IP Library Granted Patent US 11,332,349
Granted Patent B2
US 11,332,349 · App. 16/817,598 · Granted May 17, 2022

Lifting/lowering device

Inventors: Naoyuki Wakabayashi (Osaka, JP); Fuminori Tanaka (Osaka, JP); Jun Sugimoto (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
B66F3/247B66F3/35
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,332,349
App. No.
16/817,598
Granted
May 17, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

The lifting/lowering device ( 100 ) includes: a first plate member ( 51 ); a second plate member ( 52 ) to which the first plate member ( 51 ) is rotatably connected; a first expansion and contraction bag ( 31 ) which is disposed between the first plate member ( 51 ) and the second plate member ( 52 ) and is capable of expanding and contracting by gas supply and exhaust; a third plate member ( 53 ) to which the second plate member ( 52 ) is rotatably connected; a second expansion and contraction bag which is disposed between the second plate member ( 52 ) and the third plate member ( 53 ) and is capable of expanding and contracting by gas supply and exhaust. The first plate member ( 51 ), the first expansion and contraction bag ( 31 ), the second plate member ( 52 ), the second expansion and contraction bag ( 32 ) and the third plate member ( 53 ) are disposed so as to overlap in a plan view.

Claims (33)

1. A lifting/lowering device, comprising:

a first plate member which is arranged on a side where an object to be lifted/lowered is disposed;

a second plate member which is disposed below the first plate member and has a first side to which the first plate member is rotatably connected;

a first expansion and contraction bag which is disposed between the first plate member and the second plate member and is capable of expanding and contracting by gas supply and exhaust;

a third plate member which is disposed below the second plate member and to which the second plate member is rotatably connected at a second side different from the first side of the second plate member;

a second expansion and contraction bag which is disposed between the second plate member and the third plate member and is capable of expanding and contracting by gas supply and exhaust; and

a control portion which controls, based on an inclination angle of the first plate member, the supply and exhaust of the gas to and from the first expansion and contraction bag and the second expansion and contraction bag to make the first plate member move up and down or incline, wherein

the first plate member, the first expansion and contraction bag, the second plate member, the second expansion and contraction bag and the third plate member are disposed so as to overlap in a plan view.

2. The lifting/lowering device according to claim 1 , wherein the control portion calculates a height position of the first plate member based on inclination angles of the first plate member and the second plate member, and controls, based on the inclination angle of the first plate member and the calculated height position of the first plate member, the supply and exhaust of the gas to and from the first expansion and contraction bag and the second expansion and contraction bag to make the first plate member move up and down or incline.

3. The lifting/lowering device according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a first detection portion which detects the inclination angle of the first plate member; and

a second detection portion which detects the inclination angle of the second plate member, wherein

the control portion calculates the height position of the first plate member based on the inclination angle of the first plate member and the inclination angle of the second plate member which are detected by the first detection portion and the second detection portion, and controls, based on the inclination angle of the first plate member and the calculated height position of the first plate member, the supply and exhaust of the gas to and from the first expansion and contraction bag and the second expansion and contraction bag to make the first plate member move up and down or incline.

4. The lifting/lowering device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a pump for supplying and exhausting the gas to and from the first expansion and contraction bag and the second expansion and contraction bag; and

a channel switching portion which switches channels for supplying and exhausting the gas to and from the first expansion and contraction bag and the second expansion and contraction bag, wherein

the control portion controls, based on the inclination angle of the first plate member, the pump and the channel switching portion to supply and exhaust the gas to and from the first expansion and contraction bag and the second expansion and contraction bag and switch the channels so that the first plate member is moved up and down or inclined.

5. The lifting/lowering device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a first pressure sensor which measures pressure inside the first expansion and contraction bag; and

a second pressure sensor which measures pressure inside the second expansion and contraction bag, wherein

the control portion performs control of stopping supplying gas to the first expansion and contraction bag when the pressure inside the first expansion and contraction bag which is measured by the first pressure sensor exceeds a first predetermined upper limit value, and stopping supplying gas to the second expansion and contraction bag when the pressure inside the second expansion and contraction bag which is measured by the second pressure sensor exceeds a second predetermined upper limit value.

6. The lifting/lowering device according to claim 1 , wherein the second plate member has a substantially trapezoidal shape having a long side and a short side parallel to each other in a plan view, and

the first plate member or the second plate member is rotated around a rotation axis along a side intersecting the long side and the short side parallel to each other in the substantially trapezoidal shape of the second plate member.

7. The lifting/lowering device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a fourth plate member which is disposed below the third plate member and has a fifth side to which the third plate member is rotatably connected at a fourth side different from a third side of the third plate member connected to the second plate member;

a third expansion and contraction bag which is disposed between the third plate member and the fourth plate member and is capable of expanding and contracting by gas supply and exhaust;

a fifth plate member which is disposed below the fourth plate member and to which the fourth plate member is rotatably connected at a sixth side different from the fifth side of the fourth plate member, and

a fourth expansion and contraction bag which is disposed between the fourth plate member and the fifth plate member and is capable of expanding and contracting by gas supply and exhaust, wherein

the first plate member, the first expansion and contraction bag, the second plate member, the second expansion and contraction bag, the third plate member, the third expansion and contraction bag, the fourth plate member, the fourth expansion and contraction bag and the fifth plate member are disposed so as to overlap in a plan view, and

at least two of the rotation axes when the first plate member, the second plate member, the third plate member, the fourth plate member and the fifth plate member are rotated intersect in a plan view.

8. The lifting/lowering device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an image capturing portion which captures an image of the object to be lifted/lowered which is arranged above the first plate member, wherein

the control portion controls, based on the image captured by the image capturing portion, the supply and exhaust of the gas to and from the first expansion and contraction bag and the second expansion and contraction bag.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 20, 2025
From: FUNAI GROUP CO., LTD
To: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 073121/0824 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 20, 2025
From: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD. (F/K/A FE-TECH CO., LTD.)
To: FEC IP LLC
Reel/Frame 073121/0883 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 16, 2020
From: WAKABAYASHI, NAOYUKI; TANAKA, FUMINORI; SUGIMOTO, JUN
To: FUNAI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 052118/0990 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2019-075096 · Apr 10, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200325008A1 · Oct 15, 2020