Patents Assigned to OHT, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11662328
    Abstract: A capacitive sensor includes a sensing electrode, a first electrode pad, a substrate, and a second electrode pad. The sensing electrode outputs a signal corresponding to a capacitance between the sensing electrode and a detection target. The first electrode pad is coupled to the sensing electrode. The substrate includes a substrate surface portion and a step portion. On the substrate surface portion are the sensing electrode and the first electrode pad mounted. The step portion is provided at a position in the substrate lower than the substrate surface portion. The second electrode pad is mounted on the step portion and coupled to an external line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignees: OHT Inc., TOHOKU UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Toshiro Yasuda, Kazutoshi Kamibayashi, Shigetoshi Sugawa, Rihito Kuroda, Tetsuya Goto
  • Patent number: 11567114
    Abstract: A capacitance detection area sensor includes capacitance sensor elements arranged in a two-dimensional array, is shaped into an appropriate shape, and capacitively coupled to an external electrode. To the external electrode, a sensing signal having a potential difference is supplied. The first and second sensor output signals are acquired from a capacitance sensor element capacitively coupled to the external electrode, at the timing of the sensing signal being a first signal and being a second signal, respectively. A differential signal is generated from a difference between the acquired first and second sensor output signals, and an image indicating the shape of the external electrode is generated based on the level of the differential signal, in different colors or different tones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignees: TOHOKU UNIVERSITY, OHT, INC.
    Inventors: Shigetoshi Sugawa, Rihito Kuroda, Tetsuya Goto, Hiroshi Hamori, Shinichi Murakami, Toshiro Yasuda
  • Publication number: 20220011255
    Abstract: A capacitive sensor includes a sensing electrode, a first electrode pad, a substrate, and a second electrode pad. The sensing electrode outputs a signal corresponding to a capacitance between the sensing electrode and a detection target. The first electrode pad is coupled to the sensing electrode. The substrate includes a substrate surface portion and a step portion. On the substrate surface portion are the sensing electrode and the first electrode pad mounted. The step portion is provided at a position in the substrate lower than the substrate surface portion. The second electrode pad is mounted on the step portion and coupled to an external line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2021
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Applicants: OHT Inc., TOHOKU UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Toshiro YASUDA, Kazutoshi KAMIBAYASHI, Shigetoshi SUGAWA, Rihito KURODA, Tetsuya GOTO
  • Publication number: 20210293866
    Abstract: A capacitance detection area sensor includes capacitance sensor elements arranged in a two-dimensional array, is shaped into an appropriate shape, and capacitively coupled to an external electrode. To the external electrode, a sensing signal having a potential difference is supplied. The first and second sensor output signals are acquired from a capacitance sensor element capacitively coupled to the external electrode, at the timing of the sensing signal being a first signal and being a second signal, respectively. A differential signal is generated from a difference between the acquired first and second sensor output signals, and an image indicating the shape of the external electrode is generated based on the level of the differential signal, in different colors or different tones.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Publication date: September 23, 2021
    Applicants: TOHOKU UNIVERSITY, OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Shigetoshi SUGAWA, Rihito KURODA, Tetsuya GOTO, Hiroshi HAMORI, Shinichi MURAKAMI, Toshiro YASUDA
  • Patent number: 7495452
    Abstract: Disclosed is a wire harness checker and a wire harness checking method, which are capable of determining whether a terminal of a terminal-fitted wire is adequately inserted in a connector housing, without contact with the wire and the terminal, objectively and reliably. Each of three pairs of sensor plates (20a, 20b; 30a, 30b; 40a, 40b) are disposed adjacent to an outer wall surface of a connector housing 10 in opposed relation to one another. An AC inspection signal is supplied to a terminal to be inserted into the connector housing 10, and detected from the terminal by each of the pairs of sensor plates (20a, 20b), (30a, 30b), (40a, 40b), to detect an insertion position of the terminal in the connector, in accordance with a relative value of each detection signal from the sensor plates, so as to determine adequacy of the insertion position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignees: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Mishio Hayashi, Shuji Yamaoka, Akira Nurioka, Yoshikazu Taniguchi, Hideo Onishi
