Patents by Inventor Hitoshi Maekawa
Hitoshi Maekawa 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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Publication number: 20230301850Abstract: In a power transmission mechanism 20, a line connecting a center shaft 21 of a reference gear member 40 and a first shaft 44 of a first planetary gear member 42 and a line connecting the center shaft 21 of the reference gear member 40 and a second shaft 47 of a second planetary gear member 45 form a specific angle ?. Rotation in one direction is prevented when a first carrier member 22 and a second carrier member 32 are relatively rotated in a direction to decrease the specific angle ?. Further, a rotation prevention release unit is provided to release a prevention state of the rotation when the first carrier member 22 and the second carrier member 32 are relatively rotated in a direction to increase the specific angle ?.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 1, 2020Publication date: September 28, 2023Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventor: Hitoshi MAEKAWA
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Patent number: 11686479Abstract: An encapsulated cleanroom system comprising a processing chamber and a storage section in which the processing chamber is stored, wherein, during operation, the pressure in the storage section is lower or higher than the pressures in the processing chamber and exterior space. The system can simultaneously prevent the entry of outside gases into its processing chamber and the leakage of the gases inside the processing chamber to the exterior space.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2021Date of Patent: June 27, 2023Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Shiro Hara, Hitoshi Maekawa, Sommawan Khumpuang, Takashi Yajima, Yuuki Ishida
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Publication number: 20210302034Abstract: An encapsulated cleanroom system comprising a processing chamber and a storage section in which the processing chamber is stored, wherein, during operation, the pressure in the storage section is lower or higher than the pressures in the processing chamber and exterior space. The system can simultaneously prevent the entry of outside gases into its processing chamber and the leakage of the gases inside the processing chamber to the exterior space.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 23, 2021Publication date: September 30, 2021Inventors: Shiro HARA, Hitoshi MAEKAWA, Sommawan KHUMPUANG, Takashi YAJIMA, Yuuki ISHIDA
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Patent number: 11011403Abstract: An automatic clamping mechanism capable of automatically securing and releasing a wafer transport container to or from a manufacturing apparatus and having a small height dimension is provided at low cost. A wafer transport container is placed on a container placing table. A semiconductor wafer is loaded into the manufacturing apparatus main body from a wafer loading port while being placed on a container base part of the wafer transport container. An automatic clamping mechanism generates a press force component in a vertical direction at the wafer transport container and secures the wafer transport container to the container placing table by bringing claw parts of a plurality of clamping claws into contact with an inclined contact surface provided on a container lid part of the wafer transport container and pressing the inclined contact surface in a substantially horizontal direction.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2018Date of Patent: May 18, 2021Assignees: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, DESIGN NETWORK CO., LTD.Inventors: Shiro Hara, Hitoshi Maekawa, Hiroyuki Nishihara, Koji Sagisawa
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Patent number: 10332768Abstract: A compact manufacturing device to automatically transport a wafer transport container. The compact manufacturing device comprises a processing chamber and a device front chamber provided inside a housing, a container mounting table provided in the housing to mount a substrate transport container accommodating a processing substrate, and a container transport mechanism. The container transport mechanism delivers the substrate transport container to the adjacent compact manufacturing device along a container transport path and/or receives the substrate transport container from adjacent compact manufacturing device along the container transport path when a plurality of the compact manufacturing devices are provided in parallel.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2015Date of Patent: June 25, 2019Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Shiro Hara, Hitoshi Maekawa
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Publication number: 20190164797Abstract: An automatic clamping mechanism capable of automatically securing and releasing a wafer transport container to or from a manufacturing apparatus and having a small height dimension is provided at low cost. A wafer transport container is placed on a container placing table. A semiconductor wafer is loaded into the manufacturing apparatus main body from a wafer loading port while being placed on a container base part of the wafer transport container. An automatic clamping mechanism generates a press force component in a vertical direction at the wafer transport container and secures the wafer transport container to the container placing table by bringing claw parts of a plurality of clamping claws into contact with an inclined contact surface provided on a container lid part of the wafer transport container and pressing the inclined contact surface in a substantially horizontal direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 7, 2018Publication date: May 30, 2019Applicants: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, DESIGN NETWORK CO., LTD.Inventors: Shiro HARA, Hitoshi MAEKAWA, Hiroyuki NISHIHARA, Koji SAGISAWA
