Patents Assigned to Murata Machinery, Ltd.
  • Patent number: 11650082
    Abstract: A position detection system includes: two magnet rows including a plurality of magnets arrayed cyclically and repeatedly with an array pattern as one cycle in a detection direction, a magnet in the magnet row and a magnet in the magnet row facing each other at surfaces having different polarities at a specific position in the detection direction; a magnetic sensor disposed between the two magnet rows, a relative position of the magnetic sensor relative to the two magnet rows in the X-axis direction being variable; and a determiner that determines a position of the magnetic sensor in an predetermined direction relative to the two magnet rows based on a detection value of the magnetic sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji Kadoguchi, Yasutake Yamada
  • Patent number: 11642575
    Abstract: A main body of a ball collecting and discharging machine includes a traveling portion and a ball collecting and discharging portion to collect and discharge balls. A controller causes the ball collecting and discharging portion to collect the balls scattered in a ball scattered area while causing the traveling portion to cause the main body to travel along a ball collecting route in the ball scattered area. When the ball collecting and discharging portion reaches a state of being ready to discharge balls during or after ball collecting work, the controller causes the traveling portion to cause the main body to travel along the ball discharging route and causes the ball collecting and discharging portion to discharge balls at the ball discharging site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventor: Tsukasa Sakai
  • Patent number: 11635770
    Abstract: A controller determines, when a traveling vehicle to proceed in a first direction from a predetermined cell toward a destination is present, whether or not to grant the traveling vehicle occupation permission for a cell adjacent to the predetermined cell in the first direction. The traveling vehicle proceeds in the first direction if occupation permission for the adjacent cell has been granted from the controller, whereas the traveling vehicle stops at the predetermined cell if occupation permission has not been granted. The controller assigns to the traveling vehicle a traveling instruction in which a cell situated at a plurality of cells ahead of the predetermined cell in the second direction is designated as a waypoint to the destination if the traveling vehicle has not obtained occupation permission for the adjacent cell and has continuously been in a stop state at the predetermined cell for a predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Wataru Kitamura, Masahiro Ikeda, Eijiro Aoki, Toshikazu Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 11631603
    Abstract: A storage shelf includes second shelf modules each including a second shelf board, a supply nozzle, an MFC configured to adjust a flow rate of the fluid supplied from the supply nozzle, and a third pipe connecting between the MFC and a main pipe connected to a supply source of the fluid, and suspension frames each including additional shelf supporting portions supporting the second shelf modules from below and a pair of suspending portions and a pair of additional suspending portions suspending and supporting the additional shelf supporting portions. The suspension frames are disposed at regular intervals along one direction. Each second shelf module is laid over between additional shelf supporting portions of suspension frames adjacent to each other in the one direction, and a pipe connector being connectable to the main pipe is provided with an end of the third pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Tsubaki, Shinji Onishi
  • Patent number: 11615975
    Abstract: A storage system includes an overhead stocker having a first overhead track, a rack including a plurality of storages arranged vertically, and a crane that travels along the first overhead track and delivers and receives an article to and from the storages; and an overhead transport vehicle system having a second overhead track provided below a lower end of the overhead stocker, and an overhead transport vehicle that travels along the second overhead track and delivers and receives an article to and from a predetermined transfer destination, wherein the first overhead track has an elevating track capable of supporting and lowering the crane that is stopped traveling at a portion deviated from the second overhead track in planar view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiji Wada, Kosuke Irino
  • Patent number: 11608229
    Abstract: A storage system includes shelves each with a nozzle to supply clean gas into containers, flow amount controllers to control a supply amount of clean gas to a nozzle, a transport apparatus to transfer the containers to and from the shelves, and a controller to control the transport apparatus and the flow amount controllers. The controller makes an assignment of at least one shelf in preparation to store an incoming container and before the occurrence of the incoming container, and controls a flow amount controlling device to supply clean gas to the nozzle in the at least one shelf, based upon the assignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Tsubaki, Takashi Yamaji
  • Patent number: 11599115
    Abstract: A transport control device includes a state predictor that is machine-learned to output, for each candidate of a setting value of a parameter to control the operation of a transport system, state prediction information indicating a predicted state of the transport system associated with a second period after a first period, and a determinator that determines state prediction information associated with a prediction target period for each candidate of the setting value of the parameter, and determines the setting value of the parameter to be applied to the transport system in the prediction target period based on an evaluation result of the state prediction information for each candidate of the setting value of the parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventor: Wataru Kitamura
