Patents by Inventor Masaki Kanai

Masaki Kanai 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: 20150268201
    Abstract: A gas chromatograph includes a column module for independently adjusting the temperature of a separation column. The column module is held by an oven with the separation column being horizontal. The column module includes the separation column for separating a sample gas into components, a column accommodating member accommodating inside the separation column while surrounding the separation column by a heat insulating member, and including a gap between the separation column and the heat insulating member for air to flow along the separation column, and a heater, provided inside the column accommodating member, for heating the separation column by being in direct or indirect contact with the separation column. The column accommodating member includes an air inlet port for introducing external air into the gap between the separation column and the heat insulating member, and an air outlet port for exhausting air in the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventors: Masaki Kanai, Satoshi Matsuoka, Masanori Nishino, Takahiro Nishimoto
  • Publication number: 20150260694
    Abstract: A gas chromatography device includes a sample injection part, a detector, a separation column, and a transfer line connecting between the sample injection part and the separation column and between the sample injection part and the detector. Furthermore, a column temperature adjustment part for adjusting the temperature of the separation column, and a line temperature adjustment part for adjusting the temperature of the transfer line are provided. The line temperature adjustment part is structured to include a heat block which includes a heating element and which is in contact with the transfer line from one side, and a holding member which presses the transfer line toward the heat block side by being in contact from the other side, and to sandwich the transfer line by the heat block and the holding member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2012
    Publication date: September 17, 2015
    Applicant: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Matsuoka, Takahiro Nishimoto, Masaki Kanai, Masanori Nishino
  • Publication number: 20150239436
    Abstract: An autonomous moving apparatus and an autonomous movement system has a configuration which prevents disabled autonomous moving apparatuses from traveling unexpectedly during collection. An autonomous moving apparatus 1 includes a wheel locking unit 116 which locks the wheels at the time of stop, a manipulation unit 119 which is provided at a location where manipulation thereof is enabled from the outside of the autonomous moving apparatus 1, and a wheel lock releasing unit 118 which releases the lock of the wheels when the manipulation unit 119 is manipulated by force from the outside. In addition, the wheel lock releasing unit 118 releases the lock of the wheels when force equal to or more than a predetermined value is applied to the manipulation unit 119 and maintains the lock of the wheels when the force applied to the manipulation unit 119 is less than the predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: Masaki Kanai, Masatsugu Arai, Ryoko Ichinose, Yukihiko Ono
  • Publication number: 20150233872
    Abstract: A flow channel module comprises a flow channel plate, a flow channel connection block, and a pressing mechanism. The flow channel plate is provided with a main body and a protrusion section protruding in the circumferential direction from the peripheral edge of the main body, the protrusion section having a port communicating with an inner flow channel. The flow channel connection block is provided with a concave section for being engaged with the protrusion section and having inside a port facing surface for facing the port, and an outer flow channel connection section that is connected to the port facing surface by a flow channel. The pressing mechanism is configured to press the protrusion section inserted in the concave section and the port facing surface against each other so that the flow channel and the port are connected while maintaining air tightness or liquid tightness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2012
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki Kanai, Satoshi Matsuoka, Masanori Nishino, Takahiro Nishimoto
  • Publication number: 20150221222
    Abstract: A traffic control system for allowing vehicles to travel unattended while maintaining their inter-vehicular distances without interfering with each other includes an onboard control apparatus mounted on the vehicles; and a traffic control apparatus which divides tracks for multiple vehicles into a plurality of sections and performs a blocking control to assign non-overlapping travelable sections to the multiple vehicles as a permitted travel section. The onboard control apparatus sets a travel permission request starting distance that is longer than a stoppable distance on the basis of the current speed of the vehicle and repeatedly transmits a travel permission request and current position information to the traffic control apparatus until the next travel permission is obtained when the remaining length of the permitted travel section has become shorter than the travel permission request starting distance in the advancing direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Publication date: August 6, 2015
