Patents by Inventor Kazuhiko Aihara

Kazuhiko Aihara 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: 8240591
    Abstract: In a webbing retractor, due to operation of a pretensioner mechanism, a stopper wire is moved, and second lock pawls of a second lock base mesh-together with an inner ratchet of a lock ring. In this way, a limit load by a torsion shaft can be switched to a high load. Therefore, immediately after operation of the pretensioner mechanism, the limit load by the torsion shaft can be made to be to the high load, and the limit load can be made to be the high load at an early stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Aihara, Teruhiko Koide
  • Patent number: 8118249
    Abstract: In a webbing winder, when a webbing belt is wound around a spool, a V gear is rotated in a winding direction together with a W pawl, a friction spring, and a contact member, thereby generating a frictional force between the contact member and a sensor holder. As a consequence, the friction spring and the contact member are located at a restriction position, so that the friction spring engages with an engaging surface of the W pawl. Therefore, even if the spool and the V gear are rapidly and slightly rotated in a withdrawal direction in reaction when the webbing belt is completely wound by the spool, the W pawl cannot mesh with a ratchet gear formed at the sensor holder due to the restriction of oscillation of the W pawl, thus preventing any end lock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Aihara, Akira Sumiyashiki
  • Patent number: 7971820
    Abstract: A webbing take-up device comprising: a take-up shaft that takes up a webbing belt; a metal frame that axially supports the take-up shaft; and a lock mechanism comprising a lock plate that blocks rotation in the pullout direction of the webbing of the take-up shaft by engaging the take-up shaft directly or indirectly. The lock plate is formed by performing press-punch and press-bend processing on a metal plate and has a connecting portion formed so that one end side thereof is continuous with a lock, which engages the take-up shaft. The connecting portion spans between one side and the other side of the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yasuho Kitazawa, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Yasuda, Kazuhiko Aihara, Toshio Nakashima, Tomonori Nagata
  • Patent number: 7758074
    Abstract: A webbing retractor is provided that reduces the amount of webbing that is pulled-out after operation of a pretensioner mechanism. In a webbing retractor 10, a lock pawl 78 is set in a non-meshable state in which it cannot mesh with a lock gear 26. At a time when a pretensioner mechanism 34 operates and a clutch plate 42 rotates in a take-up direction, a lock stopper 86 rotates together with the clutch plate 42 and releases engagement with the lock pawl 78. Therefore, the lock pawl 78 is rotated by a compression coil spring 70 and changed to a meshable state. In this way, immediately after rotational force in a pull-out direction is applied to the lock gear 26 due to load from a vehicle occupant after operation of the pretensioner mechanism 34, the lock pawl 78 meshes with the lock gear 26, and pulling-out of a webbing 20 is impeded. Therefore, an amount of the webbing 20 which is pulled-out can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Hitoshi Takamatsu, Tomonori Nagata, Kazuhiko Aihara, Masaki Yasuda, Toshio Nakashima
  • Patent number: 7735767
    Abstract: A webbing take-up device (10, 100) is disclosed, wherein a motor (44) is provided directly below a take-up shaft (20) between a pair of leg plates (16, 18) with a rotary shaft (50) of the motor (44) disposed perpendicularly to the take-up shaft (20), and a clutch (26) is provided at one side of one leg plate (16). Further, a gear (76) of a motor gear portion (46) is removably connected to a worm gear (34) in a clutch gear portion (28), and a mounting stay (84) is detachably attached to a case (30) with screws (86), so that the motor (44) and the motor gear portion (46) can be detached independently of the case (30) while still being assembled together. Still further, a pretensioner mechanism (156) and a sensor mechanism (182) are provided at one end side of a spool (118), and an urging mechanism (136) is disposed at the other end side thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Takuhiro Saito, Katsuki Asagiri, Shuichi Harada, Shinji Mori, Fuminori Komiya, Tomonori Kimura, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Tomonori Nagata, Kazuhiko Aihara, Masaki Yasuda
  • Patent number: 7731117
    Abstract: A webbing winding device includes a spool, a pair of leg plates, a torsion shaft, a first locking mechanism, a second locking mechanism, and a control mechanism. A webbing belt is wound onto the spool. The two leg plates oppose one another in an axial direction of the spool. The torsion shaft is provided passing through the spool and deforms when a torque is applied to the spool. The first locking mechanism, at the side of one of the leg plates, restricts rotation of the spool in an unwinding direction. The second locking mechanism, at the side of the other of the leg plates, switches from a lock-release state to a locking state, and restricts rotation of the torsion shaft in the unwinding direction. The control mechanism is provided passing through the spool and causes the second locking mechanism to switch into the locking state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Masaki Yasuda, Kazuhiko Aihara, Takashi Ono
