Having Particular Work Transport Control Between Manufacturing Stations Patents (Class 700/112)
  • Patent number: 11912454
    Abstract: A packaging plant and packaging method for packaging consumer products simultaneously in a large distribution packaging format and in customized e-commerce formats. The packaging plant and packaging method significantly improve the sustainability of e-commerce packaging of consumer products in that an e-commerce packaging area is supplied by products coming directly from a manufacturing machine without being previously packaged into large distribution packages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Fameccanica.Data S.p.A.
    Inventors: Francesco D'Aponte, Diego Gualtieri, Matteo Antonioli
  • Patent number: 11774947
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses an Industrial Internet of Things for material transportation control, a control method and a medium thereof, wherein the management platform in the Industrial Internet of Things includes: an obtaining module configured to generate a first layout directed graph; a material module configured to assign a material requirement to a corresponding material end point and assign a material supply to a corresponding material start point; a decomposition module configured to divide each material end point into a plurality of sub-nodes; a reconstruction module configured to form a third layout directed graph; a first calculation module configured to calculate a first path; a correction module configured to form an intermediate layout directed graph; and a second calculation module configured to calculate a second path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: CHENGDU QINCHUAN IOT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zehua Shao, Bin Liu, Haitang Xiang, Yong Li, Xiaojun Wei
  • Patent number: 11526148
    Abstract: A control apparatus for performing control processing and user period processing within a control period for an industrial machine includes processing circuitry that sets content of the control processing, and sets an upper limit of the user period processing. The user period processing is different from the control processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA YASKAWA DENKI
    Inventors: Hiroshi Okamoto, Takeshi Nagata, Ayaka Hashimoto, Yu Katono, Naohide Sakimura, Masaomi Kudo, Takaaki Shogaki, Megumi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11501987
    Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a loadlock module including a loadlock chamber in which a substrate container is received, wherein the loadlock module is configured to switch an internal pressure of the loadlock chamber between atmospheric pressure and a vacuum; and a transfer module configured to transfer a substrate between the substrate container received in the loadlock chamber and a process module for performing a semiconductor manufacturing process on the substrate, wherein the loadlock module includes a purge gas supply unit configured to supply a purge gas into the substrate container through a gas supply line connected to the substrate container; and an exhaust unit configured to discharge a gas in the substrate container through an exhaust line connected to the substrate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kwang-nam Kim, Byeong-Hee Kim, Jeongryul Kim, Hae-Joong Park, Jong-Woo Sun, Sang-Rok Oh, Sung-Wook Jung, Nam-Young Cho, Jung-Pyo Hong
  • Patent number: 11383728
    Abstract: A multimodal sensing system for agricultural machines may include an agricultural machine operable in a first operating mode and a second operating mode and a sensor which is movable to adjust its field-of-view between a first field-of-view and a second field-of-view depending on the operating mode of the agricultural machine. The sensor may be configured to generate sensor data associated with the first field-of-view when the agricultural machine is operating in the first operating mode and generate sensor data associated with the second field-of-view when the agricultural machine is operating in the second operating mode. A controller may analyze the sensor data generated when the sensor has the first and second field-of-views so as to provide respective first and second output signals associated with the first and second operating modes, respectively, of the agricultural machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventor: Trevor Stanhope
  • Patent number: 11366441
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a single integrated multi-function apparatus for programming and repackaging programmable devices comprising: input means operable to provide a plurality of un-programmed devices; programming means operable to program the un-programmed devices; checking means operable to inspect predefined characteristics of devices programmed by the programming means; moving means operable to convey programmed devices to the checking means in a path of movement defining a first (X) axis of the apparatus, and placement means operable to move devices to and from the programming means in a path of defining a second (Y) axis of the apparatus. The moving means further conveys programmed devices along the first (X) axis to checking means operable to inspect predefined characteristics of devices programmed by the programming means, and operation of the input means, programming means, moving means, placement means and checking means are coordinated and controlled by software control means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Electronic Product Services Limited
    Inventors: Ludek Mrazek, Lukas Kraina
  • Patent number: 11347214
