Patents by Inventor Kazunori Masukawa

Kazunori Masukawa 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: 11802990
    Abstract: An optical system that obtains characteristics of a transmission path in atmosphere, when laser light propagates through this transmission path, at a place separated from this transmission path and before the propagation, and corrects wavefront of the laser light based on the obtained characteristics, is provided. The optical system is provided with an irradiation device and an atmospheric characteristics obtaining system. The irradiation device irradiates an external target with light via a first optical path. The atmospheric characteristics obtaining system is arranged in a second optical path separated from the first optical path and obtains characteristics of atmospheric environment in the first optical path with respect to the irradiated light. The irradiation device is provided with wavefront correction optics. The wavefront correction optics correct wavefront of the irradiated light based on the obtained characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignees: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., RIKEN, INSTITUTE FOR LASER TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Masashi Iwashimizu, Hiroyuki Daigo, Shingo Nishikata, Kazunori Masukawa, Atsushi Ochiai, Toshikazu Ebisuzaki, Satoshi Wada, Yoshiyuki Takizawa, Masayuki Maruyama, Shinji Motokoshi
  • Publication number: 20220289408
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an observation control device, an observation system, a spacecraft, an observation control method, and an observation control program which enable stable observation. An observation control device 60 applicable to a plurality of sensor systems (#1 to #n) mounted on a spacecraft for the purpose of observation is provided with: a determination unit that determines whether each of the sensor systems (#1 to #n) is in a normal observable state; and an adjustment unit that, when at least one of the sensor systems (#1 to #n) is determined not to be in a normal observable state, adjusts the allocation state of a target searching and/or tracking function in sensors, among the sensor systems (#1 to #n), determined to be in the normal observable state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 15, 2022
    Inventors: Keisuke ANDO, Takahiro YAMADA, Kazunori MASUKAWA, Hiroshi KAWATO
  • Patent number: 11387618
    Abstract: A laser beam irradiation apparatus including: a plurality of laser light sources emitting first laser beams; and a light-condensing optics system having an incident face on which the first laser beams are made incident and performing an optical operation on the first laser beams to emit second laser beams. The plurality of laser light sources are configured to emit the first laser beams so that beam diameters are expanded towards the incident face. Each first laser beam overlaps at least one of the other laser beams on the incident face. The light-condensing optics system is configured so that beam diameters of second laser beams emitted from the light-condensing optics system are minimal on a target face, and a distance between a center of each second laser beam and the optical axis on the target face is smaller than a beam radius of each second laser beam on the target face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignees: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., RIKEN
    Inventors: Masashi Iwashimizu, Hiroyuki Daigo, Shingo Nishikata, Kazunori Masukawa, Atsushi Ochiai, Toshikazu Ebisuzaki, Satoshi Wada, Yoshiyuki Takizawa
  • Publication number: 20220163670
    Abstract: A threat coping system (10) is provided with a threat coping device (300) that copes with a coping target (30) and a control device (200) that controls the threat coping device. The control device (200) is provided with a no-coping area setting means (514) and a coping instruction means (526). The no-coping area setting means (514) sets a no-coping area (12) based on information of a no-coping target that is not to cope with. The coping instruction means (526) generates an instruction signal, that instructs the threat coping device to cope a coping target, based on the no-coping area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2020
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Inventors: Atsushi OCHIAI, Koichi HAMAMOTO, Tomoya MORIOKA, Hiroyuki DAIGO, Kazunori MASUKAWA, Shingo NISHIKATA, Yoshinori KAMIYA, Yuichi ARAKI
  • Patent number: 11163150
    Abstract: A driving optical system is used to observe a disturbance of a wavefront of reference light received from a target and generate a wavefront in a conjugate relationship with the wavefront. A plurality of control signals are generated on a basis of a plurality of Zernike coefficients calculated as a Zernike polynomial which approximates the wavefront disturbance in order to respectively drive a plurality of deformable mirrors included in the driving optical system. An adaptive optical system is provided which can optically compensate a wavefront disturbance derived from an atmospheric fluctuation even in a case of radiating laser light to a target moving at a high speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignees: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., RIKEN
