Patents by Inventor Suguru Yokozawa

Suguru Yokozawa 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: 12050418
    Abstract: A power supply device includes: a DC power supply that generates a DC voltage of a variable value and outputs the DC voltage; an AC power supply that generates an AC voltage of a variable value, and superimposes the AC voltage and the DC voltage to generate a superimposed voltage for output; and a control circuit. The control circuit start giving the DC power supply an instruction to output the DC voltage, and start giving the AC power supply an instruction to output the AC voltage for restricting output of the DC voltage. The control circuit controls an absolute value of the superimposed voltage to be smaller than or equal to a predetermined value in a predetermined period from a time when the giving of the instruction to output the AC voltage is started to a time when the restricting of the output of the DC voltage is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Keita Yoshikawa, Kentaroh Kurosu, Taichi Urayama, Suguru Yokozawa
  • Publication number: 20230305450
    Abstract: A power supply device includes: a DC power supply that generates a DC voltage of a variable value and outputs the DC voltage; an AC power supply that generates an AC voltage of a variable value, and superimposes the AC voltage and the DC voltage to generate a superimposed voltage for output; and a control circuit. The control circuit start giving the DC power supply an instruction to output the DC voltage, and start giving the AC power supply an instruction to output the AC voltage for restricting output of the DC voltage. The control circuit controls an absolute value of the superimposed voltage to be smaller than or equal to a predetermined value in a predetermined period from a time when the giving of the instruction to output the AC voltage is started to a time when the restricting of the output of the DC voltage is started.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Inventors: Keita YOSHIKAWA, Kentaroh KUROSU, Taichi URAYAMA, Suguru YOKOZAWA
  • Patent number: 11623462
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a conveying unit, a winding unit, a printing unit, and a rotation control unit. The conveying unit is configured to intermittently convey a printing medium by a predetermined feed amount. The winding unit is configured to wind the printing medium conveyed by the conveying unit. The printing unit is configured to perform printing on the conveyed printing medium. The rotation control unit is configured to control the winding unit to rotate in a winding direction at a predetermined timing after the conveying unit has started to convey the printing medium intermittently, and then cause the winding unit to rotate in a reverse direction opposite to the winding direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Suguru Yokozawa, Suguru Masunaga, Takuya Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20220088947
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a conveying unit, a winding unit, a printing unit, and a rotation control unit. The conveying unit is configured to intermittently convey a printing medium by a predetermined feed amount. The winding unit is configured to wind the printing medium conveyed by the conveying unit. The printing unit is configured to perform printing on the conveyed printing medium. The rotation control unit is configured to control the winding unit to rotate in a winding direction at a predetermined timing after the conveying unit has started to convey the printing medium intermittently, and then cause the winding unit to rotate in a reverse direction opposite to the winding direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Suguru Yokozawa, Suguru Masunaga, Takuya Okamoto
  • Patent number: 11225096
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a conveying unit, a winding unit, a printing unit, and a rotation control unit. The conveying unit is configured to intermittently convey a printing medium by a predetermined feed amount. The winding unit is configured to wind the printing medium conveyed by the conveying unit. The printing unit is configured to perform printing on the conveyed printing medium. The rotation control unit is configured to control the winding unit to rotate in a winding direction at a predetermined timing after the conveying unit has started to convey the printing medium intermittently, and then cause the winding unit to rotate in a reverse direction opposite to the winding direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Suguru Yokozawa, Suguru Masunaga, Takuya Okamoto
  • Patent number: 10919293
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head, a scanning device, a conveyance device, a reading device, control circuitry, and a detecting device. The liquid discharge head is configured to discharge liquid to a target object. The scanning device is configured to move the liquid discharge head in a main scanning direction. The conveyance device is configured to convey the target object in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. The reading device is disposed at a predetermined position with respect to the liquid discharge head. The control circuitry is configured to change a detection pattern image for detecting a defective nozzle, in accordance with a feed amount of the target object in the sub-scanning direction. The detecting device is configured to identify a nozzle corresponding to a defective portion of the detection pattern image read by the reading device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kohhei Yamaguchi, Nobuyuki Satoh, Suguru Yokozawa
  • Patent number: 10889127
