Patents by Inventor Kazunori Osako

Kazunori Osako 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: 12023813
    Abstract: A control system (1) includes: a control device (100) that controls a robot (200); a three-dimensional sensor (300) that acquires positional information of a worker and the robot (200), which are included in a viewing-field area in a three-dimensional space; and a support device (400) that provides a user interface (411) for virtually setting a cooperation region in which the worker and the robot (200) are allowed to work. The control device (100) controls stopping or the speed of the robot (200) on the basis of whether or not the position of the worker or the robot (200) calculated on the basis of the positional information is included in the cooperation region, which is set by using the user interface (411), as well as the relative positional relationship between the worker and the robot (200) calculated on the basis of the positional information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya Akagi, Takeshi Shoji, Kazunori Osako, Xiaoguang Ning, Kazuma Mishima
  • Publication number: 20220176560
    Abstract: A control system (1) includes: a control device (100) that controls a robot (200); a three-dimensional sensor (300) that acquires positional information of a worker and the robot (200), which are included in a viewing-field area in a three-dimensional space; and a support device (400) that provides a user interface (411) for virtually setting a cooperation region in which the worker and the robot (200) are allowed to work. The control device (100) controls stopping or the speed of the robot (200) on the basis of whether or not the position of the worker or the robot (200) calculated on the basis of the positional information is included in the cooperation region, which is set by using the user interface (411), as well as the relative positional relationship between the worker and the robot (200) calculated on the basis of the positional information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuya AKAGI, Takeshi SHOJI, Kazunori OSAKO, Xiaoguang NING, Kazuma MISHIMA
  • Patent number: 10875180
    Abstract: Provided is a highly safe robot system. A robot system includes: an arm operation control unit that controls operations of an arm; and a storage unit that records hazardous part information related to at least any one of a grip unit of the arm and a work target gripped with the grip unit, and the arm operation control unit causes the arm to operate such that the hazardous direction of the hazardous part is different from a moving direction of the grip unit on the basis of the hazardous part information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Higuchi, Yoshiharu Tani, Kazunori Osako, Minoru Hashimoto, Daichi Kamisono, Masaki Fujita
  • Patent number: 10800032
    Abstract: An industrial robot having high operability for a user is provided. An industrial robot includes a manipulator, a controller which controls an operation of the manipulator, and a detection device attached to the manipulator and detecting a gesture input. The controller executes a process corresponding to the detected gesture input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Daichi Kamisono, Yoshiharu Tani, Kazunori Osako, Toshiyuki Higuchi, Minoru Hashimoto, Masaki Fujita
  • Patent number: 10634812
    Abstract: A method for operating a light curtain arrangement for monitoring a safety area is provided. The light curtain arrangement includes a plurality of first light emitter elements placed at an emitter side of the safety area, and a plurality of second light receiver elements placed at a receiver side of the safety area. The method includes the steps of: assigning a plurality of dedicated light emitter elements to a respective one light receiver element, wherein the assigned light emitter elements form an array; and activating the dedicated light emitter elements of a respective array to contemporaneously emit light, and at the same time, receiving the emitted light from the activated light emitter elements by the respective light receiver element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Enzo Romano, Paolo Viviani, Maurizio Cambursano, Pasqualino Brunetti, Gianmarco Grange, Keisaku Kikuchi, Satoru Shimokawa, Kazuhiro Kudo, Kazunori Osako
  • Patent number: 10521625
    Abstract: A safety control device, a method of controlling safety control device, and a recording medium are provided. A detection zone in which the safety of an operator can be secured and a decrease in an operation rate of a machine can be minimized is set. A safety controller sets a detection zone for executing a safety operation when it is determined that an operator has entered for each operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi Takeshima, Yoshiharu Tani, Kazunori Osako, Toshiyuki Higuchi, Minoru Hashimoto, Daichi Kamisono, Tetsuya Akagi
  • Publication number: 20190101668
