Patents Examined by Geoffrey S. Evans
  • Patent number: 11014845
    Abstract: Embodiments are directed to systems for laser cutting at least one glass article comprising a pulsed laser assembly and a glass support assembly configured to support the glass article during laser cutting within the pulsed laser assembly, wherein the pulsed laser assembly comprises at least one non-diffracting beam (NDB) forming optical element configured to convert an input beam into a quasi-NDB beam; and at least one beam transforming element configured to convert the quasi-NDB beam into multiple quasi-NDB sub-beams spaced apart a distance of about 1 ?m to about 500 ?m; wherein the pulsed laser assembly is oriented to deliver one or more pulses of multiple quasi-NDB sub-beams onto a surface of the glass article, wherein each pulse of multiple quasi-NDB sub-beams is operable to cut a plurality of perforations in the glass article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Corning Incorporated
    Inventor: James Andrew West
  • Patent number: 11007605
    Abstract: A liquid supply mechanism disposed over a holding unit of laser processing apparatus includes a liquid chamber having a circular-disc-shaped transparent plate positioned to form a gap between the circular-disc-shaped transparent plate and an upper surface of the workpiece held by the holding table, a liquid supply nozzle that supplies a liquid from one side of the liquid chamber to the gap, a liquid discharge nozzle that discharges the liquid from the other side of the liquid chamber, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the circular-disc-shaped transparent plate and generates a flow velocity in the liquid supplied to the gap. The laser beam irradiation unit includes a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam and a condenser that condenses the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator and irradiates the workpiece with the laser beam transmitted through the transparent plate and the liquid supplied to the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keiji Nomaru, Yuji Hadano, Masatoshi Nayuki
  • Patent number: 10987761
    Abstract: A method of creating a burst groove in a burst member is provided. The burst groove following a path, wherein: the groove is created in a plurality of laser scoring stages which are performed in succession to thereby successively increase the depth of the burst groove during each stage; each laser scoring stage involving laser scoring the burst member along at least a portion of the path. The laser scoring in each stage involves laser-energizing a respective region of the burst member with a respective energization width measured perpendicular to the path. In at least one stage the energization width is smaller than the energization width in the immediately preceding stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Elfab Limited
    Inventor: Brian McLeod
  • Patent number: 10987746
    Abstract: A wire electric discharge machining apparatus includes upper and lower wire guide units including wire guides configured to position and guide a wire electrode and a jet nozzle configured to supply a jet flow coaxially with the wire electrode, and a core holding pad having a through-hole passing therethrough in an upward/downward direction, and in which a plurality of protrusion sections having an equal distance from upper surfaces thereof to a lower surface of the workpiece are formed. The core holding pad is disposed on the lower wire guide unit such that the core holding pad approaches the lower surface of the workpiece as closely as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Sodick Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masashi Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 10981244
    Abstract: A welding electrode includes a weld face that has a convex base weld face surface and a plurality of ringed ridges that are radially spaced apart on the base weld face surface and surround a central weld face axis. The plurality of ringed ridges including an innermost ringed ridge and an outermost ringed ridge. The innermost ringed ridge is located closest to the central weld face axis and rises above a central portion of the base weld face surface, and the outermost ringed ridge is located farthest from the central weld face axis and rises above an outer peripheral portion of the base weld face surface. At least one of the plurality of ringed ridges is a discontinuous ringed ridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Hui-ping Wang, David R. Sigler, Blair E. Carlson, Amberlee S. Haselhuhn, Michael J. Karagoulis
  • Patent number: 10974338
    Abstract: In thin sheet welding, when a heat input amount relative to a sheet thickness is too large, a welding defect such as a deviation from aim due to occurrence of a strain or burn through may easily occur. When a welding current is decreased to reduce the heat input amount, there is an issue in which an arc tends to become unstable. In arc welding in which short-circuit and arcing are repeated, first heat input period (Th) and second heat input period (Tc) having a heat input amount less than that of first heat input period (Th) are periodically repeated and a welding current during an arc period in second heat input period (Tc) is decreased to extinguish the arc. This reduces the heat input amount into a welding object and suppresses burn through or a strain upon welding, while making the arc stable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuya Furuyama, Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Junji Fujiwara, Masaru Kowa, Kaito Matsui
  • Patent number: 10974346
