Patents Assigned to Hirata Corporation
  • Publication number: 20130037385
    Abstract: This invention provides a conveying apparatus which conveys a workpiece. The conveying apparatus includes a pallet which supports the workpiece, a conveyor which supports one side of the pallet in a direction perpendicular to a conveyance direction from below the pallet, and includes a conveyance roller for conveying the pallet and a driving source for driving the conveyance roller, and a heaving suppression guide member which extends along the conveyor, abuts against the other side of the pallet in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and suppresses heaving of the pallet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2012
    Publication date: February 14, 2013
    Applicant: HIRATA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi ICHIHARA, Bungo Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 8316699
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and a device for accurately measuring and adjusting a valve clearance value to a desired value in an engine having a rocker-arm-type valve. According to a valve clearance measuring and adjusting method of the present invention, a pair of probes 60 each having a round tip end 611 are brought into direct contact with a valve clearance CV of an engine having a rocker-arm-type valve 105, and a center-to-center distance between the two tip ends 611 is measured. An actual valve clearance value is calculated and measured on the basis of the center-to-center distance between the tip ends 611. The actual valve clearance value is adjusted to a desired valve clearance value, while the actual valve clearance value is measured in real time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Hisayuki Sueoka, Yasuyoshi Miyauchi, Yasuo Morise, Tatsumi Otomura, Hiroya Mitsushima
  • Publication number: 20120285015
    Abstract: This invention provides a retainer assembling apparatus which assembles a retainer to a valve stem via a cotter which engage with an engaging groove formed on the valve stem. The cotter comprises a pair of cotter segments. The apparatus includes a cylindrical body, a holding portion which holds the retainer contacting a lower end of the cylindrical body, a push-up shaft which pushes up the pair of cotter segments into the cylindrical body, and an axial body which is arranged in the cylindrical body to be coaxial with the push-up shaft and to be coaxially movable. The cylindrical body includes a tapered inner circumferential portion on an inner circumferential wall lower portion thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Applicant: HIRATA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki SHIGA, Kotaro Takamura, Yukihiro Kawamoto, Masahiro Koizumi, Haruo Oka, Koji Matsuda
  • Patent number: 8303234
    Abstract: A transfer device includes a carrying-in area (A1) into which a carriage is carried. A positioning mechanism includes left and right rocking arms (60) that engage with and disengage from the carriage to lift the carriage while holding it from both left and right sides and position it at a predetermined height position in the carrying-in area. A transfer mechanism (110) transfers an object from between the positioned carriage and a transfer area. With this construction, the rocking arms lift the carriage from both the left and right sides and from the lower side and position the carriage away from a floor surface. The positioning of the carriage is performed during a rocking operation of the rocking arms, whereby the carriage can be easily and highly accurately positioned without being affected by the flatness of the floor surface even if the carriage has dimensional assembly errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Kaoru Ezure, Katsuyoshi Tachibana
  • Patent number: 8297429
    Abstract: A conveyance section positioning method has carrier pallets on which workpieces are fixed, a conveyer, a heating furnace for heating the workpieces, and a positioning mechanism for positioning the carrier pallets, and the method stops the carrier pallets at predetermined positions. The heating furnace has halogen heaters for heating the workpieces. The carrier pallets each have projections and output grooves. Comb tooth-shaped stopper projections engaging with the projections are formed on a carrier stopper. When the carrier stopper is moved forward, the stopper projections and the projections are engaged with each other. In this one operation, the carrier pallets are positioned at places corresponding to the halogen heaters, and then the workpieces are heated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Masanari Matsuura, Sotaro Ol, Tomoyuki Kubota, Masaya Tsuruta
  • Patent number: 8292056
    Abstract: This invention provides a roller assembly including a rotary member including a driving shaft portion and a convey roller portion provided with the driving shaft portion, a driving wheel including a hole portion and attached to the driving shaft portion, the driving wheel being driven to rotate, a transmission receiving portion radially extending outward from the driving shaft portion and rotated together with the driving shaft portion, a friction transmission member clamped between the transmission receiving portion and a side surface of the driving wheel and frictionally transmitting a rotational force of the driving wheel to a rotary member, and a biasing portion applying a clamping force between the transmission receiving portion and the side surface of the driving wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventor: Hitoshi Tsugawa
  • Patent number: 8271124
    Abstract: An object is heated to a preheating temperature in an atmosphere of a reducing gas under the atmospheric pressure while adjusting the setting of the emissivity of a non-contact temperature measuring part and regulating the temperature of the object according to the measured value measured by a contact temperature measuring part. The pressure of the atmosphere is reduced. The object is further heated to a heating temperature under a lowered pressure while regulating the temperature of the object according to the measured value measured by the non-contact temperature measuring part whose setting of the emissivity is adjusted during the heating process to the preheating temperature. The pressure of the atmosphere is increased back to the atmospheric pressure while maintaining the heating temperature of the object. The temperature of the object is decreased under the atmospheric pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Sotaro Ol, Masanari Matsuura, Tomoyuki Kubota, Masaya Tsuruta
