Having Means To Control Coating Application Patents (Class 118/679)
  • Patent number: 11905719
    Abstract: A method of generating a building assembly that includes spraying a coating material onto a plurality of pieces of substrate disposed on a first assembly face. The spraying includes spraying the coating material onto the plurality of pieces of substrate via a sprayer configured to apply the coating material to a target surface via a nozzle coupled with a mobile storage container storing the coating material, the coating material impregnating voids of the substrate. The method also includes allowing the coating material impregnating the voids to dry and harden and become rigid to generate the building assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Canvas Construction, Inc.
    Inventors: Maria J. Telleria, Henrik Bennetsen, Gabriel F. Hein, Jonathan B. Pompa, Kevin B. Albert, David Warner
  • Patent number: 11834736
    Abstract: A substrate processing system for treating a substrate includes a manifold, a plurality of injector assemblies located in a processing chamber, and a dose controller. Each of the plurality of injector assemblies is in fluid communication with the manifold and includes a valve including an inlet and an outlet. The dose controller is configured to communicate with the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies. The dose controller is configured to adjust a pulse width supplied to the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies to provide spatial dosing and at least one of compensate for upstream skew caused by a prior process and pre-compensate for downstream skew expected from a subsequent process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mariusch Gregor
  • Patent number: 11697136
    Abstract: A link chain cleaning and lubricating device, and lubricants for use therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: BBLINK, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Buck, John Thomas Benton
  • Patent number: 11542598
    Abstract: A substrate processing system for treating a substrate includes a manifold and a plurality of injector assemblies located in a processing chamber. Each of the plurality of injector assemblies is in fluid communication with the manifold and includes a valve including an inlet and an outlet. A dose controller is configured to communicate with the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies and adjust a pulse width supplied to the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies based on at least one of manufacturing differences between the valves in each of the plurality of injector assemblies and non-uniformities of the valves in each of the plurality of injector assemblies to cause a desired dose to be supplied from the valve in each of the plurality of injector assemblies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventor: Mariusch Gregor
  • Patent number: 11525270
    Abstract: An automated drywalling system network that including one or more automated drywalling systems that each has a robotic arm. The automated drywalling system network can also include a computational planner that generates instructions for the one or more automated drywalling systems to perform two or more drywalling tasks associated with a target wall assembly. The two or more drywalling tasks can include a hanging task that includes hanging pieces of drywall on studs of the target wall assembly; a mudding task that includes applying joint compound to pieces of drywall hung on studs of the target wall assembly; a sanding task that includes sanding joint compound applied to the pieces of drywall hung on studs of the target wall assembly; and a painting task that includes painting sanded the joint compound applied to the pieces of drywall hung on studs of the target wall assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Canvas Construction, Inc.
    Inventors: Maria J. Telleria, Gabriel F. Hein, Kevin B. Albert, Thomas F. Allen, Charlie Yan
  • Patent number: 11458681
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing machine includes a build platform being movable along a build direction and a powder supply assembly for dispensing additive powder above a build plane. A recoating assembly is used for spreading the additive powder into a build layer on the powder bed. The recoating assembly includes a support beam that slidably supports a recoater blade and moves along a recoater direction over the powder bed. A blade positioning mechanism adjusts the vertical position of the recoater blade in response to measurements from a sensing device which measures a tip clearance between the recoater blade and the build plane. The tip clearance may be measured along the length of the recoater blade while stationary and while moving along the recoater direction to obtain a smooth and level layer of additive powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jinjie Shi, Richard Roy Worthing, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11447963
    Abstract: A method of generating a building assembly that includes spraying a coating material onto a plurality of pieces of substrate disposed on a first assembly face. The spraying includes spraying the coating material onto the plurality of pieces of substrate via a sprayer configured to apply the coating material to a target surface via a nozzle coupled with a mobile storage container storing the coating material, the coating material impregnating voids of the substrate. The method also includes allowing the coating material impregnating the voids to dry and harden and become rigid to generate the building assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: CANVAS CONSTRUCTION, INC.
