Patents by Inventor Nobuo Iwai

Nobuo Iwai 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: 8690788
    Abstract: A living body information measuring apparatus can suppress the bulge of tendons due to the bending of a wrist or fingers, and has good contact intimacy with arteries, making it possible to make accurate measurements of living body information. A cuff is formed of: a compression fluid bag which is provided for detecting a pulse wave signal, and which can be expanded and contracted by being supplied with a fluid; and two auxiliary fluid bags which are provided on an outer side of the compression fluid bag, and which can be expanded and contracted by being supplied with the fluid. The auxiliary fluid bags have a two-layer structure, and are connected to the compression fluid bag via opening portions, while the auxiliary fluid bags are respectively divided from each other. The compression fluid bag compresses the tendons, the radial artery and the ulnar artery, while the auxiliary fluid bag and the auxiliary fluid bag compress the radial artery and the ulnar artery, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Ide, Manabu Hamamoto, Nobuo Iwai
  • Publication number: 20120212585
    Abstract: A stereoscopic imaging device includes: a first image capture device and a second image capture device; a convergence point shifter configured to shift a convergence point; and a controller configured to control, in accordance with a zooming-in operation regarding a subject whose images are taken by the first image capture device and by the second image capture device, the convergence point shifter to shift the convergence point rearward or frontward of the subject, and to control, in accordance with a zooming-out operation regarding the subject whose images are taken by the first image capture device and the second image capture device, the convergence point shifter to shift the convergence point frontward or rearward of the subject.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji TERADA, Hiroyuki MAKUTA, Nobuo IWAI
  • Patent number: 8169514
    Abstract: A defective pixel detecting device determining defective pixels as correction targets in an imaging device that produces image signals is provided, and the device includes: defect information storage configured to store priority of defective pixels to be corrected; a defective pixel detector configured to detect defective pixels by comparing levels of imaging signals from the imaging device with a predetermined detection level; a priority setter configured to set priority of the detected defective pixels, based on the levels of the imaging signals of the defective pixels detected by the defective pixel detector; and a correction target determiner configured to newly determine defective pixels to be corrected based on the priority of the defective pixels out of the defective pixels that are currently detected by the defective pixel detector and the defective pixels to be corrected stored in the defect information storage, determining priority of the newly determined defective pixels to be corrected, and storin
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Setsuko Watanabe, Nobuo Iwai
  • Publication number: 20100073526
    Abstract: A defective pixel detecting device determining defective pixels as correction targets in an imaging device that produces image signals is provided, and the device includes: defect information storage configured to store priority of defective pixels to be corrected; a defective pixel detector configured to detect defective pixels by comparing levels of imaging signals from the imaging device with a predetermined detection level; a priority setter configured to set priority of the detected defective pixels, based on the levels of the imaging signals of the defective pixels detected by the defective pixel detector; and a correction target determiner configured to newly determine defective pixels to be corrected based on the priority of the defective pixels out of the defective pixels that are currently detected by the defective pixel detector and the defective pixels to be corrected stored in the defect information storage, determining priority of the newly determined defective pixels to be corrected, and storin
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Inventors: Setsuko WATANABE, Nobuo IWAI
  • Publication number: 20090163824
    Abstract: A living body information measuring apparatus can suppress the bulge of tendons due to the bending of a wrist or fingers, and has good contact intimacy with arteries, making it possible to make accurate measurements of living body information. A cuff is formed of: a compression fluid bag which is provided for detecting a pulse wave signal, and which can be expanded and contracted by being supplied with a fluid; and two auxiliary fluid bags which are provided on an outer side of the compression fluid bag, and which can be expanded and contracted by being supplied with the fluid. The auxiliary fluid bags have a two-layer structure, and are connected to the compression fluid bag via opening portions, while the auxiliary fluid bags are respectively divided from each other. The compression fluid bag compresses the tendons, the radial artery and the ulnar artery, while the auxiliary fluid bag and the auxiliary fluid bag compress the radial artery and the ulnar artery, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2006
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Ide, Manabu Hamamoto, Nobuo Iwai
  • Patent number: 7207944
    Abstract: A blood pressure monitor is provided with a box-shaped housing having openings formed in left and right side walls, a cuff transversely arranged in the housing and including an arm entrance and an arm exit at the opposite left and right ends corresponding to the openings. The cuff is formed with a blood flow blocking bag in a specified area. The opposite ends of the cuff is taken up by a cuff take-up drum such that the blood flow blocking bag extends along the outer circumferential surface of the inserted arm at the time of a measurement and a compressed air is supplied to the blood flow blocking bag to block the blood flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Fumuro, Koichi Okada, Takeshi Kojima, Tsuyoshi Yuasa, Nobuo Iwai
  • Publication number: 20050187485
    Abstract: A blood pressure monitor is provided with a box-shaped housing having openings formed in left and right side walls, a cuff transversely arranged in the housing and including an arm entrance and an arm exit at the opposite left and right ends corresponding to the openings. The cuff is formed with a blood flow blocking bag in a specified area. The opposite ends of the cuff is taken up by a cuff take-up drum such that the blood flow blocking bag extends along the outer circumferential surface of the inserted arm at the time of a measurement and a compressed air is supplied to the blood flow blocking bag to block the blood flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2005
    Publication date: August 25, 2005
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC WORKS, LTD.
