Patents by Inventor Tomoyuki Kikuta

Tomoyuki Kikuta 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: 10814838
    Abstract: An onboard optical sensor cleaning device ejects fluid against a sensing surface of an onboard optical sensor installed in a vehicle and removes foreign matter from the sensing surface. The onboard optical sensor cleaning device includes a cleaning liquid ejection port that ejects supplied cleaning liquid and an air ejection port that ejects supplied air. The cleaning liquid ejection port and the air ejection port are independent from each other, an air ejection axis of the air ejection port is set so that the ejected air mixes with the cleaning liquid ejected from the cleaning liquid ejection port and to be directed toward the sensing surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eiji Ina, Keita Saito, Yuji Hayashi, Keita Kawai, Tomoyuki Kikuta
  • Patent number: 10738771
    Abstract: An electric pump includes a cylinder, a piston, a motor, and a discharge valve. The cylinder includes a valve port and a discharge port, which is in communication with the valve port. The discharge valve opens and closes the valve port. When the piston is moved forth to narrow a void in the cylinder, air is compressed in the cylinder. The discharge valve opens when operated by the piston that moves forth. The discharge valve opens and discharges compressed air from the valve port so that fluid including air is discharged from the discharge port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Kikuta, Keita Kawai
  • Patent number: 10621801
    Abstract: To provide a drive information recording device capable of recording drive information including steering torque, a steering angle, and flag information capable of recognizing whether or not automatic driving control is performed, as drive information related to steering, and an electric power steering device including the same. A drive information recording device includes a storage device, a camera, an impact detection sensor, a display device, and a drive information recording control unit, and the drive information recording control unit records, in the storage device, drive information in which information including inputted steering torque, vehicle speed, input shaft rotational angle, output shaft rotational angle, motor rotational angle, first current command value and second current command value, steering angle, steering angle command value, and a mode flag is associated with inputted captured image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Kikuta, Takahiro Tsubaki
  • Patent number: 10597072
    Abstract: [Problem] An object of the present invention is to provide an electric power steering apparatus that achieves manual steering even if steering intervention is performed by a driver during automatic steering, ensures more safety when the driver steers urgently, and enables both assist control and steering angle control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Tsubaki, Tomoyuki Kikuta
  • Publication number: 20200010111
    Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus that: calculates a steering angle control current command value for the steering angle control based on at least a steering angle command value and an actual steering angle; judges a steering state based on a manual input judgment and performs a switch of the steering state; converts a steering angular velocity command value calculated from at least the steering angle command value and the actual steering angle into an extended steering angular velocity command value; calculates the steering angle control current command value based on the extended steering angular velocity command value and an actual steering angular velocity; performs manual input judgment to a steering torque by using a threshold; and calculates the current command value by using at least the steering angle control current command value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro TSUBAKI, Tomoyuki KIKUTA
  • Publication number: 20190362570
    Abstract: To provide a drive information recording device capable of recording drive information including steering torque, a steering angle, and flag information capable of recognizing whether or not automatic driving control is performed, as drive information related to steering, and an electric power steering device including the same. A drive information recording device includes a storage device, a camera, an impact detection sensor, a display device, and a drive information recording control unit, and the drive information recording control unit records, in the storage device, drive information in which information including inputted steering torque, vehicle speed, input shaft rotational angle, output shaft rotational angle, motor rotational angle, first current command value and second current command value, steering angle, steering angle command value, and a mode flag is associated with inputted captured image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2018
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki KIKUTA, Takahiro TSUBAKI
  • Publication number: 20190263446
    Abstract: [Problem] An object of the present invention is to provide an electric power steering apparatus that achieves manual steering even if steering intervention is performed by a driver during automatic steering, ensures more safety when the driver steers urgently, and enables both assist control and steering angle control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Publication date: August 29, 2019
    Applicant: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro TSUBAKI, Tomoyuki KIKUTA
  • Publication number: 20190219043
