Patents by Inventor Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi

Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi 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).

  • Publication number: 20110241394
    Abstract: A vehicle seatback including a seatback frame provided with a pair of seatback side frame portions and a seatback upper frame portion that connects together upper end portions of the pair of seatback upper frame portions along the seat width direction, and a support member attached to the seatback frame. The support member is provided with a lower neck bearing portion covering the seatback upper frame portion, and a shoulder bearing portion disposed further towards the front than the seatback upper frame portion in the seat front-rear direction. When a load of a specific value or greater acts on the occupant towards the rear in the seat front-rear direction, the shoulder regions of the occupant are pressed against the shoulder bearing portion, suppressing movement of the occupant towards the rear in the seat front-rear direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi YAMAGUCHI, Makoto HASEGAWA
  • Publication number: 20110233974
    Abstract: A headrest device comprises a headrest body which includes a headrest rear portion supported with respect to a seatback of a seat on which a passenger of a vehicle sits, and a headrest front portion that is movable within a predetermined range from a fully closed position that is closest to the headrest rear portion to a fully open position that is farthest from the headrest rear portion; a detection unit which detects a running state or an operation state of the vehicle; a prediction unit which predicts a possibility of a rear vehicle collision with the vehicle on the basis of the running state or the operation state of the vehicle detected by detection unit; and a control unit which controls, in a case in which the possibility of the rear vehicle collision is predicted by the prediction unit, movement of a position of the headrest front portion so that a backset becomes smaller than a backset at the time of the prediction, the backset being a horizontal distance between the headrest front portion and a head
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2011
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi YAMAGUCHI, Kenzou YASUDA, Makoto HASEGAWA, Takeshi ITO, Eiji SHIMIZU, Satoshi NISHIKIDO
  • Patent number: 7758115
    Abstract: A headrest inclining apparatus for moving a headrest forward by a pressure generated when a passenger moves backward relative to a seat back, in which an energizing device is provided in a support bracket, and the upper part of the support bracket is always energized backward relative to a vehicle. The support bracket is always moved along a fixed path, and is not caught by other parts or devices when moving back into the holder. The support bracket is smoothly and securely returned into the holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignees: NHK Spring Co., Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Masato Ohchi
  • Patent number: 7673938
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a seat body having a seat back, a pair of left and right legs, a headrest coupled to the seat back at above the seat back through the pair of legs, load detecting means provided on the seat back and having a movable part that displaces in a predetermined direction upon undergoing a load from the front of the seat back; a first interacting member mechanically coupled to one leg of the pair and to the movable part of the load detecting means, to move one leg of the pair in conjunction with a displacement of the movable part caused upon undergoing the load, thereby displacing the headrest frontward, and a second interacting member mechanically coupled to the other leg of the pair and to the first interacting member, to move the other leg of the pair in conjunction with a movement of the first interacting member caused upon moving the one leg of the pair, thereby displacing the headrest frontward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignees: NHK Spring Co., Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Makoto Hasegawa, Masato Ohchi, Masaharu Tanino, Shinji Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20090261635
    Abstract: A headrest inclining apparatus for moving a headrest forward by a pressure generated when a passenger moves backward relative to a seat back, in which an energizing device is provided in a support bracket, and the upper part of the support bracket is always energized backward relative to a vehicle. The support bracket is always moved along a fixed path, and is not caught by other parts or devices when moving back into the holder. The support bracket is smoothly and securely returned into the holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2009
    Publication date: October 22, 2009
    Applicants: NHK SPRING CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Masato Ohchi
  • Patent number: 7523987
    Abstract: A vehicle seat comprises a head rest tilt mechanism which supports a head rest, a pressure receiving member contained in a seat back, and a speed increasing unit. The pressure receiving member moves rearward when it is pushed by the body of an occupant. The speed increasing unit has a base bracket, first and second arms, a roller, a pulley, etc. A part of a wire is wound in the shape of a U around the pulley. When the pressure receiving member moves rearward, the pulley moves to pull the wire. When the wire is pulled, the head rest tilt mechanism is driven to move a head rest body forward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7520363
    Abstract: A vehicle safety device (13) includes an actuator (17) which thrusts a hood (11) upward from underside at a point close to a rear end of the hood (11) to raise the same by a specific amount when an obstacle is detected, and a mechanical connector (21) which connects the rear end of the hood (11) to the vehicle body (12), the mechanical connector (21) being structured such that, when the actuator (17) raises the rear end of the hood (11), the mechanical connector (21) extends while swinging about a pivot (P) by which the mechanical connector (21) is joined to the vehicle body (12). The mechanical connector (21) includes a rod (24), and a locking part (26) having a through hole (32a) in which the rod (24) is inserted. The locking part (26) engages with the rod (24) in such a manner that the rod (24) can move in only one direction in which the rod (24) is extracted from the locking part (26), and the rod (24) is disengaged from the locking part (26) when turned about a longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Minoru Takakura, Eiji Shimizu, Yorimitsu Hirata, Mitsuru Wakiie, Arihiro Furumoto, Takashi Ebisugi
