Patents by Inventor Kouji Esaki
Kouji Esaki 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: 11480156Abstract: A method of evaluating quality of a wind turbine blade which has a hollow structure where an interior space of the wind turbine blade is surrounded by an outer skin which includes a laminated body includes: setting a scanning line on at least a part of an inner wall surface or an outer wall surface of the outer skin; and moving an ultrasound probe along the scanning line; generating a cross-sectional image corresponding to the scanning line, on the basis of a position of the ultrasound probe or a reflection echo to detect an indication whose echo level is greater than a first threshold; obtaining an inclination of the indication with respect to a reference line as a first parameter; and evaluating the lifetime or the breakage risk of the wind turbine blade on the basis of the first parameter.Type: GrantFiled: October 9, 2019Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Takao Kuroiwa, Kouji Esaki, Kentaro Shindo, Masakazu Kamibayashi
-
Patent number: 11124242Abstract: A front end body structure (3) has a front wall portion (4) which forms a front surface (4b) in a front-rear direction (Da) and has edge portions which form an opening portion (4a) opened; and a ceiling wall portion (5) which is continuous with the front wall portion (4) and forms a ceiling surface (5a) facing an upper side. In t front wall portion (4), side edge portions (41, 42) on both sides in the width direction (Dw) and an upper edge portion (40) on the upper side among edge portions surrounding the opening portion (4a) have a multi-axial fiber-reinforced plastic material in which at least two directions along the outer surface are set as a fiber direction. At least a partial region of the ceiling wall part (5) including a central portion in the width direction (Dw) has a core material sandwiched between the multi-axial fiber-reinforced plastic materials.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2017Date of Patent: September 21, 2021Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTDInventors: Koshi Tanimoto, Ryoji Okabe, Kouji Esaki
-
Patent number: 10994753Abstract: The rail vehicle has a guide device configured to guide traveling of a bogie on a traveling track by rolling guide wheels in a state of bringing the guide wheels into contact with guide rails installed on both sides of the traveling track in a vehicle width direction perpendicular to a traveling direction, wherein: the guide device has an arm and the guide wheels, the arm having a central portion fixed to a stationary member, extending to both sides in the vehicle width direction, and having both end portions elastically deformable in a direction in which the guide rails extend, the guide wheels being mounted on the arm at the both end portions of the arm in the vehicle width direction; and a center of each of the guide wheels is displaced from a center line of the arm, the center line extending in the vehicle width direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2017Date of Patent: May 4, 2021Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Toshifumi Kanno, Kouji Esaki, Koshi Tanimoto
-
Publication number: 20200298913Abstract: A front end body structure (3) has a front wall portion (4) which forms a front surface (4b) in a front-rear direction (Da) and has edge portions which form an opening portion (4a) opened; and a ceiling wall portion (5) which is continuous with the front wall portion (4) and forms a ceiling surface (5a) facing an upper side. In t front wall portion (4), side edge portions (41, 42) on both sides in the width direction (Dw) and an upper edge portion (40) on the upper side among edge portions surrounding the opening portion (4a) have a multi-axial fiber-reinforced plastic material in which at least two directions along the outer surface are set as a fiber direction. At least a partial region of the ceiling wall part (5) including a central portion in the width direction (Dw) has a core material sandwiched between the multi-axial fiber-reinforced plastic materials.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2017Publication date: September 24, 2020Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Koshi TANIMOTO, Ryoji OKABE, Kouji ESAKI
-
Publication number: 20200124031Abstract: A method of evaluating quality of a wind turbine blade which has a hollow structure where an interior space of the wind turbine blade is surrounded by an outer skin which includes a laminated body includes: setting a scanning line on at least a part of an inner wall surface or an outer wall surface of the outer skin; and moving an ultrasound probe along the scanning line; generating a cross-sectional image corresponding to the scanning line, on the basis of a position of the ultrasound probe or a reflection echo to detect an indication whose echo level is greater than a first threshold; obtaining an inclination of the indication with respect to a reference line as a first parameter; and evaluating the lifetime or the breakage risk of the wind turbine blade on the basis of the first parameter.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 9, 2019Publication date: April 23, 2020Inventors: Takao KUROIWA, Kouji ESAKI, Kentaro SHINDO, Masakazu KAMIBAYASHI
-
Publication number: 20190047596Abstract: The rail vehicle has a guide device configured to guide traveling of a bogie on a traveling track by rolling guide wheels in a state of bringing the guide wheels into contact with guide rails installed on both sides of the traveling track in a vehicle width direction perpendicular to a traveling direction, wherein: the guide device has an arm and the guide wheels, the arm having a central portion fixed to a stationary member, extending to both sides in the vehicle width direction, and having both end portions elastically deformable in a direction in which the guide rails extend, the guide wheels being mounted on the arm at the both end portions of the arm in the vehicle width direction; and a center of each of the guide wheels is displaced from a center line of the arm, the center line extending in the vehicle width direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2017Publication date: February 14, 2019Inventors: Toshifumi KANNO, Kouji ESAKI, Koshi TANIMOTO
-
