Patents by Inventor Toshiyuki Sano

Toshiyuki Sano 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: 10585373
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a casing; a toner cartridge; a drum cartridge; a main electrode; a first reading portion; and a controller. The toner cartridge is attachable to the drum cartridge and includes: a developing roller; and a developing electrode electrically connected to the developing roller. The drum cartridge is attachable to the casing and includes: a photosensitive drum; a pressing member; and a drum memory. The pressing member presses the toner cartridge toward the photosensitive drum so that an outer circumferential surface of the developing roller contacts an outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum. The drum memory stores a pressing force value indicating a pressing force to be applied by the pressing member. The controller is configured to perform: reading, through the first reading portion, the pressing force value from the drum memory; and applying a voltage to the main electrode based on the pressing force value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Sano, Nao Itabashi
  • Publication number: 20200033790
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a frame, a drum cartridge mountable to the frame, and including a photosensitive drum and a drum memory in which drum identification information identifying the drum cartridge is stored, and a control unit including a main body memory in which the drum identification information is to be stored. The control unit reads out the drum identification information from the drum memory, determines whether the drum identification information read out from the drum memory coincides with the drum identification information stored in the main body memory, and enables to execute resister pitch measuring processing of measuring variations in printing pitch due to the photosensitive drum. In a case where it is determined that the drum identification information read out from drum memory coincides with the drum identification information stored in the main body memory, the control unit does not execute the resister pitch measuring processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki SANO, Tadao KYOTANI, Keigo GOTO
  • Publication number: 20190389110
    Abstract: A resin product includes an outer surface. The outer surface includes a first area and a second area. The first area includes a surface pattern including a concave and convex portion having a first difference in height. The second area includes a surface pattern including a concave and convex portion having a second difference in height, larger than the first difference in height. An arithmetic average height of a top of a convex portion of the concave and convex portion having the first difference in height is larger than an arithmetic average height of a top of a convex portion of the concave and convex portion having the second difference in height.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Sano, Kei Oikawa
  • Publication number: 20190302640
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a casing; a toner cartridge; a drum cartridge; a main electrode; a first reading portion; and a controller. The toner cartridge is attachable to the drum cartridge and includes: a developing roller; and a developing electrode electrically connected to the developing roller. The drum cartridge is attachable to the casing and includes: a photosensitive drum; a pressing member; and a drum memory. The pressing member presses the toner cartridge toward the photosensitive drum so that an outer circumferential surface of the developing roller contacts an outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive drum. The drum memory stores a pressing force value indicating a pressing force to be applied by the pressing member. The controller is configured to perform: reading, through the first reading portion, the pressing force value from the drum memory; and applying a voltage to the main electrode based on the pressing force value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki SANO, Nao ITABASHI
  • Publication number: 20160335781
    Abstract: To make it possible to form a three-dimensional molded article having desired glossiness. An acquisition unit configured to acquire surface roughness data for forming a roughness-layer and glossiness data for forming a glossy layer that are used to form a three-dimensional molded article including at least the roughness-layer that forms roughness and the glossy layer that reproduces gloss, a derivation unit configured to derive a representative frequency that characterizes roughness of the roughness-layer from the acquired surface roughness data, and a correction unit configured to correct the glossiness data based on the derived representative frequency and output characteristics of an image forming apparatus that is used to output the three-dimensional molded article are included.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2016
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sano
  • Publication number: 20160305767
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to improve color reproduction accuracy at the time of printing a three-dimensional image. The present invention is an image processing apparatus that generates information for forming a color material layer and a concavo-convex layer on the surface of a printing medium, including a shape information acquisition unit configured to acquire shape information representing shapes, and a first generation unit configured to generate first concavo-convex layer information indicating heights of concavities/convexities that are formed beneath the color material layer and second concavo-convex layer information indicating heights of concavities/convexities that are formed on the color material layer based on the shape information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2016
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sano
  • Patent number: 9033440
    Abstract: A recording apparatus, including: a recording portion configured to record an image on each of recording media; a stack portion on which image-recorded recording media are stacked; a conveyor portion configured to convey each recording medium from a recording position at which the image is recorded toward the stack portion; and a controller configured to control the recording apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to control the conveyor portion such that, where two mutually opposable surfaces of two successive recording media that are to be successively stacked on the stack portion are both image-recorded surfaces on each of which an image has been recorded, a movement speed, when stacked, of one of the two successive recording media that is to be later stacked on the stack portion is made smaller, as compared with an instance where at least one of the two mutually opposable surfaces is not the image-recorded surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sano
