Load Holding Or Supporting Element Including Gripping Means Patents (Class 414/225.01)
  • Patent number: 11705354
    Abstract: An apparatus for transferring a substrate is disclosed herein. More specifically, the apparatus relates to substrate handling systems used in semiconductor device manufacturing, and more particularly, to substrate handling systems having a substrate handler with enclosed moving elements and increased compatibility with post-CMP cleaning modules. The apparatus includes one or more indexing assemblies. Each of the indexing assemblies including an enclosure, an actuator assembly disposed within the enclosure, and two handling blades disposed outside of the disclosure. Each of the two blades are moveable in either of a translational or a rotating manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Gee Sun Hoey, Balasubramaniam Coimbatore Jaganathan, Jagan Rangarajan
  • Patent number: 11639947
    Abstract: A method of detecting a foreign object on a stage according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes acquiring first position information of a first pattern included in a first image in a reference state of a surface of the stage capable of attracting an object to be inspected; acquiring second position information of a second pattern included in a second image of the surface, the second image being obtained after obtaining the first image; and detecting one or more foreign objects on the surface by comparing the first position information and the second position information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Tokyo Electron Limited
    Inventors: Kenta Saiki, Takuya Ishida
  • Patent number: 11581208
    Abstract: Disclosed is a substrate treating apparatus that performs a cleaning treatment on substrates. A treating block includes a plurality of treating units in an upper and lower stages, respectively. The treating block includes a front face cleaning unit and a back face cleaning unit, each being at least one in number, in the upper stage. The treating block includes at least one tower unit including the front face cleaning unit and the back face cleaning unit, each being at least one in number, in the lower stage. Moreover, a transportation block is provided that includes a center robot in each of the upper and lower stages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Inventors: Noriyuki Kikumoto, Yuzo Uchida, Hiroyuki Kawahara
  • Patent number: 11331795
    Abstract: An article gripping device causes a gripping member to grip an article, and subsequently discharge the article by releasing the gripping of the article by the gripping member. The article gripping device is provided with a gripping member driving mechanism to drive the gripping member, and a controller to control the gripping member driving mechanism. The controller has, as control modes for the gripping member driving mechanism, a first control mode and a second control mode that is separate from the first control mode. In the first control mode, the controller controls the gripping member driving mechanism to cause the gripping member to execute a first operation of gripping the article and subsequently releasing the gripping of the article. In the second control mode, the controller controls the gripping member driving mechanism to cause the gripping member to execute a second operation of removing matter adhering to the gripping member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: ISHIDA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yujiro Obayashi, Shuichi Maeda
  • Patent number: 11329305
    Abstract: The invention relates to an installation (1) for assembling fuel cell membranes comprising: a first station (A1) for storing electrode membranes, a second station (A2) for storing reinforcing membranes, a station for stacking the membranes of the first (A1) and second (A2) storage stations, and a station (P) for pressing and heating a membrane assembly, means for conveying and handling (B1, B2) the membranes of the first (A1) and second (A2) storage stations, stacking of the stacking station and membrane assembly of the pressing and heating station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignees: COMMISSARIAT À L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES, BERTIN TECHNOLOGIES
    Inventors: Pierrick Buvat, Stéphane Carriere, Laurent Chazot, Jérôme Serre, Jean-Jacques Bougy
  • Patent number: 11234442
    Abstract: A device for storing, baking, and discharging bakery goods includes a plurality of stations with each station having a housing. The plurality of stations include a storage station for receiving a carrier loaded with bakery goods, a baking station for baking the bakery goods located on the carrier, and a discharging station on which bakery goods can be presented and removed. A robot transports the carrier between the plurality of stations. A carrying device provides suspended mounting of the robot, and the carrying device is supported by at least two of the plurality of stations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Inventor: Reinald Weiss
  • Patent number: 11164765
