Patents Assigned to THK Co., LTD
  • Patent number: 11298818
    Abstract: A gripping system for gripping an object using a hand mechanism having at least two finger portions includes a specification unit that specifies a contactable portion and an unexposed portion, the contactable portion being a portion of the object that can be contacted by at least a first finger portion constituting one of the finger portions and the unexposed portion being a portion that is not exposed at the time of the determination, a first operation control unit that exposes the unexposed portion of the object, and a second operation control unit that grips the object in a state where the unexposed portion is exposed by bringing the first finger portion or the second finger portion into contact with the unexposed portion and bringing a finger portion other than the finger portion contacting the unexposed portion into contact with a predetermined surface of the object other than the unexposed portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinji Kawabata, Yoshikazu Matsuo, Yuki Nomura, Toshiya Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20220097229
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to grip a bag-shaped object in which a fluid is sealed with stability in a gripping system having a hand mechanism. A tip end portion of a press-in finger portion of the hand mechanism is brought into contact with the bag-shaped object and pressed into the bag-shaped object, and subsequently, when the pressure detected by a pressure detection unit provided on the single press-in finger portion or the pressure detected by any one of the pressure detection units provided respectively on the press-in finger portions reaches or exceeds a predetermined pressure, a gripping operation, which is an operation for gripping the bag-shaped object using at least two finger portions among the plurality of finger portions of the hand mechanism, is executed in a state where the press-in finger portion is pressed into the bag-shaped object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Matsuo, Yuki Katsumata
  • Patent number: 11268600
    Abstract: The method for manufacturing a linear motion guide device includes a step of forming a long member (8) having a pair of side wall parts (51) and a bottom wall part (52), a step of attaching a track body (4) to the pair of side wall parts (51) of the long member (8), and a step of cutting away a base member (5) to which the track body (4) is attached by cutting the long member (8) together with the track body (4) into a desired length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuto Homma, Kenichi Hasebe, Kaoru Hoshide
  • Patent number: 11248651
    Abstract: A motion guide apparatus is provided which can make a carriage compact without reducing a rated load and an allowable load. The motion guide apparatus includes: a track member (1) and a carriage (2) that moves along the track member (1). A circulation path (7) of the carriage (2) includes a loaded path (C1), a return path (C2) parallel to the loaded path (C1), and a substantially U-shaped turn path (C3) connected to the loaded path (C1) and the return path (C2). At least a part of the turn path (C3) bends in side view in a direction where the loaded path (C1) and the return path (C2) coincide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Takahashi, Ryuichi Yamakoshi
  • Patent number: 11242919
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to preferably detect the failure accompanied with the decrease in the pre-load in a ball screw unit. The failure diagnosis is performed for the ball screw unit on the basis of a combination of a resonance frequency in an axial direction of a predetermined machine assembly including the ball screw unit and a motor and a position of a nut member on a screw shaft corresponding to the resonance frequency as provided when the screw shaft is driven and rotated by the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignees: THK CO., LTD., DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Honjo, Shuhei Yamanaka, Katsuya Iida, Satoshi Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20220025927
    Abstract: A motion guide apparatus which can prevent the motion guide apparatus from rattling when being used in an environment where an excessive moment works thereon. A crowning is formed at an end of a loaded rolling element rolling surface of a movable member, and a chamfer is formed at an end of the crowning. Let a total length of the crowning and the chamfer in a length direction of the loaded rolling element rolling surface be L. Let the diameter of a ball be Da. L/Da>4 is set. A maximum depth D of the chamfer is set to equal to or greater than the elastic deformation amount of a rolling element rolling surface of a track member, the loaded rolling element rolling surface of the movable member, and the rolling element under a radial load equal to or greater than 60% of the basic dynamic load rating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tadashi Nakano, Takama Igarashi, Hajime Fukushima, Go Tamura
  • Publication number: 20220026661
    Abstract: An alignment device includes a base table, a plurality of electric actuators attached to the base table, an alignment table supported by the plurality of electric actuators. Each of the plurality of electric actuators includes a linear motion device that drives the alignment table in a direction approaching or separating from the base table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2019
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hajime Fukushima, Jun Hirota, Junichi Iguchi, Marie Shimamura
  • Patent number: 11226001