  • Publication number: 20120217135
    Abstract: This invention relates to a stop device including a swinging unit which includes a workpiece abutment portion which stops a workpiece being conveyed by abutting against the workpiece, and is pivotal between an abutment position and a retraction position, an elastic member for the swinging unit which gives a biasing force to the swinging unit, an electromotive drive unit including a movable portion and a driving portion, and a pivot restricting member which performs pivot restriction of the swinging unit by moving to engage with the swinging unit in response to movement of the movable portion and releases the pivot restriction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: HIRATA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Bungo MATSUMOTO
  • Publication number: 20120210839
    Abstract: A cutting apparatus cuts the edge portions of a cover sheet covering a rectangular substrate. This cutting apparatus includes a holding unit, a head unit, a first moving unit, and a second moving unit. The holding unit holds the rectangular substrate by chucking one surface of the rectangular substrate. The head unit includes a cutting unit which cuts an edge portion of the cover sheet and a pivot unit which makes the cutting unit pivot to change a cutting direction. The first moving unit moves the head unit in a first direction parallel to one side of the rectangular substrate. The second moving unit moves the holding unit in a second direction perpendicular to the one side of the rectangular substrate, and moves the holding unit across a transfer position of the rectangular substrate and a cutting operation region which are continuous in the second direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: HIRATA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yasuhisa KOSEKI
  • Patent number: 8245834
    Abstract: A transport system of this disclosure includes a transporter for forming a plurality of transport paths from a transport source to a transport destination and transporting a work via a transport path selected from the plurality of transport paths, a controller for controlling the transport, and a reader for, when the work has arrived at a branch point in the transport path, reading out, from a storage medium, transport path information representing a transport direction of the work at the branch point in the transport path, the storage medium being provided on the work and storing the transport path information. The controller controls the transport to transport the work in the transport direction of the work at the branch point represented by the transport path information read out by the reader.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Okubo, Hirofumi Kinoshita, Hiroshi Hori, Tsugumitsu Kandabashi
  • Publication number: 20120152079
    Abstract: This invention provides a cutting apparatus which holds a rectangular substrate covered by a cover sheet and cuts an edge portion of the cover sheet which protrudes from a periphery of the rectangular substrate. This cutting apparatus includes a periphery holding unit which includes a periphery mount portion on which a peripheral portion of the rectangular substrate is mounted and a periphery suction portion which chucks the periphery of the rectangular substrate, and is provided for each side of the rectangular substrate. The cutting apparatus also includes a movement guide unit which guides movement of the periphery holding units facing each other in directions to approach and separate from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: HIRATA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yasuhisa KOSEKI
  • Publication number: 20120118083
    Abstract: [Objective] To provide a wafer carrier measuring jig which can measure a slot height of a wafer carrier placed on a load port and which can determine whether or not an arbitrary slot is horizontal, a collision preventing jig, and a collision preventing method using the collision preventing jig.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Applicant: HIRATA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shoichi Mori, Hirofumi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8177050
    Abstract: In a cooling method of a carrying section including a conveyor for carrying an inverter component, a heating furnace covering a part of the carrying conveyor and heating the inverter component, and a mechanism for cooling the carrying conveyor and cooling the carrying conveyor by means of the cooling mechanism, the conveyor for carrying the inverter component is provided with a roller for carrying the inverter component by touching it, a roller cooling member surrounding the outer periphery of the carrying roller and having an opening for projecting a part of the outer periphery of the carrying roller is provided as the cooling mechanism, and the carrying roller heated by the heat of the heating furnace is cooled by the roller cooling member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Masanari Matsuura, Sotaro Oi, Tomoyuki Kubota
  • Patent number: 8180483
    Abstract: In an overhead conveyance/storage system 1 including at least a storage area 100 for the storage of products (e.g., tires) 200, at least one transfer holder 300 adapted to move through a ceiling space in the storage area 100 in three dimensions, including vertical, transverse and longitudinal directions while holding the products 200, and unloader 500 for carrying out the products 200 from the storage area 100, a product receiving position (product unloading position) 501 of the unloader 500 is set to a nearly central part of the storage area 100 when seen in plan. The overhead conveyance/storage system 1 further includes loader 400 for carrying the products 200 into the storage area 100, and product discriminator 402 is disposed in the loader 400.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Ryoichi Wada, Issei Isaka, Toshihiko Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8142660