    Inventors: Maria J. Telleria, Henrik Bennetsen, Gabriel F. Hein, Jonathan B. Pompa, Kevin B. Albert, David Warner
  • Patent number: 11318565
    Abstract: A machining condition adjustment device adjusts settings of an ionizer so as to neutralize a charge carried by plasma generated during laser beam machining of a workpiece by a laser beam machining device, calculates an amount of charge per unit time that is to be radiated from the ionizer, based on the amount of charge carried by the plasma generated during the laser beam machining, and sets the ionizer to radiate the calculated amount of charge per unit time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Izumi
  • Patent number: 11135611
    Abstract: The present invention provides an automated system for spraying an wall of a building. The automated system comprises a carrier; a robotic mechanism mounted on the carrier, the robotic mechanism further having an end effector adapted to support a spray nozzle thereon; a visual monitoring system configured to scan structural characteristics and profiles of the wall; a computing device disposed in communication with the visual monitoring system and the robotic mechanism, wherein the computing device is configured to receive the scanned structural characteristics and profile of the wall from the visual monitoring system; and a controller communicably coupled to the computing device, the controller configured to independently control operation of respective ones of the robotic mechanism, and the spray nozzle according to the scanned structural characteristics and profiles of the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Elid Technology International Pte Ltd
    Inventor: Hui Eng Lim
  • Patent number: 10822814
    Abstract: An automated drywalling system for applying joint compound or plaster to drywall pieces. The system includes a robotic arm and a mudding end effector coupled at a distal end of the robotic arm, the mudding end effector configured to apply joint compound or plaster to a target surface. The system can further include a computing device executing a computational planner that: generates instructions for driving the mudding end effector and robotic arm to perform at least one mudding task that includes applying joint compound or plaster, via the mudding the end effector, to one or more joints between a plurality of drywall pieces, the generating based at least in part on obtained target surface data; and drives the end effector and robotic arm to perform the at least one mudding task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: CANVAS CONSTRUCTION, INC.
    Inventors: Maria J. Telleria, Gabriel F. Hein, Kevin B. Albert, Thomas F. Allen, Henrik Bennetsen, Josephine Marie Pedersen, Jonathan B. Pompa, Charlie Yan, Alana G. R. Yoel, Miles J. Flannery, Henry Tonoyan
  • Patent number: 10723068
    Abstract: A method of additively manufacturing parts by selectively cooling a liquefied thermoplastic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Evapco, Inc.
    Inventor: Davey Vadder
  • Patent number: 10718119
    Abstract: An automated sanding system that includes a robotic arm and a sanding end effector coupled at the distal end of the robotic arm, with the sanding end effector configured to sand a target surface. The system can further include a computing device executing a computational planner that generates instructions for driving the sanding end effector and robotic arm to perform at least one sanding task that at least includes the sanding end effector sanding a target surface, the generating based at least in part on obtained target surface data; and drives the end effector and robotic arm to perform the at least one sanding task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: CANVAS CONSTRUCTION, INC.
    Inventors: Maria J. Telleria, Gabriel F. Hein, Kevin B. Albert, Thomas F. Allen, Henrik Bennetsen, Josephine Marie Pedersen, Jonathan B. Pompa, Charlie Yan, Alana G. R. Yoel, Miles J. Flannery, Henry Tonoyan
  • Patent number: 10697188
    Abstract: An automated drywalling system network that include one or more automated drywalling systems that each comprise a robotic arm. The automated drywalling system network can also include one or more drywalling end effectors configured to couple to a distal end of the robotic arms of the one or more automated drywalling systems. The drywalling end effectors can include a drywall hanging end effector; a drywall mudding end effector; a drywalling sanding end effector; and a drywall painting end effector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: CANVAS CONSTRUCTION, INC.
