Patents by Inventor Shunzo Hirose

Shunzo Hirose 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: 6125731
    Abstract: A ball screw spline shaft 41 is driven for rotation by a drive motor 53 provided at least on one end thereof. When a feeder ball nut 61 moves in response to the rotation of the ball screw spline shaft 41 from one end of the ball screw spline shaft 41 toward the other end, intermediate supports 65 on both sides thereof travel in the same direction at a lower speed on a support guide 67 and the ball screw spline shaft 41. As a result, the intermediate supports 65 on both sides are located in positions around the middle of the distances between the feeder ball nut and both of the ends and moves while supporting the ball screw spline shaft 41. This increases the critical speed of the ball screw spline shaft 41 to increase the speed of rotation of the ball screw spline shaft 41.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2000
    Assignee: Amada MFG America Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Seto, Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 6059121
    Abstract: A staking press equipped with a component parts selecting apparatus. The staking press is equipped with a component parts supplying unit (17) that has a plurality of component parts storage sections (19, 23) each for storing a plurality of the same component parts. The component parts selecting apparatus includes a device (11) for picking up an image of a mark (m) provided on a surface of a workpiece (W), a parts identifying device (13) for identifying a component part to be installed on the workpiece on the basis of image data from the picking up device (11), a controller (15) for identifying the component parts storage section (19,23) that stores the component parts to be installed in a workpiece on the basis of data from the parts identifying device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Amada MFG America Inc.
    Inventor: Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 6041699
    Abstract: A ram driving device for a press machine having: a ram; a horizontal drive axle (33) rotatably provided horizontally in a frame (3) of the press machine; a motion converting mechanism (35, 63, 83) associated with the horizontal drive axle, for converting a rotational motion of the horizontal drive axle into up-and-down motion of the ram (29); and a plurality of servomotors (43, 47) linked with the horizontal drive axle, for rotating the horizontal drive axle in synchronism with each other, to drive the ram up and down. The motion converting mechanism is a connecting rod (35); and a link mechanism (63) driven by a ball screw (61) and a nut member (77); and an eccentric ring cam (33) and a cam follower (91). Since the ram can be driven by a plurality of the servomotors synchronously, the device can generate a large press power of various moving stroke and various moving speed freely, without increasing the maintenance cost thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Amada Mfg America Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Seto, Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 5882285
    Abstract: A punching tool storing and interchanging system of the present invention comprises a plurality of punching tool storing magazines respectively storing the multiplicity of punching tools; a stock area stocking the plurality of punching tool storing magazines at a position apart from the punching tool holding member; an operating area positioning the punching tool storing magazine used for interchanging operation among the plurality of punching tool storing magazines near the punching tool holding member; a magazine transferring apparatus transferring the punching tool storing magazine between the stock area and the operating area; and a punching tool interchanging apparatus. The system selects the punching tool among the multiplicity of punching tools stored in the plurality of punching tool storing magazines and interchanges with the punching tool held by the punching tool holding member in the punch press.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Amada Mfg America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Seto, Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 5862733
    Abstract: Two drive motors (9L, 9R) are provided on both sides of the ball screw (5), and the ball screw is driven by these two drive motors simultaneously. Therefore, the ball nut (17) attached to the worktable and in mesh with the ball screw (5) can be moved reciprocatingly to move and locate the worktable (15) on which workpiece (W) is clamped. Since the ball screw can be rotated by the two drive motors together, even if a ball screw of large lead is used, the maximum rotational speed and the maximum acceleration can be both increased, so that the workpiece can be located in position in a short time. In addition, since the torsional stress and strain generated in the ball screw can be both reduced, the locating precision can be further improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Amada MFG America Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Seto, Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 5832816
    Abstract: A ram driving device for a press machine having: a ram; a horizontal drive axle (33) rotatably provided horizontally in a frame (3) of the press machine; a motion converting mechanism (35, 63, 83) associated with the horizontal drive axle, for converting a rotational motion of the horizontal drive axle into up-and-down motion of the ram (29); and a plurality of servomotors (43, 47) linked with the horizontal drive axle, for rotating the horizontal drive axle in synchronism with each other, to drive the ram up and down. The motion converting mechanism is a connecting rod (35); and a link mechanism (63) driven by a ball screw (61) and a nut member (77); and an eccentric ring cam (33) and a cam follower (91). Since the ram can be driven by a plurality of the servomotors synchronously, the device can generate a large press power of various moving stroke and various moving speed freely, without increasing the maintenance cost thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Amada Mfg America Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Seto, Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 5809829
