Patents by Inventor Takuya Kotani

Takuya Kotani 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: 11506435
    Abstract: A water regulator includes a water regulation valve, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, and a controller. The water regulation valve regulates a quantity of water flowing through water pipes. The first temperature sensor measures a temperature of one of the water pipes which is connected to an inlet of a heat exchanger. The second temperature sensor measures a temperature of one of the water pipes which is connected to an outlet of the heat exchanger. The controller controls an opening degree of the water regulation valve, based on a difference between the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor and the temperature measured by the second temperature sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuuta Ohura, Takuya Kotani
  • Publication number: 20220235975
    Abstract: A support system includes a display and a server. Upon acquiring first information on arrangement of a first refrigerant shut-off unit, second information on each of utilization-side units in a first utilization-side unit group, and third information on one of or both a length and an internal volume of the first connection pipe group, the server determines, based on an allowable leakage amount of the refrigerant into a space where a corresponding one or more utilization-side units is installed, whether the first, second, and third information are suitable for the design, and causes the display to display a result of the determination; or the server calculates a first refrigerant amount as a sum of an amount of the refrigerant in the first refrigerant circuit and an amount of the refrigerant, and causes the display to display the first refrigerant amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuuta Ohura, Takuya Kotani
  • Publication number: 20220146158
    Abstract: An air conditioning apparatus includes utilization-side units each including a first refrigerant circuit, a heat source-side unit including a second refrigerant circuit, a connection pipe group, and a relay unit. The relay unit is disposed between the first refrigerant circuit and the second refrigerant circuit, and blocks a flammable refrigerant flowing through the connection pipe group. The utilization-side units are disposed in a utilization-side unit group that is a group of two or more utilization-side units. The relay unit blocks a flow of the refrigerant between the first refrigerant circuit and the second refrigerant circuit. The connection pipe group connects the first refrigerant circuit and the refrigerant shut-off unit. The connection pipe group has one or both of a length and an internal volume, which is fixed based on information on capabilities of the two utilization-side units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuuta Ohura, Takuya Kotani
  • Publication number: 20220128285
    Abstract: A water regulator includes a water regulation valve, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, and a controller. The water regulation valve regulates a quantity of water flowing through water pipes. The first temperature sensor measures a temperature of one of the water pipes which is connected to an inlet of a heat exchanger. The second temperature sensor measures a temperature of one of the water pipes which is connected to an outlet of the heat exchanger. The controller controls an opening degree of the water regulation valve, based on a difference between the temperature measured by the first temperature sensor and the temperature measured by the second temperature sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuuta OHURA, Takuya KOTANI
  • Patent number: 10684050
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigeration apparatus in which adverse events caused by excess refrigerant can be suppressed even when defrosting is performed with some of a plurality of outdoor units designated as units to be defrosted. An air-conditioning apparatus is configured from a parallel connection of a first outdoor unit and a second outdoor unit, wherein when a second outdoor heat exchanger of the second outdoor unit is caused to function as an evaporator while a first outdoor heat exchanger of the first outdoor unit is caused to function as a condenser to defrost the first outdoor heat exchanger, a refrigerant circuit has a flow channel that supplies some of the refrigerant flowing out of the first outdoor heat exchanger to the second outdoor heat exchanger and a flow channel that supplies the rest of the refrigerant flowing out of the first outdoor heat exchanger to an indoor heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuuta Ohura, Takuya Kotani, Junya Minami
  • Publication number: 20190032978
    Abstract: Provided is a refrigeration apparatus in which adverse events caused by excess refrigerant can be suppressed even when defrosting is performed with some of a plurality of outdoor units designated as units to be defrosted. An air-conditioning apparatus is configured from a parallel connection of a first outdoor unit and a second outdoor unit, wherein when a second outdoor heat exchanger of the second outdoor unit is caused to function as an evaporator while a first outdoor heat exchanger of the first outdoor unit is caused to function as a condenser to defrost the first outdoor heat exchanger, a refrigerant circuit has a flow channel that supplies some of the refrigerant flowing out of the first outdoor heat exchanger to the second outdoor heat exchanger and a flow channel that supplies the rest of the refrigerant flowing out of the first outdoor heat exchanger to an indoor heat exchanger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2017
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Applicant: DAIKIN INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Ryuuta OHURA, Takuya KOTANI, Junya MINAMI
