Patents by Inventor Nobuhiro Tsukada

Nobuhiro Tsukada 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: 20240123405
    Abstract: A solid type nano-pore sequencer is arrayed easily. In a liquid column separation device including first and second base materials, a liquid feeding unit supplies fluids to a gap between the two base materials. Hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions are disposed on a surface of the second base material, and the hydrophilic region is disposed to oppose a predetermined position of the first base material where a substance to be measured is made to pass through. Also, a flow passage space includes at least one inlet and outlet through which fluids can flow in and out. A representative length of the hydrophilic region is made larger than a distance between the first and second base materials, and thereby a liquid column capable of connecting the first base material and the second base material is formed by making two or more immiscible fluids to flow by the liquid feed unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Ruochi HSU, Kei TAKENAKA, Michiru FUJIOKA, Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Yohei HANAZAKI, Nobuaki YOSHIOKA
  • Patent number: 11859600
    Abstract: A liquid feed pump which increases the liquid flow velocity in a stagnation area in the pressure chamber of a plunger pump, thereby improving the liquid replacement speed in the plunger pump. When the liquid in the liquid feed pump is replaced, a first plunger slides back and forth in the space between a lower limit point and an upper limit point, and the second plunger stops at least temporarily at a position near to the upper limit point or slides back and forth for a shorter distance than when the liquid feed pump usually feeds the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Tsukada, Daisuke Akieda, Shinya Ito, Kenichiro Nishiki
  • Publication number: 20230384271
    Abstract: Provided is a technology for reducing the capacity of a liquid feeding pump and enabling liquid feeding with little pulsation. A liquid feeding pump according to the present disclosure is provided with: a first plunger pump having a first plunger; a second plunger pump having a second plunger and connected in series with the first plunger pump; a pressure sensor disposed downstream of the second plunger pump; and a control unit that accepts the input of a liquid discharge pressure measured by the pressure sensor and that controls the driving of the first plunger and the driving of the second plunger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventors: Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Daisuke AKIEDA, Sho IWASA, Yusuke YOTA, Yuichiro HASHIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20230332586
    Abstract: The present invention provides a technique that enables liquid feeding with small pulsation by reducing the volume of a liquid feeding pump. Disclosed is a liquid feeding pump comprising: a first plunger pump that has a first plunger; a second plunger pump that has a second plunger and is connected to the first plunger pump in series; a pressure sensor that is disposed on the downstream side of the second plunger pump; and a control unit that accepts an input of the discharge pressure of a liquid measured by the pressure sensor to control driving of the first plunger and driving of the second plunger, wherein when the first plunger pump compresses the liquid, the control unit drives the first plunger at a first speed, and then decreases the speed to a second speed slower than the first speed before the compression is completed, and wherein the control unit discharges the liquid from the second plunger pump by driving the second plunger in parallel with the driving of the first plunger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Daisuke AKIEDA, Yuichiro HASHIMOTO, Sho IWASA, Yusuke YOTA
  • Publication number: 20230184801
    Abstract: [Problem to be solved] There is provided a dispensing control method and a dispenser that suppress the division of an air layer and that obtain high dispensing accuracy. [Solution] An automatic analyzer includes: a nozzle 20 that dispenses a dispensed liquid 23; a syringe motor 209 that generates a pressure fluctuation for controlling a flow velocity on aspiration or discharge of the dispensed liquid 23 in the nozzle 20; a piping 210 that connects the nozzle 20 to the syringe motor 209; and a controller 102 that controls operations of the nozzle 20 and the syringe motor 209. The controller 102 calculates positions of interfaces 31 to 34 in the piping 210, and the controller 102 controls the flow velocity based on the positions of the interface 31 to 34 and orientations of the interfaces 31 to 34 that move.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Applicant: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation
    Inventors: Ruochi HSU, Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Kazuhiro NODA, Shinya MATSUOKA
  • Publication number: 20230123459
    Abstract: A liquid chromatographic apparatus which removes air bubbles during preparatory operation for apparatus startup which includes a liquid feeding pump to feed a solvent, an injector to inject a sample into the solvent, a separation column to receive the solvent and the sample through the injector and separate the sample into components, a detector to detect the components supplied from the separation column, a pressure sensor to measure a pressure in a solvent flow channel of the liquid feeding pump, and a controller to control a purge operation for removing air bubbles in the solvent flow channel by the liquid feeding pump, judges whether a pressure change amount in the solvent flow channel measured by the pressure sensor during the purge operation is a specified change amount or larger, and completes the air bubble removal operation when the pressure change amount is the specified change amount or larger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: Midori TOBITA, Yuichiro HASHIMOTO, Nobuhiro TSUKADA
  • Publication number: 20230091683
