Patents by Inventor Hironao YAMAJI

Hironao YAMAJI 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: 11428647
    Abstract: There is provided a tubular body inner surface inspection apparatus that detects a defect existing on an inner surface of a tubular body, the apparatus including: a tubular body imaging apparatus including N (N?2) imaging units each including a laser light source that applies laser light, an optical element that reflects laser light applied from the laser light source in a circumferential direction of the inner surface of the tubular body, as annular laser light, an area camera that images a region of the inner surface of the tubular body where the annular laser light is applied, and thereby generates an annular beam image, and a linking member that links together and fixes the laser light source and the area camera, in which the imaging units are linked in series along a tube axial direction of the tubular body in such a manner that positions of the linking members in a plane orthogonal to a tube axis are different from each other; a movement apparatus that moves the tubular body imaging apparatus along the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio Akagi, Hironao Yamaji, Takeo Nakata, Masaki Yamano
  • Publication number: 20210208085
    Abstract: There is provided a tubular body inner surface inspection apparatus that detects a defect existing on an inner surface of a tubular body, the apparatus including: a tubular body imaging apparatus including N (N?2) imaging units each including a laser light source that applies laser light, an optical element that reflects laser light applied from the laser light source in a circumferential direction of the inner surface of the tubular body, as annular laser light, an area camera that images a region of the inner surface of the tubular body where the annular laser light is applied, and thereby generates an annular beam image, and a linking member that links together and fixes the laser light source and the area camera, in which the imaging units are linked in series along a tube axial direction of the tubular body in such a manner that positions of the linking members in a plane orthogonal to a tube axis are different from each other; a movement apparatus that moves the tubular body imaging apparatus along the
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio AKAGI, Hironao YAMAJI, Takeo NAKATA, Masaki YAMANO
  • Publication number: 20210156681
    Abstract: [Object] To inspect the inner surface of a tubular body at higher speed, with higher resolving power, and in a simpler way regardless of the size of the tubular body. [Solution] A tubular body inner surface inspection method for detecting a defect existing on an inner surface of a tubular body includes: a tubular body imaging apparatus including an optical element that reflects laser light applied from a laser light source in a circumferential direction of the inner surface of the tubular body, as annular laser light, an area camera that images a region of the inner surface of the tubular body where the annular laser light is applied, and generates an annular beam image, and a linking member that links together and fixes the laser light source and the area camera; and an arithmetic processing apparatus performing image processing on a plurality of the generated annular beam images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio AKAGI, Hironao YAMAJI, Takeo NAKATA, Masaki YAMANO
  • Patent number: 10295335
    Abstract: [Object] To provide a shape measurement apparatus that, in measuring the unevenness shape of a measurement object by a light-section method, enables the shape of the measurement object to be measured precisely even when the distance between the measurement object and an image capturing apparatus fluctuates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun Umemura, Hironao Yamaji
  • Patent number: 10290113
    Abstract: [Object] To monitor, on a metallic body surface, a region that has a specific hue and a region that does not have the specific hue and has a surface whose roughness varies. [Solution] Included are: a measurement apparatus which includes a line sensor camera which is provided such that an optical axis of the line sensor camera is substantially parallel to a normal direction of a metallic body surface, and first, second, and third illumination light sources each configured to irradiate the metallic body surface with first, second, and third illumination light beams each having a strip shape, the measurement apparatus being configured to measure separately respective reflected light beams of the three illumination light beams that have been emitted; and an arithmetic processing apparatus configured to calculate surface state monitoring information on the basis of luminance values of the reflected light beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio Akagi, Yusuke Konno, Hironao Yamaji, Jun Umemura
  • Publication number: 20180174316
    Abstract: [Object] To monitor, on a metallic body surface, a region that has a specific hue and a region that does not have the specific hue and has a surface whose roughness varies. [Solution] Included are: a measurement apparatus which includes a line sensor camera which is provided such that an optical axis of the line sensor camera is substantially parallel to a normal direction of a metallic body surface, and first, second, and third illumination light sources each configured to irradiate the metallic body surface with first, second, and third illumination light beams each having a strip shape, the measurement apparatus being configured to measure separately respective reflected light beams of the three illumination light beams that have been emitted; and an arithmetic processing apparatus configured to calculate surface state monitoring information on the basis of luminance values of the reflected light beams.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio AKAGI, Yusuke KONNO, Hironao YAMAJI, Jun UMEMURA
