Patents by Inventor So Yano

So Yano 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: 20150103865
    Abstract: An optical writing device having; a plurality of light-emitting points; a photodiode configured to output a signal which represents a quantity of incident light from a predetermined light-emitting point selected from the plurality of light-emitting points; and a calculation section for calculating a temperature of the photodiode based on a magnitude of a photodiode dark current included in the signal output from the photodiode while the predetermined light-emitting point is OFF.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2014
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: So YANO, Satoshi Masuda, Makoto Obayashi, Masayuki Iljima, Yoshikazu Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9002238
    Abstract: A plurality of first viscoelastic bodies are disposed in insertion holes of a first rotary member. A plurality of second viscoelastic bodies are disposed in guide holes of a second rotary member. Each of the first and the second viscoelastic bodies has an elastic coefficient changing in accordance with aging due to use. A guide member moves a contact member along the insertion hole and the guide hole. The contact member applies a compressive load to the first viscoelastic body. The aging of the second viscoelastic body due to the compressive load applied thereto moves a position of the first viscoelastic body where the compressive load is received from the contact member toward a farther side from a rotational shaft side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Naoki Miyagawa, Shoichi Yoshikawa, Noboru Oomoto, Naotoshi Kawai, So Yano, Takao Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20140375743
    Abstract: A light-emitting element having a light-emitting section and a light-receiving section provided on a substrate. The light-emitting section includes: an organic compound in which light is emitted; a translucent reflecting portion that transmits the emitted light which has spectral radiance changeable with changes in ambient temperature; and a transparent portion that radiates first part of the light coming through the translucent reflecting portion to outside and total-reflects second part that is light incident to a boundary surface therebetween at angles larger than a critical angle. Wherein, the light-receiving section is capable of receiving the light total-reflected at the boundary surface, the received light having a quantity of light changeable with changes in wavelength of the light passing through the translucent reflecting portion. The light-receiving section further outputs a signal which has an amplitude level in correlation to the quantity of light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu WATANABE, Satoshi Masuda, Makoto Obayashi, Masayuki Iljima, So Yano
  • Patent number: 8855505
    Abstract: An image stabilization control system directed to an electrophotographic process is provided. The image stabilization control system includes a color measuring unit for measuring the color of a toner image after being fixed on a medium. The color measuring unit has an SCE color measuring function of measuring a component excluding specular reflection out of reflected light produced by light emitted from a light source being reflected at the toner image and an SCI color measuring function of measuring the reflected light including the specular reflection. A control value for a fixing step in the electrophotographic process is adjusted based on a first component attributed to a glossiness difference in chrominance, and a control value for a step other than the fixing step in the electrophotographic process is adjusted based on a second component attributed to another factor in the chrominance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: So Yano
  • Publication number: 20140267527
    Abstract: An optical writing device for forming an electrostatic latent image on a photoreceptor by exposing the photoreceptor to light modulated in accordance with image data. The optical writing device has: a substrate; a light-emitting-element array including a plurality of light-emitting elements supported by the substrate to be arranged in a main-scanning direction; and a light-receiving-element array substantially in parallel to the light-emitting-element array, the light-receiving-element array including a plurality of light-receiving elements supported by the substrate to be arranged in the main-scanning direction. For light-quantity measurement of one of the light-emitting elements, at least an output value output from one of the light-receiving elements of which center is located in a different position, with respect to the main-scanning direction, from a center of the one of the light-emitting elements is used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi MASUDA, Yoshikazu WATANABE, Makoto OBAYASHI, Masayuki IIJIMA, So YANO
  • Publication number: 20140232805
    Abstract: An optical writing device having; a plurality of light-emitting points; a plurality of drive circuits for supplying drive currents to the plurality of light-emitting points respectively; a photodetector for outputting signals indicating quantities of light entering thereto from the respective light-emitting points; a gain switch circuit for outputting photodetection signals obtained by amplifying the signals output from the photodetector in regard to the respective light-emitting points with gains preset for the respective light-emitting points; and a control circuit for controlling the drive circuits such that the photodetection signals output from the gain switch circuit in regard to the respective light-emitting points coincide with a value substantially equal to a predetermined reference value. The gains for the respective light-emitting points are preset based on the distances between the photodetector and the respective light-emitting points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu WATANABE, Satoshi MASUDA, Makoto OBAYASHI, Masayuki IIJIMA, So YANO
