Patents by Inventor Kenji Bando

Kenji Bando 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: 9315335
    Abstract: A conveyance system includes a storage case, a lifting/lowering apparatus, a handover apparatus, and a conveying apparatus. The lifting/lowering apparatus lifts and lowers the storage case to position each substrate stored in the storage case to a receiving position sequentially. The handover apparatus receives the substrate at the receiving position, and hand over the substrate to the conveying apparatus at a handover position. The conveying apparatus includes a pair of belts. The pair of belts is provided such that the belts are spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction. A plurality of profiles associated with each other are provided on the pair of belts, respectively. The profiles associated with each other are configured to move together in a conveying direction, support outer edges of the substrate handed over at the handover position, and position the substrate to a prescribed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenji Bando
  • Patent number: 9242818
    Abstract: In a system for transferring a plate-shaped member with interleaving paper thereon, a suction adhesion device included in a suction adhesion unit includes suction pads that adhere to a surface of a glass plate by suction with interleaving paper in between the surface and the suction pads; an air blowing device blows air between the adhered glass plate and a glass plate positioned below the adhered glass plate; a robot moves the suction adhesion unit; a clamping device includes a pair of pushing members that are arranged at both sides, respectively, of the glass plates and move toward the glass plates to come close to each other; and at least before the suction adhesion unit lifts the adhered glass plate, a controller causes the pair of pushing members to move to push protruding portions of pieces of interleaving paper, the protruding portions protruding from the sides of the glass plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Bando, Takuya Fukuda, Akifumi Wakisaka
  • Patent number: 9221603
    Abstract: A rack includes: a rack main body including a storage space configured to store a plurality of plate-shaped members and a carry-in opening; a plurality of upper supporting portions configured to respectively support upper edge portions of the plurality of plate-shaped members; lower supporting portions respectively provided under the plurality of upper supporting portions and configured to respectively support lower edge portions of the plurality of standing plate-shaped members; and lower edge portion storage portions provided to be each located at an outer side of an end of the upper supporting portion and an end of the lower supporting portion in the arrangement direction and configured to store the lower edge portions of the plate-shaped members, and at least one of the upper supporting portions is configured to be able to support the upper edge portion of the plate-shaped member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Hashimoto, Shigeki Ono, Kenji Bando
  • Patent number: 9187243
    Abstract: Provided is a plate-shaped member transfer facility capable of inserting a plate-shaped member in a raised state into a rack and retrieving the plate-shaped member in the raised state from the rack. A stocker facility includes: a rack configured to store glass plates such that the stored glass plates are arranged in a front-rear direction in a raised state; and a track robot configured to transfer the glass plates between the track robot and the rack by moving the glass plates to the left and right. The track robot includes a track-side running base, a flip, a track-side conveyance base, and rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Hashimoto, Shigeki Ono, Kenji Bando
  • Publication number: 20150311103
    Abstract: A substrate conveying system includes a substrate supply unit including a movable rack and an up-down unit which moves the movable rack down, a lift unit which has one or more ejection holes which eject a gas upward and is configured to lift-up the substrate supported on the movable rack by the pressure of the gas ejected through ejection holes when the up-down unit moves the movable rack down, and a conveying unit which includes a conveyor, and hook elements extending upward from the conveyor, and is configured to push in a conveying direction the substrate W being lifted-up by the pressure of the gas ejected through the ejection holes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2013
    Publication date: October 29, 2015
    Inventors: Kenji BANDO, Takuya FUKUDA, Soichi TAMADA
  • Publication number: 20140291122
    Abstract: A conveyance system includes a storage case, a lifting/lowering apparatus, a handover apparatus, and a conveying apparatus. The lifting/lowering apparatus lifts and lowers the storage case to position each substrate stored in the storage case to a receiving position sequentially. The handover apparatus receives the substrate at the receiving position, and hand over the substrate to the conveying apparatus at a handover position. The conveying apparatus includes a pair of belts. The pair of belts is provided such that the belts are spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction. A plurality of profiles associated with each other are provided on the pair of belts, respectively. The profiles associated with each other are configured to move together in a conveying direction, support outer edges of the substrate handed over at the handover position, and position the substrate to a prescribed position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenji Bando