  • Patent number: 9970750
    Abstract: [Object] To perform shape inspection of a metallic body in a simple way at higher speed with higher density. [Solution] An apparatus of the present invention includes: a measurement apparatus configured to irradiate a metallic body with at least two illumination light beams, and measure reflected light separately; and an arithmetic processing apparatus configured to calculate information used for shape inspection of the metallic body on the basis of measurement results. The measurement apparatus includes a plurality of illumination light sources configured to emit strip-shaped illumination light having different peak wavelengths, and a plurality of monochrome line sensor cameras that have band-pass filters and are aligned vertically above a surface of the metallic body and set to capture images of the same portion of the metallic body by their respective shift lenses, the number of the monochrome line sensor cameras being the same as the number of the peak wavelengths of the emitted illumination light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio Akagi, Yusuke Konno, Hironao Yamaji, Jun Umemura
  • Publication number: 20180106607
    Abstract: [Object] To provide a shape measurement apparatus that, in measuring the unevenness shape of a measurement object by a light-section method, enables the shape of the measurement object to be measured precisely even when the distance between the measurement object and an image capturing apparatus fluctuates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2016
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun UMEMURA, Hironao YAMAJI
  • Publication number: 20180087898
    Abstract: [Object] To perform shape inspection of a metallic body in a simple way at higher speed with higher density. [Solution] An apparatus of the present invention includes: a measurement apparatus configured to irradiate a metallic body with at least two illumination light beams, and measure reflected light separately; and an arithmetic processing apparatus configured to calculate information used for shape inspection of the metallic body on the basis of measurement results. The measurement apparatus includes a plurality of illumination light sources configured to emit strip-shaped illumination light having different peak wavelengths, and a plurality of monochrome line sensor cameras that have band-pass filters and are aligned vertically above a surface of the metallic body and set to capture images of the same portion of the metallic body by their respective shift lenses, the number of the monochrome line sensor cameras being the same as the number of the peak wavelengths of the emitted illumination light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshio AKAGI, Yusuke KONNO, Hironao YAMAJI, Jun UMEMURA
  • Patent number: 9903710
    Abstract: To inspect the shape of a metallic body further accurately, regardless of surface roughness of the metallic body. A shape inspection apparatus for a metallic body according to the present invention includes: a measurement apparatus configured to irradiate a metallic body with at least two illumination light beams, and measure reflected light of the two illumination light beams from the metallic body separately; and an arithmetic processing apparatus configured to calculate information used for shape inspection of the metallic body on the basis of luminance values of the reflected light. The measurement apparatus includes a first illumination light source and a second illumination light source configured to irradiate the metallic body with strip-shaped illumination light having mutually different peak wavelengths, and a color line sensor camera configured to measure reflected light of first illumination light and reflected light of second illumination light, separately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke Konno, Toshio Akagi, Hironao Yamaji, Jun Umemura
  • Publication number: 20170276476
    Abstract: To inspect the shape of a metallic body further accurately, regardless of surface roughness of the metallic body. A shape inspection apparatus for a metallic body according to the present invention includes: a measurement apparatus configured to irradiate a metallic body with at least two illumination light beams, and measure reflected light of the two illumination light beams from the metallic body separately; and an arithmetic processing apparatus configured to calculate information used for shape inspection of the metallic body on the basis of luminance values of the reflected light. The measurement apparatus includes a first illumination light source and a second illumination light source configured to irradiate the metallic body with strip-shaped illumination light having mutually different peak wavelengths, and a color line sensor camera configured to measure reflected light of first illumination light and reflected light of second illumination light, separately.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2016
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke KONNO, Toshio AKAGI, Hironao YAMAJI, Jun UMEMURA