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Hamada, Kazuhiro Sugawara, Katsuaki Tanaka, Masaki Kanai
  • Publication number: 20150206433
    Abstract: A vehicle control system is provided in which, if a position requiring caution for the contact with an oncoming vehicle on a track road is found also on an ex-post facto basis, the information thereof is easily fed back to the control of each vehicle. This vehicle control system has a GPS receiver 101 for detecting the position of each vehicle, an encoder 72 and an IMU 73 mounted on each vehicle, a specific spot setting unit 87 for setting a position requiring caution for the passing with an oncoming vehicle as a specific spot on the basis of a vehicle position, a slip ratio and a curvature that are computed from the values output therefrom, and a storage device for storing the positional information on a place set as a specific spot by a specific spot detecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Publication date: July 23, 2015
    Inventors: Masaki KANAI, Tomoyuki HAMADA
  • Publication number: 20140290491
    Abstract: A housing of a column unit is tubular-shaped, and includes a first opening and a second opening, and an inner space separated from outside air by an insulating material. An air cooling section including a cooling device is arranged on a side of the first opening of the housing. At the time of cooling the inside of the inner space of the housing, air is caused, by a fan, to flow through the air cooling section and from the side of the first opening to a side of the second opening. A column section including a separation column and a heater is arranged inside the housing. A gap through which air flows from the first opening to the second opening is formed between the column section and an inner wall of the inner space of the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki Kanai, Takahiro Nishimoto, Masanori Nishino, Satoshi Matsuoka
  • Publication number: 20140227733
    Abstract: A cell sorter including a well that has a microspace filled with a liquid and having a typical length of 1 mm or less, and that has a bottom surface made of a light-permeable material allowing optical observation of an interior of the microspace; a matrix provided on the bottom surface in the well; a bone fragment placed on the matrix in the well; and osteoclasts placed between the matrix and the bone fragment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2012
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicants: KYOTO UNIVERSITY, SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya Munaka, Hirohisa Abe, Masaki Kanai, Taira Maekawa, Shinya Kinua, Eishi Asihara
  • Patent number: 8697010
    Abstract: A dispensing device for reducing the dead volume of a liquid sample includes a main channel connected to a sample inlet and sample outlet, and branch channels connected to the main channel. Each branch channel is connected to a different liquid reservoir. High inflow-withstanding pressure sections are provided in the main channel between the branch channels and between the branch channel and the sample outlet. Each high inflow-withstanding pressure section has a channel inner wall forming a contact angle of 90° or larger with a liquid sample. A liquid sample enters the main channel through the sample inlet, reaches a branch point between the first branch channel and the main channel flows into the first branch channel and the liquid reservoir, and then passes through the high inflow-withstanding pressure section to a branch point between the next branch channel and the main channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Kanai, Takahiro Nishimoto, Masakazu Akechi, Nobuhiro Hanafusa
  • Patent number: 8690394
    Abstract: An illuminating device that can reduce illuminance unevenness of an irradiation target face with a simple construction is provided. In a pseudo sunlight illuminating device 1 having a lamp 22 for illuminating an irradiation target face 10A, a transmission light amount adjusting unit 60 for adjusting a transmission light amount so that the illuminance distribution on the irradiation target face 10a is made uniform is provided between the lamp 22 and the irradiation target face 10A, and the transmission light amount adjusting unit 60 is provided with a light transmission plate laminate member 64 which is constructed by stacking light transmission plates 65 which are constant in transmittance in a wavelength range of light to be transmitted and whose number corresponds to an adjustment amount of the transmission light amount so that incident light is reflected at each boundary of the front and back surfaces of each light transmission plate 65.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Iwasaki Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norihiro Sakai, Tomohiro Iwazaki, Kazuo Sakuma, Ichirou Mori, Masaki Kanai, Maki Takenaga, Hiroyuki Ootsuka