    Abstract: Die handling systems and methods of use for preparing or processing dies from multiple types of pre-expanded wafer materials. The die handling systems are configured in a modular fashion, allowing for concurrent processes to expand the wafers, process the wafers, extract the dies, and inspect the extracted dies without forcing one of the processes of the system to remain idle. Embodiments of the wafer handler module include a mechanism, such as an expander capable of stretching or expanding wafers having one or more different sizes to a pre-expanded state without interrupting the die handler. The pre-expanded wafers are stored as a proprietary cartridge and delivered to the die handler, where a pick head of the die handler removes each die of the pre-expanded wafer and delivers the extracted dies to subsequent machinery, such as a pick and place machine, for further processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: UNIVERSAL INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael Murray Yingling, Sean Michael Adams, David W. Lyndaker, Scott C. Proctor
  • Patent number: 11130242
    Abstract: A container transport can receive and move a container between positions along a container passage defined by the container transport. The container transport can include a manipulation device for engaging with the container and moving the container onto a conveyance surface of the container transport. The conveyance surface can convey the container along the container passage, and the manipulation device can move the container off of the conveyance surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: William Scott Kalm, Kushal Patel
  • Patent number: 11028357
    Abstract: A system for analyzing and sorting of petri dishes comprising an analysis tool, a control unit, a first elevator movable along a first elevator axis, a conveyor with a conveyor plane, and at least one carrier built to carry the petri dishes along a carrier axis. The analysis tool is built to assign information to the petri dish, and in case of a first information assigned to the petri dish the control unit is built to move the first elevator into a carrier position, wherein, as soon as the first elevator reaches the carrier position, the control unit is built to move a substantially flat first plate along the first elevator axis from a first neutral position located in the conveyor plane into a first transfer position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Clever Culture Systems AG
    Inventors: Alexander Böhm, Nedim Bogilovic, Wolfgang Stiegmaier
  • Patent number: 10734266
    Abstract: In a substrate transporter, a carry-in-and-out mechanism transports a substrate placed in a horizontal posture. A notch aligner rotates a substrate in a circumferential direction to change a circumferential position of a notch. The carry-in-and-out mechanism includes four supporters that oppose a lower surface of the peripheral portion of the substrate. In the substrate transporter, a controller controls the notch aligner on the basis of warpage-and-notch-position information and input information that is input about the warped state of the substrate, to determine the circumferential position of the notch of the substrate. Thus, the lower surface of the substrate placed on the transport mechanism comes into contact with the four supporters of the transport mechanism. As a result, it is possible to prevent or suppress the occurrence of rattling or misalignment of the substrate during transport by the transport mechanism, and enables stable transport of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yukiteru Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 10663284
    Abstract: A multi-mode coordinate measuring machine system can be configured to measure coordinates in a variety of ways with a certain set of components. For example, an articulated arm coordinate measuring machine can measure coordinates on an object using a contact probe or a non-contact measuring device mounted on the articulated arm. Then, a user can remove the non-contact measuring device from the articulated arm coordinate measuring machine, and take additional measurements of the object that can be aligned with measurements taken by the articulated arm and devices attached thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Hexagon Metrology, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Ferrari, Hyun Kwon Jung
  • Patent number: 10657577
    Abstract: The embodiments herein provide a method and system for providing an integrated cooking machine, which automates the process of cooking completely and support connected operation in the cooking such as share recipes, order recipes and even support connecting with the ingredient supplier ecosystem for ordering the required items. Thereby eliminating several food processing machines and even to the extent of removing kitchen in a house. The system includes electro-mechanical components for performing the cooking operation, which is driven by electronic circuits fed by programs that make this operation happen. The programs are stored in the device or downloaded from the cloud platform, which authenticates these machines and provide the required information. The system also has intuitive interface on the device to create recipes. The system is also configured to measure the output parameters of the food.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: VISHNU GURUSAMY SUNDARAM
    Inventor: Vishnu Gurusamy Sundaram
  • Patent number: 10640953
    Abstract: A machine is provided. The machine includes an engine, a work tool attached to the machine, and a work tool recognition system for the machine. The work tool recognition system includes a sensor associated with the work tool. The sensor is configured to generate a signal indicative of a weight of the work tool. The work tool recognition system includes a controller coupled to the sensor. The controller is configured to receive the signal indicative of the weight of the work tool. The controller is configured to monitor the weight of the work tool along a predefined path. The controller is configured to compare the monitored and the received weights associated with the work tool with a predefined dataset. The controller is configured to identify a type of the work tool based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Anders Christian Thomsen, Sébastien Jean-Paul Thiery
