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).

  • Publication number: 20160082722
    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: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2014
    Publication date: March 24, 2016
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Takashi Norigoe
  • Patent number: 9289983
    Abstract: When charging an actuator, first, the charging is performed by applying an intermediate voltage lower than a driving voltage which is a target voltage and then charging is performed by applying the driving voltage to the actuator. When discharging the actuator, the discharging is performed by applying the intermediate voltage and then the discharging is performed by applying a zero voltage to the actuator which is charged by the driving voltage. The time for applying the intermediate voltage at a timing of ejecting the ink from the nozzles is shorter than the time for applying the intermediate voltage to the actuator at other timings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Shunichi Ono
  • Publication number: 20160067958
    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: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Shunichi Ono, Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi
  • Publication number: 20160039199
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ink jet head includes: a plurality of nozzles that eject ink drops; an image storage unit that stores image data; an adjustment storage unit that stores adjustment data which is set for each nozzle in order to uniformly correct variations in ink drops ejected from a plurality of nozzles; and a setting storage unit that stores setting data for changing an adjustment range using the adjustment data. The inkjet head converts the adjustment data into adjustment effective data which is obtained by changing the adjustment range using the adjustment data on the basis of the setting data. The ink jet head generates a driving pulse waveform which is obtained by adjusting a reference pulse waveform of a driving pulse signal by using the adjustment effective data on the basis of the image data for each nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Noboru Nitta, Shunichi Ono
  • Patent number: 9245210
    Abstract: An ink jet head includes an actuator configured to cause ejection of ink, and a driver. The driver is configured to receive serial data including a first command, a second command subsequent thereto, and print data for printing or setting data for setting of the ink jet head that is subsequent to the second command, detect the first command in the serial data, decode the second command, and control the actuator based on the decoded second command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunichi Ono, Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Tomohisa Yoshimaru
  • Publication number: 20160016401
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an inkjet head includes: a pressure chamber which is filled with an ink; a plate having nozzles communicating with the pressure chamber; an actuator that causes ink drops to be discharged from the nozzles communicating with the pressure chamber by changing a volume in the pressure chamber; and a drive circuit that outputs a drive pulse signal including an expansion pulse which expands the volume of the pressure chamber and a shrinking pulse which shrinks the volume of the pressure chamber to the actuator such that the drive pulse signal is output, in which an electric field applied to the actuator during the time for not discharging the ink drops is lower than an electric field applied to the actuator during the time for discharging the ink drops.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventors: Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Noboru Nitta, Shunichi Ono
  • Publication number: 20150328887
    Abstract: When charging an actuator, first, the charging is performed by applying an intermediate voltage lower than a driving voltage which is a target voltage and then charging is performed by applying the driving voltage to the actuator. When discharging the actuator, the discharging is performed by applying the intermediate voltage and then the discharging is performed by applying a zero voltage to the actuator which is charged by the driving voltage. The time for applying the intermediate voltage at a timing of ejecting the ink from the nozzles is shorter than the time for applying the intermediate voltage to the actuator at other timings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Inventors: Noboru Nitta, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Shunichi Ono
  • Patent number: 9114605
    Abstract: A drive device includes a circuit for selecting an arbitrary voltage among a plurality of kinds of voltages required for generating a drive signal for variably controlling potential applied to electrodes of channels. In the drive device, respective drive voltage input terminals and output terminals are respectively connected by a low-impedance connecting circuit which has low internal resistance, and a selected voltage input terminal and the output terminals are connected by a high-impedance connecting circuit which has high internal resistance. The drive device controls a drive waveform transition pattern of a drive signal such that the drive signal is output via the high-impedance connecting circuit while the potential applied to the respective electrode simultaneously changes in the same direction out of a positive direction and a negative direction and that the drive signal is output via the low-impedance connecting circuit in the other cases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Noboru Nitta, Mamoru Kimura, Shunichi Ono
  • Patent number: 9079393
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an ink jet head comprises a driving signal generator configured to apply rectangular waveform electric field pulse to a partition wall forming a pressure chamber for ejecting ink; wherein the driving signal generator applies, to a second partition wall adjacent to a first partition wall forming the pressure chamber for ejecting ink and a third partition wall adjacent to the second partition wall, electric field pulse including at least one rectangular waveform which is a rectangular waveform opposite to the electric field pulse applied to the adjacent first partition wall and has a pulse width determined based on the electric field pulse at the timing corresponding to the electric field pulse applied to the first partition wall, in a case of ejecting ink from any of the plurality of pressure chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Noboru Nitta, Shunichi Ono
  • Publication number: 20150151536
