Patents Assigned to SMC Corporation
  • Patent number: 12151368
    Abstract: An air chuck includes a chuck unit including a pair of fingers that capable of being freely opened and closed, an operation unit that includes an operation mechanism, which opens and closes the pair of fingers, connection mechanisms for attaching the chuck unit to the operation unit such that the chuck unit is freely attachable and detachable to and from the operating unit, and a locking mechanism that locks the pair of fingers such that the pair of fingers are capable of being freely opened and closed when the chuck unit is attached to the operation unit and such that the pair of fingers are not able to be opened or closed when the chuck unit is detached from the operation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouichirou Kanda, Koji Hara, Tsuyoshi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 12152613
    Abstract: A pilot pressure supply solenoid valve (36) is disposed in a flow path connecting an inlet port (16) and a pilot chamber (48), and a pilot pressure discharge solenoid valve (38) is disposed in a flow path through which a pressure fluid in the pilot chamber is discharged to the exterior. A flow path, through which the pressure fluid that has passed through a supply valve (26) is discharged to the exterior, is not provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tatsumasa Yamashiro
  • Publication number: 20240385069
    Abstract: A pipe inspection system which tests for compressed air leaks in a section to be inspected in a pipe has a first branch pipe and a second branch pipe. The first branch pipe branches from the pipe upstream of the section to be inspected, and joins the pipe, upstream of the section to be inspected. The second branch pipe branches from the pipe downstream of the section to be inspected. The first branch pipe has a fluorescent solvent supply unit provided therein that supplies a fluorescent solvent to the section to be inspected. The second branch pipe has a fluorescent solvent recovery unit provided therein that recovers fluorescent solvent from the section to be inspected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2022
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroyuki OKUHIRA
  • Publication number: 20240383153
    Abstract: A compliance unit includes: a base plate extending along an XY plane; a table unit disposed movably with respect to the base plate along the XY plane; a compliance mechanism interposed between the base plate and the table unit so as to be movable in an X direction and a Y direction with respect to the base plate and the table unit; and an original position return mechanism configured to return the table unit and the compliance mechanism to an original position with respect to the base plate by pressing the table unit and the compliance mechanism from the outside toward the inside of the base plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Motohiro SATO
  • Patent number: 12146588
    Abstract: A flow rate control valve includes a handle rotatably provided on a first body including a second flow path, a needle valve that adjusts the opening degree of the second flow path in accordance with the rotation of the handle, a scale body rotatably provided in the handle, a shaft portion provided in the handle, where the shaft portion can rotate together with the handle and the needle valve to move the needle valve in the axial direction, a clutch mechanism that can transmit rotation of the shaft portion to the scale body and block the transmission of rotation, and a cam mechanism that causes the shaft portion to move linearly. The clutch mechanism transmits the rotation of the shaft portion to the scale body in accordance with the operation performed by the cam mechanism and blocks the transmission of rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masahiko Yoshiwara
  • Publication number: 20240377278
    Abstract: An equipment inspection system performs compressed air leakage inspection on a plurality of pieces of pneumatic equipment that are connected to pipes, or pipe joints that connect the respective pipes and the plurality of pieces of pneumatic equipment, has a first branched pipe and a second branched pipe. A flow rate measurement device is provided in the second branched pipe. The flow rate measurement device measures the flow rate of the compressed air flowing in the second branched pipe. A fluorescent solvent providing part is provided in the first branched pipe. A fluorescent solvent is supplied to the pipe from the fluorescent solvent providing part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2022
    Publication date: November 14, 2024
    Applicant: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroyuki OKUHIRA
  • Patent number: 12129878
    Abstract: An air control circuit including a safety function is simply formed from an air circuit. An air control circuit includes a main air line that controls an air device by concurrently turning on or off two external-pilot-operated electromagnetic valves, a pilot air line that supplies pilot air to the electromagnetic valves, and a pilot control line that switches the pilot air line between a supply state and an exhaust state. When one of the two electromagnetic valves suffers a breakdown to fail to be switched to an off position, air in the air device is exhausted through the other electromagnetic valve that has been switched to the off position to recover the air device, and the pilot air line is switched to the exhaust state by the pilot control line to prevent the two electromagnetic valves from restarting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akira Enzaki
  • Patent number: 12123435
