Patents by Inventor Hirotaro Tada

Hirotaro Tada 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: 11313806
    Abstract: A defect image including a defect and a defect-free image not including a defect for an article different from an inspection article are acquired to teach an identifier when inspecting for a defect in the inspection article. The identifier that has learned the images is made to identify whether an extracted inspection image obtained by segmenting the inspection image of the inspection article includes the defect and the identification results of the identifier are used to determine whether a defect is present in the inspection article. When teaching the identifier the defect, the identifier is provided with, as learning images, a plurality of extracted defect images generated from the defect image by changing an extracting region for extraction from the defect image such that the defect in the defect image is at a different position in each of the plurality of extracted defect images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Inventors: Hirotaro Tada, Akihiko Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11192319
    Abstract: When manufacturing a plurality of strip members by cutting a belt-like member along a length direction thereof, the belt-like member having embedded therein a plurality of reinforcement cords arranged parallel to each other, and a weft thread that intersects the reinforcement cords, a captured image showing images of at least the reinforcement cords in a cross section of one end of the belt-like member in the length direction is used to detect the position of the image of each of the reinforcement cords (RC). The number of the actual reinforcement cord (RC) to which each of the images of the reinforcement cords (RC) corresponds is determined on the basis of an interval between the images of the detected adjacent reinforcement cords (RC) in the image and an average cord interval, and a cutting position (Xa) is set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Inventor: Hirotaro Tada
  • Publication number: 20200173933
    Abstract: A defect image including a defect and a defect-free image not including a defect for an article different from an inspection article are acquired to teach an identifier when inspecting for a defect in the inspection article. The identifier that has learned the images is made to identify whether an extracted inspection image obtained by segmenting the inspection image of the inspection article includes the defect and the identification results of the identifier are used to determine whether a defect is present in the inspection article. When teaching the identifier the defect, the identifier is provided with, as learning images, a plurality of extracted defect images generated from the defect image by changing an extracting region for extraction from the defect image such that the defect in the defect image is at a different position in each of the plurality of extracted defect images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Hirotaro Tada, Akihiko Sugiura
  • Patent number: 10451408
    Abstract: A method for inspecting engravings in a tire mold includes inputting in advance into a data processing device two-dimensional image master data of an engraving formed on a surface of a side plate in a plan view using basic data set as a reference, the image master data having a radial component and a radial position of the engraving corrected on the basis of a locus length in a radial direction of the surface of the side plate; generating two-dimensional image actual measurement data, the image actual measurement data having a radial component and a radial position of three-dimensional data acquired via actual measurement corrected on the basis of a radial locus length of a surface of a side plate on which actual measurement was performed; and determining whether or not an image shape and an image position of the image actual measurement data is within a tolerable range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsunori Tanaka, Hirotaro Tada, Shonosuke Motomiya
  • Patent number: 10183455
    Abstract: (N+1) band-like cut members are manufactured by cutting a band-like member N times along the length direction of the reinforcing cords. At such time, cutting positions are set at locations in the width direction of the band-like member from a first end toward a second end, and cuts are made in the band-like member on the basis of the cutting positions. Setting the cutting positions includes: a step A in which cutting positions of the band-like member are set M times (where M is a natural number less than N) for every fixed first number of reinforcing cords; and a step B in which a second number of the reinforcing cords is set within an allowable number range, and the cutting positions are set at (N?M) locations using the second number such that band-like cut members having the second number of reinforcing cords are continuously produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Hirotaro Tada
  • Patent number: 9953409
    Abstract: A tire inspection method includes: capturing a transmission image of a tire including a steel chafer at a bead portion; generating an image at an inspection device from the captured image of a full revolution of the tire with the steel chafer portions extracted using a spatial filter generated in accordance with an incline of the wires of the steel chafer; detecting a locus of a front side edge and a back side edge of the steel chafer; generating an image from the captured image with the steel chafer portions removed; detecting a locus of a turned-up edge of a carcass from this image; and determining at the inspection device the position of the carcass to be appropriate or not on the basis of the locus of the turned-up edge of the carcass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventor: Hirotaro Tada
  • Patent number: 9815248
    Abstract: From three-dimensional numerical data of surface irregularities of a tire inner surface in a tire of a construction where a sheet member is disposed on the tire circumference, a tire inner surface image is formed for which height direction data of the surface irregularities of the tire inner surface are expressed as pixel gradation values, and the tire circumferential direction and the tire width direction on the tire inner surface correspond to either of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the image. A surface irregularity enhanced image is generated by subjecting this tire inner surface image to spatial frequency processing using a low-pass filter for the tire width direction and a band-pass filter for the tire circumferential direction. A determination is made of whether a recessed region exists which indicates a bonding defect of the end portions of the sheet member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaro Tada, Masamichi Oyama
