Patents by Inventor Yukinori Hirota

Yukinori Hirota 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: 10610945
    Abstract: As a conventional problem, welding on surface-treated material, such as a zinc-coated steel plate, considerably generates air holes including blowholes and also generates lots of spatters. Present invention provides a method of controlling arc welding performed in a manner that a short-circuit period, in which a short circuit is generated between a welding wire and an object to be welded, and an arc period, in which an arc is generated after release of the short circuit, are repeated alternately. According to the method, welding current is increased from an arc-regeneration-before current to a first welding current at a detection of release of the short circuit such that an increase gradient of the welding current becomes not less than 750 A/msec. This suppresses generation of air holes and spatters in welding work on a surface-treated material, such as a zinc-coated steel plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Junji Fujiwara, Yukinori Hirota, Noriyuki Matsuoka, Kaito Matsui
  • Patent number: 10518348
    Abstract: In arc welding, determining a current value to be high in an early stage of the arc period is effective in reducing spatters caused by feeble short circuit in the arc period. In that case, to sharply decrease the voltage that has increased with increase in current, an inductance value of a reactor has to be kept small. However, a small inductance value causes a problem—weakness against disturbance. The present invention provides an arc welding control method that performs arc welding while repeating the short-circuit period and the arc period. According to the method, changing an inductance value relating to welding output in the arc period offers stable arc welding with fewer spatters and insusceptibility to disturbance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Noriyuki Matsuoka, Yukinori Hirota, Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Junji Fujiwara, Masaru Kowa, Akira Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 9186744
    Abstract: A method to determine welding conditions includes relational expressions or tables about various parameters for setting welding conditions. The method can determine and display the recommended values for the welding conditions which are suitable for the information about the object to be welded and the information about the welding method set by the operator. The welding conditions include a welding current, a welding voltage, a wire feed speed, a welding speed, and a leg length. Furthermore, if the operator changes the recommended value for a welding condition to a new value, the method can determine new recommended values for the other welding conditions compatible with the new value and display the new recommended values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukinori Hirota, Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Kaito Matsui
  • Patent number: 9114472
    Abstract: In an arc welding control method of repeating a short circuit and an arc to perform welding, control is carried out to conduct a welding current having a first polarity for a short circuit period, and a first commutation to commutate the welding current from the first polarity to be a polarity of the welding current for the short circuit period to a second polarity to be opposite to the first polarity is carried out for an arc period subsequent to the short circuit period. Furthermore, control is performed to carry out a second commutation to commutate the welding current from the second polarity to the first polarity for the arc period in which the first commutation is executed. Consequently, it is possible to reduce an energy input amount to a base metal, thereby suppressing burn-through in welding of a thin plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kaito Matsui, Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Yukinori Hirota
  • Publication number: 20150209888
    Abstract: A method to determine welding conditions includes relational expressions or tables about various parameters for setting welding conditions. The method can determine and display the recommended values for the welding conditions which are suitable for the information about the object to be welded and the information about the welding method set by the operator. The welding conditions include a welding current, a welding voltage, a wire feed speed, a welding speed, and a leg length. Furthermore, if the operator changes the recommended value for a welding condition to a new value, the method can determine new recommended values for the other welding conditions compatible with the new value and display the new recommended values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: YUKINORI HIROTA, ATSUHIRO KAWAMOTO, KAITO MATSUI
  • Patent number: 9029732
    Abstract: A method to determine welding conditions includes relational expressions or tables about various parameters for setting welding conditions. The method can determine and display the recommended values for the welding conditions which are suitable for the information about the object to be welded and the information about the welding method set by the operator. The welding conditions include a welding current, a welding voltage, a wire feed speed, a welding speed, and a leg length. Furthermore, if the operator changes the recommended value for a welding condition to a new value, the method can determine new recommended values for the other welding conditions compatible with the new value and display the new recommended values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukinori Hirota, Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Kaito Matsui
  • Publication number: 20150096965
    Abstract: As a conventional problem, welding on surface-treated material, such as a zinc-coated steel plate, considerably generates air holes including blowholes and also generates lots of spatters. Present invention provides a method of controlling arc welding performed in a manner that a short-circuit period, in which a short circuit is generated between a welding wire and an object to be welded, and an arc period, in which an arc is generated after release of the short circuit, are repeated alternately. According to the method, welding current is increased from an arc-regeneration-before current to a first welding current at a detection of release of the short circuit such that an increase gradient of the welding current becomes not less than 750 A/msec. This suppresses generation of air holes and spatters in welding work on a surface-treated material, such as a zinc-coated steel plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Inventors: ATSUHIRO KAWAMOTO, JUNJI FUJIWARA, YUKINORI HIROTA, NORIYUKI MATSUOKA, KAITO MATSUI