    Abstract: An inspection device having a plurality of inspection chambers and configured to inspect target objects in the inspection chambers comprises a display unit, a maintenance control unit, a display control unit, a connection unit and an exclusive control unit. The display unit displays a screen for operating the inspection device. The maintenance control unit performs a maintenance process on a mechanism related to the inspection chambers. The display control unit displays a maintenance screen for receiving an operation for performing the maintenance process on the display unit. The connection unit connects the inspection device and an external device. The exclusive control unit performs exclusive control for preventing competition in the inspection process or the maintenance process for the same mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Tomokazu Ozawa
  • Patent number: 11262725
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for monitoring a manufacturing process, comprising the steps of: detecting a workpiece with a sensor unit of a portable device, sending the information acquired by the sensor unit to a database and applying a workpiece-specific data set, detecting the workpiece before, during and/or after carrying out a machining step or a handling step on the workpiece by the sensor unit of the portable device, updating the data set stored in the database before, during and/or after carrying out a machining step or handling step on the workpiece. The manufacturing process can, for example, relate to the machining of a board-shaped workpiece, such as a solid wooden board, a chipboard, a MDF board, a HDF board, or a workpiece made of another wood material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Inventors: David Frick, Manuel Friebolin, Joachim Graf, Andreas Kuehne
  • Patent number: 11215978
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an automated warehousing system, a display panel production line and a logistics delivery method. The automated warehousing system includes a plurality of zones, a server host, a controller, and at least one moving device. Each zone corresponds to one manufacturing process for an in-process product. The server host is configured to manage production information of the in-process product and send the production information to the controller. The controller is configured to, based on the received production information, after completion of one corresponding manufacturing process, control the moving device to move the in-process product to the zone that corresponds to the next manufacturing process to be performed at the in-process product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignees: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., HEFEI XINSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Xiang Dong
  • Patent number: 11189512
    Abstract: A stocker may include a load port which a cassette for receiving wafers is either loaded on or unloaded from, an aligner configured to align the wafers and to confirm identification codes of the wafers, a plurality of shelves each having slots for receiving the wafers, a first transfer robot having a first robot arm for transferring the wafers between the load port and the aligner and a second transfer robot having a second robot arm for transferring the wafers between the aligner and the shelves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: SEMES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Bo Seung Hwang, Seung Keun Jun
  • Patent number: 11177048
    Abstract: A method and a system. The system may include (a) evaluation units, (b) an object distribution system for receiving the objects and distributing the objects between the evaluation units, and (c) at least one controller. Each evaluation unit may include (i) a chamber housing that has an inner space, (ii) a chuck, (iii) a movement system that is configured to move the chuck, and (iv) a charged particle module that is configured to irradiate the object with a charged particle beam, and to detect particles emitted from the object. In each evaluation unit a length of the inner space is smaller than twice a length of the object, and a width of the inner space is smaller than twice a width of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS ISRAEL LTD.
    Inventors: Igor Krivts (Krayvitz), Efim Vinnitsky, Yoram Uziel, Benzion Sender, Ron Naftali
  • Patent number: 11155170
    Abstract: The invention relates to a transport system, in particular to a multi-carrier system, comprising a central control; a plurality of drive units, wherein the drive units are coupled to the central control by means of a data link; and a plurality of transport elements that are movable by means of the drive units, wherein the central control is configured to communicate control commands to the drive units, with the control commands causing the drive units to make a movement of the transport elements in dependence on the control commands. The transport system in accordance with the invention is characterized in that at least two of the drive units, preferably all the drive units, receive the same control commands.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
    Inventors: Ruediger Wurth, Joern Graewe, Martin Stollberger
  • Patent number: 11124370
    Abstract: A feeding unit to feed a component in an automatic manufacturing machine; has: at least one holding head designed to receive and hold the component; a closed curved guide arranged in a fixed position along an application path; an equipment supporting the holding head and provided with at least one slide coupled to the guide by a plurality of wheels; a linear electric motor, and a movable slider electro-magnetically coupled to the stator and is rigidly connected to the slide. The guide has, on the surface in contact with the wheels, a first transverse profile having a concavity or a convexity; the wheels have, on the surface in contact with the guide, a second transverse profile, which has a convexity or a concavity, and generates, with the first profile, a shape coupling between the guide and the wheels, which forbids a transverse movement of the slide relative to the guide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: GDM S.p.A.