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head having at least one nozzle array including a plurality of nozzles lined in a nozzle array direction; a two-dimensional image sensor to capture an image formed by the liquid discharge head; and circuitry. The circuitry is configured to divide the nozzles into a plurality of nozzle units; form a pattern including a plurality of unit patterns with liquid discharged from the nozzle units, respectively; and detect a defective nozzle based on a captured image of each of the unit patterns. The unit patterns are arranged in a staggered manner. Each unit pattern is smaller in size than an image capture range of the two-dimensional image sensor. Each unit pattern includes a number of columns of lines extending in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle array direction, and the number of columns is not smaller than twice the number of nozzle arrays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Suguru Yokozawa, Takayuki Ito, Nobuyuki Satoh, Kohtaroh Ikegami, Kenta Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20200262221
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a conveying unit, a winding unit, a printing unit, and a rotation control unit. The conveying unit is configured to intermittently convey a printing medium by a predetermined feed amount. The winding unit is configured to wind the printing medium conveyed by the conveying unit. The printing unit is configured to perform printing on the conveyed printing medium. The rotation control unit is configured to control the winding unit to rotate in a winding direction at a predetermined timing after the conveying unit has started to convey the printing medium intermittently, and then cause the winding unit to rotate in a reverse direction opposite to the winding direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Suguru Yokozawa, Suguru Masunaga, Takuya Okamoto
  • Patent number: 10674041
    Abstract: An image capturing unit includes a sensor unit that image-captures a predetermined area including a subject; and a reference chart unit that is arranged in the predetermined area and captured with the subject by the sensor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Satoh, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Masato Kobayashi, Suguru Yokozawa, Tatsuhiko Okada, Mamoru Yorimoto, Daisaku Horikawa, Yuichi Sakurada
  • Publication number: 20200039211
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head, a scanning device, a conveyance device, a reading device, control circuitry, and a detecting device. The liquid discharge head is configured to discharge liquid to a target object. The scanning device is configured to move the liquid discharge head in a main scanning direction. The conveyance device is configured to convey the target object in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. The reading device is disposed at a predetermined position with respect to the liquid discharge head. The control circuitry is configured to change a detection pattern image for detecting a defective nozzle, in accordance with a feed amount of the target object in the sub-scanning direction. The detecting device is configured to identify a nozzle corresponding to a defective portion of the detection pattern image read by the reading device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohhei YAMAGUCHI, Nobuyuki Satoh, Suguru Yokozawa
  • Publication number: 20190283447
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a liquid discharge head having at least one nozzle array including a plurality of nozzles lined in a nozzle array direction; a two-dimensional image sensor to capture an image formed by the liquid discharge head; and circuitry. The circuitry is configured to divide the nozzles into a plurality of nozzle units; form a pattern including a plurality of unit patterns with liquid discharged from the nozzle units, respectively; and detect a defective nozzle based on a captured image of each of the unit patterns. The unit patterns are arranged in a staggered manner. Each unit pattern is smaller in size than an image capture range of the two-dimensional image sensor. Each unit pattern includes a number of columns of lines extending in a direction perpendicular to the nozzle array direction, and the number of columns is not smaller than twice the number of nozzle arrays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Suguru Yokozawa, Takayuki Ito, Nobuyuki Satoh, Kohtaroh Ikegami, Kenta Sasaki
  • Patent number: 10373031
    Abstract: A movement control device configured to determine whether the moving unit moved by a driving unit is in a stopped state at a position before a predetermined target stop position, and whether a difference between the detection position and the target stop position is equal to or smaller than a threshold difference, based on a detection position of the moving unit, after the moving unit starts deceleration operation, and switch a control of the driving unit to a position control based on the difference between the detection position and the target stop position, from a speed control based on a designated speed associated with the detection position to the target stop position, if the moving unit is in the stopped state at a position before the predetermined target stop position, and the difference is equal to or smaller than the threshold difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Suguru Yokozawa
  • Publication number: 20190174025
    Abstract: An image capturing unit includes a sensor unit that image-captures a predetermined area including a subject; and a reference chart unit that is arranged in the predetermined area and captured with the subject by the sensor unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: Nobuyuki SATOH, Yasuyuki SUZUKI, Masato KOBAYASHI, Suguru YOKOZAWA, Tatsuhiko OKADA, Mamoru YORIMOTO, Daisaku HORIKAWA, Yuichi SAKURADA
  • Patent number: 10286699
