Patents by Inventor Kenji Taira

Kenji Taira 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: 20120134011
    Abstract: The optical fiber delivery system for delivering optical short pulses includes: a chirped pulse source (10) for emitting an up-chirped optical short pulse having high peak power; optical waveguide unit (20) for delivering the optical short pulse emitted from the chirped pulse source (10); negative group-velocity dispersion generation unit (30) for providing negative group-velocity dispersion to the optical short pulse exited from the optical waveguide unit (20); and an optical fiber (40) for delivering the optical short pulse exited from the negative group-velocity dispersion generation unit (30), along a desired distance, in which the optical short pulse emitted from the chirped pulse source (10) is adapted to be exited, from the optical fiber (40), as a down-chirped optical short pulse that is substantially free of waveform distortion resulting from higher-order dispersion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masato FUJIWARA, Kenji TAIRA
  • Publication number: 20110263955
    Abstract: There is provided an inside observation apparatus of an endoscope and the like which can perform an inside observation for irradiating an illumination light to a minute area of a surface of an object (for example, a living tissue) having a light scattering property and detecting a back-scattered light of the illumination light, can increase a detected light amount by a simply and low cost configuration by making an area of a detection region larger than an illumination region, and can reduce a time necessary to detect an body (for example, a blood vessel) to be observed and detect a region deeper than a conventional region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2010
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiharu Narita, Ken Fujinuma, Ryosuke Ito, Kenji Taira, Hideyuki Takaoka, Shinichi Takimoto, Hiroyuki Nishida, Hiroya Fukuyama
  • Publication number: 20110164249
    Abstract: Optical spectrum of a light irradiated on the object, a spontaneous light emitted from within the object or a surface thereof, a scattered light, a transmitted light, a reflected light or a refracted light from within the object or a surface thereof generated by irradiating light on the object is resolved by amplifying said lights in a bandwidth narrower than the bandwidth of the optical spectrum of said lights. Thus, a method for detecting optical spectrum is provided in which signal intensity is amplified while deterioration of spectral data is suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takeharu INNAMI, Kenji TAIRA, Hiroyoshi YAJIMA, Hiroya FUKUYAMA, Mitsuru NAMIKI, Makoto IGARASHI, Shunji TAKEI
  • Publication number: 20110128532
    Abstract: Provided are a photodetector device and a photodetection method as well as a microscope and an endoscope allowing the heterodyne detection of a desired light to be detected with high sensitivity and at a high SN ratio. A photodetector device comprises a local light emitting unit for generating a local light in temporally unstable interference condition with a light to be detected and a photoelectric conversion unit for generating beat signals between the local light and the light to be detected by photoelectric conversion. The light is detected in heterodyne detection based on an output of the photoelectric conversion unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Publication date: June 2, 2011
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenji TAIRA
  • Publication number: 20110122407
    Abstract: Spectroscopic measurements are described based on light-molecule interaction in response to a resonant rate optical pulse train so that a Raman spectrum is reflected containing at least two types of vibrational mode information (e.g., vibrational frequency, and vibrational phase relaxation) on the molecules comprising the object. A pump optical pulse train generation means is configured for generating an optical pulse train having an arbitrary repetition rate which is directed through irradiation means to the sample object. Light from the sample object is collected and vibrational coherence is detected for the sample object. The sample is tested across a plurality of different repetition frequencies. The detected information can be compared with data from other known samples from within a database when analyzing the information collected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicants: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bahram Jalali, Keisuke Goda, Akira Sato, Kenji Taira
  • Publication number: 20110049337
    Abstract: There are provided a photodetection device and a photodetection method and a microscope and an endoscope capable of heterodyne-detecting desired light to be detected with high sensitivity and high S/N ratio. A photodetection device, comprising a local light generation means 10 generating local light having a plurality of optical frequency components in an optical frequency band of light to be detected within a given period of time; a light combining means 20 combining the local light generated from the local light generation means 10 and the light to be detected; and a photoelectric conversion means 30 photoelectrically-converting light output from the light combining means 20 and generating a beat signal of the local light and the light to be detected, wherein the light to be detected is heterodyne-detected based on an output of the photoelectric conversion means 30.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Taira, Hiroyoshi Yajima
  • Publication number: 20100224794
