Patents by Inventor Toshitaka Shimomura

Toshitaka Shimomura 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: 7570433
    Abstract: A photoelectric encoder has a telecentric optical system in which a first lens and an aperture located at a focal position of the first lens are interposed between a main scale and a photoreceptor. At least a second lens is interposed between the aperture and the photoreceptor with a focus of the second lens on the aperture, thereby constituting a bilateral telecentric optical system. This makes it possible to improve the signal detection efficiency and increase the assembly tolerance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Shingo Nihommori, Miyako Mizutani, Eric Herbert Altendorf, Joseph Daniel Tobiason
  • Patent number: 7435945
    Abstract: A displacement measuring device including a scale, and an optical readhead including an index pattern and a light receiving element is provided. A bright/dark pattern arising from a scale grating is detected by the readhead to measure displacement. In various embodiments, a magnification of the pattern is adjusted by the spacing between at least a lens element, aperture element, and detection plane of the readhead. An aperture can be designed to provide a diffraction-limited telecentric imaging configuration that filters an image of the scale grating to provide a sinusoidal intensity pattern that supports highly interpolated measurements. An aperture dimension, selected in relation to the grating pitch and other parameters, can provide a desirable combination of readhead operating characteristics including one or more of a desired depth of field; degree of spatial filtering; and optical signal power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2008
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Shingo Nihommori, Miyako Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20070215797
    Abstract: A photoelectric encoder has a telecentric optical system in which a first lens and an aperture located at a focal position of the first lens are interposed between a main scale and a photoreceptor. At least a second lens is interposed between the aperture and the photoreceptor with a focus of the second lens on the aperture, thereby constituting a bilateral telecentric optical system. This makes it possible to improve the signal detection efficiency and increase the assembly tolerance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2005
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Applicant: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Shingo Nihommori, Miyako Mizutani, Eric Altendorf, Joseph Tobiason
  • Patent number: 7186969
    Abstract: A displacement measuring device including a scale, and an optical readhead including an index pattern and a light receiving element is provided. A bright/dark pattern arising from a scale grating is detected by the readhead to measure displacement. In various embodiments, a magnification of the pattern is adjusted by the spacing between at least a lens element, aperture element, and detection plane of the readhead. An aperture can be designed to provide a diffraction-limited telecentric imaging configuration that filters an image of the scale grating to provide a sinusoidal intensity pattern that supports highly interpolated measurements. An aperture dimension, selected in relation to the grating pitch and other parameters, can provide a desirable combination of readhead operating characteristics including one or more of a desired depth of field; degree of spatial filtering; and optical signal power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Shingo Nihommori, Miyako Mizutani, Eric Herbert Altendorf, Joseph Daniel Tobiason
  • Publication number: 20070018084
    Abstract: A displacement measuring device including a scale, and an optical readhead including an index pattern and a light receiving element is provided. A bright/dark pattern arising from a scale grating is detected by the readhead to measure displacement. In various embodiments, a magnification of the pattern is adjusted by the spacing between at least a lens element, aperture element, and detection plane of the readhead. An aperture can be designed to provide a diffraction-limited telecentric imaging configuration that filters an image of the scale grating to provide a sinusoidal intensity pattern that supports highly interpolated measurements. An aperture dimension, selected in relation to the grating pitch and other parameters, can provide a desirable combination of readhead operating characteristics including one or more of a desired depth of field; degree of spatial filtering; and optical signal power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Publication date: January 25, 2007
    Applicant: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Shingo Nihommori, Miyako Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20040178333
    Abstract: A photoelectric encoder includes a main scale with a grating, and a light receiving portion with an index grating and a light receiving element. A bright/dark pattern obtained at least by the grating on the main scale is detected by the light receiving portion moved relative to the main scale. A lens and/or an aperture are inserted between the main scale and the light receiving portion, and a magnification of an image is set by adjusting distances among the lens or the aperture, the main scale and the light receiving portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2004
    Publication date: September 16, 2004
    Applicant: MITUTOYO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Shingo Nihommori
  • Publication number: 20040173737
    Abstract: A displacement measuring device including a scale, and an optical readhead including an index pattern and a light receiving element is provided. A bright/dark pattern arising from a scale grating is detected by the readhead to measure displacement. In various embodiments, a magnification of the pattern is adjusted by the spacing between at least a lens element, aperture element, and detection plane of the readhead. An aperture can be designed to provide a diffraction-limited telecentric imaging configuration that filters an image of the scale grating to provide a sinusoidal intensity pattern that supports highly interpolated measurements. An aperture dimension, selected in relation to the grating pitch and other parameters, can provide a desirable combination of readhead operating characteristics including one or more of a desired depth of field; degree of spatial filtering; and optical signal power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Publication date: September 9, 2004
    Applicant: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Shingo Nihommori, Miyako Mizutani, Eric Herbert Altendorf, Joseph Daniel Tobiason
  • Patent number: 6668467
