Patents by Inventor Atsushi Tanahashi
Atsushi Tanahashi 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).
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Patent number: 9849977Abstract: A site management system includes an unmanned airplane being switchable between an airplane mode for high speed flight and a VTOL mode for low speed flight, a working vehicle working in a civil construction site, a shape detection sensor provided in the unmanned airplane to detect a shape of the civil construction site, and an external control apparatus that controls flight of the unmanned airplane, driving of the working vehicle, and driving of the shape detection sensor. The external control apparatus moves the unmanned airplane to an observation area by performing the high speed flight. Further, the external control apparatus detects a shape of the observation area by driving the shape detection sensor while performing the high speed flight or by driving the shape detection sensor while performing low speed flight by switching from the airplane mode to the VTOL mode.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2015Date of Patent: December 26, 2017Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventor: Atsushi Tanahashi
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Patent number: 9709993Abstract: A wide area sensor system includes an unmanned airplane being switchable between an airplane mode for high speed flight and a VTOL mode for low speed flight, a state detection sensor provided in the unmanned airplane, the state detection sensor being driven to detect a state of a detection target, and an external control apparatus that controls flight of the unmanned airplane and driving of the state detection sensor. The external control apparatus performs high speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the high speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the airplane mode. The control apparatus performs low speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the low speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the VTOL mode.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 2015Date of Patent: July 18, 2017Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventor: Atsushi Tanahashi
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Publication number: 20170001723Abstract: A site management system includes an unmanned airplane being switchable between an airplane mode for high speed flight and a VTOL mode for low speed flight, a working vehicle working in a civil construction site, a shape detection sensor provided in the unmanned airplane to detect a shape of the civil construction site, and an external control apparatus that controls flight of the unmanned airplane, driving of the working vehicle, and driving of the shape detection sensor. The external control apparatus moves the unmanned airplane to an observation area by performing the high speed flight. Further, the external control apparatus detects a shape of the observation area by driving the shape detection sensor while performing the high speed flight or by driving the shape detection sensor while performing low speed flight by switching from the airplane mode to the VTOL mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 21, 2015Publication date: January 5, 2017Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventor: Atsushi Tanahashi
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Publication number: 20170003690Abstract: A wide area sensor system includes an unmanned airplane being switchable between an airplane mode for high speed flight and a VTOL mode for low speed flight, a state detection sensor provided in the unmanned airplane, the state detection sensor being driven to detect a state of a detection target, and an external control apparatus that controls flight of the unmanned airplane and driving of the state detection sensor. The external control apparatus performs high speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the high speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the airplane mode. The control apparatus performs low speed sensing by driving the state detection sensor while performing the low speed flight of the unmanned airplane in the VTOL mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 21, 2015Publication date: January 5, 2017Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventor: Atsushi Tanahashi
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Patent number: 8473166Abstract: The blade on an earthmoving machine is controlled by a semiautomatic method comprising a combination of a manual operational mode and an automatic operational mode. An operator first enters the manual operational mode and manually sets the height of the blade. The operator then enters the automatic mode and sets a reference pitch angle and an initial control point. The height of the blade is automatically controlled based on pitch angle measurements received from pitch angle sensors. Automatic control is effective over a particular range of soil conditions. When the automatic control range is exceeded, the operator manually shifts the control point, and automatic control resumes about the new control point. Blade slope is automatically controlled based on roll angle measurements received from roll angle sensors.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2010Date of Patent: June 25, 2013Assignee: Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.Inventors: Alexey Zhdanov, Atsushi Tanahashi, Vernon Joseph Brabec
