Patents by Inventor Masaaki HOJO

Masaaki HOJO 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: 11912449
    Abstract: To provide an article gripping system that reduces the installation area of the apparatus and further shortens the amount of time from when it grips to when it feeds articles. An article gripping system (110) switches between a first positional relationship in which a container (50) obstructs discharge of articles gripped by a first gripping unit (15A) but does not obstruct discharge of articles by a second gripping unit (15B) and a second positional relationship in which the container (50) obstructs discharge of articles gripped by the second gripping unit (15B) but does not obstruct discharge of articles gripped by the first gripping unit (15A), so the gripping units do not move while they are holding the articles, and the articles can be prevented from falling out of the gripping units (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: ISHIDA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Okano, Shuichi Maeda, Yuki Furukawa, Masaaki Hojo, Akihito Suzuki, Kousuke Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11826790
    Abstract: An article discharge system includes a placement unit in which the article group is placed, plural grippers, a movable member, a robot that moves the movable member, weight acquisition units, and a control unit. The plural grippers grip some articles with gripping member. The plural grippers are attached to the movable member. The weight acquisition units acquire weight values of the articles that each of the grippers grips. The control unit moves the movable member, brings the plural grippers closer to the placement unit, causes the plural grippers to grip some of the articles of the article group placed in the placement unit, and, based on the result of a combination calculation using the weight values of the articles that each of the grippers grips and which the weight acquisition units have acquired, causes predetermined grippers among the plural grippers to release the articles and thereby discharge the articles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Ishida Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuichi Maeda, Yujiro Obayashi, Masaaki Hojo
  • Publication number: 20230140538
    Abstract: To provide an article gripping system that reduces the installation area of the apparatus and further shortens the amount of time from when it grips to when it feeds articles. An article gripping system (110) switches between a first positional relationship in which a container (50) obstructs discharge of articles gripped by a first gripping unit (15A) but does not obstruct discharge of articles by a second gripping unit (15B) and a second positional relationship in which the container (50) obstructs discharge of articles gripped by the second gripping unit (15B) but does not obstruct discharge of articles gripped by the first gripping unit (15A), so the gripping units do not move while they are holding the articles, and the articles can be prevented from falling out of the gripping units (15).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Publication date: May 4, 2023
    Applicant: ISHIDA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi OKANO, Shuichi MAEDA, Yuki FURUKAWA, Masaaki HOJO, Akihito SUZUKI, Kousuke WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20220362811
    Abstract: An article discharge system includes a placement unit in which the article group is placed, plural grippers, a movable member, a robot that moves the movable member, weight acquisition units, and a control unit. The plural grippers grip some articles with gripping member. The plural grippers are attached to the movable member. The weight acquisition units acquire weight values of the articles that each of the grippers grips. The control unit moves the movable member, brings the plural grippers closer to the placement unit, causes the plural grippers to grip some of the articles of the article group placed in the placement unit, and, based on the result of a combination calculation using the weight values of the articles that each of the grippers grips and which the weight acquisition units have acquired, causes predetermined grippers among the plural grippers to release the articles and thereby discharge the articles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2022
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Applicant: Ishida Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuichi MAEDA, Yujiro OBAYASHI, Masaaki HOJO
  • Publication number: 20220333974
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a weighing device in which dropping of articles from gripping means and reductions in weighing precision are suppressed. In a weighing device (100), when at least one of an operation state of grippers (30) and weighing results from weighing units (40) fulfills any condition from among “a weight value of articles (A) weighed by the weighing units (40) not being a preset target weight value,” “an operating distance in an operation in which the articles (A) are held by gripping members (32) being greater than a prescribed range,” and “the operating distance in the operation in which the articles (A) are held by the gripping members (32) being less than the prescribed range,” the articles (A) gripped by the grippers (30) are returned to an article group accommodation container (52) by a control unit (70) without said articles (A) being discharged to a discharge chute.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Applicant: ISHIDA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuichi MAEDA, Masaaki HOJO
  • Patent number: 11433430
    Abstract: An article discharge system includes a placement unit in which the article group is placed, plural grippers, a movable member, a robot that moves the movable member, weight acquisition units, and a control unit. The plural grippers grip some articles with gripping member. The plural grippers are attached to the movable member. The weight acquisition units acquire weight values of the articles that each of the grippers grips. The control unit moves the movable member, brings the plural grippers closer to the placement unit, causes the plural grippers to grip some of the articles of the article group placed in the placement unit, and, based on the result of a combination calculation using the weight values of the articles that each of the grippers grips and which the weight acquisition units have acquired, causes predetermined grippers among the plural grippers to release the articles and thereby discharge the articles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: ISHIDA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuichi Maeda, Yujiro Obayashi, Masaaki Hojo
  • Publication number: 20210283781
    Abstract: Problem It is an object of the present invention to provide an article discharge system that can efficiently perform the operation of discharging articles. Solution An article discharge system 100 pulls out and discharges some articles A from an article group A1 disposed in a placement unit 50. The article discharge system includes plural grippers 30, weight acquisition units 40, and a control unit 70. The grippers grip the articles. The weight acquisition units acquire weight values of the articles that each of the plural grippers grips. The control unit causes the plural grippers to grip the some articles from the article group disposed in the placement unit and, based on the result of a combination calculation using the weight values of the articles that each of the plural grippers grips, causes a predetermined combination of the grippers to release and discharge the articles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Publication date: September 16, 2021
    Applicant: Ishida Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kousuke WATANABE, Masaaki HOJO
  • Publication number: 20200398314
    Abstract: Providing an article discharge system that can be made compact. The article discharge system pulls out some articles from an article group and discharges them. The article discharge system includes a placement unit in which the article group is placed, plural grippers 30, a movable member 20, a robot 10 that moves the movable member, weight acquisition units 40, and a control unit. The plural grippers grip, with gripping member 32, the articles. The plural grippers are attached to the movable member. The weight acquisition units acquire weight values of the articles that each of the grippers grips.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: Ishida Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuichi MAEDA, Yujiro OBAYASHI, Masaaki HOJO