Patents by Inventor Tohru Nakamura

Tohru Nakamura 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: 8276506
    Abstract: A cooking assistance robot is capable of efficient mixing using ingredients that are unlikely to be evenly heated. The cooking assistance robot performs cooking by physically moving ingredients in a cooking container selects a mixing direction for leveling a mountain and performs a mountain leveling operation in the selected mixing direction in a presence of a mountain of a specified height or higher in the cooking container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Tojo, Takanobu Tanimoto, Osamu Mizuno, Tohru Nakamura, Soichiro Fujioka
  • Patent number: 8251420
    Abstract: The joint mechanism includes a first link, a second link, a third link, a shaft supported on the second link to be rotatable about an axis thereof, and movable in an axis direction thereof, a first worm and a second worm mounted on the shaft, a first worm wheel in mesh with the first worm to pivotally move the first link with respect to the second link, and a second worm wheel in mesh with the second worm to pivotally move the third link with respect to the second link. The first link and the third link are pivotally moved in opposite directions to each other by rotating the shaft, and pivotally moved in identical directions to each other by moving the shaft in the axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Mizuno, Akinobu Okuda, Tohru Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20120199239
    Abstract: A medicinal liquid preparation assist system according to the present invention includes a medicine bottle weight measurement unit having a first weight measurement portion for measuring the total weight of medicine bottles placed on a medicine bottle mounting portion; an infusion bag weight measurement unit having a second weight measurement portion for measuring the weight of an infusion bag placed on an infusion bag mounting portion; a storage unit; a control unit for producing auditing information based on changes in weight measured by the medicine bottle weight measurement unit and the infusion bag weight measurement unit, and storing the produced auditing information in the storage unit; and an information presentation unit for displaying at least one of information about medicinal liquids to be injected into the infusion bag, the information being stored beforehand in the storage unit, and the auditing information stored in the storage unit by the control unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2010
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akinobu Okuda, Tohru Nakamura, Soichiro Fujioka, Osamu Mizuno, Akihiro Ohta
  • Publication number: 20120197184
    Abstract: A medicinal solution injection apparatus 10 includes a composite needle 12 including a needle base portion 12c, an injection needle 12d, and an adjustment needle 12e, a pressure generating portion 13 configured to discharge a compressed air, a measuring portion 14 configured to measure a filling amount and a filling speed of a medicinal solution by measuring a position of a gasket 17a of a syringe 17, and a control portion 15 configured to control the pressure generating portion 13 and the measuring portion 14. The compressed air is introduced into a vial container 16 through an edge 12h of the adjustment needle 12e located above a liquid surface 16a of the medicinal solution in the vial container 16 (outside the liquid surface) to press the liquid surface 16a of the medicinal solution downward, so that a medicinal solution 16b is injected into the syringe 17 through an edge 12i of the injection needle 12d in the medicinal solution 16b.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2010
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Inventors: Akinobu Okuda, Tohru Nakamura, Soichiro Fujioka, Osamu Mizuno, Akihiro Ohta
  • Publication number: 20120181779
    Abstract: In a bed including a wheelchair and a bed main body portion, the wheelchair has a seating bottom portion composed of bendably coupling a plurality of divided members, a chair bottom support member supporting the seating bottom portion, the chair bottom support member for changing a shape of a leg bottom part in conjunction with inclination of a back bottom part, a chair base portion fixing the chair bottom support member, front casters provided in the chair base portion, the front casters being capable of freely changing the direction, both side wheel bottom support members axially supported on the chair base portion, rear casters provided in one ends of the both side wheel bottom support members, the rear casters being capable of freely changing the direction, traveling wheels provided in the other ends of the both side wheel bottom support members, whose traveling direction is fixed to the straight-moving direction, and caster links coupling parts of the both side wheel bottom support members on the side of
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Inventors: Shohei Tsukada, Yohei Kume, Hideo Kawakami, Tohru Nakamura, Toshihide Ueda
  • Publication number: 20120169093
    Abstract: A movable part which combines with a stationary part to form a bed includes: a contact sensor (50); wheels (44) rotatable in all directions; a body drive unit (31) which drives the wheels (44); an avoidance instruction unit (51) which generates an avoidance instruction according to a result of detection by a contact sensor (50); a rotation center setting unit (52) which sets a rotation center Q2 for the avoidance instruction; an avoidance instruction translation unit (54) which translates the avoidance instruction and the rotation center Q2 into a move instruction; and a position detection unit (34) which detects a positional relationship to a docking area (20), and the rotation center setting unit (52) sets the rotation center according to the positional relationship detected by the position detection unit (34).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2010
