Patents by Inventor Nobuo Hiraki

Nobuo Hiraki 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: 9874757
    Abstract: A head mount display (HMD) includes: an image unit; a lens unit; and a housing including a first surface arranged on the front side, a second surface extending rearward from an upper side of the first surface, and a third surface extending rearward from a lower side of the first surface. The HMD further includes a half mirror provided on the left side of the housing and on the left side relative to the lens unit and deflecting, rearward, image light led by the lens unit; an operating member provided on the left side relative to the center in right and left directions of the housing within the first surface and rotating about an axis extending in frontward and rearward directions; and an adjustment mechanism connected to at least one of the image unit and the lens unit and moving the unit(s) according to rotation of the operating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Miyuki Kusuda, Nobuo Hiraki
  • Publication number: 20160178912
    Abstract: An HMD includes: an image unit; a lens unit; a housing including a first surface arranged on the front side, a second surface extending from the upper side of the first surface rearward, and a third surface extending rearward from the lower side of the first surface; a half mirror provided on the left side of the housing and on the left side relative to the lens unit and deflecting, rearward, image light led by the lens unit; an operating member provided at a position on the left side relative to the center in right and left directions of the housing within the first surface and rotating about an axis extending in frontward and rearward directions; and an adjustment mechanism connected to at least one of the image unit and the lens unit and moving it toward the right and left directions according to rotation of the operating member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Miyuki Kusuda, Nobuo Hiraki
  • Patent number: 9323060
    Abstract: A display unit in a head mounted display (HMD) is divided into a main body part generating image light; and an emission port part having an emission port through which the generated image light is emitted to the observer's eye. The main body part and the emission port part are connected to each other such that they are allowed to be attached and detached by an external force. In a head mounting state of the HMD, when a first external force acts on the emission port part in response to a situation that the emission port part (e.g., a half mirror) comes into contact with a member located at or near the observing eye or in front of the observing eye within the observer's face and thereby protecting the observing eye, the first external force causes the emission port part to be detached from the main body part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuo Hiraki
  • Patent number: 9091848
    Abstract: A wearable display includes a display and a holder. The display emits light toward a light receiver. The holder retains the display in a first position relative to the light receiver when the wearable display is in an operational state. A first area of the display and a second area of the display are the only areas of the display that face the light receiver and are within a field of view of the light receiver when the display is in the first position. The first area is the only area of the first area and the second area in an overlap region when the display is in the first position. The overlap region is a portion of the field of view of the light receiver that overlaps a field of view of another light receiver. The first area is greater than the second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuo Hiraki, Narihiko Hashimoto
  • Publication number: 20140168784
    Abstract: A display unit in a head mounted display (HMD) is divided into a main body part generating image light; and an emission port part having an emission port through which the generated image light is emitted to the observer's eye. The main body part and the emission port part are connected to each other such that they are allowed to be attached and detached by an external force. In a head mounting state of the HMD, when a first external force acts on the emission port part in response to a situation that the emission port part (e.g., a half mirror) comes into contact with a member located at or near the observing eye or in front of the observing eye within the observer's face and thereby protecting the observing eye, the first external force causes the emission port part to be detached from the main body part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuo Hiraki
  • Publication number: 20130235128
    Abstract: An ink jet printer may include an ink jet head, a cam member, a cam follower, and a valve operation mechanism. The ink jet head may comprise an ink chamber, an exhaust passage communicating with the ink chamber, and an exhaust valve disposed at the exhaust passage. The cam member may comprise a cam groove and be configured to rotate. The cam groove may comprise first, second and third grooves. The second groove and the third groove may branch from one end of the first groove. The cam follower may be configured to be guided along the cam groove. The valve operation mechanism may be coupled to the cam follower. In a state where the cam follower is present in a predetermined position in the third groove, the valve operation mechanism may make contact with the exhaust valve, and the exhaust valve may be in an opened state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Jun Hatta, Tomohisa Higuchi, Nobuo Hiraki, Yoshinori Kato, Shin Manabe
  • Publication number: 20130214999
    Abstract: A wearable display includes a display and a holder. The display emits light toward a light receiver. The holder retains the display in a first position relative to the light receiver when the wearable display is in an operational state. A first area of the display and a second area of the display are the only areas of the display that face the light receiver and are within a field of view of the light receiver when the display is in the first position. The first area is the only area of the first area and the second area in an overlap region when the display is in the first position. The overlap region is a portion of the field of view of the light receiver that overlaps a field of view of another light receiver. The first area is greater than the second area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2013