    Inventors: Maria J. Telleria, Gabriel F. Hein, Kevin B. Albert, Thomas F. Allen, Henrik Bennetsen, Josephine Marie Pedersen, Jonathan B. Pompa, Charlie Yan
  • Patent number: 10513856
    Abstract: An automated drywalling system network that including one or more automated drywalling systems that each has a robotic arm. The automated drywalling system network can also include a computational planner that generates instructions for the one or more automated drywalling systems to perform two or more drywalling tasks associated with a target wall assembly. The two or more drywalling tasks can include a hanging task that includes hanging pieces of drywall on studs of the target wall assembly; a mudding task that includes applying joint compound to pieces of drywall hung on studs of the target wall assembly; a sanding task that includes sanding joint compound applied to the pieces of drywall hung on studs of the target wall assembly; and a painting task that includes painting sanded the joint compound applied to the pieces of drywall hung on studs of the target wall assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: CANVAS CONSTRUCTION, INC.
    Inventors: Maria J. Telleria, Gabriel F. Hein, Kevin B. Albert, Thomas F. Allen, Charlie Yan
  • Patent number: 10173241
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention disclose a coating method, comprising determining a coating state of a current substrate being an uncoated state in which none of a predetermined coating is coated thereon, a coating underway state in which a part of the predetermined coating is coated thereon or a coating completion state in which all of the predetermined coating is coated thereon, when a coating suspension is detected during coating the current substrate; in a case that the current substrate is in the uncoated state, further coating the current substrate or starting coating a next substrate; and in a case that the current substrate is in the coating underway state or the coating completion state, starting coating a next substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignees: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., Hefei BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Zhiqiang Li, Dongdong Yin, Xuepei Cheng, Zhi Liu, Wei Zhang
  • Patent number: 10105730
    Abstract: A system for applying sealant material from a cartridge includes a cartridge fixture storing a plurality of cartridges each cartridge including unique identification information and containing sealant material, a cartridge robot for removing a selected one of the cartridges from the fixture, and a dispense robot for receiving the selected cartridge from the cartridge robot and applying the sealant material contained therein to a workpiece. A controller is connected to the cartridge robot and the dispense robot for operating the robots and a plurality of sensors are connected to the controller for generating the unique identification information for the selected cartridge, sealant usage per workpiece, sealant dispense pressure, sealant dispense temperature; and sealant usage from the selected cartridge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: FANUC AMERICA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Raymond J. Guzowski
  • Patent number: 10010895
    Abstract: An integrated system and method are provided in an electrically powered airless paint spray unit for thermally monitoring the heat generating elements of the spray unit and provide thermal protection for the spray unit and the monitored heat generating elements. The temperatures of various heat generating elements of the paint spray unit are measured and directed to the motor controller of the electric motor of the unit the microprocessor of which is programmed to adjust the power level to the motor in response to excessive temperature readings of the monitored elements or shut off power to the motor in the event any of the temperature readings are greater than a maximum temperature assigned to the monitored element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: TriTech Industries Inc.
    Inventor: Troy Anderson
  • Patent number: 9481944
    Abstract: The present invention provides improved gas injectors for use with CVD (chemical vapor deposition) systems that thermalize gases prior to injection into a CVD chamber. The provided injectors are configured to increase gas flow times through heated zones and include gas-conducting conduits that lengthen gas residency times in the heated zones. The provided injectors also have outlet ports sized, shaped, and arranged to inject gases in selected flow patterns. The invention also provides CVD systems using the provided thermalizing gas injectors. The present invention has particular application to high-volume manufacturing of GaN substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Chantal Arena, Ronald Thomas Bertram, Jr., Ed Lindow, Christiaan Werkhoven
  • Patent number: 9186662
    Abstract: The invention relates to a processing and positioning device for processing catalyst support bodies. The device comprises a rotary indexing table, which comprises a turntable, which is rotatable about a longitudinal axis running in the axial direction of the turntable, and at least one loading platform, which comprises a holding device and is set up for releasably holding the catalyst support body on an outer surface of the catalyst support body. The at least one loading platform is connected to the turntable, whereby the loading platform is taken along by the turntable when a rotation of the turntable takes place about its longitudinal axis. The holding device is arranged in relation to the longitudinal axis of the turntable with a radial distance away from the longitudinal axis. Also provided is at least one processing position, which is fixed with respect to the turntable and is away from the longitudinal axis in a radial direction by a distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: BASF SE
    Inventors: Kai Schmitz, Andreas Schulz
  • Patent number: 9188385
    Abstract: A coating system (1) for blown containers (9) made of plastic material, with high production rate and flexibility so as to allow an efficient coupling with the most advanced one-stage or blowing machines. Such coating system (1), despite its high production rate, envisages a compact global structure with low implementation costs and contained energy consumption. Along with the system, a corresponding coating process is described, which consists in the effective and rapid application of several paint layers on plastic containers (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: S.I.P.A. SOCIETÀ INDUSTRIALIZZAZIONE PROGETTAZIONE E AUTOMAZIONE S.P.A.