    Abstract: An ink jet head includes an actuator configured to cause ejection of ink, and a driver. The driver is configured to receive serial data including a first command, a second command subsequent thereto, and print data for printing or setting data for setting of the ink jet head that is subsequent to the second command, detect the first command in the serial data, decode the second command, and control the actuator based on the decoded second command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2014
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Inventors: Shunichi ONO, Noboru NITTA, Teruyuki HIYOSHI, Tomohisa YOSHIMARU
  • Publication number: 20150116403
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an ink jet head comprises a driving signal generator configured to apply rectangular waveform electric field pulse to a partition wall forming a pressure chamber for ejecting ink; wherein the driving signal generator applies, to a second partition wall adjacent to a first partition wall forming the pressure chamber for ejecting ink and a third partition wall adjacent to the second partition wall, electric field pulse including at least one rectangular waveform which is a rectangular waveform opposite to the electric field pulse applied to the adjacent first partition wall and has a pulse width determined based on the electric field pulse at the timing corresponding to the electric field pulse applied to the first partition wall, in a case of ejecting ink from any of the plurality of pressure chambers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Noboru Nitta, Shunichi Ono
  • Publication number: 20150103119
    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: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Inventor: Noboru NITTA
  • Publication number: 20150054872
    Abstract: A drive device includes a circuit for selecting an arbitrary voltage among a plurality of kinds of voltages required for generating a drive signal for variably controlling potential applied to electrodes of channels. In the drive device, respective drive voltage input terminals and output terminals are respectively connected by a low-impedance connecting circuit which has low internal resistance, and a selected voltage input terminal and the output terminals are connected by a high-impedance connecting circuit which has high internal resistance. The drive device controls a drive waveform transition pattern of a drive signal such that the drive signal is output via the high-impedance connecting circuit while the potential applied to the respective electrode simultaneously changes in the same direction out of a positive direction and a negative direction and that the drive signal is output via the low-impedance connecting circuit in the other cases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Noboru Nitta, Mamoru Kimura, Shunichi Ono
  • Patent number: 8939532
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a driving device applies an ejection pulse signal that deforms a partition in such a way that an ink drop is ejected from a nozzle and an auxiliary pulse signal that deforms the partition to such an extent that an ink drop is not ejected from the nozzle, as a drive signal for providing a potential difference between electrodes, to an inkjet head at different timings so that the two pulse signals are not applied simultaneously. A constraint on output of the auxiliary pulse signal is significantly relaxed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunichi Ono, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Mamoru Kimura, Noboru Nitta
  • Patent number: 8876243
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, an inkjet device includes a first temperature sensor which detects an ink temperature in an upstream side of a print head, a second temperature sensor which detects an ink temperature in a downstream side of the print head, and a control device which changes at least one of energies per unit volume of first and second pressure sources, based on the temperatures detected by the first and second temperature sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noboru Nitta
  • Patent number: 8845062
    Abstract: A density correction system includes a conveyance unit that conveys a recording medium, a first ink ejection unit that ejects ink in a multi-drop driving system to the recording medium based on image data, a second ink ejection unit that ejects ink in the multi-drop driving system to the recording medium based on the image data and in which a volume per one drop is smaller than that of the first ink ejection unit, and a control unit that corrects number of drops from the first ink ejection unit and number of drops from the second ink ejection unit, which constitute a droplet amount for one pixel on the recording medium subjected to image formation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masashi Shimosato, Noboru Nitta
  • Publication number: 20140246952
    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: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Noboru Nitta
  • Patent number: 8794726
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an inkjet head driving device includes a load-voltage generating circuit and a plurality of channel driving circuits provided to respectively correspond to a plurality of channels of an inkjet head. The load-voltage generating circuit selects any one voltage out of a reference voltage and a driving voltage having potential other than the reference voltage and outputs the voltage. Each of the channel driving circuits includes a first input terminal, a second input terminal, a third input terminal, an output terminal, a series circuit, and a parallel circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Noboru Nitta, Mamoru Kimura, Tomohisa Yoshimaru
  • Publication number: 20140176627
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a driving device applies an ejection pulse signal that deforms a partition in such a way that an ink drop is ejected from a nozzle and an auxiliary pulse signal that deforms the partition to such an extent that an ink drop is not ejected from the nozzle, as a drive signal for providing a potential difference between electrodes, to an inkjet head at different timings so that the two pulse signals are not applied simultaneously. A constraint on output of the auxiliary pulse signal is significantly relaxed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicants: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Shunichi Ono, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Mamoru Kimura, Noboru Nitta
  • Patent number: 8760126
    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: March 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Noboru Nitta