Patents Assigned to Alpha Corporation
  • Publication number: 20090084146
    Abstract: An electric steering lock device includes an operation relay for operating an electric motor, a pair of switching relays for switching the rotating direction of the electric motor, and diodes for energizing each relay connected to a port of a control unit respectively. A steering shaft is unlocked by providing the operation relay in an ON status to allow the electric motor to displace the locking rod in the unlocking direction. The steering shaft is locked by providing the operation relay and the pair of switching relays in an ON status respectively to allow the electric motor to displace the steering rod in the locking direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: ALPHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Yabumoto
  • Publication number: 20090084145
    Abstract: An electric steering lock device of the invention includes: a rotating body (worm wheel) that is driven by a motor to rotate in an unlocking direction and a locking direction; a first cam section and a second cam section provided in the worm wheel; a lock member that follows the first cam section to be displaced between a lock position and an unlock position; and a lever member that follows the second cam section and that is positioned, when the lock member is positioned at the unlock position, at a waiting position at which the lock member is allowed to move and that is positioned, when the lock member is moved to the lock position, at a retention position at which the lock member is blocked from moving to the unlock position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: ALPHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koichiro Sugimoto
  • Publication number: 20080290671
    Abstract: A handle apparatus is provided with: a handle base fixed to a door of a vehicle; a swing lever held inside the door and connected to the handle base to be vertically rotatable; a handle main body including an operation arm inserted inside the door through an arm insertion hole to drive the swing lever; a blocking piece on the swing lever for blocking the arm insertion hole from an inside of the door; and a rising piece protruding from a side edge of the blocking piece toward an outside of the door.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Publication date: November 27, 2008
    Applicants: ALPHA CORPORATION, NISSAN MOTOR CO,. LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro KAGAWA, Keita ABE
  • Patent number: 7437803
    Abstract: A door handle apparatus comprising a grip member whose one end is rotatably supported by a door panel, and an escutcheon which is disposed closer to the other end surface of the grip member and which is fixed to the door panel, wherein the door handle apparatus further comprises a water force reducing structure which reduces force of water which enters from a gap between the grip member and the escutcheon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Alpha Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Watanabe, Satoshi Kubota
  • Patent number: 7421869
    Abstract: Tumbler pins 2 are movably housed in a plug 1. A locked/unlocked state is determined by the turning position on the moving direction center axes of the tumbler pins 2. An unlocking key 4 to be inserted into the plug 1 is provided with unlocking code forming recesses 3 for determining the turning positions of the tumbler pins at code decision positions. The tumbler pins 2 are provided at their leading end portions with drive portions 5, which have slope sides of conical faces gradually reduced in diameter toward the leading ends and having rotational centers offset from the moving direction center axes. The side wall faces of the unlocking code forming recesses 3 are formed of conical faces having rotational centers substantially aligned with those of the conical faces forming the slope sides of the drive portions 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2008
    Assignee: Alpha Corporation
    Inventor: Shunichi Osada
  • Patent number: 7412858
    Abstract: There are provided a cam plate (5) that rotates in an unlocking direction and a locking direction, and a locking shaft (8) that moves between a locking position where rotation of a steering shaft is prevented and an unlocking position where the rotation of the steering shaft is permitted by rotation of the cam plate (5). The cam plate (5) is provided with a steering lock preventing unit (20) through a spring (22). The steering lock preventing unit (20) holds the locking shaft (8) in the unlocking position. A ball (23) moves on a moving surface (24) of a motor unit (4) opposed to the cam plate (5) by rotation of the cam plate (5). A projecting wall (25) is provided on the moving surface (24) at a position before the unlocking position in a range where the ball (23) moves from the locking position to the unlocking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Alpha Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuyuki Tsukano, Koichiro Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 7337469