  • Patent number: 7484798
    Abstract: There is provided a car seat, including a seat body having a seat back and a headrest having a pair of legs for connecting the headrest to the seat back at the upper side; a load detecting section provided in the seat back, including a movable portion that moves in a predetermined direction when receiving a load from the seat front side; an elevating mechanism including a moving body that moves in a predetermined direction by interlocking with the movement of the movable portion, and a pair of interlocking members that respectively engage and interlocking with the moving body, one leg elevating due to the movement of one interlocking member, and the other leg elevating due to the movement of the other interlocking member; and a forward shifting section that shifts the headrest side of the pair of legs forward as the pair of legs elevates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20080061608
    Abstract: There is provided a car seat, including a seat body having a seat back and a headrest having a pair of legs for connecting the headrest to the seat back at the upper side; a load detecting section provided in the seat back, including a movable portion that moves in a predetermined direction when receiving a load from the seat front side; an elevating mechanism including a moving body that moves in a predetermined direction by interlocking with the movement of the movable portion, and a pair of interlocking members that respectively engage and interlocking with the moving body, one leg elevating due to the movement of one interlocking member, and the other leg elevating due to the movement of the other interlocking member; and a forward shifting section that shifts the headrest side of the pair of legs forward as the pair of legs elevates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2007
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7328916
    Abstract: In a knee protection system according to the present invention, a knee protection panel is driven from a standby position surrounded by an interior member to the vehicle rear side to a knee-protecting position in front of the knees of an occupant by a drive mechanism when the vehicle is crashing, whereby the knees moving forward are protected by the knee protection panel thus driven. The drive mechanism includes a holding portion for holding the knee protection panel in such a manner that the knee protection panel is moved rearward. Engagement portions are provided, respectively, at locations where the holding portion and the knee protection panel connect with each other in such a manner as to be brought into engagement with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tajima, Takahiko Sato, Akiyoshi Nagano, Masakazu Hashimoto, Osamu Fukawatase, Takeaki Kato, Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Tadanori Hisamoto, Shinichi Horibata
  • Publication number: 20080012381
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a seat body having a seat back, a pair of left and right legs, a headrest coupled to the seat back at above the seat back through the pair of legs, load detecting means provided on the seat back and having a movable part that displaces in a predetermined direction upon undergoing a load from the front of the seat back; a first interacting member mechanically coupled to one leg of the pair and to the movable part of the load detecting means, to move one leg of the pair in conjunction with a displacement of the movable part caused upon undergoing the load, thereby displacing the headrest frontward, and a second interacting member mechanically coupled to the other leg of the pair and to the first interacting member, to move the other leg of the pair in conjunction with a movement of the first interacting member caused upon moving the one leg of the pair, thereby displacing the headrest frontward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Makoto Hasegawa, Masato Ohchi, Masaharu Tanino, Shinji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7284794
    Abstract: A seat back comprises a support bracket in which a stay of a head rest is inserted, a guide bracket for supporting a rear surface of a vertically intermediate portion of the support bracket on the seat back frame, a head rest tilt mechanism, and a pressure receiving member which moves rearward when pushed by the body of an occupant. The head rest tilt mechanism includes slotted brackets each having a guide hole and slide members which individually movably engage the respective guide holes of the slotted brackets along the longitudinal direction thereof. The head rest tilt mechanism drives the sub-frame so that the head rest body tilts forward while moving upward as the slide members are moved upward along the guide holes when the pressure receiving member is moved rearward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Makoto Hasegawa, Takeshi Itoh
  • Patent number: 7246491
    Abstract: An actuator includes a hollow cylinder which has a first portion and a second portion. The inner diameter of the first portion is larger than that of the second portion. A piston is inserted in the cylinder. The actuator has a gas generator which supplies a gas into the cylinder to move the piston toward the first portion. The seal member keeps airtightness between the piston and the cylinder when the piston stays in the second portion and flows the gas when the piston stays in the first portion. A hollow stopper is arranged in the first portion and stops the piston. The stopper has a vent groove which is provided on the inner surface and connects the interior of the cylinder to the open end. A piston rod is jointed to the piston and housed in the cylinder. The piston rod moves along the axis with the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Minoru Takakura
  • Patent number: 7234769