    Inventors: Shinichi Fumuro, Koichi Okada, Takeshi Kojima, Tsuyoshi Yuasa, Nobuo Iwai
  • Patent number: 6927792
    Abstract: The white balance of a television camera is not lost and kept properly even if the diaphragm is opened to the utmost limit at a dark place. A signal F representing the diaphragm value of the taking lens is inputted from an iris part 2 into a microcomputer 8. The level adjusting values of the R, G, and B signals are set in the microcomputer 8 according to the diaphragm signal F and sent to a white balance correcting circuit 6. The correcting circuit 6 adjusts the levels of the R, G, and B signals to the same value according to the level adjusting values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakazu Mimura, Nobuo Iwai
  • Patent number: 6072527
    Abstract: A dark shading correction circuit, used for a television camera or a video camera, is provided for canceling a dark shading signal component contained in a video signal outputted from an image pickup device (6), thereby effecting the dark shading correction on the video signal. In synchronization with a vertical synchronizing signal, the image pickup device (6) outputs a video signal containing an optical black reference signal outputted in response to each horizontal scanning signal, while a timing signal generator (10) generates at least two timing signals for detecting the optical black reference signal in the video signal. On the other hand, detection means (7a, 7b) detect at least two optical black reference signals contained in the video signal based on the at least two timing signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuo Iwai
  • Patent number: 5644913
    Abstract: A heating system for a catalytic converter of a multi-cyclinder, spark-ignition engine is provided. Half of the cylinders of the engine, for example, the cylinder #2 and the cylinder #3, are operated on a rich gas mixture with an excess air ratio of 0.6 or less to produce a combustible gas mixture comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and unburned fuel components, while the remaining half of the cylinders, for example, the cylinder #1 and the cylinder #4, are utilized as air blowers to which no fuel is fed. The flammable gas mixture produced from the combustible gas produced in the cylinder #2 and the cylinder #3 and the air supplied by the cylinder #1 and the cylinder #4 is burned in the combustor equipped with an ignition device which is installed upstream from the catalytic converter to provide heat energy to activate the catalyst. The system can rapidly heat and activate the catalyst without requiring a special fuel supply system and air blower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Agency of Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Nobuo Iwai, Seiji Hayashi, Motoaki Akai
  • Patent number: 5564426
    Abstract: By a pressure data separating device 24, a net cuff pressure and an arterial pulse component are separately extracted from a cuff pressure of an occluding cuff which is an electrical signal provided from an A/D converter 23. A waveform value indicative of a waveform of each arterial pulse is computed by an arterial pulse deriving section 24a. An arithmetic operation device 26 is capable of detecting a characteristic value from a time series of the waveform values and determining systolic and diastolic blood pressures of a subject in accordance with a net cuff pressure corresponding to the characteristic value. In the present invention, since particular times associated with the systolic and diastolic blood pressures are derived by an analysis of the waveform of each arterial pulse, the blood pressures can be accurately determined while preventing an error in measurement caused by individual difference of the subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuo Iwai
  • Patent number: 5119775
    Abstract: In an engine using fuel of low startability, there are provided an ultrasc atomizer and a fuel injection valve arranged on a suction pipe of the engine, and a catalyzer unit mounted between said ultrasonic atomizer and a fuel injection valve. When the engine is started, the fuel atomized by the ultrasonic atomizer is supplied to the catalyzer unit to generate an intermediate product of high volatility. After the engine has been started, fuel is supplied through the fuel injection valve. When a fuel is passed through the catalyzer unit such as methanol fuel, aldehyde is generated by a decomposition reaction, reforming reaction, partial oxidation reaction, etc., or dimethylether is generated by a dehydrating condensation reaction. By supplying this intermediate product of high volatility to the engine, the startability of the engine at low temperatures is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1992
    Assignee: Tonen Corporation and Japan Automobile Research Institute & Incorporation
    Inventors: Kakuro Kokubo, Nobuo Iwai
  • Patent number: 4751930
    Abstract: An improved blood pressure measuring system based on oscillometric methods utilizes a pressure transducer which provides a varying cuff pressure for occluding the artery of a test subject. The cuff pressure is sampled at a suitable sampling rate to provide a consistent waveform including arterial or blood pressure pulses appearing in sequence during the period of decreasing the occluding pressure. Each blood pressure pulse superimposed upon the cuff pressure is extracted as a pulsating quantity for analyzing the characteristic behavior of such arterial pulse train in order to determine required blood pressure measurements. The pulsating quantity is defined to be an integral of each pulse which value is much larger than the height of the pulse and accordingly, represents an index more readily discernable from possible artifacts having a level in the vicinity of the height level of the pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: June 21, 1988
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruhiro Terada, Kouichi Ishino, Nobuo Iwai
  • Patent number: 4641020
    Abstract: Disclosed is an improvement in an optical head-position control device in which focusing and tracking of an objective lens are effected by controlling a focus actuator and a tracking actuator on the basis of a detection signal of a light reception element which receives a laser beam reflected by an optical recording medium, the improvement being such that a sensor is provided for detecting the position of the objective lens and a negative feedback signal is superimposed onto a servo signal for the focus actuator and the tracking actuator on the basis of the detection signal from the objective lens detecting sensor to thereby improve the operation margin for the focus actuator and the tracking actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1987
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobuo Iwai