  • Publication number: 20140095037
    Abstract: Provided is an engagement position storage device capable of detecting a clutch engagement position of a vehicle finely and a brake system including such a device. In an engagement position storage device 2b that stores an engagement position of a clutch to engage and disengage power of a vehicle, when the vehicle becomes a traveling state in predetermined duration after acceleration in a front-back direction of the vehicle changes, the engagement position storage device 2b stores a clutch engagement position based on a clutch position detected when the acceleration changes. A brake system 1 includes a wheel latching mechanism 5 that latches wheels of a vehicle by driving a propelling member 5a by driving devices 3 and 4; and a controller 2 that controls driving of the propelling member 5a of the wheel latching mechanism 5 based on a clutch engagement position stored in the engagement position storage device 2b.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: April 3, 2014
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji SETO, Masaki KANAI, Wataru YOKOYAMA
  • Publication number: 20140079603
    Abstract: A dispensing device for reducing the dead volume of a liquid sample includes a main channel connected to a sample inlet and a sample outlet, and branch channels connected to the main channel. Each branch channel is connected to a different liquid reservoir. High inflow-withstanding pressure sections are provided in the main channel between the branch channels and between the branch channel and the sample outlet. Each high inflow-withstanding pressure section has a channel inner wall forming a contact angle of 90° or larger with a liquid sample. A liquid sample enters the main channel through the sample inlet, reaches a branch point between the first branch channel and the main channel, flows into the first branch channel and the liquid reservoir, and then passes through the high inflow-withstanding pressure section to a branch point between the next branch channel and the main channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Masaki Kanai, Takahiro Nishimoto, Masakazu Akechi, Nobuhiro Hanafusa
  • Publication number: 20140051160
    Abstract: Micro droplets are accurately placed in a reaction well. The reaction well (5) is formed in one surface of a well base (3). A channel base (11) is placed on the well base (3). The channel base (11) has, in its surface joined to the well base (3), a liquid introduction channel (12a) and a reaction well air vent channel (18a). The channel base (11) also has a recess (27) formed opposite to the reaction well (5) and recessed upward from the upper surface of the liquid introduction channel (12a). When viewed from above, a shoulder part (26) of the recess (27) is placed near the connection part between the reaction well (5) and the liquid introduction channel (12a) and is closer to the center of the reaction well (5) than a shoulder part (16) of the reaction well (5).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Publication date: February 20, 2014
    Applicant: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masakazu Akechi, Masaki Kanai, Takahiro Nishimoto, Nobuhiro Hanafusa
  • Publication number: 20130333444
    Abstract: Provided is a plate-type column which allows the temperature of its inner passage to be rapidly increased or decreased while ensuring the correctness of an analysis or other operations. A plate-type column 10 includes: a plate-shaped main body 11; projecting portions 12 and 13 protruding from a circumferential edge of the main body 11; and a fluid-flow passage 14 extending in the main body 11 and the projecting portions 12 and 13. An intermediate portion of the passage 14 is provided in the main body 11, while each of the end portions of the passage 14 extends from the main body 11 through the projecting portion 12 or 13, with each of the end portions being open to the outside at the tip of the projecting portion 12 or 13.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: SHIMADZU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaki KANAI, Takahiro NISHIMOTO, Masanori NISHINO, Satoshi MATSUOKA
  • Patent number: 8568668
    Abstract: Micro droplets are accurately placed in a reaction well. The reaction well (5) is formed in one surface of a well base (3). A channel base (11) is placed on the well base (3). The channel base (11) has, in its surface joined to the well base (3), a liquid introduction channel (12a) and a reaction well air vent channel (18a). The channel base (11) also has a recess (27) formed opposite to the reaction well (5) and recessed upward from the upper surface of the liquid introduction channel (12a). When viewed from above, a shoulder part (26) of the recess (27) is placed near the connection part between the reaction well (5) and the liquid introduction channel (12a) and is closer to the center of the reaction well (5) than a shoulder part (16) of the reaction well (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Masakazu Akechi, Masaki Kanai, Takahiro Nishimoto, Nobuhiro Hanafusa
  • Publication number: 20130164848