    Abstract: There is provided a displacement measuring apparatus efficiently productive and easily applicable to high precise measurement of displacement with contact probe detection for hardly-measurable works in the art such as micro-works and deep parts in complicated structures. A scale member includes a spindle and a scale both supported by a parallel leaf spring movable on a scale substrate. The spindle is arranged in coaxial with a measurement axis in the scale member. The L & S slit-processed scale is integrated with the spindle and supported by the parallel leaf spring to move together with the spindle along the measurement axis. The spindle, scale and parallel leaf spring are coupled to the scale substrate interposing an anchor of the parallel leaf spring therebetween. The spindle, scale and parallel leaf spring are formed in an integral structure and only the anchor contacts the scale substrate while the spindle, scale and parallel leaf spring slightly float from the scale substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Atsushi Tominaga
  • Patent number: 6573707
    Abstract: A scale and a detecting head each include input/output connectors. Either of the input/output connectors is connected to receiving-side connector. By connecting the receiving-side connector to either of the scale and the detecting head, which is fixed in use, there is no change that a receiving-side cable will be disconnected by movement of the counterpart of the fixed member. This results in improvement of the reliability. Additionally, device is operable at high speed since the cable does not restrict motion of the movable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuro Kiriyama, Toshitaka Shimomura
  • Publication number: 20020024335
    Abstract: A scale 10 and a detecting head 20 include input/output connectors 94 and 96, respectively. Either of the input/output connectors is connected to a receiving-side connector 98. By connecting the receiving-side connector 98 to either of the scale 10 and the detecting head 20, which is fixed in use, there is no chance that a receiving-side cable 99 is disconnected by the movement of the counterpart of the fixed member. This results in improvement of the reliability. Additionally, the device is operable at high speed since the movable member is not restricted in its motion by the cable 99.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Publication date: February 28, 2002
    Inventors: Tetsuro Kiriyama, Toshitaka Shimomura
  • Publication number: 20020014893
    Abstract: There is provided a displacement measuring apparatus efficiently productive and easily applicable to high precise measurement of displacement with contact probe detection for hardly-measurable works in the art such as micro-works and deep parts in complicated structures. A scale member includes a spindle and a scale both supported by a parallel leaf spring movable on a scale substrate. The spindle is arranged in coaxial with a measurement axis in the scale member. The L & S slit-processed scale is integrated with the spindle and supported by the parallel leaf spring to move together with the spindle along the measurement axis. The spindle, scale and parallel leaf spring are coupled to the scale substrate interposing an anchor of the parallel leaf spring therebetween. The spindle, scale and parallel leaf spring are formed in an integral structure and only the anchor contacts the scale substrate while the spindle, scale and parallel leaf spring slightly float from the scale substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Publication date: February 7, 2002
    Applicant: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Atsushi Tominaga
  • Patent number: 5479010
    Abstract: A light emitting device assembled in a light transmitting type of photoelectric encoder is required to generate light having high parallelism and large quantity of light. This device uses one half of a concave mirror having a small aberration and long focal point. Hence, light radiated from a LED disposed at the focal point of the concave mirror has high parallelism. Further, using a plane mirror disposed at the optical axis of a concave mirror, light reflected with the plane mirror from a LED onto the concave mirror travels in parallel rays. Parallel rays, having a large quantity of light resulting from overlapping parallel rays, reflected from the concave mirror directly and indirectly from the light emitting element can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1995
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Tatsuhiko Matsuura
  • Patent number: 5440501
    Abstract: A capacitance-type measuring device for absolute measurement of positions is disclosed, which comprises a displacement sensor having a fixed element and a movable element, the movable element being capacitance-coupled to the fixed element and relatively movable against the fixed element, the displacement sensor being adapted to output signals corresponding to relative positions of the movable element against the fixed element, a signal processing circuit for processing the output signals of the displacement sensor and outputting an absolute measurement value corresponding to displacement of the movable element against the fixed element, a control circuit for controlling the operations of the displacement sensor and the signal processing circuit, and a power supply for supplying electric power to the displacement sensor, the signal processing circuit, and the control circuit, wherein the control circuit activates the signal processing circuit at a suitable interval so as to perform an intermittent measurement
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Corporation
    Inventors: Toshitaka Shimomura, Satoshi Adachi, Toru Yaku, Tatsuhiko Matsuura, Osamu Kawatoko
  • Patent number: 4593473
    Abstract: A digital display measuring apparatus including a probe which is movably installed to the body and is brought in contact with an object to be measured, an encoder which converts the displacing amount of the probe into electric signal pulse to output therefrom, a presetting device which establishes a measuring standard value in accordance with the object to be measured, a counter which counts the preset value and the electric signal pulses, and a digital display unit which displays in digital representation the measured value of the object with the basis of the counted value, wherein the presetting device comprises the preset switch which is operated at the time of establishing the preset value, and the preset memory in which an optional numerical value displayed on the digital display unit is established as the preset value by the operation of the preset switch, and displays in digital representation the measured value of the object on the digital display unit with the basis of this preset value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1985
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1986
    Assignee: Mitutoyo Mfg. Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshitaka Shimomura