Patents by Inventor Noboru Nitta

Noboru Nitta 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).

  • Patent number: 9908325
    Abstract: A first output section outputs a first parameter calculated for each nozzle in a group obtained by dividing the nozzles into groups for each certain number so that density unevenness of ink ejected from each nozzle in the group is corrected. A second output section outputs a second parameter calculated for each group so that change rate of the density unevenness between groups is corrected. A first register circuit divides first parameters for each nozzle in the group and stores the first parameters. A second register circuit divides second parameters for each group and stores the second parameters. A multiplication section sequentially multiplies the first parameters by the second parameters. A conversion section converts a multiplication value to correction data of each nozzle. A setting section sets the correction data in a memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Shunichi Ono
  • Patent number: 9889645
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an inkjet head comprises an ejection section and a driving section. The ejection section ejects ink according to the operations of an actuator. In order to make the ejection section eject different amount of ink for different drops, the driving section applies voltage to the actuator of the ejection section such that the ejection section ejects ink continuously based on the printing data indicating the times the ejection section ejects ink and a position flag designating a drop frame number where ink starting to be ejected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mamoru Kimura, Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi
  • Publication number: 20170305148
    Abstract: A correction data setting apparatus, which sets correction data in a memory for storing the correction data for correcting a pulse width of a drive pulse signal applied to each actuator corresponding to each nozzle of an inkjet head, comprises a generation section which sequentially generates a channel No. for individually identifying each nozzle; an output section which outputs a parameter required for arithmetic which represents a characteristic of a correction amount with respect to an arrangement direction of the nozzles; an arithmetic section which executes the arithmetic using the parameter output from the output section to calculate the correction amount for each channel No. generated from the generation section; a conversion section converts the correction amount calculated for each channel No. by the arithmetic section to the correction data; and a setting section sets the correction data obtained for each channel No. by the conversion section in the memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2017
    Publication date: October 26, 2017
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Shunichi Ono
  • Patent number: 9776420
    Abstract: According to embodiments, an inkjet recording apparatus includes an ink tank which contains ink, a printing head which is connected to the ink tank through an ink channel and ejects the ink from a nozzle surface, and a channel member which is provided in the ink channel and has a clearance gap that connects the ink channel to the outside. The channel member is provided in a part of the ink channel, which has a positive pressure with respect to the atmospheric pressure at least during a period in which the printing head is capable of printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Noboru Nitta
  • Publication number: 20170259564
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an inkjet head comprises a pressure chamber configured to house ink; an actuator configured to be arranged corresponding to the pressure chamber; a plate configured to have a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber; and a driving circuit configured to drive the actuator, wherein the drive circuit applies an auxiliary pulse signal which contains an expansion pulse for expanding the volume of the pressure chamber and a contraction pulse for contracting the volume of the pressure chamber in such a degree as not to eject an ink drop from the nozzle to the actuator before enabling the ink drop to be ejected from the nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber by applying the expansion pulse and the contraction pulse as a drive pulse signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Yasuhito Komai
  • Publication number: 20170217162
    Abstract: An ink jet head includes first side walls including two piezoelectric elements, second side walls, a first electrode, a second electrode, an ink chamber containing conductive ink, and a control unit. The second side walls alternate with the first side walls to provide side surfaces for driving pressure chambers and dummy pressure chambers. On one of the first side walls, the first electrode is on the side wall surface of a driving pressure chamber and a second electrode is on the side wall surface of a dummy pressure chamber. The control unit applies a voltage having a first waveform to the first electrode, and a voltage having a second waveform, a portion of which is inverted with respect to the first waveform, to the second electrode to cause ink to be ejected, and cause the second electrode to electrically float such that ink is not ejected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Inventors: Teruyuki HIYOSHI, Noboru NITTA, Syunichi ONO
  • Publication number: 20170203560
    Abstract: A first output section outputs a first parameter calculated for each nozzle in a group obtained by dividing the nozzles into groups for each certain number so that density unevenness of ink ejected from each nozzle in the group is corrected. A second output section outputs a second parameter calculated for each group so that change rate of the density unevenness between groups is corrected. A first register circuit divides first parameters for each nozzle in the group and stores the first parameters. A second register circuit divides second parameters for each group and stores the second parameters. A multiplication section sequentially multiplies the first parameters by the second parameters. A conversion section converts a multiplication value to correction data of each nozzle. A setting section sets the correction data in a memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Shunichi Ono
