Patents by Inventor Akihiro NISHITANI

Akihiro NISHITANI has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11993205
    Abstract: A remote driving taxi system provides a mobility service using remote driving taxis that are driven by remote drivers. Each of the remote driving taxis includes a display lamp configured to indicate whether the remote driving taxi is currently available. Management information includes use states of the remote driving taxis and assignment states between the remote driving taxis and the remote drivers. The remote driving taxi system puts on the display lamp of the remote driving taxi to which the remote driver has already been assigned and that is currently available, based on the management information. Further, the remote driving taxi system puts off the display lamp of the remote driving taxi to which the remote driver has already been assigned and that is currently unavailable, based on the management information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toru Nishitani, Rio Suda, Hiroshi Yonenaga, Hidekazu Sasaki, Tatsushi Takenaka, Shun Ota, Akihiro Kusumoto
  • Publication number: 20240154352
    Abstract: It is aimed to prevent a resilient displacement of a lock arm from being hindered while achieving a height reduction. A connector (A) is provided with a connector housing (20) and a lock arm (25) extending rearward along an outer surface of the connector housing (20). A deflection allowance space (30) for enabling the lock arm (25) to be resiliently displaced in a direction approaching the outer surface of the connector housing (20) is provided between the outer surface of the connector housing (20) and the lock arm (25). The connector housing (20) is formed with a covering portion (36) for covering the lock arm (25) from behind by projecting from the outer surface of the connector housing (20).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Inventors: Tomoyuki NAGAI, Akihiro NISHITANI
  • Publication number: 20240145974
    Abstract: It is aimed to prevent the expansion of a connector housing sandwiching and holding a terminal fitting. A connector is provided with a terminal fitting (10) fixed to a wire (14) and a connector housing (20) for sandwiching and holding the terminal fitting (10) between an upper housing (30) and a lower housing (40). The upper housing (30) and the lower housing (40) are assembled by being slid in a direction intersecting a sandwiching direction of the terminal fitting (10). The upper housing (30) and the lower housing (40) are formed with hooking portions (34, 43, 51, 52, 55, 56) to be hooked to each other in a non-resilient state in the sandwiching direction of the terminal fitting (10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventor: Akihiro NISHITANI
  • Publication number: 20240145973
    Abstract: A connector is provided with a terminal fitting (10) fixed to a wire (14) and a connector housing (20) configured by assembling an outer housing (36) with an inner housing (25). The inner housing (25) is formed with a terminal accommodation chamber (21) capable of accommodating the terminal fitting (10) from a direction intersecting an arrangement direction of the terminal fitting (10) and the wire (14). The terminal accommodation chamber (21) is formed with a retaining portion (30) for restricting a displacement of the terminal fitting (10) in the terminal accommodation chamber (21) toward the wire (14). The outer housing (36) covers an opening (28) of the terminal accommodation chamber (21) in an outer surface of the inner housing (25).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Publication date: May 2, 2024
    Inventor: Akihiro NISHITANI
  • Publication number: 20230327369
    Abstract: A waterproof connector is provided with a die-cast case including a box-like case body portion and a tubular portion projecting forward from the case body portion, the die-case case being formed of a cast product made of metal, and a housing made of synthetic resin and accommodated in the die-cast case. An inner peripheral surface of the tubular portion is formed with a sealing surface to be brought into contact with a sealing member of a mating connector. The sealing surface is an unprocessed surface not subjected to polishing after casting. A holding surface for holding the housing in a contact state is formed behind the sealing surface in the die-cast case. The holding surface is a processed surface subjected to polishing to make surface roughness thereof smaller than that of the sealing surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Inventors: Akihiro NISHITANI, Kenji MAKINO, Akiko SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20230113196
    Abstract: -- A connector is provided with a movable conductive member (30) and a fixed conductive member (35) capable of electrically contacting a first conductor (42) and a second conductor (57) as connection objects, and a pressing member (25) made of a resilient insulating material and configured to apply a pressing force in a contact direction to the movable conductive member (30), the fixed conductive member (35), the first conductor (42) and the second conductor (57). The pressing member (25) includes a first pressing portion (26R) for applying a pressing force to the first conductor (42) and a second pressing portion (26F) for applying a pressing force to the second conductor (57). The first pressing portion (26R) and the second pressing portion (26F) are resiliently deformable independently of each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2021
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Inventors: Shunya TAKEUCHI, Akihiro NISHITANI, Yutaka KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20230084529
