Patents by Inventor Kentaro Azuma

Kentaro Azuma 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).

  • Publication number: 20240261975
    Abstract: A robot system 100 includes a robot 1 that processes a processing portion B of an object W, a storage 32 that holds an image of the object W and three-dimensional information on the object W, a selector 9 that selects the processing portion B from the image, and a controller 3 that controls the robot 1. The controller 3 derives the processing portion B in the three-dimensional information based on a portion selected in the image by the selector 9 and the three-dimensional information, and moves the robot 1 based on the three-dimensional information on the processing portion B to cause the robot 1 to process the processing portion B.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: August 8, 2024
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro AZUMA, Masahiko AKAMATSU, Takanori KOZUKI, Hiroki KINOSHITA, Hitoshi HASUNUMA, Kazuki KURASHIMA, Shoichi NISHIO, Hiroki TANAKA, Hiroki TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 12043441
    Abstract: A box unpacking device includes a robot, and a cutting device. A robot hand is attached to a wrist of the robot. The robot hand has a holding device configured to hold a packed box. The cutting device has a cutting blade of which the point is oriented downward or obliquely downward. The robot can move the box held by the holding device in a vertical plane, and change an angle of the box in the vertical plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Tsujimori, Kentaro Azuma, Yukio Iwasaki, Ippei Nagahiro, Kazunori Hirata, Shoichi Miyao, Hideshi Yamane
  • Patent number: 12023808
    Abstract: A robot system includes two arms, each having a hand at an end thereof, and a controller to control operation of the arms. The hand has an openable and closable holder. The controller includes hand-number determining circuitry to determine the number of hands used to hold a holdable object based on the size of the holdable object, and hold controlling circuitry to control the holder of one of the hands to open so as to hold the holdable object by an inner surface of the holder, when the number of hands to be used is one, and control the holders of the two hands to close so as to hold the holdable object by outer surfaces of the two holders, when the number of hands to be used is two.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Azuma, Takayuki Ishizaki, Mitsunobu Oka, Masataka Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20240198523
    Abstract: A robot system 100 includes an operator 2 to be operated by a user, a robot 1 having an end effector 11 that acts on an object W and a robot arm 12 that moves the end effector 11, and a controller 3 that outputs a command for the robot arm 12 such that the end effector 11 moves according to operation information input via the operator 2. The controller 3 performs coordinate conversion to adapt a reference surface RP in an operation coordinate system set for the operator 2 to the surface of the object W, and generates the command for the robot arm 12 based on the operation information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2022
    Publication date: June 20, 2024
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro AZUMA, Tomoki SAKUMA, Masayuki KAMON, Hirokazu SUGIYAMA, Masahiko AKAMATSU, Takanori KOZUKI, Takanori KIRITOSHI, Jun FUJIMORI, Hiroki KINOSHITA, Hiroki TAKAHASHI, Kai SHIMIZU, Yoshiki NAITO
  • Publication number: 20240169550
    Abstract: A specific point detection system includes an imager that acquires an image of an object W, a first detector that detects, using a first detection model learned by machine learning, a burr B included in the object W by taking the image acquired by the imager as input, a three-dimensional scanner that acquires three-dimensional information on the object W including the burr B detected by the first detector, and a second detector that re-detects, using a second detection model learned by machine learning, the burr B by taking the three-dimensional information acquired by the three-dimensional scanner as input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2022
    Publication date: May 23, 2024
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro AZUMA, Kazuki KURASHIMA, Hitoshi HASUNUMA, Shoichi NISHIO
  • Patent number: 11958187
    Abstract: A robot includes a base attached to an end of a robotic arm, a conveyor fixed to the base, and a holder to hold a workpiece and place the workpiece on a transferring surface of the conveyor. The holder includes a pivot shaft extending along the conveyor in a transferring direction of the conveyor, and reciprocatable or telescopic in the transferring direction, a pivoting structure attached to the pivot shaft so as to be reciprocatable in the transferring direction, and pivotable centering on the pivot shaft in a plane in which a width direction perpendicular to the transferring direction intersects with a height direction perpendicular to the transferring direction and the width direction, and a holding structure upstream of the pivoting part in the transferring direction to hold the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Azuma, Takayuki Ishizaki, Mitsunobu Oka, Masataka Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11845621
    Abstract: A robot is provided, which includes a base, a first robot fixed to the base at a base end thereof, and a second robot fixed to the base at a base end thereof. The first robot has a first robotic arm and a first robot hand attached to a tip end of the first robotic arm. The second robot has a second robotic arm and a second robot hand attached to a tip end of the second robotic arm. The first robot hand includes a conveyor, and the second robot hand includes a holding part configured to hold a workpiece. The second robot places the workpiece held by the holding part on a transferring surface of the conveyor of the first robot and releases the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Azuma, Takayuki Ishizaki, Mitsunobu Oka, Masataka Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20230373078