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Patent number: 10137570Abstract: The present invention provides a transfer robot which has a simple structure and a small occupied area in an operation. A transfer robot of the present invention includes a support member fixed to a side wall or the like, a transfer arm by which a hand member is held capable of linear movement, and first and second link members. One end portions of the first and second link members are rotatably linked to the support member, respectively. Another end portions of the first and second link members are rotatably linked to the transfer arm, respectively. The hand member holds/transfers a work. A rotational driving force applied to a linking portion between the support member and the first link member is transmitted to the transfer arm by a predetermined mechanism and linearly moves the hand member. The transfer arm moves by rotating the first link member or the second link member.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2013Date of Patent: November 27, 2018Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Kenji Hirota, Shinichi Imai, Shiro Hara, Hitoshi Maekawa
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Patent number: 10115619Abstract: A transfer box has a sealing structure hermetically sealable by means of tight coupling of a transfer box body and a transfer box door. The transfer box is structured in such a way that magnets on the transfer box body face magnetic bodies on the transfer box door when the transfer box door is closed on the transfer box body, with these magnets and magnetic bodies forming a magnetic closed circuit.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2015Date of Patent: October 30, 2018Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (AIST)Inventors: Shiro Hara, Hitoshi Maekawa
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Publication number: 20170309507Abstract: A compact manufacturing device to automatically transport a wafer transport container. The compact manufacturing device comprises a processing chamber and a device front chamber provided inside a housing, a container mounting table provided in the housing to mount a substrate transport container accommodating a processing substrate, and a container transport mechanism. The container transport mechanism delivers the substrate transport container to the adjacent compact manufacturing device along a container transport path and/or receives the substrate transport container from adjacent compact manufacturing device along the container transport path when a plurality of the compact manufacturing devices are provided in parallel.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 1, 2015Publication date: October 26, 2017Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Shiro HARA, Hitoshi MAEKAWA
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Patent number: 9604477Abstract: In order to provide a printer capable of detecting a continuous paper sheet without causing a sensor provided in the downstream side of a thermal head from being hindered by an ink ribbon, the printer includes: a main body (20) defining a conveying passage of a continuous paper sheet (P); a print unit having a thermal head (40) provided in the main body (20) to print predetermined information on the continuous paper sheet (P) by using an ink ribbon, and a platen roller (41) provided to face the thermal head (40) by interposing the continuous paper sheet (P); and a sensor unit (45) installed in the main body (20) and provided with a sensor (48) for detecting the continuous paper sheet (P), the sensor unit (45) being configured to move between a first position where the sensor (48) detects the continuous paper sheet (P) in the downstream side of the thermal head (40) and a second position farther than the first position from the thermal head (40).Type: GrantFiled: April 25, 2014Date of Patent: March 28, 2017Assignee: SATO HOLDINGS KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Hitoshi Maekawa
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Patent number: 9539839Abstract: In order to obtain a ribbon feeding shaft capable of accurately adjusting a position of a regulating member and preventing a positional deviation, a long sheet material holding device includes a pair of first locking groove trains (91c and 91d) arranged in parallel with each other along the axial direction of the holding shaft (91), the pair of first locking groove trains (91c and 91d) having a series of grooves (61c and 61d) respectively, the series of grooves (61c and 61d) extending across the axial direction of the holding shaft (91), each of the series of grooves (61c and 61d) being provided with slope surfaces (71c, 71d) sloped along the axial direction of the holding shaft (91) and oppositely to each other and perpendicular surfaces (81c, 81d) perpendicular to the axial direction of the holding shaft (91), and a pair of second locking groove trains (92c, 92d) formed in a pair of locking members (92x, 92y) provided in the regulating member 92 inserted into the holding shaft (91), to match the surfaces ofType: GrantFiled: April 25, 2014Date of Patent: January 10, 2017Assignee: SATO HOLDINGS KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Hitoshi Maekawa
