Patents by Inventor Katsunori Shiihara

Katsunori Shiihara 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: 10329641
    Abstract: One embodiment of the laser processing apparatus is for surface treatment by supplying liquid to a surface of the target member and irradiating pulsed laser light to the surface of the target member via the liquid. The apparatus includes a laser oscillator and a liquid supply. The laser oscillator irradiates the laser light to the surface through the liquid via an optical window. The liquid supply is configured to supply the liquid to the surface of the target member via a flow path passing on an outer surface of the optical window. When the liquid is in contact with a laser light emission surface of the optical window, the laser light emission surface transmits the laser light. When the liquid is not in contact with the laser light emission surface, the laser light emission surface reflects the laser light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Kota Nomura, Itaru Chida, Katsunori Shiihara, Hiroya Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 10226838
    Abstract: An embodiment is to provide a laser light irradiation apparatus and a laser peening treatment method, by which even a member to be processed, existing in a narrow portion, can be easily processed by laser peening. The laser light irradiation apparatus 1 according to the embodiment includes: an optical fiber 2 through which laser light is guided; a condensing lens 3 that is placed on one end of the optical fiber, the condensing lens and the optical fiber defining the light path of the laser light; a guide 4 that retains the optical fiber; and a movement mechanism 5 for changing the position of the optical fiber, wherein the light path of the laser light guided through the optical fiber is emitted at an angle changed to more than 0° and less than 90° with respect to the central axis of the optical fiber by the condensing lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Kota Nomura, Itaru Chida, Katsunori Shiihara, Hiroya Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 9662744
    Abstract: A laser irradiation device in which laser light is adjusted to create a laser beam, including a protective glass window arranged in an emission region that emits the laser beam; a reflection mechanism that passes the laser beam and reflects visible light; a wavelength-dependent optical screening mechanism that cuts off light of a wavelength region other than visible light from the light that is reflected by the reflection mechanism; image pickup camera configured to capture the visible light reflected with the reflection optical element; and an image adjustment lens unit that adjusts an image in the visible light that is input from the wavelength-dependent optical screening mechanism. The wavelength-dependent optical screening mechanism is provided between the reflection optical element and the image camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Itaru Chida, Katsunori Shiihara, Yasuaki Tokunaga, Takeshi Maehara, Keiichi Hirota, Hiroya Ichikawa
  • Publication number: 20170087667
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a laser processing apparatus has: a laser light source; a light collector; a water nozzle; a sound sensor; a timer; and a distance calculator. The light collector collects the laser light on a workpiece. The water nozzle supplies a water stream to a surface to be treated of the workpiece. The sound sensor is provided at a predetermined position relative to at least one of the water nozzle and the light collector, and receives a sound coming from the surface to be treated. The timer detects a detected time width from a reference time point to a time point when the sound sensor receives the sound. The distance calculator calculates a distance from one of the water nozzle and the light collector to the surface to be processed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Setsu YAMAMOTO, Akira ITO, Kota NOMURA, Jun SEMBOSHI, ltaru CHIDA, Katsunori SHIIHARA, Hiroya ICHIKAWA, Keiichi HIROTA, Masahiro YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20160288258
    Abstract: An embodiment is to provide a laser light irradiation apparatus and a laser peening treatment method, by which even a member to be processed, existing in a narrow portion, can be easily processed by laser peening. The laser light irradiation apparatus 1 according to the embodiment includes: an optical fiber 2 through which laser light is guided; a condensing lens 3 that is placed on one end of the optical fiber, the condensing lens and the optical fiber defining the light path of the laser light; a guide 4 that retains the optical fiber; and a movement mechanism 5 for changing the position of the optical fiber, wherein the light path of the laser light guided through the optical fiber is emitted at an angle changed to more than 0° and less than 90° with respect to the central axis of the optical fiber by the condensing lens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2016
    Publication date: October 6, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: KOTA NOMURA, ITARU CHIDA, KATSUNORI SHIIHARA, HIROYA ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20160138127
    Abstract: One embodiment of the laser processing apparatus is for surface treatment by supplying liquid to a surface of the target member and irradiating pulsed laser light to the surface of the target member via the liquid. The apparatus includes a laser oscillator and a liquid supply. The laser oscillator irradiates the laser light to the surface through the liquid via an optical window. The liquid supply is configured to supply the liquid to the surface of the target member via a flow path passing on an outer surface of the optical window. When the liquid is in contact with a laser light emission surface of the optical window, the laser light emission surface transmits the laser light. When the liquid is not in contact with the laser light emission surface, the laser light emission surface reflects the laser light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Kota NOMURA, ltaru CHIDA, Katsunori SHIIHARA, Hiroya ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20150239065