    Abstract: A controller of a robot system performs first control of controlling a robot arm in accordance with an operation with an operator to thereby cause an end effector to apply a treatment to an object and of recording trajectory data and second control of controlling the robot arm based on the trajectory data recorded in the first control to thereby move the end effector such that the end effector reproduces a moving trajectory and applies a treatment to the object. In the second control, in controlling the robot arm based on the trajectory data, the controller controls a pressing force of the end effector against the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2021
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro AZUMA, Jun TAKEBAYASHI, Tomoki SAKUMA, Masahiko AKAMATSU, Takanori KOZUKI, Jun FUJIMORI, Hiroki KINOSHITA, Kai SHIMIZU, Hiroki TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20230321812
    Abstract: A remote control system includes: an operator that is operated by a user; a robot that applies a treatment to an object in accordance with an action of the operator; a contact force sensor that is disposed in the robot and detects an operating state of the robot; an imager that captures images of at least one of the robot or the object; a display that displays the captured images captured by the imager and presents the captured images to the user operating the operator; and a controller that performs action control of at least one of the robot or the operator in accordance with detection results of the contact force sensor. The controller delays the action control to reduce a lag between the action control and display timings of the captured images by the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro AZUMA, Hitoshi HASUNUMA
  • Publication number: 20220219857
    Abstract: A box unpacking device includes a robot, and a cutting device. A robot hand is attached to a wrist of the robot. The robot hand has a holding device configured to hold a packed box. The cutting device has a cutting blade of which the point is oriented downward or obliquely downward. The robot can move the box held by the holding device in a vertical plane, and change an angle of the box in the vertical plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki TSUJIMORI, Kentaro AZUMA, Yukio IWASAKI, Ippei NAGAHIRO, Kazunori HIRATA, Shoichi MIYAO, Hideshi YAMANE
  • Publication number: 20220193929
    Abstract: A holding device capable of reliably holding a workpiece with a simple operation. The holding device is for holding a workpiece and includes a base part; a guide member mounted on the base part and extending in a first direction; and a first holding mechanism movable in the first direction by an external force being applied thereto, the first holding mechanism being capable of holding the workpiece. Further, there is a second holding mechanism including a first member and a second member which face each other across the first holding mechanism in the first direction and each of which is movable relative to the base part by being driven by an actuator. The second holding mechanism is capable of sandwiching and holding the workpiece between the first member and the second member by changing a distance between the first member and the second member in the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Applicant: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentaro AZUMA, Takayuki ISHIZAKI, Masataka YOSHIDA, Mitsunobu OKA, Satoshi KAMATA
  • Publication number: 20220111538
    Abstract: An end effector is to be attached to a tip-end part of a robotic arm and unpacks a cardboard box of which one or more flaps provided to one end of a side wall are fixed mutually or to the side wall to constitute one of end walls. The end effector includes a body part to be attached to the tip-end part of the robotic arm, a box holding part provided to the body part and configured to hold the cardboard box by holding a part of the cardboard box other than the one end wall, and a punching part provided to the body part and configured to form a through-hole in a wall of the cardboard box other than the one end wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2019
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki TSUJIMORI, Shoichi MIYAO, Hideshi YAMANE, Kentaro AZUMA, Kazunori HIRATA, Yukio IWASAKI, Ippei NAGAHIRO
  • Publication number: 20210205989
    Abstract: A robot system includes two arms, each having a hand at an end thereof, and a controller to control operation of the arms. The hand has an openable and closable holder. The controller includes hand-number determining circuitry to determine the number of hands used to hold a holdable object based on the size of the holdable object, and hold controlling circuitry to control the holder of one of the hands to open so as to hold the holdable object by an inner surface of the holder, when the number of hands to be used is one, and control the holders of the two hands to close so as to hold the holdable object by outer surfaces of the two holders, when the number of hands to be used is two.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentaro AZUMA, Takayuki ISHIZAKI, Mitsunobu OKA, Masataka YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20210187727