  • Publication number: 20140043627
    Abstract: A color correcting system mountable in an image forming apparatus comprises an imaging unit configured to perform image formation and a control unit configured to acquire a control parameter for use in image formation by the imaging unit and a status parameter indicating a status at the time of image formation. If a value for a color in an image formed by the imaging unit does not exceed a first threshold, and at least one member selected from the group consisting of adhering toner amount, gloss, line width, and line position for the image formed by the imaging unit does not exceed a second threshold, the control unit is configured to determine a control parameter on the basis of the acquired control parameter and the acquired status parameter, such that at least a color difference decreases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2013
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: Konica Minolta, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki TOSO, Tadayasu SEKIOKA, Naotoshi KAWAI, So YANO, Noboru OOMOTO, Takashi FUJIWARA
  • Publication number: 20130250279
    Abstract: A gloss measuring device that measures a gloss of an image formed on a sheet which is being transported, the gloss measuring device includes a light emission portion that emits light toward the sheet, a light reception portion that receives the light reflected specularly off the image formed on the sheet, and a position adjustment unit that performs adjustment such that the sheet being transported is in a measurement reference position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: So Yano, Naotoshi Kawai, Yoshiyuki Toso, Noboru Oomoto, Shoichi Yoshikawa, Takao Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20130216262
    Abstract: A plurality of first viscoelastic bodies are disposed in insertion holes of a first rotary member. A plurality of second viscoelastic bodies are disposed in guide holes of a second rotary member. Each of the first and the second viscoelastic bodies has an elastic coefficient changing in accordance with aging due to use. A guide member moves a contact member along the insertion hole and the guide hole. The contact member applies a compressive load to the first viscoelastic body. The aging of the second viscoelastic body due to the compressive load applied thereto moves a position of the first viscoelastic body where the compressive load is received from the contact member toward a farther side from a rotational shaft side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2013
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Naoki MIYAGAWA, Shoichi Yoshikawa, Noboru Oomoto, Naotoshi Kawai, So Yano, Takao Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 8379126
    Abstract: When the brightness of a subject detected by a detecting device 4 is higher than a predetermined value, for example 700 [cd/m2], a switching judgment circuit 5 judges that an area sensor (solid-state image-sensing device) 3 should perform logarithmic conversion. In response to this judgment by the switching judgment circuit 5, a switching signal generating circuit 6 outputs a switching signal to instruct the area sensor 3 to perform logarithmic conversion. When the brightness of the subject detected by the detecting device 4 is lower than the predetermined value, for example 700 [cd/m2], a switching judgment circuit 5 judges that the area sensor 3 should perform linear conversion. In response to this judgment by the switching judgment circuit 5, the switching signal generating circuit 6 outputs a switching signal to instruct the area sensor 3 to perform linear conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Yasushi Kusaka, Tomokazu Kakumoto, So Yano, Katsuhiko Asai, Satoshi Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20120294635
    Abstract: An image stabilization control system directed to an electrophotographic process is provided. The image stabilization control system includes a color measuring unit for measuring the color of a toner image after being fixed on a medium. The color measuring unit has an SCE color measuring function of measuring a component excluding specular reflection out of reflected light produced by light emitted from a light source being reflected at the toner image and an SCI color measuring function of measuring the reflected light including the specular reflection. A control value for a fixing step in the electrophotographic process is adjusted based on a first component attributed to a glossiness difference in chrominance, and a control value for a step other than the fixing step in the electrophotographic process is adjusted based on a second component attributed to another factor in the chrominance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: So YANO
  • Patent number: 7839442
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a solid-state image sensing device configured to change a bias voltage given to the photoelectric converting section at the time of resetting so that an operative condition of the photoelectric converting section after the resetting can be maintained a constant condition regardless of an amount of the incident light. To achieve the object, an MOS transistor T5 is provided. The drain of the MOS transistor T5 is connected with a gate and a drain of an MOS transistor T2 and the source of the MOS transistor T5configured to be applied a DC voltage VRS. Here, a signal ? V is given, an MOS transistor T4is turned on, and image data is output. A signal ? RS is given and the MOS transistor T5 is turned on. As a result, a gate voltage Vg of the MOS transistor T2 is maintained as a constant voltage value. Then, a reset operation for pixels is stared.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kakumoto, So Yano, Masayuki Kusuda, Kazuchika Sato, Yoshihiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7230644
