Patents by Inventor Toru Hirota

Toru Hirota 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).

  • Publication number: 20230243313
    Abstract: A stop control device for an internal combustion engine is structured that stops the engine in a state suitable for starting and that does not cause a crank angle to change after the engine is stopped. A four-cycle internal combustion engine includes an electric valve opening and closing timing control device that sets an opening and closing timing of either or both of an intake valve and an exhaust valve. Stop control of stopping the internal combustion engine is performed when a stop signal for stopping the internal combustion engine is acquired, and post-stop phase control of displacing the opening and closing timing of the valve opening and closing timing control device in either an advancing direction or a retarding direction is performed after the internal combustion engine is stopped by the stop control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Applicants: AISIN CORPORATION, Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshinari TOKUNAGA, Yuki KASUYA, Takano NAKAI, Kenichiro SUZUKI, Yoshiyuki KAMOYAMA, Toru HIROTA
  • Patent number: 11549407
    Abstract: The valve timing control unit includes a valve timing control mechanism that includes a driving rotary body, a driven rotary body, an electric motor and a deceleration gear each for setting the relative rotational phase of the driving rotary body and the driven rotary body, and a phase sensor unit that detects the actual phase of the driving rotary body and the driven rotary body. The valve timing control unit includes a controller that controls the electric motor to reduce a phase difference between the actual phase and a target phase, and the controller includes a swing controller that swings the target phase in vicinity of the target phase when the target phase is maintained and the actual phase having a fluctuation amount is held in a holding region, in which the fluctuation amount is less than a preset value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignees: AISIN CORPORATION, MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenya Fujimoto, Yoshinari Tokunaga, Shigehiro Tanabe, Takano Nakai, Yoshiyuki Kamoyama, Hiroshi Takahashi, Toru Hirota
  • Publication number: 20220325643
    Abstract: The valve timing control unit includes a valve timing control mechanism that includes a driving rotary body, a driven rotary body, an electric motor and a deceleration gear each for setting the relative rotational phase of the driving rotary body and the driven rotary body, and a phase sensor unit that detects the actual phase of the driving rotary body and the driven rotary body. The valve timing control unit includes a controller that controls the electric motor to reduce a phase difference between the actual phase and a target phase, and the controller includes a swing controller that swings the target phase in vicinity of the target phase when the target phase is maintained and the actual phase having a fluctuation amount is held in a holding region, in which the fluctuation amount is less than a preset value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicants: AISIN CORPORATION, MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenya FUJIMOTO, Yoshinari TOKUNAGA, Shigehiro TANABE, Takano NAKAI, Yoshiyuki KAMOYAMA, Hiroshi TAKAHASHI, Toru HIROTA
  • Patent number: 11428172
    Abstract: A valve opening and closing timing control device includes: a driving-side rotating body that rotates synchronously with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine around a rotating shaft core; a driven-side rotating body that rotates integrally with a valve opening and closing camshaft of the internal combustion engine around the same shaft core as the rotating shaft core; a gear mechanism that sets a relative rotation phase between the driving-side rotating body and the driven-side rotating body by displacement of a meshing position; a motor that enables displacement of the meshing position of the gear mechanism by rotating a rotating shaft; and a control unit that controls the drive of the motor. The control unit intermittently performs control to energize the motor for one phase for a predetermined time after the internal combustion engine is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki Kasuya, Shugo Ito, Takano Nakai, Kenichiro Suzuki, Yoshiyuki Kamoyama, Toru Hirota
  • Patent number: 11340215
    Abstract: The inventors have found that the interaction between HP1 and INCENP can serve as an indicator for chromosome instability and established a method for evaluating chromosome instability of cancer cells. The evaluation system can be used for screening of anticancer agent with a new-concept of targeting chromosome instability of cancer cells. The inventors further prepared an antibody for specifically recognizing phosphorylation of serine at position 92 of HP1?, by which the action of Aurora B can be evaluated. The interaction between HP1 and INCENP can be readily evaluated by the antibody.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: JAPANESE FOUNDATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH
    Inventors: Toru Hirota, Yusuke Abe
  • Publication number: 20220126069
    Abstract: A catheter includes: an outer tube that includes a lumen; an inner tube that is inserted into the lumen and has a base end portion joined to an intermediate position of the outer tube in an axis direction; a core wire that is inserted into the lumen and extends to a tip end of the outer tube beyond the base end portion; and a securing portion that is disposed at an intermediate position of an overlapping range in the axis direction, the inner tube and the core wire overlapping each other in the overlapping range, and secures the inner tube or the core wire to the outer tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Applicant: GOODMAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Hirota, Takamasa Miyake, Keisuke Ogawa, Mitsuhiro Ota, Mitsuhiko Sato
  • Patent number: 11300016
    Abstract: A valve opening and closing timing control device includes a drive-side rotating body that rotates synchronously with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, a driven-side rotating body that rotates with a camshaft of the internal combustion engine, an electric motor that controls a relative rotation phase of the drive-side rotating body and the driven-side rotating body, a motor control unit that controls a current supplied to the electric motor, a current sensor that detects the current flowing into the electric motor, a regulation unit that determines a regulation phase in which the relative rotation phase is mechanically limited in an advanced angle direction and in a delayed angle direction, and a regulation phase detection unit that detects the regulation phase based on when the relative rotation phase in which a change is stopped by the regulation unit is reached and a current value detected by the current sensor increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Amano, Shogo Katsuki, Takano Nakai, Kenichiro Suzuki, Yoshiyuki Kamoyama, Toru Hirota