    Inventors: Federico Tordini, Massimo Pallavera, Marco Rosani, Matteo Piantoni
  • Patent number: 11127615
    Abstract: A substrate processing system includes a processing section that includes a plurality of process modules each of which performs a predetermined processing; a carrying-in/out section that holds the plurality of substrates, and carries the substrates into/out of the processing section; a transfer unit that transfers the substrates; and a controller that controls the processing section, the carrying-in/out section, and the transfer unit. The controller performs a control such that the plurality of substrates is sequentially transferred from the carrying-in/out section to the processing section, and the transferred substrates are sequentially and serially transferred to the plurality of process modules, sets an interval until a next substrate is unloaded after a substrate is unloaded from a predetermined module of the carrying-in/out section, and performs a control such that the plurality of substrates is sequentially unloaded from the predetermined module with a setting value of the interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Takafumi Matsuhashi, Kunio Takano, Toshiharu Hirata
  • Patent number: 11081377
    Abstract: A substrate processing system comprising: a first chamber comprising loading tables, on which a plurality of substrates are to be loaded; a second chamber comprising loading tables, on which a plurality of substrates are to be loaded; a first transfer device comprising a plurality of blades configured to hold a plurality of substrates in a lengthwise direction thereof, and configured to transfer a plurality of substrates loaded on the loading tables of the first chamber to the loading tables of the second chamber with the substrates held at the same height; a substrate sensor provided on paths, along which the blades enter the second chamber, and configured to detect a substrate held by the blades; and a controller configured to control the first transfer device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Ryota Goto, Kiyoshi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11062930
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment includes a carrier mounting part, a substrate mounting part, a first transfer device, a plurality of processing parts, a second transfer device and a controller. The carrier mounting part mounts a carrier that accommodates a plurality of substrates. The first transfer device transfers the substrates between the carrier and a substrate mounting part. The controller causes the first transfer device to execute a take-out operation for taking out the substrate from the carrier to mount the substrate on the substrate mounting part at time intervals equal to or longer than a time required for the first transfer device to take out the substrate from the carrier to mount the substrate on the substrate mounting part and to take out the substrate from the substrate mounting part to accommodate the substrate in the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Kouji Takuma
  • Patent number: 11043399
    Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a storage; processors; a liquid supply which supplies, into the storage, at least a first liquid composed of a processing liquid or source liquids for composing the processing liquid; a detector which detects a value of a parameter indicating a state of the first liquid supplied into the storage or a state of the processing liquid in the storage; and a controller which controls the processors to perform a liquid processing in sequence. The controller determines, based on a detection result of the value of the parameter, whether it is possible to supply the processing liquid continuously into a preset number of processors concurrently under a condition requested by the processors, and, if not, the controller performs a simultaneous processing restricting control of reducing a number of processors which are supposed to perform the liquid processing concurrently to be lower than the preset number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Tomiyasu Maezono, Sadamichi Mori, Kouji Takuma, Chikara Nobukuni, Keigo Satake, Shinji Sugahara, Masahiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11011396
    Abstract: The present invention provides various aspects for processing multiple types of substrates within cleanspace fabricators or for processing multiple or single types of substrates in multiple types of cleanspace environments. In some embodiments, a collocated composite cleanspace fabricator may be capable of processing semiconductor devices into integrated circuits and then performing assembly operations to result in product in packaged form. Customized smart devices, smart phones and touchscreen devices may be fabricated in examples of a cleanspace fabricator. In some examples, the smart devices, smart phones and touchscreen devices may have two touchscreens on opposite sides of the device along with hardware based encryption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Inventor: Frederick A. Flitsch
  • Patent number: 10948534
    Abstract: An example test system includes robotics configured to operate on devices at a first level of precision, and stages configured to operate at levels of precision that are less than the first level of precision. Each of the stages may include parallel paths that are configured to pass the devices between adjacent stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: TERADYNE, INC.