  • Patent number: 7717367
    Abstract: In a pretensioner device, engaging teeth of a pinion (rotating body) have first projections which project-out toward the other side in the peripheral direction of a cam portion. Meshing claws of a clutch plate have second projections which project-out toward a one side in the peripheral direction of the cam portion, and whose gear portion side end surfaces face the first projections. In a state before operation of the pretensioner device, movement of the clutch plate toward one side in the axial direction with respect to the pinion is restricted due to the second projections engaging with the first projections. Accordingly, in the pretensioner device, in the state before operation, even if some type of external force is applied to the clutch plate, positional offset of the clutch plate toward the one side in the axial direction with respect to the pinion can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yasuho Kitazawa, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Yasuda, Kazuhiko Aihara, Toshio Nakashima, Tomonori Nagata
  • Patent number: 7624940
    Abstract: A webbing retractor which can prevent gas, which is for rotating a take-up shaft in a take-up direction, from affecting other structural parts. In the webbing retractor, when a pretensioner mechanism operates, gas for operation within a cylinder is exhausted toward a pinion via a gas venting hole formed in a flange portion of a piston. Because a blocking wall is provided between the pinion and an acceleration sensor, exhausted gas passes between the pinion and the blocking wall, and is exhausted to an outer side of the webbing retractor from an upper end side of a cover plate or the like. In this way, blowing-out of the exhausted gas onto the acceleration sensor is blocked, and the exhausted gas can be prevented from affecting the acceleration sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yasuho Kitazawa, Tomonori Nagata, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Yasuda, Toshio Nakashima, Kazuhiko Aihara
  • Publication number: 20090218432
    Abstract: In a webbing winder, when a webbing belt is wound around a spool, a V gear is rotated in a winding direction together with a W pawl, a friction spring, and a contact member, thereby generating a frictional force between the contact member and a sensor holder. As a consequence, the friction spring and the contact member are located at a restriction position, so that the friction spring engages with an engaging surface of the W pawl. Therefore, even if the spool and the V gear are rapidly and slightly rotated in a withdrawal direction in reaction when the webbing belt is completely wound by the spool, the W pawl cannot mesh with a ratchet gear formed at the sensor holder due to the restriction of oscillation of the W pawl, thus preventing any end lock.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Publication date: September 3, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Aihara, Akira Sumiyashiki
  • Patent number: 7546968
    Abstract: A fixture is disclosed which can reliably attach an attachment member, such as a cylinder, to an attachment site, such as a frame. The fixture includes a fixing portion, which faces the attachment site at the side of the attachment site and is fixed to the attachment site, and a contact portion, which is disposed at the side opposite from the attachment site, with the attachment member therebetween. The contact portion is integrally coupled to the fixing portion, point-contacts or line-contacts the attachment member, and is configured to push the attachment member to the attachment site in a state where the fixing portion is fixed to the attachment site. A webbing take-up device including this fixture is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yasuho Kitazawa, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Yasuda, Kazuhiko Aihara, Toshio Nakashima, Tomonori Nagata
  • Publication number: 20090126489
    Abstract: In an acceleration sensor, the magnitude of an acceleration of the vehicle is a predetermined value or more, a ball is moved laterally and upward along a supporting surface to rotate a lever upward. Even when the installing angle of a holder sensor is changed according to the type of the vehicle, engaging teeth of a bracket which mesh meshing teeth of the holder sensor are changed. So, the center axis of the supporting surface can be arranged parallel to the up-and-down direction to maintain the detecting performance of the acceleration of the vehicle. Therefore, the change of the bracket according to the type of the vehicle can be unnecessary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2008