  • Publication number: 20170274608
    Abstract: (N+1) band-like cut members are manufactured by cutting a band-like member N times along the length direction of the reinforcing cords. At such time, cutting positions are set at locations in the width direction of the band-like member from a first end toward a second end, and cuts are made in the band-like member on the basis of the cutting positions. Setting the cutting positions includes: a step A in which cutting positions of the band-like member are set M times (where M is a natural number less than N) for every fixed first number of reinforcing cords; and a step B in which a second number of the reinforcing cords is set within an allowable number range, and the cutting positions are set at (N?M) locations using the second number such that band-like cut members having the second number of reinforcing cords are continuously produced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Publication date: September 28, 2017
    Inventor: Hirotaro Tada
  • Patent number: 9741109
    Abstract: An imaging device inserted into an opening of a tire includes a light source, a mirror, and a camera and is configured so that the mirror revolves around a rotation shaft while an orientation of a surface of the mirror changes. The mirror is set in an imaging position by being revolved around the rotation shaft to be inserted into a tire cavity region. The tread inner surface of the tire is scanned with slit light by being irradiated with the slit light. During the scanning with the slit light, a line irradiation region on the tread inner surface formed through the irradiation of the slit light is imaged via the mirror by the camera from a direction tilted with respect to the tire circumferential direction, and image data is output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: The Yokohama Rubber Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaro Tada, Masamichi Oyama, Tsutomu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20170030709
    Abstract: A method for inspecting engravings in a tire mold includes inputting in advance into a data processing device two-dimensional image master data of an engraving formed on a surface of a side plate in a plan view using basic data set as a reference, the image master data having a radial component and a radial position of the engraving corrected on the basis of a locus length in a radial direction of the surface of the side plate; generating two-dimensional image actual measurement data, the image actual measurement data having a radial component and a radial position of three-dimensional data acquired via actual measurement corrected on the basis of a radial locus length of a surface of a side plate on which actual measurement was performed; and determining whether or not an image shape and an image position of the image actual measurement data is within a tolerable range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Inventors: Tatsunori Tanaka, Hirotaro Tada, Shonosuke Motomiya
  • Publication number: 20170024873
    Abstract: An imaging device inserted into an opening of a tire includes a light source, a mirror, and a camera and is configured so that the mirror revolves around a rotation shaft while an orientation of a surface of the mirror changes. The mirror is set in an imaging position by being revolved around the rotation shaft to be inserted into a tire cavity region. The tread inner surface of the tire is scanned with slit light by being irradiated with the slit light. During the scanning with the slit light, a line irradiation region on the tread inner surface formed through the irradiation of the slit light is imaged via the mirror by the camera from a direction tilted with respect to the tire circumferential direction, and image data is output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Hirotaro Tada, Masamichi Oyama, Tsutomu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20160339658
    Abstract: From three-dimensional numerical data of surface irregularities of a tire inner surface in a tire of a construction where a sheet member is disposed on the tire circumference, a tire inner surface image is formed for which height direction data of the surface irregularities of the tire inner surface are expressed as pixel gradation values, and the tire circumferential direction and the tire width direction on the tire inner surface correspond to either of the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the image. A surface irregularity enhanced image is generated by subjecting this tire inner surface image to spatial frequency processing using a low-pass filter for the tire width direction and a band-pass filter for the tire circumferential direction. A determination is made of whether a recessed region exists which indicates a bonding defect of the end portions of the sheet member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventors: Hirotaro Tada, Masamichi Oyama
  • Publication number: 20160307313
    Abstract: A tire inspection method includes: capturing a transmission image of a tire including a steel chafer at a bead portion; generating an image at an inspection device from the captured image of a full revolution of the tire with the steel chafer portions extracted using a spatial filter generated in accordance with an incline of the wires of the steel chafer; detecting a locus of a front side edge and a back side edge of the steel chafer; generating an image from the captured image with the steel chafer portions removed; detecting a locus of a turned-up edge of a carcass from this image; and determining at the inspection device the position of the carcass to be appropriate or not on the basis of the locus of the turned-up edge of the carcass.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2014
    Publication date: October 20, 2016
    Inventor: Hirotaro Tada
  • Publication number: 20160297159
    Abstract: When manufacturing a plurality of strip members by cutting a belt-like member along a length direction thereof, the belt-like member having embedded therein a plurality of reinforcement cords arranged parallel to each other, and a weft thread provided so as to intersect the reinforcement cords, a captured image showing images of at least the reinforcement cords in a cross section of one end of the belt-like member in the length direction is used to detect the position of the image of each of the reinforcement cords (RC). The number of the actual reinforcement cord (RC) to which each of the images of the reinforcement cords (RC) corresponds is determined on the basis of an interval between the images of the detected adjacent reinforcement cords (RC) in the image and an average cord interval, and a cutting position (Xa) is set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: October 13, 2016
    Inventor: Hirotaro Tada