  • Patent number: 8807688
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes an apparatus-side transport destination switching unit that may switch selectively the transport destination of paper on which an image has been recorded between an apparatus-side output tray and an additional output stacker. The additional output stacker includes an additional output tray that may be configured to receive paper; a stacker-side transport unit that is configured to transport paper, which has been transported from the image recording apparatus, to the additional output tray; and a stacker-side controller that controls the transport destination switching unit of the image recording apparatus. When a paper jam is detected on the stacker-side transport unit, the additional unit controller controls the apparatus-side transport destination switching unit, so that the transport destination of the paper may be switched from the additional output tray to the apparatus-side output tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sano
  • Patent number: 8711171
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, an image processing apparatus includes: a lowpass filter generation unit configured to generate a lowpass filter corresponding to gonio-spectral reflection characteristics; a map generation unit configured to perform filter processing on intensity distribution of observation illumination in order to generate a map indicating a capture intensity distribution of observation illumination for a representative color; an intensity calculation unit configured to interpolate a capture intensity at a position corresponding to a pixel in the map in order to calculate a capture intensity of the observation illumination for the pixel; and a proofing color calculation unit configured to multiply the difference between a glossy component and a diffuse component by the capture intensity to calculate a proofing glossy component, and to add the diffuse component to the proofing glossy component in order to calculate a proofing color of the pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sano
  • Patent number: 8682069
    Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus includes: a color-data generator that generates color data of a correction coordinate point by interpolating color data of pixels in the same color line above and below the correction coordinate point; a first luminance generator that generates first luminance data of the correction coordinate point by interpolating the luminance data of the pixels in the same color line above and below the correction coordinate point; a second luminance generator that generates second luminance data of the correction coordinate point by interpolating the luminance data of the pixels above and below the correction coordinate point; and a complementary-color-data generator that generates the complementary-color data of the correction coordinate point based on the generated color data, the first luminance data, and the second luminance data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tarou Hizume, Toshiyuki Sano
  • Publication number: 20130321508
    Abstract: A recording apparatus, including: a recording portion configured to record an image on each of recording media; a stack portion on which image-recorded recording media are stacked; a conveyor portion configured to convey each recording medium from a recording position at which the image is recorded toward the stack portion; and a controller configured to control the recording apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to control the conveyor portion such that, where two mutually opposable surfaces of two successive recording media that are to be successively stacked on the stack portion are both image-recorded surfaces on each of which an image has been recorded, a movement speed, when stacked, of one of the two successive recording media that is to be later stacked on the stack portion is made smaller, as compared with an instance where at least one of the two mutually opposable surfaces is not the image-recorded surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiyuki SANO
  • Publication number: 20130083112
    Abstract: An image recording apparatus includes an apparatus-side transport destination switching unit that may switch selectively the transport destination of paper on which an image has been recorded between an apparatus-side output tray and an additional output stacker. The additional output stacker includes an additional output tray that may be configured to receive paper; a stacker-side transport unit that is configured to transport paper, which has been transported from the image recording apparatus, to the additional output tray; and a stacker-side controller that controls the transport destination switching unit of the image recording apparatus. When a paper jam is detected on the stacker-side transport unit, the additional unit controller controls the apparatus-side transport destination switching unit, so that the transport destination of the paper may be switched from the additional output tray to the apparatus-side output tray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiyuki SANO
  • Patent number: 8287087
    Abstract: An ink discharging device may comprise a head that is configured to print an image by discharging black ink and ink other than the black ink onto a print medium. The ink discharging device may further comprise a print controller that is configured to control the head such that the image is printed on the print medium on the basis of print data. The print controller may be configured to control the head such that flushing of the ink other than the black ink is performed at a black-color print area on the print medium onto which the head discharges the black ink on the basis of the print data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sano
  • Patent number: 8264595