  • Patent number: 10625420
    Abstract: A machining system has a machine tool, a numerical controller which moves a machining table of the machine tool according to a machining program, a robot which performs a process to a work on the machining table, and a robot control unit, and the numerical controller is configured to send a current position coordinate of the machining table, a prefetched position coordinate of the machining table, which is calculated by prefetching the machining program and carrying out an acceleration and deceleration interpolation, and time information, which corresponds to the current position coordinate and the prefetched position coordinate, to the robot control unit, and the robot control unit controls the robot so that the distal end portion of the robot follows the movement of the machining table by using the current position coordinate, the prefetched position coordinate, and the time information, which are received from the numerical controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventor: Kazutaka Imanishi
  • Patent number: 10603752
    Abstract: A machine tool that cuts a workpiece by a rotary tool includes a tool spindle device that holds the rotary tool in a manner to allow self-rotation with a predefined tool rotational axis Rt as a center, one or more in-machine robots, and a connecting mechanism that attaches the in-machine robot on the tool spindle device so that the in-machine robot moves independently from the rotary tool at a periphery of the tool spindle device with the tool rotational axis Rt as a center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: OKUMA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shoichi Morimura
  • Patent number: 10289095
    Abstract: A wire electric discharge machining system according to the present invention includes: a wire electric discharge machine that relatively moves a wire electrode and a workpiece to be machined according to a program, and subjects the workpiece to be machined to electric discharge machining by the wire electrode; at least one hand; a robot which mounts the hand on a head of an arm, and operates an object to be operated; and a visual sensor that detects a position of a machined workpiece in a machining tank, which has been cut from the workpiece to be machined by the electric discharge machining, wherein the robot performs an operation of removing the machined workpiece from the machining tank, based on the position of the machined workpiece, which has been detected by the visual sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shunichi Saito
  • Patent number: 10239215
    Abstract: Provided a transfer tool including a substantially strip-shaped frame, a wrist-side slider to be attached to a wrist of a robot, provided on one side of the frame in a thickness direction in a manner capable of moving along a longitudinal direction of the frame, a workpiece-side slider provided on another side of the frame in the thickness direction in a manner capable of moving along the longitudinal direction of the frame, and a distal-end swing shaft attached to the workpiece-side slider, where the distal-end swing shaft includes a workpiece support section supported by the workpiece-side slider in a manner capable of swinging around an axis line extending in a width direction of the frame, the workpiece support section being for supporting a workpiece, and an actuator attached to the workpiece-side slider, the actuator being for causing the workpiece support section to swing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
    Inventor: Takeshi Hasuo
  • Patent number: 10239172
    Abstract: A gear manufacturing machine for which a machining tool detachably attached to a tool spindle is exchanged by means of an automatic tool changer, wherein the automatic tool changer is provided with: tool holding means for detachably holding a machining tool to be exchanged; moving means for moving the tool holding means in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the tool spindle; and rotating means for rotating the tool holding means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Ishizu, Noritaka Fujimura, Yoko Hirono, Tatsuro Takagi
  • Patent number: 10157763
    Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating expeditious handling and processing of semiconductor substrates with a minimal number of handling devices. Such a system may include an entry load-lock configured to transfer substrates from an atmospheric environment to a vacuum chamber, an alignment station disposed in the vacuum chamber and configured to adjust orientations of substrates, a first vacuum robot configured to move substrates from the entry load-lock to the alignment station, a process station disposed in the vacuum chamber and configured to perform a designated process on substrates, first and second exit load-locks configured to transfer substrates from the vacuum chamber to the atmospheric environment, and a second vacuum robot configured to move substrates from the alignment station to the process station and further configured to move substrates from the process station to the first exit load-lock and to the second exit load-lock in an alternating fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES, INC.
