Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Takigawa

Hiroshi Takigawa 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: 11929666
    Abstract: A first drive circuit is connected to a first end of a primary winding of a pulse transformer. A second drive circuit is connected to a second end of the primary winding of the pulse transformer. A voltage clamp unit clamps a voltage of a semiconductor element at a specified voltage when a voltage output from a secondary winding of the pulse transformer is negative. A current detection circuit detects current flowing through the semiconductor element and outputs a detection signal. A control circuit controls the first drive circuit and the second drive circuit based on the detection signal. A current limiting circuit imposes a limit on current flowing through the primary winding of the pulse transformer based on the detection signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ikarashi, Hideyasu Machii, Naoki Takigawa
  • Patent number: 11433478
    Abstract: The laser machining system includes a laser device configured to output a laser beam, and a machining head configured to emit the laser beam emitted by a laser oscillator of the laser device and propagated through an optical fiber, to a workpiece in order to perform laser machining. The machining head includes at least one wavelength selective mirror having wavelength selectivity with various values of reflectivity and transmittance according to wavelengths, and at least one image capturing device. The laser machining system monitors abnormality in a laser optical system leading from the laser oscillator to the machining head, during the laser machining, by reflecting light propagated from a side of introduction of the laser beam into the machining head by the wavelength selective mirror, making the light incident on an image capturing surface of the image capturing device, and detecting incident light illuminance distribution appearing on the image capturing surface of the image capturing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Tadashi Kurosawa, Hisatada Machida
  • Patent number: 11293835
    Abstract: A laser control device includes a processor configured to control, when a control circuit of a laser device detects occurrence of an abnormality in a laser oscillator or a laser optical system and stops laser output from the laser oscillator, the control circuit based on a result of determining whether to enable or disable re-outputting of laser light from the laser oscillator by inputting, to a classifier, input data being at least a part of environmental data and state data about the laser device in a predetermined period including a stop time of laser output. Then, the state data and the input data in the predetermined period include at least one of time-series data about a light amount of laser light and time-series data about a light amount of return light propagating in a direction opposite to a direction of the laser light in the predetermined period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Ryusuke Miyata, Hiroshi Takigawa
  • Patent number: 11245241
    Abstract: An optical fiber for a fiber laser includes a core to which a rare-earth element is added, a first cladding formed around the core; and a second cladding formed around the first cladding, and excitation light is guided from at least one end of the first cladding to excite the rare-earth element to output a laser oscillation light. An addition concentration of the rare-earth element to the core is different in a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber for a fiber laser, and a core diameter and a numerical aperture of the optical fiber for a fiber laser are constant in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber for a fiber laser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Tetsuhisa Takazane
  • Publication number: 20220037847
    Abstract: An optical fiber for a fiber laser includes a core to which a rare-earth element is added, a first cladding formed around the core; and a second cladding formed around the first cladding, and excitation light is guided from at least one end of the first cladding to excite the rare-earth element to output a laser oscillation light. An addition concentration of the rare-earth element to the core is different in a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber for a fiber laser, and a core diameter and a numerical aperture of the optical fiber for a fiber laser are constant in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber for a fiber laser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Applicant: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi TAKIGAWA, Tetsuhisa TAKAZANE
  • Patent number: 11177625
    Abstract: A laser apparatus comprising a laser diode module/cooling plate assembly in which a plurality of LD modules to which a driving current is supplied in series is disposed on the surface of a cooling plate, comprising: a laser power source; switch valves for switching a flow direction of a cooling liquid flowing through a cooling liquid flow path; a timing determination apparatus for determining the timing for switching the flow direction of the cooling liquid, by referencing temperature time series data of at least any one temperature variation part in the laser diode module/cooling plate assembly having temperature variations due to heat generated in a heat-generating part of the laser diode module; and a control circuit for outputting a driving current output command to the laser power source and outputting a valve switch command to the switch valves by referencing the determination result of the timing determination apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Hiroyuki Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11167377
    Abstract: A 3D laser machining system comprises: a move state simulation unit that simulates a move state of a machining head using 3D CAD data about a workpiece containing material information defining thermophysical properties and 3D CAD data about a machining head under a condition of moving the machining head relative to the workpiece while the machining head is maintained at a predetermined angle a predetermined distance along a machining line in virtual space; a thermal fluid simulation unit that conducts non-stationary thermal fluid simulation for obtaining a temperature distribution in a region covering the workpiece to be changed by the move of the machining head outputting a laser beam; and a machining condition setting unit that sets a laser machining condition containing a relative move condition for the machining head and a laser beam output condition before laser machining on the basis of results of the simulations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya Mochizuki, Hiroshi Takigawa