  • Patent number: 11242776
    Abstract: A valve open-close timing control device includes a driving rotator, a driven rotator, a phase adjusting mechanism, a sensor unit, a storage configured to store the plurality of divided regions consecutively provided, as a plurality of divided length information pieces corresponding to divided lengths of the divided regions, and an actual phase acquisition unit configured to start acquisition of the crank angle signal and the cam angle signal along with start of actuation control of actuating the internal combustion engine, specify one of the divided regions by referring to the divided length information pieces stored in the storage in accordance with the crank angle signal at timing set in accordance with the cam angle signal, and acquire the relative rotation phase as an actual phase in accordance with the crank angle signal corresponding to the boundary of the divided region thus specified and the reference crank angle signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Iwaya, Masahiro Okado, Toi Suzuki, Toshiki Miyake, Takano Nakai, Kenichiro Suzuki, Yoshiyuki Kamoyama, Toru Hirota
  • Publication number: 20220003132
    Abstract: A valve opening and closing timing control device includes a drive-side rotating body that rotates synchronously with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, a driven-side rotating body that rotates with a camshaft of the internal combustion engine, an electric motor that controls a relative rotation phase of the drive-side rotating body and the driven-side rotating body, a motor control unit that controls a current supplied to the electric motor, a current sensor that detects the current flowing into the electric motor, a regulation unit that determines a regulation phase in which the relative rotation phase is mechanically limited in an advanced angle direction and in a delayed angle direction, and a regulation phase detection unit that detects the regulation phase based on when the relative rotation phase in which a change is stopped by the regulation unit is reached and a current value detected by the current sensor increases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyuki AMANO, Shogo KATSUKI, Takano NAKAI, Kenichiro SUZUKI, Yoshiyuki KAMOYAMA, Toru HIROTA
  • Publication number: 20220003174
    Abstract: A valve opening and closing timing control device includes: a driving-side rotating body that rotates synchronously with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine around a rotating shaft core; a driven-side rotating body that rotates integrally with a valve opening and closing camshaft of the internal combustion engine around the same shaft core as the rotating shaft core; a gear mechanism that sets a relative rotation phase between the driving-side rotating body and the driven-side rotating body by displacement of a meshing position; a motor that enables displacement of the meshing position of the gear mechanism by rotating a rotating shaft; and a control unit that controls the drive of the motor. The control unit intermittently performs control to energize the motor for one phase for a predetermined time after the internal combustion engine is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuki KASUYA, Shugo ITO, Takano NAKAI, Kenichiro SUZUKI, Yoshiyuki KAMOYAMA, Toru HIROTA
  • Publication number: 20220003133
    Abstract: A valve open-close timing control device includes a driving rotator, a driven rotator, a phase adjusting mechanism, a sensor unit, a storage configured to store the plurality of divided regions consecutively provided, as a plurality of divided length information pieces corresponding to divided lengths of the divided regions, and an actual phase acquisition unit configured to start acquisition of the crank angle signal and the cam angle signal along with start of actuation control of actuating the internal combustion engine, specify one of the divided regions by referring to the divided length information pieces stored in the storage in accordance with the crank angle signal at timing set in accordance with the cam angle signal, and acquire the relative rotation phase as an actual phase in accordance with the crank angle signal corresponding to the boundary of the divided region thus specified and the reference crank angle signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi IWAYA, Masahiro OKADO, Toi SUZUKI, Toshiki MIYAKE, Takano NAKAI, Kenichiro SUZUKI, Yoshiyuki KAMOYAMA, Toru HIROTA
  • Publication number: 20190094207
    Abstract: The inventors have found that the interaction between HP1 and INCENP can serve as an indicator for chromosome instability and established a method for evaluating chromosome instability of cancer cells. The evaluation system can be used for screening of anticancer agent with a new-concept of targeting chromosome instability of cancer cells. The inventors further prepared an antibody for specifically recognizing phosphorylation of serine at position 92 of HP1?, by which the action of Aurora B can be evaluated. The interaction between HP1 and INCENP can be readily evaluated by the antibody.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Toru Hirota, Yusuke Abe
  • Patent number: 10174359
    Abstract: Problem to be Solved An object of the present invention is to provide a separase sensor for visualizing separase activity in a living cell. Another object is to develop a function analysis system of cell division using the separase sensor and further obtain a simple screening method for an anticancer agent. Solution The separase sensor of the present invention has two types of fluorescent proteins different in fluorescence wavelength at both ends of an amino acid sequence containing a separase cleavage site and a localization-targeting sequence targeting to a specific site within a cell. Since timing of activating separase and location of separase in a cell can be specified by use of the sensor, cell division can be analyzed and an anticancer agent can be screened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: JAPANESE FOUNDATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH
    Inventors: Toru Hirota, Norihisa Shindo, Kazuki Kumada
  • Publication number: 20150140590
