Patents by Inventor Akio Inage

Akio Inage 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: 8136299
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sliding door opening/closing device for a vehicle that applies a sufficient opening/closing drive force to the left and right sliding doors and reduces a force necessary to lock and unlock the latch, despite a simple configuration of the device, and that facilitates the manufacturing process, improves operability and safety, and reduces noise. A lock device, against both sides of which locking portions abut, rotates a columnar permanent magnet so as to form magnetic locking circuits and fixes the locking portions by magnetic forces of the locking magnetic circuits. The rotational operation of the columnar permanent magnet is converted into the downward operation of a latch, and the lowered latch restrains the locking portions with respect to the lock device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Publication number: 20100188177
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sliding door opening/closing device for a vehicle that applies a sufficient opening/closing drive force to the left and right sliding doors and reduces a force necessary to lock and unlock the latch, despite a simple configuration of the device, and that facilitates the manufacturing process, improves operability and safety, and reduces noise. A lock device, against both sides of which locking portions abut, rotates a columnar permanent magnet so as to form magnetic locking circuits and fixes the locking portions by magnetic forces of the locking magnetic circuits. The rotational operation of the columnar permanent magnet is converted into the downward operation of a latch, and the lowered latch restrains the locking portions with respect to the lock device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: FUJI ELECTRIC SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Patent number: 6941701
    Abstract: A side sliding door device is provided for a vehicle that opens and closes an entrance on a side of the vehicle by a sliding door movably supported on a horizontal door rail. The sliding door device includes an automatic locking mechanism that is interlocked with a closing operation of the sliding door, and locks the sliding door in a closed state, and a manual locking mechanism that locks the sliding door in the closed state by a manual operation. The automatic locking mechanism and the manual locking mechanism are secured on a common base plate on a vehicle body and integrated into one unit, so that the manual locking mechanism prevents an unlocking operation of the automatic locking mechanism in a locked state and holds the sliding door in the locked state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Patent number: 6912812
    Abstract: A side sliding door apparatus for an electric railcar includes a side sliding door suspended from a horizontal door rail with a C-shape cross-section. The side sliding door is capable of moving freely via a door roller, and a gap is formed between the door roller and a ceiling of the door rail. A guide roller with a smaller diameter than that of the door roller is provided adjacent to the door roller. A gap between the guide roller and the ceiling of the door rail is set to be smaller than that between the door roller and the ceiling of the door rail. Preferably, a gap adjusting mechanism is provided for adjusting the gap between the guide roller and the ceiling of the door rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Patent number: 6863001
    Abstract: A sliding door apparatus has a sliding door movably supported on a horizontal door rail for opening and closing an entrance of a vehicle, i.e. railroad car. The sliding door is locked when a latch member engages a fixing member disposed on the sliding door. When an emergency handle is operated, the latch member is released from the fixing member, and the sliding door can be opened manually. A motion of the emergency handle is directly transmitted to the latch member to release the latch member from the fixing member. Therefore, it is possible to operate the sliding door reliably without a problem associated with the flexible wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Patent number: 6854399
    Abstract: A side sliding door apparatus for an electric railcar includes two sliding doors movably supported by a horizontal door rail to open and close an entrance of the electric railcar. The side sliding door apparatus includes an actuator for actuating the sliding door, a locking mechanism for locking the sliding door in a closed state, and an unlocking mechanism for unlocking the sliding door locked by the locking mechanism. The actuator, the locking mechanism, and the unlocking mechanism are provided in each of the two sliding doors. The right and left actuators operate independently from each other, and thus, even if the actuator for one sliding door breaks down, the other sliding door still can be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Publication number: 20040255517
    Abstract: A side sliding door apparatus for an electric railcar includes a side sliding door suspended from a horizontal door rail with a C-shape cross-section. The side sliding door is capable of moving freely via a door roller, and a gap is formed between the door roller and a ceiling of the door rail. A guide roller with a smaller diameter than that of the door roller is provided adjacent to the door roller. A gap between the guide roller and the ceiling of the door rail is set to be smaller than that between the door roller and the ceiling of the door rail. Preferably, a gap adjusting mechanism is provided for adjusting the gap between the guide roller and the ceiling of the door rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2003
