Other

Harmonic Drive Systems Inc.

Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Mitutoyo Corporation

Tohoku Techno Arch Co., Ltd.

Axiom Co., Ltd.

Satoshi Kiyono

Yoshiyuki Tomita

Hiroki Hanaoka

Wei Gao

Hiroshi Yamazaki

Sadao Omata

Tatsuro Hoshina

Masakatsu Sasahara

Kennichi Makino

Toru Hirata

Hideki Hirabayashi

Peisen Huang

Yoji Watanabe

Makoto Tano

Shunji Mori

An externally toothed gear of a strain wave gearing is made to flex into a shape conforming to an ellipsoidal curve. The externally toothed gear meshes with an internally toothed gear at the major-diameter position of the ellipsoidal curve. These two meshing positions gradually change in the circumferential direction of the both gears along the tooth trace direction. The number of external teeth of the externally toothed gear participating in meshing with the internally toothed gear can be increased. A strain wave gearing which has a high rigidity and is capable of reducing vibrational noise, can be realized.

Strain wave gearing, frictional engagement wave device, and wave generator

A gap measurement devicecomprises a light sourcefor projecting light on a gapto be measured, a lens optical systemfor focusing on an imaging surfacea gap imageA from light transmitted through the gap, and a light-receiving elementfor receiving light of the gap imageA formed on the imaging surfaceof the lens optical system. A holed maskprovided with a light-transmitting holehaving a prescribed aperture size is arranged on the imaging surface, and the light-receiving elementreceives the light of the gap imageA via the hole. A gap size at a point to be measured in an extended gapcan be measured by forming an image of the gap with the lens optical systemand placing the holeof the holed maskon the point to be measured on the imaging surfaceof the lens optical system

Gap measurement device

In a self-calibration method of an angle detector, an angle interval between first and second scale reader heads are set, so that a single rotation is not equally divided into an integer number of portions by a value of the angle interval and that a plurality of rotations N are equally divided into M equal portions by the value of the angle interval. Readings by the scale reader heads during N rotations of the divided circle are obtained at a pre-set data sampling interval. From differences in readings by these scale reader heads, data of the sequential two-point method relating to an angle scale error of the divided circle are obtained at the data sampling interval. The scale error of the divided circle at the data sampling interval is calculated by synthesizing the data using the fact that an average of the data for the rotations N reaches approximately zero.

Self-calibration method for angle detector, angle detector, circumferential scale calibration device, and angle detector calibration device

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a sensor device which is capable of detecting a state of a movable stage using an easily manufacturable reference grating and capable of improving the accuracy of detection. The sensor device comprises a reference grating which has a configuration that is varied periodically in a two-dimensional direction. A light source emits light to the reference grating. A spectral unit has a plurality of openings to convert the light emitted by the light source into a plurality of light beams through the plurality of openings. A detector unit has a photodetector to receive collectively reflected light beams reflected by the reference grating. The detector unit is provided to detect a state of a movable body relative to the reference grating based on a change of the reflected light beams received by the photodetector.

Sensor device and stage device

This invention relates to a stage device which is moved with high accuracy in an X-Y direction and a rotating direction using a planar motor. The invention is aimed at reducing the size of the stage device and at performing accurately measurement of a position of the stage to the base. The stage device comprises a scale unit having a scale part on the entire plane of the base, and three two-dimensional angle sensors disposed on a bottom surface of a movable stage part. The scale unit and the two-dimensional angle sensors form a surface encode. A position of the movable stage part is measured by the surface encoder.

Stage device

A processing terminalincludes a writing implement (ball point pen). The writing implementis provided with a tilt change detecting mechanism for detecting a change in a tilt with respect to a writing implement main body of a lead and a vibration detecting mechanism for detecting the change in the vibration of the vibrated lead at the time of handwriting. The processing terminalproduces handwriting motion information based on both of the detected changes in the tilt of the lead and in the vibration. A handwriting identification organizationcompares handwriting motion information with inherent information stored previously to identify handwriting. Thereby it can achieve high reliability in an authentication system with a simple structure.

Handwriting identification system, writing implement for identifying handwriting and method for identifying handwriting

Provided is an apparatus for accurately sensing the position of a moving object in two dimensions as well as a change in the attitude of the object when the object is moving. The apparatus includes a scale and at least one angle sensor. The scale is constituted by an angular grid, which is formed on the surface of a scale substrate inclusive of a planar surface and freely curved surface thereof, and which has an angle-related property that varies in two different directions (the x and y directions) in the form of a known function. The angle sensor is arranged so as to confront the angular grid surface of the scale. Either the scale or the angle sensor is mounted on a moving object and the position of the moving object in two-dimensional coordinates is sensed during relative movement between the scale and the angle sensor.

Scale for sensing moving object, and apparatus for sensing moving object using same

The method of self-calibrating for a sensor without using an additional device by using data sampling, an approximate value of linear errors obtained by performing the numerical integration of approximate values of a linear-error derivative, correcting the approximate value of the input value at each sampling point, and repeating the processing for correcting the approximate value of the linear error by necessary times.

Self-calibration method for a sensor

A new method of angle measurement is based on the internal reflection effect at an air/glass boundary. The method uses a differential detection scheme to largely reduce the inherent non-linearity of the reflectance versus the angle of incidence in internal reflection. With non-linearity reduced, the displacement of the angle of incidence can be determined accurately by measuring the reflectance. The resolution and measurement range are determined by the initial angle of incidence, the polarization state of light, and the number of reflections. Compared with interferometers and autocollimators, this method has the advantage of a simple sensor design for applications ranging from very wide measurement range to extremely high resolution. Apparatus for accomplishing the method comprises a beamsplitter, a pair of critical angle prisms and a pair of photodiodes. Each photodiode measures change in reflectance and with the application of suitable computation means produces an angle measurement of the beam incident to the beamsplitter.

Growing community of inventors

Sendai, Japan

Satoshi Kiyono