Patents by Inventor Shuichiro Yamamoto

Shuichiro Yamamoto 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: 20200249179
    Abstract: A higher accuracy beam hardening correction with a low calculation load is performed with objects whose elements have a wider range of effective atomic numbers Zeff, thereby contributing to presentation of more quantitative X-ray images. Of two or more X-ray energy bins, two X-ray bins are selected to normalize X-ray attenuation amount ?t in those bins such that one or more normalized X-ray attenuation amounts are obtained at each pixel areas. From reference information indicating a theoretical relationship of correspondence between the normalized X-ray attenuation amounts and effective atomic numbers of elements, one ore more effective atomic numbers are estimated every pixel area. Among the one or more effective atomic numbers (ZHigh, ZLow) and an effective atomic number (Zm) preset for the beam hardening correction, two or more atomic numbers are subjected to their equality determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Tsutomu YAMAKAWA, Shuichiro YAMAMOTO, Masahiro OKADA
  • Patent number: 10697904
    Abstract: An X-ray apparatus includes a two-dimensional pixel array having rectangular pixels outputting an electrical signal responsively to an incident X-ray photon. This array has a row direction oblique to a scan direction. When viewing in the scan direction, a pixel group is provided solely or repeatedly, the pixel group being composed of “M rows × N pieces” of pixels (M is a positive integer equal to or larger than 1, N is a positive integer equal to or larger than 2, and M and N have a relationship of prime numbers). The pixel group occupies a quadrangle whose diagonal line is parallel with the scan direction. In a memory space, the frame data from the pixels are converted to frame data in a Cartesian coordinate system having a row direction which is in parallel with the scan direction and a column direction orthogonal to the row direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: JOB CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu Yamakawa, Shuichiro Yamamoto, Masashi Yamasaki, Masahiro Okada
  • Publication number: 20200138398
    Abstract: In an X-ray inspection, a detection unit with a detector is provided. The detection unit detects transmitted amounts of the X-rays generated by an X-ray generator and transmitted through the object in each of n-number X-ray energy bins (n is a positive integer of 2 or more) which are set in advance to the X-rays, and outputs detection signals corresponding to the transmitted amounts. An information acquisition unit acquires, based on the detection signal, information showing a thickness t of the object and an average linear attenuation coefficient ? in a transmission direction of fluxes of the X-rays, in each of the energy bins. A pixel data calculation unit calculates, based on the acquired information, pixel data composed of pixel values each obtained by multiplying addition information by the thickness t. Addition information is obtained by mutual addition of the average linear attenuation coefficients ? in the respective energy bins.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2018
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Inventors: Tsutomu YAMAKAWA, Shuichiro YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 10539516
    Abstract: Frame data of tomographic planes that are parallel in the scan direction and between an X-ray tube and an X-ray detecting unit is generated based on detected frame data. The generation of frame data is based on the fan-shaped spreading of an X-ray beam and the differences in position in a height direction between the tomographic planes from a detection surface. Tomographic images are respectively generated from the frame data of the tomographic planes based on laminography technique. Edge information based on the changes in pixel values in each tomographic image is calculated for each pixel. A three-dimensional distribution of the edge information is generated and the edge information is searched in a direction passing through the tomographic planes and pixels indicating a maximum value in the edge information are detected. Only pixels in the tomographic images that positionally correspond to detected pixels are combined into a single composite image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: JOB CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu Yamakawa, Shuichiro Yamamoto, Masashi Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 10502698
    Abstract: The type and/or properties of a substance included in an object is identified highly accurately regardless of the thickness of the substance. A data processing apparatus processes counts detected at each of pixels of a photo counting detector in each of a plurality of energy ranges of X-rays. The X-rays are radiated from an X-ray tube, and transmitted through an object. The apparatus calculates an image of the object based on the counts, and sets a region of interest on the image. The apparatus further removes, from the image, pixel information showing a background present in the region of interest, and calculates, pixel by pixel, inherent information inherent to the substance, based on the counts detected at each of the respective pixels in each of the energy ranges of the X-rays in the region of interest. The inherent information indicates a transmission characteristic inherent to the X-rays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: JOB CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu Yamakawa, Shuichiro Yamamoto, Yoshiharu Obata, Masashi Yamasaki, Masahiro Okada
  • Patent number: 10418525
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor light-emitting element that emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of not more than 355 nm, the semiconductor light-emitting element including an electrode portion to be electrically connected to electrodes of a component mounting the element, wherein the electrode portion is formed by laminating any one or more of a metal providing passivity against organic acids, a metal having a lower ionization tendency than hydrogen and a conductive oxide film, and does not include a layer formed of a material that does not provide passivity against organic acids, has higher ionization tendency than hydrogen and is not a conductive oxide film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: NIKKISO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shuichiro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10355676