    Abstract: In a work feeding device for a plate work processing machine (e.g., a turret punch press), when a ball screw (1) is rotated by a drive motor, a ball nut (103) in mesh with the ball screw and fixed to a worktable is moved in the work feeding direction. Here, the ball screw is divided into a central portion (3) and an outer portion (5). The outer portion (5) thereof is formed of an ordinary material (e.g., steel), and the central portion (3) thereof is formed of a hard material (e.g., cemented carbide) of high longitudinal elastic coefficient. Since the maximum number of revolutions of the ball screw (i.e., the resonance frequency of the ball screw) can be increased, it is possible to move and locate plate work at a high speed, thus realizing a high speed punching processing to improve the working efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Amada Mfg America Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Seto, Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 5810704
    Abstract: The turret punch press has a body frame (3); a ram (51) for striking a punch (41) to punch out work (W) in cooperation with a die (35); an upper turret (39) rotatably mounted on the body frame and having a plurality of punches (41), any desired punch being selectively located at a punch area (A1); and a lower turret (33) also rotatably mounted on the body frame and having a plurality of dies (35), any desired die mated with the desired punch being selectively located at the same punch area (A1). In particular, the upper turret (39) is formed smaller in diameter than the lower turret (33), and further the upper turret (39) is dislocated eccentrically from the lower turret (33) toward the punch area (A1) to provide an open die exchange area (A2) over a part of the lower turret (33). Or else, the upper turret (39) is formed with a cutout portion (53) to provide an open die exchange area (A2) over a part of the lower turret (33) when the upper turret is disposed concentrically on the upper turret (39).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Amada Mfg America Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Seto, Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 5721587
    Abstract: In a method of inspecting a product processed by a turret punch press machine, an image sensing apparatus (video camera) (11) is removably fitted in a punch mount hole (5) of an upper turret disk (1) of the turret punch press machine; a product (W) processed on trial by the turret punch press machine and clamped by a work clamping device (23) is fed to an image sensing position of the image sensing apparatus by use of a work locating and feeding mechanism (31, 35, 29, 33) of the turret punch press machine; an image of the processed product is sensed at the image sensing position by the image sensing apparatus; drawing data corresponding to the processed product are inputted; and the image data of the processed product obtained by the image sensing apparatus are compared with the inputted drawing data to discriminate the quality of the processed product quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1998
    Assignee: Amada Mfg America Inc.
    Inventor: Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 5685812
    Abstract: The turret punch press has a body frame (3); a ram (51) for striking a punch (41) to punch out work (W) in cooperation with a die (35); an upper turret (39) rotatably mounted on the body frame and having a plurality of punches (41), any desired punch being selectively located at a punch area (A1); and a lower turret (33) also rotatably mounted on the body frame and having a plurality of dies (35), any desired die mated with the desired punch being selectively located at the same punch area (A1). In particular, the upper turret (39) is formed smaller in diameter than the lower turret (33), and further the upper turret (39) is dislocated eccentrically from the lower turret (33) toward the punch area (A1) to provide an open die exchange area (A2) over a part of the lower turret (33). Or else, the upper turret (39) is formed with a cutout portion (53) to provide an open die exchange area (A2) over a part of the lower turret (33) when the upper turret is disposed concentrically on the upper turret (39).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Amada Mfg. America Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Seto, Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 5682657
    Abstract: A pneumatic marking tool (35,123) is attached to one of the punch mounting holes (9) of the upper turret disk (3) of a punch press. When the punching striker (13) is moved down to its lower dead point, compressed air is supplied from a compressed air supply unit (103) to the marking tool to move the marking stylus (49, 129) up and down repeatedly at a high speed. At the same time, the work (W) is moved in a two-dimensional way by the Y- and X-axis work driving mechanisms (27, 29) of the punch press, in synchronism with the repetitive marking stylus motion, to engrave characters and/or symbols as a form of gathered dots all under control of the numerical control unit (33). Therefore, it is possible to mark or engrave any required characters and/or symbols without occupying a number of punch mounting stations of the upper turret disk and without the use of any punch press of high punching frequency, thus eliminating the laborious setting work required whenever the plate thickness of the work changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignee: Amada Mfg America Inc.
    Inventor: Shunzo Hirose
  • Patent number: 5616112
    Abstract: The turret punch press has a body frame (3); a ram (51) for striking a punch (41) to punch out work (W) in cooperation with a die (35); an upper turret (39) rotatably mounted on the body frame and having a plurality of punches (41), any desired punch being selectively located at a punch area (A1); and a lower turret (33) also rotatably mounted on the body frame and having a plurality of dies (35), any desired die mated with the desired punch being selectively located at the same punch area (A1). In particular, the upper turret (39) is formed smaller in diameter than the lower turret (33), and further the upper turret (39) is dislocated eccentrically from the lower turret (33) toward the punch area (A1) to provide an open die exchange area (A2) over a part of the lower turret (33). Or else, the upper turret (39) is formed with a cutout portion (53) to provide an open die exchange area (A2) over a part of the lower turret (33) when the upper turret is disposed concentrically on the upper turret (39).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Assignee: Amada Mfg America Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Seto, Shunzo Hirose