Patents by Inventor Toshio Hirai
Toshio Hirai 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: 10677235Abstract: This compression device is provided with a reciprocating compressor which compresses a gas, and a heat exchanger which cools gas compressed by the compressor. The heat exchanger is provided with a cooling unit for cooling the gas and with a connection unit which abuts against the outside surface of the compressor and has a gas inlet passage to allow gas discharged from the compression chamber of the compressor to flow into the cooling unit.Type: GrantFiled: February 4, 2014Date of Patent: June 9, 2020Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Kenji Nagura, Hitoshi Takagi, Takuro Uba, Toshio Hirai
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Patent number: 10535130Abstract: A life determination device comprises: an image acquiring unit that acquires an image showing a result of machining by cutting on a target of the machining by cutting; a feature quantity acquiring unit that acquires a feature quantity indicating the quality of the result of the machining by cutting from the image acquired by the image acquiring unit; and a life determining unit that determines the life of a cutting tool having been used for the machining by cutting on the target based on the feature quantity acquired by the feature quantity acquiring unit.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2017Date of Patent: January 14, 2020Assignee: FANUC CORPORATIONInventors: Toshio Hirai, Yasushi Okajima
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Publication number: 20170372469Abstract: A life determination device comprises: an image acquiring unit that acquires an image showing a result of machining by cutting on a target of the machining by cutting; a feature quantity acquiring unit that acquires a feature quantity indicating the quality of the result of the machining by cutting from the image acquired by the image acquiring unit; and a life determining unit that determines the life of a cutting tool having been used for the machining by cutting on the target based on the feature quantity acquired by the feature quantity acquiring unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 22, 2017Publication date: December 28, 2017Inventors: Toshio HIRAI, Yasushi OKAJIMA
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Patent number: 9777726Abstract: In order to prevent the leakage of a gas from an internal space communicating with a compression chamber inside a cylinder in a cylinder head of a compressor, the compressor includes a suction valve pressing portion that presses a suction valve so that the suction valve provided in the internal space of the cylinder head does not slip off through a suction-side head opening, the suction valve pressing portion includes a suction valve pressing and inserting portion that is inserted into the cylinder head through the suction-side head opening, the outer peripheral surface of the suction valve pressing and inserting portion is provided with an annular suction valve pressing groove portion, a suction-side O-ring is attached into the suction valve pressing groove portion, and a suction-side backup ring that suppresses the movement of the suction-side O-ring toward the suction-side head opening is disposed at a position near the suction-side head opening of the suction-side O-ring inside the suction valve pressingType: GrantFiled: April 3, 2014Date of Patent: October 3, 2017Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Kenji Nagura, Toshio Hirai, Hitoshi Takagi
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Patent number: 9605671Abstract: The present invention provides a reciprocating compressor that compresses a gas, including: a piston; a cylinder that includes a hole portion into which the piston is inserted so as to be movable in the axial direction in a reciprocating manner and includes a compression chamber which is formed in an area of the hole portion near a front end of the piston so that a gas is introduced into the compression chamber; a crank mechanism that drives the piston so that the gas introduced into the compression chamber is compressed by the piston; and a piston ring that is fitted to the outside of the piston and slides on an inner surface forming the hole portion of the cylinder, wherein a tapered portion is formed in an end, which is located near a base end of the piston, in the inner surface forming the hole portion of the cylinder.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2014Date of Patent: March 28, 2017Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Kenji Nagura, Toshio Hirai, Hitoshi Takagi
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Patent number: 9328970Abstract: Provided is a compressing device including a compressor with a compressing unit compressing a gas and a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger including: a cooling unit that cools a gas compressed by the compressing unit; a connection path that connects the compressing unit to the cooling unit; and a connection path branch portion that is branched from a part of the connection path. The connection path branch portion includes an attachment portion that is provided in a surface different from a surface facing the compressor in the heat exchanger. An instrumentation device is directly and strongly attached to the attachment portion.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2014Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.Inventors: Kenji Nagura, Hitoshi Takagi, Takuro Uba, Toshio Hirai