    Inventors: Robert J. Mitchell, Eric Hermanson, Benjamin B. Riordon
  • Patent number: 10120365
    Abstract: A machining system of the present invention includes a robot having a hand, a processing machine to rotate a machining tool, a control unit which controls the processing machine and the robot so as to rotate the machining tool and press a workpiece held by the hand against the machining tool to thereby machine the workpiece, and a force sensor which detects force acting between the workpiece and the machining tool when the workpiece is pressed against the machining tool by the robot and is machined by the machining tool. The control unit regulates the workpiece feed speed of the robot and the rotational speed of the machining tool so that the force value detected by the force sensor is between a predetermined upper threshold and a predetermined lower threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshitake Furuya
  • Patent number: 10046922
    Abstract: A feed unit, for example for feeding components (2) to smoking article assembly apparatus, having a stationary guide member (14) and a dispensing unit configured to dispense components (2) into the stationary guide member (14). The dispensing unit has one or more channels (7) to receive components (2) one on top of the other, and each channel (7) has a control gate (12) to apply suction/gaseous flow to control output of components (2) from the channel (7) for onward conveyance through the stationary guide member (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) LIMITED
    Inventors: Gary Fallon, Kie Seon Park, Martin Fuller, Geoffrey Vernon, Andrew Cleall, James Stembridge, Thomas Grunfeld
  • Patent number: 10041996
    Abstract: When a pressure plate is positioned above an electronic component placed in a measurement socket of an electronic-component measurement apparatus, a cam-follower drive mechanism of a measurement pressure mechanism is horizontally driven to lower the pressure plate via a cam block, whereby the pressure plate presses the electronic component against the measurement socket at a predetermined pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Synax Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takamitsu Aihara
  • Patent number: 9821958
    Abstract: Utilities (e.g., systems, apparatuses, methods) that reduce robotic assembly contention in media element storage libraries by translating (e.g., displacing) a robot arm of a first robotic assembly mounted over a first storage array of a storage library away from a central reference plane as the robot arm is being pivoted into a first position adjacent the first storage array to allow a robot arm of a second robotic assembly to slide or otherwise move past the robot arm of the first robotic assembly, even when the robot arms of the first and second robot arms are disposed at the same height (e.g., along a z-axis) within the storage library. For instance, a pivot member of the robot arm may be mounted on a carriage that is configured to translate between the first and second storage arrays in response to the pivot member being pivoted about a pivot axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Paul Manes, Daniel James Plutt, Timothy Craig Ostwald
  • Patent number: 9674978
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention disclose a plug-in mechanism, a subrack including the plug-in mechanism, and a finished board, and relate to a power mechanism, so as to implement fast and reliable plug-in and plug-out by using a lever assistance effect, and a gearing effect of a parallelogram mechanism. The plug-in mechanism provided by an embodiment of the present invention is configured to be disposed between a sub-carrier frame and a parent carrier frame to implement plug-in and plug-out of the sub-carrier frame in the parent carrier frame, and the plug-in mechanism includes a driving part and a gearing part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dingqiang Wu, Dongli Wang, Yao Li
  • Patent number: 9390954
    Abstract: A substrate transfer robot includes a hand and a controller. The hand includes at least one detector configured to detect an arrangement state of a substrate in a substrate storage. The controller is configured to control the at least one detector to detect the arrangement state of the substrate in the substrate storage with the hand inclined in plan view toward a rotation center of the substrate transfer robot relative to a substrate storage center line. The substrate storage center line is in a direction perpendicular to a front surface of the substrate storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2016
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA YASKAWA DENKI
    Inventor: Yoshiki Kimura
  • Patent number: 9378997
    Abstract: A substrate holding mechanism includes a substrate holding claw for holding the substrate. The substrate holding claw includes a slant face for sliding the substrate thereon. Height of the slant face is increased from the inside of a space for holding the substrate toward the outside of the space. A crossing angle formed by a direction in which a machining mark is formed on the slant face and a direction in which the substrate is slid is not less than 0 degree and not more than 45 degrees at least in a partial region of the slant face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: EBARA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroaki Nishida
  • Patent number: 9355879
