Patents by Inventor Shotaro IIDA

Shotaro IIDA 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: 12157320
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid supply device including: first and second valves; a head; a suction mechanism; and a controller. The controller is configured to: execute a valve-opening operation of opening the first and second valves, in response to a suction instruction; execute a valve-closing operation of closing the first valve depending on output of a first signal, and closing the second valve depending on output of a second signal, the first signal indicating that an amount of a first liquid in a first tank is a first threshold value or more, the second signal indicating that an amount of a second liquid in a second tank is a second threshold value or more; and execute a suction operation of driving the suction mechanism for a predetermined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shotaro Iida
  • Publication number: 20240034068
    Abstract: There is provided an image recording apparatus including: a head; a maintenance unit; and a controller. The maintenance unit includes a wiper tank and a flushing tank. A first tank is one of the wiper and flushing tanks and a second tank is remaining one of the wiper and flushing tanks. The controller is configured to perform a first processing of cleaning the first tank, under a condition that an elapsed time is less than a threshold value, the elapsed time being a time elapsed since cleaning of the second tank or since a predetermined processing performed first after the cleaning of the second tank, and is configured to perform a second processing of cleaning the second tank by adding the cleaning liquid to the first tank, under a condition that the elapsed time is not less than the threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2023
    Publication date: February 1, 2024
    Inventor: Shotaro IIDA
  • Patent number: 11878528
    Abstract: A controller of a liquid ejection device obtains a temperature of a head after recording and before a pre-cap flushing and determines a pre-cap flushing voltage based on the temperature. Then, the controller outputs the pre-cap flushing voltage to the head in the pre-cap flushing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Shotaro Iida
  • Patent number: 11697286
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus, having a head with nozzles, a scanning assembly, a conveyer, and a controller, is provided. The controller is configured to determine whether the nozzles are to be flushed in a moving action which accompanies a discharging action, if the controller determines the nozzles are not to be flushed in the moving action, conduct the moving action to move the head at a first acceleration rate; if the controller determines the nozzles are to be flushed in the moving action, determine whether a distance between a flushing range and a discharging range is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance; and if the controller determines the distance is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance, conduct the moving action to move the head at a second acceleration rate and control the head to discharge liquid for flushing the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Yasuhiro Nakano, Shin Hasegawa, Shotaro Iida
  • Publication number: 20230150266
    Abstract: There is provided a controller for an image recording device. The image recording device includes: a carriage capable of moving in a first direction; a head mounted on the carriage and configured to discharge a liquid from a nozzle; and a wiper capable of being impregnated with a cleaning liquid, a nozzle surface of the head including a first region not having the nozzle and a second region having the nozzle. The controller is configured to execute: a pressing-against processing of abutting the wiper on the first region in a state in which a speed of a relative movement in the first direction between the carriage and the wiper is a first speed; and a moving processing of moving the carriage and the wiper relative to each other in the first direction at a second speed faster than the first speed, while abutting the wiper on the second region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2022
    Publication date: May 18, 2023
    Inventors: Shotaro IIDA, Hiroshi TAIRA
  • Publication number: 20230139735
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid supply device including: first and second valves; a head; a suction mechanism; and a controller. The controller is configured to: execute a valve-opening operation of opening the first and second valves, in response to a suction instruction; execute a valve-closing operation of closing the first valve depending on output of a first signal, and closing the second valve depending on output of a second signal, the first signal indicating that an amount of a first liquid in a first tank is a first threshold value or more, the second signal indicating that an amount of a second liquid in a second tank is a second threshold value or more; and execute a suction operation of driving the suction mechanism for a predetermined time period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2022
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Inventor: Shotaro IIDA
  • Publication number: 20230079132
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including: a head having a nozzle; a carriage; a receiver; and a controller. The controller is configured to execute: a first flushing processing; a second flushing processing including at least one of a discharge flushing driving and a non-discharge flushing driving of driving; and a printing processing. The first flushing processing is executed in a case that a first count value is not less than a first threshold value, the first count value being an elapsed time since a completion of the first flushing processing. The second flushing processing is executed in a case that a second count value is not less than a second threshold value, the second count value being an elapsed time since a completion of the printing processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: Satoru ARAKANE, Shotaro IIDA, Shin HASEGAWA, Yasuhiro NAKANO
