Patents by Inventor Hiroaki Kawai

Hiroaki Kawai 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: 20180229976
    Abstract: Disclosed is a winch control apparatus for a crane, which comprises: a first compensation torque value calculation section which calculates, when a hoisting manipulation being input, based on a difference speed between a detected rotational speed and a target speed according to a manipulation amount of the hoisting manipulation, a first compensation torque value for enabling an electric motor to generate a reverse-rotation-preventing torque which is a torque in a hoisting direction and corresponding to the difference speed; and a second compensation torque value calculation section which calculates, when the hoisting manipulation being input, based on a detected load value, a second compensation torque value for enabling the electric motor to generate a load bearing torque which is a torque in the hoisting direction and necessary for bearing a load of the load value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.), Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki KAWAI, Takashi TOKUYAMA, Toshiaki SHIMODA, Koji INOUE, Tetsuya OGAWA, Shintaroh SASAI
  • Publication number: 20180198335
    Abstract: An axial gap type dynamo-electric machine (1) comprises: a stator (2) provided with a magnetic core (21) and an exciting coil (22); a rotor (3) provided with a plurality of permanent magnets (4) circumferentially arranged around a rotation center axis (AX), the rotor (3) being also provided with a disk-shaped base material (31) for supporting the permanent magnets, the rotor (3) being disposed at an axial distance from the stator (2); and affixation members (5) for affixing the permanent magnets (4) to the base material (31). The permanent magnets (4) are provided with front surfaces facing the stator (2), rear surfaces facing the base material, and engagement-receiving sections (412, 422, 432) formed at peripheral edges of the permanent magnets (4). The affixation members (5) include: engagement sections (512) engaging the engagement-receiving sections; and affixation sections (511) forming mechanical affixation structures relative to the base material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Koji INOUE, Takashi HIEKATA, Hiroaki KAWAI, Shintaro SASAI, Tetsuya OGAWA, Toshiro YAMASHITA, Shingo KASAI, Shumpei HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20170369047
    Abstract: An electric brake system includes at least a pair of braking apparatuses each configured to advance a piston for pressing a frictional member against a rotational member rotatable together with a wheel and configured to press the frictional member against the rotational member with use of an electric mechanism according to a braking request signal and hold a pressing force of the frictional member. The electric brake system further includes a control apparatus configured to control the electric mechanism of each of the brake apparatuses and diagnose the failed state in which an abnormality has occurred in each of the brake apparatuses according to the braking request signal. The control apparatus is configured to, when any one of the brake apparatuses is diagnosed as being in the failed state, prohibit the electric mechanism of the one of the brake apparatuses from operating while the vehicle is running.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2015
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventors: Michiharu OKADA, Shigeyuki UEHARA, Hiroaki KAWAI, Wataru YOKOYAMA
  • Publication number: 20170362067
    Abstract: An electric winch device causes an operative part to perform an operation for hoisting work by winding up or letting out a rope connected to the operative part, the electric winch device including: a winch drum having an axis, provided on the mobile crane to be rotatable about the axis and wound with the rope therearound; a plurality of motors located on one side of the winch drum in an axial direction in which the axis of the winch drum extends, and arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; a gear mechanism which combines torques output from the plurality of motors; and a transmitting part which transmits a resultant of torques combined by the gear mechanism to the winch drum to rotate the winch drum to thereby cause the winch drum to wind up or let out the rope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2015
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (Kobe Steel, Ltd.), KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi HIEKATA, Hiroaki KAWAI, Koji INOUE, Shintaro SASAI, Tetsuya OGAWA, Toshiro YAMASHITA
  • Patent number: 9796564
    Abstract: A crane includes an overload safety device and a identifying unit. The overload safety device includes a maximum-load calculating unit configured to calculate a maximum load that a winch drum is capable of winding up with driving torques output from the remaining electric motors other than a failed electric motor identified by the identifying unit, an updating unit configured to update a set hoisting ability value stored in a storing unit to a value equal to the maximum load, and a control unit configured to cause the remaining electric motors to operate when a value of a load derived by a load deriving unit is equal to or smaller than a latest set hoisting ability value stored in the storing unit and stop the operation of the plurality of electric motors when the value of the load derived by the load deriving unit exceeds the latest set hoisting ability value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignees: Kobe Steel, Ltd., KOBELCO CRANES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kawai, Takashi Hiekata, Koji Inoue, Shintaro Sasai, Toshiro Yamashita, Koichi Shimomura, Tetsuya Ogawa
  • Publication number: 20170237327
    Abstract: In the outer rotor-type axial gap brushless motor of the present invention, each of a plurality of coils provided to a stator is constituted by winding a band-shaped conductor member via an insulating member such that the width direction of the conductor member runs along the axial direction of the coil, and each coil has a through passage which penetrates in the axial direction of the coil and which is included between prescribed turns in a portion of the coil that corresponds to the outer side in the radial direction of the stator relative to a core portion of the coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Kenichi INOUE, Hiroaki KAWAI, Koji INOUE, Takashi HIEKATA, Kazuhide SEKIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20170210606
