Patents by Inventor Atsushi Kurayama

Atsushi Kurayama has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11458633
    Abstract: An article transfer apparatus includes a holding portion, a driving portion that moves the holding portion, a control unit, and a reference detection portion that detects a reference position of a target article held by the holding portion. The control unit performs reference detection control to detect, by the reference detection portion, the reference position in a state in which the target article is lifted, determination control to determine a positional relationship between the holding portion and the reference position based on a result of detection by the reference detection control, and position calculation control to calculate, based on the positional relationship determined by the determination control, a movement destination position that is a position, of the holding portion at the movement destination, at which an outer edge of the target article held by the holding portion fits within a movement region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Ukisu, Atsushi Kurayama, Sadataka Nishihara
  • Patent number: 10947057
    Abstract: A control unit performs first loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by a determination unit as being an article that is in an appropriate orientation is to be loaded onto a first supporting member in the appropriate orientation, and second loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in an inappropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Patent number: 10843878
    Abstract: The transfer apparatus transfers an article, which is a package, to a container while holding an upper face of the package. A control apparatus performs both a transfer control to cause the transfer apparatus to transfer the article to the container and a first pressing control to cause the pressing apparatus to press, from above, the article that has been transferred to the container through the transfer control if the article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus is a type 1 article, and performs only the transfer control, of the transfer control and the first pressing control, if the article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus is a type 2 article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Ukisu, Atsushi Kurayama, Sadataka Nishihara
  • Patent number: 10793376
    Abstract: The presence of an article in a second container is recognized based on image capture information from an image capture apparatus, and the type of the article whose presence has been recognized is determined by a determining portion. A control apparatus performs a transfer control on an article that has been recognized and whose type has been determined by the determining portion, and a position correction control on an article that has been recognized but whose type has not been determined by the determining portion. During the transfer control, the transfer apparatus is controlled to hold a first position on an article contained in the second container to transfer this article W1 to a first container. During the position correction control, the transfer apparatus is controlled to determine a second holding position on an article contained in the second container, and to hold the second holding position to move the article within the second container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Ukisu, Atsushi Kurayama, Sadataka Nishihara
  • Publication number: 20200269428
    Abstract: An article transfer apparatus includes a holding portion, a driving portion that moves the holding portion, a control unit, and a reference detection portion that detects a reference position of a target article held by the holding portion. The control unit performs reference detection control to detect, by the reference detection portion, the reference position in a state in which the target article is lifted, determination control to determine a positional relationship between the holding portion and the reference position based on a result of detection by the reference detection control, and position calculation control to calculate, based on the positional relationship determined by the determination control, a movement destination position that is a position, of the holding portion at the movement destination, at which an outer edge of the target article held by the holding portion fits within a movement region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventors: Kenichi Ukisu, Atsushi Kurayama, Sadataka Nishihara
  • Publication number: 20200165081
    Abstract: A control unit performs first loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by a determination unit as being an article that is in an appropriate orientation is to be loaded onto a first supporting member in the appropriate orientation, and second loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in an inappropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Publication date: May 28, 2020
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Patent number: 10589942
    Abstract: A control unit performs first loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by a determination unit as being an article that is in an appropriate orientation is to be loaded onto a first supporting member in the appropriate orientation, and second loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in an inappropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Patent number: 10336561
    Abstract: An article loading facility includes: a transport unit; a loading unit; a setting unit; a first control unit; and a second control unit. The transport unit transports second supporting members from storage units to a transfer position. The loading unit loads target articles that are supported by the second supporting members, onto the first supporting member. The setting unit performs an arrangement setting process to set arrangement information for each of the plurality of target articles that are to be loaded onto the first supporting member, the arrangement information indicating the orientation and the position of the corresponding target article relative to the first supporting member, and performs an arrangement order setting process to set a type arrangement order that, when target articles of a plurality of types are to be loaded according to the arrangement information, indicates the order in which the plurality of types are to be arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: DAIFUKU CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Publication number: 20190177094
    Abstract: The transfer apparatus transfers an article, which is a package, to a container while holding an upper face of the package. A control apparatus performs both a transfer control to cause the transfer apparatus to transfer the article to the container and a first pressing control to cause the pressing apparatus to press, from above, the article that has been transferred to the container through the transfer control if the article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus is a type 1 article, and performs only the transfer control, of the transfer control and the first pressing control, if the article to be transferred by the transfer apparatus is a type 2 article.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Kenichi Ukisu, Atsushi Kurayama, Sadataka Nishihara
  • Publication number: 20190177095
    Abstract: The presence of an article in a second container is recognized based on image capture information from an image capture apparatus, and the type of the article whose presence has been recognized is determined by a determining portion. A control apparatus performs a transfer control on an article that has been recognized and whose type has been determined by the determining portion, and a position correction control on an article that has been recognized but whose type has not been determined by the determining portion. During the transfer control, the transfer apparatus is controlled to hold a first position on an article contained in the second container to transfer this article W1 to a first container. During the position correction control, the transfer apparatus is controlled to determine a second holding position on an article contained in the second container, and to hold the second holding position to move the article within the second container.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Kenichi Ukisu, Atsushi Kurayama, Sadataka Nishihara
  • Patent number: 10106340
    Abstract: A control unit performs a first loading control and a second loading control. The first loading control is performed to control a loading operation unit to load a plurality of target articles onto a first supporting member according to arrangement information. The second loading control is performed to execute a second determination process based on at least one of: the arrangement information; detection information obtained by the detection unit; and information regarding a loading area, to determine whether or not the remaining articles are loadable onto the first supporting member, and to control the loading operation unit to load the remaining articles onto the first supporting member if the remaining articles are determined as being loadable in the second determination process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Publication number: 20180065818
    Abstract: A control unit performs first loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by a determination unit as being an article that is in an appropriate orientation is to be loaded onto a first supporting member in the appropriate orientation, and second loading control that is to be performed when a target article that has been determined by the determination unit as being an article that is in an inappropriate orientation is to be loaded onto the first supporting member in the appropriate orientation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Publication number: 20180065817
    Abstract: An article loading facility includes: a transport unit; a loading unit; a setting unit; a first control unit; and a second control unit. The transport unit transports second supporting members from storage units to a transfer position. The loading unit loads target articles that are supported by the second supporting members, onto the first supporting member. The setting unit performs an arrangement setting process to set arrangement information for each of the plurality of target articles that are to be loaded onto the first supporting member, the arrangement information indicating the orientation and the position of the corresponding target article relative to the first supporting member, and performs an arrangement order setting process to set a type arrangement order that, when target articles of a plurality of types are to be loaded according to the arrangement information, indicates the order in which the plurality of types are to be arranged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo
  • Publication number: 20180065819
    Abstract: A control unit performs a first loading control and a second loading control. The first loading control is performed to control a loading operation unit to load a plurality of target articles onto a first supporting member according to arrangement information. The second loading control is performed to execute a second determination process based on at least one of; the arrangement information; detection information obtained by the detection unit; and information regarding a loading area, to determine whether or not the remaining articles are loadable onto the first supporting member, and to control the loading operation unit to load the remaining articles onto the first supporting member if the remaining articles are determined as being loadable in the second determination process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Takuya Gondoh, Shigeru Sugano, Atsushi Kurayama, Masami Iwai, Atsushi Minoo