Patents by Inventor Yoshinori Nakagawa

Yoshinori Nakagawa 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: 20200108616
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a print head that ejects ink, a waste ink tank having an absorber that absorbs ink discharged from the print head. The inkjet printing apparatus further includes a counting unit that counts a waste ink amount discharged to the waste ink tank, a timer that measures an elapsed time from installation of the waste ink tank in the apparatus, an acquiring unit that acquires a waste ink retention amount by obtaining an evaporation amount from evaporation of waste ink retained in the waste ink tank based on the elapsed time and subtracting the evaporation amount from the waste ink amount, a notifying unit that notifies that the waste ink retention amount exceeds a threshold; and a setting unit that sets the threshold based on a waste ink evaporation rate calculated by using the evaporation amount and the waste ink amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Publication number: 20200108626
    Abstract: Ink is circulated through a circulation flow path between a print head and an ink tank. Detection operation for detecting an ink ejection state in an ejection opening in the print head is performed. The ink circulation and the detection operation are simultaneously performed by performing the detection operation in response to a start of the ink circulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Takuya Fukasawa, Yuhei Oikawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Atsushi Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20200108624
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes: a printing unit configured to eject ink supplied from a storage unit to perform a printing operation; a detection unit configured to detect ink stored in the storage unit; and an acquisition unit configured to acquire a consumption amount of ink consumed in the printing operation from the storage unit. The printing apparatus includes: a calculation unit configured to calculate a decrease amount that is a difference between the ink amount in the storage unit detected by the detection unit prior to the printing operation and the ink amount in the storage unit detected by the detection unit after the printing operation; and a determination unit configured to determine an ink leakage in a case where a difference between the decrease amount calculated by the calculation unit and the consumption amount acquired by the acquisition unit is larger than a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Atsushi Takahashi, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Takuya Fukasawa, Tsuyoshi Saeki, Toshiaki Tokisawa
  • Publication number: 20200108627
    Abstract: A printing apparatus comprises: a print head comprising, for each of a plurality of types of inks, an ejection opening and pressure chamber, and configured to perform printing operation by ejecting the ink from the ejection opening; a circulation unit capable of circulating the ink of each ink type; a determination unit configured to determine an accumulated time for which a first type of ink is circulated by the circulation unit in the printing operation using the first type of ink and not using a second type of ink different from the first type of ink; and a control unit configured to perform control based on the determined accumulated time to cause the circulation unit to circulate at least the second type of ink among the plurality of types of inks in a case where the accumulated time is longer than a predetermined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Takatoshi Nakano, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Publication number: 20200108629
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus is provided with a tank that stores ink, a print head that performs print operation by ejecting ink supplied from the tank, a circulation unit that establishes a circulating state to circulate ink in a circulation path if print operation is performed and establishes a stopped state to stop circulation of ink if print operation is terminated, and a deaeration unit that performs deaeration operation to deaerate ink inside the circulation path. The apparatus includes an estimation unit that estimates a dissolved gas amount in ink inside the circulation path based on dissolved gas amounts increased in the circulating state and in the stopped state, respectively, and a control unit that causes the deaeration unit to execute deaeration operation after completion of print operation if the dissolved gas amount estimated by the estimation unit exceeds a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Takatoshi Nakano, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Publication number: 20200108622
    Abstract: A liquid supply apparatus comprises: a liquid supply unit to perform an operation to supply liquid from a main tank to a sub tank; a liquid surface detection unit configured to detect a liquid surface of the liquid stored in the sub tank; and a control unit configured to control the liquid supply unit to execute first liquid supply operation to control the liquid supply unit to supply liquid to the sub tank until the liquid surface is detected by the liquid surface detection unit and a second liquid supply operation to supply liquid to the sub tank after the liquid surface is detected by the liquid surface detection unit. The control unit controls, based on at least one of a liquid supply amount and a liquid supply time in the first liquid supply operation, the time during which the second liquid supply operation is executed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Atsushi Takahashi, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Publication number: 20200108612