    Abstract: An electric pump includes a cylinder, a piston, a motor, and a discharge valve. The cylinder includes a valve port and a discharge port, which is in communication with the valve port. The discharge valve opens and closes the valve port. When the piston is moved forth to narrow a void in the cylinder, air is compressed in the cylinder. The discharge valve opens when operated by the piston that moves forth. The discharge valve opens and discharges compressed air from the valve port so that fluid including air is discharged from the discharge port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Kikuta, Keita Kawai
  • Patent number: 10308451
    Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a cassette and a first sensor unit. The first sensor unit includes a first conductive plate and a first coil circuit board, so as to output a first output value corresponding to a position of the first conductive plate. A first moving mechanism moves the first conductive plate according to remaining quantity of paper sheets. The first conductive plate is attached to the cassette. The first coil circuit board is not attached to the cassette. A control unit determines current remaining quantity of paper sheets based on a magnitude of the first output value. The control unit determines whether or not the cassette is attached based on the magnitude of the first output value and a reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Kikuta
  • Patent number: 10252703
    Abstract: The on-vehicle optical sensor cleaning system includes a washer pump that feeds a cleaning liquid, an air pump, a nozzle member, and a controller. The air pump includes a discharge valve and discharges air through the discharge valve. The discharge valve opens when air is compressed in the air pump. The nozzle member includes an ejection port that ejects a gas-liquid mixture toward a sensing surface of an on-vehicle optical sensor to remove foreign matter from the sensing surface. The cleaning liquid from the washer pump and the air from the air pump are mixed in the gas-liquid mixture. The controller controls the washer pump and the air pump. The controller is configured so that the gas-liquid mixture is ejected by storing the cleaning liquid in the nozzle member to cover the ejection port and then feeding the air to the nozzle member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji Ina, Tomoyuki Kikuta, Keita Kawai, Yukihiro Matsushita, Keita Saito, Yuji Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20190100171
    Abstract: An onboard optical sensor cleaning device ejects fluid against a sensing surface of an onboard optical sensor installed in a vehicle and removes foreign matter from the sensing surface. The onboard optical sensor cleaning device includes a cleaning liquid ejection port that ejects supplied cleaning liquid and an air ejection port that ejects supplied air. The cleaning liquid ejection port and the air ejection port are independent from each other, an air ejection axis of the air ejection port is set so that the ejected air mixes with the cleaning liquid ejected from the cleaning liquid ejection port and to be directed toward the sensing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2017
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Inventors: Eiji INA, Keita SAITO, Yuji HAYASHI, Keita KAWAI, Tomoyuki KIKUTA
  • Publication number: 20190062079
    Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a cassette and a first sensor unit. The first sensor unit includes a first conductive plate and a first coil circuit board, so as to output a first output value corresponding to a position of the first conductive plate. A first moving mechanism moves the first conductive plate according to remaining quantity of paper sheets. The first conductive plate is attached to the cassette. The first coil circuit board is not attached to the cassette. A control unit determines current remaining quantity of paper sheets based on a magnitude of the first output value. The control unit determines whether or not the cassette is attached based on the magnitude of the first output value and a reference value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoyuki KIKUTA
  • Patent number: 9969581
    Abstract: A paper feed device includes: a sensor unit that includes a coil substrate and a conductive plate which is opposite the coil substrate, that outputs an output value corresponding to a position of the conductive plate; a first cursor link mechanism which moves the first conductive plate according to the position of the first cursor in the longitudinal direction of the first coil substrate; a storage unit which stores first sheet size data; and a control unit which recognizes the magnitude of the first output value of the sensor unit and which recognizes, based on the recognized magnitude of the first output value and the first sheet size data, the size of the set sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Kikuta
  • Publication number: 20170341889
    Abstract: A paper feed device includes: a sensor unit that includes a coil substrate and a conductive plate which is opposite the coil substrate, that outputs an output value corresponding to a position of the conductive plate; a first cursor link mechanism which moves the first conductive plate according to the position of the first cursor in the longitudinal direction of the first coil substrate; a storage unit which stores first sheet size data; and a control unit which recognizes the magnitude of the first output value of the sensor unit and which recognizes, based on the recognized magnitude of the first output value and the first sheet size data, the size of the set sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2017
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Applicant: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoyuki KIKUTA
  • Patent number: 9706071