Publication number: 20180223793Abstract: Provided are a wind turbine blade, with which effective reinforcement against possible flexural deformation in a longitudinal direction is realized, and a reinforcing method for the wind turbine blade. The wind turbine blade includes a hollow blade main body having a cylindrical blade root portion and extending from the blade root portion along a blade length direction, and a reinforcing plate provided in contact with an inside surface of the blade root portion and formed of an elongated member having a dimension along the blade length direction that is larger than a dimension along a circumferential direction of the blade root portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 7, 2017Publication date: August 9, 2018Inventors: Yasutaka KIMURA, Takao KUROIWA, Kouji ESAKI, Toshiyuki HIRANO, Kentaro SHINDO, Takeshi FUJITA, Keisuke OTA
-
Patent number: 10041471Abstract: Provided are a wind turbine blade, with which effective reinforcement against possible flexural deformation in a longitudinal direction is realized, and a reinforcing method for the wind turbine blade. The wind turbine blade includes a hollow blade main body having a cylindrical blade root portion and extending from the blade root portion along a blade length direction, and a reinforcing plate provided in contact with an inside surface of the blade root portion and formed of an elongated member having a dimension along the blade length direction that is larger than a dimension along a circumferential direction of the blade root portion.Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 2017Date of Patent: August 7, 2018Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Yasutaka Kimura, Takao Kuroiwa, Kouji Esaki, Toshiyuki Hirano, Kentaro Shindo, Takeshi Fujita, Keisuke Ota
-
Patent number: 9327456Abstract: It is intended to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a fiber-reinforced base material, which is capable of manufacturing a fiber-reinforced base material of high quality while preventing generation of defects such as wrinkles during stacking of the base material sheet. The method for manufacturing the fiber-reinforced base material formed by stacking a base material sheet including a reinforcement fiber onto a mold having a double-curved surface shape, includes steps of: supplying the base material sheet onto the mold from a base material roll while applying distribution varying in a width direction (X direction) to a length of the base material sheet in a sheet-supplying direction of the base material sheet (Y direction) in correspondence with the double-curved surface shape of the mold; and applying pressure to the base material sheet in contact with the mold.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2013Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Kentaro Shindo, Takao Kuroiwa, Kouji Esaki
-
Patent number: 8789275Abstract: A wind turbine blade having a spar cap disposed between layers constituting an outer skin or disposed on an inner side of the outer skin and a method of manufacturing the wind turbine blade are provided, wherein in manufacture of the wind turbine blade, generation of manufacturing defects, such as misalignment and wrinkles in fabrics, can be suppressed and the time required for repairing the defects as well as for laminating the layers can be reduced. In the method of manufacturing the wind turbine blade having the spar cap as a main structural member of the blade disposed between the layers constituting the outer skin or disposed on the inner side of the outer skin, the spar cap is formed as a separate piece from the outer skin, and the spar cap, dry fiber fabrics for the layers constituting the outer skin, and a sandwich core member are collectively impregnated with resin under a vacuum process.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2009Date of Patent: July 29, 2014Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Kouji Esaki, Takao Kuroiwa, Nozomu Kawasetsu, Kentaro Shindo, Toru Matsuo
-
Patent number: 8651822Abstract: A wind turbine rotor blade including outer skin materials made of fiber-reinforced plastic, a crossbeam material, and a trailing edge sandwich material disposed closer to a trailing edge than a trailing edge end of the crossbeam material, wherein a reinforcing material is provided on an inner surface of the outer skin material on a front side located closer to the trailing edge than a trailing edge end of the trailing edge sandwich material.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2011Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Kouji Esaki, Shinichi Hori
-
Patent number: 8556590Abstract: A wind-turbine rotor blade has an outer skin member formed of fiber-reinforced plastic, shear webs, and trailing-edge sandwich members disposed closer to a trailing edge than the shear webs are. The outer skin member at the dorsal side located closer to the trailing edge than a trailing-edge end of the trailing-edge sandwich member located at the dorsal side or a vicinity of the trailing-edge end of the trailing-edge sandwich member located at the dorsal side is coupled, via a reinforcing member, with the outer skin member at the ventral side located closer to the trailing edge than the trailing-edge end of the trailing-edge sandwich member located at the ventral side or a vicinity of the trailing-edge end of the trailing-edge sandwich member located at the ventral side.Type: GrantFiled: December 25, 2009Date of Patent: October 15, 2013Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Kouji Esaki, Takao Kuroiwa, Nozomu Kawasetsu
-
Patent number: 8480371Abstract: A wind turbine rotor blade having an outer skin material made of fiber-reinforced plastic, a sheer web, and a trailing edge reinforcing material made of fiber-reinforced plastic which forms a trailing edge, wherein the trailing edge reinforcing material includes a first recess in which a trailing edge side end of the outer skin material is accommodated, and a second recess in which a trailing edge side of an overlay is accommodated, a third recess in which a leading edge side of the overlay is accommodated is formed in a trailing edge side tip end of the outer skin material, and the tip end of the outer skin material is fixed to the first recess through an adhesive.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 2011Date of Patent: July 9, 2013Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Kouji Esaki, Shinichi Hori