    Abstract: A substrate transfer robot includes a hand and a controller. The hand includes at least one detector configured to detect an arrangement state of a substrate in a substrate storage. The controller is configured to control the at least one detector to detect the arrangement state of the substrate in the substrate storage with the hand inclined in plan view toward a rotation center of the substrate transfer robot relative to a substrate storage center line. The substrate storage center line is in a direction perpendicular to a front surface of the substrate storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA YASKAWA DENKI
    Inventor: Yoshiki Kimura
  • Patent number: 9225793
    Abstract: In particular embodiments, a method includes accessing sensor data from sensor nodes in a sensor network and aggregating the sensor data for communication to an indexer in the sensor network. The aggregation of the sensor data includes deduplicating the sensor data; validating the sensor data; formatting the sensor; generating metadata for the sensor data; and time-stamping the sensor data. The metadata identifies one or more pre-determined attributes of the sensor data. The method also includes communicating the aggregated sensor data to the indexer in the sensor network. The indexer is configured to index the aggregated sensor data according to a multi-dimensional array for querying of the aggregated sensor data along with other aggregated sensor data. One or more first ones of the dimensions of the multi-dimensional array include time and one or more second ones of the dimensions of the multi-dimensional include one or more of the pre-determined sensor-data attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Debojyoti Dutta, Mainak Sen, Manoj Kumar Pandey, Tarun Banka, Raja Suresh Krishna Balakrishnan
  • Publication number: 20150135789
    Abstract: A tube bending machine for bending a length of a tubular workpiece and an associated tube feeder assembly are disclosed. The tube feeder assembly has a carriage assembly slidably mounted along a rail. A clamp assembly is reversibly mounted to and carried by the carriage assembly. The clamp assembly is adapted to be releasably secured to the workpiece. The clamp assembly and carriage assembly are configurable to align the workpiece central axis along the rail, whereby sliding of the carriage assembly with the workpiece mounted in the clamp assembly carries the workpiece along the rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventor: Robert Kyle Hughes, JR.
  • Publication number: 20150132088
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sheet insert device includes a cassette having a plurality of containing portions each of which contains a plurality of sheets in a vertically stacked state, a moving structure to move the cassette so that the plurality of containing portions are arranged in turn at a pulling-out position, a grip arm to grip the plurality of sheets contained in the containing portion arranged at the pulling-out position in the stacking direction, and a transferring structure which moves the grip arm, to pull out the plurality of sheets at the pulling-out position which are gripped by the grip arm from the containing portion, and transfers the plurality of sheets to a sheet loading part without changing the posture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: Iwao Tsuji, Kazuhiro Mukai
  • Publication number: 20150125242
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for transferring, depositing and positioning films that are used as cores in coating-core tablets, in matrices of tablet presses, said device comprising at least three modules, a. module 1 (11) comprising at least one storage unit that contains the films, and/or at least one supply unit that supplies the films for transfer by a second module, b. module 2 (12) comprising at least one transfer unit, at least one conveyor belt (17) and at least one intake wheel (22), c. module 3 (13) comprising at least one controllable vacuum head (25) which comprises a removal device that removes the films from the carriers (28) of module 2 (12) using a vacuum and deposits them in the matrices of the tablet press (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Applicant: Korsch AG
    Inventors: Michael Schmett, Stefan Mies, Wolfgang Korsch
  • Patent number: 9022716
    Abstract: A work conveying system sequentially conveys a workpiece to multiple working apparatuses and includes a rail track disposed along the multiple working apparatuses and multiple conveyor robots disposed on the rail track and movable on the rail track independently. In addition, a delivery control unit controls the multiple conveyor robots for delivering the workpiece between adjacent conveyor robots. Any one of the multiple conveyor robots can be controlled for isolated individual movement on the rail track between adjacent working apparatuses to sequentially deliver the workpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazunori Yabe
  • Publication number: 20150117988
    Abstract: A cassette transfer apparatus includes a holding unit configured to hold a cassette having a wafer loaded therein, the cassette having at least one stepped part, and the holding unit including at least one holding part configured to have the at least one stepped part placed thereon. The at least one stepped part includes a pair of stepped parts provided at opposite surfaces of the cassette, and the at least one holding part includes a pair of holding parts that extends back and forth and is configured to have the pair of stepped parts placed thereon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Nam-Su YUK, Kyung-Won KANG, Tae-Hun KIM, Se-Ho PARK, Juno PARK, Yong-Won LEE
