Patents by Inventor Akira Torao

Akira Torao 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: 7619750
    Abstract: To precisely measure bead cutting shapes of electric resistance welded pipes without being affected by difference in luminance level between cut and uncut portions in optical cutting images, an image is obtained by overlaying an optical cutting image with the optical cutting image subjected to thinning processing. A profile of the welded pipe is approximated with a quadratic function and a region containing the bead apex coordinates is identified as the bead. Shape data of the pipe surface at the portion corresponding to the bead portion is obtained from the preset left and right boundaries of the bead portion and the apex position of the separately-calculated bead portion, and bead width, height, slope angle, and unevenness at the left and right boundaries between the bead portion and base pipe portion, are each calculated, based on the left and right bead shape approximation functions and base pipe shape approximation function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: JFE Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kodama, Taira Suzuki, Akira Torao, Yasumasa Tekemura, Takatoshi Okabe
  • Patent number: 7471400
    Abstract: To precisely measure bead cutting shapes of electric resistance welded pipes without being affected by difference in luminance level between cut and uncut portions in optical cutting images, an image is obtained by overlaying an optical cutting image with the optical cutting image subjected to thinning processing. A profile of the welded pipe is approximated with a quadratic function and a region containing the bead apex coordinates is identified as the bead. Shape data of the pipe surface at the portion corresponding to the bead portion is obtained from the preset left and right boundaries of the bead portion and the apex position of the separately-calculated bead portion, and bead width, height, slope angle, and unevenness at the left and right boundaries between the bead portion and base pipe portion, are each calculated, based on the left and right bead shape approximation functions and base pipe shape approximation function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2008
    Assignee: JFE Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kodama, Taira Suzuki, Akira Torao, Yasumasa Tekemura, Takatoshi Okabe
  • Publication number: 20080218768
    Abstract: To precisely measure bead cutting shapes of electric resistance welded pipes without being affected by difference in luminance level between cut and uncut portions in optical cutting images, an image is obtained by overlaying an optical cutting image with the optical cutting image subjected to thinning processing. A profile of the welded pipe is approximated with a quadratic function and a region containing the bead apex coordinates is identified as the bead. Shape data of the pipe surface at the portion corresponding to the bead portion is obtained from the preset left and right boundaries of the bead portion and the apex position of the separately-calculated bead portion, and bead width, height, slope angle, and unevenness at the left and right boundaries between the bead portion and base pipe portion, are each calculated, based on the left and right bead shape approximation functions and base pipe shape approximation function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2008
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kodama, Taira Suzuki, Akira Torao, Yasumasa Tekemura, Takatoshi Okabe
  • Publication number: 20080105731
    Abstract: To precisely measure bead cutting shapes of electric resistance welded pipes without being affected by difference in luminance level between cut and uncut portions in optical cutting images, an image is obtained by overlaying an optical cutting image with the optical cutting image subjected to thinning processing. A profile of the welded pipe is approximated with a quadratic function and a region containing the bead apex coordinates is identified as the bead. Shape data of the pipe surface at the portion corresponding to the bead portion is obtained from the preset left and right boundaries of the bead portion and the apex position of the separately-calculated bead portion, and bead width, height, slope angle, and unevenness at the left and right boundaries between the bead portion and base pipe portion, are each calculated, based on the left and right bead shape approximation functions and base pipe shape approximation function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2007
    Publication date: May 8, 2008
    Applicant: JFE STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kodama, Taira Suzuki, Akira Torao, Yasumasa Tekemura, Takatoshi Okabe
  • Patent number: 7236255
    Abstract: To precisely measure bead cutting shapes of electric resistance welded pipes without being affected by difference in luminance level between cut and uncut portions in optical cutting images, an image is obtained by overlaying an optical cutting image with the optical cutting image subjected to thinning processing. A profile of the welded pipe is approximated with a quadratic function and a region containing the bead apex coordinates is identified as the bead. Shape data of the pipe surface at the portion corresponding to the bead portion is obtained from the preset left and right boundaries of the bead portion and the apex position of the separately-calculated bead portion, and bead width, height, slope angle, and unevenness at the left and right boundaries between the bead portion and base pipe portion, are each calculated, based on the left and right bead shape approximation functions and base pipe shape approximation function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: JFE Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kodama, Taira Suzuki, Akira Torao, Yasumasa Tekemura, Takatoshi Okabe
  • Publication number: 20050147289