    Inventors: Masashi Iwashimizu, Hiroyuki Daigo, Shingo Nishikata, Kazunori Masukawa, Atsushi Ochiai, Toshikazu Ebisuzaki, Satoshi Wada, Yoshiyuki Takizawa
  • Publication number: 20210318534
    Abstract: An optical correction is predictively performed based on a result of AI learning previously performed by use of learning data including measurement data. The optical compensation system is provided with wavefront correction optics, a sensor and a controller. The wavefront correction optics corrects a wavefront of light that passes through a given optical path. The sensor obtains environmental information in the optical path. The controller calculates, based on the environmental information, a predicted wavefront disturbance of the light that has passed through the optical path and controls the wavefront correction optics so as to cancel the predicted wavefront disturbance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Inventors: Masashi IWASHIMIZU, Hiroyuki DAIGO, Shingo NISHIKATA, Kazunori MASUKAWA, Atsushi OCHIAI, Toshikazu EBISUZAKI, Satoshi WADA, Yoshiyuki TAKIZAWA, Masayuki MARUYAMA, Shinji MOTOKOSHI
  • Publication number: 20210308786
    Abstract: Changing non-mechanically a direction of irradiating a laser. The laser apparatus includes an optical device and a laser irradiation device. The optical device has two reflection mirrors facing each other, and a waveguide between the two reflection mirrors. The laser irradiation device irradiates the optical device with laser. The optical device is configured so that at least a portion of the laser travels on the waveguide by being reflected by the two reflection mirrors in order. The optical device has an output surface that emits a portion of the laser. The laser irradiation device has a plurality of irradiation parts including a first irradiation part that irradiates a first laser and a second irradiation part that irradiates a second laser. When viewed from a normal direction of the output surface, a traveling direction of the first laser is not parallel to a traveling direction of the second laser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2019
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Inventors: Atsushi OCHIAI, Kazunori MASUKAWA
  • Publication number: 20210311225
    Abstract: An optical system that obtains characteristics of a transmission path in atmosphere, when laser light propagates through this transmission path, at a place separated from this transmission path and before the propagation, and corrects wavefront of the laser light based on the obtained characteristics, is provided. The optical system is provided with an irradiation device and an atmospheric characteristics obtaining system. The irradiation device irradiates an external target with light via a first optical path. The atmospheric characteristics obtaining system is arranged in a second optical path separated from the first optical path and obtains characteristics of atmospheric environment in the first optical path with respect to the irradiated light. The irradiation device is provided with wavefront correction optics. The wavefront correction optics correct wavefront of the irradiated light based on the obtained characteristics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Inventors: Masashi IWASHIMIZU, Hiroyuki DAIGO, Shingo NISHIKATA, Kazunori MASUKAWA, Atsushi OCHIAI, Toshikazu EBISUZAKI, Satoshi WADA, Yoshiyuki TAKIZAWA, Masayuki MARUYAMA, Shinji MOTOKOSHI
  • Publication number: 20210270568
    Abstract: A laser irradiation apparatus is provided with a controller that calculates at least one predicted movement position into which a target is predicted to move at a specific time in future, a transmission laser source that generates a transmission laser, irradiation optics configured to emit the transmission laser to the target and emit search laser to the predicted movement position and wavefront correction optics. The wavefront correction optics are configured to correct a wavefront of the transmission laser at the specific time based on observation light that returns when the search laser is emitted to the predicted movement position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Masashi IWASHIMIZU, Hiroyuki DAIGO, Shingo NISHIKATA, Kazunori MASUKAWA, Atsushi OCHIAI, Toshikazu EBISUZAKI, Satoshi WADA, Yoshiyuki TAKIZAWA, Masayuki MARUYAMA, Shinji MOTOKOSHI
  • Publication number: 20210231414