    Abstract: Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus and recovery method capable of executing wiping according to the state of ink attached to the ejection opening surface. The inkjet printing apparatus includes: a printing unit to perform printing by ejecting ink from ejection openings; a wiping unit to perform first wiping for an ejection opening surface having the ejection openings and to perform second wiping having higher performance of removing ink from the ejection opening surface than the first wiping; and an obtaining unit to obtain information on a temperature of the ejection opening surface. The control unit, based on the information, causes the wiping unit to perform the first wiping or the second wiping.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Publication number: 20200108610
    Abstract: The inkjet printing apparatus includes: a printing unit to eject ink; a wiping unit capable of wiping an ejection opening surface by moving relative to the ejection opening surface with an opening, adapted to be in contact with the ejection opening surface, put in contact with the ejection opening surface; a suction unit connected to the wiping unit and configured to apply negative pressure to the ejection opening surface via the opening; a moving unit to move the wiping unit relative to the ejection opening surface; and a control unit to perform suction wiping operation by wiping the ejection opening surface with the wiping unit while applying negative pressure to the ejection opening surface. The control unit determines the timing to perform the suction wiping operation, and, according to the timing, determines a moving speed of the moving unit and a pressure value caused by the suction unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Takahiro Kiuchi, Noriko Sato, Hiroshi Nakai, Takashi Sasaki, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa, Yoshinori Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20200108611
    Abstract: Provided are an inkjet printing apparatus and a recovery method capable of suppressing ink thickening in the ejection openings in the suction process for the ejection openings. A vacuum wiper is moved being in contact with the ejection opening surface of the print head to perform a vacuum wiping process for the arrayed ejection openings sequentially. Ink is circulated in flow paths including the flow paths communicating with the ejection openings for which the vacuum wiping process has been finished.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 10543680
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus including: a print head having an ejection opening surface on which a first ejection opening array capable of ejecting a first ink and a second ejection opening array capable of ejecting a second ink are arranged; a cap member; and a print controller configured to cause the first and the second ejection opening arrays to perform preliminary ejection to an inside of the cap member, and to cause the first ejection opening array to perform preliminary ejection in a first relative position and cause the second ejection opening array to perform preliminary ejection in a second relative position, wherein, on the cap member, a position in which the second ink lands by the preliminary ejection overlaps with an area where the first ink lands by the preliminary ejection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuya Fukasawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Hiroshi Nakai, Noriko Sato
  • Patent number: 10493762
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus having a configuration of capping and sucking an ejection opening surface for ejecting a plurality of types of inks by using one cap member, in which the inks in the cap member can be sucked and removed evenly. To achieved this, a cap member is provided with a suction opening for externally discharging ink absorbed by an absorber in the cap member. The suction opening is formed in a position where the suction opening does not face first ejection openings for ejecting ink that may not easily stagnate and faces the second ejection openings for ejecting ink that may easily stagnate in a case where the cap member caps an ejection opening surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noriko Sato, Hiroshi Nakai, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 10493749
    Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a printing head configured to eject a first ink and a second ink, wherein the second ink generates less deposition than the first ink, an ink absorber configured to absorb the ink ejected from the printing head, a detection unit configured to detect a state of the ink absorber through an optical method, and a control unit configured to cause the printing head to eject the second ink to the ink absorber based on a detection result of the detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomoki Yamamuro, Atsushi Arai, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Kazuo Suzuki, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Shin Genta, Tatsuaki Orihara
  • Patent number: 10427410
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus capable of properly determining full capacity of a waste ink tank with less errors. To achieve this, full capacity of the waste ink tank is determined based on an amount of waste ink discharged after a point when a detection pin provided on an absorber in a waste ink tank detects ink and an amount of waste ink discharged over a past predetermined period of time before the point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 10369797