    Abstract: A selection system for hydraulic circuits has a cylinder selection processing unit; a database in which information pertaining to a combination of a plurality of apparatuses is registered in advance; combination selection processing units for reading information pertaining to the combination of the plurality of apparatuses in order of size from the database, and selecting an apparatus; and re-selection processing units for re-selecting an apparatus that is the next size up when a stroke time obtained by a simulation including some of the apparatuses selected by the combination selection unit exceeds an upper-limit stroke time, or when pressure after a return process is less than or equal to minimum working pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gohei Harimoto, Mitsuru Senoo, Yuto Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 12092371
    Abstract: In a temperature control apparatus for controlling the temperature of a load by supplying high-temperature circulating liquid to the load, a device in which a helical channel portion of a first heat exchange channel through which circulating liquid flows is housed in a second heat exchange channel formed of a channel space in a hollow shell through which coolant flows is used as a heat exchanger for cooling the circulating liquid, cylindrical members are individually fitted on an inflow channel portion and an outflow channel portion connected to opposite ends of the helical channel portion of the first heat exchange channel, and the cylindrical members are each fixed to the shell of the heat exchanger with a weld.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo Kikuchi, Tatsuya Amano, Haruhiko Tokui
  • Patent number: 12083668
    Abstract: An air chuck includes: a finger support part including a pair of fingers and a pair of lock shafts; a chuck main body part including an operation mechanism operable to open and close the fingers; and linking mechanisms that detachably link the finger support part to the chuck main body part. Each of the linking mechanisms causes the corresponding lock shaft to shift to a non-lock position so as to render the pair of fingers capable of being opened and closed when the finger support part is linked to the chuck main body part. Each of the linking mechanisms causes the corresponding lock shaft to shift to a lock position and locks the pair of fingers so as to render the pair of fingers incapable of being opened and closed when the finger support part is detached from the chuck main body part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Hara, Tsuyoshi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 12064866
    Abstract: An air chuck includes: a finger support part including a pair of fingers; a chuck main body part including an operation mechanism operable to open and close the pair of fingers; and linking mechanisms that detachably link the finger support part to the chuck main body part. The linking mechanisms each include: a linking shaft that extends from the finger support part; a shaft insertion hole formed in a body of the chuck main body part; a catch body that becomes elastically caught on a catch surface of the linking shaft when the linking shaft is inserted into the shaft insertion hole; and a delinking member that is manually operated so as to release the catch body caught on the catch surface when the finger support part is detached from the chuck main body part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Hara, Tsuyoshi Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20240261874
    Abstract: A finger includes a pair of overhanging portions that project out laterally from a main body portion. Outer peripheral surfaces of the overhanging portions are made up from five surfaces including upper surfaces, side surfaces, lower surfaces, first end surfaces, and second end surfaces. Crowning is applied to the intersections between these surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2024
    Publication date: August 8, 2024
    Applicant: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Motohiro SATO
  • Publication number: 20240255082
    Abstract: A fitting nut made of a resin material includes: a hollow, large-diameter tube portion having a female thread formed on its inner peripheral wall; and a small-diameter tube portion that is continuous to the large-diameter tube portion and having a hollow cylindrical shape with a smaller diameter than the large-diameter tube portion. The small-diameter tube portion includes, in the outer peripheral wall thereof, a plurality of engagement grooves that are depressed inwardly in the diameter direction of the small-diameter tube portion and extend along the longitudinal direction that is orthogonal to the diameter direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2024
    Publication date: August 1, 2024
    Applicant: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshitada DOI, Yuzuru OKITA, Yoji NIIMI, Hirofumi UEDA, Tsugumichi FUJIWARA
  • Publication number: 20240247952
    Abstract: A position detecting switch detects the position of a movable body that is capable of moving in a predetermined direction, based on a magnet attached to the movable body. The position detecting switch is equipped with a magnetic sensor that detects the magnetism of the magnet, and outputs a detected value in accordance with the magnetism, a determination unit that determines whether or not the detected value lies within a predetermined range, and a setting unit that sets the predetermined range centrally around the detected value at a specified position which is a position of the movable body specified by an operator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2024
    Publication date: July 25, 2024
    Applicant: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yusuke KANDA
  • Patent number: D1034910
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: D1035595
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Umeda
  • Patent number: D1035833
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hisashi Komatsuzaki
  • Patent number: D1042347
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tadamitsu Higaki, Tomokazu Ueno
  • Patent number: D1042348
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2024
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tadamitsu Higaki, Tomokazu Ueno
  • Patent number: D1043916
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: SMC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Gen Tsuchiya, Hisashi Yajima