    Abstract: A robot includes a base attached to an end of a robotic arm, a conveyor fixed to the base, and a holder to hold a workpiece and place the workpiece on a transferring surface of the conveyor. The holder includes a pivot shaft extending along the conveyor in a transferring direction of the conveyor, and reciprocatable or telescopic in the transferring direction, a pivoting structure attached to the pivot shaft so as to be reciprocatable in the transferring direction, and pivotable centering on the pivot shaft in a plane in which a width direction perpendicular to the transferring direction intersects with a height direction perpendicular to the transferring direction and the width direction, and a holding structure upstream of the pivoting part in the transferring direction to hold the workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentaro AZUMA, Takayuki ISHIZAKI, Mitsunobu OKA, Masataka YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20210171295
    Abstract: A robot is provided, which includes a base, a first robot fixed to the base at a base end thereof, and a second robot fixed to the base at a base end thereof. The first robot has a first robotic arm and a first robot hand attached to a tip end of the first robotic arm. The second robot has a second robotic arm and a second robot hand attached to a tip end of the second robotic arm. The first robot hand includes a conveyor, and the second robot hand includes a holding part configured to hold a workpiece. The second robot places the workpiece held by the holding part on a transferring surface of the conveyor of the first robot and releases the workpiece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2021
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Applicant: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentaro AZUMA, Takayuki ISHIZAKI, Mitsunobu OKA, Masataka YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20200198157
    Abstract: A gripping device capable of securing an adequate holding allowance when gripping a soft bag-like object includes a base portion, a displacement portion capable of being displaced with respect to the base portion, finger portions capable of abutting on a grip target object to grip the grip target object, and a drive portion that drives the finger portions. The finger portions are supported by the displacement portion so as to be permitted to move in a direction of approaching each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazunori HIRATA, Keita SASAKI, Kentaro AZUMA, Takayuki ISHIZAKI, Mitsunobu OKA, Masataka YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20200030966
    Abstract: A food cooking device includes a robot main body having a tray where food is placeable, a spatula configured to move the food in a given direction while contacting the food, a first robotic arm to which the tray is attached, and a second robotic arm to which the spatula is attached, and a control device configured to control operations of the robot main body. The device moves the tray to a given position, while the food is placed on a placement surface of the tray, and sweeps out the food placed on the placement surface of the tray in a direction outward of the placement surface by the spatula.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shogo HASEGAWA, Kazunori HIRATA, Kentaro AZUMA
  • Publication number: 20190375521
    Abstract: A boxing device includes a second suction unit that applies force to an inner wall surface of a box. The boxing device also includes a boxing device main body part capable of housing an object-to-be-housed in the interior of the box that has been positioned by being moved by the second suction unit applying force to the inner wall surface of the box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shogo HASEGAWA, Kazunori HIRATA, Kentaro AZUMA
  • Publication number: 20190233222
    Abstract: A workpiece transferring device is a device to transfer a workpiece from a first placement surface to a second placement surface. The device includes a first arm including, at a tip thereof, a first fork having a first branch part extending sideward, and configured to move the first fork, and a second arm including, at a tip thereof, a second fork having a second branch part extending downward, and configured to move the second fork. When the first branch part passes in between the workpiece and the first placement surface, the second branch part is located ahead of the workpiece in a moving direction of the first branch part. When the first branch part passes in between the workpiece and the second placement surface, the second branch part is located ahead of the workpiece in the moving direction of the first branch part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Publication date: August 1, 2019
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki TSUJIMORI, Kentaro AZUMA, Mitsunobu OKA
  • Patent number: 9475651
    Abstract: A holding device to hold a side portion of a conveyed workpiece; a running device to convey the holding device in a feeding direction along a rail; and a support mechanism to support the holding device at front portion and rear portions of the mechanism. Eccentric shafts are with the holding device at respective positions, at one position, one of front and rear portions is eccentric in the feeding direction by a predetermined amount relative to one drive shaft's axis included in the running device. At the other position, one of front and rear portions is eccentric crossing the workpiece feeding direction by a predetermined amount relative to one drive shaft's axis in the running device. The yawing occurring while the workpiece is conveyed, is corrected by rotating the axes of eccentric shafts axes such the holding device moves relative to the running device's position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Morimasa Kuge, Hideyuki Tanaka, Osami Oogushi, Kentaro Azuma, Mutsuhiro Nakazawa, Kazunori Takahara