Patents by Inventor Taiyo Otsuka

Taiyo Otsuka 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: 9694718
    Abstract: A vehicle seat including: a seat cushion, a cushion frame; and a pair of slide rails on which the cushion frame is mounted and which is configured to support the cushion frame to be slidable relative to a floor, each slide rail including an upper rail, wherein two engaging portions are respectively provided to the upper rails, wherein four fitting portions which abut against and fit into the engaging portions are provided to the cushion frame, wherein each of the fitting portions includes at least two wall portions extending in a vertical direction, and wherein guide portions are provided at lower sides of the wall portions, the guide portions being configured to guide the fitting portions to be fitted into the engaging portions when the cushion frame comes close from above to the upper rails mounted on the floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke Yamamoto, Taiyo Otsuka
  • Publication number: 20160207424
    Abstract: A vehicle seat including: a seat cushion, a cushion frame; and a pair of slide rails on which the cushion frame is mounted and which is configured to support the cushion frame to be slidable relative to a floor, each slide rail including an upper rail, wherein two engaging portions are respectively provided to the upper rails, wherein four fitting portions which abut against and fit into the engaging portions are provided to the cushion frame, wherein each of the fitting portions includes at least two wall portions extending in a vertical direction, and wherein guide portions are provided at lower sides of the wall portions, the guide portions being configured to guide the fitting portions to be fitted into the engaging portions when the cushion frame comes close from above to the upper rails mounted on the floor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2016
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke YAMAMOTO, Taiyo OTSUKA
  • Patent number: 8973988
    Abstract: In a vehicle seat that has a seat back and a headrest attached to an upper portion of the seat back, the seat back has an upper frame member that extends in the width direction at an upper portion. The upper frame member and the headrest are structured such that a second distance is greater than a first distance. The first distance is a horizontal distance, between a front surface first portion of the headrest and a head of a head restraint measuring device (HRMD) that is attached to an H-point device seated in the seat, that has been measured by the head restraint measuring device. The second distance is a horizontal distance between the front surface first portion of the headrest and a front surface of the upper frame member that is positioned to the rear of the front surface first portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 8931845
    Abstract: A vehicle seat including: a base member; a rotary member which is connected to the base member by a pin and is configured to be rotatable with respect to the base member; and a spring attached between the base member and the rotary member and urging the rotary member with respect to the base member in a rotating direction, wherein the spring abuts an outer circumference of the pin, and wherein the pin is integrally coupled to the rotary member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Taiyo Otsuka, Tomokazu Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8888186
    Abstract: A vehicle seat including: a rotatable arm configured to release a holding state of a holding mechanism of a seat body; and an operating strap configured to rotate the arm by being pulled at a first end portion thereof, wherein a second end portion of the operating strap opposite to the first end portion is fixed to the seat body, a middle portion of the operating strap is folded back and is hanged to an engaging portion provided to the arm, and the arm is configured to be rotated by pulling the operating strap so as to pull in the engaging portion by the middle portion, and wherein the middle portion, which is folded back from the second end portion, is folded back from an outer side to an inner side with respect to a rotational center of the arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Taiyo Otsuka, Tomoaki Isaji
  • Patent number: 8827360
    Abstract: A seat back of a vehicle seat includes a side frame member, an upper frame member, and a lower frame member. A headrest has a headrest main body and a frame. The frame has a stay portion and an inner portion. A line of intersection between a first plane and a second plane is positioned farther forward than the upper frame member, and a first angle is less than a second angle. The first plane is an extended plane of a front surface of an upper portion of the inner portion, and the second plane is a plane that contacts front surfaces of the upper frame member and the lower frame member. The first angle is an angle between the first and the second planes, and the second angle is an angle between a center line of a neck and a torso line of a dummy seated in the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 8573674
    Abstract: A switching mechanism that switches a locking device of a slider device between a locked state and an unlocked state includes a sliding member that slides along a wall surface of a fixed rail, a step portion that is formed on the wall surface of the fixed rail and onto which the sliding member rides when a seat main body enters an unusable range, an unlocking mechanism that is provided on the seat main body and that unlocks the locking device and keeps the locking device unlocked in response to movement of the sliding member as the sliding member rides onto the step portion, and an unlocking operation canceling mechanism that is provided on the seat main body and that cancels an operation by the unlocking mechanism to unlock the locking device when the seat cushion is flipped up into a tipped up position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 8511723
