Patents by Inventor Masato Hirai

Masato Hirai 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: 20090251511
    Abstract: An inkjet recording device has an ink tank, a reservoir and an ink head, forms an ink supplying system by connecting with a path between the ink tank and the reservoir and between the reservoir and the ink head respectively, and forms a meniscus by generating a negative pressure on an ink discharging plane of the ink head by opening the reservoir to atmosphere. The inkjet recording device includes control electromagnetic valves to open or interrupt paths of the ink supplying system and valve switching control means for controlling opening/closing of the control electromagnetic valves, and controls the valve to be closed by the valve switching control means when the device vibrates. As a result, even if an ink liquid level in the reservoir changes when the device vibrates, transmission of this change to the meniscus of the ink discharging plane is prevented or suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2009
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Inventors: Asayo Nishimura, Masato Hirai, Hitoshi Arai
  • Publication number: 20090122362
    Abstract: An image scanner operates in a normal mode in which an image scanning process is executable; and a power saving mode in which less electric power is consumed than in the normal mode. The image scanner includes: a CPU for switching the image scanner between the normal mode and the power saving mode; an original size sensor circuit; and an FPGA connected to the CPU and the original size sensor circuit. In the normal mode, the CPU configures, in the FPGA, a normal-mode circuit needed for the image scanning process. When the image scanner transfers from the normal mode to the power saving mode, the CPU configures, in the FPGA, a power-saving-mode circuit for communicating with the original size sensor circuit, and stops the original size sensor circuit from operating. The power-saving-mode circuit is smaller in circuit size than the normal-mode circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Applicant: RISO KAGAKU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masato Hirai
  • Patent number: 7426368
    Abstract: In a broadcasting satellite converter adapted to be connected to a BS tuner and fed with a power supply voltage signal from the broadcasting satellite tuner, a receiver circuit includes a mixer, and a plurality of local oscillators connected to the mixer to convert broadcasting satellite signals into intermediate frequency signals. The receiver circuit is controlled by a control circuit including a detector circuit and a selector circuit. The detector circuit detects whether a band switching pulse signal is superimposed on the pulse signal, and has a period counting circuit that produces numerical count data representing a period of a frequency of the band switching pulse signal. The selector circuit selectively drives one of the local oscillators in accordance with the numerical count data obtained in the detector circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masato Hirai
  • Patent number: 7245872
    Abstract: In a broadcasting satellite converter adapted to be connected to a BS tuner and fed with a power supply voltage signal from the broadcasting satellite tuner, a receiver circuit is controlled by a control circuit. The broadcasting satellite converter comprises a receiver circuit including a mixer, and a plurality of local oscillators connected to the mixer to convert broadcasting satellite signals into intermediate frequency signals, and a control circuit that controls the receiver circuit. The control circuit includes a detector circuit that detects whether a band switching pulse signal is superimposed on the pulse signal, the detector circuit including a converting circuit that converts a frequency of the band switching pulse signal into an integrated value for the detection of the band switching pulse signal. The control circuit further includes a selector circuit that selectively drives one of the local oscillators in accordance with the integrated value obtained in the detector circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masato Hirai
  • Patent number: 7181342
    Abstract: A vehicular navigation device for presenting a navigation content by continuing a predetermined inputting operation for navigation till the last step even if the used state changes. The navigation device comprises a presentation unit (6) for presenting a navigation content, a manual input unit (3) for receiving a plurality of inputting operations, a speech input unit (4) for receiving a speech input operation substantially identical to that of the manual input unit (3), a database (5) stored with data necessary for navigation, and a control unit (2) for providing the navigation content to the presentation unit (6) by searching the database (5) according to the inputting operation from the manual input unit (3) or the speech input unit (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsutomu Matsubara, Masato Hirai, Kenta Kawahara, Kenichi Ogawa, Tatsuya Mitsugi
  • Patent number: 7082975
    Abstract: The method of bending wood materials inserts cylindrical or board shaped wood material of uniform lateral cross-section into a bending template shaping channel via a driving mechanism to bend the wood material in the shaping channel. Further, the bending method of this invention applies pressure to the front end of the wood material via a braking mechanism to limit its movement in the shaping channel and prevent tension fracture on the stretched side of the curved wood material. Wood material, which is pushed from its aft end and movement limited at its front end, is compressed to control the amount of stretching of the extended outer periphery of the wood material undergoing bending and prevent tension fracture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2006
    Assignee: Yamamoto Engineering Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masato Hirai
  • Publication number: 20060009151