    Abstract: A machining control system for machining of a workpiece movably supported by a motion guidance device having a track member which extends along a longitudinal direction and a moving member which is arranged so as to oppose the track member via a rolling element being rollably arranged inside a rolling groove and which is relatively movable along the longitudinal direction of the track member, the machining control system including: an acquisition unit which acquires prescribed machining information related to a load applied to the motion guidance device when machining of the workpiece is performed by the machining device; and an output unit which generates machining correction information for correcting a prescribed control parameter for machining of the workpiece by the machining device on the basis of the prescribed machining information acquired by the acquisition unit and which outputs the generated machining correction information to a side of the machining device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Unno, Yuki Hayashi, Yuki Tanaka, Tomofumi Ohashi, Yusuke Asano, Katsunori Kogure
  • Publication number: 20220009092
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to ascertain parts of an object that are approachable by finger portions of a hand mechanism. In an image information processing device, a housing container is retrieved from an image by using a first retrieval frame, and an object is retrieved from the image by using a second retrieval frame. A plurality of determination points are set in advance on the second retrieval frame, and a predetermined approach direction is set for each determination point. A determination is then made as to whether or not the finger portions of the hand mechanism can be caused to approach parts of one object, existing within the second retrieval frame, that correspond respectively to the determination points set on the second retrieval frame from the predetermined approach directions set in relation to the determination points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Publication date: January 13, 2022
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiya Watanabe, Yoshikazu Matsuo, Shinji Kawabata, Yoshimasa Endo, Kenji Hidaka, Daisuke Kawabata
  • Publication number: 20210387353
    Abstract: An actuator system that picks up workpieces aims to shorten tact time and to reduce damages to workpieces. The actuator system includes an actuator that picks up a workpiece, an external force detection sensor that detects a physical quantity that is correlated with an external force that is applied to the workpiece, a head unit that is connected to the actuator and the external force detection sensor without a communication network, the head unit being configured to control the actuator based on a sensing result from the external force detection sensor when a pickup request signal that is a signal requesting pickup of the workpiece is received, and a control device that is connected to the head unit over the communication network, the control device being configured to transmit the pickup request signal to the head unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuya Fukushima, Masashi Ishii, Hiroki Niwa, Akira Suzuki, Kazuto Oga, Shogo Wakuta, Satoshi Hara, Tomofumi Mizuno, Shigeki Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20210392188
    Abstract: All information processing apparatus executes: a reception step of receiving sensor data transmitted from a sensor device via near-field wireless communication; a transmission step of transmitting the received sensor data to a server apparatus; and an output step of acquiring sensor data specified by a user from the server apparatus and providing the sensor data to the user; and, at the output step, a web browser operating on the information processing apparatus is used as an output interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuhei Yamanaka, Masatomo Tokuno
  • Patent number: 11199227
    Abstract: A lubricant supplying device has: a mounted member that is mounted to a moving member, which moves along a rail, and that is disposed with an interval between the mounted member and concave portions that are provided in the rail along a length direction of the rail; and a supply path unit that is removably attached to the mounted member, wherein the supply path unit has an introducing port into which a lubricant is supplied, supplying members that project out from the mounted member toward the concave portions and supply the lubricant to rolling surfaces of the concave portions on which rolling bodies that are provided at the moving member roll, and a tubular member that connects the introducing port and the supplying members, and the mounted member has an accommodating portion that is concave and accommodates the supply path unit from the length direction of the rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kaoru Hoshide, Katsuya Iida, Tetsuhiro Nishide, Takuya Horie, Takeshi Shimamura
  • Patent number: 11199207
    Abstract: The motion guide device clamper mechanism includes a clamper main body connected to the movable member, an inner face having a tapered shape so that the distance between the facing faces is narrower toward the end of one face of the track member, and one rolling member disposed between the facing faces of the one face of the track member and the inner face. The rolling member receives a pressing force toward a position where the distance between the facing faces of one face of the track member and the inner face of the clamper main body is narrow, so that a frictional force based on the taper shape acts on the rolling member, and the restraint of the clamper main body with respect to the track member is performed. Further, a frictional force based upon the taper shape is released and the non-restraint of the clamper is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignees: THK CO., LTD., NABEYA BI-TECH KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroaki Mochizuki, Hiroomi Kuribayashi, Keisuke Hagiwara, Masahiro Aoyama