  • Patent number: 9476496
    Abstract: A driving apparatus for a vehicle includes a rotation member, as support pin including a flange for stopping a movement of the rotation member in one axial direction and a circumferential groove formed at an end portion that penetrates through the rotation member, an annular elastic member supported relative to the circumferential groove and configured to reduce a diameter in a radial direction, and a support member including an attachment hole in which the end portion of the support pin is idly provided, the support member including an inwardly protruding flange provided at the attaching hole and having an inner diameter equal to or greater than an outer diameter of the annular elastic member when the annular elastic member is in an elastically deformed state having reduced diameter and smaller than the outer diameter of the annular elastic member when the annular elastic member is in an elastic recovery state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryoichi Fukumoto, Shigeyuki Suzuki, Hidefumi Katayama, Katsumi Chono, Takuya Kotani
  • Patent number: 9262813
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus for generating corrected image data from a plurality of input image data by performing an iterative calculation process includes an input unit configured to input the plurality of input image data, an acquisition unit configured to acquire a photographing parameter used for photographing to acquire the input image data, a setting unit configured to set for each image area a number of iterations for generating the corrected image data based on the photographing parameter, and a generation unit configured to generate correction data from the plurality of image data by performing an iterative calculation process on each image area based on the number of iterations set for each image area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuya Kotani
  • Patent number: 9239175
    Abstract: An air conditioner is provided with a plurality of outdoor heat source units, an indoor unit, a liquid refrigerant communication pipe and gas refrigerant communication pipe, and a controller. Each heat source unit has a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and an accumulator. The indoor unit has an indoor expansion valve and an indoor heat exchanger. The controller starts an other of the heat source units in a stopped state when it is determined that the amount of refrigerant is excessive in a first heat source unit in an operating state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Kotani, Kikuji Hori
  • Patent number: 8953046
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus acquires virtual viewpoint information of a plurality of frames contained in a virtual viewpoint video, selects a camera for shooting an image to be used in generating an image at a virtual viewpoint in a frame from a plurality of cameras with respect to each of the plurality of the frames based on a positional relationship between the virtual viewpoint information of each frame and viewpoint information of the plurality of the cameras, and reselects the camera selected for each of the plurality of the frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuya Kotani, Kazuhiro Yahata
  • Patent number: 8928755
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a setting unit for setting a virtual viewpoint; a determining unit for determining an undefined area in which an object distance cannot be defined in a virtual image of the virtual viewpoint, from image data of a plurality of images photographed by a plurality of photographing units placed at different positions; a correction setting unit for setting an amount of correction of a position of at least one of the photographing units from the undefined area; and a generating unit for generating the image of the virtual viewpoint from image data of a plurality of images photographed by the plurality of photographing units placed at positions that are corrected in accordance with the amount of correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuya Kotani
  • Patent number: 8810683
    Abstract: An image capturing apparatus and a control method thereof relate to an image capturing apparatus such as a camera array. The image capturing apparatus comprises a plurality of image capturing units. An image capturing unit to be activated out of a plurality of image capturing units is decided based on the capturing distance of an object included in a captured scene. Electricity is supplied to the image capturing unit decided to be activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuya Kotani
  • Patent number: 8783050
    Abstract: A time for loading a refrigerant is shortened when a utilization unit of an air conditioner is installed. A heat source unit 1 includes a compressor 100; a heat-source-side heat exchanger 200; a refrigerant regulator 61 storing a refrigerant; an introducing pipe 62 which is a pipe that is branched off from a discharge-side pipe 110 of the compressor 100 and connected to the refrigerant regulator 61, and introduces the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 100 into the refrigerant regulator 61; and a lead-out pipe 63 which is a pipe that is connected from the refrigerant regulator 61 to an intake-side pipe 120 of the compressor 100, and leads out the refrigerant stored in the refrigerant regulator 61 into the intake-side pipe 120.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Okamoto, Shinya Matsuoka, Takuya Kotani
  • Publication number: 20140179475
