Patents by Inventor Hidehiro Saho

Hidehiro Saho 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: 8240028
    Abstract: In an electronic component mounting apparatus, nozzle mechanisms are formed slender by providing shaft-type linear motors vertically upward of nozzle units and providing linear encoders vertically upward of the shaft-type linear motors, respectively. Thus, it becomes possible to reduce the occupational area of the individual nozzle mechanisms in XY directions (horizontal direction), thereby allowing the pitch of neighboring nozzles to be narrowed. It also becomes achievable to keep up with increasingly narrow mounting pitches of electronic components on boards of increasingly smaller-size and higher-integration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazunori Kanai, Hidehiro Saho, Chikara Takata, Satoshi Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 8091216
    Abstract: An electric parts mounting apparatus includes rotary type multi-nozzle mounting heads. Each of the mounting heads has a plurality of suction nozzles disposed in a radial manner on a rotor mechanism, which rotates around a rotation shaft. A parts mount mechanism is configured such that the axial direction of the rotation shaft coincides with an arrangement direction of tape feeders. A shaft-to-shaft distance of the suction nozzles is set to be plural times as large as a pitch of the feeder arrangement. In a pick up process, a plurality of electronic parts can be simultaneously picked up from the tape feeders. In a parts mounting process, while one of the mounting heads mounts the part, the other mounting head can complete a nozzle changeover operation such that the suction nozzle holding an electronic part to be mounted next is moved to an operation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Hidehiro Saho
  • Patent number: 7805831
    Abstract: A carrier tape package 20 is used in an electronic components placing apparatus for feeding electronic components by a tape feeder, and has a carrier tape 22 housed in a wound state on a tape reel 21. In the carrier tape package 20, a data storage unit 23, in which an IC tag 25 having carrier tape information containing identification information of electronic components P held in the carrier tape 22 is held in a holder 24, is attached to the tape reel 21. At the instant when the carrier tape 22 is mounted in the tape feeder, the carrier tape information is read out by a reader/writer belonging to the tape feeder from the data storage unit 23 mounted on the leading end portion of the tape feeder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Hidehiro Saho, Hiroyoshi Nishida
  • Patent number: 7752748
    Abstract: A method for detecting a condition of a nozzle member of a multi-nozzle type component mounting head, in which it is determined that a nozzle is pressed against a load cell when the difference between a measured vertical position of the nozzle and a reference positional information of the nozzle is equal to or greater than a determined value and the measured vertical position of the nozzle is at a lower level position than the reference positional information, and when it is determined that the nozzle is pressed against the load cell, measuring the output value of the load cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Noboru Yamasaki, Kazunori Kanai, Hidehiro Saho, Akira Noudo
  • Patent number: 7731034
    Abstract: In a carrier tape for supplying an electronic part to an electronic part mounting apparatus for taking out the electronic part from a tape feeder to mount to a board, a tail side connecting portion having a cutout portion is provided to a tail side of the carrier tape mounted to the tape feeder, a front side connecting portion having a chipped portion is provided to a head side of the carrier tape to be used newly, respectively, and in tape splicing operation when a reel is interchanged, the cutout portion is fitted to the chipped portion and adhesive tapes are pasted thereon from two upper and lower faces thereof. Thereby, the tail side connecting portion and the head side connecting portion can be positioned in a longitudinal direction, a width direction and a thickness direction of the tape and held to each other and can efficiently be connected without using an exclusive connecting jig.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Hidehiro Saho
  • Patent number: 7684061
    Abstract: An electronic component mounting apparatus includes a beam projector for projecting a laser beam, a beam receiver which is placed in opposition to the beam projector and which receives a laser beam projected from the beam projector, a light-reception-sensitivity setting unit for adjusting light-reception sensitivity of the beam receiver, a projection-side orifice provided in the beam projector to narrow a projection spot diameter of the laser beam, and a reception-side orifice provided in the beam receiver to narrow a light-reception spot diameter, where the light-reception sensitivity of the beam receiver is improved. As a result, an electronic component mounting apparatus capable of accurately detecting height size of small components by using a relatively inexpensive photoelectric sensor can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masanori Hiyoshi, Hidehiro Saho, Noboru Yamasaki, Tadashi Endo
