Patents by Inventor Akihito NAKAZAKI

Akihito NAKAZAKI 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).

  • Publication number: 20220146254
    Abstract: To reliably measure a surface of an object to be measured having a wide width.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuhiro HIBI, Yusuke KONNO, Nobuhiro FURUYA, Akihito NAKAZAKI
  • Patent number: 10605591
    Abstract: A shape measurement apparatus includes: a linear light source that includes a superluminescent diode and applies linear light spreading in a width direction of the strip-shaped body to a surface of the strip-shaped body; a screen on which reflected light of the linear light off the surface of the strip-shaped body is projected; an area camera that captures an image of the reflected light of the linear light projected on the screen; and an arithmetic processing apparatus that calculates the surface shape of the strip-shaped body using the captured image of the reflected light of the linear light captured by the area camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke Konno, Takamichi Kobayashi, Toshio Akagi, Atsuhiro Hibi, Nobuhiro Furuya, Akihito Nakazaki
  • Patent number: 10527410
    Abstract: [Object] To provide a shape measurement apparatus that is capable of detecting minute roughness irregularity at high speed across the entire width on the entire surface of a measurement object. [Solution] Provided is a shape measurement apparatus including: a light source configured to irradiate a surface of a moving strip-shaped body with linear light diagonally from an upstream side in a movement direction of the strip-shaped body; a screen configured such that reflected light of the linear light on the surface of the strip-shaped body is projected on the screen; an imaging unit configured to image the reflected light of the linear light projected on the screen; and an arithmetic processing unit configured to acquire surface roughness distribution of the strip-shaped body on the basis of width distribution of a light strip of the reflected light of the linear light projected on the screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio Akagi, Yusuke Konno, Atsuhiro Hibi, Nobuhiro Furuya, Takayuki Sonoda, Akihito Nakazaki
  • Patent number: 10281408
    Abstract: An inspection object imaging apparatus includes: a light source configured to produce a light beam belonging to an infrared wavelength band and having a predetermined spread half-angle on a surface of an inspection object; a projection optical system to project the light beam on the surface of the inspection object at a predetermined projection angle; and an imaging unit. The imaging unit includes an imaging optical system configured to condense reflected light and branch the reflected light to two different directions, and a first image sensor and a second image sensor, the first image sensor positioned on the inspection object side with respect to a position of the imaging optical system that is conjugate with the surface of the inspection object, along an optical axis of the reflected light, and the second image sensor positioned on the reflected-light travel direction side with respect to the conjugate position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke Konno, Takamichi Kobayashi, Toshio Akagi, Atsuhiro Hibi, Nobuhiro Furuya, Akihito Nakazaki
  • Patent number: 10247544
    Abstract: [Object] To provide a shape measurement apparatus that is capable of measuring the amount of warpage in the width direction of a strip-shaped body with higher sensitivity. [Solution] Provided is a shape measurement apparatus including: a light source configured to irradiate a surface of a moving strip-shaped body with linear light at a prescribed angle of incidence; a screen configured such that reflected light of the linear light on the surface of the strip-shaped body is projected on the screen; an imaging unit configured to image the reflected light of the linear light projected on the screen; and an arithmetic processing unit configured to acquire the amount of warpage in a width direction of the strip-shaped body on the basis of a line length of the reflected light of the linear light imaged by the imaging unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuhiro Hibi, Yusuke Konno, Toshio Akagi, Nobuhiro Furuya, Tomohiro Kuroiwa, Akihito Nakazaki
  • Publication number: 20180292203
    Abstract: [Object] To provide a shape measurement apparatus that is capable of detecting minute roughness irregularity at high speed across the entire width on the entire surface of a measurement object. [Solution] Provided is a shape measurement apparatus including: a light source configured to irradiate a surface of a moving strip-shaped body with linear light diagonally from an upstream side in a movement direction of the strip-shaped body; a screen configured such that reflected light of the linear light on the surface of the strip-shaped body is projected on the screen; an imaging unit configured to image the reflected light of the linear light projected on the screen; and an arithmetic processing unit configured to acquire surface roughness distribution of the strip-shaped body on the basis of width distribution of a light strip of the reflected light of the linear light projected on the screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio AKAGI, Yusuke KONNO, Atsuhiro HIBI, Nobuhiro FURUYA, Takayuki SONODA, Akihito NAKAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20180283850
    Abstract: [Object] To provide a shape measurement apparatus that is capable of measuring the amount of warpage in the width direction of a strip-shaped body with higher sensitivity. [Solution] Provided is a shape measurement apparatus including: a light source configured to irradiate a surface of a moving strip-shaped body with linear light at a prescribed angle of incidence; a screen configured such that reflected light of the linear light on the surface of the strip-shaped body is projected on the screen; an imaging unit configured to image the reflected light of the linear light projected on the screen; and an arithmetic processing unit configured to acquire the amount of warpage in a width direction of the strip-shaped body on the basis of a line length of the reflected light of the linear light imaged by the imaging unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuhiro HIBI, Yusuke KONNO, Toshio AKAGI, Nobuhiro FURUYA, Tomohiro KUROIWA, Akihito NAKAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20180202941
    Abstract: [Object] To find, with high sensitivity, an unevenness defect or the like that has occurred on the surface of an inspection object having a surface roughness comparable to wavelengths of visible light and is comparable to several times the surface roughness, and accurately distinguish between dirt and an unevenness flaw present on the surface of the inspection object, and also enable a reduction in the size of an apparatus. [Solution] An inspection object imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes: a light source configured to produce a light beam belonging to an infrared wavelength band and having a predetermined spread half-angle on a surface of an inspection object; a projection optical system configured to project the light beam on the surface of the inspection object at a predetermined projection angle; and an imaging unit configured to image reflected light from the surface of the inspection object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke KONNO, Takamichi KOBAYASHI, Toshio AKAGI, Atsuhiro HIBI, Nobuhiro FURUYA, Akihito NAKAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20180180405
    Abstract: [Object] To measure a surface shape of a strip-shaped body made of a metallic body at higher speed with higher precision while suppressing occurrence of speckle noise. [Solution] A shape measurement apparatus according to the present invention includes: a linear light source that includes a superluminescent diode and applies linear light spreading in a width direction of the strip-shaped body to a surface of the strip-shaped body; a screen on which reflected light of the linear light off the surface of the strip-shaped body is projected; an area camera that captures an image of the reflected light of the linear light projected on the screen; and an arithmetic processing apparatus that calculates the surface shape of the strip-shaped body using the captured image of the reflected light of the linear light captured by the area camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke KONNO, Takamichi KOBAYASHI, Toshio AKAGI, Atsuhiro HIBI, Nobuhiro FURUYA, Akihito NAKAZAKI