    Abstract: Problem to be Solved An object of the present invention is to provide a separase sensor for visualizing separase activity in a living cell. Another object is to develop a function analysis system of cell division using the separase sensor and further obtain a simple screening method for an anticancer agent. Solution The separase sensor of the present invention has two types of fluorescent proteins different in fluorescence wavelength at both ends of an amino acid sequence containing a separase cleavage site and a localization-targeting sequence targeting to a specific site within a cell. Since timing of activating separase and location of separase in a cell can be specified by use of the sensor, cell division can be analyzed and an anticancer agent can be screened.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventors: Toru Hirota, Norihisa Shindo, Kazuki Kumada
  • Patent number: 8339914
    Abstract: Provided is a digital broadcast receiver capable of displaying a message, a list of titles of contents or the like together with a viewing screen without interrupting viewing of contents. The digital broadcast receiver includes a controller 25 configured to determine whether an optical disc inserted into the receiver is a read-only optical disc or a recordable optical disc and also to control a display screen. Upon insertion of an optical disc, the controller 25 causes a display screen including a first display area and a second display area to be displayed, the first display area displaying digital broadcast or external input contents, the second display area displaying a message indicating that the optical disc is being prepared. In a case where the optical disc is a read-only optical disc, the controller 25 causes only a playback screen of contents recorded in the optical disc to be displayed upon completion of the preparation of the optical disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toru Hirota
  • Patent number: 8296809
    Abstract: Where an instruction for a scheduled recording has been received from a remoter controller, a control unit starts the processing for display control (step S1). When the time has reached a predetermined period of time counted by a timer, for example, two minutes, before the start of the scheduled recording (step S2), the control unit determines whether or not a display unit currently displays two or more screen, and if the display unit is displaying two or more screens, the processing proceeds to step S4, and before the time for starting the scheduled recording, the controls unit makes a screen other than the screen for a program scheduled to be recorded disappear, that is, one of the screens, which displays a channel not selected for a scheduled recording, remain, and makes one screen in a multi-screen go into non-display. For example, on a TV screen, the display of a program on a BS channel for which a recording is scheduled disappears, and only the remaining BS display is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toru Hirota
  • Publication number: 20120246680
    Abstract: Provided is a program-information displaying device characterized by including: a program-information acquiring unit configured to acquire program information pieces; a full-program-display processing unit configured to respectively display the program information pieces in a plurality of program cells in a full-program display region, the program cells being defined by a temporal axis and a channel axis crossing the temporal axis; a recommended-program-information selecting unit configured to select particular program information pieces from the program information pieces acquired by the program-information acquiring unit; a recommended-program storage unit configured to store therein program information pieces of selected recommended programs in a manner associable the program information pieces for displaying the full-program display region; and a recommended-program-display processing unit configured to display the program information pieces of the recommended programs stored in the recommended program st
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Inventors: Toru Hirota, Noriyuki Kudoh, Yukimi Kawaguchi, Yuhji Ohi, Yoshiyasu Ogasawara, Ryuhsuke Watanabe, Hajime Yamada, Nario Okuda, Takahiro Ogasawara
  • Publication number: 20120121231
    Abstract: Provided is a digital broadcast receiver having a recording function, which is capable of automatically selecting a recording destination of reserved recording.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Inventors: Hiroaki Saitoh, Yukimi Kawaguchi, Nobuyuki Murashima, Tadamichi Atsumi, Toru Hirota
  • Publication number: 20110170390
    Abstract: Provided is a digital broadcast receiver capable of displaying a message, a list of titles of contents or the like together with a viewing screen without interrupting viewing of contents. The digital broadcast receiver includes a controller 25 configured to determine whether an optical disc inserted into the receiver is a read-only optical disc or a recordable optical disc and also to control a display screen. Upon insertion of an optical disc, the controller 25 causes a display screen including a first display area and a second display area to be displayed, the first display area displaying digital broadcast or external input contents, the second display area displaying a message indicating that the optical disc is being prepared. In a case where the optical disc is a read-only optical disc, the controller 25 causes only a playback screen of contents recorded in the optical disc to be displayed upon completion of the preparation of the optical disc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toru Hirota
  • Publication number: 20090256966
    Abstract: Where an instruction for a scheduled recording has been received from a remoter controller, a control unit starts the processing for display control (step S1). When the time has reached a predetermined period of time counted by a timer, for example, two minutes, before the start of the scheduled recording (step S2), the control unit determines whether or not a display unit currently displays two or more screen, and if the display unit is displaying two or more screens, the processing proceeds to step S4, and before the time for starting the scheduled recording, the controls unit makes a screen other than the screen for a program scheduled to be recorded disappear, that is, one of the screens, which displays a channel not selected for a scheduled recording, remain, and makes one screen in a multi-screen go into non-display. For example, on a TV screen, the display of a program on a BS channel for which a recording is scheduled disappears, and only the remaining BS display is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Inventor: Toru Hirota