    Inventors: Alberto Armellin, Andrea Saran, Matteo Zoppas
  • Patent number: 8944001
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods of determining a position of a height sensor in a dispensing system. The dispensing system includes a dispenser, height sensor, camera, and a calibration device configured to receive a signal from the height sensor. The calibration device may include an optical sensor that generates an alignment signal in response to receiving light from the height sensor and/or a fiducial that causes the height sensor to generate the alignment signal in response to a detected height change. The alignment signal is used to automatically determine the position at which the height sensor is aligned with the calibration device. The position of the height sensor relative to a camera is determined by aligning the camera with the calibration device and recording its position. The recorded coordinates of the camera are compared to the coordinates of the height sensor when the height sensor is automatically aligned with the calibration device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventors: Floriana Suriawidjaja, Todd S. Weston
  • Patent number: 8875648
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for preventing oxidation or contamination during a circuit printing operation. The circuit printing operation can be directed to OLED-type printing. In an exemplary embodiment, the printing process is conducted at a load-locked printer housing having one or more of chambers. Each chamber is partitioned from the other chambers by physical gates or fluidic curtains. A controller coordinates transportation of a substrate through the system and purges the system by timely opening appropriate gates. The controller may also control the printing operation by energizing the print-head at a time when the substrate is positioned substantially thereunder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Kateeva, Inc.
    Inventors: Sass Somekh, Eliyahu Vronsky
  • Patent number: 8800482
    Abstract: An apparatus for printing a conductive ink onto a plastic panel including an articulatable arm having an end that opposes a surface of the panel. A nozzle is mounted via a nozzle height actuator to the end of the arm, and the nozzle is coupled to a source of conductive ink. A flow regulator, coupled to the ink source, regulates the flow rate of ink out of the nozzle and is controlled by the controller. A height sensor is configured to output a height signal relative to the surface and the controller, which is coupled to the arm, the flow regulator, the nozzle height actuator and the sensor, is configured to control the arm, flow regulator, nozzle height actuator, and speed of nozzle movement such that a conductive trace of predetermined height and width is applied to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Exatec LLC
    Inventors: Robert Schwenke, Eric Van der Meulen, Billy Bui, Keith Weiss
  • Patent number: 8790464
    Abstract: A mole delivery system and method provide pulses of known molar quantities as a function of the time duration of each pulse, which in turn is derived as a function of the ideal gas law. In one embodiment of the system, the system comprises: a chamber of known volume and controlled and known temperature; a pressure sensor to measure the pressure in the chamber; an outlet valve to a process tool; an inlet valve to charge the chamber with the delivery gas; and a control system configured and arranged so as to control the operation of the outlet valve, control the amount of each gas pulse by controlling the timing of the valve to the process tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Meneghini
  • Patent number: 8746068
    Abstract: A lubrication dispensing apparatus for lubricating a device with moving parts includes a lubricant reservoir, a lubricant dispenser for dispensing lubricant from the lubricant reservoir, an ultrasonic detection module which detects the amplitude of ultrasonic energy emitted by said device when its parts are moving and produces an signal related thereto, and a control module which analyzes the amplitude of the signal from the ultrasonic detection module and, in response to a lubricate signal, causes the lubricant dispenser to automatically dispense lubricant onto the moving parts of the device until the signal from the ultrasonic detector indicates that the ultrasonic energy produced by the device has decreased to a particular level. The control module includes a programmed processor and a storage memory. The memory stores as a base value the value of the detected amplitude of ultrasonic energy when the device is operating properly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: U.E. Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark A. Goodman, William Bishop, Gary Mohr
  • Patent number: 8739731
    Abstract: A delivery assembly for depositing a gasket made of polymeric material within a seat having a predefined shape provided within a product, which comprises at least one working head provided with a nozzle for dispensing the polymeric material substantially in the liquid state. An increase in volume is associated with the polymeric material at the phase transition from liquid to solid; the expanded gasket, due to the increase in volume, defines by interference a stable coupling with the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: G.T. Line S.r.l.