  • Patent number: 11571899
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes a controller configured to execute: a recording processing, a first determining processing, a pre-recording flushing processing, a first flushing processing, and a second flushing processing. In a case that the controller determines, by the first determining processing, that the recording processing is to be executed in the second mode, the controller is configured to make a first flushing interval between the pre-recording flushing processing and the first flushing processing to be longer than a second flushing interval between the first flushing processing and the second flushing processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Shotaro Iida, Shin Hasegawa, Yasuhiro Nakano
  • Patent number: 11529810
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including: a head having a nozzle; a carriage; a receiver; and a controller. The controller is configured to execute: a first flushing processing; a second flushing processing including at least one of a discharge flushing driving and a non-discharge flushing driving of driving; and a printing processing. The first flushing processing is executed in a case that a first count value is not less than a first threshold value, the first count value being an elapsed time since a completion of the first flushing processing. The second flushing processing is executed in a case that a second count value is not less than a second threshold value, the second count value being an elapsed time since a completion of the printing processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Arakane, Shotaro Iida, Shin Hasegawa, Yasuhiro Nakano
  • Patent number: 11518171
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejection head and a controller. The controller configured to perform: determining whether a discharge failure occurs in a first nozzle; in a case where it is determined that the discharge failure occurs in the first nozzle, determining whether a certain condition is satisfied; in a case where it is determined that the certain condition is satisfied: applying a flushing signal to a second driving element; applying a driving signal to the second driving element; determining whether the discharge failure occurs in a second nozzle; in a case where it is determined that the discharge failure does not occur in the second nozzle, executing a first purge; and in a case where it is determined that the discharge failure occurs in the second nozzle, executing a second purge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shotaro Iida
  • Publication number: 20220250384
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus, having a head with nozzles, a scanning assembly, a conveyer, and a controller, is provided. The controller is configured to determine whether the nozzles are to be flushed in a moving action which accompanies a discharging action, if the controller determines the nozzles are not to be flushed in the moving action, conduct the moving action to move the head at a first acceleration rate; if the controller determines the nozzles are to be flushed in the moving action, determine whether a distance between a flushing range and a discharging range is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance; and if the controller determines the distance is greater than or equal to the predetermined distance, conduct the moving action to move the head at a second acceleration rate and control the head to discharge liquid for flushing the nozzles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Publication date: August 11, 2022
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru ARAKANE, Yasuhiro NAKANO, Shin HASEGAWA, Shotaro IIDA
  • Publication number: 20220242126
    Abstract: A controller of a liquid ejection device obtains a temperature of a head after recording and before a pre-cap flushing and determines a pre-cap flushing voltage based on the temperature. Then, the controller outputs the pre-cap flushing voltage to the head in the pre-cap flushing process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru ARAKANE, Shotaro IIDA
  • Publication number: 20210339531
    Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus includes a controller configured to execute: a recording processing, a first determining processing, a pre-recording flushing processing, a first flushing processing, and a second flushing processing. In a case that the controller determines, by the first determining processing, that the recording processing is to be executed in the second mode, the controller is configured to make a first flushing interval between the pre-recording flushing processing and the first flushing processing to be longer than a second flushing interval between the first flushing processing and the second flushing processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru ARAKANE, Shotaro IIDA, Shin HASEGAWA, Yasuhiro NAKANO
  • Publication number: 20210300021
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejection head and a controller. The controller configured to perform: determining whether a discharge failure occurs in a first nozzle; in a case where it is determined that the discharge failure occurs in the first nozzle, determining whether a certain condition is satisfied; in a case where it is determined that the certain condition is satisfied: applying a flushing signal to a second driving element; applying a driving signal to the second driving element; determining whether the discharge failure occurs in a second nozzle; in a case where it is determined that the discharge failure does not occur in the second nozzle, executing a first purge; and in a case where it is determined that the discharge failure occurs in the second nozzle, executing a second purge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventor: Shotaro Iida