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Publication number: 20150354553Abstract: This compression device is provided with a reciprocating compressor which compresses a gas, and a heat exchanger which cools gas compressed by the compressor. The heat exchanger is provided with a cooling unit for cooling the gas and with a connection unit which abuts against the outside surface of the compressor and has a gas inlet passage to allow gas discharged from the compression chamber of the compressor to flow into the cooling unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 4, 2014Publication date: December 10, 2015Applicant: Kavushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Kenji NAGURA, Hitoshi TAKAGI, Takuro UBA, Toshio HIRAI
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Publication number: 20150059569Abstract: A compression apparatus in the present invention includes a compressor including a cylinder for compressing a gas, a gas cooler for cooling the gas compressed in the cylinder, and a circulation passage for guiding the gas compressed in the cylinder into the gas cooler. The gas cooler is diffusion bonded to the cylinder. In order to reduce the size of the compression apparatus, the circulation passage extends through an area in which the gas cooler and the cylinder face each other. At least areas surrounding the area are diffusion bonded.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 21, 2014Publication date: March 5, 2015Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Kenji NAGURA, Hitoshi TAKAGI, Toshio HIRAI
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Publication number: 20140322043Abstract: The present invention provides a reciprocating compressor that compresses a gas, including: a piston; a cylinder that includes a hole portion into which the piston is inserted so as to be movable in the axial direction in a reciprocating manner and includes a compression chamber which is formed in an area of the hole portion near a front end of the piston so that a gas is introduced into the compression chamber; a crank mechanism that drives the piston so that the gas introduced into the compression chamber is compressed by the piston; and a piston ring that is fitted to the outside of the piston and slides on an inner surface forming the hole portion of the cylinder, wherein a tapered portion is formed in an end, which is located near a base end of the piston, in the inner surface forming the hole portion of the cylinder.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 18, 2014Publication date: October 30, 2014Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Kenji NAGURA, Toshio HIRAI, Hitoshi TAKAGI
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Publication number: 20140318747Abstract: Provided is a compressing device including a compressor with a compressing unit compressing a gas and a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger including: a cooling unit that cools a gas compressed by the compressing unit; a connection path that connects the compressing unit to the cooling unit; and a connection path branch portion that is branched from a part of the connection path. The connection path branch portion includes an attachment portion that is provided in a surface different from a surface facing the compressor in the heat exchanger. An instrumentation device is directly and strongly attached to the attachment portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2014Publication date: October 30, 2014Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Kenji NAGURA, Hitoshi TAKAGI, Takuro UBA, Toshio HIRAI
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Publication number: 20140314604Abstract: In order to prevent the leakage of a gas from an internal space communicating with a compression chamber inside a cylinder in a cylinder head of a compressor, the compressor includes a suction valve pressing portion that presses a suction valve so that the suction valve provided in the internal space of the cylinder head does not slip off through a suction-side head opening, the suction valve pressing portion includes a suction valve pressing and inserting portion that is inserted into the cylinder head through the suction-side head opening, the outer peripheral surface of the suction valve pressing and inserting portion is provided with an annular suction valve pressing groove portion, a suction-side O-ring is attached into the suction valve pressing groove portion, and a suction-side backup ring that suppresses the movement of the suction-side O-ring toward the suction-side head opening is disposed at a position near the suction-side head opening of the suction-side O-ring inside the suction valve pressingType: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2014Publication date: October 23, 2014Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)Inventors: Kenji Nagura, Toshio Hirai, Hitoshi Takagi