    Inventors: David Paul Bowyer, Jianfa Pei, John P. Toscano, Philip Campbell, Valquirio N. Carvalho
  • Patent number: 10889449
    Abstract: An embodiment includes a plurality of transport modules forming a transport path on which a carriage that transports a workpiece travels, and a control unit that controls a position of the carriage on the plurality of transport modules based on a drive instruction, and the control unit corrects the drive instruction during carriage motion that is based on the drive instruction and stops the carriage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Manabu Umeyama, Hidetada Narahara, Shinichiro Takahama, Takeshi Yamamoto, Koji Tomoda
  • Patent number: 10874039
    Abstract: A component mounting system includes a board transport line for transporting a board from an upstream to a downstream and a work station disposed in the board transport line and performing component mounting work. The board transport line transports a board introduced in the downstream of the work station to the work station, and transports the board from the work station to the downstream when mounting of a component on the board is completed in the work station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joy Poothokaran, Kazuyuki Nagase, Michiaki Mawatari
  • Patent number: 10872797
    Abstract: A substrate processing apparatus, includes: a substrate transfer mechanism configured to advance and retreat a holding body that holds a substrate by symmetrically arranging two link mechanisms each including a driving arm and a driven arm; a processing module; a rotation angle measuring part configured to measure a rotation angle the driving arms; a holding body detection part configured to detect that a specific portion of the holding body is located at a predetermined position; and a controller configured to execute a step of acquiring a measurement value of the rotation angle of the driving arm, a step of obtaining a moving average of the measurement value of the rotation angle, and a step of obtaining a correction amount of the rotation angle so that a substrate transfer position of the holding body of the substrate transfer mechanism for the processing module becomes a reference position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Sakaue, Junpei Sasaki
  • Patent number: 10674855
    Abstract: A food preparation device or system which utilizes pre-packaged food containers to prepare a food item for consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Serenete Corporation
    Inventors: Jesse Austin Rosalia, Haidee Chen
  • Patent number: 10589422
    Abstract: Provided is an article conveying apparatus including a three-dimensional sensor that measures a three-dimensional shape of an article; an adhering portion that is made to adhere to a surface of the article; a moving mechanism that moves a position of the adhering portion in a three-dimensional manner; and a control unit that controls the moving mechanism. The control unit is provided with a center-of-gravity calculating portion that calculates a center of gravity of the article on the basis of the three-dimensional shape of the article measured by the three-dimensional sensor and controls the moving mechanism so as to place the adhering portion in the vicinity of the center of gravity calculated by the center-of-gravity calculating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masafumi Ooba
  • Patent number: 10571148
    Abstract: A method, a computer program product, and a computer system for providing a cognitive solution for maintaining a microenvironment. A cognitive service in an infrastructural computing system receives from a user computing device data of one or more sensors in the microenvironment. The cognitive service receives from the user computing device a profile of a user of the microenvironment. The cognitive service determines one or more current conditions of the microenvironment, based on the data of the one or more sensors. The cognitive service determines a cognitive solution for maintaining the microenvironment, based on the profile of the user and the one or more current conditions of the microenvironment. The cognitive service sends to the user computing device the cognitive solution. The user computing device adjusts one or more devices based on the cognitive solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mary T. Fetterman, Kathleen M. Pfeiffer, Robert F. Pfeiffer, Anne M. Romanowski, Philip A. Siconolfi
  • Patent number: 10458140
    Abstract: The various processes of a plant are segmented into separate process blocks that are connected to one another using fluid conduits or electrical connections. Each process block is specialized to perform specific tasks in an assembly line manner to achieve an overall goal. For example, multiple distillation process blocks could be daisy-chained to create fuel from crude oil. Each process block is generally small enough to be mounted on a truck or a flatbed for easy transport, allowing for an assembly line of process blocks to be transported anywhere in the world with ease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Fluor Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Fred Haney, Gary Donovan, Todd Roth, Alan Lowrie, George Morlidge, Simon Lucchini, Sean Halvorsen
  • Patent number: 10346940
    Abstract: A robot system includes an image pickup apparatus that picks up images of a plurality of kinds of articles conveyed by a conveyor; an article controlling portion that controls time and a position of each of the plurality of kinds of articles being supplied onto the conveyor, to limit kinds of articles to be image-picked-up by the image pickup apparatus in advance; a detecting portion that detects the plurality of kinds of articles from among images picked up by the image pickup apparatus, on the basis of the kinds of articles limited in advance by the article controlling portion; and a robot that is configured to take out the plurality of kinds of articles detected by the detecting portion from the conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kentaro Koga
  • Patent number: 10268187
    Abstract: A manufacturing management system capable of appropriately evaluating a degree of consumption of each component of a manufacturing machine, and efficiently operating a manufacturing cell including the manufacturing machines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masanori Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10186628
