Patents by Inventor Nobuo Okabe
Nobuo Okabe 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).
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Patent number: 11959851Abstract: An absolute thickness distribution cannot be accurately calculated with a conventional technique. A sensor device is provided that includes a plurality of magnetic sensors arranged to face an outer circumference surface of a pipeline and ultrasonic sensors arranged to face the outer circumference surface and measure a thickness of the pipeline in a measurement region in which the plurality of magnetic sensors measure a magnetic field, the ultrasonic sensors being less than the plurality of magnetic sensors.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2019Date of Patent: April 16, 2024Assignee: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Nobuo Okabe, Satoshi Yoshitake, Kazuma Takenaka, Yoshiaki Tanaka, Shumpei Ito
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Publication number: 20240068932Abstract: An apparatus including one or more sensor units. Each of the sensor units includes an inner shell, an outer shell, and a magnetic sensor array. The magnetic sensor array is disposed between the inner shell and the outer shell. The inner shell, the outer shell, and the magnetic sensor array have curved shapes that complements an outer surface of a pipe. The magnetic sensor array may comprise a plurality of printed circuit board strips. Each of the plurality of printed circuit board strips comprise a plurality of magnetic sensors distributed along each of the plurality of the printed circuit board strips.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 24, 2023Publication date: February 29, 2024Inventors: Nobuo OKABE, Panayiotis KILIARIS, Philip BLAKELEY, Chetan LADDHA
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Publication number: 20220397553Abstract: Here is described an apparatus for measuring and/or monitoring a strength of a magnetic field inside a sample including: a fixing unit made of a non-magnetic material; a magnetic field strength measuring device having a sensor; and a first elongated member and a second elongated member. The elongated members are made of a material having a high relative magnetic permeability, and each of the elongated members has a first end portion and a second end portion. The fixing unit is configured to support the elongated members in a fixed posture such that the first end portion of the first elongated member and the first end portion of the second elongated member are positioned opposite to each other to form a gap, and the fixing unit is configured to support the sensor of the measuring device inside the gap or substantially inside the gap.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 16, 2022Publication date: December 15, 2022Inventors: Nobuo OKABE, Philip BLAKELEY, Chetan LADDHA
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Patent number: 11434724Abstract: To estimate a state of a natural resource in pipeline equipment during extraction in an oil field, provided is an apparatus including a data acquiring section that acquires measurement data, measured by a measurement device, indicating a state of a natural resource that is a fluid flowing through an extraction network for extracting the natural resource; a state estimating section that estimates the state of the natural resource at least at one location differing from a location where the measurement device is provided in a flow path of the extraction network, using the measurement data and a model of the extraction network; and a margin calculating section that calculates a margin until flow path blocking matter is generated in the extraction network, based on the estimated state of the natural resource.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2020Date of Patent: September 6, 2022Assignee: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Yoshihisa Hidaka, Nobuo Okabe, Naoki Yoshima
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Publication number: 20220146406Abstract: An absolute thickness distribution cannot be accurately calculated with a conventional technique. A sensor device is provided that includes a plurality of magnetic sensors arranged to face an outer circumference surface of a pipeline and ultrasonic sensors arranged to face the outer circumference surface and measure a thickness of the pipeline in a measurement region in which the plurality of magnetic sensors measure a magnetic field, the ultrasonic sensors being less than the plurality of magnetic sensors.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2019Publication date: May 12, 2022Inventors: Nobuo OKABE, Satoshi YOSHITAKE, Kazuma TAKENAKA, Yoshiaki TANAKA, Shumpei ITO
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Publication number: 20210108488Abstract: To estimate a state of a natural resource in pipeline equipment during extraction in an oil field, provided is an apparatus including a data acquiring section that acquires measurement data, measured by a measurement device, indicating a state of a natural resource that is a fluid flowing through an extraction network for extracting the natural resource; a state estimating section that estimates the state of the natural resource at least at one location differing from a location where the measurement device is provided in a flow path of the extraction network, using the measurement data and a model of the extraction network; and a margin calculating section that calculates a margin until flow path blocking matter is generated in the extraction network, based on the estimated state of the natural resource.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2020Publication date: April 15, 2021Inventors: Yoshihisa HIDAKA, Nobuo OKABE, Naoki YOSHIMA
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Patent number: 10305793Abstract: A communication device conforming with plural communication standards and having a storage storing a plurality of virtual stacks each having an application program and communication program that implements a protocol stack for communication by the application program. An executor executes the virtual stacks, and a switching controller switches the virtual stacks to be executed by performing a first processing in which at least one part of at least one of the virtual stacks is read from storage and stored into a memory of, and executed by, the executor. Then, in accordance with free capacity in the memory, at least one part of at least one of the virtual stacks executed in the first processing is deleted from memory. In a second processing at least one part of at least one of the virtual stacks is read from the storage and stored into the memory of, and executed by, the executor.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2013Date of Patent: May 28, 2019Assignee: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Nobuo Okabe, Yukiyo Akisada, Kazunori Miyazawa, Yasuki Sakurai