    Abstract: An electric winch device includes a required braking force estimation section which estimates a required braking force required to stop a free-falling object at a position at an allowable stopping height; a braking force determination section which determines, out of an operational braking force, each of a first braking force to be borne by a braking device and a second braking force to be borne by a braking force which is generated in an electric motor due to consumption of regenerative power; and a control section which causes the braking device to apply the first braking force to a winch drum. The braking force determination section determines the first braking force to be a braking force equal to or greater than the required braking force when, at a time of stopping of the free-falling object, the operational braking force is equal to or greater than the required braking force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2015
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (Kobe Steel, Ltd.), KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki KAWAI, Takashi HIEKATA, Shintaro SASAI, Naoto HORI, Toshiro YAMASHITA, Koichi SHIMOMURA
  • Publication number: 20170180867
    Abstract: In a speaker damper, art sections are disposed on warp reference lines and warp reference lines. Straight sections are disposed so as to intersect intermediate reference lines at right angles. By adopting this configuration, wave parts can be adjusted so that they are less likely to expand/contract on the warp reference lines and the warp reference lines in comparison with related-art concentric circular wave parts. Further, the wave parts can be adjusted so that they are more likely to expand/contract on the intermediate reference lines. In this way, the speaker damper can perform uniform vibrating motions throughout the entire speaker damper with a simple configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventors: Hiroaki KAWAI, Akira SHIGETA, Satoshi TOMIZAWA
  • Publication number: 20170066634
    Abstract: Provided is a braking apparatus for braking of an electric winch of a construction machine, ensuring safe braking with much regeneration. The apparatus includes a regenerative-power generation unit, a regenerative-power receiving unit, a braking device for mechanical braking separately from the regenerative-power generation unit, and a braking control unit including a necessary-braking-capacity calculation section, a regeneration-capacity calculation section calculating a regeneration capacity, and a command section. The command section, when the regeneration capacity is not less than a necessary braking capacity, performs braking with only a regenerative action while not operating the braking device and, when the regeneration capacity is less than the necessary braking capacity, calculates an auxiliary braking force equivalent to a difference between the necessary braking capacity and the regeneration capacity and brings the braking device into braking action with the auxiliary braking force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.), KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki KAWAI, Takashi Hiekata, Shintaro Sasai, Toshiro Yamashita
  • Publication number: 20170043983
    Abstract: An electric winch device including an electric motor that rotates a winch drum in a hoisting direction, and generates regenerative electric power when a rotation of the winch drum in a lowering direction is transmitted to the electric motor, a transmission device that transmits the rotation between the electric motor and the winch drum, a power calculating section that calculates power of the target object by freefall, and a control section that controls an operation of the transmission device. When the power calculated by the power calculating section exceeds reference electric power, the control section causes the transmission device to change the transmission rate of the rotation to a transmission rate at which the regenerative electric power generated by the electric motor is equal to or smaller than the reference electric power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2015
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Applicants: KABUSHIKI KAISHA KOBE SEIKO SHO (Kobe Steel, Ltd.), KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi HIEKATA, Hiroaki KAWAI, Toshiro YAMASHITA, Shintaro SASAI, Naoto HORI, Koichi SHIMORURA
  • Publication number: 20160289054
    Abstract: Provided is an electric winch device including: an electric motor; a winch drum; a brake; an operation lever; and a controller. The controller includes: a first torque derivation unit which derives a value of a first torque applied to the winch drum due to a load of an object; a second torque derivation unit which derives a value of a second torque generated in the winch drum by a drive torque of the electric motor; and a brake control unit which determines a timing for releasing a braking action on the winch drum after the operation lever has been operated, on the basis of a differential between the second torque value and the first torque value, and which causes the brake to release the braking action on the winch drum by transmitting, to the brake, a control signal instructing release of the braking action on the winch drum at the determined timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.), KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi HIEKATA, Hiroaki KAWAI, Toshiro YAMASHITA, Shintaro SASAI, Naoto HORI, Koichi SHIMOMURA
  • Publication number: 20160257534
    Abstract: A crane includes an overload safety device and a identifying unit. The overload safety device includes a maximum-load calculating unit configured to calculate a maximum load that a winch drum is capable of winding up with driving torques output from the remaining electric motors other than a failed electric motor identified by the identifying unit, an updating unit configured to update a set hoisting ability value stored in a storing unit to a value equal to the maximum load, and a control unit configured to cause the remaining electric motors to operate when a value of a load derived by a load deriving unit is equal to or smaller than a latest set hoisting ability value stored in the storing unit and stop the operation of the plurality of electric motors when the value of the load derived by the load deriving unit exceeds the latest set hoisting ability value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.), KOBELCO CRANES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki KAWAI, Takashi HIEKATA, Koji INOUE, Shintaro SASAI, Toshiro YAMASHITA, Koichi SHIMOMURA, Tetsuya OGAWA