    Abstract: According to a laser cutting method, a processed part is laser-cut so that the processed part doesn't drop off from a sheet-shaped workpiece. In the laser cutting method, a cut slit of a pressing protrusion, which is curved due to a laser cutting process along an outline of the processed part and then presses a peripheral surface of the processed part, is preliminarily formed around the processed part to be cut out from the workpiece. Then, the laser cutting process is carried out along the outline of the processed part. The pressing protrusion curves toward the processed part due to the laser cutting process of the processed part, and then the processed part is retained by the pressing protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: AMADA HOLDINGS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yingjun Jin, Hitoshi Omata, Hiroaki Ishiguro, Takuya Okamoto, Hideo Hara, Masato Kunihiro
  • Patent number: 10974348
    Abstract: The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to the design principles for forming a welded joint between two sections of tubing or pipe. The material at the end portion of a first section of tubing to is folded inwardly to create a support surface. This support surface improves the ability to weld light gage material with traditional arc welding and it creates conditions to allow brazing to be as strong as traditional arc welding by using A shaped piece of filler material which is located at the intersection between the support surface of the first section of tubing and a side wall section of the second section of tubing. While holding together the first and second sections of tubing with the filler material, heat is applied at the intersection at a temperature and for a duration sufficient to melt the filler material and form the 3t joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Priefert Mfg. Co, Inc.
    Inventors: William Dean Priefert, Rocky Christenberry, Michael Roberts, Haskell Easley
  • Patent number: 10974494
    Abstract: Laser lift off systems and methods overlap irradiation zones to provide multiple pulses of laser irradiation per location at the interface between layers of material to be separated. To overlap irradiation zones, the laser lift off systems and methods provide stepwise relative movement between a pulsed laser beam and a workpiece. The laser irradiation may be provided by a non-homogeneous laser beam with a smooth spatial distribution of energy across the beam profile. The pulses of laser irradiation from the non-homogenous beam may irradiate the overlapping irradiation zones such that each of the locations at the interface is exposed to different portions of the non-homogeneous beam for each of the multiple pulses of the laser irradiation, thereby resulting in self-homogenization. Thus, the number of the multiple pulses of laser irradiation per location is generally sufficient to provide the self-homogenization and to separate the layers of material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: IPG PHOTONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cristian Porneala, Mathew Hannon, Marco Mendes, Jeffrey P. Sercel
  • Patent number: 10967455
    Abstract: A vehicular differential device includes a differential case, a ring gear, and a welded portion positioned on an abutting surface where the differential case and the ring gear are in contact with each other. The welded portion is configured to join the differential case and the ring gear for integral rotation of the differential case and the ring gear around a rotation axis of the vehicular differential device. The welded portion includes a plurality of welding surfaces positioned at predetermined intervals along a circumferential direction around the rotation axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Osamu Shimizu, Nobuharu Imai, Yuji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10960478
    Abstract: An electric discharge machine is configured to perform electric discharge machining on a workpiece in a working fluid stored in a work-pan. The electric discharge machine includes: a measurement piping coupled to the work-pan and having an air space inside; a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure of the air space; and a working fluid supply portion configured to supply the working fluid to the measurement piping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mizuho Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 10960479
    Abstract: A wire guide device of a wire electrical discharge machine includes a first roller shaft, a first wire guide roller provided at an end of the first roller shaft, a second roller shaft, and a second wire guide roller provided at an end of the second roller shaft and having an end face in an axial direction provided to face an end face of the first wire guide roller in the axial direction. The first wire guide roller and the second wire guide roller have a conical surface and a conical surface with which a wire electrode is in contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiya Matozaki, Rintaro Nagaoka
  • Patent number: 10960481
    Abstract: A method for modifying an aperture in a component, a system for modifying flow through a component, and a turbine component are disclosed. The method includes providing a substrate having at least one aperture having an electrically-conductive surface, providing a deposition device including an ESD torch, the ESD torch including an aperture penetrating electrode including a conductive material, inserting the aperture penetrating electrode at least partially into the aperture, and generating an arc between the aperture penetrating electrode and the electrically-conductive surface to deposit electrode material within the aperture. The system includes the ESD torch removably supported in an electrode holder. The turbine component includes at least one aperture having an electrospark deposited material along an electrically-conductive surface, the electrospark deposited material providing modified fluid flow through the turbine component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Thomas Robert Reid, Jonathan Matthew Lomas, Gary Charles Shubert
  • Patent number: 10960477