    Abstract: A multiphoton-excited measuring device measuring a sample with the use of a multiphoton absorption phenomenon by optical pulses having high intensity, comprising a short pulse light source 2 emitting optical pulses; an irradiation optical system 17, 18, 19 irradiating a sample 20 with optical pulses emitted from the short pulse light source 2; a detector 24 detecting signal light generated, in association with multiphoton excitation, from the sample 20 by the irradiation with optical pulses; and an optical pulse compression means 4, 13 compressing a pulse width, with the use of intensity-dependent nonlinear effects of the optical fiber 4, so that a pulse width of optical pulses with which the sample 20 is to be irradiated is shorten to equal to or narrower than that of optical pulses emitted from the short pulse light source 2 and so that a spectral width of optical pulses with which the sample 20 is to be irradiated is wider than that of optical pulses emitted from the short pulse light source 2, which makes
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yajima, Kenji Taira
  • Publication number: 20100210952
    Abstract: An optical inspection device 1, comprising a light generation means 2, a light irradiation means 3 irradiating an object to be inspected 4 with light generated from the light generation means 2 and a photodetection means 6 photoelectrically converting signal light obtained from the object to be inspected 4 through irradiation of light by the light irradiation means 3, and inspecting the object to be inspected 4 based on output from the photodetection means 6, wherein a light amplification means 5 amplifying signal light obtained from the object to be inspected 4 is provided. There is thus provided an optical inspection device capable of photoelectrically converting signal light from the object to be inspected with high sensitivity and promptly with its inexpensive configuration without increasing the intensity of light with which the object to be inspected is irradiated and without using an expensive low-noise and high-sensitivity photodetector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Publication date: August 19, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Taira, Hiroyoshi Yajima, Shinichi Takimoto
  • Publication number: 20100195193
    Abstract: An optical pulse source device comprising an optical pulse source (10) emitting an optical pulse train, optical amplifying means (20, 40) amplifying the optical pulse train and a saturable absorber device (30) removing noise floor in the optical pulse train. There is provided an optical pulse source device for multiphoton imaging system being of small size and high stability and capable of improving the SNR by its relatively simple configuration without using a synchronous circuit or an active time gate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Taira, Hiroyoshi Yajima
  • Patent number: 7551809
    Abstract: An optical fiber delivery system for delivering ultrashort optical pulses that can efficiently transmit high peak power, ultrashort optical pulses from an optical pulse source to a desired position in an optical apparatus is provided. An optical system including such an optical fiber delivery system is also provided. The optical fiber delivery system includes light waveguide means 20 for receiving high-peak power, ultrashort optical pulses and transmitting the optical pulses, negative group-velocity dispersion generation means 30 for providing negative group-velocity dispersion to the optical pulses transmitted through the light waveguide means 20, and an optical fiber 40 that transmits the optical pulses transmitted through the negative group-velocity dispersion generation means 30 along a desired distance. The incident ultrashort optical pulses that have been injected into the light waveguide means 20 are converted into down-chirped pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji Taira, Hirokazu Kubo
  • Publication number: 20080260319
    Abstract: An optical fiber delivery system for delivering ultrashort optical pulses that can efficiently transmit high peak power, ultrashort optical pulses from an optical pulse source to a desired position in an optical apparatus is provided. An optical system including such an optical fiber delivery system is also provided. The optical fiber delivery system includes light waveguide means 20 for receiving high-pea power, ultrashort optical pulses and transmitting the optical pulses, negative group-velocity dispersion generation means 30 for providing negative group-velocity dispersion to the optical pulses transmitted through the light waveguide means 20, and an optical fiber 40 that transmits the optical pulses transmitted through the negative group-velocity dispersion generation means 30 along a desired distance. The incident ultrashort optical pulses that have been injected into the light waveguide means 20 are converted into down-chirped pulses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicant: OLYMPUS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji TAIRA, Hirokazu KUBO
  • Patent number: 7414779
    Abstract: In one aspect the invention relates to a frequency varying wave generator. The generator includes a gain element adapted to amplify a wave having a wavelength; a time varying tunable wavelength selective filter element in communication with the gain element, the tunable filter element adapted to selectively filter waves during a period T; and a feedback element in communication with the tunable filter element and the gain element, wherein the tunable wavelength selective filter element, the gain element and the feedback element define a circuit such that the roundtrip time for the wave to propagate through the circuit is substantially equal to a non-zero integer multiple of the period T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Robert Huber, Kenji Taira, James Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20060187537
    Abstract: In one aspect the invention relates to a frequency varying wave generator. The generator includes a gain element adapted to amplify a wave having a wavelength; a time varying tunable wavelength selective filter element in communication with the gain element, the tunable filter element adapted to selectively filter waves during a period T; and a feedback element in communication with the tunable filter element and the gain element, wherein the tunable wavelength selective filter element, the gain element and the feedback element define a circuit such that the roundtrip time for the wave to propagate through the circuit is substantially equal to a non-zero integer multiple of the period T.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventors: Robert Huber, Kenji Taira, James Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 7014279