  • Publication number: 20140203004
    Abstract: In arc welding, determining a current value to be high in an early stage of the arc period is effective in reducing spatters caused by feeble short circuit in the arc period. In that case, to sharply decrease the voltage that has increased with increase in current, an inductance value of a reactor has to be kept small. However, a small inductance value causes a problem—weakness against disturbance. The present invention provides an arc welding control method that performs arc welding while repeating the short-circuit period and the arc period. According to the method, changing an inductance value relating to welding output in the arc period offers stable arc welding with fewer spatters and insusceptibility to disturbance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2014
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Noriyuki Matsuoka, Yukinori Hirota, Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Junji Fujiwara, Masaru Kowa, Akira Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 8502114
    Abstract: An AC pulse arc welding method of the present invention sets an appropriate AC frequency based on a wire feed rate and a polarity ratio when the polarity ratio is changed without changing the wire feed rate to control a heat input to a base material, and sets an appropriate straight polarity current value necessary for one drop per pulse from the polarity ratio and the AC frequency in AC pulse welding. The method makes it possible to achieve appropriate AC pulse welding by setting the polarity ratio, and to easily set the welding conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yukinori Hirota, Hiroki Yuzawa, Masaru Kowa, Hideki Ihara
  • Patent number: 8440935
    Abstract: A welding control unit has a common power section for detecting contact of a welding material and for welding. A material contact detector for detecting contact of the welding material and a workpiece, and a power controller are built in the welding control unit. This stabilizes a bead shape in starting welding. The number of components can also be reduced, resulting in more inexpensive equipment. In addition, only a space for installing the welding control unit is needed without any additional space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Kei Aimi, Yasushi Mukai, Yukinori Hirota
  • Publication number: 20130068744
    Abstract: In an arc welding control method of repeating a short circuit and an arc to perform welding, control is carried out to conduct a welding current having a first polarity for a short circuit period, and a first commutation to commutate the welding current from the first polarity to be a polarity of the welding current for the short circuit period to a second polarity to be opposite to the first polarity is carried out for an arc period subsequent to the short circuit period. Furthermore, control is performed to carry out a second commutation to commutate the welding current from the second polarity to the first polarity for the arc period in which the first commutation is executed. Consequently, it is possible to reduce an energy input amount to a base metal, thereby suppressing burn-through in welding of a thin plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kaito Matsui, Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Yukinori Hirota
  • Publication number: 20130001209
    Abstract: A method to determine welding conditions includes relational expressions or tables about various parameters for setting welding conditions. The method can determine and display the recommended values for the welding conditions which are suitable for the information about the object to be welded and the information about the welding method set by the operator. The welding conditions include a welding current, a welding voltage, a wire feed speed, a welding speed, and a leg length. Furthermore, if the operator changes the recommended value for a welding condition to a new value, the method can determine new recommended values for the other welding conditions compatible with the new value and display the new recommended values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukinori Hirota, Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Kaito Matsui
  • Publication number: 20110278273
    Abstract: An AC pulse arc welding method of the present invention sets an appropriate AC frequency based on a wire feed rate and a polarity ratio when the polarity ratio is changed without changing the wire feed rate to control a heat input to a base material, and sets an appropriate straight polarity current value necessary for one drop per pulse from the polarity ratio and the AC frequency in AC pulse welding. The method makes it possible to achieve appropriate AC pulse welding by setting the polarity ratio, and to easily set the welding conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yukinori Hirota, Hiroki Yuzawa, Masaru Kowa, Hideki Ihara
  • Publication number: 20100059492
    Abstract: A welding control unit has a common power section for detecting contact of a welding material and for welding. A material contact detector for detecting contact of the welding material and a workpiece, and a power controller are built in the welding control unit. This stabilizes a bead shape in starting welding. The number of components can also be reduced, resulting in more inexpensive equipment. In addition, only a space for installing the welding control unit is needed without any additional space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Publication date: March 11, 2010
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsuhiro Kawamoto, Kei Aimi, Yasushi Mukai, Yukinori Hirota
  • Patent number: 7265321
    Abstract: In a case where a motor 3 is stopped upon completion of welding, a motor stop can be effected irrespective of the length of control lines by disposing a first motor stop means 5a or a second motor stop means 5b in a feeding means 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeki Yonemori, Yukitoshi Yamada, Mitsunori Akaishi, Yukinori Hirota, Tsutomu Naito, Mituo Miyata
  • Publication number: 20060207982
    Abstract: In a case where a motor 3 is stopped upon completion of welding, a motor stop can be effected irrespective of the length of control lines by disposing a first motor stop means 5a or a second motor stop means 5b in a feeding means 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2005
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeki Yonemori, Yukitoshi Yamada, Mitsunori Akaishi, Yukinori Hirota, Tsutomu Naito, Mituo Miyata