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Patent number: 9524895Abstract: There is provided a substrate transfer antechamber mechanism for a compact manufacturing apparatus that produces various types of devices in small volume using a small-diameter processing substrate at low cost. A container placement table, on which a wafer transfer container housing a semiconductor wafer is placed, is provided on an upper surface of an apparatus antechamber for a compact semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and the apparatus antechamber includes therein a wafer elevating mechanism and a horizontal transfer mechanism. The wafer elevating mechanism moves down while holding from below a delivery bottom of the wafer transfer container, on which the semiconductor wafer remains placed, to transfer the semiconductor wafer into the apparatus antechamber. The horizontal transfer mechanism transfers the semiconductor wafer into a processing chamber using a transfer arm that receives the semiconductor wafer from the delivery bottom and extends.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2013Date of Patent: December 20, 2016Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Shiro Hara, Hitoshi Maekawa
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Patent number: 9478452Abstract: A production system to facilitate the commonization of front chambers among a plurality of production devices that are different in the kind of a process to be performed for a processing substrate. Control units are provided separately in a processing chamber and a front chamber of a small production device. When the processing-chamber control unit outputs a load request signal, the front-chamber control unit loads a processing substrate to the processing chamber, and outputs a load acknowledgment signal. When the load acknowledgment signal is input, the processing-chamber control unit performs a process for the processing substrate, and outputs an unload request signal after the completion of the process. When the unload request signal is input, the front-chamber control unit unloads the processing substrate, and outputs an unload acknowledgment signal. When the unload acknowledgment signal is input, the processing chamber starts the preparation of the next process.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2014Date of Patent: October 25, 2016Assignee: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Shiro Hara, Hitoshi Maekawa, Shizuka Nakano
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Publication number: 20160152057Abstract: In order to obtain a ribbon feeding shaft capable of accurately adjusting a position of a regulating member and preventing a positional deviation, a long sheet material holding device includes a pair of first locking groove trains (91c and 91d) arranged in parallel with each other along the axial direction of the holding shaft (91), the pair of first locking groove trains (91c and 91d) having a series of grooves (61c and 61d) respectively, the series of grooves (61c and 61d) extending across the axial direction of the holding shaft (91), each of the series of grooves (61c and 61d) being provided with slope surfaces (71c, 71d) sloped along the axial direction of the holding shaft (91) and oppositely to each other and perpendicular surfaces (81c, 81d) perpendicular to the axial direction of the holding shaft (91), and a pair of second locking groove trains (92c, 92d) formed in a pair of locking members (92x, 92y) provided in the regulating member 92 inserted into the holding shaft (91), to match the surfaces ofType: ApplicationFiled: April 25, 2014Publication date: June 2, 2016Inventor: Hitoshi MAEKAWA
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Publication number: 20160129706Abstract: In order to provide a printer capable of detecting a continuous paper sheet without causing a sensor provided in the downstream side of a thermal head from being hindered by an ink ribbon, the printer includes: a main body (20) defining a conveying passage of a continuous paper sheet (P); a print unit having a thermal head (40) provided in the main body (20) to print predetermined information on the continuous paper sheet (P) by using an ink ribbon, and a platen roller (41) provided to face the thermal head (40) by interposing the continuous paper sheet (P); and a sensor unit (45) installed in the main body (20) and provided with a sensor (48) for detecting the continuous paper sheet (P), the sensor unit (45) being configured to move between a first position where the sensor (48) detects the continuous paper sheet (P) in the downstream side of the thermal head (40) and a second position farther than the first position from the thermal head (40).Type: ApplicationFiled: April 25, 2014Publication date: May 12, 2016Applicant: SATO HOLDINGS KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Hitoshi MAEKAWA