    Abstract: The present invention is an elastic flat tread which can prevent an elastic solid from cracking even if the vehicle runs on a protruding object during traveling. For this purpose, the elastic flat tread is provided with any core (1, 11, 115) of a core (1, 11) attached to a link (6) and a core (115) attached to a metal plate (9A) which is attached to a link (8), and end portions (1a, 1b; 11a, 11h; 115a, 115b) in a longitudinal direction of the aforesaid any core (1, 11, 115) are bent toward the side not in contact with the around.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Komatsu Limited
    Inventors: Hiroaki Watanabe, Kazutoshi Hori, Teiji Yamamoto, Tomihiro Tagawa, Kenji Taira
  • Patent number: 6984006
    Abstract: The present invention is an elastic flat tread which can prevent an elastic solid from cracking even if the vehicle runs on a protruding object during traveling. For this purpose, the elastic flat tread is provided with any core (1, 11, 115) of a core (1, 11) attached to a link (6) and a core (115) attached to a metal plate (9A) which is attached to a link (8), and end portions (1a, 1b; 11a, 11h; 115a, 115b) in a longitudinal direction of the aforesaid any core (1, 11, 115) are bent toward the side not in contact with the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Komatsu Limited
    Inventors: Hiroaki Wantanabe, Kazutoshi Hori, Teiji Yamamoto, Tomihiro Tagawa, Kenji Taira
  • Publication number: 20030107268
    Abstract: The present invention is an elastic flat tread which can prevent an elastic solid from cracking even if the vehicle runs on a protruding object during traveling. For this purpose, the elastic flat tread is provided with any core (1, 11, 115) of a core (1, 11) attached to a link (6) and a core (115) attached to a metal plate (9A) which is attached to a link (8), and end portions (1a, 1b; 11a, 11h; 115a, 115b) in a longitudinal direction of the aforesaid any core (1, 11, 115) are bent toward the side not in contact with the ground.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2003
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Applicant: Komatsu Limited
    Inventors: Hiroaki Watanabe, Kazutoshi Hori, Teiji Yamamoto, Tomihiro Tagawa, Kenji Taira
  • Publication number: 20030102715
    Abstract: The present invention is an elastic flat tread which can prevent an elastic solid from cracking even if the vehicle runs on a protruding object during traveling. For this purpose, the elastic flat tread is provided with any core (1, 11, 115) of a core (1, 11) attached to a link (6) and a core (115) attached to a metal plate (9A) which is attached to a link (8), and end portions (1a, 1b; 11a, 11h; 115a, 115b) in a longitudinal direction of the aforesaid any core (1, 11, 115) are bent toward the side not in contact with the around.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2003
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Applicant: Komatsu Limited
    Inventors: Hiroaki Watanabe, Kazutoshi Hori, Teiji Yamamoto, Tomihiro Tagawa, Kenji Taira
  • Patent number: 6568769
    Abstract: The present invention is an elastic flat tread which can prevent an elastic solid from cracking even if the vehicle runs on a protruding object during traveling. For this purpose, the elastic flat tread is provided with any core (1, 11, 115) of a core (1, 11) attached to a link (6) and a core (115) attached to a metal plate (9A) which is attached to a link (8), and end portions (1a, 1b; 11a, 11h; 115a, 115b) in a longitudinal direction of the aforesaid any core (1, 11, 115) are bent toward the side not in contact with the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Watanabe, Kazutoshi Hori, Teiji Yamamoto, Tomihiro Tagawa, Kenji Taira
  • Publication number: 20020156592
    Abstract: This invention relates to an optical pulse reconstruction from sonogram. According to the present invention, there is provided a method for measuring an optical pulse which comprises: filtering an optical pulse to obtain a frequency-filtered pulse, a transfer or window function for said frequency filtering being given; measuring a sonogram, which is defined as the intensity waveform of said frequency-filtered pulse, to obtain a measured sonogram; and reconstructing said optical pulse by using said measured sonogram and said transfer or window function. The present invention also provides a formula for retrieving the amplitude and phase of an optical pulse from its sonogram. When the transfer function of the frequency filter is known, the pulse amplitude and phase are completely retrieved from the sonogram without iterative calculations by derived formula.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2002
    Publication date: October 24, 2002
    Inventors: Kenji Taira, Kazuro Kikuchi
  • Patent number: 4567956
    Abstract: A power plant enclosure for off-highway work vehicles comprises a radiator guard, a ceiling or hood, a pair of sidewalls, and a floor or bottom guard which are bolted to each other and to vehicle frames to define a power plant compartment. The ceiling has a power plant servicing opening and an air intake opening, and each sidewall has another power plant servicing opening. Closing each opening in the enclosure is a lid of dual panel construction consisting of an inner, meshed panel and an outer, solid panel bolted to each other. Thus each opening can be closed either by both the meshed panel and the solid panel, to shut off ambient air as in subfreezing weather, or by only the meshed panel to admit ambient cooling air into the power plant compartment and to prevent the entrance of flammable matter in nonfreezing weather.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1982
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1986
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho
    Inventors: Takehiko Matsuda, Kenji Taira