    Inventor: Massimo Tonelli
  • Patent number: 8685487
    Abstract: A coating method and a coating apparatus are used to apply coating material to struts of a medical device (e.g., stent) which bound openings. The method involves optically scanning the medical device to produce position information identifying positions of the struts, using the position information to calculate a predetermined position, setting an applying manner to apply the coating material based on the predetermined position, setting an applying path accommodating the applying manner, and relatively moving the medical device and an applicator head along the applying route and path while dispensing the coating material from the applicator head and applying the coating material to the struts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shori Kindaichi, Yasukazu Harada, Kazuyuki Takeda
  • Patent number: 8679573
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a piezoelectric print head capable of ejecting a droplet of a coating substance towards a stent strut, a sensor capable of sensing a parameter of the droplet, and a controller, communicatively coupled to the print head and the sensor, capable of determining if the parameter of the droplet meets a requirement. A method includes ejecting a droplet of a coating substance towards a stent strut with a piezoelectric print head, sensing a parameter of the droplet, and determining whether the parameter of the droplet meets a requirement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Van Sciver, Greg Teaby, Phil Foreman, Manish Gada
  • Patent number: 8596217
    Abstract: An application controller for an application unit, for marking substances comprises a radiation sensor, by means of which the relative position of the application unit relative to a reference plane may be determined. The relative position of the application unit can be determined by means for recording the orientation of the application unit controller relative to the reference plane from the association of position with orientation information, such that control instructions, in particular for positional correction may be generated by the application unit controller. The position of the application unit can be adjusted by an actuator device according to the control instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Leica Geosystems AG
    Inventors: Peter Kipfer, Christian Betschon, Bernd Walser
  • Patent number: 8512803
    Abstract: A method of applying glue to a gluing margin of the corrugated board sheet includes the steps of: applying pressure on the glue gun by a first pressure device to compensate self-weight of the glue gun; detecting a reaction force of the gluing margin by a reaction-force sensor on a downstream side of a slotter creaser arranged on an upstream side of the glue gun, the gluing margin being compressed in the slotter creaser; and applying pressure on the gluing margin by a second pressure device, the pressure to be applied by the second pressure device being set in accordance with a detection value of the reaction-force sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Printing & Packaging Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Hatano, Kazuya Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 8485126
    Abstract: A coating apparatus including a coating part which applies a liquid material including an oxidizable metal on a substrate; a chamber having a coating section in which the coating part applies the liquid material on the substrate and a transport section into which the liquid material is transported; an adjusting part which adjusts at least one of oxygen concentration and humidity inside the chamber; and a control part which stops an operation of the coating part in response to the entrance of foreign object into the chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidenori Miyamoto, Kenji Maruyama, Tadahiko Hirakawa, Koichi Misumi
  • Patent number: 8440020
    Abstract: Apparatus for continuously producing flexible semiconductor devices through deposition of a plurality of semiconductor layers onto a moving flexible substrate by using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) processing, where at least two successive layers are deposited in the same deposition chamber onto the substrate traveling in opposite directions. Computer program product directly loadable into the internal memory of a digital computer comprising software code portions for determining and controlling all the necessary parameters for the production of flexible semi-conductor devices in a such apparatus when said computer program product is run on a computer. Roll-to-roll method for producing flexible semiconductor devices, wherein a plurality of semiconductor layers are deposited in the same deposition chamber onto a flexible substrate moving in opposite directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: VHF Technologies SA
    Inventors: Diego Fischer, Pedro Torres
  • Patent number: 8329259