    Abstract: Provided is an inkjet printing apparatus capable of performing preliminary discharge without the influence of mist while suppressing degradation in throughput regardless of a preliminary discharge time. Specifically, an inkjet printing apparatus that performs a wiping operation on a nozzle arrangement surface provided with nozzles discharging an ink in a print head includes a wiping determination unit that determines whether to perform the wiping operation before preliminary discharge based on the amount of the preliminary discharge to be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shin Genta, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Kazuo Suzuki, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Patent number: 10350893
    Abstract: An inkjet printing apparatus includes a head, a platen, a platen absorbent that temporarily stores ink ejected from the head, a waste ink storage container that stores the ink discharged from the platen absorbent, and an estimation unit that, in a case where the platen is divided into a plurality of regions in a direction intersecting a conveyance direction of the printing medium, estimates an amount of ink stored in the waste ink storage container based on a position of a region to which the ink is ejected by the head and an amount of ink ejected to the region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Atsushi Arai, Masaya Uetsuki, Toshimitsu Danzuka, Kazuo Suzuki, Masataka Kato, Tsuyoshi Ibe, Shin Genta, Tatsuaki Orihara, Tomoki Yamamuro
  • Publication number: 20190047290
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus capable of properly determining full capacity of a waste ink tank with less errors. To achieve this, full capacity of the waste ink tank is determined based on an amount of waste ink discharged after a point when a detection pin provided on an absorber in a waste ink tank detects ink and an amount of waste ink discharged over a past predetermined period of time before the point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2018
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Patent number: 10203624
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus include a latent image bearer, charger, latent image forming unit, developing unit, receiver unit, transfer unit, information acquisition unit, and correction unit. The charger charges the latent image bearer with a predetermined charging potential. The latent image forming unit forms an electrostatic latent image on the latent image bearer. The developing unit develops the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image. The receiver unit receives the toner image from the talent image bearer. The transfer unit applies a predetermined transfer bias to transfer the toner image to the receiver unit. The information acquisition unit acquires residual image generation determination information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shotaro Hoshi, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Hiroki Atari
  • Publication number: 20190009590
    Abstract: To normally perform a preliminary ejection after a cleaning process. Provided is a recording apparatus including: a recording head that includes an ejection component that ejects a liquid; a circulation unit configured to perform a circulation operation of circulating the liquid in a circulation route including the recording head; a cleaning mechanism that performs a cleaning process with respect to the recording head; and a preliminary ejection unit configured to perform a preliminary ejection operation of preliminarily ejecting the liquid from the ejection component. The cleaning mechanism performs the cleaning process in a state in which circulation of the liquid is stopped, and at least one of the circulation operation by the circulation unit and the preliminary ejection operation by the preliminary ejection unit is performed after the cleaning process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: Takuya Fukasawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Yoshinori Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20190009548
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus having a configuration of capping and sucking an ejection opening surface for ejecting a plurality of types of inks by using one cap member, in which the inks in the cap member can be sucked and removed evenly. To achieved this, a cap member is provided with a suction opening for externally discharging ink absorbed by an absorber in the cap member. The suction opening is formed in a position where the suction opening does not face first ejection openings for ejecting ink that may not easily stagnate and faces the second ejection openings for ejecting ink that may easily stagnate in a case where the cap member caps an ejection opening surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: Noriko Sato, Hiroshi Nakai, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Takuya Fukasawa
  • Publication number: 20190009522
    Abstract: There is provided an inkjet printing apparatus including: a print head having an ejection opening surface on which a first ejection opening array capable of ejecting a first ink and a second ejection opening array capable of ejecting a second ink are arranged; a cap member; and a print controller configured to cause the first and the second ejection opening arrays to perform preliminary ejection to an inside of the cap member, and to cause the first ejection opening array to perform preliminary ejection in a first relative position and cause the second ejection opening array to perform preliminary ejection in a second relative position, wherein, on the cap member, a position in which the second ink lands by the preliminary ejection overlaps with an area where the first ink lands by the preliminary ejection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: Takuya Fukasawa, Takatoshi Nakano, Atsushi Takahashi, Yoshinori Nakagawa, Hiroshi Nakai, Noriko Sato