  • Patent number: 7332914
    Abstract: Disclosed is a conductor inspection apparatus capable of detecting a state of an inspection-target electric conductor with a high degree of accuracy in a non-contact manner. The inspection apparatus includes a signal supply section 510 for supplying an inspection signal to an inspection-target conductor 520, and two sensor plates 570, 580 disposed approximately parallel to each other in the vicinity of the conductor 520. The inspection apparatus is designed to inspect a configuration of the conductor 520 disposed opposed to the sensor plate 570, in accordance with a measured signal level from the sensor plate 570.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Shuji Yamaoka, Akira Nurioka, Mishio Hayashi, Shogo Ishioka
  • Publication number: 20070184686
    Abstract: Disclosed is a wire harness checker and a wire harness checking method, which are capable of determining whether a terminal of a terminal-fitted wire is adequately inserted in a connector housing, without contact with the wire and the terminal, objectively and reliably. Each of three pairs of sensor plates (20a, 20b; 30a, 30b; 40a, 40b) are disposed adjacent to an outer wall surface of a connector housing 10 in opposed relation to one another. An AC inspection signal is supplied to a terminal to be inserted into the connector housing 10, and detected from the terminal by each of the pairs of sensor plates (20a, 20b), (30a, 30b), (40a, 40b), to detect an insertion position of the terminal in the connector, in accordance with a relative value of each detection signal from the sensor plates, so as to determine adequacy of the insertion position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Applicants: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD., OHT INC.
    Inventors: Mishio Hayashi, Shuji Yamaoka, Akira Nurioka, Yoshikazu Taniguchi, Hideo Onishi
  • Patent number: 7239127
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for used in a board inspection capable of an inspection of defect in a circuit board with high resolution over a wide range. The method is used for manufacturing a sensor probe comprising layers which include an electrode layer, a lead wire layer and a bridge layer (41). These layers are laminated on a base (30) in the form of a flat plate composed of silicon. The electrode layer is comprised of a set of sensor electrodes (40). The lead wire layer is comprised of a set of lead wires (50) for transferring a signal externally. The bridge layer couples between the electrode layer and the lead wire layer. The lead wire layer is formed by means of depositing aluminum in accordance with a first mask pattern. The bridge layer is formed by means of growing each of bridge wires (41) in the direction perpendicular to the base. The bridge wires extend in the direction perpendicular to the base and are connected to respective lead wires of the lead layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Yuji Odan, Shuji Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 7173445
    Abstract: Disclosed is an inspection sensor and inspection apparatus capable of accurately inspecting the shape of a conductive pattern. A sensor element 12a includes an MOSFET, and an aluminum electrode (AL) serving as a passive element 80. The passive element or aluminum electrode 80 is connected to the gate of a MOSFET 81 and the source of a MOSFET 82. A voltage VDD is supplied from a power supply circuit 18 to the drain of the MOSFET 81, and the source of the MOSFET 81 is connected to the drain of a MOSFET 83. A reset signal is entered from a vertical selection section 14 into the gate of the MOSFET 82, and the voltage VDD is supplied from the power supply circuit 18 to the drain of the MOSFET 82. A selection signal is entered from the vertical selection section 14 into the gate of the MOSFET 83, and an output from the source of the MOSFET 83 is entered into a lateral selection section 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Tatsuhisa Fujii, Kazuhiro Monden, Mikiya Kasai, Shogo Ishioka, Shuji Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 7138805
    Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection apparatus and an inspection method, capable of, when supplying an inspection signal to a circuit wiring, eliminating any need for a pin to be brought into contact with the circuit wiring and detecting any defects including an invisible microscopic defect. An inspection apparatus A for inspecting a circuit wiring of a circuit board 100 comprises a conductive member 1 adapted to be disposed on the side of one of surfaces of the circuit board 100 and to be supplied with an inspection signal, a signal source 2 for supplying the inspection signal to the conductive member 1, a sensor unit 3 including a plurality of cells 3a to be disposed the opposed to the conductive member 1 on the side of the other surface of the circuit board 100, and a computer 5 for acquiring each signal appearing at the cells 3a in response to the inspection signal supplied to the conductive member 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: OHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Shogo Ishioka, Shuji Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 7088107
    Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit pattern inspection apparatus for inspecting a conductive pattern of a circuit board which includes first and second comb-shaped conductive patterns (15a, 15b) each having a plurality of terminal portions arranged substantially parallel to each other and a base portion connecting respective anchor ends of the terminal portions together, wherein the terminal portions of the first comb-shaped conductive pattern are alternately arranged with respect to the terminal portions of said second comb-shaped conductive pattern, and the first second comb-shaped conductive patterns (15a, 15b) are adapted, respectively, to be supplied with an AC inspection signal, and grounded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Shuji Yamaoka, Hiroshi Hamori, Shogo Ishioka
  • Patent number: 7049826
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a technique for inspecting a branched circuit wiring having branch portions branched halfway therefrom by using a less number of non-contact sensors. An inspection method for inspecting a branched circuit wiring having three or more ends, including the steps of: supplying an inspection signal to one end of the branched circuit wiring; disposing one or more non-contact sensors for detecting the inspection signal while being in non-contact with the branched circuit wiring over the remaining ends other than one end of the branched circuit wiring; and determining if any disconnection is caused in the branched circuit wiring, based on the inspection signal detected by the one or more non-contact sensors. The disposing step includes the step of arranging at least one of the one or more non-contact sensors to cover the remaining ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Koji Okano, Shogo Ishioka
  • Patent number: 7026870
    Abstract: Disclosed is a low-noise active RC signal processing circuit, which comprises a feedforward section operable responsive to an input signal to provide an output at a predetermined gain, and a feedback section operable responsive to the output of the forward circuit to negatively feed back the output to the input signal of the feedforward section while giving a predetermined transfer characteristic to the output, so as to allow the processing circuit to have a transfer impedance characteristic equal to or less than the predetermined gain over the entire frequency range. The feedforward section is composed of a current-controlled voltage output circuit which includes a common-base transistor for receiving and inverting the input signal, and an emitter-follower transistor for outputting voltage, and has a transfer impedance defining the predetermined gain. The current-controlled voltage output circuit may also be constructed using an operational amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: OHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Masataka Nakamura, Takayuki Genba, Yuichiro Aomori, Shuji Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 6995566
    Abstract: Disclosed is a circuit-pattern inspection apparatus for inspecting a comb-shaped pattern 20 having an edge region formed as a plurality of finger pattern segments and a base region formed as an integral connection pattern segment, and a plurality of discrete patterns 30 each disposed between the adjacent finger pattern segments in a non-connecting manner and being not in connecting with the remaining discrete patterns. The inspection apparatus comprises means for supplying an AC signal alternately to either one of the finger pattern segments and both the finger pattern segments and the discrete patterns while maintaining the other at a ground potential, and sensors 131, 132, 133 for detecting the AC signal disposed in the edge region. The inspection apparatus can reliably detect the presence of defects in a circuit board without any difficulties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: OHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Shuji Yamaoka, Shogo Ishioka
  • Patent number: 6992493
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for detecting positional displacement of a board. A board 20 having a surface formed with a conductive pattern 25 is transferred in a direction A while supplying an AC signal from a power supply section 3 to the surface of the board. The level of positional displacement of the board is detected in accordance with the transfer speed of the board and the difference between the timings of the intermediate signal levels generated when the AC signal is sensed by a pair of position sensors 1, 2 opposed to the leading edge of the board. The present invention allows positional displacement of the board to be detected in a simple non-contact structure while maintaining a high degree of accuracy without variation over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Shuji Yamaoka, Shogo Ishioka