  • Patent number: 11591166
    Abstract: A conveyor system includes a first conveyor line to convey an article in a first direction, a second conveyor line parallel or substantially parallel with the first conveyor line to convey the article in a second direction that is a direction opposite to the first direction, a backup line parallel or substantially parallel with the first conveyor line and the second conveyor line and able to change states between a state of conveying the article in the first direction and a state of conveying the article in the second direction, first connecting lines to convey the article between the first conveyor line and the backup line, and second connecting lines to convey the article between the second conveyor line and the backup line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiko Futami, Shigeyuki Arai
  • Patent number: 11533991
    Abstract: A storage apparatus that stores objects includes a housing; a fixed part disposed in the housing and fixed in a position against the housing; a rotating part connected to the fixed part through a rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction and rotates relative to the fixed part as a center of the rotating shaft; and a rotating shaft driving part that rotates the rotating shaft; wherein the fixed part includes a power-transmission unit that transmits electric power in noncontact state; and the rotating part includes a rotating shelf on which objects are disposed; a power drive device disposed to rotate integrally with the rotating shelf and driven by electric power; and a power-receiving unit that supplies the electric power transmitted from the power-transmission unit to the power drive device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Mizutani, Masafumi Hayakawa, Hiroyasu Tomita, Masataka Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11513534
    Abstract: A traveling vehicle controller includes a command assignment controller to detect a first-to-arrive traveling vehicle that is able to reach a destination point first among traveling vehicles, based on travel route candidates on which the traveling vehicles travel along a travel path from respective positions to reach the destination point, and assign the command to the first-to-arrive traveling vehicle. During detection of the first-to-arrive traveling vehicle, when a traveling vehicle traveling toward a branch point on the travel path is located within a range of a branch-switching impossible distance from the branch point and is scheduled to proceed toward a main way at the branch point, the command assignment controller performs pseudo-shift processing by which this traveling vehicle is determined to be located in a position downstream of the branch point and on a side of the main way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventor: Kazumi Harasaki
  • Patent number: 11515186
    Abstract: An overhead transport vehicle system stores a large number of articles and includes an inclined rail and overhead transport vehicles each including a traveler to travel on the inclined rail, a holder to hold an article, an elevator to raise and lower the holder, a horizontality guide to keep the elevator horizontal or substantially horizontal at the inclined rail, and a controller. Supports are horizontally provided at a same or substantially same height, and the overhead transport vehicles located on the inclined rail are able to transfer the article between them. The overhead transport vehicles transfer the article between the supports and the controller controls the elevator to raise and lower the holder by a raising and lowering amount according to a height distance between the inclined rail and an individual support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventor: Yoshiki Yuasa
  • Patent number: 11501991
    Abstract: A container storage includes a purger that supplies a purge gas into a stored container and an evacuator that is disposed near a lid of the container and evacuates an atmosphere around the lid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuo Tsubaki, Takashi Yamaji
  • Patent number: 11496336
    Abstract: A method includes: (a) transmitting, by the control device, control data containing one of the plurality of second parameters to the relay device; (b) determining, by at least one of the control device or the relay device, whether the one of the plurality of second parameters matches one of the plurality of first parameters; and (c) transmitting, by the relay device, the control data received from the control device in (a), using one of the plurality of interfaces of the relay device for which the one of the plurality of second parameters is set if it is determined in the determining that the one of the plurality of first parameters matches the one of the plurality of second parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Fujiwara, Shigeru Yamamoto, Tetsuya Kuwahara
  • Patent number: 11472096
    Abstract: A helical winding unit of a filament winding apparatus includes guide members guiding fiber bundles F to a liner, a movement mechanism moving the guide members, and a rotation mechanism rotating the guide members. Each of the guide members includes two side walls and guide portions fixed between the two side walls. As the guide portions, a first guide portion having a first guide surface and a second guide portion having a second guide surface and provided downstream of the first guide portion are provided. In the height direction, the first guide surface is oriented to one side. The second guide surface is oriented to the other side in the height direction and provided on the other side of the first guide surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Motohiro Tanigawa, Daigoro Nakamura, Hirotaka Wada, Tadashi Uozumi, Hideo Shitamoto, Tatsuhiko Nishida, Masatsugu Goyude, Tetsuya Matsuura, Shu Ikezaki