  • Patent number: 9015929
    Abstract: An apparatus for inserting a preformed electrical bar conductor into a twisting device of the conductor, the apparatus comprising: a supply device that arranges the preformed bar conductor into a supply direction (X-X), the preformed bar conductor having two rectilinear arms that are parallel to each other and connected to each other by a curved portion; a transfer device that draws the conductor from the supply device into a grip position in which the conductor is arranged along the supply direction (X-X) and rotates it 90 degrees into an insertion position in which the conductor is arranged along an insertion direction (Y-Y), perpendicular to the supply direction (X-X) and parallel to a pocket on the twisting device; and an insertion device that inserts the conductor into the twisting device, the insertion device equipped with thrust means that move the conductor along the insertion direction (Y-Y) until the conductor is at least partially inserted in the pocket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Tecnomatic S.p.A.
    Inventor: Sante Guercioni
  • Publication number: 20150093219
    Abstract: Provided by the present invention are a thermally conductive sheet feeder and a method for feeding a thermally conductive sheet, which are a thermally conductive sheet feeder and a method for feeding a thermally conductive sheet using an emboss carrier tape, wherein the emboss carrier tape provided on its surface with a plurality of pockets, each having one thermally conductive sheet accommodated therein, and a cover film to protect surface of the emboss carrier tape are rolled up in a reel-like form.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2013
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Yasuhisa Ishihara, Akihiro Endo
  • Publication number: 20150078865
    Abstract: A positioning apparatus to position an object defining a receiving space includes a bracket, a positioning block, a positioning sensor, a number of positioning suction nozzles, a row of light transmitters, a row of light sensors, and a controller electrically coupled to the positioning sensor and the light sensors. The bracket includes a supporting plate. The positioning block is mounted on the supporting plate. The positioning sensor and positioning suction nozzles are installed to the positioning block. The light transmitters and the light sensors are mounted on two opposite sides of the supporting plate. The object is supported on the supporting plate, and the positioning block is received in the receiving space of the object. The controller controls the positioning suction nozzles to suck the object. The row of light transmitters and the row of light sensors are used for testing whether the object is positioned or not.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2013
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Applicants: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO.,LTD., HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (ShenZhen) CO., LTD
    Inventor: GUANG-JIAN WANG
  • Publication number: 20150071741
    Abstract: An egg processing apparatus is provided. Such an apparatus includes a processing head and processing devices associated therewith. Each processing device has an end configured to interact with an avian egg. Each processing device is capable of being selectively held in a non-contact or contact position with respect to an avian egg during a processing sequence such that a first subset of the processing devices is in the non-contact position while simultaneously having a second subset of the processing devices in the contact position. An associated method is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Inventors: Michael Glenn Schnupper, Ramin Karimpour, Thomas Zelmer, Daniel Scott Rees, Steven Jay Edwards
  • Patent number: 8965572
    Abstract: In recent years, frames have gotten larger in size and thinner, and warping of the frames has posed a problem. If a warp of a frame is large, there is a high possibility that fetching the frame may fail. If fetching the frame fails, that is, if the frame cannot be fetched, the lead time of mounting gets longer. Further, the frame that cannot be fetched has to be manually removed by an operator. Therefore, a man-hour increases. According to the present invention, before a loader feeder fetches a frame from a frame magazine, a loader lifter is moved in a Y direction. Thereafter, the loader feeder fetches the frame from the frame magazine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Instruments Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuyuki Ohkubo, Mitsuo Yoda
  • Patent number: 8956568
    Abstract: A sample transfer mechanism of the present invention is characterized broadly by a sample gripping method in which a downward part of a sample vessel is gripped and a cover that achieves an effect as a guide such that gripping arms that grip the sample vessel avoid contact with other objects and bypass surrounding objects, particularly, the sample vessels in approaching and retracting motions. To enhance the effect as the guide and to ensure that the sample vessels can be mounted with a high degree of integration, the shape of the cover and disposition of the sample transfer mechanism are characterized in a number of manners. Thus, a sample transfer mechanism that can perform a transfer process safely with high throughput even under conditions in which a variety of types of sample vessels is mixed together and the sample vessels are mounted with a high degree of integration is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Ohiso, Yoshiteru Hirama, Tatsuya Fukugaki, Tetsuya Isobe, Hiroaki Sakai