    Abstract: An electrostatic painting apparatus for electrostatically painting a door on a vehicle body. The painting apparatus uses a robot arm that opens/closes the door. A high voltage is applied to the robot arm and the amount of any current between an electrode pin on the robot arm and the door is measured to determine the positional relationship between the door and the robot arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinji Tani
  • Patent number: 8316795
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid processing apparatus (method) that forms a coating film by supplying and pouring a coating solution from a coating solution nozzle onto a surface of a substrate held substantially horizontally by a substrate holder. In the liquid processing apparatus (method), a unit for photographing a leading end portion of a coating solution nozzle 10 is provided. When performing a process for anti-drying of the coating solution for a long period of time in advance, a position of the coating solution and a position of an anti-drying liquid are set by using a soft scale 121a displayed on a screen where the photographed image is displayed. Therefore, a dispense control is performed based on a set value without depending on the naked eyes and a control for suppressing the drying of the coating solution in the leading end portion of the coating solution nozzle is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventor: Michio Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 8291855
    Abstract: A system for automatically reproducing an image on a large surface, such as the surface of an outdoor or indoor athletic field or athletic court. The system includes a computer, a microcontroller, a mobile robotic platform, a plurality of distance sensors, a plurality of boundary markers, and image reproduction machinery. The computer takes the image input by the user and translates for use by the microcontroller. The distance sensors use the boundary markers to provide positioning information to the microcontroller. The microcontroller is used to control motors and sensors on the mobile robotic platform and image reproduction machinery. The mobile robotic platform propels and steers the system along the surface. The image production machinery comprises a guide rail, a carriage, and a paint head assembly which reproduce the image onto a large surface. The movement of the image production machinery is decoupled from the movement of the mobile robotic platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Inventors: Jeffrey Joseph Hoerl, Jr., Arthur Cranwell Boensch, III
  • Patent number: 8267039
    Abstract: To provide a coating apparatus and a coating method capable of accurately control the coating width of a coating liquid on an article to be coated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seiji Ishizu, Hiroshi Oyama
  • Patent number: 8262216
    Abstract: Even if a liquid is attached and solidified on a peripheral surface of a coating roller, application of the liquid on a medium is uniformly performed. At least a part of contacting member is separated from the coating roller and the coating roller is rotated in a second direction as a reverse direction to a first direction to pull out the liquid from a liquid retaining space onto the coating roller. Next, by interrupting the above separation and rotating the coating roller in the first direction, a liquid reservoir is formed in the periphery of a contacting portion between the coating roller and the contacting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsu Hamano, Junichi Yoshikawa, Tsuyoshi Saeki
  • Publication number: 20120208327
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an imprint apparatus includes an ejection unit, an ejection command generating unit, a determining unit, a prohibition command generating unit, and an ejection control unit. The ejection unit ejects a resin material. The ejection command generating unit generates an ejection command based on a drop recipe. The determining unit determines the presence or absence of a processing target substrate in an ejection destination of the resin material. The prohibition command generating unit, when the processing target substrate is not present in an ejection destination, generates an ejection prohibition command. The ejection control unit gives priority to the ejection prohibition command over the ejection command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Inventor: Yasuo MATSUOKA
  • Patent number: 8236705
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods and systems for depositing a viscous material on a substrate surface. In one embodiment, the invention provides a method of depositing a viscous material on a substrate surface, the method comprising: applying a pre-wet material to a surface of a substrate; depositing a viscous material atop the pre-wet material; rotating the substrate about an axis to spread the viscous material along the surface of the substrate toward a substrate edge; and depositing additional pre-wet material in a path along the surface and adjacent the spreading viscous material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Nitin H. Parbhoo, Spyridon Skordas
  • Publication number: 20120171807
    Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for masking of substrates for deposition, and subsequent lifting of the mask with deposited material. Masking materials are utilized that can be used in high temperatures and vacuum environment. The masking material has minimal outgassing once inside a vacuum chamber and withstand the temperatures during deposition process. The mask is inkjeted over the wafers and, after deposition, removed using agitation, such as ultrasonic agitation, or using laser burn off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Inventors: Alexander J. BERGER, Terry BLUCK, Vinay SHAH, Judy HUANG, Karthik JANAKIRAMAN, Chau T. NGUYEN, Greg STUMBO
  • Patent number: 8202565
    Abstract: A flux spraying system controls a flux sprayer to selectively spray soldering flux onto a printed circuit board (PCB) by a fixture. The fixture is disposed between the PCB and the flux sprayer, and comprises a plurality of openings corresponding to target areas of the PCB. The flux spraying system comprises a statistic module, a calculation module, and a control module. The statistic module records attributes of the fixture to determine spraying areas on the fixture. The calculation module calculates movement parameters of the flux sprayer, a movement length during a movement period and spraying segments of the flux sprayer, and spray duration of the flux sprayer based on the movement length during one movement period and the spraying segments of the flux sprayer. The control module directs the flux sprayer to coat the target areas of the PCB through the openings of the fixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yun-Qi Liu, Jie Ge, Lei Nie
  • Patent number: 8133536
    Abstract: The liquid coating method includes the step of ejecting droplets from nozzles of a recording head onto an imaging region of a surface of a substrate placed on a support plate, wherein a dot pitch ? that is an interval between landing positions of the droplets on the surface of the substrate satisfies a following condition: ? ? 2 ? 3 ? V ? ( 1 + cos ? ? ? a ) ? sin ? ? ? a ? ? ( 1 - cos ? ? ? a ) ? ( 2 + cos ? ? ? a ) 3 where V stands for a volume of a droplet ejected from each of the nozzles and ?a stands for an advancing contact angle of the droplet against the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mataki, Hirotaka Watano, Seiichi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8097293
    Abstract: The invention relates to an operating method for an atomiser (1) for the coating of structural components, particularly of vehicle body parts, with the following steps: Application of a spray jet of a coating agent through the atomiser (1); discharge of a first guide air flow (11) for the formation of a spray jet; determination of at least one application parameter (?, ?, T, BC/CC, Qvarnish, n, U,) which reproduces a property (?, ?, T, BC/CC) of the applied coating agent or an operating variable (Qvarnish, n, U) of the atomiser (1) as well as influencing of the first guide air flow (11) as a factor of the application parameter (?, ?, T, BC/CC, Qvarnish, n, U,). Within the framework of the invention, there is the alternative option that fluctuations of the application parameters and, based thereon, variations of the spray jet width are taken into account by means of an adaptation of the path spacing (d) between the adjacent coating agent paths for the purpose of keeping the path overlapping constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Durr Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Wöhr, Hans-Jürgen Nolte, Andreas Fischer, Peter Marquardt, Frank Herre, Marcus Frey
  • Patent number: 8056502
    Abstract: The present invention provides film forming equipment that can reduce the space necessary for coating. The film forming equipment has an object conveyor for moving an object (50); a spray gun conveyor (41) for moving a spray gun (30) that sprays a coating material; and a controller for controlling operations of the object conveyor (41), the spray gun (30), and the spray gun conveyor, wherein the controller moves the object (50) in a specific direction while spraying a coating material from the spray gun (30) and reciprocates the object (50) so that partial layer coating can be sequentially conducted, and while coating the object (50), the controller shifts the object (50) and the spray gun (30) while keeping the relative positions of the object and the spray gun to each other constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Kansai Paint Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tohru Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 8028649
    Abstract: The liquid ejection apparatus has: a head having a nozzle group including a plurality of nozzles which are aligned in a first direction and performs ejection of resist liquid onto a wiring substrate; a scanning device which causes the head and the wiring substrate to move relatively in the first direction; an ejection control device which controls the ejection of the resist liquid from the head; and a scanning control device which controls the scanning device in such a manner that the head and the wiring substrate are relatively moved only once in the first direction, through a region of the wiring substrate which corresponds to one relative movement in the first direction of the wiring substrate and the scanning device, wherein the ejection control device controls the ejection of the resist liquid from the head to cause the resist liquid to be ejected onto a same position of the wiring substrate sequentially, at prescribed time intervals, from different nozzles of the nozzle group, to deposit the resist liqu