    Abstract: A connector is provided with a female housing into which a first conductor and a second conductor are insertable, a movable conductive member accommodated in the female housing and electrically contactable with the first conductor and the second conductor, a fixed conductive member electrically contactable with the first conductor and the second conductor, and a pressing member made of a resilient insulating material and accommodated in the female housing. The pressing member applies a pressing force in a contact direction to the movable conductive member, the fixed conductive member, the first conductor and the second conductor. The female housing is formed with positioning portions for positioning the first conductor and the second conductor in a width direction orthogonal to both axial directions of the first conductor and the second conductor and a pressing direction of the pressing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2021
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: Akihiro NISHITANI, Shunya TAKEUCHI, Yutaka KOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 11456550
    Abstract: A female terminal includes a terminal connecting portion extending along a length direction and having an insertion opening on a front end in the length direction, a male terminal being inserted into the insertion opening, a resilient contact piece disposed inside the terminal connecting portion and configured to sandwich the male terminal between the terminal connecting portion and the resilient contact piece, a plurality of spring members disposed side by side across a gap along the length direction inside the terminal connecting portion and configured to resiliently contact the male terminal from one side in a width direction intersecting the length direction and the height direction, and a projecting portion projecting from the other side in the width direction toward the one side in the width direction inside the terminal connecting portion and configured to sandwich the male terminal between the plurality of spring members and the projecting portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignees: AUTONETWORKS TECHNOLOGIES, LTD., SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD., SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Nishitani, Masaaki Tabata, Teruo Hara
  • Publication number: 20220224025
    Abstract: It is aimed to omit a crimping step without enlargement. A connection device includes a movable-side conductive member and a fixed-side conductive member configured to electrically contact a first conductor and a second conductor serving as connection objects, and a pressing member made of resilient non-metal and configured to give a pressing force in a contact direction to the first conductor, the second conductor, the movable-side conductive member and the fixed-side conductive member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Inventors: Akihiro NISHITANI, Shunya TAKEUCHI, Yutaka KOBAYASHI, Kenji MAKINO, Takashi NATSUME
  • Publication number: 20220216627
    Abstract: It is aimed to provide a connector and a connector mounting body capable of ensuring good workability at the time of manufacturing and connection reliability with a circuit board. A connector includes a connector housing and a flexible cable arranged in the connector housing and including conductive paths. The flexible cable includes terminal connecting portions to be connected to mating terminals on one end sides of the conductive paths and board connecting portions to be connected to a circuit board on the other end sides of the conductive paths. The connector includes a reinforcement plate for reinforcing a region of the flexible cable on the side of the terminal connecting portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Akihiro NISHITANI, Kenji MAKINO, Takashi NATSUME, Shunya TAKEUCHI, Yutaka KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20210351533
    Abstract: A female terminal (10) has: a terminal connection section (13) extending in a length direction and having, at the front end thereof in the length direction, an insertion opening (16) into which a male terminal (11) is inserted; an elastic contact piece (22) disposed within the terminal connection section (13) and making elastic contact with the male terminal (11) in a height direction intersecting the length direction, thereby gripping the male terminal (11) between the elastic contact piece (22) and the terminal connection section (13); a plurality of spring members (26, 27) arranged within the terminal connection section (13) at a distance from each other in the length direction, and making elastic contact with the male terminal (11) from one side in a width direction intersecting both the length direction and the height direction; and a protrusion section (33) protruding inside the terminal connection section (13) from the other side toward the one side in the width direction and gripping the male terminal
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Inventors: Akihiro NISHITANI, Masaaki TABATA, Teruo HARA
  • Publication number: 20210273372
    Abstract: It is aimed to prevent water having intruded into a gap between a panel and a flange portion from remaining in the gap. A mounting structure for waterproof connector (13) is provided with a panel (10) formed with a through hole (11) and a waterproof connector (13). The waterproof connector 13 includes a connector housing (15) to be passed through the through hole (11) and a flange portion (16) formed on an outer periphery of the connector housing (15). A sealing ring (21) to be held in close contact with the panel (10) while surrounding the through hole (11) is mounted on the flange portion (16). A drain hole (12) is disposed between a hole edge part of the through hole (11) of the panel (10) and the sealing ring (21).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Publication date: September 2, 2021
    Inventors: Akihiro NISHITANI, Yasuo OMORI