  • Patent number: 8948904
    Abstract: A work picking system according to embodiments includes a three-dimensional measuring unit, a hand, a calculating unit, a determining unit, and an instructing unit. The three-dimensional measuring unit measures a three-dimensional shape of a work that is a gripping target. The hand is provided on a terminal movable unit of a multi-axis robot and includes a mechanism that changes a distance between gripping claws and a mechanism that changes a tip end direction of the gripping claws. The determining unit determines a tip end direction of the gripping claws based on the attitude of the work calculated by the calculating unit and a direction of a rotation axis of the terminal movable unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yaskawa Denki
    Inventors: Takuya Murayama, Jun Goto, Shinji Ogasawara
  • Patent number: 8939696
    Abstract: A carrier transfer for automatically transferring a substrate carrier includes a gripper detachably coupled to the substrate carrier, the substrate carrier including a plurality of substrates and at least one open gate through which the plurality of substrates are loaded into or unloaded from the substrate carrier. The gripper includes a gate blocking unit secured to the gripper and configured to shift to a blocking position, the blocking position being a position of the gate blocking unit that partially blocks the gate to prevent the plurality of substrates from being separated from the substrate carrier during the automatic transferring of the substrate carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae-Nam Lee, In-Cheol Kim, Jong-Hoon Kim, Hee-Sang Yang, Yu-Dong Won, Sung-Yeol Lee, Jong-In Lee, Min-Gu Chang, Woo-Chul Jeon
  • Publication number: 20140373875
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods for integrating tissue processors and embedding systems. An apparatus, of one aspect, includes a robot. The robot has a work envelope that encompasses a location having a tissue holder and an input of an embedding system. The tissue holder has at least one processed tissue. The robot is configured to transfer the tissue holder from the location to the input of the embedding system. A method, of one aspect, may include moving a robot to a location having a tissue holder. The tissue holder may have at least one processed tissue. The robot may engage with the tissue holder at the location. The robot may move the tissue holder from the location to an input to an embedding system. The robot may disengage from the tissue holder at the input to the embedding system. Other methods, apparatus, and systems are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Gilles Lefebvre, Robert E. Evans
  • Patent number: 8918204
    Abstract: A transport unit (1) is provided for workpieces (2), in particular sheet metal parts, between neighboring placement areas or machining devices (3, 4), in particular presses. The transport unit (1) includes a multi-axis robot (5) having a gripper tool (9). A controllable transfer unit (6) is also provided that is guided by the robot (5). The unit includes an advancement unit (7) and a pivot unit (8) for the gripper tool (9).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Kuka Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Yong-Hak Cho, Thomas Holecek, Matthias Gastl, Sebastian Mocker, Thomas Henneke
  • Patent number: 8911197
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to an apparatus for the rapid transport of glass sheets between different manufacturing stations in a spacious manufacturing plant for producing photovoltaic elements, wherein said manufacturing plant is subject to clean room conditions, comprising the following features: a) a freely movable mounting for conveying a lifting portal, b) at least one vertical lifting carriage for vertically transporting a glass sheet by means of a telescoping jack plate, wherein said plate can be extended in two opposite directions, has a local lowering and raising function and can transport a glass sheet continuously from one side of the vertical lifting carriage to the other side, c) for operation, the mechanically moved parts are encapsulated free of emissions in a clean room and made of abrasion-proof material, d) a cordless energy supply unit for operating the mounting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH
    Inventor: Thomas Rossmann
  • Publication number: 20140363260
    Abstract: The invention relates to a positioning device for use in a tire building system and a method for positioning a bead. The device includes a holding unit including a substantially planar holding surface having a first side, a transport unit movable parallel to the holding surface and including a gripper for gripping the bead and moving the gripped bead substantially along the holding surface, and a bead retainer arranged for at least temporarily retaining the bead in abutment against the holding surface at the first side thereof. The gripper is moveable between a first position in which the gripper projects at least partially out of the holding surface at the first side thereof for gripping the bead, and a second position, in which the gripper is completely arranged behind the holding surface, as viewed from the first side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Applicant: VMI HOLLAND B.V.
