Patents by Inventor Nobuyasu Nakamura
Nobuyasu Nakamura 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: 8739612Abstract: A wind turbine blade used in a wind power generator that receives wind and rotates a rotating shaft of a generator includes at least two layers on a surface of a blade body, one of the layers being colored with a coating material different in color from the blade body and the rest of the layers. The layers are provided at least on a tip, particularly at a front edge of the wind turbine blade. A wind turbine blade monitoring system that monitors the wind turbine blade includes: an imaging unit that images the wind turbine blade in a predetermined position over a predetermined period at timing when the wind turbine blade passes through the predetermined position; and an indication unit that chronologically indicates imaging results of the wind turbine blade imaged by the imaging means.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2013Date of Patent: June 3, 2014Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Masaya Kawano, Noriyuki Hayashi, Takao Kuroiwa, Nobuyasu Nakamura
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Patent number: 8517681Abstract: A wind turbine blade has a blade body 11, a plurality of receptors 12, 13 embedded in and exposed to the surface of the blade body 11, a conductor layer 14 provided on the surface of the blade body 11 and connecting the receptors 12, 13 with one another and a downconductor 21 connected to the receptors 12, 13 and provided in the blade body 11. The downconductor 21 may be embedded in an insulator.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2011Date of Patent: August 27, 2013Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Takehiro Naka, Takatoshi Matsushita, Nobuyasu Nakamura, Yoshihiko Hayashi, Shinji Arinaga
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Patent number: 8475135Abstract: A wind turbine blade is provided with an outer skin layer formed of fiber-reinforced plastic, and a plurality of main structural members formed of fiber-reinforced plastic integrally with the outer skin layer to extend in a blade length direction. The main structural members include a plurality of main dorsal structural members positioned on a dorsal side of the wind turbine blade, and a plurality of main ventral structural members positioned on a ventral side of the wind turbine blade.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2011Date of Patent: July 2, 2013Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Takao Kuroiwa, Toshiyuki Hirano, Nobuyasu Nakamura
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Publication number: 20130129511Abstract: An object is to provide a wind turbine and an apparatus and method for detecting damage to a wind-turbine-blade skin, which can reduce the workload of workers who are in charge of inspection for damage to a wind-turbine-blade skin. Provided is an apparatus for detecting damage to a wind-turbine-blade skin that detects damage to the skin of a wind turbine blade having a hollow structure, the apparatus including a pressure sensor that measures the internal pressure of the wind turbine blade; and a nacelle-side control unit that detects damage based on the pressure measured by the pressure sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 24, 2012Publication date: May 23, 2013Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Hiroyuki KAYAMA, Takao KUROIWA, Eiji KATO, Nobuyasu NAKAMURA, Tetsuya SAKIMURA
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Publication number: 20120133146Abstract: A lightning-strike detecting apparatus comprises: receptors (lightning members) that are provided at a plurality of locations on a wind turbine blade; lightning conductors that extend from these receptors to guide lightning-strike current to ground; a plurality of optical-fiber current sensors that are provided on the respective lightning conductors, detect lightning-strike current flowing in the lightning conductors, and output an optical signal; an optical signal converter that receives the individual optical signal output from these optical-fiber current sensors, converts the optical signals to the respective characteristic electrical signals, and outputs the electrical signals; and a controller that identifies the type of the electrical signal input from the optical signal converter, determines a lightning-strike spot on the basis of the type, and reports the lightning-strike spots.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2011Publication date: May 31, 2012Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Takehiro NAKA, Kentaro HAYASHI, Musashi KIMURA, Nobuyasu NAKAMURA, Takatoshi MATSUSHITA, Yoichiro TSUMURA, Atsushi YUGE
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Patent number: 8133031Abstract: The present invention proposes a lightning protection device of a windmill blade, comprising a tip receptor assembly having receptors which are mounted, in particular to, the tip end part of the blade where the blade profile becomes smaller, and having a simple structure so as to be readily assembled, and an intermediate receptor assembly having a receptor which is set at the outer surface of the blade so as to exhibit an effective countermeasure against increasing of the air pressure in the blade upon a lightning striking upon the blade, a lightening current being discharged to the ground from the receptors through connection equipment such as lead wires laid through the inside of the blade the windmill body and bypass brushes, characterized in that a base plate made of an electrically conductive material and connected thereto with the lead wires is embedded in the blade, and the receptors are secured and supported to the base plate, being exposed at the outer surface of the blade.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2006Date of Patent: March 13, 2012Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Shinji Arinaga, Masaaki Shibata, Nobuyasu Nakamura, Takatoshi Matsushita, Kazuhisa Tsutsumi, Takao Kuroiwa, Toshiyuki Hirano, Kai Karikomi
