Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Oowatari

Hiroshi Oowatari 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: 11794300
    Abstract: To change or update each operating pattern and/or an operating condition according to a workpiece feeding state and/or an operating state of a robot. A workpiece transfer system includes: a workpiece infeed device for feeding a workpiece; a robot for transferring the workpiece being fed; a control device for selecting an operating condition of the robot based on a condition related to the workpiece and/or a condition related to the robot, the control device including a storage unit in which plural operating conditions are stored and a selection unit for selecting, as the operating condition of the robot, an optimum operating condition out of the plural operating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Oowatari
  • Publication number: 20210154851
    Abstract: A coordinate-system setting system including: a probe; a 3D-shape measuring device for measuring contact locations of the probe; and a storage device that stores a 3D model of a part to be measured. The 3D model includes information about an origin position of a coordinate system of the part to be measured. The 3D-shape measuring device measures, when the probe is brought into contact with the part to be measured a plurality of times, the position of a tip portion of a robot and calculates the shape of the part to be measured. The 3D-shape measuring device or a controller of the robot calculates the difference between the calculated shape of the part to be measured and the shape of the 3D model and sets the coordinate system of the part to be measured relative to the tip portion by shifting at least the origin position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Inventor: Hiroshi OOWATARI
  • Publication number: 20210101242
    Abstract: To change or update each operating pattern and/or an operating condition according to a workpiece feeding state and/or an operating state of a robot. A workpiece transfer system includes: a workpiece infeed device for feeding a workpiece; a robot for transferring the workpiece being fed; a control device for selecting an operating condition of the robot based on a condition related to the workpiece and/or a condition related to the robot, the control device including a storage unit in which plural operating conditions are stored and a selection unit for selecting, as the operating condition of the robot, an optimum operating condition out of the plural operating conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventor: Hiroshi OOWATARI
  • Patent number: 10780600
    Abstract: A method for automatically cutting off a material passage part while reducing manufacturing cost and cycle time. This method includes preparing a cutting device capable of moving in an automatic control coordinate system, placing the molded article without fixing the molded article, detecting a shape of the molded article by a sensor, acquiring a position of the material passage part in the coordinate system, determining a position of a cut spot in the material passage part as a target position in the coordinate system, moving the cutting device in the coordinate system and disposing the cutting device on a work position for cutting the cut spot, and cutting the cut spot by the cutting device arranged on the work position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuto Takeda, Hiroshi Oowatari
  • Patent number: 10654169
    Abstract: The supply device includes a rotating table. The supply device includes a plate-shaped member configured to move bolts placed on the table and a plate-shaped member configured to discharge bolts to the outside of the table. A replenishment region to which bolts are replenished is set in a first rotation region of the table. A discharge region from which the bolts are discharged is defined in a second rotation region. The plate-shaped member is configured to move bolts from the first rotation region to the second rotation region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Oowatari
  • Patent number: 10507987
    Abstract: A supply device includes a replenishment device configured to replenish bolts to a surface of a table, and a supply control device configured to control the replenishment device. A determination region for determining the number of bolts is predetermined in a region where the table is disposed. When the number of bolts detected in the determination region is less than a determination value, the supply control device selects a divided region having the lowest bolt number density from among a plurality of divided regions. The supply control device controls the replenishing device so as to replenish bolts to a region of the table corresponding to the selected divided region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Oowatari
  • Patent number: 10493637
    Abstract: A suction pad includes: a pad main body which is hollow; an intake hole provided in the pad main body, the intake hole being for supplying a gas to an inside of the pad main body; a negative pressure generating hole provided in a bottom wall section on a side facing a suction object in the pad main body, the negative pressure generating hole being for generating a negative pressure between the bottom wall section and the suction object by jetting the gas flowing in from the intake hole; a negative pressure breaking hole provided in the bottom wall section, the negative pressure breaking hole being for breaking the negative pressure; a lid section that blocks the negative pressure breaking hole; and a drive section that, when releasing suction of the suction object, moves the lid section in such a manner that the negative pressure breaking hole opens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuuji Taira, Hiroshi Oowatari
  • Patent number: 10414600
    Abstract: Articles are continuously supplied to a robot by control circulation speed. In a supply control device for controlling a circulation device that causes an article to circulate in a system that includes the circulation device, and a robot that retrieves the article during circulation with the circulation device, the supply control device includes: a detection unit that detects the article circulating with the circulation device, and a position of the article; a measurement unit that measures a number of the articles in a predetermined region on the circulation device, based on detection results of the detection unit; and a control unit that controls a speed of circulation of the circulation device according to the number of the articles in the predetermined region measured by the measurement unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Oowatari
  • Publication number: 20190255714
    Abstract: A suction pad includes: a pad main body which is hollow; an intake hole provided in the pad main body, the intake hole being for supplying a gas to an inside of the pad main body; a negative pressure generating hole provided in a bottom wall section on a side facing a suction object in the pad main body, the negative pressure generating hole being for generating a negative pressure between the bottom wall section and the suction object by jetting the gas flowing in from the intake hole; a negative pressure breaking hole provided in the bottom wall section, the negative pressure breaking hole being for breaking the negative pressure; a lid section that blocks the negative pressure breaking hole; and a drive section that, when releasing suction of the suction object, moves the lid section in such a manner that the negative pressure breaking hole opens.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Yuuji TAIRA, Hiroshi OOWATARI
  • Publication number: 20190023501
    Abstract: A supply device includes a replenishment device configured to replenish bolts to a surface of a table, and a supply control device configured to control the replenishment device. A determination region for determining the number of bolts is predetermined in a region where the table is disposed. When the number of bolts detected in the determination region is less than a determination value, the supply control device selects a divided region having the lowest bolt number density from among a plurality of divided regions. The supply control device controls the replenishing device so as to replenish bolts to a region of the table corresponding to the selected divided region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventor: Hiroshi OOWATARI
  • Publication number: 20190022869
    Abstract: The supply device includes a rotating table. The supply device includes a plate-shaped member configured to move bolts placed on the table and a plate-shaped member configured to discharge bolts to the outside of the table. A replenishment region to which bolts are replenished is set in a first rotation region of the table. A discharge region from which the bolts are discharged is defined in a second rotation region. The plate-shaped member is configured to move bolts from the first rotation region to the second rotation region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventor: Hiroshi OOWATARI
  • Publication number: 20180334336
    Abstract: Articles are continuously supplied to a robot by control circulation speed. In a supply control device for controlling a circulation device that causes an article to circulate in a system that includes the circulation device, and a robot that retrieves the article during circulation with the circulation device, the supply control device includes: a detection unit that detects the article circulating with the circulation device, and a position of the article; a measurement unit that measures a number of the articles in a predetermined region on the circulation device, based on detection results of the detection unit; and a control unit that controls a speed of circulation of the circulation device according to the number of the articles in the predetermined region measured by the measurement unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi OOWATARI
  • Publication number: 20180099429
    Abstract: A method for automatically cutting off a material passage part while reducing manufacturing cost and cycle time. This method includes preparing a cutting device capable of moving in an automatic control coordinate system, placing the molded article without fixing the molded article, detecting a shape of the molded article by a sensor, acquiring a position of the material passage part in the coordinate system, determining a position of a cut spot in the material passage part as a target position in the coordinate system, moving the cutting device in the coordinate system and disposing the cutting device on a work position for cutting the cut spot, and cutting the cut spot by the cutting device arranged on the work position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2017
    Publication date: April 12, 2018
    Applicant: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuto Takeda, Hiroshi Oowatari