    Abstract: A plant and system for the automatic horizontal assembly of photovoltaic panels with front-back-contact solar cells of crystalline silicon, of the type called H-type, the contacting being carried out at a temperature lower than 150° C. also with the pre-fixing of conductive elements onto the encapsulating layer. The plant and system solve the main problems of the conventional stringing systems and provides high production capacity with a precise positioning of the components. The plant is made up of single workstations of the modular type which are arranged sequentially in a linear series, individually equipped according to the specific working process, being adjacent and laterally open to be crossed by the conveying line of the trays containing the panels being worked. After the automatic assembly in the plant, the panels are ready to be rolled in conventional furnaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: VISMUNDA SRL
    Inventor: Davide Spotti
  • Patent number: 10186418
    Abstract: For execution of substrate processing using multiple processing units available in parallel, two or more processing units to be used in parallel are selected from the multiple processing units such that an conveying-out standby time does not exceed a given permissible time. The conveying-out standby time is a time when a substrate after subjected to substrate processing by the processing unit is placed in standby until the substrate is transported from the processing unit by a transporting part. A schedule is made that includes processing by the transporting part of transporting a substrate toward the two or more processing units, substrate processing by the two or more processing units, and processing by the transporting part of transporting a substrate from the two or more processing units. The processing unit and the transporting part are controlled to execute substrate processing on multiple substrates in order according to the schedule.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshifumi Okada
  • Patent number: 10163070
    Abstract: A device may receive a request for a product. Based on the request, the device may determine a geographic location and delivery time for delivery of the product, and the device may identify product locations that are capable of providing the product and located near the geographic location. The device may determine, for each of the product locations and based on the product and at least one product location characteristic, a fulfillment time indicating when the product will be prepared for delivery. In addition, the device may identify at least one potential courier capable of transporting the product. Based on the fulfillment time, the delivery time, the geographic location for delivery, and at least one courier characteristic associated with the potential courier, the device may select a particular product location and a particular courier and perform an action based on the particular product location or the particular courier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Capital One Services, LLC
    Inventors: Jeremy Phillips, Zhe Liu, Kurry Tran
  • Patent number: 10002417
    Abstract: A ready for rotation state detection device is configured to detect a state in which a substrate, which is placed on a concave portion formed in a surface of a turntable, will not fly out of the concave portion when the turntable is rotated in a chamber. The ready for rotation state detection device includes a ready for rotation state detection unit configured to detect that a height of a surface of an end of the substrate is equal to or lower than a predetermined value indicating that the turntable is rotatable, upon receiving the substrate on the concave portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventors: Kiichi Takahashi, Takeshi Kobayashi, Yuji Takabatake, Naohide Ito, Katsuaki Sugawara
  • Patent number: 9989936
    Abstract: A transport control system divides a series of data-processing operations into mutually independent processes, and causes the process execution units to execute the respective processes. The data input or output by each process execution unit is stored in the data storage separate from the process execution unit, and transfer of the data between the respective process execution units is performed via the data storage instead of being performed directly between the process execution units. By separating the processes from each other and also separating the processes from the data in this manner, without affecting process execution units other than a process execution unit to be changed and the data storage, the process execution unit to be changed can be changed to a different process execution unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Kumagai, Hisato Yoneda
  • Patent number: 9970109
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate processing method including: placing a plurality of substrates on a rotary table in a processing container; and performing a processing on the substrates while rotating the rotary table. A dummy workpiece is disposed in a gap between the substrates placed on the rotary table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Jun Yoshikawa, Motoshi Fukudome
  • Patent number: 9971985
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method and a system of a train based community, according to one embodiment. In one embodiment, a method includes forming a train track adjacent to a set of homes in a residential community, placing a boarding location in a property boundary of each one of the set of homes in the residential community, and routing the train track to a merchant in the residential community. A shopping cart is autonomously routed from at least one boarding location of the property boundary to the merchant based on a request of an occupier of a home associated with the property boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Inventor: Raj Abhyanker
  • Patent number: 9874868
    Abstract: A method for calculating an optimized trajectory with a simulation program and an optimization routine includes making available a trajectory and adjusting it to boundary conditions, implementing a loop having the steps of a provision of one first trajectory, a modification of a (further) trajectory and adjustment of the (further) trajectory on the basis of boundary conditions, using as the optimized trajectory a trajectory which has been made available on the basis of an extremal or predetermined parameter, and, after being calculated, making available the optimized trajectory to a control device in order to move a holder for a component part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Ulrich Wolfgang Lorenz, Stephan Schäufele