    Abstract: In a broadcasting satellite converter adapted to be connected to a BS tuner and fed with a power supply voltage signal from the broadcasting satellite tuner, a receiver circuit includes a mixer, and a plurality of local oscillators connected to the mixer to convert broadcasting satellite signals into intermediate frequency signals. The receiver circuit is controlled by a control circuit including a detector circuit and a selector circuit. The detector circuit detects whether a band switching pulse signal is superimposed on the pulse signal, and has a period counting circuit that produces numerical count data representing a period of a frequency of the band switching pulse signal. The selector circuit selectively drives one of the local oscillators in accordance with the numerical count data obtained in the detector circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2005
    Publication date: January 12, 2006
    Applicant: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masato Hirai
  • Publication number: 20050266794
    Abstract: In a broadcasting satellite converter adapted to be connected to a BS tuner and fed with a power supply voltage signal from the broadcasting satellite tuner, a receiver circuit is controlled by a control circuit. The broadcasting satellite converter comprises a receiver circuit including a mixer, and a plurality of local oscillators connected to the mixer to convert broadcasting satellite signals into intermediate frequency signals, and a control circuit that controls the receiver circuit. The control circuit includes a detector circuit that detects whether a band switching pulse signal is superimposed on the pulse signal, the detector circuit including a converting circuit that converts a frequency of the band switching pulse signal into an integrated value for the detection of the band switching pulse signal. The control circuit further includes a selector circuit that selectively drives one of the local oscillators in accordance with the integrated value obtained in the detector circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2005
    Publication date: December 1, 2005
    Applicant: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masato Hirai
  • Publication number: 20050250531
    Abstract: A mobile communication terminal includes a first mode unit which executes a first mode for mobile communication with a base station, a second mode unit which executes a second mode different from the first mode, and a battery which outputs power for operating the first mode unit and the second mode unit. This terminal includes a mode-specific power supply control unit. The mode-specific power supply control unit divides the battery capacity held by the battery into the first and second capacities, and allocates the first and second capacities to the first and second mode units, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Publication date: November 10, 2005
    Inventors: Manabu Takebe, Masato Hirai
  • Publication number: 20050164629
    Abstract: In a broadcasting satellite (BS) converter adapted to be connected to a BS tuner and fed with a power supply voltage signal from the broadcasting satellite tuner, a receiver circuit is controlled by a control circuit. The receiver circuit includes a mixer, a first local frequency oscillator for outputting a first local frequency signal to the mixer to thereby convert BS signals, included in a low frequency band, into intermediate frequency signals, and a second local frequency oscillator for outputting a second local frequency signal to the mixer to thereby convert BS signals, included in a high frequency band, into intermediate frequency signals. The control circuit includes a detector circuit for detecting is whether a band switching pulse signal is superimposed on the power supply voltage signal, and a selector circuit for selectively driving only one of the first and second local oscillators in accordance with a detection result obtained in the detector circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2005
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Applicant: NEC Electronics Corporation
    Inventor: Masato Hirai
  • Publication number: 20050150573
    Abstract: The method of bending wood materials inserts cylindrical or board shaped wood material of uniform lateral cross-section into a bending template shaping channel via a driving mechanism to bend the wood material in the shaping channel. Further, the bending method of this invention applies pressure to the front end of the wood material via a braking mechanism to limit its movement in the shaping channel and prevent tension fracture on the stretched side of the curved wood material. Wood material, which is pushed from its aft end and movement limited at its front end, is compressed to control the amount of stretching of the extended outer periphery of the wood material undergoing bending and prevent tension fracture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2004
    Publication date: July 14, 2005
    Inventor: Masato Hirai
  • Publication number: 20050125233
    Abstract: A vehicle mounted control apparatus includes voice recognition section for recognizing a voice command input by an voice input device; and a control section that analyzes a cause of incapability of recognition of the voice command when the voice command cannot be recognized by the voice recognition section and gives a notice on result of the analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Publication date: June 9, 2005
    Inventors: Tsutomu Matsubara, Masato Hirai
  • Publication number: 20050021341
    Abstract: In a vehicle-mounted control apparatus, a control unit 2 displays guidance on an operation of the vehicle-mounted control apparatus by voice input on a display device 6, and makes the user get training so that the user can master the techniques for operating the vehicle-mounted control apparatus (in step ST4). At this time, by using a voice which the user tries to input in order to master the techniques for operating the vehicle-mounted control apparatus, the voice recognition unit 5 learns the features of the user's voice in the background, and computes recognition parameters. Thereby, the user can know how to operate the vehicle-mounted control apparatus and can also register the features of the voice in the vehicle-mounted control apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2003