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Inventors: Yohei Kume, Hideo Kawakami, Shohei Tsukada, Tohru Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20120159705
    Abstract: A wheelchair including a seating bottom portion, a chair back bottom support member supporting a chair back bottom member, a chair knee bottom support member supporting a chair knee bottom member, a chair leg first bottom support member bendably coupled to the chair knee bottom support member, the chair leg first bottom support member supporting a chair leg first bottom member, a chair leg second bottom support member bendably coupled to the chair leg first bottom support member, the chair leg second bottom support member supporting a chair leg second bottom member, a chair base portion bendably coupling the chair back bottom support member and the chair knee bottom support member and supporting a chair waist bottom member, a first link portion coupling the chair back bottom support member and the chair knee bottom support member, and a second link portion coupling the chair back bottom support member and the chair leg first bottom support member to each other, the wheelchair forms a bed capable of being chan
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Inventors: Shohei Tsukada, Yohei Kume, Hideo Kawakami, Tohru Nakamura, Toshihide Ueda
  • Publication number: 20120153687
    Abstract: A bed is composed of combining a wheelchair and a bed main body portion. The wheelchair has a seating bottom portion composed of bendably coupling a plurality of divided members, a chair bottom support member supporting the seating bottom portion, a chair base portion for fixing the chair bottom support member, and traveling wheels supporting the chair base portion. The bed main body portion has a bed bottom portion composed of bendably coupling a plurality of divided members, a bed bottom support member supporting the bed bottom portion, and a bed base portion for fixing this bed bottom support member. In the case where the wheelchair and the bed main body portion are combined, a support member supporting the seating bottom portion is switched from the chair bottom support member to the bed bottom support member, and the bed bottom portion and the seating bottom portion integrally perform posture change in accordance with posture change of the bed bottom support member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2011
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Inventors: Yohei Kume, Toshihide Ueda, Shohei Tsukada, Hideo Kawakami, Tohru Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20120137807
    Abstract: The joint mechanism includes a first link, a second link, a third link, a shaft supported on the second link to be rotatable about an axis thereof, and movable in an axis direction thereof, a first worm and a second worm mounted on the shaft, a first worm wheel in mesh with the first worm to pivotally move the first link with respect to the second link, and a second worm wheel in mesh with the second worm to pivotally move the third link with respect to the second link. The first link and the third link are pivotally moved in opposite directions to each other by rotating the shaft, and pivotally moved in identical directions to each other by moving the shaft in the axis direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Inventors: Osamu MIZUNO, Akinobu OKUDA, Tohru NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20120127290
    Abstract: A liquid medicine identification apparatus includes a pattern projection unit, a placing unit that places thereon a medicine container filled with a liquid medicine, an imaging camera, and an image processing unit. Imaged image information imaged by the imaging camera after transmitting light and dark patterns of the pattern projection unit through the medicine container is compared with reference image information by the image processing unit, and a type of the liquid medicine or the medicine container is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2011
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Tojo, Soichiro Fujioka, Tohru Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20120091990
    Abstract: The contact sensor includes a conductive fabric, an insulative spacer having multiple openings, and a conductive sheet of a sheet-shaped conductor. The insulative spacer is interposed between the conductive fabric and the conductive sheet. Upon contact of a soft object such as a human body portion on the conductive fabric with force equal to or greater than a certain strength, the insulative spacer sinks in the soft object with the conductive fabric interposed therebetween. The conductive fabric is deformable in conformity with insulative pieces of the insulative spacer, such that touching of a portion of the conductive fabric on the conductive sheet provides detection of contact of the soft object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Inventors: Shohei TSUKADA, Yohei KUME, Hideo KAWAKAMI, Tohru NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20120095633