  • Patent number: 11133643
    Abstract: A laser apparatus includes: a cooling capacity control means which controls the cooling capacity of a heat receiving/cooling unit; a surrounding member which surrounds a dew condensation prevention target unit including a heat generating unit and which reaches a surrounding member equilibrium temperature higher than the maximum dew point temperature within a housing as the temperature of the heat generating unit is increased; and a temperature detection means which detects the temperature of the surrounding member, a control unit compares, while a current output command is being output to a laser power supply unit, a surrounding member temperature with a switching temperature previously set lower than the surrounding member equilibrium temperature and when the surrounding member temperature is lower than the switching temperature, the control unit controls the cooling capacity control means such that the cooling capacity of the heat receiving/cooling unit is a low level whereas when the surrounding member tem
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Yuji Nishikawa, Hiroyuki Yoshida, Tadashi Kurosawa, Atsushi Mori, Toshiyasu Shiomi, Michinori Maeda, Akihiko Nishio
  • Patent number: 11093828
    Abstract: A machine learning device is connected to a fiber laser device. The machine learning device observes, as a state variable representing a driving state of the fiber laser device, a state quantity including time-series data on output light detection results obtained by detecting a light output of laser light emitted from the fiber laser device and time-series data on reflected light detection results obtained by detecting reflected light of the laser light, and acquires determination data representing a failure occurrence situation in the fiber laser device as determined from a difference between the output light detection results and a light output instruction of the fiber laser device. The machine learning device learns a boundary condition for failure occurrence caused by the reflected light by using the state variable and the determination data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Hisatada Machida
  • Patent number: 10990089
    Abstract: A machine learning device observes a state variable of the inside and the outside of a laser device including time-series data of light output, which is detected by an output light sensor, and a light output command through a control unit of the laser device, and acquires a determination result on correctness with respect to a quantitative failure occurrence mechanism outputted for each failure in the laser device. The machine learning device learns the quantitative failure occurrence mechanism corresponding to each failure while associating the quantitative failure occurrence mechanism with the state variable and the determination result on correctness with respect to the quantitative failure occurrence mechanism, and decides a quantitative failure occurrence mechanism which is to be outputted when an occurrence of each failure is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Tetsuhisa Takazane
  • Patent number: 10985522
    Abstract: A laser apparatus calculates a temperature of a temperature increase portion that is raised in temperature by reflection light, and determines and outputs an emergency optical output command with the aim of ensuring that the calculated temperature does not exceed a first predetermined temperature, which is set at a lower temperature than an upper limit heat resistance temperature, and if necessary, controlling the temperature to or below a second predetermined temperature set at a lower temperature than the first predetermined temperature. When the emergency optical output command is to be output, a control unit switches an optical output command output thereby to the emergency optical output command and outputs the emergency optical output command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Ryusuke Miyata
  • Publication number: 20200387131
    Abstract: The laser machining system includes a laser device configured to output a laser beam, and a machining head configured to emit the laser beam emitted by a laser oscillator of the laser device and propagated through an optical fiber, to a workpiece in order to perform laser machining. The machining head includes at least one wavelength selective mirror having wavelength selectivity with various values of reflectivity and transmittance according to wavelengths, and at least one image capturing device. The laser machining system monitors abnormality in a laser optical system leading from the laser oscillator to the machining head, during the laser machining, by reflecting light propagated from a side of introduction of the laser beam into the machining head by the wavelength selective mirror, making the light incident on an image capturing surface of the image capturing device, and detecting incident light illuminance distribution appearing on the image capturing surface of the image capturing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi TAKIGAWA, Tadashi KUROSAWA, Hisatada MACHIDA
  • Publication number: 20200328571
    Abstract: A laser apparatus comprising a laser diode module/cooling plate assembly in which a plurality of LD modules to which a driving current is supplied in series is disposed on the surface of a cooling plate, comprising: a laser power source; switch valves for switching a flow direction of a cooling liquid flowing through a cooling liquid flow path; a timing determination apparatus for determining the timing for switching the flow direction of the cooling liquid, by referencing temperature time series data of at least any one temperature variation part in the laser diode module/cooling plate assembly having temperature variations due to heat generated in a heat-generating part of the laser diode module; and a control circuit for outputting a driving current output command to the laser power source and outputting a valve switch command to the switch valves by referencing the determination result of the timing determination apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Applicant: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi TAKIGAWA, Hiroyuki YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20200249120