    Abstract: A monitoring device for monitoring an operation condition of a machine tool includes: an information acquiring section that acquires event information generated by operation of the machine tool and state information of the machine tool; a judging section that when, after generation of the event information, there has occurred a predetermined change of state of the machine tool corresponding to content indicated by the event information, judges whether or not the content indicated by the event information has been resolved, based on the event information and the state information; and a notifying section that, in the case where when there has occurred the predetermined change of state of the machine tool corresponding to the content indicated by the event information, it has been judged that the content indicated by the event information has not been resolved, re-notifies of the generated event information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masanobu Takemoto, Kaoru Hiraga
  • Patent number: 10960492
    Abstract: A method for the gap-free joining of two workpieces is provided. The method comprises the following steps: a. the workpieces to be joined are brought into contact with one another so that a joining point is formed, b. the joining point is geometrically fixed by means of a film, c. the workpieces are joined in a gap-free manner, wherein the step a. and the step b. can be interchanged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Inventors: Wilfried Behr, Dietrich Faidel
  • Patent number: 10954588
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of alloys which can be particularly advantageous in twin wire arc spray methods for coating of a substrate. In some embodiments, a plurality of alloys can be used to form both hard and soft particles on a surface. In some embodiments, chromium can be minimized or eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Oerlikon Metco (US) Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Lee Cheney, David Jiang
  • Patent number: 10953496
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for introducing a defined tear line via material removal on a cover material (20), which has a visible side (22) and a rear side (21) opposite the visible side (22), wherein a pulsed laser beam (31) from a laser (30) is directed to the rear side (21) of the cover material (20) and is guided along a path (50) and at least one observation unit (11) is provided for monitoring the weakening process, wherein a hollow chamber (32) is provided on the visible side (22) of the cover material (20) which has a scattering and/or reflecting inside surface (33) and at least one observation unit (11) is provided on the hollow chamber (32), wherein the light (40) emerging on the visible side (22) of the cover material (20) during the laser irradiation is incident on the inside surface (33) of the hollow chamber (32) and is scattered and/or reflected at least in part on the at least one observation unit (11) and the light incident on the at least one observation unit (11) is used to control t
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Inventor: Stefan Mauersberger
  • Patent number: 10953485
    Abstract: A welding current source (1) having a housing (10) formed from metallic material, a welding inverter (50), a digital, electronic welding process computation unit (20) and a man-machine interface device (30), wherein the welding process computation unit (20) is set up to actuate the welding inverter (50), wherein the welding process computation unit (20) and the welding inverter (50) are arranged in the housing (10) and the man-machine interface device (30) is mounted on the welding current source (1) outside the housing (10), wherein the welding current source (1) additionally has a digital, electronic man-machine computation unit (40) mounted on the welding current source (1) outside the housing (10), and wherein the man-machine interface device (30) is connected to the man-machine computation unit (40), and wherein the man-machine computation unit (40) and the welding process computation unit (20) are networked to one another via a communication link (60) and form a computer network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Marcel Foh
  • Patent number: 10946484
    Abstract: A laser machining method includes, before laser machining: calculating the amount of focus movement on the basis of a first measurement value measured with the external optical system warmed up and being the amount of energy of a laser beam passing through a small-diameter hole and a first reference value (database D1) predetermined depending on the type of contamination of the external optical system in relation to the first measurement value; and compensating the focus position in laser machining on the basis of the calculated amount of focus movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Izumi
  • Patent number: 10940563
    Abstract: A simultaneous laser welding apparatus of a vehicle light comprising a placement support for a container body and a lenticular body of a vehicle light welded together at reciprocal perimeter profiles, a plurality of laser sources, a plurality of optical fibres associated with the laser sources at input ends for transmitting the light beams, a fibre-holder support device for blocking output ends of the optical fibres in predetermined positions, spaced apart by a pitch, a light guide provided with at least one seat which receives the light beams coming from the output ends of the optical fibres, to a light output wall which sends the light beams towards the welding interface. A single optical fibre is associated with each laser source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: MARELLI AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING ITALY S.P.A.
    Inventors: Silvano Morassi, Igor Di Vora, Melchiade Agostini, Domenico Ferigo, Marco Valle, Cristian Segalla