    Abstract: An electric wheelchair includes a body portion, an operating section to detect an operation by an operator, an obstacle sensor to detect an obstacle existing in the vicinity of the body portion, an obstacle determination section to form a search region extending from the body portion in an operating direction, and to determine an obstacle existing in the search region, as the obstacle to be avoided, a virtual repulsive force calculation section to calculate a virtual repulsive force to move the body portion away from the obstacle determined by the obstacle determination section, a resultant force calculation section to calculate a resultant force composed of an operating force and the virtual repulsive force, and a control section to control a movement of the body portion so that the body portion is moved in a direction of the resultant force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2011
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Inventors: Yohei KUME, Shohei Tsukada, Hideo Kawakami, Tohru Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20120078180
    Abstract: A syringe drive device 1 includes a cylinder holding section 3 configured to detachably hold a cylinder 201, a piston manipulating section 4 detachably coupled with a piston, and a piston drive section 5 including racks 31A and 31B coupled with the piston manipulating section 4 and configured to move the piston manipulating section 4 so that a piston 202 is moved in a push-in direction or a pull-out direction. A cylinder 200A having a given capacity (for example, 50 cc) is directly loaded in the syringe drive device 1 with no adapter therebetween. A syringe 200C having a different capacity (for example, 20 cc) is loaded in the syringe drive device 1 by means of a cylinder adapter 81 and a piston adapter 82.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Inventors: Soichiro Fujioka, Tohru Nakamura, Osamu Mizuno, Akinobu Okuda, Akihiro Ohta
  • Patent number: 8141925
    Abstract: The joint mechanism includes a first link, a second link, a third link, a shaft supported on the second link to be rotatable about an axis thereof, and movable in an axis direction thereof, a first worm and a second worm mounted on the shaft, a first worm wheel in mesh with the first worm to pivotally move the first link with respect to the second link, and a second worm wheel in mesh with the second worm to pivotally move the third link with respect to the second link. The first link and the third link are pivotally moved in opposite directions to each other by rotating the shaft, and pivotally moved in identical directions to each other by moving the shaft in the axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Mizuno, Akinobu Okuda, Tohru Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20120071828
    Abstract: A syringe drive device 1 includes: a syringe holding section 3; a piston manipulating section 4; and a display section 6. An outer tube 202 of a syringe 201 is detachably held by the syringe holding section 3. A piston 203 of the syringe 201 is detachably engaged with the piston manipulating section 4. The piston manipulating section 4 moves in a direction in response to an operation of operation buttons 8A and 8B, and the piston 203 is thereby moved in a direction where the piston is pushed into or pulled out from the outer tube 202. An internal pressure of a medicinal solution container punctured with an injection needle 204 attached to the outer tube 202 of the syringe 201 is measured and displayed on the display section 6.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Tojo, Soichiro Fujioka, Tohru Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8100451
    Abstract: A multi-fingered robot hand has a minimum required number of joints in finger mechanisms and is capable of stably grasping a variety of articles. The multi-fingered robot hand includes: a first palm portion provided with three finger mechanisms each connected by a root joint; a second palm portion provided with one finger mechanism connected by a root joint; and a palm joint connecting the first palm portion and the second palm portion. The palm joint permits a variation in the connection angle of the second palm portion to the first palm portion. The palm joint, bending joints, bending joints of the root joints and the root joint have rotation axes parallel to each other, and the finger mechanisms bend while turning around the rotation axes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Akinobu Okuda, Osamu Mizuno, Tohru Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20120016303
    Abstract: A syringe drive device drives a syringe including a cylindrical cylinder and a piston. The cylinder includes a solution supply port at one end, and an opening at the other end. The piston is inserted into the cylinder through the opening. The syringe drive device includes a cylinder holder to rotatably hold the cylinder of the syringe, and a piston driver to drive the piston in its axial direction with respect to the cylinder held in the cylinder holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Inventors: Akihiro Ohta, Tohru Nakamura, Osamu Mizuno, Soichiro Fujioka, Akinobu Okuda, Tsuyoshi Tojo
  • Publication number: 20110313604
    Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing an electric vehicle which makes an assisting movement based on an operation by an operator without making a movement when an operator is not operating the electric vehicle or a movement which widely differs from a movement intended by the operator in direction or distance, and a method of controlling the electric vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Inventors: Yohei Kume, Hideo Kawakami, Tohru Nakamura
  • Patent number: D657596
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Mizuho Sakakibara, Hideo Kawakami, Yohei Kume, Shohei Tsukada, Tohru Nakamura
  • Patent number: D661510
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Mizuho Sakakibara, Hideo Kawakami, Yohei Kume, Shohei Tsukada, Tohru Nakamura