-
Publication number: 20120141282Abstract: An object is to improve the buckling strength with respect to a load in the edge direction, to bring the safety factor for the buckling strength closer to the safety factor for the material strength, and to achieve a further reduction in weight. A wind-turbine rotor blade (5) has an outer skin member (11) formed of fiber-reinforced plastic, shear webs (15), and trailing-edge sandwich members (14) disposed closer to a trailing edge (18) than the shear webs (15) are.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 25, 2009Publication date: June 7, 2012Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Kouji Esaki, Takao Kuroiwa, Nozomu Kawasetsu
-
Patent number: 8172542Abstract: A wind turbine blade includes a laminated structure having an outer shell (1) having a shape of the blade, an upwind-side reinforcing section (4a) which reinforces a upwind-side part of the blade in the outer shell 1 and a downwind-side reinforcing section 4b which reinforces a downwind-side part of the blade in the outer shell 1. The outer shell 1 includes a first multidirectional material, a first unidirectional reinforcing material 12 and another multidirectional material 11 which are layered. The upwind-side reinforcing section 4a includes another unidirectional reinforcing material 12 provided between the first unidirectional reinforcing material 12 and another multidirectional material 11. The downwind-side reinforcing section 4b includes yet another unidirectional reinforcing material provided between the unidirectional reinforcing material 12 and the multidirectional material 11.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2011Date of Patent: May 8, 2012Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Toshiyuki Hirano, Kouji Esaki, Takao Kuroiwa
-
Publication number: 20120093656Abstract: A wind turbine blade having a spar cap disposed between layers constituting an outer skin or disposed on an inner side of the outer skin and a method of manufacturing the wind turbine blade are provided, wherein in manufacture of the wind turbine blade, generation of manufacturing defects, such as misalignment and wrinkles in fabrics, can be suppressed and the time required for repairing the defects as well as for laminating the layers can be reduced. In the method of manufacturing the wind turbine blade having the spar cap as a main structural member of the blade disposed between the layers constituting the outer skin or disposed on the inner side of the outer skin, the spar cap is formed as a separate piece from the outer skin, and the spar cap, dry fiber fabrics for the layers constituting the outer skin, and a sandwich core member are collectively impregnated with resin under a vacuum process.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 9, 2009Publication date: April 19, 2012Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Kouji Esaki, Takao Kuroiwa, Nozomu Kawasetsu, Kentaro Shindo, Toru Matsuo
-
Publication number: 20110182742Abstract: A wind turbine blade includes a laminated structure having an outer shell (1) having a shape of the blade, an upwind-side reinforcing section (4a) which reinforces a upwind-side part of the blade in the outer shell 1 and a downwind-side reinforcing section 4b which reinforces a downwind-side part of the blade in the outer shell 1. The outer shell 1 includes a first multidirectional material, a first unidirectional reinforcing material 12 and another multidirectional material 11 which are layered. The upwind-side reinforcing section 4a includes another unidirectional reinforcing material 12 provided between the first unidirectional reinforcing material 12 and another multidirectional material 11. The downwind-side reinforcing section 4b includes yet another unidirectional reinforcing material provided between the unidirectional reinforcing material 12 and the multidirectional material 11.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2011Publication date: July 28, 2011Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Toshiyuki HIRANO, Kouji ESAKI, Takao KUROIWA
-
Publication number: 20110171036Abstract: A wind turbine rotor blade having an outer skin material made of fiber-reinforced plastic, a sheer web, and a trailing edge reinforcing material made of fiber-reinforced plastic which forms a trailing edge, wherein the trailing edge reinforcing material includes a first recess in which a trailing edge side end of the outer skin material is accommodated, and a second recess in which a trailing edge side of an overlay is accommodated, a third recess in which a leading edge side of the overlay is accommodated is formed in a trailing edge side tip end of the outer skin material, and the tip end of the outer skin material is fixed to the first recess through an adhesive.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2011Publication date: July 14, 2011Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Kouji ESAKI, Shinichi HORI
-
Publication number: 20110171035Abstract: A wind turbine rotor blade including outer skin materials made of fiber-reinforced plastic, a crossbeam material, and a trailing edge sandwich material disposed closer to a trailing edge than a trailing edge end of the crossbeam material, wherein a reinforcing material is provided on an inner surface of the outer skin material on a front side located closer to the trailing edge than a trailing edge end of the trailing edge sandwich material.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2011Publication date: July 14, 2011Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Kouji ESAKI, Shinichi HORI
-
Publication number: 20110171038Abstract: A wind turbine rotor blade includes an outer skin material formed of fiber-reinforced plastic, main strength materials (super cap materials) disposed on inner surfaces of a back side and a front side of the outer skin material, and crossbeam materials (sheer webs) disposed between the main strength materials, wherein the main strength material is formed by stacking, one on top of another, reinforced fiber sheets having constant widths in a longitudinal direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2011Publication date: July 14, 2011Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Kouji ESAKI, Takao KUROIWA, Nozomu KAWASETSU