Patents by Inventor Takeshi Aoi
Takeshi Aoi 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).
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Patent number: 8576291Abstract: To provide a drive unit and a drive module which include a shape memory alloy as a drive source to move a driven member and are capable of the high-precision movement of the driven member to a reference position. A drive unit and a drive module can be provided by controlling, in the drive unit and the drive module which include the shape memory alloy as the drive source to move the driven member, the shape memory alloy so that the resistance of the shape memory alloy is equal to the resistance when the driven member is located at the reference position.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2012Date of Patent: November 5, 2013Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.Inventors: Yasutaka Tanimura, Takeshi Aoi, Yoshihiro Hara, Natsuko Shiota
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Publication number: 20120206615Abstract: To provide a drive unit and a drive module which include a shape memory alloy as a drive source to move a driven member and are capable of the high-precision movement of the driven member to a reference position. A drive unit and a drive module can be provided by controlling, in the drive unit and the drive module which include the shape memory alloy as the drive source to move the driven member, the shape memory alloy so that the resistance of the shape memory alloy is equal to the resistance when the driven member is located at the reference position.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2012Publication date: August 16, 2012Applicant: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.Inventors: Yasutaka Tanimura, Takeshi Aoi, Yoshihiro Hara, Natsuko Shiota
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Patent number: 8189093Abstract: To provide a drive unit and a drive module which include a shape memory alloy as a drive source to move a driven member and are capable of the high-precision movement of the driven member to a reference position. A drive unit and a drive module can be provided by controlling, in the drive unit and the drive module which include the shape memory alloy as the drive source to move the driven member, the shape memory alloy so that the resistance of the shape memory alloy is equal to the resistance when the driven member is located at the reference position.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2008Date of Patent: May 29, 2012Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.Inventors: Yasutaka Tanimura, Takeshi Aoi, Yoshihiro Hara, Natsuko Shiota
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Patent number: 8174608Abstract: A drive unit and drive module which use a shape memory alloy as a drive source to move a driven member, and which can drive at a high speed, independently of the ambient temperature and the position of the driven member. The timing of moving the driven member is controlled based on the position to which the driven member is moved, and based on the settling time for the driven member moved to that position to settle at that position, thus, the driven section can be moved in the minimum drive time, and this arrangement provides the drive unit and drive module that can drive at a high speed, independently of the ambient temperature and the position of the driven member.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2008Date of Patent: May 8, 2012Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.Inventors: Yoshihiro Hara, Takeshi Aoi, Natsuko Shiota, Yasutaka Tanimura
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Patent number: 7953319Abstract: In a position controller, a driving mechanism and an image pickup system according to the present invention, an operation of controlling a position of a movable member is performed by using, as a reference value, a first resistance value giving a first change point at which a resistance change rate per unit temperature change in a shape-memory-alloy member changes from a first rate to a second rate different from said first rate. Thus, the present invention makes it possible to control the position of the movable member based on a resistance of a shape-memory-alloy member, without a position sensor.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2008Date of Patent: May 31, 2011Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.Inventors: Yasutaka Tanimura, Takeshi Aoi, Nobuya Miki
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Publication number: 20080278590Abstract: To provide a drive unit and a drive module which include a shape memory alloy as a drive source to move a driven member and are capable of the high-precision movement of the driven member to a reference position. A drive unit and a drive module can be provided by controlling, in the drive unit and the drive module which include the shape memory alloy as the drive source to move the driven member, the shape memory alloy so that the resistance of the shape memory alloy is equal to the resistance when the driven member is located at the reference position.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 5, 2008Publication date: November 13, 2008Applicant: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.Inventors: Yasutaka TANIMURA, Takeshi Aoi, Yoshihiro Hara, Natsuko Shiota
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Publication number: 20080278030Abstract: A drive unit and drive module which use a shape memory alloy as a drive source to move a driven member, and which can drive at a high speed, independently of the ambient temperature and the position of the driven member. The timing of moving the driven member is controlled based on the position to which the driven member is moved, and based on the settling time for the driven member moved to that position to settle at that position, thus, the driven section can be moved in the minimum drive time, and this arrangement provides the drive unit and drive module that can drive at a high speed, independently of the ambient temperature and the position of the driven member.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2008Publication date: November 13, 2008Applicant: KONICA MINOLTA OPTO, INC.Inventors: Yoshihiro HARA, Takeshi AOI, Natsuko SHIOTA, Yasutaka TANIMURA
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Publication number: 20080247748Abstract: In a position controller, a driving mechanism and an image pickup system according to the present invention, an operation of controlling a position of a movable member is performed by using, as a reference value, a first resistance value giving a first change point at which a resistance change rate per unit temperature change in a shape-memory-alloy member changes from a first rate to a second rate different from said first rate. Thus, the present invention makes it possible to control the position of the movable member based on a resistance of a shape-memory-alloy member, without a position sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2008Publication date: October 9, 2008Applicant: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.Inventors: Yasutaka Tanimura, Takeshi Aoi, Nobuya Miki
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Patent number: 6334002Abstract: An image reader apparatus includes: an image pickup device which is controllably exposed to an object to produce an image signal of the object; a mover which moves the object and the image pickup device relative to each other; a storage operable to store an image signal; a writing device which is operable to write an image signal in the storage; a reading device which is operable to read an image signal from the storage; a discriminator which discriminates whether one of the writing device and the reading device is in operation; and a controller which controls the exposure of the image pickup device in accordance with a result of the discriminator.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 1996Date of Patent: December 25, 2001Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.Inventors: Nobuo Hashimoto, Toru Ishii, Kenji Nakamura, Takeshi Ogoshi, Gen Sasaki, Takeshi Aoi
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Publication number: 20010036325Abstract: An image reader apparatus includes: an image pickup device which is controllably exposed to an object to produce an image signal of the object; a mover which moves the object and the image pickup device relative to each other; a storage operable to store an image signal; a writing device which is operable to write an image signal in the storage; a reading device which is operable to read an image signal from the storage; a discriminator which discriminates whether one of the writing device and the reading device is in operation; and a controller which controls the exposure of the image pickup device in accordance with a result of the discriminator.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 1996Publication date: November 1, 2001Inventors: NOBUO HASHIMOTO, TORU ISHII, KENJI NAKAMURA, TAKESHI OGOSHI, GEN SASAKI, TAKESHI AOI