  • Publication number: 20140169925
    Abstract: In a system for transferring a plate-shaped member with interleaving paper thereon, a suction adhesion device included in a suction adhesion unit includes suction pads that adhere to a surface of a glass plate by suction with interleaving paper in between the surface and the suction pads; an air blowing device blows air between the adhered glass plate and a glass plate positioned below the adhered glass plate; a robot moves the suction adhesion unit; a clamping device includes a pair of pushing members that are arranged at both sides, respectively, of the glass plates and move toward the glass plates to come close to each other; and at least before the suction adhesion unit lifts the adhered glass plate, a controller causes the pair of pushing members to move to push protruding portions of pieces of interleaving paper, the protruding portions protruding from the sides of the glass plates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Bando, Takuya Fukuda, Akifumi Wakisaka
  • Publication number: 20140081443
    Abstract: A plate member reversing system adapted for sequentially reversing and transferring a plurality of plate members, includes a second delta robot, a reversing device and a second transfer device. The second delta robot is configured such that it sequentially holds the plate members and transfers and places them onto the reversing device. The reversing device, onto which the plate member is transferred and placed in a horizontal position by the second delta robot, is configured such that, while the transferred and placed plate member is being held by application of suction with its upper surface in an open state, it reverses the upper and the lower surfaces of the plate member. In addition, the second transfer device receives the reversed plate member from the reversing device and transfers it in a reversed state and in a horizontal position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Bando, Toshihiko Miyazaki, Shuhei Kuraoka
  • Publication number: 20130202394
    Abstract: Provided is a plate-shaped member transfer facility capable of inserting a plate-shaped member in a raised state into a rack and retrieving the plate-shaped member in the raised state from the rack. A stocker facility includes: a rack configured to store glass plates such that the stored glass plates are arranged in a front-rear direction in a raised state; and a track robot configured to transfer the glass plates between the track robot and the rack by moving the glass plates to the left and right. The track robot includes a track-side running base, a flip, a track-side conveyance base, and rollers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Hashimoto, Shigeki Ono, Kenji Bando
  • Patent number: 8478443
    Abstract: The present invention provides a robot system including a robot having a plurality of move axes and a safeguard apparatus provided independently of a control system of the robot and adapted for limiting a movable range of the robot. The safeguard apparatus includes at least two individual-axis-detection external sensors configured to be respectively turned ON/OFF in response to a rotational position or a transfer position of respective at least two move axes among the plurality of move axes of the robot, and an apparatus body configured to limit a move of the robot based on a combination of ON/OFF conditions of at least two output signals obtained from the at least two individual-axis-detection external sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Hashimoto, Kenji Bando
  • Publication number: 20130156531
    Abstract: A rack includes: a rack main body including a storage space configured to store a plurality of plate-shaped members and a carry-in opening; a plurality of upper supporting portions configured to respectively support upper edge portions of the plurality of plate-shaped members; lower supporting portions respectively provided under the plurality of upper supporting portions and configured to respectively support lower edge portions of the plurality of standing plate-shaped members; and lower edge portion storage portions provided to be each located at an outer side of an end of the upper supporting portion and an end of the lower supporting portion in the arrangement direction and configured to store the lower edge portions of the plate-shaped members, and at least one of the upper supporting portions is configured to be able to support the upper edge portion of the plate-shaped member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Hashimoto, Shigeki Ono, Kenji Bando
  • Publication number: 20110313571
    Abstract: The present invention provides a robot system including a robot having a plurality of move axes and a safeguard apparatus provided independently of a control system of the robot and adapted for limiting a movable range of the robot. The safeguard apparatus includes at least two individual-axis-detection external sensors configured to be respectively turned ON/OFF in response to a rotational position or a transfer position of respective at least two move axes among the plurality of move axes of the robot, and an apparatus body configured to limit a move of the robot based on a combination of ON/OFF conditions of at least two output signals obtained from the at least two individual-axis-detection external sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Hashimoto, Kenji Bando