Patents Assigned to THK Co., LTD
  • Publication number: 20180134182
    Abstract: A seat moving/securing device 10 includes a long reference member 11 extending in a longitudinal direction of a seat installation surface and securely installed, a leg part attachment member 50a having securely installed therein a leg part of a seat, a linear guide 20 attached between the long reference member 11 and the leg part attachment member 50a and enabling the leg part attachment member 50a to move horizontally along a longitudinal direction of the long reference member 11, and a locking mechanism 60 securely installed on the leg part attachment member 50a. A coil spring 68 serving as an elastic body exhibiting a pressing force is installed between the leg part attachment member 50a and the linear guide 20. Due to having this type of configuration, the seat moving/securing device 10 can move and secure a seat 200 easily and quickly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Hoshide, Hiroaki Mochizuki, Eiji Hosaka, Hiroomi Kuribayashi, Akito Kaneko, Keisuke Hagiwara
  • Patent number: 9948218
    Abstract: This linear motor apparatus includes: a first linear motor and a second linear motor, movable bodies of which move in the same direction in a linked manner; a first control portion that causes the first linear motor to produce thrust to apply a load to a pressurizing target via the movable bodies; and a second control portion that causes the second linear motor to produce thrust and controls the thrust, wherein, if the first control portion is causing a load to be applied to the pressurizing target, then the second control portion causes the second linear motor to produce thrust that cancels an external force produced to the movable bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuhei Yamanaka, Yuki Nomura, Tsuyoshi Inda
  • Patent number: 9937506
    Abstract: A motion guide apparatus cooling nozzle is provided which can gas-cool a motion guide apparatus. Cooling nozzles 1a and 1b of the present invention are mounted on a block 4 of the motion guide apparatus to cool at least one of a guide rail 2 and a block 4 that is assembled to the guide rail 2 via a rolling element 6 in such a manner as to be movable relatively. The cooling nozzles 1a and 1b include an inner passage 18 into which gas is introduced, an opening 12a configured to emit a gas flow introduced into the inner passage 18, a deflection surface 22a that is provided adjacently to the opening 12a to bend the gas flow emitted from the opening 12a, and a guiding surface 32a configured to attract gas outside the cooling nozzles 1a and 1b.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akimasa Yoshida, Ryuji Furusawa, Takuya Horie, Keisuke Nagaike, Shinji Aoki, Ayako Miyajima
  • Publication number: 20180087564
    Abstract: This ball join includes a ball stud with a spherical ball section and a shaft-shaped shaft section and a holder that rotatably bolds the ball section, and has a machining surface subjected to cutting in a welded portion obtained by welding the ball section and the shaft section, and the machining surface has a curve-shaped first corner section. In addition, a method for manufacturing this ball joint includes a welding step of welding the ball section and the shaft section and a cutting step of forming the machining surface by subjecting the welded portion obtained by welding the ball section and the shaft section to cutting, and the cutting step executes processing including forming the curve-shaped first corner section on the machining surface. Consequently, a ball joint with a large oscillation angle can be obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2016
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuhiro Nishide, Takuya Horie, Satoshi Kashiwagura
  • Publication number: 20180073558
    Abstract: A motion guide apparatus ensures that a retaining portion retains a rolling element. A rolling element retainer having retaining portions that prevent a rolling element from falling out of a movable body, the retaining portions extending along a loaded rolling element rolling portion, is incorporated in the movable body of the motion guide apparatus. End plates are formed integrally with the retaining portions. Fall prevention portions to reduce the widths of openings between the retaining portions are provided to center parts of the retaining portions in a length direction thereof. The fall prevention portions are padding portions integrated with the retaining portions, the padding portions rising in such a manner as to reduce the widths of the openings, and/or projections integrated with the retaining portions, the projections touching the movable body in such a manner that the center parts of the retaining portions bend toward a track member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichi Sakai, Kaoru Hoshide, Shigeo Tomita, Yuki Nakamura, Nobuyuki Maki, Muten Iwamoto, Kazuya Horiike, Kenji Narata, Katsunori Yamamura, Fukuji Nakano, Shigemi Nakamura, Yosuke Irie
  • Patent number: 9906113
    Abstract: Provided is a linear actuator whose entire length can be shortened while thrust thereof can be made large. The linear actuator of the present invention is provided with the following: a hollow drive magnet (11); a coil (4) disposed at either the outside or the inside of the drive magnet (11); and a return magnet (8) that is disposed at the other of the outside or the inside of the drive magnet (11), is connected to the coil (4), and returns the drive magnet (11) to the starting point. By conducting electricity to the coil (4), the drive magnet (11) or the coil (4) and the return magnet (8) move in the axial direction of the drive magnet 11.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Junichiro Iwaki, Takashi Ogata