    Abstract: An electronic circuit includes: a bistable circuit connected between first and second power sources respectively supplied with first and second power-supply voltages and including first and second inverters connected in a loop being inverter circuits switching between first and second modes; a control circuit outputting first and second signals respectively setting the inverter circuits in the first and second modes to the inverter circuits; and a power-supply circuit supplying a first voltage as a power-supply voltage while the inverter circuits are in the first mode, and supplying a second voltage higher than the first voltage as the power-supply voltage while the inverter circuits are in the second mode, wherein the first mode exhibits hysteresis in a transfer characteristic curve and the second mode exhibits no hysteresis in a transfer characteristic curve, and/or the first mode has a steeper transfer characteristic curve than the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: JAPAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AGENCY
    Inventors: Satoshi Sugahara, Shuichiro Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20190162679
    Abstract: In a data processing apparatus, image data are calculated based on photon counts of an X-ray beam transmitted through an object. Based on the image data, X-ray attenuation information is calculated. The attenuation information includes i) inherent information inherently depending on a type or a property of the object, the inherent information being indicated by a quantity of a vector in an n-dimensional coordinate whose dimension is equal in number to the n-piece energy ranges; and ii) associated information being associated with the inherent information and depending on a length of a path along which the X-ray beam passes though the object. From the attenuation information, only the inherent information is produced which is independent of the associated information. Scattering points corresponding to the inherent information are calculated to be mapped in the n-dimensional coordinate or in a coordinate whose dimension is less than the n-dimensional coordinate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Tsutomu YAMAKAWA, Shuichiro YAMAMOTO, Masahiro OKADA
  • Publication number: 20190103519
    Abstract: Provided is a semiconductor light-emitting element that emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of not more than 355 nm, the semiconductor light-emitting element including an electrode portion to be electrically connected to electrodes of a component mounting the element, wherein the electrode portion is formed by laminating any one or more of a metal providing passivity against organic acids, a metal having a lower ionization tendency than hydrogen and a conductive oxide film, and does not include a layer formed of a material that does not provide passivity against organic acids, has higher ionization tendency than hydrogen and is not a conductive oxide film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: NIKKISO CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shuichiro YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20190017943
    Abstract: Circuitry for converting frame data outputted from an obliquely arranged detector, to frame data in a coordinate system for reconstruction is avoided from becoming larger in size and an processing amount is reduced. An X-ray apparatus is provided with a two-dimensional pixel array, the two-dimensional pixel array having a plurality of rectangular pixels, having a predetermined size and outputting an electrical signal in response to an incident X-ray photon. The pixels of the array are arranged in the row and column directions in a first Cartesian coordinate system. The row direction is set obliquely to a scan direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2017
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Inventors: Tsutomu YAMAKAWA, Shuichiro YAMAMOTO, Masashi YAMASAKI, Masahiro OKADA
  • Publication number: 20180292332
    Abstract: Frame data of tomographic planes that are parallel in the scan direction and between an X-ray tube and an X-ray detecting unit is generated based on detected frame data. The generation of frame data is based on the fan-shaped spreading of an X-ray beam and the differences in position in a height direction between the tomographic planes from a detection surface. Tomographic images are respectively generated from the frame data of the tomographic planes based on laminography technique. Edge information based on the changes in pixel values in each tomographic image is calculated for each pixel. A three-dimensional distribution of the edge information is generated and the edge information is searched in a direction passing through the tomographic planes and pixels indicating a maximum value in the edge information are detected. Only pixels in the tomographic images that positionally correspond to detected pixels are combined into a single composite image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Tsutomu Yamakawa, Shuichiro Yamamoto, Masashi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10049740
    Abstract: A memory circuit includes: cells arranged in rows and columns so that the rows are grouped to form banks each including one or more rows, each cell including: a bistable circuit storing data; and a non-volatile element storing data stored in the bistable circuit in a non-volatile manner and restoring data stored in a non-volatile manner to the bistable circuit; and a controller that performs a store operation on each row in turn; sets a voltage supplied, as a power-supply voltage, to cells in a first bank, which includes a row on which the store operation is performed, of the banks to a first voltage; and sets a voltage supplied, as a power-supply voltage, to cells in a bank of the banks other than the first bank to a second voltage that is less than the first voltage but at which data in the bistable circuit is retained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignees: JAPAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AGENCY, KANAGAWA INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Satoshi Sugahara, Yusuke Shuto, Shuichiro Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20180214113