  • Patent number: 9030165
    Abstract: An operating machine includes: a charging time estimation unit that estimates a first estimated charging time required to restore a capacity of a first battery from a first estimated residual capacity to a target capacity value of the first battery and a second estimated charging time required to restore a capacity of a second battery from a second estimated residual capacity to a target capacity value of the second battery; a capacity management implementation unit that implements capacity management on the first battery and the second battery such that the first battery is charged for the first estimated charging time and the second battery is charged for the second estimated charging time; and a discharge amount limitation unit for limiting a discharge amount of the second battery during an idling stop so that a residual capacity of the second battery after discharge is maintained at or above a set value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Kobelco Cranes Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kawai, Koichi Shimomura, Hideaki Ishihara, Shintaro Sasai
  • Patent number: 8511490
    Abstract: A slewing stop control apparatus and method, capable of executing, while performing the control of determining the target slewing velocity based on a remaining slewing angle from the actual slewing motion position up to the slewing stop angular position, an automatic control of re-slewing the slewing structure having been stopped before the slewing stop angular position. The apparatus executes slewing angular velocity control for deciding the slewing braking start timing to stop the stewing structure at a slewing stop angular position in accordance with a predetermined slewing deceleration and the subsequent target slewing angular velocity, based on the remaining slewing angle of the slewing structure. When the slewing structure stops before the slewing stop angular position due to disturbance despite the foregoing control, the target slewing angular velocity is corrected to be increased for generating slewing torque to restart the slewing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignees: Kobe Steel, Ltd., Kobelco Cranes Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kawai, Akira Tsutsui, Koichi Shimomura
  • Patent number: 8505292
    Abstract: Provided is a braking control apparatus for a slewing type working machine capable of giving a braking operation easily intuitively grasped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignees: Kobe Steel, Ltd., Kobelco Cranes Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Tsutsui, Hiroaki Kawai, Takahiro Kobayashi, Koichi Shimomura
  • Publication number: 20130082517
    Abstract: An operating machine includes: a charging time estimation unit that estimates a first estimated charging time required to restore a capacity of a first battery from a first estimated residual capacity to a target capacity value of the first battery and a second estimated charging time required to restore a capacity of a second battery from a second estimated residual capacity to a target capacity value of the second battery; a capacity management implementation unit that implements capacity management on the first battery and the second battery such that the first battery is charged for the first estimated charging time and the second battery is charged for the second estimated charging time; and a discharge amount limitation unit for limiting a discharge amount of the second battery during an idling stop so that a residual capacity of the second battery after discharge is maintained at or above a set value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: KOBELCO CRANES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroaki KAWAI, Koichi Shimomura, Hideaki Ishihara, Shintaro Sasai
  • Publication number: 20100263364
    Abstract: Provided is a braking control apparatus for a slewing type working machine capable of giving a braking operation easily intuitively grasped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.), Kobelco Cranes Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Tsutsui, Hiroaki Kawai, Takahiro Kobayashi, Koichi Shimomura
  • Publication number: 20100264106
    Abstract: This invention provides a slewing stop control apparatus and method, capable of executing, while performing the control of determining the target slewing velocity based on a remaining slewing angle from the actual slewing motion position up to the slewing stop angular position, an automatic control of re-slewing the slewing structure having been stopped before the slewing stop angular position due to disturbance to move it to the slewing stop angular position without inconvenience. The apparatus executes slewing angular velocity control for deciding the slewing braking start timing to stop the slewing structure at a slewing stop angular position in accordance with a predetermined slewing deceleration and the subsequent target slewing angular velocity, based on the remaining slewing angle of the slewing structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel Ltd.), Kobelco Cranes Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki KAWAI, Akira TSUTSUI, Koichi SHIMOMURA
  • Patent number: 7077320
    Abstract: The apparatus has an optical unit for optically reading the article barcode provided to the article. The controller sets operation standard as the reference for occurrence of barcode reading errors, on the basis of individual operator setting information depending on personal features (rhythm, habitual manner, etc.) of operators engaged in operation of reading barcodes. The controller also monitors whether the operation relating to the operator conforms to the operation standard or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Hiroaki Kawai
  • Patent number: 6964375
    Abstract: The apparatus has an optical unit for optically reading the article barcode provided to the article. The controller sets operation standard as the reference for occurrence of barcode reading errors, on the basis of individual operator setting information depending on personal features (rhythm, habitual manner, etc.) of operators engaged in operation of reading barcodes. The controller also monitors whether the operation relating to the operator conforms to the operation standard or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Hiroaki Kawai