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Patent number: 6975987Abstract: The present invention provides pitch conversion processing technology capable of minimizing the distortion of speech sound naturalness. A speech waveform in a pitch-unit is considered to be divided into two segments: 1) the segment of ?, that starts from the minus peak, where the waveform depending on the shape of vocal tracts appears, and 2) the segment of ? where the waveform depending on the vocal tract shape is attenuating and converging on the next minus peak. In addition, ? is the point where a minus peak appears along with the glottal closure. Based on characteristics of speech waveforms, the present invention processes waveform for converting pitch in the segment of ? just before the next minus peak, which is least affected by the minus peak associated with the glottal closure. As such, waveform processing can be performed by keeping the complete contour of waveform at around the peak, and thereby reducing the effects of pitch conversion.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2000Date of Patent: December 13, 2005Assignee: Arcadia, Inc.Inventors: Seiichi Tenpaku, Toshio Hirai
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Patent number: 6891140Abstract: A sintering furnace for sintering an object to be sintered formed of ceramics, fine ceramic materials, etc. to produce a sintered object and a method therefor. An insulating wall (28) and an inner shell (25) define a sintering chamber (16) for sintering an object to be sintered (10). Thermal equilibrium is maintained between the inner shell (25) and the object to be sintered (10), and the object to be sintered (10) is completely pseudo-adiabatically isolated to achieve more uniform and small energy consuming sintering. The thickness of the insulating wall (28) increases gradually from an inlet (20) toward an outlet (21). The object to be sintered (10) is fed by a carriage provided in a sintering furnace from the inlet (20) to the outlet (21) in the sintering chamber (16). Thereby, a temperature distribution corresponding to a plurality of processes can be easily formed in one furnace to sinter continuously the object to be sintered (10) in the furnace.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2001Date of Patent: May 10, 2005Assignees: Gifu Prefecture, Japan As Represented by Director-General of National Institute For Fusion ScienceInventors: Motoyasu Sato, Sadatsugu Takayama, Masatoshi Mizuno, Seizo Obata, Tadashi Shimada, Toshio Hirai
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Patent number: 6592798Abstract: A method for advantageously producing sintered eutectic ceramics having a homogenous and dense structure, in particular, a eutectic containing a rare earth aluminate compound. The method allows eutectic powder of alumina and a rare earth aluminate compound to stand at a temperature of 1300-1700° C. for 1-120 minutes under vacuum or in an non-oxidative atmosphere under a pressure of 5-100 MPa using a spark plasma sintering apparatus, thereby causing crystal growth to occur to obtain a rare earth aluminate eutectic structure crystal.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2002Date of Patent: July 15, 2003Assignees: Sumitomo Coal Mining Co., Ltd.Inventors: Mamoru Omori, Toshio Hirai, Masao Tokita
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Publication number: 20030111462Abstract: A sintering furnace for sintering an object to be sintered formed of ceramics, fine ceramic materials, etc. to produce a sintered object and a method therefor. An insulating wall (28) and an inner shell (25) define a sintering chamber (16) for sintering an object to be sintered (10). Thermal equilibrium is maintained between the inner shell (25) and the object to be sintered (10), and the object to be sintered (10) is completely pseudo-adiabatically isolated to achieve more uniform and small energy consuming sintering. The thickness of the insulating wall (28) increases gradually from an inlet (20) toward an outlet (21). The object to be sintered (10) is fed by a carriage provided in a sintering furnace from the inlet (20) to the outlet (21) in the sintering chamber (16). Thereby, a temperature distribution corresponding to a plurality of processes can be easily formed in one furnace to sinter continuously the object to be sintered (10) in the furnace.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 24, 2002Publication date: June 19, 2003Inventors: Motoyasu Sato, Sadatsugu Takayama, Masatoshi Mizuno, Seizo Obata, Tadashi Shimada, Toshio Hirai