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Patent number: 8412418Abstract: An industrial machine comprises an industrial machine main unit, a construction working implement installed on the industrial machine main unit, two cameras each mounted at a known position with respect to a machine center of the industrial machine main unit, at least three targets being installed on the working implement so that the targets are within visual field of each of the two cameras, and an arithmetic processing device. The arithmetic processing device is used for extracting the images of at least three targets in common to the images from stereo-images taken by the two cameras, for obtaining a three-dimensional position of each target image, and for calculating a position and a posture of the working implement with respect to the industrial machine main unit based on the three-dimensional position obtained.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2009Date of Patent: April 2, 2013Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Atsushi Tanahashi, Hitoshi Otani
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Patent number: 8319952Abstract: A geographic data collecting system, comprising a distance measuring unit for projecting a distance measuring light and for measuring a distance to an object to be measured, a camera for taking an image in measuring direction, a display unit for displaying the pickup image, a touch panel provided to correspond to a screen position of the display unit, a tilt sensor for detecting a tilting of the measuring direction, and an arithmetic unit for calculating a distance to the object to be measured by giving consideration on the tilting in the measuring direction and a point-to-point distance as specified on the image by specifying two or more points of the object to be measured on a displayed image via the touch panel.Type: GrantFiled: January 4, 2011Date of Patent: November 27, 2012Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Hitoshi Otani, Atsushi Tanahashi, Hiroshi Inaba, Takeshi Ishida, Junki Kaneko
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Publication number: 20110096319Abstract: A geographic data collecting system, comprising a distance measuring unit for projecting a distance measuring light and for measuring a distance to an object to be measured, a camera for taking an image in measuring direction, a display unit for displaying the pickup image, a touch panel provided to correspond to a screen position of the display unit, a tilt sensor for detecting a tilting of the measuring direction, and an arithmetic unit for calculating a distance to the object to be measured by giving consideration on the tilting in the measuring direction and a point-to-point distance as specified on the image by specifying two or more points of the object to be measured on a displayed image via the touch panel.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 4, 2011Publication date: April 28, 2011Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCONInventors: Hitoshi Otani, Atsushi Tanahashi, Hiroshi Inaba, Takeshi Ishida, Junki Kaneko
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Patent number: 7933001Abstract: A geographic data collecting system, comprising a distance measuring unit for projecting a distance measuring light and for measuring a distance to an object to be measured, a camera for taking an image in measuring direction, a display unit for displaying the pickup image, a touch panel provided to correspond to a screen position of the display unit, a tilt sensor for detecting a tilting of the measuring direction, and an arithmetic unit for calculating a distance to the object to be measured by giving consideration on the tilting in the measuring direction and a point-to-point distance as specified on the image by specifying two or more points of the object to be measured on a displayed image via the touch panel.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2006Date of Patent: April 26, 2011Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Hitoshi Otani, Atsushi Tanahashi, Hiroshi Inaba, Takeshi Ishida, Junki Kaneko
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Publication number: 20100299031Abstract: The blade on an earthmoving machine is controlled by a semiautomatic method comprising a combination of a manual operational mode and an automatic operational mode. An operator first enters the manual operational mode and manually sets the height of the blade. The operator then enters the automatic mode and sets a reference pitch angle and an initial control point. The height of the blade is automatically controlled based on pitch angle measurements received from pitch angle sensors. Automatic control is effective over a particular range of soil conditions. When the automatic control range is exceeded, the operator manually shifts the control point, and automatic control resumes about the new control point. Blade slope is automatically controlled based on roll angle measurements received from roll angle sensors.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 9, 2010Publication date: November 25, 2010Applicant: TOPCON POSITIONING SYSTEMS, INC.Inventors: Alexey Zhdanov, Atsushi Tanahashi, Vernon Joseph Brabec
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Publication number: 20100121540Abstract: The present invention provides an industrial machine, which comprises an industrial machine main unit 14, a construction working implement 8 installed on the industrial machine main unit, two cameras 18 and 19 each mounted at a known position with respect to a machine center of the industrial machine main unit, at least three targets 21 being installed on the working implement so that the targets are within visual field of each of the two cameras, and an arithmetic processing device 23 for extracting the images of at least three targets in common to the images from stereo-images taken by the two cameras, for obtaining a three-dimensional position of each target image, and for calculating a position and a posture of the working implement with respect to the industrial machine main unit based on the three-dimensional position obtained.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 11, 2009Publication date: May 13, 2010Inventors: Kaoru Kumagai, Atsushi Tanahashi, Hitoshi Otani