    Abstract: To precisely measure bead cutting shapes of electric resistance welded pipes without being affected by difference in luminance level between cut and uncut portions in optical cutting images, an image is obtained by overlaying an optical cutting image with the optical cutting image subjected to thinning processing. A profile of the welded pipe is approximated with a quadratic function and a region containing the bead apex coordinates is identified as the bead. Shape data of the pipe surface at the portion corresponding to the bead portion is obtained from the preset left and right boundaries of the bead portion and the apex position of the separately-calculated bead portion, and bead width, height, slope angle, and unevenness at the left and right boundaries between the bead portion and base pipe portion, are each calculated, based on the left and right bead shape approximation functions and base pipe shape approximation function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2003
    Publication date: July 7, 2005
    Applicant: JFE STEEL COROPORATION
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kodama, Taira Suzuki, Akira Torao, Yasumasa Tekemura, Takatoshi Okabe
  • Patent number: 6474163
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for ultrasonic flaw detection of line focus type suitable for detection of flaws in nonmetallic materials included in an object. Ultrasonic transmitter and receiver elements of line focus type are opposed at a distance (L) with an object under test placed between them, and a maximum ultrasonic echo is obtained at a distance Lp expressed by: Lp=0.75(FT+FR)−{(CS/CW)−1}t where FT (mm) is the focal length in the medium of the ultrasonic transmitter element of line focus type, FR (mm) is the focal length in the medium of the ultrasonic receiver element line focus type, CS (m/sec) is the speed of ultrasound in an object under test, CW (m/sec) is the speed of ultrasound in the medium, and t (mm) is the thickness of the object under test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Kawasaki Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Hajime Takada, Akira Torao, Ikuo Yarita
  • Patent number: 6463775
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for detecting chattering of a cold rolling mill rapidly and accurately, which occurs during cold rolling of a steel strips. The occurrence of the chattering is detected by a plurality of acoustic parameters derived from a sound measured in the vicinity of the cold rolling mill during the rolling. The acoustic parameters are the frequency range characteristic of the occurrence of the chattering, the acoustic intensities in the frequency bands which are n-th harmonics, the peak frequency of the acoustic frequency component distribution, the resonance factor, the peak intensity, and the like. A plurality of parameters may be provided by measuring and calculating the same parameter with different timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Kawasaki Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Toshifumi Kodama, Akira Torao
  • Patent number: 4841611
    Abstract: A work roll has a regularly and geometrically patterned uneven dulled section on the roll surface. Eavh uneven dulled section is composed of a crest and concavity and is of crater-like configuration. In order to obtain good performance in temper rolling, the crest is in a form of an annular ring extending around the edge of the concavity. According to the invention, pattern of arrangement of the uneven dulled sections is determined in relation to the diameter of the ring-shaped crests of the uneven dulled section so as to obtain optimum performance in producing good quality, exhibiting substantially high image clarify as coated by paint, enamel or so forth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1989
    Assignee: Kawasaki Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Kusaba, Hideo Abe, Akira Torao, Kusuo Furukawa, Takayuki Yanagimoto, Hiroaki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 4734766
    Abstract: A seam locating system includes a laser beam scanning means for scanning a laser beam through a plurality of circumferentially aligned scanning points. The system includes means for forming a pattern image of reflected laser beam at each scanning points and means for forming a single-frame video image of the pattern image for each scanning point. A video signal processing circuit selects one or more scanning lines suitable for locating irregularities in the angle of reflection of the laser beam, for locating the scanning line in each frame with the maximum width over which the luminosity of the video signal is higher than a given threshold, for deriving a threshold value to be compared with the maximum width of each frame and for deriving the center position of the seam based on the comparison of the maximum width of each frame and the threshold value and the address of each frame, which address is indicative of the circumferential position of the corresponding scanning point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1988
    Assignee: Kawasaki Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Motoji Shiozumi, Yuichiro Asano, Akira Torao
  • Patent number: 4708882
    Abstract: In one aspect of the invention, the sample surface is wetted with an aqueous solution of a fluorescent dye followed by rinses with water to remove an excessive amount of the dye so that the background fluorescence emission can be minimized to increase the efficiency of fingerprint detection. In another aspect, the fluorescent dye or a reagent to produce fluorescent substance is deposited on the sample surface by attaching a gelatin film impregnated with a solution thereof followed by peeling. In a further different aspect, a powdery fluorescent dye is deposited on to the sample surface followed by spraying of water after removing an excessive amount of the powdery dye so that the background fluorescence can be minimized. The invention also provides an apparatus for the fingerprint detection by the laser beam excitation of fluorescence, which is compact and portable as being composed of an ingenious combination of several units into an integral system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1987
    Assignee: Kawasaki Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Yuichiro Asano, Yoshihisa Kono, Takayuki Yanagimoto, Motoji Shiozumi, Kunio Takahashi, Akira Torao, Susumu Moriya, Atsushi Momose