  • Patent number: 9694577
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an inkjet head comprises a pressure chamber configured to house ink; an actuator configured to be arranged corresponding to the pressure chamber; a plate configured to have a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber; and a driving circuit configured to drive the actuator, wherein the drive circuit applies an auxiliary pulse signal which contains an expansion pulse for expanding the volume of the pressure chamber and a contraction pulse for contracting the volume of the pressure chamber in such a degree as not to eject an ink drop from the nozzle to the actuator before enabling the ink drop to be ejected from the nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber by applying the expansion pulse and the contraction pulse as a drive pulse signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Yasuhito Komai
  • Publication number: 20170151778
    Abstract: An inkjet head contains a piezoelectric member which alternately includes plural first grooves and plural second grooves respectively constituted by a pair of side surfaces and a bottom surface; a first electrode on at least one of a pair of the side surfaces of each first groove; a second electrode on the side surface to face the first electrode across the piezoelectric member of each second groove; and a driving circuit including plural first drivers for each first electrode and inputting a common first driving waveform to each first electrode, and plural second drivers for each second electrode and inputting a second driving waveform of each second electrode corresponding to print data to each second electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2016
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Shunichi Ono, Teruyuki Hiyoshi
  • Patent number: 9630402
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, an ink jet head includes a discharge unit, a first storing unit, a second storing unit, a waveform generating unit, and a voltage applying unit. The discharge unit discharges ink according to the operation of an actuator. The first storing unit stores a pattern of a voltage to be applied to the actuator. The second storing unit stores a plurality of timer sets. The waveform generating unit generates, on the basis of the timer sets stored by the second storing unit and the voltage pattern stored by the first storing unit, a waveform of the voltage to be applied to the actuator. The voltage applying unit applies the voltage to the actuator on the basis of the waveform generated by the waveform generating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mamoru Kimura, Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Shunichi Ono, Tomohisa Yoshimaru
  • Patent number: 9573362
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ink jet head includes a discharge section, a control section that has a first receiving section, a setting section, a second receiving section, and a determination section, and a voltage applying section. The first receiving section receives setting data for setting a command code value corresponding to a command. The setting section sets the command code value with respect to the command based on the setting data received by the first receiving section. The second receiving section receives command data including the command code value. The determination section determines the command indicated by the command code value included in the command data that is received by the second receiving section based on the command code value set by the setting section. The voltage applying section applies a voltage to the actuator based on the command that is determined by the determination section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shunichi Ono, Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi
  • Publication number: 20170008278
    Abstract: An inkjet head comprises a pressure chamber into which ink is filled, a nozzle connected with the pressure chamber, an actuator which changes volume of the inside of the pressure chamber to eject an ink droplet from the nozzle connected with the pressure chamber, and a drive circuit which outputs a drive signal which contains an expansion pulse for increasing the volume of the pressure chamber and a contraction pulse for decreasing the volume of the pressure chamber when an ink droplet is ejected and outputs a precursor signal for changing the volume of the pressure chamber to a level at which the ink droplet is not ejected from the nozzle at the time of a precursor minute vibration for minutely vibrating ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Publication date: January 12, 2017
    Inventors: Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Noboru Nitta
  • Publication number: 20170008280
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an inkjet head comprises a pressure chamber configured to house ink; an actuator configured to be arranged corresponding to the pressure chamber; a plate configured to have a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber; and a driving circuit configured to drive the actuator, wherein the drive circuit applies an auxiliary pulse signal which contains an expansion pulse for expanding the volume of the pressure chamber and a contraction pulse for contracting the volume of the pressure chamber in such a degree as not to eject an ink drop from the nozzle to the actuator before enabling the ink drop to be ejected from the nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber by applying the expansion pulse and the contraction pulse as a drive pulse signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2016
    Publication date: January 12, 2017
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Yasuhito Komai