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobuo HIRAKI, Narihiko HASHIMOTO
  • Patent number: 8197026
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus is provided. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head including a nozzle formation surface, the nozzle formation surface including a plurality of nozzles formed thereon for discharging ink to record an image on a recording medium conveyed to a position opposing the nozzle formation surface; a wiper blade configured to contact the nozzle formation surface to wipe the nozzle formation surface; and an introducing portion formed on a side surface of the recording head intersecting the nozzle formation surface, the introducing portion configured to introduce ink attached to the wiper blade or the nozzle formation surface to the side surface to hold the introduced ink at the side surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Kato, Nobuo Hiraki, Tomohisa Higuchi
  • Patent number: 8033639
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus, method and computer readable medium are provided. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head comprising a nozzle formation surface having a plurality of ink discharging nozzles formed thereon; a wiper which has elasticity and wipes the nozzle formation surface by pressingly contacting against the nozzle formation surface of the recording head; and a moving unit which moves at least one of the recording head and the wiper to wipe the nozzle formation surface at a first relative speed and moves the at least one of the recording head and the wiper to separate from each other at a second relative speed, which is less than the first relative speed. The method includes moving at least one of the inkjet recording head and the wiper relative to each other so that the wiper wipes the nozzle formation surface at a first relative speed; and separating the wiper from the inkjet recording head at a second relative speed, which is less than the first relative speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Kato, Nobuo Hiraki, Tomohisa Higuchi
  • Patent number: 7878621
    Abstract: An ink-jet printer including a carriage carrying recording heads, air collecting chambers, and discharging passages communicating with the respective air collecting chambers; opening and closing valves provided in the respective discharging passages; opening and closing bars which open and close the respective valves; an air discharge cap which has a bottom wall, a side wall, and a suction hole, wherein an upper end surface of the side wall is closely contactable with a lower surface of the carriage to cover respective openings of the discharging passages; a suction device which sucks air through the suction hole; and an air-flow generating device which causes an air flow inlet to open at a position distant from the suction hole, so that when air is sucked through the suction hole, the air flows from the air flow inlet toward the suction hole. An ink sucking method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuo Hiraki, Takaichiro Umeda, Noritsugu Ito, Hikaru Kaga, Tatsuya Shindo, Wataru Sugiyama, Katsunori Nishida, Tomohisa Higuchi
  • Patent number: 7866787
    Abstract: A maintenance unit for a droplet ejecting device, includes a base frame, a sealing unit, a guiding mechanism, and a supporting part. The sealing unit is capable of sealing nozzles. The guiding mechanism is capable of moving the sealing unit, in association with a reciprocating motion of a carriage between a first position in which the sealing unit seals the nozzles and a second position in which the sealing unit separates from the nozzles. The guiding mechanism includes a first engaging part and a second engaging part that are coupled to the sealing unit. The second engaging part is provided at a side closer to a droplet ejecting region than the first engaging part. The supporting part supports the sealing unit and is in a position either just, below the first engaging part or at a side farther from the droplet ejecting region than the first engaging part when the sealing unit is in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuo Hiraki
  • Publication number: 20100302309
    Abstract: An ink jet printer may be provided with an ink jet head, a cam member, a cam follower, and a valve operation mechanism. The ink jet head may comprise an ink chamber, an exhaust passage communicating with the ink chamber, and an exhaust valve disposed at the exhaust passage. The cam member may comprise a cam groove. The cam member may be configured to rotate. The cam groove may comprise a first groove, a second groove, and a third groove. The second groove and the third groove may branch from one end of the first groove. The cam follower may be configured to be guided along the cam groove. The valve operation mechanism may be coupled to the cam follower. In a state where the cam follower is present in a predetermined position in the third groove, the valve operation mechanism may make contact with the exhaust valve, and the exhaust valve may be in an opened state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Jun HATTA, Tomohisa HIGUCHI, Nobuo HIRAKI, Yoshinori KATO, Shin MANABE
  • Patent number: 7648224
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium including: at least one recording head for unused-ink having a nozzle array made of a plurality of nozzles that selectively ejects unused-ink; at least one recording head for recycled-ink having a nozzle array made of a plurality of nozzles that selectively ejects recycled-ink of an equivalent color to the unused-ink ejected from the recording head for unused-ink; a collector that collects ink discharged from the recording head for unused-ink and the recording head for recycled-ink so as to restore an ejectable state of the recording heads; and a recycled-ink supplier that supplies ink, collected by the collector, to the recording head for recycled-ink as recycled-ink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabuhsiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Sasa, Masaru Takeuchi, Kohei Terada, Nobuo Hiraki, Ryohei Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20090085969