  • Patent number: 9855698
    Abstract: Automatic process control of additive manufacturing. The system includes an additive manufacturing device for making an object and a local network computer controlling the device. At least one camera is provided with a view of a manufacturing volume of the device to generate network accessible images of the object. The computer is programmed to stop the manufacturing process when the object is defective based en the images of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Alfonso Alexander Perez, Christopher Michael Haid, Mateo Pena Doll, Forrest W. Pieper
  • Patent number: 9666408
    Abstract: In order to prevent a sample from thermally expanding and contracting when the sample is placed on a sample stage inside a vacuum chamber, the related art has proposed a coping method of awaiting observation by setting a standby time from when the wafer is conveyed into the vacuum chamber until the wafer and the sample table are brought into thermal equilibrium. In addition, the coping method is configured so as to await the observation until the wafer is cooled down to room temperature when the wafer is heated in the previous step. Consequently, throughput of an apparatus decreases. A temperature control mechanism which can control temperature of the sample is installed inside a mini-environment device. The sample temperature control mechanism controls the temperature of the sample inside the mini-environment device so as to become a setting temperature which is set in view of a lowered temperature of the sample inside a load lock chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichi Nakagawa, Masaru Matsushima, Masakazu Takahashi, Seiichiro Kanno
  • Patent number: 9619958
    Abstract: A computationally implemented system and method that is designed to, but is not limited to: electronically directing control of at least partial treatment of the one or more portions of the one or more ingestible substrate structures according to the treatment instructional information regarding the one or more subsequent ingestible substrate structure duct operations including flowing one or more fluids through one or more ducts to treat at least in part the one or more portions of the one or more ingestible substrate structures to form at least in part the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the electronically receiving the user status information and the electronically receiving the selection information. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: Paul Holman, Royce A. Levien, Mark A. Malamud, Neal Stephenson, Christopher Charles Young
  • Patent number: 9576834
    Abstract: A stocker includes a storage shelf, an output-relay shelf, a first crane, an output shelf, a second crane, and a controller. The storage shelf has a plurality of storage spaces. The output-relay shelf has a plurality of first output-relay spaces. The output shelf has an output space. The controller is configured to drive the first crane to preferentially transfer a first wafer carrier stored in one of the storage spaces to an empty one of the first output-relay spaces according to a delivery command defining a high priority of the first wafer carrier, and configured to drive the second crane to preferentially transfer the first wafer carrier from the first output-relay space storing the first wafer carrier to the output space according to the delivery command if the output space is empty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wei-Cheng Wang, Feng-Ning Lee, Bing-Yuan Cheng
  • Patent number: 9545045
    Abstract: In the operation execution step wherein the operation switches are clicked to execute the operation related to product-type switching, if the substrate presence/absence detecting sensors S1, S2 that detect the presence/absence of substrates in the front-side substrate transporting mechanism 11A and rear-side substrate transporting mechanism 11B detect the presence of substrates, it is judged that the manufacturing operation of the corresponding substrate type has not ended, and the input control processing is executed so that the input operation by the operation switch for executing the operation related to product-type switching is prohibited. As a result, it is possible to prevent the problems related to reloading of the mounting program before the manufacturing has ended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Yamauchi, Takeyuki Kawase
  • Patent number: 9454738
    Abstract: Technologies are described herein for automating a selection of data inputs. Some technologies are adapted to select a product that is a component part of a segment. The technologies select an external product that is utilized for production of the segment and an external component of the external product. If the name of the external component matches a name of the product, then the technologies add the external component as an external input to the product. The technologies also select an internal product that is utilized for the production of the segment and an internal component of the internal product. If the name of the internal component matches the name of the product, then the technologies add the internal component as an internal input to the product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: David Lee Grose, Thomas E. Sherer, Scott D. Button
  • Patent number: 9389607
    Abstract: In a method for setting substrate-treatment time, substrate-treatment time is set by the following method. A predicted supply time of wafers of a following lot to a substrate processing apparatus is calculated based on a predicted plasma-treatment completion time of another substrate processing apparatus. A predicted plasma-treatment completion time of all of wafers of a present lot is calculated. A predicted idle time after the completion of the plasma treatment of all of the wafers of the present lot is calculated based on the predicted supply time of the following lot and the predicted plasma-treatment completion time of the present lot. If the predicted idle time is equal to or longer than the idle time required for dummy treatment, supplementary idle time is added between the plasma treatments of unprocessed wafers of the present lot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Shinji Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 9184080
