Patents by Inventor Kenichi Fukurono

Kenichi Fukurono 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: 11634050
    Abstract: An occupant protection apparatus includes a driver. The driver includes a drive unit, a support shaft, a movable seat pan supported by the support shaft such that the movable seat pan is inclinable in a front-rear direction, a guide groove, a movement pin that is movable along the guide groove, a link that couples the movable seat pan to the movement pin, and an energy absorber. The guide groove includes a first guide groove portion in which the movement pin moves when the movable seat pan is inclined rearward and a second guide groove portion in which the movement pin moves when the movable seat pan is inclined forward. The energy absorber is configured to absorb at least part of a forward load from an occupant when the movement pin moves in the second guide groove portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Kojima, Tadashi Yamada, Takashi Iida, Hajime Kitte, Kenichi Fukurono, Joji Aoyama
  • Patent number: 11491943
    Abstract: A front passenger seat airbag includes an attachment portion provided on a front end side when inflation has been completed, an occupant protection portion provided on a rear end side to protect the occupant when inflation has been completed, and a cavity portion formed at an intermediate portion between the attachment portion and the occupant protection portion in a manner of penetrating the front passenger seat airbag substantially along a left-right direction. A left edge side and/or a right edge side of the occupant protection portion when inflation has been completed is formed with a protruding region protruding rearward and outward with respect to a central region. At least one of upper and lower edges of an occupant side panel is coupled to an end of the peripheral wall panel. An outer peripheral panel portion of the panel portion is a concave portion in a flatly deployed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Motoyuki Tanaka, Ikuo Yamada, Hajime Kitte, Kenichi Fukurono
  • Patent number: 11383670
    Abstract: A side airbag apparatus includes an airbag that is configured to be deployed and inflated between a body side portion of a vehicle and an occupant seated in a seat in a passenger compartment by a pressure of gas supplied from an inflator. The airbag includes an outer bag and an inner bag, which is provided in the outer bag and accommodates the inflator. The inner bag includes an upper-side inflation portion, which projects forward when inflated to correspond to the shoulder of the occupant, a lower-side inflation portion, which projects forward when inflated to correspond to the lumbar region of the occupant, and a recessed portion, which is provided between the upper-side inflation portion and the lower-side inflation portion. The inner bag includes a connecting hole that connects the inside and the outside of the inner bag to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shuji Yamamoto, Takashi Iida, Kenichi Fukurono, Koki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11318904
    Abstract: An occupant protection device which is configured to protect an occupant seated on a seat, includes a seat belt, an airbag, and an inflator configured to supply inflation gas to the airbag. The airbag has a bag shape formed of a flexible sheet body, the airbag is folded and stored in a storage part provided in a lap belt, the airbag is inflated so as to project toward a front upper side when the inflation gas flows into the airbag, and the airbag has a substantially triangular prism shape whose axial direction is substantially aligned with a left-right direction so as to include a leg abutting surface which is capable of abutting an upper surface of a leg of the occupant and an upper body restraining surface which is capable of restraining the occupant from a chest to a head, when the airbag is completely inflated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takenori Ozaki, Shigeyuki Suzuki, Yasushi Masuda, Hajime Kitte, Kenichi Fukurono, Motoyuki Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20220048417
    Abstract: An occupant protection apparatus includes a driver. The driver includes a drive unit, a support shaft, a movable seat pan supported by the support shaft such that the movable seat pan is inclinable in a front-rear direction, a guide groove, a movement pin that is movable along the guide groove, a link that couples the movable seat pan to the movement pin, and an energy absorber. The guide groove includes a first guide groove portion in which the movement pin moves when the movable seat pan is inclined rearward and a second guide groove portion in which the movement pin moves when the movable seat pan is inclined forward. The energy absorber is configured to absorb at least part of a forward load from an occupant when the movement pin moves in the second guide groove portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: February 17, 2022
    Inventors: Yusuke KOJIMA, Tadashi YAMADA, Takashi IIDA, Hajime KITTE, Kenichi FUKURONO, Joji AOYAMA
  • Patent number: 11230251
    Abstract: A side airbag device includes a main bag which is an airbag deployed between a passenger seated on a seat and a side wall portion of a vehicle. The airbag expands by gas supply when a vehicle side collision occurs. The side airbag device also includes a sub bag deployed between a side frame on a vehicle outer side in a seat back of the seat and the passenger. The sub bag expands by supplying gas and pushes a waist portion of the passenger forward from backward, prior to deployment of the main bag, when the vehicle side collision occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koki Tanaka, Takashi Iida, Kenichi Fukurono, Yuji Sato
  • Patent number: 11203321