    Abstract: An imaging device includes an imaging unit to obtain a captured image of a test pattern and a reference mark to locate the test pattern and at least one processor. The test pattern includes a pair of first marks and a second mark. The processor includes a position detector configured to detect the reference mark in the captured image and locate the pair of first marks and the second mark in the captured image, and a ratio calculator configured to calculate one of a first ratio between a distance between the pair of first marks in the captured image and a deviation of the second mark in the captured image, and a second ratio between the distance between the pair of first marks in the captured image and a distance from one of the pair of first marks to the second mark in the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaya Kawarada, Nobuyuki Satoh, Suguru Yokozawa, Kohta Aoyagi, Kenta Sasaki
  • Patent number: 10252517
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device; an imaging device; and at least one processor including a pattern forming unit to cause a recording head to form a pair of first marks, with first and second nozzles disposed at a first distance from each other in a direction of conveyance of a recording medium, while the recording head moves in a first direction and cause the recording head to form a second mark while the recording head moves in a second direction, a position detector to detect positions of the first and second marks in a captured image, a ratio calculator to calculate a ratio between a distance between the first marks in the captured image and a deviation of the second mark in the captured image, and distance calculator to calculate a distance of the deviation based on the first distance and the ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kahei Nakamura, Masaya Kawarada, Kohta Aoyagi, Suguru Yokozawa, Nobuyuki Satoh
  • Patent number: 10244147
    Abstract: An image capturing unit includes a sensor unit that image-captures a predetermined area including a subject; and a reference chart unit that is arranged in the predetermined area and captured with the subject by the sensor unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Satoh, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Masato Kobayashi, Suguru Yokozawa, Tatsuhiko Okada, Mamoru Yorimoto, Daisaku Horikawa, Yuichi Sakurada
  • Patent number: 10207495
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conveyor to convey a recording medium; an image forming device including a recording head to form a test pattern including a first mark and a pair of second marks; an imaging device; and a processor. The processor includes a pattern forming unit to cause the image forming device to form one of the first and second marks and form the other after the conveyor conveys the recording medium by a predetermined conveyance amount, a position detector to detect positions of the first and second marks in the captured image, a ratio calculator to calculate a ratio between a distance between the second marks and deviation of the first mark in the captured image, and a distance calculator to calculate an actual distance of the deviation based on a theoretical distance between the second marks and the ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohta Aoyagi, Suguru Yokozawa, Masaya Kawarada, Nobuyuki Satoh
  • Publication number: 20180167534
    Abstract: An image capturing unit includes a sensor unit that image-captures a predetermined area including a subject; and a reference chart unit that is arranged in the predetermined area and captured with the subject by the sensor unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Publication date: June 14, 2018
    Inventors: Nobuyuki SATOH, Yasuyuki SUZUKI, Masato KOBAYASHI, Suguru YOKOZAWA, Tatsuhiko OKADA, Mamoru YORIMOTO, Daisaku HORIKAWA, Yuichi SAKURADA
  • Publication number: 20180147835
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device; an imaging device; and at least one processor including a pattern forming unit to cause a recording head to form a pair of first marks, with first and second nozzles disposed at a first distance from each other in a direction of conveyance of a recording medium, while the recording head moves in a first direction and cause the recording head to form a second mark while the recording head moves in a second direction, a position detector to detect positions of the first and second marks in a captured image, a ratio calculator to calculate a ratio between a distance between the first marks in the captured image and a deviation of the second mark in the captured image, and distance calculator to calculate a distance of the deviation based on the first distance and the ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kahei Nakamura, Masaya Kawarada, Kohta Aoyagi, Suguru Yokozawa, Nobuyuki Satoh
  • Publication number: 20180141329
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conveyor to convey a recording medium; an image forming device including a recording head to form a test pattern including a first mark and a pair of second marks; an imaging device; and a processor. The processor includes a pattern forming unit to cause the image forming device to form one of the first and second marks and form the other after the conveyor conveys the recording medium by a predetermined conveyance amount, a position detector to detect positions of the first and second marks in the captured image, a ratio calculator to calculate a ratio between a distance between the second marks and deviation of the first mark in the captured image, and a distance calculator to calculate an actual distance of the deviation based on a theoretical distance between the second marks and the ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohta Aoyagi, Suguru Yokozawa, Masaya Kawarada, Nobuyuki Satoh