Patents by Inventor Etsuji Saito

Etsuji Saito 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: 6644687
    Abstract: In a head-protecting airbag apparatus where an airbag body inflated in a curtain configuration is mounted in a folded state along a roof side rail across at least a center pillar, the airbag body includes an upper portion folded in a bellows, and a lower portion subjected to one of turning-back performed toward an occupant compartment inner side and rolling-up performed towards the occupant compartment inner side. Accordingly, even when there is a vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion such as a slip joint in a vehicle, the airbag body is inflated and expanded so as to cover the vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion from the above or ride on the same. As a result, the lower portion of the airbag body is hard to be caught up by the vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion, thereby improving a expanding performance of the airbag body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Etsuji Saito, Minoru Chida
  • Publication number: 20020096864
    Abstract: In a head-protecting airbag apparatus where an airbag body inflated in a curtain configuration is mounted in a folded state along a roof side rail across at least a center pillar, the airbag body includes an upper portion folded in a bellows, and a lower portion subjected to one of turning-back performed toward an occupant compartment inner side and rolling-up performed towards the occupant compartment inner side. Accordingly, even when there is a vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion such as a slip joint in a vehicle, the airbag body is inflated and expanded so as to cover the vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion from the above or ride on the same. As a result, the lower portion of the airbag body is hard to be caught up by the vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion, thereby improving a expanding performance of the airbag body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2002
    Publication date: July 25, 2002
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Asano, Etsuji Saito, Minoru Chida, Kazuhiro Nagai, Hiroyuki Okamoto
  • Patent number: 6371512
    Abstract: In a head-protecting airbag apparatus where an airbag body inflated in a curtain configuration is mounted in a folded state along a roof side rail across at least a center pillar, the airbag body includes an upper portion folded in a bellows, and a lower portion subjected to one of turning-back performed toward an occupant compartment inner side and rolling-up performed towards the occupant compartment inner side. Accordingly, even when there is a vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion such as a slip joint in a vehicle, the airbag body is inflated and expanded so as to cover the vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion from the above or ride on the same. As a result, the lower portion of the airbag body is hard to be caught up by the vehicle occupant compartment inner side protrusion, thereby improving a expanding performance of the airbag body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Asano, Etsuji Saito, Minoru Chida, Kazuhiro Nagai, Hiroyuki Okamoto
  • Patent number: 6361069
    Abstract: A head-protection air-bag device includes a head-protection air-bag body that can be mounted in a folded state along a roof side rail, and is deployed like a curtain so as to cover at least a center pillar from the inside of a vehicle compartment. A deployment-direction regulator (e.g., a projecting portion of a center-pillar garnish) that regulates the deployment direction of the head-protection air-bag body toward the inside of the vehicle compartment is provided at a position above and adjacent to an interior projection of the vehicle compartment such as a slip joint at the center pillar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Etsuji Saito, Minoru Chida, Hiroshi Hasegawa, Katsuya Shimazu
  • Patent number: 6254123
    Abstract: A structure for mounting a head-protecting airbag body which inflates in the form of a curtain at least along a roof side rail across a B pillar is provided with an airbag body expansion direction restricting member which is disposed on the roof side rail in the vicinity of a upper end portion of a B pillar garnish covering the B pillar and has a guide wall extending toward the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish, and moving restricting portions which are disposed on the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish and the airbag body expansion direction restricting member and engage each other when a side collision occurs so as to restrict movement of the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish. When a vehicle body is deformed upon a slide collision, the upper end portion of the B pillar garnish attempts to move in a vehicle occupant compartment inner direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2001
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norio Urushi, Yoshiharu Furukawa, Hiroshi Ishiyama, Minoru Chida, Etsuji Saito, Kenichi Nakajima