    Abstract: An unlock system does not use a key that might be copied so that only a correct person can unlock a door and security is enhanced. Unlock records of door-lock are stored in a limited memory capacity in volume. Fingerprint data input to a fingerprint input section 21 disposed outside a door 11 provided on a doorway 10 is detected, and the detected fingerprint data is verified against previously registered fingerprint data. If it was confirmed that the detected fingerprint data coincided with the registered fingerprint data, an unlock signal is output to unlock the door-lock, and a setting time or start-using time is stored in a storing section having a clock function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignees: Alpha Corporation, Glory Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunichi Osada, Haruhisa Nakajima
  • Patent number: 7278461
    Abstract: The present invention provides a manufacturing method of high precision titanium compressor wheel in which by removing pads attached on an entire surface entirely as a machining allowance in manufacturing process, dimensional accuracy at the time of manufacturing is intensified, and correction work of dynamic balance (rotation balance) is simplified or omitted so as to improve yield of products and suppress boosting of manufacturing cost. The outer peripheral face of a front cast boss portion of a cast titanium product is fixed with a chuck of lathe. A plurality of receiving plates projecting from the lathe are positioned between respective cast blades and front ends thereof are pressed against a disc-like large-diameter front end face formed on a rear half portion of a cast core portion. With a large-diameter front end face of the cast core portion and the outer peripheral face of the front cast boss portion as reference plane, the cast titanium product is held by the chuck and receiving plates and rotated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Aikoku Alpha Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Endo, Masaru Ogawa, Mitsuru Miyao
  • Patent number: 7242276
    Abstract: An unlock system does not use a key that might be copied so that only a correct person can unlock a door and security is enhanced. Unlock records of door-lock are stored in a limited memory capacity in volume. Fingerprint data input to a fingerprint input section 21 disposed outside a door 11 provided on a doorway 10 is detected, and the detected fingerprint data is verified against previously registered fingerprint data. If it was confirmed that the detected fingerprint data coincided with the registered fingerprint data, an unlock signal is output to unlock the door-lock. At the same time, an identification code of the registered fingerprint data that unlocked is stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: Alpha Corporation
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Usui
  • Publication number: 20070146119
    Abstract: A door open-close device for control of a lock mechanism of a door is housed in a door handle. The door open-close device is provided with a lock switch connected to an external circuit so as to control the external circuit; and an antenna disposed to have a gap toward the lock switch and press down the lock switch at a time of deforming by being grasped by an operator, the antenna including a core portion of a soft magnetic material having flexibility and a conductor wound around the core portion, the conductor being connected to the external circuit so as to communicate with an external portable device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2004
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Applicant: ALPHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Mizushima, Ryuji Minemura
  • Patent number: 7230196
    Abstract: A lighted switch device, comprising a substrate, a switch provided on a first surface of the substrate, a light source provided on a second surface of the substrate, a key top to press the switch, and a light guide mechanism to guide light emitted from the light source to the key top or a periphery of the key top, the light guide mechanism including a first light guiding member to hold the key top and a second light guiding member disposed to surround the light source, the light emitted from the light source being guided through the second light guiding member to the first light guiding member holding the key top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignees: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd., Alpha Corporation
    Inventor: Yasunori Toyama
  • Publication number: 20060220457
    Abstract: An electric steering locker, includes: a lock member moved by means of a drive source between: a locking position preventing a rotation of a steering shaft, and an unlocking position allowing the rotation of the steering shaft; a position sensor sensing that: the lock member moves from the locking position to the unlocking position, and the lock member moves from the unlocking position to the locking position, the position sensor, including: a plurality of pressers moving with the lock member, and a single switch having a contact point turned on and off by the pressers; and a controller sensing the locking position and the unlocking position of the lock member based on the number of ons-offs of the single switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Publication date: October 5, 2006
    Applicant: ALPHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Yabumoto
  • Patent number: 7111880