    Abstract: An imaging device comprises: an imaging element (1) capable of reading accumulated charges of different exposure times in a predetermined frame period, the imaging element being divided into groups for long-time exposure and short-time exposure; and a timing pulse generator (2) for adjusting read timings of the imaging element (1). A first read timing at which an accumulated charge of long-time exposure is read from the group for long-time exposure and a second read timing at which an accumulated charge of short-time exposure is read from the group for short-time exposure are adjusted separately from each other. This provides an imaging device that can extend the dynamic range according to the degree of contrast between light and shade of a subject.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Sano, Kouichi Hoshino
  • Publication number: 20120169904
    Abstract: An image signal processing apparatus (1) includes: a frame memory (12) that stores image data of a complementary-color-field color-difference sequential system; an address generation unit (24) that generates the address of a correction coordinate point based on previously-provided distortion information; a color-data generation unit (28) that generates the color data of the correction coordinate point by interpolating other color data of pixels in the same color line above and below the correction coordinate point; a color-data-related luminance-data generation unit (34) that generates the first luminance data of the correction coordinate point by interpolating the luminance data of the pixels in the same color line above and below the correction coordinate point; a luminance-based-data generation unit (36) that generates the second luminance data of the correction coordinate point by interpolating the luminance data of the pixels above and below the correction coordinate point; and a complementary-color-data
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tarou Hizume, Toshiyuki Sano
  • Publication number: 20120032973
    Abstract: According to one aspect of the invention, an image processing apparatus includes: a lowpass filter generation unit configured to generate a lowpass filter corresponding to gonio-spectral reflection characteristics; a map generation unit configured to perform filter processing on intensity distribution of observation illumination in order to generate a map indicating a capture intensity distribution of observation illumination for a representative color; an intensity calculation unit configured to interpolate a capture intensity at a position corresponding to a pixel in the map in order to calculate a capture intensity of the observation illumination for the pixel; and a proofing color calculation unit configured to multiply the difference between a glossy component and a diffuse component by the capture intensity to calculate a proofing glossy component, and to add the diffuse component to the proofing glossy component in order to calculate a proofing color of the pixel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sano
  • Patent number: 7961961
    Abstract: It is an object to provide an image processing apparatus and an image processing program in which motion information detected from an image is used for a different image processing corresponding to image information so that the detected motion information capable of easily synchronizing the image with the motion information to reduce a circuit scale is shared in a signal processing requiring a plurality of motion information. Motion information is detected by a motion detecting portion (102) from an image signal input to an image acquiring portion (101) and an image signal stored in a memory (104), a noise is reduced by a noise reducing portion (103) using the motion information which is detected, a moving object is detected by a motion detector portion (105), and an interlace progressive conversion is carried out in an IP converting portion (106), and furthermore, an image is coded in a coding portion (107).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Tarou Hizume, Manabu Yata, Kazunori Sumiya, Toshiyuki Sano
  • Patent number: 7936941
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus capable of obtaining a sharp image having less noise, comprising: a horizontal edge strength calculating unit 22 for calculating an edge strength along a horizontal direction of a concerned pixel; and a prefilter 24 for carrying out a filter processing based on the horizontal edge strength, and performing noise reduction and edge enhancement, a vertical edge strength calculating unit 23 for calculating an edge strength along a vertical direction of the concerned pixel; and a prefilter 25 for carrying out a filter processing based on the vertical edge strength, and performing noise reduction and edge enhancement, thereby enabling to sharpen image data in the vicinity of the concerned pixel respectively along horizontal and vertical directions, and obtain an image having less noises as well as sharp for edge directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazunori Sumiya, Manabu Yata, Taro Hizume, Toshiyuki Sano
  • Publication number: 20100110118
    Abstract: An ink discharging device may comprise a head that is configured to print an image by discharging black ink and ink other than the black ink onto a print medium. The ink discharging device may further comprise a print controller that is configured to control the head such that the image is printed on the print medium on the basis of print data. The print controller may be configured to control the head such that flushing of the ink other than the black ink is performed at a black-color print area on the print medium onto which the head discharges the black ink on the basis of the print data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Sano
  • Patent number: 7688380
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide an imaging device which can enhance an image in comparison with the conventional imaging device, even if the image shows high and low brightness objects in one frame, by improving each of image sections corresponding to the high and low brightness objects. The imaging device (10) comprises an imaging element (11) for outputting at least two image signals including long and short exposure signals different in light exposure from each other, knee process unit (12) for performing knee process on the long exposure signal, signal synthesizing unit (15) for performing the synthesis of the short exposure signal and the long exposure signal processed and received from the knee process unit (12), and knee level changing unit (18) for changing, on the basis of the signal level of the short exposure signal, a knee level defined at a knee point in each frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Sano, Kouichi Hoshino