    Abstract: Based on counts detected by a photon counting detector, a characteristic of X-ray attenuation amounts ?t is acquired for each X-ray energy bin. This characteristic is defined by a plurality of mutually different known thicknesses t and linear attenuation coefficients in the X-ray transmission direction. This substance is composed of a material which is included in an object and which is the same in type as the object or which can be regarded as being similar to the object in terms of the effective atomic number. Correcting data for replacing the characteristic of the X-ray attenuation amounts ?t by a linear target characteristic are calculated. The linear target characteristic is set to pass through the origin of a two-dimensional coordinate having a lateral axis assigned to thicknesses t and a longitudinal axis assigned to the X-ray attenuation amounts ?t. The correcting data are calculated for each X-ray energy bin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2016
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Inventors: Tsutomu YAMAKAWA, Shuichiro YAMAMOTO, Masahiro OKADA
  • Publication number: 20180209922
    Abstract: The type and/or properties of a substance is identified highly accurately regardless of the thickness of the substance. A data processing apparatus processes counts detected at each of pixels of a photo counting detector in each of a plurality of energy ranges of X-rays. The X-rays are radiated from an X-ray tube, and transmitted through an object. The apparatus calculates an image of the object based on the counts, and sets a region of interest on the image. The apparatus further removes, from the pixel, pixel information showing a background present in the region of interest, and calculates, pixel by pixel, inherent information inherent to the substance, based on the counts detected at each of the respective pixels in each of the energy ranges of the X-rays in the region of interest. The inherent information indicates a transmission characteristic inherent to the X-rays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventors: Tsutomu YAMAKAWA, Shuichiro YAMAMOTO, Yoshiharu OBATA, Masashi YAMASAKI, Masahiro OKADA
  • Patent number: 10031243
    Abstract: A photon counting detector is provided for electrometric waves having a wide wavelength range, such as X-rays, gamma rays, and excited weak fluorescence, by use of a common detecting structure. The detector includes an optical connecting part opposed to an emission surface of a columnar-body array and can adjust a spreading range of light emitted from an emission end face of each of a plurality of columnar bodies. The detector also includes a group of APD (avalanche photodiode) clusters opposed to the emission surface via the optical connecting part. In the group of APD clusters, N×N (N is a positive integer of 2 or more) APDs each having a light receiving face are arranged two-dimensionally and the output signals from the N×N APDs are combined by a wired logical addition circuit so as to form an APD cluster serving as one pixel. A plurality of such clusters are arranged two-dimensionally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: JOB CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu Yamakawa, Shuichiro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 10024807
    Abstract: Frame data of tomographic planes that are parallel in the scan direction and between an X-ray tube and an X-ray detecting unit is generated based on detected frame data. The generation of frame data is based on the fan-shaped spreading of an X-ray beam and the differences in position in a height direction between the tomographic planes from a detection surface. Tomographic images are respectively generated from the frame data of the tomographic planes based on laminography technique. Edge information based on the changes in pixel values in each tomographic image is calculated for each pixel. A three-dimensional distribution of the edge information is generated and the edge information is searched in a direction passing through the tomographic planes and pixels indicating a maximum value in the edge information are detected. Only pixels in the tomographic images that positionally correspond to detected pixels are combined into a single composite image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: JOB CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsutomu Yamakawa, Shuichiro Yamamoto, Masashi Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20180069534
    Abstract: An electronic circuit includes: a bistable circuit connected between first and second power sources respectively supplied with first and second power-supply voltages and including first and second inverters connected in a loop being inverter circuits switching between first and second modes; a control circuit outputting first and second signals respectively setting the inverter circuits in the first and second modes to the inverter circuits; and a power-supply circuit supplying a first voltage as a power-supply voltage while the inverter circuits are in the first mode, and supplying a second voltage higher than the first voltage as the power-supply voltage while the inverter circuits are in the second mode, wherein the first mode exhibits hysteresis in a transfer characteristic curve and the second mode exhibits no hysteresis in a transfer characteristic curve, and/or the first mode has a steeper transfer characteristic curve than the second mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Applicant: JAPAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AGENCY
    Inventors: Satoshi Sugahara, Shuichiro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9842992
    Abstract: A transistor includes: a piezoresistor through which carriers conduct; a source that injects the carriers into the piezoresistor; a drain that receives the carriers from the piezoresistor; a piezoelectric material that is located so as to surround the piezoresistor and applies a pressure to the piezoresistor; and a gate that applies a voltage to the piezoelectric material so that the piezoelectric material applies a pressure to the piezoresistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: JAPAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AGENCY
    Inventors: Satoshi Sugahara, Yusuke Shuto, Minoru Kurosawa, Hiroshi Funakubo, Shuichiro Yamamoto
  • Patent number: D892683
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuichiro Yamamoto, Kunihiko Koike
  • Patent number: D892684
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuichiro Yamamoto, Kunihiko Koike