    Abstract: A driving apparatus for a vehicle includes a rotation member, as support pin including a flange for stopping a movement of the rotation member in one axial direction and a circumferential groove formed at an end portion that penetrates through the rotation member, an annular elastic member supported relative to the circumferential groove and configured to reduce a diameter in a radial direction, and a support member including an attachment hole in which the end portion of the support pin is idly provided, the support member including an inwardly protruding flange provided at the attaching hole and having an inner diameter equal to or greater than an outer diameter of the annular elastic member when the annular elastic member is in an elastically deformed state having reduced diameter and smaller than the outer diameter of the annular elastic member when the annular elastic member is in an elastic recovery state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryoichi FUKUMOTO, Shigeyuki Suzuki, Hidefumi Katayama, Katsumi Chono, Takuya Kotani
  • Patent number: 8760526
    Abstract: A plurality of image capturing data time-divisionally exposed by a capturing unit are input, and are divided into synthesis images or motion detection images. A motion amount of the capturing unit at the time of time-division exposure is detected from the image capturing data of the motion detection images, and synthesized image capturing data is generated by synthesizing the synthesis images. Then, a vibration of the synthesized image capturing data is corrected based on a divide pattern indicating divisions, and the motion amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuya Kotani
  • Publication number: 20140165471
    Abstract: A drive apparatus for a vehicle includes a rotation member driven to rotate by a drive source, the rotation member around which a rope member connected to a drive object is wound, a support member including an accommodating portion rotatably accommodating the rotation member, the accommodating portion including a bottom wall portion that covers an end surface of the rotation member at one side in an axial direction of the rotation member and a peripheral wall portion formed to project from the bottom wall portion and covering a side surface of the rotation member, and a cover member attached to the support member and covering an opening edge of the accommodating portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsumi CHONO, Hidefumi Katayama, Shigeyuki Suzuki, Takuya Kotani
  • Patent number: 8717419
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus executes a distortion correction on coordinates of a target pixel in a virtual viewpoint image based on distortion characteristics of a virtual camera and calculates coordinates in the virtual viewpoint image after the distortion correction. The image process apparatus calculates ideal coordinates in a captured image from the coordinates in the virtual viewpoint image after the distortion correction and calculates real coordinates in the captured image from the ideal coordinates in the captured image based on distortion characteristics of an imaging unit. The image process apparatus calculates a pixel value corresponding to the real coordinates from image data of the virtual viewpoint image and corrects the pixel value corresponding to the real coordinates based on ambient light amount decrease characteristics of the imaging unit and ambient light amount decrease characteristics of the virtual camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yahata, Takuya Kotani
  • Patent number: 8711241
    Abstract: This invention enables suppression of the influence on a captured image of dust even when dust sticks to an image sensor, a protective glass fixed on the image sensor, or a filter. An image capturing apparatus includes an image sensor which generates an image signal by photo-electric conversion of an object image, a dust position detection unit which detects, from a dust detection image signal as the image signal generated by causing the image sensor to capture a dust detection object as an object having an almost uniform color, dust position information that is information of the position and size of dust in the image sensing plane of the image sensor, a lens information acquisition unit which acquires lens information of a lens used upon capturing the object, and a recording unit which records the dust position information detected by the dust position detection unit and the lens information acquired by the lens information acquisition unit in association with captured image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuya Kotani
  • Publication number: 20140104461
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus which corrects input image data on the basis of the image data and foreign substance information including information associated with a position and a size of a foreign substance adhering near an image sensor in an image capturing apparatus which has captured the image data includes a correction unit which corrects the image data on the basis of the image data and the foreign substance information so as to reduce an influence of a shadow of the foreign substance cast in the image data, a uniformity determination unit which determines uniformity of an image in a region surrounding the foreign substance in the image data, and a control unit which, when the uniformity determination unit determines that the uniformity is lower than a predetermined value, prevents the correction unit from correcting the image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takuya Kotani
  • Patent number: 8676032
    Abstract: A playback apparatus plays back, from a recording medium, a plurality of information files, and a modified file which is generated using a portion of the plurality of information files. If modified data specified in playback description data for specifying a playback procedure for the plurality of information files including the modified file is not recorded on the recording medium, the playback apparatus changes the playback operation for the information files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takuya Kotani