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Patent number: 10110685Abstract: A position information authoring system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of position information devices in a plant and a position information authoring apparatus. Each of the plurality of position information devices is configured to input a position information into the position information authoring apparatus, the position information represents a three-dimensional absolute position of each of the plurality of position information devices. The position information authoring apparatus is configured to manage a physical position of each physical equipment in the plant and physical positions of the plurality of position information devices, based on a three-dimensional plant model which includes virtual equipments and marks a virtual position of each of the plurality of position information devices.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2016Date of Patent: October 23, 2018Assignee: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Yosuke Ishii, Nobuo Okabe, Kazunori Miyazawa, Yukiyo Akisada
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Patent number: 9864908Abstract: A slow change detection system includes: an image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a photographed image including consecutive images of a monitored object; a reference image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a reference image corresponding to the photographed image of the monitored object; a reference image area extraction unit adapted to extract, from the reference image, a reference image area that is an area corresponding to a photographed area of the photographed image; a change detection unit adapted to acquire a change area that is an area of the photographed image which is different from the reference image area and acquire a slow change area by excluding, from the acquired change area, a sudden change area derived from a history of the change area; and a display control unit adapted to superimpose and display information indicating the slow change area on the photographed image.Type: GrantFiled: November 17, 2014Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Tetsuya Ishikawa, Nobuo Okabe, Yosuke Ishii, Ken'ichi Kamada
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Patent number: 9733979Abstract: A communication device communicating in conformance with a prescribed communication standard. The device includes a storage storing at least a first virtual program that includes a program implementing a first function of the communication device and a second virtual program that includes a program implementing a second function of the communication device. It also includes an executor configured to successively execute the first and second virtual programs, and a switching controller configured to read at least a part of either one of the first and second virtual programs from the storage, to store the part of either one of the first and second virtual programs into a memory of the executor, to execute the part of either one of the first and second virtual programs in the executor, thereby, to switch the first and second virtual programs to be executed in the executor.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2013Date of Patent: August 15, 2017Assignee: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Nobuo Okabe, Yukiyo Akisada, Kazunori Miyazawa, Yasuki Sakurai
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Patent number: 9632062Abstract: An ultrasonic pipe measurement apparatus includes: a plurality of ultrasonic transceivers discretely disposed on a pipe wall of a pipe; and a control unit configured to control the plurality of ultrasonic transceivers and detect a generation point of damage caused in the pipe based on an ultrasonic signal exchanged between the ultrasonic transceivers.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2014Date of Patent: April 25, 2017Assignee: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Yoshiaki Tanaka, Kazunori Miyazawa, Ken'ichi Kamada, Satoshi Kato, Yosuke Ishii, Sho Fujita, Yukiyo Akisada, Nobuo Okabe, Hiroaki Tanaka, Minako Terao
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Publication number: 20170064016Abstract: A position information authoring system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of position information devices in a plant and a position information authoring apparatus. Each of the plurality of position information devices is configured to input a position information into the position information authoring apparatus, the position information represents a three-dimensional absolute position of each of the plurality of position information devices. The position information authoring apparatus is configured to manage a physical position of each physical equipment in the plant and physical positions of the plurality of position information devices, based on a three-dimensional plant model which includes virtual equipments and marks a virtual position of each of the plurality of position information devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 24, 2016Publication date: March 2, 2017Applicant: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Yosuke ISHII, Nobuo OKABE, Kazunori MIYAZAWA, Yukiyo AKISADA
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Publication number: 20150172181Abstract: A communication device conforming with plural communication standards and having a storage storing a plurality of virtual stacks each having an application program and communication program that implements a protocol stack for communication by the application program. An executor executes the virtual stacks, and a switching controller switches the virtual stacks to be executed by performing a first processing in which at least one part of at least one of the virtual stacks is read from storage and stored into a memory of, and executed by, the executor. Then, in accordance with free capacity in the memory, at least one part of at least one of the virtual stacks executed in the first processing is deleted from memory. In a second processing at least one part of at least one of the virtual stacks is read from the storage and stored into the memory of, and executed by, the executor.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2013Publication date: June 18, 2015Applicant: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Nobuo Okabe, Yukiyo Akisada, Kazunori Miyazawa, Yasuki Sakurai