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Patent number: 6542876Abstract: A method of producing multilayered optical filters by using a genetic algorithm that determines an optimal combination of refractive indexes and thicknesses for each layer of the filter is described. The method generates initial values for the component and places the values within a matrix P, where P=(X1, X2, X3, . . . , Xi, . . . , Xs) and Xi is an elementary matrix that includes the refractive index and thickness of each layer i. The method may generate mutated patterns by increasing or decreasing the thicknesses and refractive indexes of the initial pattern. It may also perform a cross-over process, selecting patterns from grouping of mutated patterns. Alternately, the method may perform a process where selected patterns having optical characteristics closest to the desired characteristics from the initial, mutated or crossover patters are chosen. The genetic algorithm utilizing the above processes repeats until the optical characteristics fall within the desired range.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2000Date of Patent: April 1, 2003Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Toshihiro Kikuchi, Yoshihiro Someno, Toshio Hirai, Yoshiyuki Kawazoe, Hiroshi Mizuseki
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Patent number: 6149346Abstract: A drawing device 4 is mounted in a drawing shaft 3, and pipe replacement device A connected with new pipes is arranged on the side of starting shaft 2, wherein the drawing device 4 and the pipe replacement device A is connected through pull-rods 5 inserted into existing pipes with each other. The pipe replacement device A is comprised of a cutting part 11 including cutter bodies 14 (shanks 14a to 14i) arranged in the axial direction and at angular intervals in the circumferential direction, an expanding part 12 having expanding rollers 18a to 18f, and a connecting part 13. Each cutter body 14 has a plurality of cutting edges, wherein distances between the respective cutting edges and the center of the circle become larger in order from the forward side toward the backward side. While the pipe replacement device A is traveled in the inside of cast iron pipes, the inner wall of cast iron pipes is cut by the cutter bodies 14 to form grooves.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 1998Date of Patent: November 21, 2000Assignees: Toho Gas Co., Ltd., Kabushiki Kaisha IsekikaihatsukohkiInventors: Nobuhisa Takamatsu, Takayuki Kurobe, Toshio Hirai, Toshio Akesaka
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Patent number: 6115180Abstract: Described herein is an optical multilayered-film filter which provides less interference and a good optical characteristic and is high in productivity. The optical multilayered-film filter wherein dielectric thin films are stacked on each other in a multilayer form in a single direction, comprises a refractive-index inclined laminated portion in which refractive indices of dielectric thin-film layers are successively inclined and changed in a laminating direction, and an alternately-laminated portion in which a dielectric thin-film layer having a high refractive index and a dielectric thin-film layer having a low refractive index are alternately laminated on each other.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 1999Date of Patent: September 5, 2000Assignee: ALPS Electric Co., Ltd.Inventors: Toshio Hirai, Hiroshi Masumoto, Xinrong Wang, Yoshihiro Someno
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Patent number: 5586140Abstract: A plasma melting furnace has a melting chamber having an anode torch and a cathode torch made of graphite and having a electric conductor disposed on the bottom thereof. When the furnace is operated, the anode torch, having an inflow of electrons, which forms an unstable plasma arc is contacted with the electric conductor and is not used, while the cathode torch, having an outflow of electrons, which forms a stable plasma arc, is utilized for heating, whereby the furnace can be stably and continuously operated. Thus, since the cathode torch which is used is not heated so much and the anode torch, which is liable to be heated to a great degree, is not used, the electrode consumption rate can be greatly reduced.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 1995Date of Patent: December 17, 1996Assignee: Hitachi Zosen CorporationInventors: Michio Ishida, Tsutomu Kuwahara, Hideo Sato, Yoshitoshi Sekiguchi, Kunio Sasaki, Shiro Sakata, Hiroshi Kosaka, Toshio Hirai
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Patent number: 5439853Abstract: In order to provide a mixed oxide ceramic sintered body having no defect such as void and pore, and high strength, toughness and reliability, a mixed oxide of rare earth oxide-alumina oxide added with silica is fired with a non-oxide mixture of SiC and/or Si.sub.3 N.sub.4. In the production method, the crystal grain size of the sintered body is controlled to not more than 30 .mu.m, and abnormal grain growth and occurrence of pore can be restrained to easily produce a practically usable mixed oxide ceramic sintered body having excellent toughness inherent to oxide sintered body and excellent high-temperature strength inherent to SiC and Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 and uniform structure.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 1993Date of Patent: August 8, 1995Inventors: Mamoru Omori, Toshio Hirai