    Abstract: A filtrate monitoring device and a filtrate monitoring system, which can monitor a membrane-type water filtrating/purifying system at all times and which can flexibly adjust themselves to the contents and sizes of impurities, are provided. The filtrate monitoring device monitors the filtrate having passed through the membrane-type water filtrating/purifying device. The filtrate monitoring device comprises: imaging/detecting means for shooting images in the filtrate having passed through the filtrating/purifying device, on the filtrate flowing in an observation bath of a filtrate observing cell disposed midway of the branched filtrate pipeline, thereby to specify the particles contained in the filtrate, and/or optical detecting means disposed midway of the filtrate pipeline before or after branching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Seigo Murakami, Takenori Hirakawa, Takafumi Iseri
  • Patent number: 8137537
    Abstract: The present invention provides a filtered water monitoring device used for detecting damages in a filtration medium installed inside a membrane filtration water clarification device, thereby monitoring degradation of a performance thereof, in order to secure safety of filtered water flowing out from the membrane filtration water clarification device, comprising a branch filtered water pipeline system which is branched from a filtered water pipeline system connected to an outlet of the membrane filtration water clarification device, a filtered water observation plate which is installed in a certain position of the branch filtered water pipeline system, imaging means which takes an image of the filtered water in an observation tank of the filtered water observation plate and outputs image information thereon, and image analyzing means which receives the image information output from the imaging means, and compares the image information with a stored image pattern to identify impurities contained in the filtered
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignees: Hirata Corporation, Kumamoto Prefecture
    Inventors: Yuichiro Hirata, Seigo Murakami, Katsuya Nozaki
  • Patent number: 8137643
    Abstract: An analyte testing/observing apparatus includes a microplate mounting stand 10 which supports at least one of microplates 27 having a plurality of wells 27a for accommodating an analyte and microplates 28 each having a plurality of wells 28a for accommodating a reagent, and which includes a retractable shutter 20 for covering a surface of the at least one microplate mounted on the mounting stand 10. When the dispensing work is stopped, the shutter 20 is closed and lowered, so that the shutter 20 comes into contact with the surfaces of the microplates, to thereby prevent evaporation and drying of the analyte and the reagent accommodated within the wells before being dispensed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Matsumura, Shuichi Akiyama
  • Publication number: 20120048081
    Abstract: This invention provides a cutting apparatus including a disc blade which trims a cover sheet along a linear edge of a substrate, a driving unit which rotates the disc blade, and a moving device which moves one of the driving unit and the substrate so as to relatively move the disc blade along the linear edge. This cutting apparatus further includes a pivot unit which pivots the disc blade about an axis perpendicular to a surface of the substrate for adjusting an angle between a plane which includes the linear edge and is perpendicular to the surface of the substrate and a plane formed by the disc blade, the pivot unit maintaining a pivot angle of the disc blade, and a controller which controls the moving device and the pivot unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: HIRATA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiharu TANAKA, Yasuhisa Koseki
  • Patent number: 8118531
    Abstract: A tray holding device includes a frame (20) that defines a tray elevation area (A) in which a tray containing workpieces can be lifted and lowered and that allows the loading and unloading of workpieces from above, a lower supporting member (40) that is fixed to the frame to horizontally receive and support the tray in the tray elevation area (A), an elevation mechanism (60) that is provided at the frame to lift and lower the tray supported by the lower supporting member, and an upper supporting mechanism (50) that is mounted to the frame to receive and support the tray lifted by the elevation mechanism from below and to horizontally carry it out. Thus, the size, installation space, etc., of the tray holding device can be reduced, and the productivity can be heightened by shortening a waiting time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshito Watanabe, Yoji Shinozaki
  • Patent number: 8100413
    Abstract: A workpiece vacuum chuck head, which serves to vacuum-chuck a light, minute workpiece and to release and place the vacuum-chucked workpiece on a workpiece placement surface, includes a base section, a workpiece vacuum chuck section, and a follower mechanism section for connecting together the base section and the workpiece vacuum chuck section. These sections form an integral structure. The base section has an attachment surface for attaching the workpiece vacuum chuck head to a head drive mechanism. The workpiece vacuum chuck section has a workpiece vacuum chuck surface and a negative-pressure chamber, which opens at the workpiece vacuum chuck surface via a suction hole. The follower mechanism section has a structure that is easily elastically deformable, and is appropriately deformed in a three-dimensional space so as to cause the workpiece vacuum chuck surface to follow an inclination of the workpiece placement surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Hirata Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsunori Otaguro, Takenori Hirakawa