    Abstract: A substrate transfer apparatus includes a substrate transfer device which loads and unloads multiple substrates into and from a cassette capable of accommodating the multiple substrates, a substrate detector device which detects the positions of the substrates in the cassette, and a control device which controls the transfer device. The control device includes a computation component which calculates a shifted amount between a base position and the position of each substrate such that the shifted amount from the base position is set as a positive value, a verification component which verifies whether the difference between the maximum and minimum values among the shifted amounts is equal to or less a threshold value, and a transfer control component which controls the transfer device such that the transfer device unloads the substrates from the cassette when the verification component verifies that the difference is equal to or less than the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: TOKYO ELECTRON LIMITED
    Inventor: Masahiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9134342
    Abstract: The invention discloses a semiconductor components delivery system associated with a turret type testing apparatus for testing integrity and functionality of semiconductor components wherein at least two input feeders loadable with semiconductor components to be vision checked, tested and/or packed are provided. The delivery system is also provided with multiple output means such as a tube, a tape or a bin or a combination thereof for semiconductor components determined to be non defective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: EXIS TECH SDN BHD
    Inventor: Heng Lee Lee
  • Publication number: 20150142156
    Abstract: There is provided a flexible manufacturing system that can reliably place a workpiece that isn't defective piece in a state where the workpiece will be machined again. After a pallet is conveyed to a standby position and before machining of the workpiece attached to the pallet is started, controllers determines whether machining of the workpiece with a corresponding machining device is possible. When it is determined that machining is possible, the controller starts machining with the machining device. When it is determined that machining is impossible, the controller make a conveyor convey the pallet from the standby position to a pallet storage room, and stores the machining status information on the conveyed pallet as the machining-waiting state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuhiro MASEKI, Tatsuhiko INAGAKI, Takaaki SUGIURA, Kazuhiro TSUJIMURA
  • Publication number: 20150142155
    Abstract: The invention relates to a holding and transporting device for intermediate products (10), in particular for boards heated for hot forming or pre-formed shaped components, having at least one tactile temperature measuring sensor (6), which is integrated in the holding and transporting device in such a way that the sensor is in touching contact with the intermediate product (10) during the transport. The tactile temperature measuring sensor (6) for contacting the intermediate product (10) is preferably held such that it can be displaced resiliently counter to an elastic preload. In particular, the holding and transporting device has at least one gripper having an abutment (2) and a gripper element (3) that can be moved with respect to the latter, wherein the temperature measuring sensor (6) is arranged on the abutment (2).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventor: Manuela Braun
  • Patent number: 9031682
    Abstract: An eyeglass lens supplying system for supplying an eyeglass lens to a plurality of eyeglass lens processing apparatus includes: a plurality of conveyer line units, each of which includes: at least one conveyer line conveying a tray; a tray moving unit separating at least two trays from the conveyer line to move the trays to standby positions, and put the tray on the conveyer line; and a control unit obtaining processing information from a host computer; a carrying-in conveyer line connected to the conveyer line of the conveyer line unit; a carrying-out conveyer line connected to the conveyer line of the conveyer line unit; a main control unit communicating with each of the control units, and determines the processing apparatus to process the lens in the tray on the carrying-in conveyer unit, or determines the conveyer line unit to convey the tray on the carrying-in conveyer unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Nidek Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoshi Tanaka, Yuya Nakako
  • Patent number: 9002494
    Abstract: There is provided a substrate transfer method capable of preventing fine particles from adhering to a wafer. A substrate processing system 10 includes process modules 12 to 17 each having therein an inner space S1; a transfer module 11, having an inner space S2, connected to the process modules 12 to 17; and opening/closing gate valves 30 each partitioning the inner space S1 and the inner space S2. The transfer module 11 includes in the inner space S2 a transfer arm device 21 for holding a wafer W and for loading/unloading the wafer W into/from the process modules 12 to 17. The transfer arm device 21 holds the wafer W at a retreated position deviated from a facing position facing the gate valve 30 during an opening motion of the gate valve 30.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Eiki Endo, Tatsuya Ogi
  • Publication number: 20150094839
    Abstract: A system is provided for controlling a line speed of a conveyor belt of a conveyor system during product changeovers in a wallboard production line. A central control module controls operation of a position sensor and a database. The position sensor is located on top of a conveyor table for providing positional information of a slurry head formed in front of a forming plate of the conveyor system. A position detection module receives a position signal from the position sensor, and determines whether the slurry head is located within a predetermined distance relative to the position sensor based on the position signal. A speed adjustment module regulates the line speed of the conveyor belt based on the position signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Scott M. DellAngelo, Robert Wykoff