  • Patent number: 9427956
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a drive method for an ink jet head comprising: a drive pulse, applying a first pulse for increasing and then restoring the volume of a pressure chamber and giving pressure vibration to the chamber in which ink are accommodated, and then a second pulse for reducing and then restoring the volume of the pressure chamber to an actuator arranged corresponding to the pressure chamber; wherein the second pulse is turned on at first point of time causing the pressure vibration amplitude at second point of time to be the same with that of generated by the first pulse when the first pulse is turned on, wherein the second point of time is the time when flow velocity of the ink nearby the nozzle inside the pressure chamber becomes 0 after the first point of time, and the second pulse is turned off at the second point of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Takashi Norigoe
  • Patent number: 9385296
    Abstract: An actuator is sequentially charged with output voltage “E/2” of a voltage source and output voltage “E” of a voltage source. After the charging, “Q/2” of electric charge “Q” stored in the actuator is discharged on a path returning to the voltage source. Subsequent to the discharging, the remaining all electric charge “Q/2” stored in the actuator is discharged on a closed circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Noboru Nitta
  • Publication number: 20160167378
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, an inkjet head comprises an ejection section and a driving section. The ejection section ejects ink according to the operations of an actuator. In order to make the ejection section eject different amount of ink for different drops, the driving section applies voltage to the actuator of the ejection section such that the ejection section ejects ink continuously based on the printing data indicating the times the ejection section ejects ink and a position flag designating a drop frame number where ink starting to be ejected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Mamoru Kimura, Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi
  • Publication number: 20160136948
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an apparatus for driving a capacitance-type actuator includes a first voltage source, a second voltage source, and a driver. The first voltage source outputs a first voltage to charge the capacitance-type actuator. The second voltage source outputs a second voltage to charge the actuator. The driver switches between first and second charges and first and second discharges. The first charge supplies the first voltage to the actuator. The second charge supplies the sum of the first voltage and the second voltage to the actuator. The first discharge emits a charge accumulated in the actuator and guides the charge to the second voltage source. The second discharge emits the charge accumulated in the actuator without guiding the charge to the second voltage source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2016
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Inventor: Noboru NITTA
  • Patent number: 9340011
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a apparatus for driving a capacitance-type actuator includes a first voltage source, a second voltage source, and a driver. The first voltage source outputs a first voltage to charge the capacitance-type actuator. The second voltage source outputs a second voltage to charge the actuator. The driver switches between first and second charges and first and second discharges. The first charge supplies the first voltage to the actuator. The second charge supplies the sum of the first voltage and the second voltage to the actuator. The first discharge emits a charge accumulated in the actuator and guides the charge to the second voltage source. The second discharge emits the charge accumulated in the actuator without guiding the charge to the second voltage source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noboru Nitta
  • Publication number: 20160121606
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, an ink jet head includes a discharge unit, a first storing unit, a second storing unit, a waveform generating unit, and a voltage applying unit. The discharge unit discharges ink according to the operation of an actuator. The first storing unit stores a pattern of a voltage to be applied to the actuator. The second storing unit stores a plurality of timer sets. The waveform generating unit generates, on the basis of the timer sets stored by the second storing unit and the voltage pattern stored by the first storing unit, a waveform of the voltage to be applied to the actuator. The voltage applying unit applies the voltage to the actuator on the basis of the waveform generated by the waveform generating unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Inventors: Mamoru Kimura, Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Shunichi Ono, Tomohisa Yoshimaru
  • Patent number: 9302475
    Abstract: A driving device of an ink jet head including a plurality of ejection channels, including a plurality of driving waveform generation portions that are provided which respectively correspond to the plurality of ejection channels, a random number generation portion that generates a random number, and a connection portion. The driving waveform generation portions receive printing data and correction data, generate a driving signal of the ejection channels on the basis of the received printing data, correct a waveform of the driving signal by using the received correction data, and then output the corrected waveform to the correction data and to the corresponding ejection channels. The connection portion connects the random number generation portion of the driving waveform generation portions such that a random number is supplied to each of the driving waveform generation portions as correction data having a value independent for each of the driving waveform generation portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Mamoru Kimura, Tomohisa Yoshimaru