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Seiichi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8025026
    Abstract: An installation for spraying a multi-component coating material composed of at least one robot having a moving portion carrying at least one electrostatic sprayer, the coating material having an electrically-conductive component together with at least one second component that is electrically insulating or poorly conductive. The installation further includes a main tank fitted with a unit for making a temporary connection with a circuit for dispensing the first component, and being raised to a high voltage when the connection unit not connected, and a feed circuit for continuously feeding the at least one second component. The main tank and the at least one second component feed circuit are carried by the moving portion of the robot and connected to feed the sprayer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Sames Technologies
    Inventors: Cédric Le Strat, Caryl Thome
  • Patent number: 8001926
    Abstract: An interventional device for delivery of beneficial agent to a lumen and methods of loading and manufacture of the same, which include a prosthesis loaded with beneficial agent to provide a controlled dosage concentration of beneficial agent to the lumen. The beneficial agent is loaded onto the prosthesis by a fluid-dispenser having a dispensing element capable of dispensing the beneficial agent in discrete droplets, each droplet having a controlled trajectory. The method of loading beneficial agent includes dispensing beneficial agent in a raster format and/or an off-axis format along a dispensing path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Abbott Laboratories
    Inventors: Donald Verlee, Peter Tarcha, Keith Cromack, Richard Quint
  • Patent number: 7992516
    Abstract: A phosphor layer forming apparatus (1) in which a paste (21) containing a phosphor is discharged so as to cover each of a plurality of light-emitting elements (11) mounted on a substrate (10) includes the following: a discharge portion (12) for discharging the paste (21) in the form of droplets onto each of the light-emitting elements (11); a measurement portion (13) for measuring the thickness of individual phosphor layers that are formed of the paste (21) covering each of the light-emitting elements (11); and a discharge control portion (14) for controlling the amount of the paste (21) to be redischarged for each phosphor layer in accordance with the thickness of the individual phosphor layers measured by the measurement portion (13). This phosphor layer forming apparatus can reduce the manufacturing time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Shida, Hiroyuki Naito, Noriyasu Tanimoto, Yasuharu Ueno, Makoto Morikawa
  • Patent number: 7981462
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for applying paints or varnishes with the aid of an application device in order to apply a color design on surfaces of buildings or public or civil engineering works in accordance with a previously executed implementation of a digital image model in a previously recorded digital surface object that represents the surface of the object. According to the invention, the application device moves on the surface of the object while contacting the surface thereof, the position of the application device is continuously measured or calculated using motion sensors and paint is applied in accordance with said implementation depending on the position thus determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Inventor: Burkhard Büstgens
  • Patent number: 7981479
    Abstract: A system and method for use in applying a coating of a desired material onto one or more medical implant components. The system may include one or more thermal sprayers and a rotatable holding fixture having a plurality of mounting stations each operable to hold at least one medical implant component. The fixture may be operable to rotate about a central axis and each mounting station may be operable to rotate about a respective mounting station axis. The fixture may be arranged adjacent to one or more thermal sprayers so that during operation one or more desired materials may be sprayed by the one or more thermal sprayers upon an outer surface of each of the medical implant components while the fixture rotates about the central axis and while simultaneously therewith each of mounting stations having a respective medical implant component rotates about the respective mounting station axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignees: Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Inframat Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel E. Lawrynowicz, Aiguo Wang, Zongtao Zhang, Jay Krajewski