Patents by Inventor Wataru Niwa

Wataru Niwa 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: 6817997
    Abstract: A laser treatment apparatus for performing treatment on a treatment part of a skin by irradiating the part with a laser beam for treatment is disclosed. The apparatus includes: a window having an optical property of transmitting the treatment beam, the window being brought into contact with the skin for laser irradiation; a window cooling unit; a contact-state detector which detects a contact state of the window with the skin; and a controller which changes a cooling control temperature of the cooling unit from a predetermined first temperature which is previously set higher than 0° C. to a predetermined second temperature lower than the first temperature when the contact-state detector detects that the window is in contact with the skin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Furuno, Wataru Niwa
  • Patent number: 6733492
    Abstract: A laser treatment apparatus which is used to treat an affected part of a patient by irradiating a treatment laser beam to the affected part is disclosed. The apparatus includes a laser irradiation unit provided with a laser irradiation optical system for delivering the laser beam to the affected part; a contact member including a contact face which is brought into contact with at least one of the affected part and a periphery thereof; a cooler which cools down at least the contact face of the contact member; a sensor which detects at least one of a temperature of a periphery of the contact face made contact with the affected part, a temperature of a predetermined portion of at least one of the contact member and the cooler, a contact state of the contact face with respect to the affected part, and a relative substantially horizontal movement of the contact member with respect to the affected part; and an irradiation controller which controls laser irradiation based on a result of detection by the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Ota, Hideo Mukai, Yohei Kamihagi, Wataru Niwa
  • Patent number: 6679877
    Abstract: There is disclosed a laser treatment apparatus including: a handpiece internally including an irradiation optical system for irradiating a laser beam for treatment; a lens disposing unit which can dispose a lens in the irradiation optical system, the lens being selectable from among a plurality of lenses of different types having different focal lengths; and a lens detecting unit which detects the type of the lens disposed in the irradiation optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Ota, Wataru Niwa
  • Patent number: 6621838
    Abstract: A laser treatment apparatus for performing treatments on an affected part by irradiating the affected part with a laser beam for treatment is disclosed. This apparatus includes a laser oscillator, a cooling unit including a fan which cools the laser oscillator, a temperature sensor which directly or indirectly detects a temperature of the laser oscillator, and a control unit which drives the fan at roughly constant low speed when a detected temperature by the temperature sensor is below a predetermined reference value and at roughly constant high speed when the detected temperature is the predetermined reference value or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Naito, Wataru Niwa
  • Publication number: 20020120315
    Abstract: A laser treatment apparatus for performing treatment on a treatment part of a skin by irradiating the part with a laser beam for treatment is disclosed. The apparatus includes: a window having an optical property of transmitting the treatment beam, the window being brought into contact with the skin for laser irradiation; a window cooling unit; a contact-state detector which detects a contact state of the window with the skin; and a controller which changes a cooling control temperature of the cooling unit from a predetermined first temperature which is previously set higher than 0° C. to a predetermined second temperature lower than the first temperature when the contact-state detector detects that the window is in contact with the skin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2002
    Publication date: August 29, 2002
    Applicant: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Furuno, Wataru Niwa
  • Publication number: 20020068926
    Abstract: There is disclosed a laser treatment apparatus including: a handpiece internally including an irradiation optical system for irradiating a laser beam for treatment; a lens disposing unit which can dispose a lens in the irradiation optical system, the lens being selectable from among a plurality of lenses of different types having different focal lengths; and a lens detecting unit which detects the type of the lens disposed in the irradiation optical system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2001
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD
    Inventors: Yasuo Ota, Wataru Niwa
  • Publication number: 20020018497
    Abstract: A laser treatment apparatus for performing treatments on an affected part by irradiating the affected part with a laser beam for treatment is disclosed. This apparatus includes a laser oscillator, a cooling unit including a fan which cools the laser oscillator, a temperature sensor which directly or indirectly detects a temperature of the laser oscillator, and a control unit which drives the fan at roughly constant low speed when a detected temperature by the temperature sensor is below a predetermined reference value and at roughly constant high speed when the detected temperature is the predetermined reference value or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2001
    Publication date: February 14, 2002
    Applicant: NIDEK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Naito, Wataru Niwa
  • Publication number: 20010007068
    Abstract: A laser treatment apparatus which is used to treat an affected part of a patient by irradiating a treatment laser beam to the affected part is disclosed. The apparatus includes a laser irradiation unit provided with a laser irradiation optical system for delivering the laser beam to the affected part; a contact member including a contact face which is brought into contact with at least one of the affected part and a periphery thereof; a cooler which cools down at least the contact face of the contact member; a sensor which detects at least one of a temperature of a periphery of the contact face made contact with the affected part, a temperature of a predetermined portion of at least one of the contact member and the cooler, a contact state of the contact face with respect to the affected part, and a relative substantially horizontal movement of the contact member with respect to the affected part; and an irradiation controller which controls laser irradiation based on a result of detection by the sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2001
    Publication date: July 5, 2001
    Inventors: Yasuo Ota, Hideo Mukai, Yohei Kamihagi, Wataru Niwa