    Abstract: An image reading device includes: first and second conductive members provided so as to be opposed to each other at a predetermined position at pivot end side in cover portion in state where the cover portion is in first attitude, the first conductive member being provided in image reading portion and electrically conducted to first housing, the second conductive member being provided in the cover portion and electrically conducted to second housing; magnetic force generating portion and first magnetic force control portion configured to bias the second conductive member in a direction toward a predetermined reference position at which upper surface of the image reading portion and a cover surface are in contact with each other when the document cover is in the first attitude; and a holding portion configured to hold the second conductive member when the document cover is brought from the first attitude into a second attitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Kikuta
  • Patent number: 9560226
    Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes an apparatus body, a document sheet cover, a magnetic force generating portion, and a magnetic force control portion. The apparatus body has a document placement surface. The document sheet cover is supported by the apparatus body so as to be pivotable between an open position where the document placement surface is uncovered and a closed position where the document placement surface is covered with the document sheet cover. The magnetic force generating portion is able to selectively generate a magnetic attraction force and a magnetic repulsion force between a pair of a permanent magnet and an electromagnet provided in the cover portion and the apparatus body, respectively. The magnetic force control portion switches the magnetic force generating portion between a state where the magnetic force generating portion generates the attraction force and a state where the magnetic force generating portion generates the repulsion force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Kikuta
  • Publication number: 20160339875
    Abstract: The on-vehicle optical sensor cleaning system includes a washer pump that feeds a cleaning liquid, an air pump, a nozzle member, and a controller. The air pump includes a discharge valve and discharges air through the discharge valve. The discharge valve opens when air is compressed in the air pump. The nozzle member includes an ejection port that ejects a gas-liquid mixture toward a sensing surface of an on-vehicle optical sensor to remove foreign matter from the sensing surface. The cleaning liquid from the washer pump and the air from the air pump are mixed in the gas-liquid mixture. The controller controls the washer pump and the air pump. The controller is configured so that the gas-liquid mixture is ejected by storing the cleaning liquid in the nozzle member to cover the ejection port and then feeding the air to the nozzle member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Applicant: ASMO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Eiji Ina, Tomoyuki Kikuta, Keita Kawai, Yukihiro Matsushita, Keita Saito, Yuji Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9452739
    Abstract: An on-board optical sensor cleaning device includes an on-board camera and a discharge port. The on-board camera is mounted on a vehicle. The on-board camera includes a lens. The discharge port discharges fluid toward the lens. The discharged fluid removes foreign material collected on the lens. The lens and the discharge port are relatively movable. At least one of the lens and the discharge port is movable between a cleaning position, where the discharge port is located proximal to an image capturing range center of the on-board camera, and a non-cleaning position, where the discharge port is located farther from the image capturing range center than the cleaning position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: ASMO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Kikuta, Yukihiro Matsushita, Keita Saito
  • Patent number: 9389939
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a communication control portion, an error code storage portion, an acquiring portion, and a determination portion. Communication control portion communicates with storage device based on interface communication standard, to perform data transfer therewith. Error code storage portion stores one or a plurality of selected error codes selected from a plurality of error codes defined by interface communication standard. Acquiring portion acquires error information outputted from storage device. Determination portion determines whether or not error code indicated by error information coincides with selected error code. When determination portion determines that error code coincides with selected error code, communication control portion communicates again with storage device to perform data transfer therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Naruyuki Miyamoto, Tomoyuki Kikuta, Takashi Inoue, Tetsuya Matsusaka
  • Publication number: 20160150101
    Abstract: An image reading device includes: first and second conductive members provided so as to be opposed to each other at a predetermined position at pivot end side in cover portion in state where the cover portion is in first attitude, the first conductive member being provided in image reading portion and electrically conducted to first housing, the second conductive member being provided in the cover portion and electrically conducted to second housing; magnetic force generating portion and first magnetic force control portion configured to bias the second conductive member in a direction toward a predetermined reference position at which upper surface of the image reading portion and a cover surface are in contact with each other when the document cover is in the first attitude; and a holding portion configured to hold the second conductive member when the document cover is brought from the first attitude into a second attitude.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2015
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Kikuta