    Abstract: A locking device includes a locking mechanism and a striker. The locking mechanism has a base plate, a hook, a pawl, a release lever, a thrust member, a locking spring and a thrust spring. The hook, when rotated, is capable of forming a locked condition in which the striker is held or an unlocked condition. The pawl is rotatably supported via a support shaft as a first shaft and is capable of rotating to a position in which the pawl can engage the hook. The release lever is rotatably supported via a support shaft as a second shaft. The release lever, when applied with a manipulation force for unlocking, is capable of rotating the pawl from the engageable position in a non-engaging direction. The thrust member is rotatably supported via the support shaft and is capable of further pressing the hook in the locked condition toward a locking direction. Further, the support shaft is positioned beyond the support shaft as viewed from an input point of the manipulation force to the release lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 8201881
    Abstract: A clutch mechanism for a vehicle seat is provided. The clutch mechanism includes a pressure-receiving member rotatably assembled to a frame of a seatback, a connecting arm having a weight and provided rotatably to the pressure-receiving member, a first swinging member provided rotatably to the frame, wherein while inertia force occurring due to a crash of a vehicle from behind acts on the weight, when the pressure-receiving member rotates upon receipt of a seatback load of a passenger, the connecting arm causes the first swinging member to rotate; and a second swinging member provided rotatably to the frame of the seatback, and configured to rotate along with the rotation of the first swinging member. The second swinging member is held in a state achieved when the first swinging member rotates by a predetermined angle even when the first swinging member rotates by an angle larger than the predetermined angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 8201882
    Abstract: A clutch mechanism for a vehicle seat is provided. The clutch mechanism includes a pressure-receiving member rotatably assembled to a frame of a seatback of the vehicle seat, a connecting arm having a weight and a pin, and provided rotatably to the pressure-receiving member, and a swinging member provided rotatably to the frame, and including a rib which is formed with a cutout capable of receiving the pin. While inertia force occurring due to a crash of a vehicle from behind acts on the weight, when the pressure-receiving member rotates upon receipt of a seatback load of a passenger of the vehicle seat, the connecting arm moves along with the rotation of the pressure-receiving member so that the pin of the connecting arm pushes either one of an edge of the rib and a cutout of the rib while entering the cutout, to rotate the swinging member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 8162393
    Abstract: A headrest includes a base member assembled to a seat back; a support plate assembled to the base member by a link mechanism; a lock mechanism which operates along with the link mechanism, whereupon the support plate springs out, a return prevention mechanism configured to prevent the support plate from returning to an initial position by a load imposed during the support plate springing out. The return prevention mechanism includes a ratchet including a step at an outer peripheral surface thereof, and a stopper rotatably attached to the base member to be capable of engaging with the step of the ratchet. The stopper is provided to be switchable between a first state in which the stopper is urged in a first rotating direction to engage with the step and a second state in which the stopper is urged in a second rotating direction opposite to the first rotating direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 8113576
    Abstract: One aspect according to the invention can include a cable connecting device including a first cable and a second cable coupled to a first mechanism and a second mechanism of a vehicle seat, respectively, and each having an inner cable member and an outer cable member. A cable receiving member can receive end portions of the first cable and the second cable. A coupling mechanism can coupling the inner cable member of the first cable and the outer cable member of the second cable to each other within the cable receiving member. A recognition enabling device enables recognition of a coupling condition between the inner cable member of the first cable and the outer cable member of the second cable during an operation for coupling by the coupling mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 8033601
    Abstract: There is provided a head rest moving mechanism of moving a support portion of a head rest relative to a seat back when a vehicle is subjected to a back collision. The head rest moving mechanism moves the support portion from an initial position to a collision corresponding position in a front upper direction. The head rest moving mechanism includes a base installed at an upper portion of the seat back, link means for linking the support portion and the base, an engaging pin moved integrally with the support portion for operating an attitude of the support portion in accordance with a relative movement thereof, and a guide path slidably engaged with the engaging pin for guiding to slide the engaging pin in accordance with the relative movement of the support portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Publication number: 20110241401
