Patents by Inventor Shinichi Higuchi

Shinichi Higuchi 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: 6353217
    Abstract: In the transmitter receiver of the present invention, a light-shielding sheet is arranged in front of a light-emitting portion having a LED whose light-emitting central axis is inclined and an aperture from which only the head of the light-emitting portion is exposed is made in the light-shielding sheet. The light-shielding sheet masks the inclined side portion of the light-emitting portion to prevent a light-receiving portion from detecting the light leaking from the inclined side portion. Therefore, the light-receiving portion can detect with high accuracy a change in the amount of light emission that is produced by a change in the direction of the light-emitting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Uchio, Shinichi Higuchi
  • Patent number: 6216188
    Abstract: With a control section implemented by software, which is provided for a personal computer, when a device is added, a device driver dedicated to the device starts running. When a device is removed, the corresponding device driver is released. Since a control apparatus is used which includes the personal computer provided with the control section, a wireless device, and a universal serial bus (USB) controller for transferring data to and from the device, the device can be used immediately after it is disposed at a predetermined location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihisa Endo, Kazuhito Ooshita, Shinichi Higuchi, Yuko Sonoda, Kouichi Ogino
  • Patent number: 6205502
    Abstract: A USB controller is provided between a personal computer main unit and various devices. By providing the USB controller with a switch part for temporarily cutting a current flowing between the USB controller and the personal computer main unit, the circuit is connected or interrupted. With the configuration, when a new device is connected, by sequentially turning on and off a switch in the switch part, an operation similar to pull-out and insertion of a connector or resetting of a system can be executed, so that the newly connected device can be made usable immediately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihisa Endo, Shinichi Higuchi, Kazuhito Ooshita, Yuko Sonoda, Kouichi Ogino
  • Patent number: 6091695
    Abstract: According to this invention, a recording/reproducing device includes a DC motor for driving cam plates in the horizontal direction, a sensor for detecting positions of the cam plates in the horizontal direction, and a horizontal cam groove portion which is formed on at least one end portion of the cam grooves and with which the cam pins of the pickup unit are brought into contact. The cam plates are driven in the horizontal direction by the DC motor, the cam pins of the pickup unit are brought into contact with the horizontal cam groove portion, and, at this time, initialization of the cam plates is performed by causing the sensor to detect the positions of the cam plates in the horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makito Takigawa, Shinichi Higuchi
  • Patent number: 5929834
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device with a tablet reduced in apparatus thickness and enhanced in display visibility. The liquid crystal display device mainly composed of a liquid crystal display upper glass plate, a liquid crystal, and a liquid crystal display lower glass plate is connected with a tablet on the upper glass plate, the tablet being mainly composed of a film having a first transparent electrode. A second transparent electrode arranged on the upper glass plate is made function as both an electrostatic capacity detecting electrode and a display electrode. Namely, display is made by the second transparent electrode and a third transparent electrode and a coordinate on the tablet is detected by the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
    Inventors: Kinya Inoue, Shinichi Higuchi, Shinji Hirano, Kouichi Ogino, Yoshihisa Endo, Mikio Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 5790106
    Abstract: A coordinate input apparatus which performs an input operation with high precision by use of either an operator's finger or an input pen. The input apparatus includes a tablet having a plurality of X electrodes and Y electrodes arranged in the form of a matrix on the respective top and bottom surfaces of a glass substrate. The input apparatus also has a first oscillation circuit connected to the X electrodes through an analog switch. It is further provided with an input pen containing a second oscillation circuit. When the pen is used to perform the input operation through use of coordinates, the following method of determining the coordinates designated by the pen is employed. A voltage oscillating from the pen is applied to each electrode through capacitance, and the resulting output voltage varies depending on the distance from each electrode to the pen. Based on the varied output voltages, a predetermined computation process is executed to determine the coordinates designated by the pen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Hirano, Mikio Matsumoto, Shinichi Higuchi, Kinya Inoue, Yoshihisa Endo, Tadashi Manome
  • Patent number: 5428521
    Abstract: OBJECT: To provide a non-contact power supply apparatus capable of supplying stable power very efficiently even when changes in load at the receiving side occur by tuning AC frequency supplied to the oscillating circuit on the receiving side and the resonant frequency of the resonance circuit on the receiving side. CONSTITUENTS: At the receiving side is provided a resonance circuit 3 in which resonance coil L3 on the receiving side is connected in parallel with resonance capacitor C3. At the supplying side are provided a detecting coil L2 which detects resonant frequency of resonance circuit 3 on the receiving side and a control means 1 which tunes AC frequency supplied to the aforementioned oscillating circuit 2 on the supplying side with resonant frequency of the aforementioned oscillating circuit 3 on the receiving side according to the frequency of induced electromotive force detected by said detecting coil L2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1995
    Assignees: Alps Electric Co, Ltd., Kigawa Electronic Engineering Laboratory, Inc.
    Inventors: Michio Kigawa, Shinichi Higuchi
  • Patent number: 4491339
    Abstract: A strut for McPherson type automobile suspensions wherein, in order to minimize the maximum bending stress occurring in the tubular member forming the cylinder of the liner type shock absorber, the knuckle bracket fitted to the lower end of the tubular member is formed by the first bracket with a U-shaped cross-section and the second bracket with a -shaped cross-section fitted in the opening part of the said first bracket and a ribbed part is formed beforehand by extending upward the upper end part of the said second bracket so that, by contacting the said ribbed part to the outer walls of the said tubular member, those parts which receive the maximum bending stress may be reinforced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1981
    Date of Patent: January 1, 1985
    Assignee: Kayaba KKK
    Inventors: Ken Mizumukai, Shinichi Higuchi