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Publication number: 20120014804Abstract: A wind turbine blade is provided with an outer skin layer formed of fiber-reinforced plastic, and a plurality of main structural members formed of fiber-reinforced plastic integrally with the outer skin layer to extend in a blade length direction. The main structural members include a plurality of main dorsal structural members positioned on a dorsal side of the wind turbine blade, and a plurality of main ventral structural members positioned on a ventral side of the wind turbine blade.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2011Publication date: January 19, 2012Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Takao KUROIWA, Toshiyuki HIRANO, Nobuyasu NAKAMURA
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Patent number: 8083212Abstract: The present invention provides a wind-turbine rotor-blade hoisting apparatus that enables attachment and removal of wind-turbine rotor blades without using a plurality of heavy machines and that enables attachment and removal of wind-turbine rotor blades on a site having a complex land shape with little flat land, a method for attaching a wind-turbine rotor blade, and a method for constructing a wind power generator.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2008Date of Patent: December 27, 2011Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Tomohiro Numajiri, Nobuyasu Nakamura
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Patent number: 8043067Abstract: A wind turbine blade is provided with an outer skin layer formed of fiber-reinforced plastic, and a plurality of main structural members formed of fiber-reinforced plastic integrally with the outer skin layer to extend in a blade length direction. The main structural members include a plurality of main dorsal structural members positioned on a dorsal side of the wind turbine blade, and a plurality of main ventral structural members positioned on a ventral side of the wind turbine blade.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2008Date of Patent: October 25, 2011Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Takao Kuroiwa, Toshiyuki Hirano, Nobuyasu Nakamura
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Publication number: 20110182731Abstract: A wind turbine blade has a blade body 11, a plurality of receptors 12, 13 embedded in and exposed to the surface of the blade body 11, a conductor layer 14 provided on the surface of the blade body 11 and connecting the receptors 12, 13 with one another and a downconductor 21 connected to the receptors 12, 13 and provided in the blade body 11. The downconductor 21 may be embedded in an insulator.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2011Publication date: July 28, 2011Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Takehiro NAKA, Takatoshi MATSUSHITA, Nobuyasu NAKAMURA, Yoshihiko HAYASHI, Shinji ARINAGA
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Publication number: 20100028152Abstract: The present invention provides a wind-turbine rotor-blade hoisting apparatus that enables attachment and removal of wind-turbine rotor blades without using a plurality of heavy machines and that enables attachment and removal of wind-turbine rotor blades on a site having a complex land shape with little flat land, a method for attaching a wind-turbine rotor blade, and a method for constructing a wind power generator.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 22, 2008Publication date: February 4, 2010Applicant: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.Inventors: Tomohiro Numajiri, Nobuyasu Nakamura
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Publication number: 20090169392Abstract: A wind turbine blade is provided with an outer skin layer formed of fiber-reinforced plastic, and a plurality of main structural members formed of fiber-reinforced plastic integrally with the outer skin layer to extend in a blade length direction. The main structural members include a plurality of main dorsal structural members positioned on a dorsal side of the wind turbine blade, and a plurality of main ventral structural members positioned on a ventral side of the wind turbine blade.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 2, 2008Publication date: July 2, 2009Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.Inventors: Takao KUROIWA, Toshiyuki Hirano, Nobuyasu Nakamura
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Publication number: 20090053062Abstract: The present invention proposes a lightning protection device of a windmill blade, comprising a tip receptor assembly having receptors which are mounted, in particular to, the tip end part of the blade where the blade profile becomes smaller, and having a simple structure so as to be readily assembled, and an intermediate receptor assembly having a receptor which is set at the outer surface of the blade so as to exhibit an effective countermeasure against increasing of the air pressure in the blade upon a lightning striking upon the blade, a lightening current being discharged to the ground from the receptors through connection equipment such as lead wires laid through the inside of the blade the windmill body and bypass brushes, characterized in that a base plate made of an electrically conductive material and connected thereto with the lead wires is embedded in the blade, and the receptors are secured and supported to the base plate, being exposed at the outer surface of the blade.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2006Publication date: February 26, 2009Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES LTD.Inventors: Shinji Arinaga, Masaaki Shibata, Nobuyasu Nakamura, Takatoshi Matsushita, Kazuhisa Tsutsumi, Takao Kuroiwa, Toshiyuki Hirano, Kai Karikomi
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Patent number: 4329187Abstract: A trimming apparatus comprises a trimming mechanism including a carriage movable along the path of travel of a sheet segment which has been cut from a continuous metal sheet by melting a localized area thereof, a slag being formed on an end of the sheet segment. An engaging member is mounted on the carriage and engageable with the sheet segment. A burner is mounted on the carriage and movable along the end of the sheet segment to remove the slag therefrom. There is also disclosed a method of cutting a continuous metal sheet by melting a localized area thereof, and trimming the end of the cut sheet.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 1980Date of Patent: May 11, 1982Assignee: Nippon Speng Co., Ltd.Inventors: Bunnosuke Ushioda, Nobuyasu Nakamura