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus is provided. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head including a nozzle formation surface, the nozzle formation surface including a plurality of nozzles formed thereon for discharging ink to record an image on a recording medium conveyed to a position opposing the nozzle formation surface; a wiper blade configured to contact the nozzle formation surface to wipe the nozzle formation surface; and an introducing portion formed on a side surface of the recording head intersecting the nozzle formation surface, the introducing portion configured to introduce ink attached to the wiper blade or the nozzle formation surface to the side surface to hold the introduced ink at the side surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinori KATO, Nobuo HIRAKI, Tomohisa HIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20090051732
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus, method and computer readable medium are provided. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head comprising a nozzle formation surface having a plurality of ink discharging nozzles formed thereon; a wiper which has elasticity and wipes the nozzle formation surface by pressingly contacting against the nozzle formation surface of the recording head; and a moving unit which moves at least one of the recording head and the wiper to wipe the nozzle formation surface at a first relative speed and moves the at least one of the recording head and the wiper to separate from each other at a second relative speed, which is less than the first relative speed. The method includes moving at least one of the inkjet recording head and the wiper relative to each other so that the wiper wipes the nozzle formation surface at a first relative speed; and separating the wiper from the inkjet recording head at a second relative speed, which is less than the first relative speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinori Kato, Nobuo Hiraki, Tomohisa Higuchi
  • Patent number: 7431278
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a platen, a transporting device, and a suction device. The image forming unit forms an image on one surface of a printing medium. The transporting device transports the printing medium in a transportation direction along the platen while the other surface of the printing medium faces a surface of the platen. The suction device sucks air. The platen includes a plurality of rollers, which are rotatable around rotation axes perpendicular to the transportation direction and protrude from the surface of the platen, and a suction opening which is defined on the surface of the platen and communicates with the suction device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuo Hiraki, Toshio Sugiura
  • Publication number: 20070296754
    Abstract: An ink-jet printer including recording heads; a carriage carrying the recording heads; ink flow passages which supply ink from ink tanks to the recording heads; air collecting chambers which are provided on the carriage and each of which collects air bubbles produced in a corresponding one of the ink flow passages; discharging passages which are provided on the carriage and each of which communicates with a corresponding one of the air collecting chambers; opening and closing valves each of which is normally closed and is provided in a corresponding one of the discharging passages such that the opening and closing valves are arranged in a first direction; opening and closing bars which arranged in a second direction parallel to the first direction, and each of which opens and closes a corresponding one of the opening and closing valves; an air-tight-space defining device including an air-discharge cap which has a bottom wall, a side wall projecting upward from a periphery of the bottom wall, and a suction hol
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2007
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Inventors: Nobuo Hiraki, Takaichiro Umeda, Noritsugu Ito, Hikaru Kaga, Tatsuya Shindo, Wataru Sugiyama, Katsunori Nishida, Tomohisa Higuchi
  • Patent number: 7258420
    Abstract: In a case where a home position of a carriage and a maintenance position are set on the same side while a wiper is taken as a border, when the carriage at the home position moves for performing recording on a recording medium, a cam is driven so as to cause a release section to move the wiper from a wiping position to a receded position before the carriage moves. Thereafter, movement of the carriage is started. When wiping of a recording head by means of the wiper is not required, by means of returning the wiper to the receded position in advance, unnecessary contact between the wiper and the recording head can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuo Hiraki
  • Publication number: 20070146414
    Abstract: A maintenance unit for a droplet ejecting device, includes a base frame, a sealing unit, a guiding mechanism, and a supporting part. The sealing unit is capable of sealing nozzles. The guiding mechanism is capable of moving the sealing unit, in association with a reciprocating motion of a carriage between a first position in which the sealing unit seals the nozzles and a second position in which the sealing unit separates from the nozzles. The guiding mechanism includes a first engaging part and a second engaging part that are coupled to the sealing unit. The second engaging part is provided at a side closer to a droplet ejecting region than the first engaging part. The supporting part supports the sealing unit and is in a position either just, below the first engaging part or at a side farther from the droplet ejecting region than the first engaging part when the sealing unit is in the second position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nobuo Hiraki
  • Publication number: 20060244799
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording medium including: at least one recording head for unused-ink having a nozzle array made of a plurality of nozzles that selectively ejects unused-ink; at least one recording head for recycled-ink having a nozzle array made of a plurality of nozzles that selectively ejects recycled-ink of an equivalent color to the unused-ink ejected from the recording head for unused-ink; a collector that collects ink discharged from the recording head for unused-ink and the recording head for recycled-ink so as to restore an ejectable state of the recording heads; and a recycled-ink supplier that supplies ink, collected by the collector, to the recording head for recycled-ink as recycled-ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Publication date: November 2, 2006
    Applicant: Brother Kogyo kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Sasa, Masaru Takeuchi, Kohei Terada, Nobuo Hiraki, Ryohei Suzuki