  • Patent number: 11472095
    Abstract: In a filament winding apparatus, a supplying device supplies fiber bundles to a surface of a core material. A moving part is movable relative to the core material, and rotatable around a rotational axis extending in a vertical direction. A small diameter aligning guide part is placed at the moving part and has an opening portion through which the core material can pass. The small diameter aligning guide part guides fiber bundles to an outer peripheral surface of the core material such that the fiber bundles are arranged side by side in a circumferential direction of the core material. The tightening fiber bobbin supporting part is placed at the moving part and rotates around a center of the opening portion. A winding guide rotates with the tightening fiber bobbin supporting part and guides a tightening fiber bundle drawn from a tightening fiber bobbin toward the surface of the core material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shu Ikezaki, Motohiro Tanigawa, Tadashi Uozumi, Masatsugu Goyude, Shota Miyaji, Hirotaka Wada, Takahiro Miura, Makoto Tanaka, Daigoro Nakamura, Tetsuya Matsuura
  • Patent number: 11476141
    Abstract: A rail-guided trolley system includes a main body that, along rails at least partially in a grid pattern, holds and transports a transportation container on a lower side of the rails, traveling wheels at each of four corners of the main body and that travel on the rails, a controller that controls pivot drivers that change orientations of the traveling wheels, and auxiliary wheels each located at least in either front or rear in a traveling direction of the traveling wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventor: Yasuhisa Ito
  • Patent number: 11458847
    Abstract: An article transferring device that transfers articles includes: a traveling rail; primary-side stators; a power source; a first transporting carriage and a second transporting carriage each of which includes a secondary-side movable element and transports an article by the secondary-side movable element receiving a magnetic action from the primary-side stators. Each of the first transporting carriage and the second transporting carriage is caused to travel so as to be stopped or change a traveling speed individually by a ground primary-side linear motor system including the primary-side stators and the secondary-side movable element, and further includes a transferring unit that transfers the article in an intersecting direction intersecting with the predetermined path by receiving force from the power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Fukuda, Kazuhiro Ishikawa, Kenji Kadoguchi, Masataka Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11452060
    Abstract: An operation-side communication device that is operated by an operator and a machine-side communication device that is connected to an industrial machine mutually register each other as partners permitted to communicate with each other. A communication device receives a partner ID of a partner communication device intended to be registered as a partner. The communication device wirelessly transmits a signal including the partner ID to the partner communication device. The partner communication device determines whether the partner ID included in the received signal corresponds to the ID of the partner communication device itself, and if so, the communication device registers the partner ID as the ID of a permitted communication partner. The above operations are repeated with the communication device and the partner communication device interchanged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventor: Natsuko Nakajo
  • Patent number: 11440271
    Abstract: A helical winding unit is provided with a frame member in which a plurality of nozzle attachment units are provided to be aligned in a circumferential direction about an axis of a liner; nozzle units that each have a guide body movable in a radial direction of the liner and rotatable about a rotating axis extending in the radial direction, and that are attachable to and detachable from the nozzle attachment units; a moving endless toothed annular body that transmits, commonly to one or more nozzle units attached to one or more nozzle attachment units, power for moving the guide body in the radial direction; and a rotating endless toothed annular body that transmits, commonly to one or more nozzle units attached to one or more nozzle attachment units, power for rotating the guide body about the rotating axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shu Ikezaki, Motohiro Tanigawa, Tadashi Uozumi, Hirotaka Wada, Masatsugu Goyude, Tetsuya Matsuura, Daigoro Nakamura, Takahiro Miura, Makoto Tanaka, Shota Miyaji
  • Patent number: 11417555
    Abstract: A ceiling conveyance vehicle includes a traveling wheel to roll on a track including a first track and a second track and a main body below the track and coupled to the traveling wheel. The ceiling conveyance vehicle includes a direction changer to change between a first state in which the traveling wheel rolls on the first track and a second state in which the traveling wheel rolls on the second track, with an orientation of the main body with respect to the track maintained, an article holder capable of holding an article, a hoisting-and-lowering driver to hoist and lower the article holder, a lateral slider to slidingly move the hoisting-and-lowering driver in a horizontal, linear direction, and a first rotational driver to rotationally drive the lateral slider around a first perpendicular axis with respect to the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: MURATA MACHINERY, LTD.
    Inventors: Haruki Ogo, Yasuhisa Ito