    Abstract: An image-sensing apparatus has an area sensor 1 that outputs image data by logarithmically converting the brightness of light incident thereon, a black-level detector 2 for detecting the black level BL of the image data at which the image data has the lowest signal level, a white-level detector 3 for detecting the white level WL of the image data at which the image data has the highest signal level, a calculation formula determiner 4 for determining, in accordance with the detected black and white levels BL and WL, the formula to be used to convert the signal level of the image data, and a dynamic range converter 5 for converting the signal level of the image data using the calculation formula determined by the calculation formula determiner 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Nakamura, So Yano
  • Publication number: 20060072025
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a solid-state image sensing device configured to change a bias voltage given to the photoelectric converting section at the time of resetting so that an operative condition of the photoelectric converting section after the resetting can be maintained a constant condition regardless of an amount of the incident light. To achieve the object, an MOS transistor T5 is provided. The drain of the MOS transistor T5 is connected with a gate and a drain of an MOS transistor T2 and the source of the MOS transistor T5 configured to be applied a DC voltage VRS. Here, a signal ? V is given, an MOS transistor T4 is turned on, and image data is output. A signal ? RS is given and the MOS transistor T5 is turned on. As a result, a gate voltage Vg of the MOS transistor T2 is maintained as a constant voltage value. Then, a reset operation for pixels is stared.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Publication date: April 6, 2006
    Inventors: Tomokazu Kakumoto, So Yano, Masayuki Kusuda, Kazuchika Sato, Yoshihiro Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20050218295
    Abstract: An image-sensing apparatus has an area sensor 1 that outputs image data by logarithmically converting the brightness of light incident thereon, a black-level detector 2 for detecting the black level BL of the image data at which the image data has the lowest signal level, a white-level detector 3 for detecting the white level WL of the image data at which the image data has the highest signal level, a calculation formula determiner 4 for determining, in accordance with the detected black and white levels BL and WL, the formula to be used to convert the signal level of the image data, and a dynamic range converter 5 for converting the signal level of the image data using the calculation formula determined by the calculation formula determiner 4.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2005
    Publication date: October 6, 2005
    Inventors: Satoshi Nakamura, So Yano
  • Publication number: 20050052557
    Abstract: When the brightness of a subject detected by a detecting device 4 is higher than a predetermined value, for example 700 [cd/m2], a switching judgment circuit 5 judges that an area sensor (solid-state image-sensing device) 3 should perform logarithmic conversion. In response to this judgment by the switching judgment circuit 5, a switching signal generating circuit 6 outputs a switching signal to instruct the area sensor 3 to perform logarithmic conversion. When the brightness of the subject detected by the detecting device 4 is lower than the predetermined value, for example 700 [cd/m2], a switching judgment circuit 5 judges that the area sensor 3 should perform linear conversion. In response to this judgment by the switching judgment circuit 5, the switching signal generating circuit 6 outputs a switching signal to instruct the area sensor 3 to perform linear conversion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2004
    Publication date: March 10, 2005
    Inventors: Yasushi Kusaka, Tomokazu Kakumoto, So Yano, Katsuhiko Asai, Satoshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 6552332
    Abstract: In an image-sensing apparatus, shading data obtained when a sensor 1 is irradiated with uniform light is compressed by a COM 6 and is then stored in a memory 3. During image sensing, the data stored in the memory 3 is decompressed back into the shading data by an EXP 7. By a COR 4, this shading data is subtracted from the image data obtained from the sensor 1, and thereby the unevenness in the outputs from the individual pixels of the sensor 1 is corrected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasushi Kusaka, Satoshi Nakamura, So Yano
  • Publication number: 20010007348
    Abstract: In an image-sensing apparatus, shading data obtained when a sensor 1 is irradiated with uniform light is compressed by a COM 6 and is then stored in a memory 3. During image sensing, the data stored in the memory 3 is decompressed back into the shading data by an EXP 7. By a COR 4, this shading data is subtracted from the image data obtained from the sensor 1, and thereby the unevenness in the outputs from the individual pixels of the sensor 1 is corrected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Publication date: July 12, 2001
    Inventors: Yasushi Kusaka, Satoshi Nakamura, So Yano