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Publication number: 20070008515Abstract: A geographic data collecting system, comprising a distance measuring unit for projecting a distance measuring light and for measuring a distance to an object to be measured, a camera for taking an image in measuring direction, a display unit for displaying the pickup image, a touch panel provided to correspond to a screen position of the display unit, a tilt sensor for detecting a tilting of the measuring direction, and an arithmetic unit for calculating a distance to the object to be measured by giving consideration on the tilting in the measuring direction and a point-to-point distance as specified on the image by specifying two or more points of the object to be measured on a displayed image via the touch panel.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 26, 2006Publication date: January 11, 2007Inventors: Hitoshi Otani, Atsushi Tanahashi, Hiroshi Inaba, Takeshi Ishida, Junki Kaneko
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Publication number: 20070010924Abstract: A geographic data collecting system, comprising an image pickup unit for taking a digital image including a measuring point of an object to be measured, a GPS unit, an azimuth sensor for detecting an image pickup direction, a display unit for displaying the image taken, a receiving unit for receiving correction information to correct measurement result of the GPS unit, and a control arithmetic unit for obtaining corrected position data by correcting the measurement result based on the correction information and for associating the image acquired by the image pickup unit with the corrected position data and for storing the image and the corrected position data in a storage unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 16, 2005Publication date: January 11, 2007Inventors: Hitoshi Otani, Hiroshi Inaba, Takeshi Ishida, Atsushi Tanahashi, Junki Kaneko
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Patent number: 6604540Abstract: A gas control valve is provided with a unipolar overheat prevention terminal of which the connection structure is simplified in a magnetic circuit. In a flame-retention, storage type closed vessel gas water heater for automatically controlling the temperature of hot water in a tank to a desired level, the unipolar overheat prevention terminal 7 is mounted in the main body of an ignition/extinction unit A as held with a retaining projection 15 provided integrally on a cover 14 of the ignition/extinction unit so that it can hardly be detached while being separated from a gas shut off magnetic valve MV mounted at the upstream side of a gas flow passage 1. A burner flame detecting thermocouple TC and the gas shut off magnetic valve MV in the magnetic circuit are connected to each other by the unipolar overheat prevention terminal 7.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2001Date of Patent: August 12, 2003Assignee: Paloma Industries, LimitedInventors: Tatsuo Kuriyama, Atsushi Tanahashi
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Patent number: 6571829Abstract: A gas control valve in a water heater is provided for improving the ease of assembling, minimizing the size and the cost, and decreasing the limitation of layout design.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2001Date of Patent: June 3, 2003Assignee: Paloma Industries LimitedInventors: Tatsuo Kuriyama, Atsushi Tanahashi
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Patent number: 6345768Abstract: A control valve for a vessel gas water heater includes a single governor for controlling a wider range of the flow of gas from pilot supply to main supply. Once an ignition knob 1 is pressed and turned to open the magnetic valve V1 and ignite the pilot burner PB, the magnetic valve V1 is maintained open by the electromotive force of a thermocouple TC heated by a pilot flame c. When the ignition knob 1 is released from being pressed, and turned further to open the plunger valve V3, the boiler is shifted to the standby state for enabling the supply of gas to the main burner MB. Meanwhile, a sensor rod B is mounted in a reservoir A for contracting and expanding depending on the temperature of the hot water in the reservoir A to open and close the snap valve V5, thus controlling the combustion and its cancellation in the main burner MB. Accordingly, the temperature of the hot water in the reservoir A can automatically be controlled in the vessel gas water heater.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2000Date of Patent: February 12, 2002Assignee: Paloma Industries, LimitedInventors: Hideo Inagaki, Atsushi Tanahashi
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Publication number: 20010022190Abstract: A gas control valve in a water heater is provided with a unipolar overheat prevention terminal of which the connection structure is simplified in the magnetic circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2001Publication date: September 20, 2001Applicant: PALOMA INDUSTRIES, LIMITEDInventors: Tatsuo Kuriyama, Atsushi Tanahashi
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Publication number: 20010022198Abstract: A gas control valve in a water heater is provided for improving the ease of assembling, minimizing the size and the cost, and decreasing the limitation of layout design.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2001Publication date: September 20, 2001Applicant: PALOMA INDUSTRIES, LIMITEDInventors: Tatsuo Kuriyama, Atsushi Tanahashi
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Patent number: D763733Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2015Date of Patent: August 16, 2016Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOPCON, TOPCON POSITIONING SYSTEMS, INC., SAL ENGINEERING, S.R.L.Inventors: Mario Gattelli, Andrea Cucchiara, Mitsuru Ogawa, Atsushi Tanahashi, Luca Masini