    Abstract: An outside handle assembly for an automobile is constructed to have a handle body 3 connected to a handle base 2 secured to an automobile panel 1, and a connecting lever 7 swingably connected to the handle body 3 and driven vertically by an operating force applied to the handle body 3 so that an engaging portion 4 formed toward its lower end may push an unlocking lever 6 in a locking device 5 to release the locking device 5 from its locking state. The engaging portion 4 is formed to be disengageable from the unlocking lever 6 upon swinging of the connecting lever 7 toward the center of the automobile body. The handle base 2 is provided with a panel deformation detector 8 protruding toward the connecting lever 7. The connecting lever 7 being urged toward the panel 1 by urging member 9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: Alpha Corporation
    Inventor: Yutaka Saitoh
  • Patent number: 7104575
    Abstract: An inside door handle device of an automobile comprises: a handle case; a cover body for covering a fixing portion of the handle case to a vehicle body; a hollow formed on the rising wall of the hand-operating recess portion; an engaging step portion formed in a bottom wall of the hollow; and an engaging leg for release operation, formed in the cover body. The engaging leg for release operation includes an engaging portion elastically engaged with the engaging step portion; and a hooking protrusion capable of being hooked from above, accommodated in the hollow in the engaging state with the engaging step portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Alpha Corporation
    Inventor: Kousuke Kakita
  • Patent number: 7065439
    Abstract: An indicator (5) is provided, which displays that it is a locking confirmable period, for predetermined time after locking the door, in a vehicle door locking and unlocking system S, which locks or unlocks the vehicle door by performing communication between a controller (6), which controls locking or unlocking of the vehicle door, and a portable machine (7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Alpha Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroaki Sakakura
  • Patent number: 7024895
    Abstract: An electrical steering lock device and a related method are disclosed wherein a plate cam 17 has a contoured profile determined such that a lock shaft 15 moves inside a lock groove 13 at a travel speed (first speed) lower than a travel speed (second speed) at which the lock shaft 15 moves outside the lock groove 13, enabling the lock shaft 15 to disengage from the lock groove 13 with increased torque. This results in a capability of reliably disengaging the lock shaft 15 from the lock groove 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignees: Alpha Corporation, Nissan Motor Co., LTD
    Inventors: Yoshio Watanuki, Ryuichi Yoshida, Katsuji Konii
  • Publication number: 20060065514
    Abstract: A lighted switch device, comprising a substrate, a switch provided on a first surface of the substrate, a light source provided on a second surface of the substrate, a key top to press the switch, and a light guide mechanism to guide light emitted from the light source to the key top or a periphery of the key top, the light guide mechanism including a first light guiding member to hold the key top and a second light guiding member disposed to surround the light source, the light emitted from the light source being guided through the second light guiding member to the first light guiding member holding the key top.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Applicants: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd., Alpha Corporation
    Inventor: Yasunori Toyama
  • Patent number: 6968717
    Abstract: A cylinder lock utilizing an unlocking code to set at any desired time after the cylinder lock has been assembled and which, before the setting of the unlocking code, allows the rotor to be rotated for the purpose of inproving the efficiency of the automotive assembly work. The cylinder lock includes a rotor in which tumblers are installed, is rotatably inserted in a cylinder case, the tumblers following a code forming portion of an inserted key plate to form a lock-side unlocking code that matches a key-side unlocking code defined by the code forming portion. The tumblers are put in a state where the lock-side unlocking code is formed, in response to an identification portion formed in the key plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Alpha Corporation
    Inventors: Kohji Suzuki, Yuichi Yoshizawa, Takeshi Fukasawa, Tatsuya Kurosawa
  • Publication number: 20040212215
    Abstract: In a cover member attaching structure for putting a flat shaped cover member 3 of a synthetic resin in position in a principal part 1, a dummy gate 5 serving as an inlet for resin injection from a submarine gate 4 during molding remains uncut after molding and protrudes from the cover member 3, while the principal part 1 has a portion 6 formed for accommodating the dummy gate 5.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Applicant: ALPHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuji Minemura, Kousuke Kakita
  • Publication number: 20040212200
    Abstract: An inside door handle device of an automobile comprises: a handle case; a cover body for covering a fixing portion of the handle case to a vehicle body; a hollow formed on the rising wall of the hand-operating recess portion; an engaging step portion formed in a bottom wall of the hollow; and an engaging leg for release operation, formed in the cover body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Applicant: ALPHA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kousuke Kakita