an abnormality processing when it is determined that the multi-feed of the medium has occurred. The processor changes the threshold according to the size.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventor: Masaaki Sakai