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Patent number: 9254540Abstract: Mounting structure to allow a production line made up of movable manufacturing devices to be rearranged quickly, safely, and reliably. The mounting structure according to the present invention includes a fixing structure installed on a floor and a leg portion installed on a bottom plate of the movable manufacturing device. The fixing structure comprises a floor side positioning member and a floor side coupling member while the leg portion comprises a leg side positioning member and a leg side coupling member. The floor side positioning member and the leg side positioning member positions the movable manufacturing device accurately by fitting each other when the device is placed at the specified location of the fixing structure. The floor side coupling member and the leg side coupling member fixes the movable manufacturing device located on the fixing structure by coupling each other.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2014Date of Patent: February 9, 2016Assignees: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, DESIGN NETWORK CO., LTD.Inventors: Shiro Hara, Shizuka Nakano, Hitoshi Maekawa, Shinji Futagawa, Takahiro Fukuda
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Publication number: 20150380289Abstract: [Problem to be Solved] A production system to facilitate the commonization of front chambers among a plurality of production devices that are different in the kind of a process to be performed for a processing substrate. According to the production system of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the development cost and production cost of the production devices. [Solution] Control units are provided separately in a processing chamber and a front chamber of a small production device. When the processing-chamber control unit outputs a load request signal, the front-chamber control unit loads a processing substrate to the processing chamber, and outputs a load acknowledgment signal. When the load acknowledgment signal is input, the processing-chamber control unit performs a process for the processing substrate, and outputs an unload request signal after the completion of the process.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2014Publication date: December 31, 2015Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Shiro HARA, Hitoshi MAEKAWA, Shizuka NAKANO
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Publication number: 20150321347Abstract: The present invention provides a transfer robot which has a simple structure and a small occupied area in an operation. A transfer robot of the present invention includes a support member fixed to a side wall or the like, a transfer arm by which a hand member is held capable of linear movement, and first and second link members. One end portions of the first and second link members are rotatably linked to the support member, respectively. Another end portions of the first and second link members are rotatably linked to the transfer arm, respectively. The hand member holds/transfers a work. A rotational driving force applied to a linking portion between the support member and the first link member is transmitted to the transfer arm by a predetermined mechanism and linearly moves the hand member. The transfer arm moves by rotating the first link member or the second link member.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2013Publication date: November 12, 2015Applicants: TAZMO CO., LTD., NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Kenji HIROTA, Shinichi IMAI, Shiro HARA, Hitoshi MAEKAWA
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Publication number: 20150311101Abstract: There is provided a substrate transfer antechamber mechanism for a compact manufacturing apparatus that produces various types of devices in small volume using a small-diameter processing substrate at low cost. A container placement table, on which a wafer transfer container housing a semiconductor wafer is placed, is provided on an upper surface of an apparatus antechamber for a compact semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and the apparatus antechamber includes therein a wafer elevating mechanism and a horizontal transfer mechanism. The wafer elevating mechanism moves down while holding from below a delivery bottom of the wafer transfer container, on which the semiconductor wafer remains placed, to transfer the semiconductor wafer into the apparatus antechamber. The horizontal transfer mechanism transfers the semiconductor wafer into a processing chamber using a transfer arm that receives the semiconductor wafer from the delivery bottom and extends.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2013Publication date: October 29, 2015Applicant: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYInventors: Shiro HARA, Hitoshi MAEKAWA
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Publication number: 20150170948Abstract: A transfer box has a sealing structure hermetically sealable by means of tight coupling of a transfer box body and a transfer box door. The transfer box is structured in such a way that magnets on the transfer box body face magnetic bodies on the transfer box door when the transfer box door is closed on the transfer box body, with these magnets and magnetic bodies forming a magnetic closed circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2015Publication date: June 18, 2015Inventors: Shiro HARA, Hitoshi MAEKAWA