    Abstract: A well has a pair of side surfaces, and one of the side surfaces is in contact with a compartment of a first channel with a gas-permeable membrane being interposed therebetween and the other side surface is in contact with a compartment of a second channel with a gas-permeable membrane being interposed therebetween. The well is filled with a liquid cell culture medium, and in such a state, a high-concentration gas and a low-concentration gas, which are different in the concentration of a specific component from each other, are allowed to flow through the first and second channels, respectively, to form a concentration distribution of the specific component in the well.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicants: SHIMADZU CORPORATION, WASEDA UNIVERSITY, KYOTO UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Tatsuya Munaka, Hirohisa Abe, Masaki Kanai, Masakazu Akechi, Taira Maekawa, Shinya Kimura, Eishi Asihara, Shuichi Shoji, Kentaro Kawai
  • Patent number: 8361414
    Abstract: [PROBLEMS] To increase the rate of gas transfer in gas exchangers. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A gas exchange chip comprises substrates (1,2); two flow channels (3,4) formed in the substrates (1,2) and each having an inlet port and an outlet port; and multiple grooves (9) interlinking the flow channels (3,4). The grooves (9) have the size of their sectional area predetermined and have at least a part of the internal surface thereof rendered hydrophobic so as to permit the transfer of gas component while inhibiting any liquid passage. A sample water containing carbon dioxide is caused to flow through one of the flow channels (3) while pure water is caused to flow through the other flow channel (4) to thereby transfer the carbon dioxide contained in the sample water into the pure water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Masakazu Akechi, Yoichi Fujiyama, Hirohisa Abe, Masaki Kanai
  • Patent number: 8196450
    Abstract: A sample vaporization unit that attains enhancing of reproducibility through fixing of the sample vaporization unit. Sample vaporization unit (4) at its one end is connected to the distal end of glass insert (2) and at its other end is connected via glass tube (5) to one end of capillary column (6). The other end of the capillary column (6) is led to detector (8). The sample vaporization unit (4) is comprised of base frame (22), flow channel (24) provided in the base frame (22), and rugged portion (26) for sample vaporization provided by microfabrication within the flow channel (24). Any liquid sample flowing through the flow channel (24) is vaporized by feeding of energy to the rugged portion (26), and the vapor is subjected to separation by means of the column (6) and detection by means of the detector (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Nishino, Takahiro Nishimoto, Masaki Kanai
  • Publication number: 20120069578
    Abstract: An illuminating device that can reduce illuminance unevenness of an irradiation target face with a simple construction is provided. In a pseudo sunlight illuminating device 1 having a lamp 22 for illuminating an irradiation target face 10A, a transmission light amount adjusting unit 60 for adjusting a transmission light amount so that the illuminance distribution on the irradiation target face 10a is made uniform is provided between the lamp 22 and the irradiation target face 10A, and the transmission light amount adjusting unit 60 is provided with a light transmission plate laminate member 64 which is constructed by stacking light transmission plates 65 which are constant in transmittance in a wavelength range of light to be transmitted and whose number corresponds to an adjustment amount of the transmission light amount so that incident light is reflected at each boundary of the front and back surfaces of each light transmission plate 65.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2010
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: IWASAKI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Norihiro Sakai, Tomohiro Iwazaki, Kazuo Sakuma, Ichirou Mori, Masaki Kanai, Maki Takenaga, Hiroyuki Ootsuka
  • Patent number: 7993586
    Abstract: Disclosed is a total organic carbon (TOC) measurement apparatus capable of facilitating reduction in size of the apparatus and achieving enhanced measurement accuracy. The TOC measurement apparatus includes an organics oxidation unit, a carbon-dioxide separation unit and a conductivity measurement unit, which are integrally formed by laminating a plurality of plates to define therebetween and incorporate therein an oxidizing flow passage, an aqueous-sample flow passage, a gas permeable membrane, a measurement-water flow passage and a conductivity measuring electrode. The TOC measurement apparatus is designed such that carbon oxide in an aqueous sample is transferred from the aqueous-sample flow passage to the measurement-water flow passage through the gas permeable membrane, and a conductivity of measurement water which contains the carbon oxide and flows through a flow passage facing the conductivity measuring electrode is determined and converted to a TOC content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Fujiyama, Masakazu Akechi, Masaki Kanai