  • Patent number: 6972573
    Abstract: The present invention provides an inspection apparatus and an inspection method capable of inspecting at a high speed by using a sensor having flexibility and excellent productivity. When a circuit board 100 as a subject of inspection is selected, CAD data of the circuit wiring 101 on this circuit board 100 is analyzed to detect the position of the end of each wiring. Then, two or more sensor elements adjacent to the end (from which the voltage variation can be detected) are specified. The switching circuit 16 is controlled to connect the selected sensor elements to an output terminal 12 and to connect the remaining sensor elements to the GND terminal 15. In this state, when an voltage is applied to one of the selected circuit wirings and then an inspection signal (voltage variation) is output from the output terminal 12, it will be determined that no disconnection exists in the circuit wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Shogo Ishioka, Shuji Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 6967498
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for used in a board inspection capable of an inspection of defect in a circuit board with high resolution over a wide range. The method is used for manufacturing a sensor probe comprising layers which include an electrode layer, a lead wire layer and a bridge layer (41). These layers are laminated on a base (30) in the form of a flat plate composed of silicon. The electrode layer is comprised of a set of sensor electrodes (40). The lead wire layer is comprised of a set of lead wires (50) for transferring a signal externally. The bridge layer couples between the electrode layer and the lead wire layer. The lead wire layer is formed by means of depositing aluminum in accordance with a first mask pattern. The bridge layer is formed by means of growing each of bridge wires (41) in the direction perpendicular to the base. The bridge wires extend in the direction perpendicular to the base and are connected to respective lead wires of the lead layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Yuji Odan, Shuji Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 6958619
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for inspecting a circuit board at a high speed. A PDP driver module 100 as an object to be inspected has an onboard PDP driving LSI 110. A plurality of circuit wirings 111 are connected to terminals of the LSI. An inspection apparatus 1 generates an LSI drive signal and sends it to input terminals 113 of the LSI 110. A sensor 2 is positioned opposedly to the circuit wirings 111 in a non-contact manner. The sensor 2 detects voltage values in circuit wirings 111 caused by driving the LSI 110, and the detected signals are analyzed by the inspection apparatus 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: OHT, Inc.
    Inventors: Shuji Yamaoka, Shogo Ishioka
  • Patent number: 6952104
    Abstract: An inspection apparatus and method are disclosed. The inspection apparatus comprises a probe 30 having a width equal to or less than that of the layout pitch of conductive patterns 15 to be inspected, and a sensor section 20 having an area capable of covering the layout region of the conductive patterns. The probe 30 is adapted to be scanningly moved across an inspection-signal supply region including respective portions of the conductive patterns. The sensor section 20 is positioned opposed to the conductive patterns 15. An AC inspection signal is fed from an AC power source 35 to the probe 30 to form a capacitive coupling between one electrode or the conductive pattern, and the other electrode or the sensor section 20, and a detected signal from the sensor section 20 is amplified through an amplifier 25 to check the detected signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: OHT Inc.
    Inventors: Shuji Yamaoka, Shogo Ishioka
  • Patent number: 6947853
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and method for inspecting electrical continuity of a circuit board, capable of decreasing the impedance in a current path as an inspection object to achieve enhanced SN ratio. A coupling capacitance is formed at one of terminals of a pattern wire on a board as an inspection object in a non-contact manner, and an inductance (450) and a lead wire are connected to this capacitance. An AC inspection signal is applied to the other terminal through the lead wire in a contact manner. A resonance circuit is defined by the capacitance, inductance and pattern wire, and thereby an output signal can be detected with lowering the impedance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: OHT, Inc.
    Inventor: Shuji Yamaoka