Patents by Inventor KENZO SHIBATA

KENZO SHIBATA 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).

  • Publication number: 20240082950
    Abstract: The laser processing device includes a laser head that emits laser light and a camera that acquires a surface image of a processing member after being irradiated with the laser light. The laser processing device further includes an image processor that performs image processing on an acquired surface image and calculates a diameter of a processing mark, and an autofocus controller that derives an optimum focal position of the laser light based on the diameter of the processing mark. In addition, the laser processing device includes a driver that moves the laser head in an emission direction of the laser light to allow the laser light to be condensed at an optimum focal position based on the derivation result of the autofocus controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: JIN MATSUZAKA, SHUNSUKE KAWAI, JINGBO WANG, KENZO SHIBATA
  • Publication number: 20230158606
    Abstract: Provided is a laser welding method including a welding step of welding a workpiece by irradiating a surface of a workpiece with a laser beam that is swept two-dimensionally while being advanced in an X direction. In the welding step, the laser beam is swept to draw a predetermined pattern on the surface of the workpiece. Additionally, drawing speed and output of the laser beam are controlled to have an equal amount of heat input per unit drawing length in the predetermined pattern over the entire length of the predetermined pattern. The predetermined pattern is a continuous pattern in which two annular patterns are in contact with each other at one point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2023
    Publication date: May 25, 2023
    Inventors: JINGBO WANG, TSUTOMU SUGIYAMA, SHUNSUKE KAWAI, KENZO SHIBATA, MASASHI ISHIGURO, ATSUHIRO KAWAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20230121254
    Abstract: A laser welding device includes: a laser oscillator to which an incidence end of a fiber is connectable; a welding head connectable to an emission end of the fiber and configured to perform laser welding while condensing laser light emitted from the laser oscillator via the emission end and irradiating a workpiece with the laser light; a detector configured to detect presence or absence of a defect in the laser welding; and a controller including a processor and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the laser welding device to perform operations. The operations include: performing, in response to receiving, from the detector, an output signal indicating a defect at a welding point on the workpiece during the laser welding of the workpiece, control such that supplementary laser welding is performed at a predetermined position in a vicinity of the welding point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventors: Jingbo WANG, Tsutomu SUGIYAMA, Shunsuke KAWAI, Kenzo SHIBATA, Masashi ISHIGURO
  • Publication number: 20230104749
    Abstract: A laser welding device includes: a laser oscillator with which an incoming end of a fiber is connected; a welding head that is connected to an outgoing end of the fiber and that performs laser welding while irradiating a workpiece with laser light by guiding the laser light from the laser oscillator to the workpiece via the fiber; a sensor that detects, during the laser welding, an intensity of plume light that is based on the laser welding at a welded position at which the workpiece is irradiated with the laser light; and a controller that controls a height of the welding head based on a detection output from the sensor, the height being a height in a direction parallel with a direction that the laser light is emitted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Inventors: Shunsuke Kawai, Jingbo Wang, Tsutomu Sugiyama, Kenzo Shibata, Masashi Ishiguro
  • Publication number: 20230013501
    Abstract: A laser welding method includes a welding step of applying a laser beam to a surface of a workpiece while the laser beam is caused to advance in an X-direction and scanning with the laser beam is simultaneously performed in a Y-direction intersecting the X-direction. The welding step includes a first weaving step of causing the laser beam to weave in the Y-direction with first amplitude (A1), and a second weaving step of causing the laser beam to weave with a predetermined amplitude smaller than first amplitude (A1) at both end portions of a weaving trajectory drawn by the laser beam in the first weaving step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Inventors: JINGBO WANG, TSUTOMU SUGIYAMA, SHUNSUKE KAWAI, KENZO SHIBATA, MASASHI ISHIGURO
  • Publication number: 20220118557
    Abstract: Provided is a laser processing head including: shield holder (23) that has opening (23b) formed through shield holder (23) and optical sensor mounting hole (23c) formed in an inner peripheral surface of opening (23b); optical sensor (24) that has light receiving surface (24a) facing the inside of opening (23b) through optical sensor mounting hole (23c) and is attached to shield holder (23); and second protective glass (25) that has an outer peripheral surface facing light receiving surface (24a) of optical sensor (24) and is provided in opening (23b), second protective glass (25) transmitting a laser beam emitted by a laser oscillator to emit the laser beam toward a workpiece, and second protective glass (25) including reflective coating film (25a) formed in a region in the outer peripheral surface except an opposed region facing light receiving surface (24a) of optical sensor (24).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Inventors: JINGBO WANG, MASATOSHI NISHIO, KENZO SHIBATA, MANABU NISHIHARA
  • Publication number: 20220088709
    Abstract: Laser welding device (1000) includes: laser oscillator (100); optical fiber (300) that transmits a laser beam (LB) generated in laser oscillator (100); laser beam emitting head (400) that is attached to the emission end of optical fiber (300) and emits laser beam (LB) toward workpiece (600); manipulator (500) with laser beam emitting head (400) attached thereto; and controller (200) that controls laser beam emitting head (400) so as to cause laser beam (LB) to be scanned three-dimensionally on the surface of workpiece (600). Controller (200) controls laser beam emitting head (400) so as to change a focal position of laser beam (LB) in accordance with a shape of a welded portion in workpiece (600).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: JINGBO WANG, MASATOSHI NISHIO, KENZO SHIBATA, MANABU NISHIHARA
  • Publication number: 20220072662
    Abstract: A laser processing device includes a laser oscillator, optical fiber (90), beam control mechanism (20), and a laser light emitting head. The laser oscillator includes first and second laser oscillation units that generate first and second laser light rays (LB1) and (LB2), respectively. Beam control mechanism (20) includes optical path changing and holding mechanism (40) that is disposed between second condenser lens (32) that condenses second laser light (LB2) and dichroic mirror (33) that multiplexes first and second laser light rays (LB1) and (LB2) and causes the multiplexed light to be incident on optical fiber (90). Beam control mechanism (20) changes an incident position of second laser light (LB2) on optical fiber (90).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventors: JINGBO WANG, MASATOSHI NISHIO, KENZO SHIBATA, MANABU NISHIHARA
  • Publication number: 20220072655
    Abstract: A laser processing device includes a laser oscillator, first to third optical fibers, a beam control mechanism, and first to third laser light emitting heads attached to the first to third optical fibers, respectively. The beam control mechanism includes a condenser lens, first to third optical path changing mechanisms provided on an optical path of laser light LB after being transmitted through the condenser lens, and a controller that controls operations of the first to third optical path changing mechanisms. The beam control mechanism causes the laser light to be emitted from the first laser light emitting head via the selected first optical fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventors: JINGBO WANG, MASATOSHI NISHIO, KENZO SHIBATA, MANABU NISHIHARA
  • Publication number: 20220072661
    Abstract: A laser processing device includes a laser oscillator, an optical fiber that is a multi-clad fiber, a beam control mechanism provided in the laser oscillator, and a laser light emitting head attached to the optical fiber. The beam control mechanism includes a condenser lens, an optical path changing and holding mechanism that is disposed between the condenser lens and an incident end face of the optical fiber and changes an optical path of laser light LB, and a controller that controls an operation of the optical path changing and holding mechanism. The beam control mechanism controls a power distribution of the laser light by changing an incident position of the laser light on the incident end face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventors: JINGBO WANG, MASATOSHI NISHIO, KENZO SHIBATA, MANABU NISHIHARA