    Abstract: When a vehicle is rear-ended and a seated user moves rearward in reaction to the rear-end collision, a load movement of a lumbar part of the seated user is sufficiently transmitted from a pressure plate of operating force generating means to an operating force generating mechanism, regardless of an amount of rearward tilting of a seat back. Then, a pressure roller serving as a driven member of the operating force generating mechanism largely deflects and sufficiently pulls inner cables of respective pulling cable devices, thereby smoothly moving both end portions of a headrest frame upward. As a result, the headrest frame is moved upward smoothly and reliably, and a headrest is moved in an upward-forward direction, that is, toward the head of the seated user smoothly and reliably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Takenaka, Masato Ohchi, Hiroshi Tamura, Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Makoto Hasegawa, Takeshi Itoh
  • Patent number: 7188868
    Abstract: In the seat belt pretensioner device according to the present invention, because the buckle is pulled by urging an intermediate point of the cable, it is possible to pull the seat belt and buckle by a required stroke with a relatively small stroke of the power actuator, and this contributes to a compact design of the device. Because the buckle can be pulled via a fixed point of a cable guide, the buckle and, hence, seat belt can be pulled in a stable manner, and a high level of reliability can be achieved. For instance when the power actuator comprises a piston rod that is pushed out by high pressure gas, because a high pressure gas can be produced with a relatively small device, the size and weight of the device can be minimized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7152881
    Abstract: An actuator of an active knee bolster is provided with a drive force generation device and a one way lock mechanism that is disposed in a vicinity of an operation end of the drive force generation device. The one way lock mechanism is configured such that, if attempted movement of a piston member in an inward insertion direction occurs, respective engagement portions are moved to a taper portion by urging force of a spring, whereby the engagement portions are abutted against an external periphery surface of the piston member such that the piston member and the engagement portions are fixed. Accordingly, as a result of the one way lock mechanism, a main body of the active knee bolster that has been moved to a restraining position cannot return in a vehicle forward direction, and thus it is possible to generate a substantial lower limb restraining force that restrains a lower limb of an occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Osamu Fukawatase, Takeaki Kato, Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Tadanori Hisamoto, Shinichi Horibata
  • Publication number: 20060213709
    Abstract: A vehicle safety device (13) includes an actuator (17) which thrusts a hood (11) upward from underside at a point close to a rear end of the hood (11) to raise the same by a specific amount when an obstacle is detected, and a mechanical connector (21) which connects the rear end of the hood (11) to the vehicle body (12), the mechanical connector (21) being structured such that, when the actuator (17) raises the rear end of the hood (11), the mechanical connector (21) extends while swinging about a pivot (P) by which the mechanical connector (21) is joined to the vehicle body (12). The mechanical connector (21) includes a rod (24), and a locking part (26) having a through hole (32a) in which the rod (24) is inserted. The locking part (26) engages with the rod (24) in such a manner that the rod (24) can move in only one direction in which the rod (24) is extracted from the locking part (26), and the rod (24) is disengaged from the locking part (26) when turned about a longitudinal axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2006
    Publication date: September 28, 2006
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Minoru Takakura, Eiji Shimizu, Yorimitsu Hirata, Mitsuru Wakiie, Arihiro Furumoto, Takashi Ebisugi
  • Publication number: 20060202525
    Abstract: A seat back comprises a support bracket in which a stay of a head rest is inserted, a guide bracket for supporting a rear surface of a vertically intermediate portion of the support bracket on the seat back frame, a head rest tilt mechanism, and a pressure receiving member which moves rearward when pushed by the body of an occupant. The head rest tilt mechanism includes slotted brackets each having a guide hole and slide members which individually movably engage the respective guide holes of the slotted brackets along the longitudinal direction thereof. The head rest tilt mechanism drives the sub-frame so that the head rest body tilts forward while moving upward as the slide members are moved upward along the guide holes when the pressure receiving member is moved rearward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Publication date: September 14, 2006
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Makoto Hasegawa, Takeshi Itoh
  • Publication number: 20060202524
    Abstract: A vehicle seat comprises a head rest tilt mechanism which supports a head rest, a pressure receiving member contained in a seat back, and a speed increasing unit. The pressure receiving member moves rearward when it is pushed by the body of an occupant. The speed increasing unit has a base bracket, first and second arms, a roller, a pulley, etc. A part of a wire is wound in the shape of a U around the pulley. When the pressure receiving member moves rearward, the pulley moves to pull the wire. When the wire is pulled, the head rest tilt mechanism is driven to move a head rest body forward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Publication date: September 14, 2006
    Inventor: Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 7044545
    Abstract: When a vehicle is rear-ended and a seated user moves rearward in reaction to the rear-end collision, a load generated by a rearward movement of a lumbar portion of the seated user is transmitted from a pressure plate of operating force generating means to an operating force generating mechanism. Then, a pressure roller of the operating force generating mechanism deflects and pulls inner cables of pulling cable devices, thereby moving both end portions of a headrest frame upward. As a result, the headrest frame is moved upward along with headrest supporting brackets smoothly and reliably, whereby a headrest attached to the headrest supporting brackets with headrest stays arranged between the headrest and the respective headrest supporting brackets is moved in the upward-forward direction, that is, toward the head of the seated user smoothly and reliably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Ohchi, Kenichi Takenaka, Hiroshi Tamura, Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi, Makoto Hasegawa, Takeshi Itoh