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Publication number: 20150139494Abstract: A slow change detection system includes: an image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a photographed image including consecutive images of a monitored object; a reference image acquisition unit adapted to acquire a reference image corresponding to the photographed image of the monitored object; a reference image area extraction unit adapted to extract, from the reference image, a reference image area that is an area corresponding to a photographed area of the photographed image; a change detection unit adapted to acquire a change area that is an area of the photographed image which is different from the reference image area and acquire a slow change area by excluding, from the acquired change area, a sudden change area derived from a history of the change area; and a display control unit adapted to superimpose and display information indicating the slow change area on the photographed image.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2014Publication date: May 21, 2015Applicant: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Tetsuya ISHIKAWA, Nobuo OKABE, Yosuke ISHII, Ken'ichi KAMADA
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Publication number: 20150089508Abstract: A communication device communicating in conformance with a prescribed communication standard includes a storage storing at least a first virtual program that includes a program implementing a first function of the communication device and a second virtual program that includes a program implementing a second function of the communication device, an executer configured to successively execute the first and second virtual programs, and a switching controller configured to read at least a part of either one of the first and second virtual programs from the storage, to store the part of either one of the first and second virtual programs into a memory of the executer, to execute the part of either one of the first and second virtual programs in the executer, after completion of the processing of the one virtual program, to delete at least a part of the one virtual program from the memory in accordance with free area in the memory, to read at least a part of the other virtual program of the first and second virtuaType: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2013Publication date: March 26, 2015Applicant: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Nobuo Okabe, Yukiyo Akisada, Kazunori Miyazawa, Yasuki Sakurai
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Publication number: 20150068311Abstract: An ultrasonic pipe measurement apparatus includes: a plurality of ultrasonic transceivers discretely disposed on a pipe wall of a pipe; and a control unit configured to control the plurality of ultrasonic transceivers and detect a generation point of damage caused in the pipe based on an ultrasonic signal exchanged between the ultrasonic transceivers.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2014Publication date: March 12, 2015Applicant: YOKOGAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Yoshiaki TANAKA, Kazunori MIYAZAWA, Ken'ichi KAMADA, Satoshi KATO, Yosuke ISHII, Sho FUJITA, Yukiyo AKISADA, Nobuo OKABE, Hiroaki TANAKA, Minako TERAO
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Patent number: 8566587Abstract: A control network system connected with a node having a unique identifier includes a KDC4B for distributing a first key to the node for cryptographic communication, a PS4B for supplying a function name and a second key corresponding to the unique identifier to the node by the cryptographic communication using the first key, and a PS for supplying the node with setting information used for the cryptographic communication using the second key in response to a request using the function name.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2006Date of Patent: October 22, 2013Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Masahiro Ishiyama, Atsushi Inoue, Nobuo Okabe, Shoichi Sakane
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Publication number: 20080175388Abstract: A control system includes: a plurality of field equipments that are connected mutually to an IP network; a key management server that is connected mutually to the IP network and issues key information for authentication of the plurality of field equipments and security communication; and an attribute server having a GCKS server function, which is connected mutually to the IP network, and manages or provides attribute information for mutual authentication between the field equipments, and contains preset group information for multicast communication in a particular multicast group, wherein each of the field equipments is operable to: make authentication of the key management server; acquire information of the attribute server existing on the IP network; register information of each of the field equipments itself in the attribute server; acquire startup information from the attribute server; receive a notification of the group information from the attribute server; participate in a particular multicast group usType: ApplicationFiled: November 27, 2007Publication date: July 24, 2008Applicant: Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Nobuo OKABE, Shoichi SAKANE, Kazunori MIYAZAWA, Kenichi KAMADA
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Publication number: 20060271782Abstract: A control network system connected with a node having a unique identifier includes a KDC4B for distributing a first key to the node for cryptographic communication, a PS4B for supplying a function name and a second key corresponding to the unique identifier to the node by the cryptographic communication using the first key, and a PS for supplying the node with setting information used for the cryptographic communication using the second key in response to a request using the function name.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 30, 2006Publication date: November 30, 2006Inventors: Masahiro ISHIYAMA, Atsushi Inoue, Nobuo Okabe, Shoichi Sakane
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Publication number: 20060015602Abstract: A control equipment management system integrates and displays data transmitted from a plurality of control equipment units provided at devices to be monitored and controlled, can flexibly modify the form of display, and can employ existing equipment as control equipment. Control equipment units 30a to 30n monitor the status of, and control the operation of, devices to be monitored and controlled. Remote computer 10 collects data output from control equipment units 30a to 30n via network N, and outputs control signals to the control equipment units 30a to 30n. Display command server 20 connected to network N stores or generates display commands determining the form of display of data output from each of control equipment units 30a to 30n. Remote computer 10 displays data collected from each of Control equipment units 30a to 30n according to the display form of display commands obtained from the display command server 20.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 27, 2005Publication date: January 19, 2006Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Yokogawa Electric CorporationInventors: Atsushi Inoue, Masahiro Ishiyama, Kazuya Kubo, Nobuo Okabe