    Abstract: A laser processing apparatus for radiating a laser beam to a member to be treated provided in an air environment to perform surface treatment. The member to be treated forms a structure extending in a vertical direction. The laser processing apparatus includes: a liquid supply mechanism that jets and supplies liquid to a surface of the member to be treated; a laser radiation mechanism that radiates the laser beam in pulses to the surface of the member to be treated via the liquid; and a cylindrical gas laminar flow nozzle disposed below the liquid supply mechanism and configured to jet a gas upward to form a gas flow surrounding the member to be treated around an axis direction thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: Kota NOMURA, Yuji SANO, Itaru CHIDA, Katsunori SHIIHARA, Hiroya ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20140224780
    Abstract: A laser irradiation device comprises a laser oscillator, a laser irradiation head that performs laser processing by directing the laser beam onto the region to be processed; and a transmission mechanism that gets the laser beam through emitted from the laser oscillator to the laser irradiation head. The laser irradiation head comprises: a laser beam adjustment unit that adjusts the laser light to create a laser beam; a protective glass window arranged in an emission region that emits the laser beam; a reflection mechanism that gets the laser beam through and reflects visible light; a wavelength-dependent optical screening mechanism that cuts off light of a wavelength region other than visible light from the light that is reflected by the reflection mechanism; an image adjustment lens unit that adjusts an image comprising visible light that is input from the wavelength-dependent optical screening mechanism; an image pickup camera that inputs an image; and an image processing mechanism that processes the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Itaru CHIDA, Katsunori SHIIHARA, Yasuaki TOKUNAGA, Takeshi MAEHARA, Keiichi HIROTA, Hiroya ICHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 8378256
    Abstract: A method of sealing a surface crack in a member is provided includes steps of irradiating a region of the member at which the crack is produced with a heating laser beam so as to heat the region to a temperature lower than a melting point of the member, and then irradiating a region of the member at which the crack is produced with a welding laser beam subsequent to irradiation of the heating laser beam so as to heat the region to a temperature higher than or equal to the melting point of the member, thereby sealing an opening of the surface crack of the member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Masataka Tamura, Yoshinobu Makino, Wataru Kono, Katsunori Shiihara, Yoshimi Tanaka, Masaki Yoda, Yoshio Hamamoto, Satoshi Okada, Hiromi Kato
  • Publication number: 20100258540
    Abstract: A method of sealing a surface crack in a member is provided includes steps of irradiating a region of the member at which the crack is produced with a heating laser beam so as to heat the region to a temperature lower than a melting point of the member, and then irradiating a region of the member at which the crack is produced with a welding laser beam subsequent to irradiation of the heating laser beam so as to heat the region to a temperature higher than or equal to the melting point of the member, thereby sealing an opening of the surface crack of the member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Masataka Tamura, Yoshinobu Makino, Wataru Kono, Katsunori Shiihara, Yoshimi Tanaka, Masaki Yoda, Yoshio Hamamoto, Satoshi Okada, Hiromi Kato
  • Publication number: 20090308847
    Abstract: A method is provided, which ensures reliability during manufacture and in the use environment, and allows affording erosion prevention capability in an inexpensive manner, to an erosion-susceptible portion such as turbine rotor blades. An erosion preventive section 4, comprising a lower layer (low-hardness layer) 2 of an austenitic material, and an upper layer (hard layer) 3 of a hard material, such as stellite, harder than the low-hardness layer 2, is formed by laser build-up welding on a portion, which is susceptible to erosion caused by liquid droplets and solid particles in a use environment, of a target member 1 such as a turbine rotor blade. Laser build-up welding is carried out through irradiation of a laser beam from a laser light source 6 while a welding material supply means 5 supplies an austenitic material and a hard material in the form of, for instance, a rod, powder or the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Kenji Kamimura, Katsunori Shiihara, Itaru Murakami, Satoru Asai
  • Publication number: 20090200277
    Abstract: A protection plate is welded to a metal structure in water so that the protection plate covers the surface of the structure including a portion to be repaired. The welding is carried out such that the periphery of the protection plate is welded in water by laser welding while inactive gas is supplied to portion to be welded to seal the portion to be repaired by the protection plate. Welding is carried out while the inactive gas is supplied to the portion to be welded coaxially with a laser beam during the laser welding. The plate is provided therein with an opening in advance so as to release vapor produced from water remaining during welding between the protection plate and the structure and the opening is sealed after the periphery of the protection plate is welded to the structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Publication date: August 13, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Katsunori SHIIHARA, Wataru KONO, Yoshimi TANAKA, Masataka TAMURA, Katsuhiko SATO, Tomoyuki ITO, Koichi SOMA, Tomoharu TANABE
  • Publication number: 20070013471
    Abstract: In the method of manufacturing a superconducting coil, a superconducting line coated with an insulating member is contained in a groove formed on a surface of a stainless steel plate, and a stainless steel lid is fitted in outer side of the superconducting line in an opening in the groove. The lid is formed to fit in the groove. Then, the plate and the lid are welded to seal at joint sections. The welding is conducted using a plurality of heat sources including a laser and an arc so that melting depth at the joint section is within a predetermined range. The lid may have two joint sections, and the welding of the joint sections of the lid may be conducted simultaneously. The plate may have a plurality of grooves, and the welding of the joint sections of the lid may be conducted simultaneously.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 18, 2007
    Inventors: Koichi Minami, Satoru Asai, Yoshinobu Makino, Katsunori Shiihara, Toshio Kanahara