    Abstract: An occupant protection device for protecting an occupant sitting in a front seat of a vehicle. The occupant protection device includes a front airbag device that is adapted to be mounted in front of the front seat and a roof airbag device that is adapted to be mounted on a roof of the vehicle. The front airbag device includes a front airbag that is inflatable and deployable for protecting an upper body of the occupant when an impact is applied to the vehicle from forward. The roof airbag includes a roof airbag that is inflatable and deployable downwardly between the front airbag and the front seat for protecting a head of the occupant when an impact is applied to the vehicle from forward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Motoyuki Tanaka, Masashi Hotta, Koji Kawamura, Yuji Sato, Hajime Kitte, Kenichi Fukurono
  • Patent number: 11198410
    Abstract: A side airbag device includes a main bag which is an airbag deployed between a passenger seated on a seat and a side wall portion of a vehicle. The airbag expands by gas supply when a vehicle side collision occurs. The side airbag device also includes a sub bag deployed between a side frame on a vehicle outer side in a seat back of the seat and the passenger. The sub bag expands by supplying gas and pushes a waist portion of the passenger forward from backward, prior to deployment of the main bag, when the vehicle side collision occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koki Tanaka, Takashi Iida, Kenichi Fukurono, Yuji Sato
  • Patent number: 11186248
    Abstract: An occupant protection device includes an airbag which is deployed and inflated with an amount of protrusion from a storage position to a rear side in an inflation completed state in a large protrusion amount mode and a small protrusion amount mode, and the airbag includes a bag body and a tether. The tether is connected to a length adjustment unit. The bag body has a tubular inflation portion curved in a substantially U shape from the storage position toward the tether connection portion. A shape of the bag body in the large protrusion amount mode is defined such that the tether connection portion is further moved rearward with respect to the inlet port on the inner peripheral surface side, as compared with the case of the small protrusion amount mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Motoyuki Tanaka, Hajime Kitte, Kenichi Fukurono, Yuji Sato
  • Publication number: 20210300282
    Abstract: A front passenger seat airbag includes an attachment portion provided on a front end side when inflation has been completed, an occupant protection portion provided on a rear end side to protect the occupant when inflation has been completed, and a cavity portion formed at an intermediate portion between the attachment portion and the occupant protection portion in a manner of penetrating the front passenger seat airbag substantially along a left-right direction. A left edge side and/or a right edge side of the occupant protection portion when inflation has been completed is formed with a protruding region protruding rearward and outward with respect to a central region. At least one of upper and lower edges of an occupant side panel is coupled to an end of the peripheral wall panel. An outer peripheral panel portion of the panel portion is a concave portion in a flatly deployed state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Motoyuki TANAKA, Ikuo Yamada, Hajime Kitte, Kenichi Fukurono
  • Patent number: 11117539
    Abstract: A seat device for a vehicle includes a seat for supporting a lower body of a vehicle occupant, and a backrest for supporting an upper body of the occupant. The seat device further includes an arresting portion that is stored in a storage position disposed in the seat. The arresting portion is configured to be deployed from the storage position and restrain a part of the lower body of the occupant from moving forward in the event of a collision of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasushi Masuda, Shigeyuki Suzuki, Shigemi Mase, Hiroaki Yamada, Tadashi Yamada, Yuji Sato, Kenichi Fukurono, Keisaku Yokoi, Takafumi Nakanishi, Takenori Ozaki
  • Publication number: 20210094505
    Abstract: A side airbag apparatus includes an airbag that is configured to be deployed and inflated between a body side portion of a vehicle and an occupant seated in a seat in a passenger compartment by a pressure of gas supplied from an inflator. The airbag includes an outer bag and an inner bag, which is provided in the outer bag and accommodates the inflator. The inner bag includes an upper-side inflation portion, which projects forward when inflated to correspond to the shoulder of the occupant, a lower-side inflation portion, which projects forward when inflated to correspond to the lumbar region of the occupant, and a recessed portion, which is provided between the upper-side inflation portion and the lower-side inflation portion. The inner bag includes a connecting hole that connects the inside and the outside of the inner bag to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Shuji YAMAMOTO, Takashi IIDA, Kenichi FUKURONO, Koki TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20200122668
    Abstract: An occupant protection device which is configured to protect an occupant seated on a seat, includes a seat belt, an airbag, and an inflator configured to supply inflation gas to the airbag. The airbag has a bag shape formed of a flexible sheet body, the airbag is folded and stored in a storage part provided in a lap belt, the airbag is inflated so as to project toward a front upper side when the inflation gas flows into the airbag, and the airbag has a substantially triangular prism shape whose axial direction is substantially aligned with a left-right direction so as to include a leg abutting surface which is capable of abutting an upper surface of a leg of the occupant and an upper body restraining surface which is capable of restraining the occupant from a chest to a head, when the airbag is completely inflated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Takenori OZAKI, Shigeyuki SUZUKI, Yasushi MASUDA, Hajime KITTE, Kenichi FUKURONO, Motoyuki TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20200122678