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventors: Tsutomu Matsubara, Masato Hirai, Emiko Kido, Fumitaka Sato
  • Publication number: 20040176906
    Abstract: A vehicular navigation device for presenting a navigation content by continuing a predetermined inputting operation for navigation till the last step even if the used state changes. The navigation device comprises a presentation unit (6) for presenting a navigation content, a manual input unit (3) for receiving a plurality of inputting operations, a speech input unit (4) for receiving a speech input operation substantially identical to that of the manual input unit (3), a database (5) stored with data necessary for navigation, and a control unit (2) for providing the navigation content to the presentation unit (6) by searching the database (5) according to the inputting operation from the manual input unit (3) or the speech input unit (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2004
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Inventors: Tsutomu Matsubara, Masato Hirai, Kenta Kawahara, Kenichi Ogawa, Tetsuya Mitsugi
  • Patent number: 6014406
    Abstract: A frequency-hopped mobile communication system is disclosed, in which a mobile wireless station automatically becomes a base station in accordance with the surrounding conditions, thereby automatically reconfiguring a communication network. A control frame is generated by at least one master station, and frequencies are hopped by a plurality of slave stations in accordance with the control frame. Each slave station switches the master thereof to be tracked, in accordance with the receiving conditions of the control frame and the relation between the control frame received from the master station and the status of the slave station and decides in which mode, master station or slave station, the slave station is to operate. The cells are thus automatically reconfigured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Computer Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaaki Shida, Tomoaki Ishifuji, Masato Hirai, Hidehiko Jusa, Takaharu Aoyama, Kenichiro Orita
  • Patent number: 5455840
    Abstract: A method of compensating a phase of a system clock for use in a system clock circuit for receiving an external clock to produce a system clock for an information processing system, in which the quantity of phase variation of the external clock supplied from a reference clock oscillator provided outside the system is detected; in accordance with the detected quantity of phase variation, the phase variation of the external clock supplied from the reference clock generator is compensated to supply the compensated external clock to the system clock circuit; whether or not a state of the external clock supplied from the reference clock oscillator provided outside the system is abnormal is detected; and in accordance with the detected state of the external clock, one of the external clock supplied from the reference clock oscillator and the compensated external clock is selected to supply the selected external clock to the system clock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 3, 1995
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiko Nakauchi, Masato Hirai
  • Patent number: 5373254
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the phase of a system clock, in which one of a first clock signal and a second clock signal is selected and output to a system as a system clock signal, the first clock signal being generated by a frequency synthesizer synchronized with an external clock signal supplied from a reference clock signal oscillator provided externally of the system, and the second clock signal being supplied from another reference clock signal oscillator provided internally of the system, and the phases of the first and second clock signals are controlled, prior to switching between the first and second clock signals and supplying the switched clock signal to the system as the system clock signal. The switching is delayed for a period while there is a phase shift between the first and second clock signal , when the system clock signal is switched between the first and second clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Computer Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiko Nakauchi, Masato Hirai, Masami Kurata
  • Patent number: 5052022
    Abstract: A PLL circuit for generating an AC output signal synchronized with an AC input signal applied thereto with a phase offset with respect to the input signal includes, in one embodiment, a charge pump circuit capable of varying the phase offset depending on the frequency of the AC input signal. In a signal transmission network system including a plurality of nodes coupled to a signal transmission line and distanced from one another by various repeat lengths of transmission path, each node has a repeater including such PLL circuit to suppress jitter caused by individual repeat length of transmission over the transmission line and still remaining in an equalized AC signal in each node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1991
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeo Nishita, Ryozo Yoshino, Masato Hirai
  • Patent number: 5046185
    Abstract: A regenerative repeater for regeneratively repeating a signal to be transmitted is inserted in two ring-like transmission lines, and is provided with loop back means for automatically separating the regenerative repeater from the ring-like transmission lines in the condition that a power supply is in a not-yet-turned-on state, so that closed ring-like transmission lines are formed in the form where the regenerative repeater is removed in the condition that the power supply is in the not-yet-turned-on state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 3, 1991
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Computer Electronic Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Hirai, Yoshinori Bekki, Sinzi Ikezawa, Teruo Moriguchi
  • Patent number: D420376
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuaki Iwabuchi, Yoshio Sato, Masato Hirai