    Abstract: A method for operating a light curtain arrangement for monitoring a safety area is provided. The light curtain arrangement includes a plurality of first light emitter elements placed at an emitter side of the safety area, and a plurality of second light receiver elements placed at a receiver side of the safety area. The method includes the steps of: assigning a plurality of dedicated light emitter elements to a respective one light receiver element, wherein the assigned light emitter elements form an array; and activating the dedicated light emitter elements of a respective array to contemporaneously emit light, and at the same time, receiving the emitted light from the activated light emitter elements by the respective light receiver element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Enzo ROMANO, Paolo VIVIANI, Maurizio CAMBURSANO, Pasqualino BRUNETTI, Gianmarco GRANGE, Keisaku KIKUCHI, Satoru SHIMOKAWA, Kazuhiro KUDO, Kazunori OSAKO
  • Publication number: 20190061155
    Abstract: Provided is a technology which secures safety of a moving body and prevents collision between a robot and the moving body. A detection unit detects a relative positional relationship between a robot arm which is able to move about a support pointy and a moving body by a sensor attached to the robot arm. A control unit generates a drive control signal of an actuator which causes the robot arm to be able to move on the basis of a change in the relative positional relationship between the robot arm and the moving body detected by a detecting unit. An output unit outputs the drive control signal generated by the control unit to the actuator. The control unit generates the drive control signal which changes a speed at which the robot arm is able to move in accordance with the change in the relative positional relationship with the moving body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru HASHIMOTO, Yoshiharu TANI, Kazunori OSAKO, Toshiyuki HIGUCHI, Daichi KAMISONO, Masaki FUJITA
  • Publication number: 20180349654
    Abstract: A safety control device, a method of controlling safety control device, and a recording medium are provided. A detection zone in which the safety of an operator can be secured and a decrease in an operation rate of a machine can be minimized is set. A safety controller sets a detection zone for executing a safety operation when it is determined that an operator has entered for each operator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Masatoshi TAKESHIMA, Yoshiharu TANI, Kazunori OSAKO, Toshiyuki HIGUCHI, Minoru HASHIMOTO, Daichi KAMISONO, Tetsuya AKAGI
  • Publication number: 20180333854
    Abstract: Provided is a highly safe robot system. A robot system includes: an arm operation control unit that controls operations of an arm; and a storage unit that records hazardous part information related to at least any one of a grip unit of the arm and a work target gripped with the grip unit, and the arm operation control unit causes the arm to operate such that the hazardous direction of the hazardous part is different from a moving direction of the grip unit on the basis of the hazardous part information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki HIGUCHI, Yoshiharu TANI, Kazunori OSAKO, Minoru HASHIMOTO, Daichi KAMISONO, Masaki FUJITA
  • Publication number: 20180311814
    Abstract: An industrial robot having high operability for a user is provided. An industrial robot includes a manipulator, a controller which controls an operation of the manipulator, and a detection device attached to the manipulator and detecting a gesture input. The controller executes a process corresponding to the detected gesture input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Daichi KAMISONO, Yoshiharu TANI, Kazunori OSAKO, Toshiyuki HIGUCHI, Minoru HASHIMOTO, Masaki FUJITA
  • Patent number: 9869794
    Abstract: A start-up time of a production facility is shortened while generation of a muting error is suppressed, whereby productivity is improved. A multiple-optical-axis photoelectric sensor system includes a projector, an optical receiver, a light blocking determination unit configured to make a light blocking determination whether each of optical axes formed between the projector and the optical receiver is in a light blocking state, and a muting processor configured to temporarily disable the light blocking determination on condition that a detection signal input from an external muting instrument changes according to a predetermined sequence. The muting processor determines the sequence of the detection signal from the muting instrument during the muting by dividing the sequence into a plurality stages. The muting processor accumulates and analyzes measurement information acquired in each stage, and decides an optimum setting value for a muting operation condition based on an analysis result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisaku Kikuchi, Satoshi Nishiuchi, Kazunori Okamoto, Minoru Hashimoto, Kazunori Osako
  • Patent number: 9709695
