Omron Corporation

Japan Control Engineering Co., Ltd.

Noboru Kawaike

Satoru Shimokawa

Kenji Matsui

Kenji Ueda

Hisashi Takeuchi

Ryuichiro Takaichi

Toshiyuki Higuchi

Toyoo Iida

Takao Nakazaki

Yasushi Miyake

Ichiro Kondo

Mugen Kawazu

Yorihisa Ikenaga

An improvement support system including an input unit, a display, an arithmetic processing unit and a storage unit, the storage unit stores analytical data containing analytical information corresponding to 'phenomenon' or 'influence' and &#x201c;cause&#x201d; or &#x201c;measures&#x201d; for each of failure modes, and malfunction generation historical data in which malfunction information formed based on the contents of malfunction and related to the failure mode of the analytical information is sequentially accumulated every time the malfunction is detected after the system is started. The arithmetic processing unit has a function of retrieving the analytical data using the malfunction information as a key and detecting the failure mode correlated with the malfunction. Thus, the number of malfunctions related to the analytical information regarding each failure mode is counted and the total number of malfunctions related to the failure mode is displayed with the contents of the failure mode in the display.

Support system

To provide a three-dimensional monitoring apparatus capable of detecting with high accuracy an incoming of an object into a predetermined three-dimensional space by using pattern light as a detecting carrier. A three-dimensional monitoring apparatus comprising (1) an irradiating device for irradiating predetermined pattern light to three-dimensional space S to be monitored, (2) an imaging device for imaging a projection pattern projected by irradiating of the pattern light on an incoming object M and on a screenin the space S to capture image data and (3) a measuring device to measure a position of the object M based on the comparison between a monitoring image captured by the imaging device when there is the object M in the space S and a reference image captured by the imaging device when there is no object M in the space S.

Three-dimensional monitoring apparatus

A detection unitfor detecting an electric field or a magnetic field is placed above a circuit boardto be detected. A control deviceallows the detection unitto carry out detection processes while moving the detection unitin a predetermined direction with an electric current being applied to the circuit boardso that an electric field distribution or a magnetic field distribution on the circuit boardis detected. Moreover, the control devicecompares the results of the detection with reference data that has been preliminarily registered, and if there is any portion between the two pieces of data that is not coincident with each other, it is determined that the corresponding circuit boardis a defective circuit board. Thus, it is possible to detect any defective portion on the printed circuit board with high precision in a non-contact state to the circuit board.

Method and apparatus for inspecting printed circuit boards

A basic modulehas operation program storing part for prescribing the relation between the state of a safety input signal to be fetched from external input terminal sectionsand the state of a safety output signal to be transmitted to external output terminal sectionsfor each type of predetermined safety switches, type-of-switch setting part for setting external input terminal sectionsand the type of safety switches to be connected to the external input terminal sections, and operation program executing part for selecting a safety operation program corresponding to the type of the switch set by the setting part among a plurality of types of safety operation programs stored in the operation program storing part and executing the selected program for the external input terminal sectionsset by the setting part.

Safety controller

A network master (M) having charge of an operation of a main device (L) and one or more network slaves (Sto S) each having charge of a safety determining device (A to C) for determining safety which is an operating permission condition of the main device (L) are connected on the network. Each network slave comprises means for selectively performing a first operation for transmitting information including data for maintenance of the safety determining device or both determination output of the safety determining device and data for maintenance of the safety determining device, to the network master and a second operation for transmitting information including the determination output of the safety determining device but not including the data for maintenance of the safety determining device at all or hardly including it to the network master. The first operation in the network slave is performed when the main device is in a stopped state and the second operation in the network slave is performed when the main device is in an operating state.

Safety network system

A detection unit for detecting an electric field or a magnetic field is placed above a circuit to be detected. A control device allows the detection unit 4 to carry out detection processes while moving the detection unit in a predetermined direction with an electric current being applied to the circuit board so that an electric field distribution or a magnetic field distribution on the circuit board is detected. Moreover, the control device compares the results of the diction with reference data that has been preliminarily registered, and if there is any portion between the two pieces of data that is not coincident with each other, it is determined that the corresponding circuit board is a defective circuit board. Thus, it is possible to detect any defective portion on the printed circuit with high precision in a non-contact state to the circuit board.

In a light curtain generating device comprising a pair of pillar assemblies for supporting arrays of light emitting and receiving units which are placed opposite to each other so as to form a light curtain for detecting an object between the pillar assemblies, the light emitting and receiving unit arrays each consist of a group of single-beam optical modules so that the length of the arrays of light emitting and receiving units and the pitches of the individual light emitting and receiving units can be selected at will. Therefore, the light curtain generating device can readily adapt itself to each particular application at low cost and in a highly precise manner.

Growing community of inventors

Kyoto, Japan

Noboru Kawaike