  • Publication number: 20090229117
    Abstract: A carrier tape package 20 is used in an electronic components placing apparatus for feeding electronic components by a tape feeder, and has a carrier tape 22 housed in a wound state on a tape reel 21. In the carrier tape package 20, a data storage unit 23, in which an IC tag 25 having carrier tape information containing identification information of electronic components P held in the carrier tape 22 is held in a holder 24, is attached to the tape reel 21. At the instant when the carrier tape 22 is mounted in the tape feeder, the carrier tape information is read out by a reader/writer belonging to the tape feeder from the data storage unit 23 mounted on the leading end portion of the tape feeder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2006
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Hidehiro Saho, Hiroyoshi Nishida
  • Publication number: 20090225304
    Abstract: An electronic component mounting apparatus includes a beam projector for projecting a laser beam, a beam receiver which is placed in opposition to the beam projector and which receives a laser beam projected from the beam projector, a light-reception-sensitivity setting unit for adjusting light-reception sensitivity of the beam receiver, a projection-side orifice provided in the beam projector to narrow a projection spot diameter of the laser beam, and a reception-side orifice provided in the beam receiver to narrow a light-reception spot diameter, where the light-reception sensitivity of the beam receiver is improved. As a result, an electronic component mounting apparatus capable of accurately detecting height size of small components by using a relatively inexpensive photoelectric sensor can be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Inventors: Masanori Hiyoshi, Hidehiro Saho, Noboru Yamasaki, Tadashi Endo
  • Publication number: 20090119904
    Abstract: An apparatus for mounting components provided with a multi-nozzle type component mounting head for moving vertically includes a plurality of movable parts linearly arranged; a plurality of nozzles respectively connected to tip parts of the movable parts; a height detector for detecting positions of the plurality of movable parts; a light projector provided on an extension of an arrangement of the plurality of nozzles; a light receiver provided at a position opposed to the light projector, wherein all of the plurality of nozzles are made to stand-by on an upper side of an optical axis L from the light projector, an arbitrary one of the nozzles is made to descend, and at a timing when the light receiver detects that light shielding of the light from the light projector is switched by the tip part of the nozzle, a vertical position of the movable part is measured by the height detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2005
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Inventors: Noboru Yamasaki, Kazunori Kanai, Hidehiro Saho, Akira Noudo
  • Publication number: 20090056114
    Abstract: In an electronic component mounting apparatus, nozzle mechanisms are formed slender by providing shaft-type linear motors vertically upward of nozzle units and providing linear encoders vertical upward of the shaft-type linear motors, respectively. Thus, it becomes implementable to reduce the occupational area of the individual nozzle mechanisms in XY directions (horizontal direction), allowing the pitch of neighboring nozzles to be narrowed. It also becomes achievable to keep up with increasingly narrowing mounting pitches of electronic components in boards of increasingly smaller-size and higher-integration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Inventors: Kazunori Kanai, Hidehiro Saho, Chikara Takata, Satoshi Kawaguchi
  • Publication number: 20080309260
    Abstract: A shaft type linear motor including a stator in which plural hollow cylindrical coils are disposed so that the center through holes thereof are arranged linearly so as to form a shaft insertion hole; a driving shaft including permanent magnets, the same magnetic poles, the north or south magnetic poles, being disposed in the axial direction so as to be opposed to each other, and movably inserted into the stator; sensor units disposed in the axial direction of the stator so as to have a predetermined clearance therebetween and equipped with plural magnetic pole detection sensors that detect the magnetic field intensities of the permanent magnets and output magnetic field intensity signals; and a detection section for receiving the magnetic field intensity signals output from the magnetic pole detection sensors and for detecting the position of the driving shaft on the basis of the plural magnetic field intensity signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2005
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Inventors: Kazunori Kanai, Hidehiro Saho, Noboru Yamasaki, Chikara Takata, Seiichi Matsuo, Yoshikazu Higuchi
  • Patent number: 6857546