  • Publication number: 20180045280
    Abstract: Provided is a speed reduction or speed increasing apparatus where the rotational stiffness can be increased, including a housing, a first crown gear, a support unit placed radially outward of the first crown gear to support the first crown gear to be capable of wave motion and incapable of rotation with respect to the housing, a second crown gear configured to be rotatable with respect to the housing, the second crown gear having a different number of teeth from the first crown gear, the second crown gear facing the first crown gear, and a cam unit configured to incline the first crown gear with respect to the second crown gear in such a manner that the first crown gear engages with the second crown gear, and to cause the first crown gear to undergo wave motion in such a manner that the location of contact moves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2016
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD
    Inventors: Hideo SAITO, Yuichi MIZUTANI
  • Publication number: 20180036985
    Abstract: This pressing device includes an actuator, a pressing unit provided on a movable element of the actuator, a movement quantity detector for detecting a movement quantity of the movable element and outputting movement quantity information indicating the movement quantity, and a drive device that moves the pressing unit to press a pressed object by supplying a drive current to the actuator based on the movement quantity information. The drive device controls an operation of the pressing unit using position control processing based on current information indicating the drive current and the movement quantity information. When the speed of the pressing unit is decelerated down to a predetermined lower limit speed, the drive device controls the speed of the pressing unit to be constant based on the current information, and when the current reaches a predetermined current value, determines that the pressing operation is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Publication date: February 8, 2018
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Nomura, Takeo Karaushi, Hideya Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20180031036
    Abstract: A movement guide device comprises: a support body formed with two roller rolling grooves in each of two side surfaces thereof; a moving body assembled onto the support body to freely move along the support body, and having a load roller rolling groove provided opposite to the roller rolling groove to form a load path together with the roller rolling groove; rollers arranged such that lines forming a contact angle with respect to the roller rolling groove intersect at a position outside the support body; and a roller retaining member arranged between two row of rollers, the moving body comprises a main moving body and cover bodies mounted at two ends of the main moving body; in the movement guide device, the roller retaining member comprises a roller retaining portion, formed in a plate shape extending in a length direction of the support body, and orthogonal to the length direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yu Chen, Meile Wang, Kentaro Hikomoto, Guangming Guo
  • Patent number: 9863478
    Abstract: A motion guide device (1) includes: a track body that extends in a longitudinal direction; a movable body (20) that is mounted on the track body and is movable along the track body; an encoder scale that is disposed at the track body in the longitudinal direction; a sensor (50) that is disposed opposite to the encoder scale; and a folder (60) that is disposed at an end face of the movable body (20) in the longitudinal direction, houses the sensor (50) in a width direction of the track body, and holds the sensor such that the sensor faces the encoder scale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuya Sakagami
  • Patent number: 9863470
    Abstract: An object is to provide a motion guide apparatus that can facilitate an assembly operation. An end member (4a, 4b) including an inner peripheral side of a direction changing path (2c) is placed on an end surface in a movement direction of a moving member body (3). At least one of a pair of the end members (4a and 4b) includes an opening (21) linking to the inner peripheral side of the direction changing path (2c) to load rolling elements (42) into a circulation path. Opposing surfaces (18) of the pair of the end members (4a and 4b) to the moving member body (3) are formed in flat surfaces. The pair of the end members (4a and 4b) molded integrally with a holding portion (5) is incorporated into the moving member body (3) in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction of the moving member body (3). A lid member (7a, 7b) closes the opening (21) in the end member (4a, 4b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeo Tomita, Junichi Sakai, Nobuyuki Maki, Kaoru Hoshide, Katsunori Yamamura, Muten Iwamoto, Kazuya Horiike, Kenji Narata, Fukuji Nakano, Shigemi Nakamura, Yosuke Irie, Yuki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9859827
    Abstract: A control device is a control device (1) configured to be switched between open control and servo control and control a stepping motor (3), and includes a control unit (11) configured to reduce a switching frequency to the servo control, to be switched to open control after being switched to servo control to stop a mover at a target position and determine a current supplied to the stepping motor (3) in the open control based on a current command value when the mover is stopped at the target position in the servo control when a deviation between a position of the mover and the target position is a predetermined threshold or more when control of stopping the mover of the stepping motor (3) at the target position through the open control is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeo Karaushi, Yuki Nomura