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a liquid feeding apparatus capable of feeding a liquid with high accuracy. The liquid feeding apparatus includes a liquid feeder having a downstream side, a plunger, and a cylinder that is configured for aspirating and discharging a solvent when a plunger slides. The liquid feeding apparatus further includes a pressure sensor for the solvent to be discharged, a selector valve configured to switch between a plurality of solvents to be aspirated and discharged, and a controller configured to control the liquid feeder and the selector valve. The controller controls the selector valve in synchronization with an aspiration operation of the plunger so that a mixing ratio of the solvents changes, controls the plunger to cause the plunger to operate at first and second accelerations that are different from each other, and suppresses a fluctuation of the solvent to be aspirated by the plunger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECH CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Akieda, Nobuhiro Tsukada, Yusuke Yota, Yuichiro Hashimoto, Jun Maeda
  • Publication number: 20220397582
    Abstract: An automatic analysis device improves the uniformity of a mixed liquid by noise agitation by a dispensing mechanism. The dispensing mechanism agitates a mixed liquid by suctioning the mixed liquid into a reaction vessel by a nozzle and then re-discharging the suctioned mixed liquid into the reaction vessel. When the mixed liquid is re-discharged into the reaction vessel, the nozzle is moved upward at a speed higher than a speed at which the liquid surface of the mixed liquid rises due to the re-discharging of the mixed liquid from the nozzle during a first period and lowers the speed of moving the nozzle upward than the speed during the first period while maintaining or reducing the speed at which the liquid surface of the mixed liquid rises due to re-discharging of the mixed liquid from the nozzle during a second period following the first period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2020
    Publication date: December 15, 2022
    Applicant: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation
    Inventors: Mariko MIYAZAKI, Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Kazuhiro NODA, Eiichiro TAKADA, Yuka MIYAKE
  • Publication number: 20220326197
    Abstract: A flowpath switch valve is configured for extended service life by spreading the region, of the sliding surfaces of a stator and a rotor, that is subject to wear over the entirety of the sliding surfaces. The stator has fixed stator flowpaths, and the rotor has rotor flowpaths. A flowpath switch valve, depending on the rotor rotation state, realizes connection patterns that include: a first connection pattern wherein a rotor flowpath 241 connects a fixed stator flowpath 31 and a fixed stator flowpath 32; a second connection pattern wherein the rotor flowpath 241 connects the fixed stator flowpath 31 and a fixed stator flowpath 36; a third connection pattern wherein a rotor flowpath 242 connects the fixed stator flowpath 31 and the fixed stator flowpath 32; and a fourth connection pattern wherein the rotor flowpath 242 connects the fixed stator flowpath 31 and the fixed stator flowpath 36.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Inventors: Ayano OTSUBO, Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Hisao INAMI, Shoji TOMIDA, Mitsuhiko UEDA, Daisuke AKIEDA, Kenichiro NISHIKI
  • Publication number: 20220205440
    Abstract: A liquid feed pump which increases the liquid flow velocity in a stagnation area in the pressure chamber of a plunger pump, thereby improving the liquid replacement speed in the plunger pump. When the liquid in the liquid feed pump is replaced, a first plunger slides back and forth in the space between a lower limit point and an upper limit point, and the second plunger stops at least temporarily at a position near to the upper limit point or slides back and forth for a shorter distance than when the liquid feed pump usually feeds the liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Daisuke AKIEDA, Shinya ITO, Kenichiro NISHIKI
  • Publication number: 20220146540
    Abstract: Provided is an automatic analysis device capable of detecting a pipetting condition with high accuracy even when pressure pulsation occurs due to a pipetting syringe operation or a probe operation before and after pipetting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: Hitachi High-Tech Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro NODA, Kenta IMAI, Tatsuki TAKAKURA, Nobuhiro TSUKADA
  • Publication number: 20210382018
    Abstract: A liquid chromatograph has a long-life flow passage switching valve with reduced abrasion caused by sliding of flow passage end portions of a stator and flow passage end portions of a rotor seal. The flow passage switching valve includes: a stator; and a rotor seal connected with a rotor configured to rotate and slide on a circumference with respect to the stator. The stator has stator flow passages that open to the rotor seal. The rotor seal has a rotor seal flow passage for coupling two or more of the stator flow passages. A flow passage end portion that is positioned at a tip end in a sliding direction of the rotor seal flow passage is positioned in a direction opposite to the sliding direction of the stator flow passage end portion to be connected to the rotor seal flow passage, at least at the start of sliding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Ayano OTSUBO, Hisao INAMI, Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Daisuke AKIEDA, Kenichiro NISHIKI, Yoshihiro NAGAOKA
  • Publication number: 20210116427
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid chromatograph in which a solvent can be quickly replaced in a liquid delivery pump. The liquid chromatograph is provided with a liquid delivery pump 1 that takes in and discharges a solvent, and the liquid delivery pump is provided with: a pump head 111 in which an intake passage 10, a pressurizing chamber 12, and a discharge passage 103 are formed; a plunger 2; and a seal 61 that seals the pressurizing chamber. The liquid chromatograph 100 is configured such that a bottom dead center 21 of the plunger is disposed nearer to the upper end of the pressurizing chamber than the intake passage. The bottom dead center of the plunger may be disposed such that an upper surface of the plunger and a surface of the intake passage at the lower-end side of the pressurizing chamber are substantially the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Izumi OGATA, Shinya ITO, Midori TOBITA
  • Patent number: 10416184