    Abstract: An occupant protection device includes: an airbag which is deployed and inflated rearward from an accommodation part so that the airbag receives the occupant when inflation gas flows in, the airbag having an inflation completion shape of a loop shape including an upper and lower portions which branch up and down from an inflow opening side and a rear portion which is a mutual connecting part between rear ends of the upper portion and the lower portion as a confluence part on a tip end side. The airbag includes: a bag main body including the upper portion, the lower portion, and the rear portion; and a connecting member having flexibility which is disposed between the upper portion and the lower portion and connects the upper portion and the lower portion so as to regulate a separation distance between the upper portion and the lower portion when inflation is completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Motoyuki TANAKA, Hajime KITTE, Kenichi FUKURONO, Yuji SATO
  • Publication number: 20200122679
    Abstract: A side airbag device includes: a main bag which is an airbag deployed between a passenger seated on a seat and a side wall portion of a vehicle, the airbag being configured to expand by gas supply when a vehicle side collision occurs; and a sub bag deployed between a side frame on a vehicle outer side in a seat back of the seat and the passenger, the sub bag being configured to expand by supplying gas and push a waist portion of the passenger forward from backward, prior to deployment of the main bag, when the vehicle side collision occurs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Koki TANAKA, Takashi IIDA, Kenichi FUKURONO, Yuji SATO
  • Publication number: 20190389414
    Abstract: A seat device for a vehicle includes a seat for supporting a lower body of a vehicle occupant, and a backrest for supporting an upper body of the occupant. The seat device further includes an arresting portion that is stored in a storage position disposed in the seat. The arresting portion is configured to be deployed from the storage position and restrain a part of the lower body of the occupant from moving forward in the event of a collision of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventors: Yasushi MASUDA, Shigeyuki SUZUKI, Shigemi MASE, Hiroaki YAMADA, Tadashi YAMADA, Yuji SATO, Kenichi FUKURONO, Keisaku YOKOI, Takafumi NAKANISHI, Takenori OZAKI
  • Publication number: 20190375364
    Abstract: An occupant protection device includes an airbag which is deployed and inflated with an amount of protrusion from a storage position to a rear side in an inflation completed state in a large protrusion amount mode and a small protrusion amount mode, and the airbag includes a bag body and a tether. The tether is connected to a length adjustment unit. The bag body has a tubular inflation portion curved in a substantially U shape from the storage position toward the tether connection portion. A shape of the bag body in the large protrusion amount mode is defined such that the tether connection portion is further moved rearward with respect to the inlet port on the inner peripheral surface side, as compared with the case of the small protrusion amount mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Inventors: Motoyuki TANAKA, Hajime KITTE, Kenichi FUKURONO, Yuji SATO
  • Publication number: 20190299912
    Abstract: An occupant protection device for protecting an occupant sitting in a front seat of a vehicle. The occupant protection device includes a front airbag device that is adapted to be mounted in front of the front seat and a roof airbag device that is adapted to be mounted on a roof of the vehicle. The front airbag device includes a front airbag that is inflatable and deployable for protecting an upper body of the occupant when an impact is applied to the vehicle from forward. The roof airbag includes a roof airbag that is inflatable and deployable downwardly between the front airbag and the front seat for protecting a head of the occupant when an impact is applied to the vehicle from forward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Motoyuki TANAKA, Masashi HOTTA, Koji KAWAMURA, Yuji SATO, Hajime KITTE, Kenichi FUKURONO
  • Patent number: 9738242
    Abstract: An airbag of an airbag device for a driver's seat includes an exhaust strap which includes a cover section that closes off an outer opening of a vent hole at airbag deployment and connecting bands extending from opposite sides of the cover section and joined to the center of a driver-side wall. When the driver-side wall of the airbag cushions the driver at airbag deployment and moves toward a vehicle-side wall, the connecting bands of the exhaust strap loosen and allow a distant edge region of the cover section to loosen and pass through the outer opening such that the outer opening and an inner opening communicate to open the vent hole. The cover section includes a reinforcing element that prevents the distant edge from slipping towards a proximate edge while allowing a bending deformation of the distant edge to pass through the outer opening and open the vent hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naohiko Ishiguro, Mikine Hayashi, Kenichi Fukurono, Kenji Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9650012
    Abstract: An airbag of an airbag device for a driver's seat includes an exhaust strap which includes a cover section that closes off an outer opening of a vent hole at airbag deployment in an openable fashion and connecting bands extending from opposite sides of the cover section and joined to a driver-side wall. The exhaust strap is so configured, when the driver-side wall of the airbag cushions the driver at airbag deployment and moves toward a vehicle-side wall, that the connecting bands loosen and allow a region towards a distant edge of the cover section to loosen and pass through the outer opening such that the outer opening and an inner opening communicate to open the vent hole. The length of the distant edge of the exhaust strap is shorter than a length of a proximate edge of the exhaust strap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naohiko Ishiguro, Mikine Hayashi, Kenichi Fukurono, Kenji Sasaki