Patents by Inventor Kazuaki KAWARAI

Kazuaki KAWARAI 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: 10753438
    Abstract: A lifting drive device for a Z-axis spindle inserted into a guide tube and guided via an air layer including: a wire extending upward from the inside of the Z-axis spindle and having its upper end supported by the guide tube, a piston connected to an lower end of the wire, a cylinder that moves up-and-down relative to the piston by an air supplied to a cylinder chamber provided to the Z-axis spindle and partitioned by the piston, a driving roller provided to the guide tube and in contact with the surface of the Z-axis spindle, and a motor for driving the driving roller, so as to achieve highly precise linear movement and swift lifting of the Z-axis spindle guided by an air bearing and to be suitable for structural simplification, weight reduction and vibration countermeasures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Kimura, Yoshikazu Ooyama, Kazuaki Kawarai
  • Publication number: 20180266817
    Abstract: A profile measuring machine includes: a first column and a second column forming a portal structure of a movement mechanism supporting a probe; a first guide made of a first material and configured to guide the first column; a second guide provided in parallel to the first guide, made of a second material different from the first material, and configured to guide the second column; a first support supporting the first guide on a foundation; a second support supporting the second guide on the foundation; and a thermal expansion compensator configured to compensate a difference in thermal expansion between the first guide and the second guide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shoji KASHIWABUCHI, Kazuaki KAWARAI
  • Publication number: 20180252302
    Abstract: A lifting drive device for a Z-axis spindle inserted into a guide tube and guided via an air layer including: a wire extending upward from the inside of the Z-axis spindle and having its upper end supported by the guide tube, a piston connected to an lower end of the wire, a cylinder that moves up-and-down relative to the piston by an air supplied to a cylinder chamber provided to the Z-axis spindle and partitioned by the piston, a driving roller provided to the guide tube and in contact with the surface of the Z-axis spindle, and a motor for driving the driving roller, so as to achieve highly precise linear movement and swift lifting of the Z-axis spindle guided by an air bearing and to be suitable for structural simplification, weight reduction and vibration countermeasures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Applicant: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiharu KIMURA, Yoshikazu OOYAMA, Kazuaki KAWARAI
  • Patent number: 10001357
    Abstract: A coordinate measuring apparatus includes a base on which an object to be measured is mounted, a movable X-axis beam, a Y-axis column with a hollow part that is provided on the base and supports the X-axis beam, a control unit that is provided under the base and controls the movement of the X-axis beam, and a cable that is wired from the X-axis beam to the control unit through the hollow part of the Y-axis column.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takao Oneta, Koji Takesako, Tomomitsu Sugawara, Mitsuru Fukuda, Kazuaki Kawarai
  • Publication number: 20170097220
    Abstract: A coordinate measuring apparatus includes a base on which an object to be measured is mounted, a movable X-axis beam, a Y-axis column with a hollow part that is provided on the base and supports the X-axis beam, a control unit that is provided under the base and controls the movement of the X-axis beam, and a cable that is wired from the X-axis beam to the control unit through the hollow part of the Y-axis column.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventors: Takao Oneta, Koji Takesako, Tomomitsu Sugawara, Mitsuru Fukuda, Kazuaki Kawarai
  • Patent number: 8984876
    Abstract: A three-dimensional measuring machine (industrial machine) includes an air supplier supplying air; a drive mechanism driven by the air supplied from the air supplier; an electromagnetic valve provided inside an air regulator set to open and close an air supply passage inside the air regulator set, the air regulator set introducing the air from the air supplier to the drive mechanism; and a motion controller controlling the electromagnetic valve to block the air supply passage when a time since the drive mechanism stopped operation reaches a preset time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Fukuda, Kazuaki Kawarai, Kazumi Mizukami, Seiichi Otsubo
  • Patent number: 8676527
    Abstract: A coordinate measuring machine (industrial machine) includes: a column and a support that extend along the Z-axis; a beam being provided between the column and the support; a slider being movable on the beam; a ram being held on the slider movably along the Z-axis direction; a temperature detecting sensor and a temperature detector that detect the respective temperatures of the column, the support and the ram; and a shift amount calculator that calculates a Z-axis shift amount based on the respective temperatures of the column, the support and the ram, reference position data indicating a positional relationship between the column, the support and the ram at a reference temperature, and respective thermal expansion coefficients for the column, the support and the ram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Noritsugu Ono, Kazuaki Kawarai, Seiichi Otsubo, Hirotada Anzai, Kazumi Mizukami
  • Publication number: 20120067039
    Abstract: A three-dimensional measuring machine (industrial machine) includes an air supplier supplying air; a drive mechanism driven by the air supplied from the air supplier; an electromagnetic valve provided inside an air regulator set to open and close an air supply passage inside the air regulator set, the air regulator set introducing the air from the air supplier to the drive mechanism; and a motion controller controlling the electromagnetic valve to block the air supply passage when a time since the drive mechanism stopped operation reaches a preset time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuru FUKUDA, Kazuaki KAWARAI, Kazumi MIZUKAMI, Seiichi OTSUBO
  • Publication number: 20120029857
    Abstract: A coordinate measuring machine (industrial machine) includes: a column and a support that extend along the Z-axis; a beam being provided between the column and the support; a slider being movable on the beam; a ram being held on the slider movably along the Z-axis direction; a temperature detecting sensor and a temperature detector that detect the respective temperatures of the column, the support and the ram; and a shift amount calculator that calculates a Z-axis shift amount based on the respective temperatures of the column, the support and the ram, reference position data indicating a positional relationship between the column, the support and the ram at a reference temperature, and respective thermal expansion coefficients for the column, the support and the ram.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noritsugu ONO, Kazuaki KAWARAI, Seiichi OTSUBO, Hirotada ANZAI, Kazumi MIZUKAMI