    Abstract: The present invention provides a pretreatment device for a sample for analysis that makes it possible to send a sample liquid to an arbitrary treatment module connected to a sample liquid conveyance flow route, and an analysis system using the same. A pretreatment device for a sample for analysis according to the present invention is at least provided with a plurality of sample liquid treatment modules for introducing a sample liquid or carrying out prescribed pretreatment on the sample liquid, a first flow path for conveying the sample liquid or the pretreated sample liquid between the plurality of sample liquid treatment modules, and a conveyance direction switching part for switching the conveyance direction of the sample liquid or the pretreated sample liquid in the first flow path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Tsukada, Ayano Otsubo, Yoshihiro Nagaoka
  • Patent number: 9797870
    Abstract: A chemical analysis apparatus includes a liquid delivery device and a liquid discharge unit discharging delivered liquids, the liquid delivery device including: a first liquid delivery unit delivering a first liquid containing an analysis object; a second liquid delivery unit delivering a second liquid not containing an analysis object; a measurement unit measuring physical properties of the delivered first liquid; first and second liquid pools containing the delivered first liquid and second liquid; and a plurality of passive valves. The apparatus further includes: a first flow passage connecting the first liquid delivery unit and the liquid delivery device; a second flow passage connecting the measurement unit and the second liquid pool; a third flow passage connecting the second liquid delivery unit and the liquid discharge unit; a first air hole provided in the first liquid pool; and a second air hole provided in the second liquid pool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Tsukada, Yoshihiro Nagaoka
  • Publication number: 20160299168
    Abstract: The present invention provides a pretreatment device for a sample for analysis that makes it possible to send a sample liquid to an arbitrary treatment module connected to a sample liquid conveyance flow route, and an analysis system using the same. A pretreatment device for a sample for analysis according to the present invention is at least provided with a plurality of sample liquid treatment modules for introducing a sample liquid or carrying out prescribed pretreatment on the sample liquid, a first flow path for conveying the sample liquid or the pretreated sample liquid between the plurality of sample liquid treatment modules, and a conveyance direction switching part for switching the conveyance direction of the sample liquid or the pretreated sample liquid in the first flow path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2013
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Ayano OTSUBO, Yoshihiro NAGAOKA
  • Publication number: 20160054272
    Abstract: A chemical analysis apparatus includes a liquid delivery device and a liquid discharge unit discharging the delivered first liquid and second liquid, the liquid delivery device including: a first liquid delivery unit delivering a first liquid containing an analysis object; a second liquid delivery unit delivering a second liquid not containing an analysis object; a measurement unit measuring physical properties of the delivered first liquid; a liquid pool containing the delivered first and second liquid; and a plurality of passive valves. The liquid pool includes first and second liquid pools. The apparatus further includes: a first flow passage connecting the first liquid delivery unit and the liquid delivery device; a second flow passage connecting the measurement unit and the second liquid pool; a third flow passage connecting the second liquid, delivery unit and the liquid discharge unit; a first air hole provided in the first liquid pool; and a second air hole provided in the second liquid pool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Publication date: February 25, 2016
    Inventors: Nobuhiro TSUKADA, Yoshihiro NAGAOKA
  • Patent number: 9128071
    Abstract: A liquid mixing device that decreases a concentration non-uniformity in the flow direction of a mobile phase and a liquid chromatograph that uses the liquid mixing device are provided. The liquid mixing device is configured to include a flow channel unit that is made from an introduction channel, a branch portion that is positioned in a downstream of the introduction channel, multiple branched flow channels that branch from the branch portion, a junction portion in which the multiple branched flow channels join together, and a discharge channel of the downstream of the junction portion. The multiple branched flow channels are different in terms of any one of, or several of width, depth, and length that are associated with an external shape, and a structure filling the inside of the flow channel and thus the times for the liquid to pass through the branched flow channels are different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Tsukada, Yoshihiro Nagaoka, Hironori Kaji, Daisuke Akieda
  • Publication number: 20140246321
    Abstract: Micropillars are arranged a first row up to an nth row, the micropillars in one row are disposed at the same interval “a” from each other, and each of the rows is disposed in a position shifted by a distance “b” with respect to an immediately preceding upstream row, in a row direction. A liquid that contains particles flows through between the micropillars. A voltage is applied from a power supply to electrodes, thereby generating an electric field in a flow channel. The micropillars are electrical insulating structures, so in regions of narrow intervals between the micropillars, electrical lines of force are dense and strength of the electric field is high, and in regions of wide intervals between the micropillars, electrical lines of force are sparse and the strength of the electric field is low.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Tsukada, Kei Takenaka
  • Patent number: 8757864
    Abstract: A chemical analyzer supplies a sample and a reagent into a reaction container provided with an opening mixes a fluid which is to be measured and contains the sample and reagent supplied into the reaction container, measures a property of the fluid in the reaction container, and controls the drive for the mixer. The mixer has a vertical drive machine to move the mixing tool up and down. The control unit controls the vertical drive machine to move the mixing tool up and down in the fluid to be measured in the reaction container so as to cause upward and downward flow of the fluid which is to be measured and is positioned below the mixing tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Hironobu Yamakawa, Hideo Enoki, Isao Yamazaki, Nobuhiro Tsukada