Patents by Inventor Yuichi Someya

Yuichi Someya 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: 9027231
    Abstract: To enable positioning a robot arm and a workpiece with high accuracy while reducing vibrations of a camera. According to the claimed invention for this purpose, a robot station 100 includes a pedestal 103 to which robot arms 101 and 102 are fixed, a camera 106 which images an area including a working area 209 of the pedestal 103, and a booth 104 to which the camera 106 is fixed. The pedestal 103 is fixed to a floor surface, and the booth 104 is fixed to the floor surface without contacting the pedestal 103. The booth 104 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped having a short side parallel to a workpiece conveying direction T and a long side perpendicular to the workpiece conveying direction T in a plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiko Mimura, Yuichi Someya, Yuji Matsuo, Mikio Nakasugi, Ken Meisho, Masaichi Sato, Mahito Negishi
  • Publication number: 20130086801
    Abstract: To enable positioning a robot arm and a workpiece with high accuracy while reducing vibrations of a camera. According to the claimed invention for this purpose, a robot station 100 includes a pedestal 103 to which robot arms 101 and 102 are fixed, a camera 106 which images an area including a working area 209 of the pedestal 103, and a booth 104 to which the camera 106 is fixed. The pedestal 103 is fixed to a floor surface, and the booth 104 is fixed to the floor surface without contacting the pedestal 103. The booth 104 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped having a short side parallel to a workpiece conveying direction T and a long side perpendicular to the workpiece conveying direction T in a plan view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshihiko Mimura, Yuichi Someya, Yuji Matsuo, Mikio Nakasugi, Ken Meisho, Masaichi Sato, Mahito Negishi
  • Patent number: 8365615
    Abstract: In a piezoelectric vibration type force sensor according to the present invention, vibration is restricted by a friction force between a piezoelectric body and a restricting member, and hence a range of sensing forces can be expanded compared with a case in which the vibration is restricted directly from a direction that is the same as an vibration direction. A conventional structure, in which a lead wire is soldered directly for electrically connecting the piezoelectric body to an external control circuit, causes a restriction of the vibration due to a solder attached to the piezoelectric body, resulting in narrowing the sensing range. Using the piezoelectric vibration type force sensor, the range of sensing forces can be expanded by making a state in which conducting portions of the piezoelectric body and the restricting member are not fixed but contact with each other for keeping electric conductivity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuuichi Sato, Yuichi Someya, Hideyuki Nishida, Takao Yokomatsu, Kentaro Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8352076
    Abstract: A robot with a camera includes a hand with a finger, a camera disposed on the hand, a robot arm including the hand, and a control portion which searches for a work based on an image obtained by the camera and controls the robot arm. In addition, a unit detects a velocity of the camera, and a unit detects a position of the camera relative to a predicted stopping position of the camera. The control portion permits the camera to take the image used for searching for the work, when the velocity of the camera takes a preset velocity threshold value or lower and the position of the camera relative to the predicted stopping position takes a preset position threshold value or lower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichi Someya
  • Publication number: 20110113898
    Abstract: In a piezoelectric vibration type force sensor according to the present invention, vibration is restricted by a friction force between a piezoelectric body and a restricting member, and hence a range of sensing forces can be expanded compared with a case in which the vibration is restricted directly from a direction that is the same as an vibration direction. A conventional structure, in which a lead wire is soldered directly for electrically connecting the piezoelectric body to an external control circuit, causes a restriction of the vibration due to a solder attached to the piezoelectric body, resulting in narrowing the sensing range. Using the piezoelectric vibration type force sensor, the range of sensing forces can be expanded by making a state in which conducting portions of the piezoelectric body and the restricting member are not fixed but contact with each other for keeping electric conductivity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuuichi Sato, Yuichi Someya, Hideyuki Nishida, Takao Yokomatsu, Kentaro Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20100312393
    Abstract: A shutter chance of a camera mounted on a robot arm is optimized for improving assembling efficiency. An image of a point on a finger and a position of an alignment mark is taken, and a position of the camera is measured by image processing. When the position of the camera is a preset position threshold value or lower, and when a velocity of the camera measured by a velocity sensor is a preset velocity threshold value or lower, a shutter is released. Furthermore, logical AND with another condition that a acceleration of the camera measured as a differential value of the velocity sensor is a preset acceleration threshold value or lower is taken for releasing the shutter. Thus, blur of an image for searching for a work is prevented, a position error is reduced, and working efficiency is improved by releasing the shutter earlier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuichi Someya