  • Patent number: 9844884
    Abstract: A mechanical hand is provided that can increase the operation stroke and also the gripping force of a pair of gripping members. The hand includes first and second sliders, a driving source, a rotating plate, a first clamping link. Of these components, the first and second sliders are provided on a hand body so as to be linearly movable in opening and closing directions and the driving source is provided in the hand body. The rotating plate is rotatably driven by the driving source. The first clamping link is linked with the rotating plate so as to be only rotatable on a first shaft, and is linked with the first slider so as to be only rotatable on a second shaft. Moreover, the second clamping link is linked with the rotating plate so as to be only rotatable on a third shaft, and is linked with the second slider so as be only rotatable on a fourth shaft. The first and second sliders move linearly in the opening and closing directions by making the driving source rotate the rotating plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaki Nagatsuka
  • Patent number: 9841089
    Abstract: To provide an actuator with which side face covers can be easily attached and detached without damaging a top face cover, and workability is enhanced, and cost can be reduced without upsizing the actuator, by fastening and fixing the actuator to a base stand from above the actuator in a state in which the side face covers are removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wataru Yamakura, Takaya Kono, Mitsuru Akiyoshi
  • Patent number: 9833908
    Abstract: A hand mechanism including a first multi-joint finger, a second multi-joint finger, and a single-joint finger rotatable about a center of a predetermined connecting portion together with the first and second multi-joint fingers. The mechanism executes a first mode in which the respective entire fingers of the first and second multi-joint fingers are rotated in an identical direction using a connecting portion with respect to an attachment member when driven by a driving actuator, and a second mode in which a finger section other than a first predetermined finger section included in the first multi-joint finger is rotated with respect to the first predetermined finger section and a finger section other than a second predetermined finger section included in the second multi-joint finger is rotated with respect to the second predetermined finger section, when the rotation of the first and second predetermined finger sections are inhibited in the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaki Nagatsuka
  • Publication number: 20170341092
    Abstract: A motion guide apparatus cooling nozzle is provided which can gas-cool a motion guide apparatus. Cooling nozzles 1a and 1b of the present invention are mounted on a block 4 of the motion guide apparatus to cool at least one of a guide rail 2 and a block 4 that is assembled to the guide rail 2 via a rolling element 6 in such a manner as to be movable relatively. The cooling nozzles la and 1b include an inner passage 18 into which gas is introduced, an opening 12a configured to emit a gas flow introduced into the inner passage 18, a deflection surface 22a that is provided adjacently to the opening 12a to bend the gas flow emitted from the opening 12a, and a guiding surface 32a configured to attract gas outside the cooling nozzles 1a and 1b.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akimasa Yoshida, Ryuji Furusawa, Takuya Horie, Keisuke Nagaike, Shinji Aoki, Ayako Miyajima
  • Publication number: 20170335933
    Abstract: Provided is a ball screw capable of reducing unevenness of load distribution of balls and extending a service life of the ball screw. In the ball screw, one end part 6 of a nut 2 on a flange 2-2 side is closer to an end 9 of a screw shaft 1 on a fixed side than the other end part 7 of the nut 2 on a side opposite the flange 2-2 is, two or more circulation paths 5a to 5c are arranged in an axial direction of the nut 2, and a diameter of a ball 3a in the circulation path 5a closest to the flange 2-2 of the nut 2 is smaller than a diameter of a ball 3c in the circulation path 5c remotest from the flange 2-2 of the nut 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2015
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji FUJII, Masahiko YOSHINO, Tsutomu TOGASHI
  • Publication number: 20170326736
    Abstract: A roll rotation structure for rotationally driving, in a roll direction of a robot, an arm unit mounted on a shoulder part of the robot through a roll support part comprises a linear motion actuator having an output shaft that moves linearly, a mounting part by which the linear motion actuator is mounted on the shoulder part in such a manner that a main body of the linear motion actuator is located at the side of a main body of the robot adjacent to the shoulder part, and that the output shaft of the linear motion actuator can be drawn into and out of the shoulder part, and a connection part that connects the output shaft and the arm unit in such a manner that an output from the output shaft of the linear motion actuator produces an angular moment in the roll direction in the roll support part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaki NAGATSUKA
  • Patent number: D807164
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuhiro Nishide, Takuya Horie, Satoshi Kashiwagura
  • Patent number: D813283
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Endo, Fumiya Koizumi