    Inventors: Marco Slot, Gerardus Johannes Catharina Van Laar
  • Publication number: 20140345783
    Abstract: A method and a plant for managing the production cycle of a plant for building tyres for vehicle wheels, wherein the plant provides for a storage region for anchoring annular structures and a plurality of processing stations at least one of which is associated with a forming drum, includes feeding a plurality of anchoring annular structures to the storage region, picking up the anchoring annular structures from the storage region at a predetermined picking-up position that does not change on changing of the types of the anchoring annular structures, and feeding the picked-up anchoring annular structures to the processing station associated with the forming drum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Inventors: Maurizio Marchini, Albert Berenguer
  • Publication number: 20140301809
    Abstract: The recording medium delivery mechanism includes a slider, a holding lever, a biasing portion, a lever-opening operation portion, and a housing and discharging drive unit. The slider is supported on a chassis to be movable in housing and discharging directions of a recording medium. The holding lever is rotatably supported by the slider and configured to hold the recording medium. The biasing portion is configured to bias the holding lever toward the recording medium. The lever-opening operation portion is provided to the holding lever, is engaged with a lever engagement portion provided to the chassis by a movement of the slider in the discharging direction of the recording medium, and configured to rotate the holding lever in a direction away from the recording medium. The housing and discharging drive unit is configured to move the chassis and the slider in the housing and discharging directions of the recording medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Nonaka, Osamu Shimizu, Keiji Jitsukawa
  • Publication number: 20140286735
    Abstract: A lift mechanism for a glass substrate in an exposure machine is provided, which comprises a base, a lift platform mounted on the top of the base and used to lift the glass substrate, lift bars mounted on the perimeter of the base, and at least one adsorbing devices mounted above the glass substrate; the lift bars are used to lift the perimeter of the glass substrate; each of the adsorbing devices is used to adsorb the upper surface of the substrate and able to move along the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The lift mechanism for the glass substrate comprises a lift platform, and it has good integrality and uniform temperature, which is benefit for the HVA optically aligning of the glass substrate. Furthermore, the switch between the two-part lift method and the three-part lift method will be simple and with high working efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Applicant: SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Xiaocheng Liu
  • Publication number: 20140288695
    Abstract: The invention relates to an operating method for a positioning system 1, in particular for the structural assembly of aircraft, wherein the positioning system 1 comprises a plurality of positioners 2a, 2b, 2c, each of which has at least one manipulator M. The manipulators M grasp a component B and manipulate it in a synchronised manner, while it is jointly grasped by the manipulators M.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2012
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Inventors: Alexander Meissner, Jens Häcker, Dirk Poppe, Nihat Biyiklioglu, Taoufik Mbarek
  • Publication number: 20140271059
    Abstract: A feed mechanism to feed objects for insertion into tobacco industry products including a rotary member for receiving objects, the rotary member having a plurality of channels, each channel being adapted so that in use objects assemble in a row in the channel which rotates with the rotary member, each channel having an outlet for dispensing an object from the channel, and a pneumatic mechanism configured to hold an object in a row prior to the object being dispensed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Tobacco Research and Development Institute (Proprietary) Limited
    Inventor: Gerhard LE ROUX