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Publication number: 20040211121
    Abstract: A side sliding door device is provided for a vehicle that opens and closes an entrance on a side of the vehicle by a sliding door movably supported on a horizontal door rail. The sliding door device includes an automatic locking mechanism that is interlocked with a closing operation of the sliding door, and locks the sliding door in a closed state, and a manual locking mechanism that locks the sliding door in the closed state by a manual operation. The automatic locking mechanism and the manual locking mechanism are secured on a common base plate on a vehicle body and integrated into one unit, so that the manual locking mechanism prevents an unlocking operation of the automatic locking mechanism in a locked state and holds the sliding door in the locked state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2003
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Applicant: FUJI ELECTRIC SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Patent number: 6662500
    Abstract: A door apparatus for opening and closing two doors supported on a horizontal door rail includes an actuator connected to one of the two doors for driving the same, a direction conversion mechanism connected to the other of the two doors for transmitting a movement of the actuator to the other door to move the same and having an engaging portion formed of a first stage and a second stage, and a locking mechanism having a latch engaging the direction conversion mechanism for locking the two doors and non-engaging the direction conversion mechanism for allowing the two doors to open. The latch engages the first stage of the engaging portion to semi-lock the doors to be able to open manually, and engages the second stage of the engaging portion to lock the doors completely.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Publication number: 20030126797
    Abstract: A door apparatus for opening and closing two doors supported on a horizontal door rail includes an actuator connected to one of the two doors for driving the same, a direction conversion mechanism connected to the other of the two doors for transmitting a movement of the actuator to the other door to move the same and having an engaging portion formed of a first stage and a second stage, and a locking mechanism having a latch engaging the direction conversion mechanism for locking the two doors and non-engaging the direction conversion mechanism for allowing the two doors to open. The latch engages the first stage of the engaging portion to semi-lock the doors to be able to open manually, and engages the second stage of the engaging portion to lock the doors completely.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2002
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Publication number: 20030106457
    Abstract: A side sliding door apparatus for an electric railcar includes two sliding doors movably supported by a horizontal door rail to open and close an entrance of the electric railcar. The side sliding door apparatus includes an actuator for actuating the sliding door, a locking mechanism for locking the sliding door in a closed state, and an unlocking mechanism for unlocking the sliding door locked by the locking mechanism. The actuator, the locking mechanism, and the unlocking mechanism are provided in each of the two sliding doors. The right and left actuators operate independently from each other, and thus, even if the actuator for one sliding door breaks down, the other sliding door still can be used.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2002
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Publication number: 20030106458
    Abstract: A sliding door apparatus has a sliding door movably supported on a horizontal door rail for opening and closing an entrance of a vehicle, i.e. railroad car. The sliding door is locked when a latch member engages a fixing member disposed on the sliding door. When an emergency handle is operated, the latch member is released from the fixing member, and the sliding door can be opened manually. A motion of the emergency handle is directly transmitted to the latch member to release the latch member from the fixing member. Therefore, it is possible to operate the sliding door reliably without a problem associated with the flexible wire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2002
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Inventor: Akio Inage
  • Patent number: 5758453
    Abstract: A door closing apparatus facilitates simultaneously opening of a pair of sliding doors by pulling a manual release wire. Specifically, by pulling the manual release wire, a belt 82 fixed to the manual release wire moves with belt pulleys and two hooks to contact and move respective movable frames to the opening directions thereof. Due to these movements, permanent magnets 31A, 31B rotate, through respective racks to release the holding of the closed doors. Thus, the sliding doors can be opened manually.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akio Inage