Patents by Inventor Atsushi Minoo

Atsushi Minoo 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: 20210253375
    Abstract: A picking facility is realized that can shorten the time required to transfer an article from a first support body to a second support body. Of a plurality of articles 50 supported by the first support body 51, the article 50 located at the highest position and the article 50 whose upper face T1 is present in a range of a set distance D downward from the upper face T1 of the article 50 located at the highest position are set as transfer-target articles 50A, and the control device performs a selection control to preferentially select, from the transfer-target articles 50A, a transfer-target article 50A in the normal orientation SC, and a transfer control to control the transfer device so as to transfer the transfer-target article 50A selected through the selection control from the first support body 51 to the second support body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Publication date: August 19, 2021
    Applicant: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya GONDOH, Masami IWAI, Atsushi MINOO
  • Publication number: 20210245967
    Abstract: A picking facility includes a first conveyor that transports a container containing an article, a picking apparatus that takes out a target article from the container, a second conveyor that transports the target article that has been taken out, and a working space. The working space is provided on a side opposite to the second conveyor with the first conveyor being located between the working space and the second conveyor. The picking apparatus is arranged at a position that overlaps at least one of the first conveyor and the second conveyor and does not overlap the working space in a plan view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Wataru Kiyokawa, Atsushi Minoo, Hiroyuki Kusube
  • Publication number: 20210248352
    Abstract: An article distinguishing system includes: an identification information acquisition unit, an image capture unit that captures an image of an exterior of a target article, a determination unit that derives a degree of matching between the captured image of the target article and exterior image data stored in a storage unit, and determines whether or not the current state is a normal state in which exterior image data for which the degree of matching is a determination threshold value or more is present, and a learning processing unit that executes learning processing if it has been determined by the determination unit that the current state is not the normal state. The learning processing is processing for storing the data of the captured image as new exterior image data in the storage unit in association with the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Wataru Kiyokawa, Keigo Takahashi, Atsushi Minoo, Kazutoshi Ito
  • Publication number: 20210245968
    Abstract: A picking facility includes a first conveyor for transporting a container that includes an opening portion provided on an upper side thereof and can contain an article, and a second conveyor for transporting a target article. The height level of a transport face of the first conveyor is set to be lower than the height level of a transport face of the second conveyor, and a difference between the height level of the transport face of the second conveyor and the height level of the transport face of the first conveyor is determined based on the height of the container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Wataru Kiyokawa, Atsushi Minoo, Hiroyuki Kusube
  • Patent number: 10947057
    Abstract: A control unit performs first loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by a determination unit as being an article that is in an appropriate orientation is to be loaded onto a first supporting member in the appropriate orientation, and second loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in an inappropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Publication number: 20200165081
    Abstract: A control unit performs first loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by a determination unit as being an article that is in an appropriate orientation is to be loaded onto a first supporting member in the appropriate orientation, and second loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in an inappropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Patent number: 10589942
    Abstract: A control unit performs first loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by a determination unit as being an article that is in an appropriate orientation is to be loaded onto a first supporting member in the appropriate orientation, and second loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in an inappropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Patent number: 10336561
    Abstract: An article loading facility includes: a transport unit; a loading unit; a setting unit; a first control unit; and a second control unit. The transport unit transports second supporting members from storage units to a transfer position. The loading unit loads target articles that are supported by the second supporting members, onto the first supporting member. The setting unit performs an arrangement setting process to set arrangement information for each of the plurality of target articles that are to be loaded onto the first supporting member, the arrangement information indicating the orientation and the position of the corresponding target article relative to the first supporting member, and performs an arrangement order setting process to set a type arrangement order that, when target articles of a plurality of types are to be loaded according to the arrangement information, indicates the order in which the plurality of types are to be arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: DAIFUKU CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Patent number: 10280013
    Abstract: An article loading facility includes an imaging device configured to capture an image of an article in a support member, and a weighing device configured to measure a weight of an article W in the support member. A controller is configured to perform a first determining operation, a second determining operation, and a third determining operation. The first determining operation is an operation in which an attitude and position of an article placed in the support member is determined based on image information from the imaging device. The second determining operation is an operation in which it is determined whether it is possible to place a target article in the support member in an attitude and position indicated by arrangement information based on arrangement information and attitude and position information obtained in the first determining operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Patent number: 10106340
    Abstract: A control unit performs a first loading control and a second loading control. The first loading control is performed to control a loading operation unit to load a plurality of target articles onto a first supporting member according to arrangement information. The second loading control is performed to execute a second determination process based on at least one of: the arrangement information; detection information obtained by the detection unit; and information regarding a loading area, to determine whether or not the remaining articles are loadable onto the first supporting member, and to control the loading operation unit to load the remaining articles onto the first supporting member if the remaining articles are determined as being loadable in the second determination process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Publication number: 20180178992
    Abstract: An article loading facility includes an imaging device configured to capture an image of an article in a support member, and a weighing device configured to measure a weight of an article W in the support member. A controller is configured to perform a first determining operation, a second determining operation, and a third determining operation. The first determining operation is an operation in which an attitude and position of an article placed in the support member is determined based on image information from the imaging device. The second determining operation is an operation in which it is determined whether it is possible to place a target article in the support member in an attitude and position indicated by arrangement information based on arrangement information and attitude and position information obtained in the first determining operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Publication number: 20180065817
    Abstract: An article loading facility includes: a transport unit; a loading unit; a setting unit; a first control unit; and a second control unit. The transport unit transports second supporting members from storage units to a transfer position. The loading unit loads target articles that are supported by the second supporting members, onto the first supporting member. The setting unit performs an arrangement setting process to set arrangement information for each of the plurality of target articles that are to be loaded onto the first supporting member, the arrangement information indicating the orientation and the position of the corresponding target article relative to the first supporting member, and performs an arrangement order setting process to set a type arrangement order that, when target articles of a plurality of types are to be loaded according to the arrangement information, indicates the order in which the plurality of types are to be arranged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Publication number: 20180065819
    Abstract: A control unit performs a first loading control and a second loading control. The first loading control is performed to control a loading operation unit to load a plurality of target articles onto a first supporting member according to arrangement information. The second loading control is performed to execute a second determination process based on at least one of; the arrangement information; detection information obtained by the detection unit; and information regarding a loading area, to determine whether or not the remaining articles are loadable onto the first supporting member, and to control the loading operation unit to load the remaining articles onto the first supporting member if the remaining articles are determined as being loadable in the second determination process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Publication number: 20180065818
    Abstract: A control unit performs first loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by a determination unit as being an article that is in an appropriate orientation is to be loaded onto a first supporting member in the appropriate orientation, and second loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in an inappropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo