Patents by Inventor Mitsunobu OKA

Mitsunobu OKA 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: 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
  • 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: 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: 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: 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: 10179412
    Abstract: A workpiece conveying system is provided, which includes a workpiece including a workpiece main body, a cylindrical gripping part protruding from the workpiece main body, and an engaging plate attached to a tip-end surface of the gripping part, a chuck device including three jaws configured to grip the gripping part in radial directions of the gripping part, and a robot to which the chuck device is attached. The engaging plate includes an overhang part protruding from the gripping part along the tip-end surface of the gripping part, and an engaging slot, into which one of the three jaws fits, is formed in the overhang part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideshi Yamane, Jun Takebayashi, Shuhei Kuraoka, Tatsuhiro Uto, Shinichi Fujisawa, Mitsunobu Oka, Hiroyuki Mizumoto
  • Publication number: 20180147730
    Abstract: A workpiece conveying system is provided, which includes a workpiece including a workpiece main body, a cylindrical gripping part protruding from the workpiece main body, and an engaging plate attached to a tip-end surface of the gripping part, a chuck device including three jaws configured to grip the gripping part in radial directions of the gripping part, and a robot to which the chuck device is attached. The engaging plate includes an overhang part protruding from the gripping part along the tip-end surface of the gripping part, and an engaging slot, into which one of the three jaws fits, is formed in the overhang part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Applicant: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideshi YAMANE, Jun TAKEBAYASHI, Shuhei KURAOKA, Tatsuhiro UTO, Shinichi FUJISAWA, Mitsunobu OKA, Hiroyuki MIZUMOTO