    Abstract: A laser irradiation apparatus that efficiently carries out processes such as target detection. The laser irradiation apparatus (1) is provided with a laser array (10), a detector (20) and a controller (30). The laser array is provided with a plurality of laser oscillators including a first laser oscillator (11) that irradiates first detection laser light and a second laser oscillator (11) that irradiates second dealing laser light. The detector obtains detection information based on reflected light (503) that is the first detection laser light reflected by a target (2). The controller estimates a position of the target based on the detection information and generates a second dealing signal that instructs to irradiate the second dealing laser light to the estimated position of the target. The second laser oscillator irradiates dealing laser light to the estimated position of the target based on the second dealing signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Inventors: Atsushi OCHIAI, Kazunori MASUKAWA
  • Publication number: 20210163154
    Abstract: An observation control device applicable to a detector installed onboard a spacecraft for performing observation comprises an orthogonal direction control unit that moves an observation range in a direction orthogonal to a travel direction of the spacecraft, the observation range being a range observed by the detector, and a travel direction control unit that moves the observation range in the travel direction of the spacecraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2020
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Inventors: Masahiro KATO, Takahiro YAMADA, Kazunori MASUKAWA, Kenichiro KAWABATA, Keisuke ANDO, Hiroshi KAWATO
  • Publication number: 20200227881
    Abstract: A laser beam irradiation apparatus including: a plurality of laser light sources emitting first laser beams; and a light-condensing optics system having an incident face on which the first laser beams are made incident and performing an optical operation on the first laser beams to emit second laser beams. The plurality of laser light sources are configured to emit the first laser beams so that beam diameters are expanded towards the incident face. Each first laser beam overlaps at least one of the other laser beams on the incident face. The light-condensing optics system is configured so that beam diameters of second laser beams emitted from the light-condensing optics system are minimal on a target face, and a distance between a center of each second laser beam and the optical axis on the target face is smaller than a beam radius of each second laser beam on the target face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: Masashi IWASHIMIZU, Hiroyuki DAIGO, Shingo NISHIKATA, Kazunori MASUKAWA, Atsushi OCHIAI, Toshikazu EBISUZAKI, Satoshi WADA, Yoshiyuki TAKIZAWA
  • Publication number: 20200209610
    Abstract: Observing a disturbance of a wavefront of reference light received from a target and generating a wavefront in a conjugate relationship with the wavefront by use of a driving optical system. Generating a plurality of control signals on a basis of a plurality of Zernike coefficients calculated as a Zernike polynomial which approximates the wavefront disturbance in order to respectively drive a plurality of deformable mirrors included in the driving optical system. Providing an adaptive optical system which can optically compensate a wavefront disturbance derived from an atmospheric fluctuation even in a case of radiating laser light to a target moving at a high speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Masashi IWASHIMIZU, Hiroyuki DAIGO, Shingo NISHIKATA, Kazunori MASUKAWA, Atsushi OCHIAI, Toshikazu EBISUZAKI, Satoshi WADA, Yoshiyuki TAKIZAWA
  • Patent number: 9774671
    Abstract: A parallel processing system includes a plurality of computers accessibly connected through a network, and distributedly executing a plurality of processes. Each of the plurality of computers is composed of an operation processing unit configured to execute an allocated process, a local memory group having a first area and a second area and an I/O control circuit. The operation processing unit executes the allocated process by using the first area as an access destination in a first period and, and executes the allocated process by using the second area as the access destination in a second period subsequent to the first period. The I/O control circuit is composed of an updating section configured to update data stored in the local memory group to the latest data by carrying out communication among the computers. The updating section updates the data stored in the first area in the second period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazunori Masukawa, Masahiro Taeda, Yoshikatsu Kuroda
  • Patent number: 9293620
    Abstract: A technique which can reduce a cost of a space machine installed with a solar cell. The space machine is composed of a light collecting unit and the solar cell. The light collecting unit is arranged on a surface of the body of the space machine to collect incident sun light inside the body. The solar cell is installed inside the body to receive the sun light collected by the light collecting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu Kuroda, Hiroshi Ikebuchi, Kazunori Masukawa
  • Patent number: 8702040