    Abstract: In a double type tape feeder in which two tape feed mechanisms that pitch-feed carrier tapes holding electronic components are arranged in parallel and two carrier tapes can be simultaneously supplied, sprockets in the tape pitch feed mechanisms are arranged so that they hold a shaft axis in common, and directions of respective rotary shafts of motors are coincided with each other toward the shaft axis, so that the motors are arranged in radial pattern. Hereby, an overlap of widthwise sizes of the motors in plane arrangement is permitted. Therefore, the whole width size is reduced and a compact tape feeder is realized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidehiro Saho
  • Publication number: 20040139602
    Abstract: In an electronic parts mounting apparatus provided with rotary type multi-nozzle type mounting heads 10A, 10B in each of which a plurality of suction nozzles 20 are disposed in a radial manner on a rotor mechanism 18 which rotates around a rotation shaft 18a, a parts mount mechanism 8 is configured in a manner that the axial direction of the rotation shaft 18a is made coincide with the arrangement direction of tape feeders 5 in a parts supply portion 4 and a shaft-to-shaft distance D of the suction nozzles 20 is set to be plural times as large as the pitch p of the feeder arrangement. Thus, in a pick-up process, a plurality of electronic parts can be simultaneously picked up from the tape feeders 5. In a parts mounting process, while one of the mounting heads performs the part mounting operation, the other mounting head can complete a nozzle change-over operation in a manner that the suction nozzle holding an electronic part to be mounted next is moved to a operation position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Publication date: July 22, 2004
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidehiro Saho
  • Publication number: 20040094451
    Abstract: In a carrier tape for supplying an electronic part to an electronic part mounting apparatus for taking out the electronic part from a tape feeder to mount to a board, a tail side connecting portion having a cutout portion is provided to a tail side of the carrier tape mounted to the tape feeder, a front side connecting portion having a chipped portion is provided to a head side of the carrier tape to be used newly, respectively, and in tape splicing operation when a reel is interchanged, the cutout portion is fitted to the chipped portion and adhesive tapes are pasted thereon from two upper and lower faces thereof. Thereby, the tail side connecting portion and the head side connecting portion can be positioned in a longitudinal direction, a width direction and a thickness direction of the tape and held to each other and can efficiently be connected without using an exclusive connecting jig.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2003
    Publication date: May 20, 2004
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidehiro Saho
  • Publication number: 20030230617
    Abstract: In a double type tape feeder in which two tape feed mechanisms that pitch-feed carrier tapes holding electronic components are arranged in parallel and two carrier tapes can be simultaneously supplied, sprockets in the tape pitch feed mechanisms are arranged so that they hold a shaft axis in common, and directions of respective rotary shafts of motors are coincided with each other toward the shaft axis, so that the motors are arranged in radial pattern. Hereby, an overlap of widthwise sizes of the motors in plane arrangement is permitted. Therefore, the whole width size is reduced and a compact tape feeder is realized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2003
    Publication date: December 18, 2003
    Applicant: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidehiro Saho
  • Patent number: 6210081
    Abstract: A parts supply apparatus for moving individual electric parts from a bulk supply of electric parts to an outlet where a part mounting apparatus picks each part up. A parts guide path is located below the bulk supply so that the parts are moved therethrough by force of their own weight. The center of gravity of the parts supply apparatus is preferably located relatively far away from the outlet, so that vibration of the bulk supply of parts to move them into the parts guide path does not cause significant vibration of the outlet and interference with a secure mounting of the parts onto a part mounting apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidehiro Saho, Yuji Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6098838
    Abstract: In a bulk feeder, chips, stored randomly in a storage chamber, are fed one by one into a pipe extending vertically downwardly from the bottom of the storage chamber, and are further sequentially fed to a pickup position. In order to prevent the incomplete feeding of the chips into the pipe, an outer tube is provided in a manner to insert the pipe into the outer tube, and two projections are formed around an outer peripheral surface of the outer tube, and a pin is received between the two projections. The pin is rotated by a motor in eccentric relation to a horizontal axis of rotation of this motor, and the outer tube, while rotating, moves upward and downward, so that an upper end portion of the outer tube projects upwardly beyond an upper end of the pipe. As a result, the outer tube breaks into and disperses the group of chips residing above the pipe, so that the chips can be fed one by one into the pipe, and then the chips are fed sequentially to the pickup position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidehiro Saho, Yuji Tanaka