    Abstract: A switching mechanism that switches a locking device of a slider device between a locked state and an unlocked state includes a sliding member that slides along a wall surface of a fixed rail, a step portion that is formed on the wall surface of the fixed rail and onto which the sliding member rides when a seat main body enters an unusable range, an unlocking mechanism that is provided on the seat main body and that unlocks the locking device and keeps the locking device unlocked in response to movement of the sliding member as the sliding member rides onto the step portion, and an unlocking operation canceling mechanism that is provided on the seat main body and that cancels an operation by the unlocking mechanism to unlock the locking device when the seat cushion is flipped up into a tipped up position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Taiyo OTSUKA
  • Patent number: 8029056
    Abstract: A coupling arm presses a first or second arm of a swing member, connected to a frame of a seat back, by an occupant's backrest load caused by a rear-end collision of a vehicle to pivotally move the swing member. The swing member has a first arm receiving a first backrest load via the coupling arm and a second arm receiving a second backrest load, which is larger than the first backrest load, via the coupling arm. A distance between the first arm and a rotation center of the swing member is longer than a distance between the second and the rotation center of the swing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Patent number: 8029057
    Abstract: A coupling arm presses a first or second arm of a swing member, connected to a frame of a seat back, by an occupant's backrest load caused by a rear-end collision of a vehicle to pivotally move the swing member. The first arm receives a first backrest load via the coupling arm and the second arm receives a second backrest load, which is larger than the first backrest load, via the coupling arm. The first and second arms are set so that a maximum pivot amount of the swing member when the first arm is pressed to pivot is equal to a maximum pivot amount of the swing member when the second arm is pressed to pivot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taiyo Otsuka
  • Publication number: 20110101760
    Abstract: A seat back of a vehicle seat includes a side frame member, an upper frame member, and a lower frame member. A headrest has a headrest main body and a frame. The frame has a stay portion and an inner portion. A line of intersection between a first plane and a second plane is positioned farther forward than the upper frame member, and a first angle is less than a second angle. The first plane is an extended plane of a front surface of an upper portion of the inner portion, and the second plane is a plane that contacts front surfaces of the upper frame member and the lower frame member. The first angle is an angle between the first and the second planes, and the second angle is an angle between a center line of a neck and a torso line of a dummy seated in the seat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Taiyo OTSUKA
  • Publication number: 20110101759
    Abstract: In a vehicle seat that has a seat back and a headrest attached to an upper portion of the seat back, the seat back has an upper frame member that extends in the width direction at an upper portion. The upper frame member and the headrest are structured such that a second distance is greater than a first distance. The first distance is a horizontal distance, between a front surface first portion of the headrest and a head of a head restraint measuring device (HRMD) that is attached to an H-point device seated in the seat, that has been measured by the head restraint measuring device. The second distance is a horizontal distance between the front surface first portion of the headrest and a front surface of the upper frame member that is positioned to the rear of the front surface first portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Publication date: May 5, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Taiyo OTSUKA
  • Publication number: 20100140988
    Abstract: A coupling arm presses a first or second arm of a swing member, connected to a frame of a seat back, by an occupant's backrest load caused by a rear-end collision of a vehicle to pivotally move the swing member. The swing member has a first arm receiving a first backrest load via the coupling arm and a second arm receiving a second backrest load, which is larger than the first backrest load, via the coupling arm. A distance between the first arm and a rotation center of the swing member is longer than a distance between the second and the rotation center of the swing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Taiyo OTSUKA
  • Publication number: 20100140989
    Abstract: A coupling arm presses a first or second arm of a swing member, connected to a frame of a seat back, by an occupant's backrest load caused by a rear-end collision of a vehicle to pivotally move the swing member. The first arm receives a first backrest load via the coupling arm and the second arm receives a second backrest load, which is larger than the first backrest load, via the coupling arm. The first and second arms are set so that a maximum pivot amount of the swing member when the first arm is pressed to pivot is equal to a maximum pivot amount of the swing member when the second arm is pressed to pivot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Publication date: June 10, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Taiyo OTSUKA