    Abstract: An artificial satellite system includes at least two panel type artificial satellites closely connected with a plurality kind of multi networks and the minimum necessary essential tools for one artificial satellite installed on a substrate of each panel type artificial satellite, wherein the multi networks are formed by a communicating network for communicating data among data processing tools installed on each of the panel type artificial satellites, a heat pipe for providing thermal energy among tools installed on each of the panel type artificial satellites and a battery supplying line for connecting battery controlling devices installed in the each panel type artificial satellite so that the artificial satellite system can maintain higher and various controlling performance with a back-up effect of the multi network in the case that any function tool is damaged in one of the panel type artificial satellite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignees: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadayuki Takahashi, Takeshi Takashima, Hiroyuki Ogawa, Shin-ichiro Sakai, Naoko Iwata, Yoshikatsu Kuroda, Kazunori Masukawa
  • Publication number: 20140019509
    Abstract: A parallel processing system includes a plurality of computers accessibly connected through a network, and distributedly executing a plurality of processes. Each of the plurality of computers is composed of an operation processing unit configured to execute an allocated process, a local memory group having a first area and a second area and an I/O control circuit. The operation processing unit executes the allocated process by using the first area as an access destination in a first period and, and executes the allocated process by using the second area as the access destination in a second period subsequent to the first period. The I/O control circuit is composed of an updating section configured to update data stored in the local memory group to the latest data by carrying out communication among the computers. The updating section updates the data stored in the first area in the second period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Inventors: Kazunori Masukawa, Masahiro Taeda, Yoshikatsu Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20140007920
    Abstract: A technique which can reduce a cost of a space machine installed with a solar cell. The space machine is composed of a light collecting unit and the solar cell. The light collecting unit is arranged on a surface of the body of the space machine to collect incident sun light inside the body. The solar cell is installed inside the body to receive the sun light collected by the light collecting unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Inventors: Yoshikatsu Kuroda, Hiroshi Ikebuchi, Kazunori Masukawa
  • Patent number: 8367452
    Abstract: An infrared detector including a reflection portion which transmits far- and middle-infrared rays and which reflects near-infrared and visible rays; a photo-current generating portion having a plurality of layered quantum dot structures in each of which electrons are excited by the far- and middle-infrared rays having passed through the reflection portion so as to generate photo-current; a light emitting portion having a plurality of layered quantum well structures into each of which electrons of the photo-current generated by the photo-current generating portion are injected and in each of which the electrons thus injected thereinto are recombined with holes so as to emit near-infrared and visible rays; and a photo-detecting portion which detects the near -infrared and visible rays emitted from the light emitting portion and which detects the near-infrared and visible rays emitted from the light emitting portion and then reflected by the reflection portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., National University Corporation Nagoya University
    Inventors: Fumihito Soma, Yoshikatsu Kuroda, Kazunori Masukawa, Masahiro Kato, Masahito Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20110278399
    Abstract: An artificial satellite system 200 comprises at least two panel type artificial satellites 100 closely connected with a plurality kind of multi networks and the minimum necessary essential tools for one artificial satellite installed on a substrate of each panel type artificial satellites 100, wherein the multi networks are formed by a communicating network for communicating data among data processing tools installed on each the panel type artificial satellites 100, a heat pipe for providing thermal energy among tools installed on each the panel type artificial satellites 100 and a battery supplying line for connecting battery controlling devices installed in the each panel type artificial satellite so that the artificial satellite system 200 can maintain higher and various controlling performance with a back-up effect of the multi network in the case that any function tool is damaged in one of the panel type artificial satellite 100.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Inventors: Tadayuki TAKAHASHI, Takeshi Takashima, Hiroyuki Ogawa, Shin-ichiro Sakai, Naoko Iwata, Yoshikatsu Kuroda, Kazunori Masukawa