  • Publication number: 20210237446
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including: a head having a nozzle; a carriage; a receiver; and a controller. The controller is configured to execute: a first flushing processing; a second flushing processing including at least one of a discharge flushing driving and a non-discharge flushing driving of driving; and a printing processing. The first flushing processing is executed in a case that a first count value is not less than a first threshold value, the first count value being an elapsed time since a completion of the first flushing processing. The second flushing processing is executed in a case that a second count value is not less than a second threshold value, the second count value being an elapsed time since a completion of the printing processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Satoru ARAKANE, Shotaro IIDA, Shin HASEGAWA, Yasuhiro NAKANO
  • Patent number: 10688790
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid jetting apparatus including: a liquid jetting head having a nozzle; a supply channel; a cap configured to cover the nozzle; a discharging section; a switching mechanism switching a state of the cap between a capping state and an uncapping state; and a controller. The controller is configured to perform: controlling the discharging section, based on both of a supply evaporation rate according to an evaporation rate of water content in the liquid inside the supply channel and a cap evaporation rate which is an evaporation rate of the water content in the liquid remaining in the cap, so as to cause the liquid to be discharged from the nozzle; and controlling the discharging section, based on one of the supply evaporation rate and the cap evaporation rate, to cause the liquid to be discharged from the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shotaro Iida
  • Patent number: 10668729
    Abstract: There is provided a printer including: a liquid jetting head; a receiving section; a waste-liquid storing section; a connecting channel connecting the receiving section and the waste-liquid storing section; a pump; and a controller. The controller executes: printing; recovering nozzles; discharging the liquid, which is present in at least one of the receiving section and the connecting channel, to the waste-liquid storing section, after the recovering of the nozzles. Under a condition that there is no input of the print data before the discharging of the liquid, the controller executes the discharging of the liquid continuously after the recovering of the nozzles; under a condition that there is an input of the print data before the discharging of the liquid, the controller executes the printing after the recovering of the nozzles and then executes at least a part of the discharging of the liquid after the printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shotaro Iida
  • Patent number: 10569551
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid jetting apparatus including: a liquid jetting head; a cap; a switching mechanism configured to perform switching of a state of the cap between a capping state and an uncapping state; a timer; a purge mechanism; and a controller. The controller performs: calculating a value of a capping-time parameter; and measuring a capping time with the timer. In a case that a purge condition regarding the capping time and the value of the capping-time parameter is satisfied, the controller causes the purge mechanism to perform a purge, and then causes the liquid jetting head to perform a jetting operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shotaro Iida
  • Patent number: 10532581
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus includes: an ink-jet head provided with first and second nozzles for jetting a first ink and a second ink respectively, first and second drive elements which apply energy to the first and second inks respectively; a power supply circuit; and a controller. The controller estimates viscosity of the first ink in the first nozzle, controls the power supply circuit to generate a first drive voltage or a second drive voltage higher than the first drive voltage based on the viscosity of the first ink in the first nozzle estimated, drives the first and second drive elements by use of the drive voltage generated in the power supply circuit, and calculates a jetting amount of the first ink to be jetted from the first nozzle and a jetting amount of the second ink to be jetted from the second nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shotaro Iida, Satoru Arakane, Tomohiro Nodsu
  • Patent number: 10442193
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes: a cartridge including a first liquid chamber and a first flow path; a tank including a second liquid chamber and a third flow path, at least one of the first flow path and the third flow path communicating the first and second liquid chambers when the cartridge is installed in an installation case; and a controller configured to: when the cartridge is installed in the installation case, determine a liquid amount Vs based on an outflow amount Qc of liquid flowed out from the cartridge toward the tank and a discharge liquid amount; determine whether elapsed time reaches standby time after determining that the liquid amount Vs reaches a first threshold value; and when the elapsed time reaches the standby time, perform image recording of next unit recording area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shotaro Iida, Mikio Ogawa, Toshiro Ueda