Patents by Inventor Ichio Ichikawa

Ichio Ichikawa 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: 8533018
    Abstract: To predict the service life of a construction machine more accurately, and to make it possible to draw up an appropriate overhaul implementation plan at an early stage. A first service life prediction unit 311 predicts the service lives of main components such as an engine and the like, based upon their actual wear states. And a second service life prediction unit 312 predicts the service lives of the same components, based upon their cumulative load amounts. An order setting unit 320 selects the ones of these two predicted service lives which are the shorter, and sets a priority order for overhaul in order of shortness of predicted service life. An overhaul schedule table generation unit 330 creates a schedule table D1 based upon this priority order. The contents of this schedule table D1 are decided upon by a judgment unit 340, and, if necessary, are corrected by a correction unit 341.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirobumi Miwa, Tadashi Taninaga, Koutarou Hori, Ichio Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20090259507
    Abstract: A first service life prediction unit 311 predicts the service lives of main components, such as an engine, based upon their actual wear states. A second service life prediction unit 312 predicts the service lives of the same components, based upon their cumulative load amounts. An order setting unit 320 selects the shorter predicted service lives and sets a priority order for overhaul based thereon. An overhaul schedule table generation unit 330 creates a schedule table D1 based upon this priority order. The contents of this schedule table D1 are corrected, if necessary, by a correction unit 341. A plan creation unit 350 creates an overhaul implementation plan document D2 and the like, based upon the corrected schedule table D1a. The result of the overhaul task and the present states of components are tested, and these test results are reflected by the service life prediction units 311 and 312.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Publication date: October 15, 2009
    Inventors: Hirobumi Miwa, Tadashi Taninaga, Koutarou Hori, Ichio Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 6542853
    Abstract: A life estimation device which numerically measures the damage to a machine such as an engine accurately to estimate, the life of the machine accurately without requiring skill. A load map (B) of the two-dimensional distribution of the operation parameters of an engine is made. In accordance with the weighted integration time &agr;i·ki at each level (Bi) of the load map (B), the actual damage &dgr;=&Sgr;&agr;i·ki to the engine for a certain lapse of time &tgr; is calculated. By operating the engine beforehand, a correspondence relation L2 between the magnitude of the damage &dgr; and the life H is predetermined. The life H1 corresponding to the calculated actual damage &dgr;1 is determined in accordance with the predetermined correspondence relation L2 and the H1 is outputted as the estimated life of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Assignee: Komatsu, Ltd.
    Inventors: Taku Murakami, Ichio Ichikawa, Haruo Hashimoto, Koji Iijima, Fumihide Sato, Hiroshi Ohkawa
  • Patent number: 6435018
    Abstract: Either a specified point Q or a specified area Ar, at which an operating condition of a vehicle becomes a specified operating condition, is set beforehand from among points or areas on a travel route along which a vehicle travels. Then, an operating parameter P of a point in time ts1, ts2, ts3, ts4 . . . , tsn, at which a vehicle passes either a specified point Q or a specified area Ar, is obtained. Then, a vehicle abnormality is diagnosed on the basis of the values of these obtained operating parameters P (maximum values Pmax).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Taku Murakami, Ichio Ichikawa, Haruo Hashimoto, Fumihide Satou