  • Patent number: 11199222
    Abstract: A motion guide device includes: a track member including a rolling member rolling surface; a movable member including a loaded rolling member rolling surface, and a rolling member return passage; a pair of cap members including a direction change passage connecting the loaded rolling member rolling surface and the rolling member return passage; and a plurality of rolling members arrayed in a rollable manner on a loaded rolling member rolling passage, the rolling member return passage, and a pair of the direction change passages, the loaded rolling member rolling passage being made up of the rolling member rolling surface and the loaded rolling member rolling surface. A gap between the rolling member and the direction change passage at a boundary portion X is formed so as to become smaller than a gap between the rolling member and the rolling member rolling surface at the boundary portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Kishi, Mitsumasa Wada, Hiroyoshi Yasutake, Eriko Oshima, Shinji Aoki, Takuma Tsunoda
  • Publication number: 20210379760
    Abstract: In an actuator, an unnecessarily large load is prevented from being applied to a shaft and a workpiece. There are included a force sensor, an output of which is according to a force applied to a connecting member connected to the shaft, an amplifier that amplifies the output of the force sensor, and a low-pass filter, and a load applied to the shaft is detected based on an output from the amplifier until the shaft or a member associated with the shaft comes in contact with another member, and thereafter, the load applied to the shaft is detected based on an output from the low-pass filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuya Fukushima, Masashi Ishii, Hiroki Niwa, Akira Suzuki, Kazuto Oga, Shogo Wakuta, Satoshi Hara, Tomofumi Mizuno, Shigeki Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20210372477
    Abstract: Provided is a sensor mounting structure for a rolling guide device, which enables easy mounting and removal of a sensor of a type among various types with respect to the track rail, the sensor mounting structure including: a sensor holder to be fixed to an end surface of the track rail in a longitudinal direction of the track rail; and a sensor casing to be held on the track rail by the sensor holder, the sensor holder including: a base plate to be fixed to the end surface of the track rail, and a holding plate having one end continuous with the base plate as a fixed end, and another end formed as a free end elastically deformable with respect to the base plate, the holding plate being configured to urge the sensor casing toward the end surface of the track rail by the free end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiko Namiki, Masashi Sugiura
  • Publication number: 20210370526
    Abstract: The present invention reduces tact time for a pick-and-place operation by an actuator. In a housing of the actuator, an air passage being a passage of air when sucking air from a hollow part of a shaft is provided. Furthermore, a sucking valve that sucks air from the hollow part of the shaft through the air passage and a suction detecting sensor to detect that a workpiece is suctioned onto a tip of the shaft are provided in the air passage. Then, in the housing, the air passage is disposed at a position on a side opposite to a linear motion motor that moves the shaft in an axial direction of the shaft, via the shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuya Fukushima, Masashi Ishii, Hiroki Niwa, Shigeki Hayashi, Akira Suzuki, Kazuto Oga, Shogo Wakuta, Satoshi Hara, Tomofumi Mizuno, Satoru Nagai
  • Publication number: 20210360989
    Abstract: A humanoid robot (1) includes a heat discharge garment (5) that covers the humanoid robot (1), and an air blower provided in the humanoid robot (1) or the heat discharge garment (5) to blow external air into the humanoid robot (1) or the heat discharge garment (5). An air blowing flow path (101) is provided between the heat discharge garment (5) and an outer shell of the humanoid robot (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Nagatsuka, Yoshiyuki Yamanoue, Ryuta Sakai, Katsuya Tsujinaka, Kana Kozawa
  • Publication number: 20210361068
    Abstract: The guiding apparatus includes a first member having a sliding groove formed along a longitudinal direction; and a plurality of second members which are slidably assembled along the sliding groove so as to hold the first member in between, wherein the first member is formed with a first mounting hole on a bottom surface of the sliding groove, and the second member is formed with a second mounting hole on a surface opposed to the bottom surface, and wherein a stopper member is mounted to each of the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole, each of the stopper member having an insertion part which is to be inserted into each of the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole and is formed to be shorter in a length in an axial direction than a depth of the first mounting hole and the second mounting hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Applicant: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Shoyu, Hiroomi Kuribayashi, Akito Kaneko, Toshiro Minami, Hajime Fukushima, Takama Igarashi, Tomoki Obayashi
  • Patent number: D946068
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Endo, Kenji Hidaka, Daisuke Kawabata