    Abstract: A sensor apparatus includes multiple pairs that each include a light emitting element and a light receiving element configured to receive light emitted from the light emitting element, and, in response to optical axes formed in a region between the light emitting elements and the light receiving elements entering a blocked state, senses a sensing target moving in the region. In an initial state, sensing is performed using a sensing optical axis composed of a portion of the optical axes, and when an optical axis of the sensing optical axis used in sensing in the initial state is blocked, the number of optical axes included in the sensing optical axis is increased so as to expand the sensing optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Keisaku Kikuchi, Kazunori Osako, Motohiro Yamanishi, Paolo Viviani, Enzo Romano
  • Patent number: 9671522
    Abstract: A detection processing unit determines, in a detection area including optical axes formed between emitter elements and receiver elements, whether each optical axis is in an interrupted state after optical axis selection corresponding to one scan, and outputs a detection signal based on the determination result. When at least one of the optical axes is constantly interrupted by an object movable within the detection area, the detection processing unit outputs the detection signal upon determining that the number of optical axes in an interrupted state is greater than a preset maximum optical axis number, and also outputs the detection signal upon determining that the number of optical axes in an interrupted state is smaller than a preset minimum optical axis number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventors: Kazunori Okamoto, Minoru Hashimoto, Keisaku Kikuchi, Kazunori Osako
  • Patent number: 9618650
    Abstract: A multiple optical axis photoelectric sensor capable of performing muting processing adapted to a plurality of kinds of workpieces having different heights without the need for complicated pre-setting according to the kinds of workpieces, is provided. The multiple optical axis photoelectric sensor is provided with a light projecting device and a light receiving device, which forms a plurality of optical axes together with the light projecting device. In at least one portion of a detection area, which is set according to the optical axes, a muting area for nullifying the result of detection of blocked light is set up. A sensor system acquires a range of blocked light corresponding to the blocked optical axis during passage of a workpiece, and alters the muting area of the multiple optical axis photoelectric sensor from a first range to a second range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisaku Kikuchi, Kazunori Osako
  • Patent number: 9530309
    Abstract: In a projector or an optical receiver, a master device produces pieces of definition information that determines timings of detection processes in the device including its own device and transmits the pieces of definition information to the slave device. The master device simultaneously transmits commands to require operations of internal timers to be synchronized with each other to the other slave devices in response to elapse of a time corresponding to a period in which a circulating period of the detection processes of the sensors proceeds by a predetermined cycle. Each of the slave devices corrects the timer in response to the command, and determines a timing at which a detection process should be performed with reference to a time point for correction on the basis of the definition information matched with its own device to execute the detection process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazunori Osako, Keisaku Kikuchi, Toru Murata
  • Publication number: 20160097878
    Abstract: A sensor apparatus includes multiple pairs that each include a light emitting element and a light receiving element configured to receive light emitted from the light emitting element, and, in response to optical axes formed in a region between the light emitting elements and the light receiving elements entering a blocked state, senses a sensing target moving in the region. In an initial state, sensing is performed using a sensing optical axis composed of a portion of the optical axes, and when an optical axis of the sensing optical axis used in sensing in the initial state is blocked, the number of optical axes included in the sensing optical axis is increased so as to expand the sensing optical axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Publication date: April 7, 2016
    Inventors: Keisaku KIKUCHI, Kazunori OSAKO, Motohiro YAMANISHI, Paolo VIVIANI, Enzo ROMANO
  • Patent number: D753519
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidemitsu Takenaka, Koyuru Nakano, Nobuchika Takiguchi, Kazunori Osako
  • Patent number: D753520
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: OMRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hidemitsu Takenaka, Koyuru Nakano, Nobuchika Takiguchi, Kazunori Osako, Shunsuke Mogi, Shunkichi Sasaki
  • Patent number: D769745
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Omron Corporation
    Inventors: Hidemitsu Takenaka, Koyuru Nakano, Nobuchika Takiguchi, Kazunori Osako