    Abstract: A laser control device includes a processor configured to control, when a control circuit of a laser device detects occurrence of an abnormality in a laser oscillator or a laser optical system and stops laser output from the laser oscillator, the control circuit based on a result of determining whether to enable or disable re-outputting of laser light from the laser oscillator by inputting, to a classifier, input data being at least a part of environmental data and state data about the laser device in a predetermined period including a stop time of laser output. Then, the state data and the input data in the predetermined period include at least one of time-series data about a light amount of laser light and time-series data about a light amount of return light propagating in a direction opposite to a direction of the laser light in the predetermined period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Applicant: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Ryusuke Miyata, Hiroshi Takigawa
  • Patent number: 10664767
    Abstract: A machine learning apparatus that learns laser machining condition data of a laser machining system includes: a state amount observation unit that observes a state amount of the laser machining system; an operation result acquisition unit that acquires a machined result of the laser machining system; a learning unit that receives an output from the state amount observation unit and an output from the operation result acquisition unit, and learns the laser machining condition data in association with the state amount and the machined result of the laser machining system; and a decision-making unit that outputs laser machining condition data by referring to the laser machining condition data learned by the learning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Akinori Ohyama
  • Patent number: 10643127
    Abstract: The machine learning apparatus includes: a state data observing unit which observes state data of the laser apparatus, including data output from a reflected light detecting unit for measuring a reflected light amount; an operation result acquiring unit which acquires a success/failure result indicating whether the machining has been started successfully by the laser beam output from a laser oscillator; a learning unit which learns light output command data by associating the light output command data with the state data of the laser apparatus and the success/failure result of the machining start; and a decision making unit which determines the light output command data by referring to the light output command data learned by the learning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Hiroyuki Yoshida, Hisatada Machida, Michinori Maeda, Ryusuke Miyata, Akinori Ohyama
  • Publication number: 20200136337
    Abstract: An optical fiber for a fiber laser includes a core to which a rare-earth element is added, a first cladding formed around the core; and a second cladding formed around the first cladding, and excitation light is guided from at least one end of the first cladding to excite the rare-earth element to output a laser oscillation light. An addition concentration of the rare-earth element to the core is different in a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber for a fiber laser, and a core diameter and a numerical aperture of the optical fiber for a fiber laser are constant in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber for a fiber laser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Applicant: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi TAKIGAWA, Tetsuhisa TAKAZANE
  • Publication number: 20200130107
    Abstract: A 3D laser machining system comprises: a move state simulation unit that simulates a move state of a machining head using 3D CAD data about a workpiece containing material information defining thermophysical properties and 3D CAD data about a machining head under a condition of moving the machining head relative to the workpiece while the machining head is maintained at a predetermined angle a predetermined distance along a machining line in virtual space; a thermal fluid simulation unit that conducts non-stationary thermal fluid simulation for obtaining a temperature distribution in a region covering the workpiece to be changed by the move of the machining head outputting a laser beam; and a machining condition setting unit that sets a laser machining condition containing a relative move condition for the machining head and a laser beam output condition before laser machining on the basis of results of the simulations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Applicant: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsuya MOCHIZUKI, Hiroshi TAKIGAWA
  • Patent number: 10621545
    Abstract: An inventory management system includes a plurality of apparatuses, an information management device connected to the apparatuses, and an information processor. The information processor calculates the sum of cumulative failure rates that is the sum value of the cumulative failure rates of all of designated components having the same specifications used in the apparatuses at a certain point in time, in consideration of an acceleration depending on a driving condition with respect to a standard cumulative failure rate of each type of the designated components having the same specifications used in the apparatuses under a standard driving condition, and calculates the appropriate inventory quantity of the designated components based on the calculated sum of the cumulative failure rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Takigawa
  • Publication number: 20200052456
    Abstract: A laser apparatus calculates a temperature of a temperature increase portion that is raised in temperature by reflection light, and determines and outputs an emergency optical output command with the aim of ensuring that the calculated temperature does not exceed a first predetermined temperature, which is set at a lower temperature than an upper limit heat resistance temperature, and if necessary, controlling the temperature to or below a second predetermined temperature set at a lower temperature than the first predetermined temperature. When the emergency optical output command is to be output, a control unit switches an optical output command output thereby to the emergency optical output command and outputs the emergency optical output command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Applicant: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Takigawa, Ryusuke Miyata