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Akira Sumiyashiki, Kazuhiko Aihara
  • Publication number: 20080087754
    Abstract: In a webbing retractor, due to operation of a pretensioner mechanism, a stopper wire is moved, and second lock pawls of a second lock base mesh-together with an inner ratchet of a lock ring. In this way, a limit load by a torsion shaft can be switched to a high load. Therefore, immediately after operation of the pretensioner mechanism, the limit load by the torsion shaft can be made to be to the high load, and the limit load can be made to be the high load at an early stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Kazuhiko AIHARA, Teruhiko KOIDE
  • Patent number: 7338003
    Abstract: A webbing take-up device is disclosed which includes a take-up shaft onto which a webbing is mound, and a mounting member nondetachably mounted to the take-up shaft by screw tightening. The take-up shaft and the mounting member are engaged with each other at a portion other than a portion where the screw tightening is carried out, thereby preventing relative rotation of the take-up shaft and the mounting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai-Rika-Denki-Seisakusho
    Inventors: Hitoshi Takamatsu, Tomonori Nagata, Kazuhiko Aihara, Masaki Yasuda
  • Publication number: 20070290496
    Abstract: An amount of webbing that is pulled-out after operation of a pretensioner mechanism is reduced. In a webbing retractor 10, a lock pawl 78 is set in a non-meshable state in which it cannot mesh with a lock gear 26. At a time when a pretensioner mechanism 34 operates and a clutch plate 42 rotates in a take-up direction, a lock stopper 86 rotates together with the clutch plate 42 and releases engagement with the lock pawl 78. Therefore, the lock pawl 78 is rotated by a compression coil spring 70 and changed to a meshable state. In this way, immediately after rotational force in a pull-out direction is applied to the lock gear 26 due to load from a vehicle occupant after operation of the pretensioner mechanism 34, the lock pawl 78 meshes with the lock gear 26, and pulling-out of a webbing 20 is impeded. Therefore, an amount of the webbing 20 which is pulled-out can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Hitoshi Takamatsu, Tomonori Nagata, Kazuhiko Aihara, Masaki Yasuda, Toshio Nakashima
  • Publication number: 20070278338
    Abstract: A webbing take-up device (10, 100) is disclosed, wherein a motor (44) is provided directly below a take-up shaft (20) between a pair of leg plates (16, 18) with a rotary shaft (50) of the motor (44) disposed perpendicularly to the take-up shaft (20), and a clutch (26) is provided at one side of one leg plate (16). Further, a gear (76) of a motor gear portion (46) is removably connected to a worm gear (34) in a clutch gear portion (28), and a mounting stay (84) is detachably attached to a case (30) with screws (86), so that the motor (44) and the motor gear portion (46) can be detached independently of the case (30) while still being assembled together. Still further, a pretensioner mechanism (156) and a sensor mechanism (182) are provided at one end side of a spool (118), and an urging mechanism (136) is disposed at the other end side thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2005
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKE-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Takuhiro Saito, Katsuki Asagiri, Shuichi Harada, Shinji Mori, Fuminori Komiya, Tomonori Kimura, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Tomonori Nagata, Kazuhiko Aihara, Masaki Yasuda
  • Publication number: 20070001047
    Abstract: A webbing winding device includes a spool, a pair of leg plates, a torsion shaft, a first locking mechanism, a second locking mechanism, and a control mechanism. A webbing belt is wound onto the spool. The two leg plates oppose one another in an axial direction of the spool. The torsion shaft is provided passing through the spool and deforms when a torque is applied to the spool. The first locking mechanism, at the side of one of the leg plates, restricts rotation of the spool in an unwinding direction. The second locking mechanism, at the side of the other of the leg plates, switches from a lock-release state to a locking state, and restricts rotation of the torsion shaft in the unwinding direction. The control mechanism is provided passing through the spool and causes the second locking mechanism to switch into the locking state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2006
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Masaki Yasuda, Kazuhiko Aihara, Takashi Ono
  • Publication number: 20060208475
    Abstract: In a pretensioner device, engaging teeth of a pinion (rotating body) have first projections which project-out toward the other side in the peripheral direction of a cam portion. Meshing claws of a clutch plate have second projections which project-out toward a one side in the peripheral direction of the cam portion, and whose gear portion side end surfaces face the first projections. In a state before operation of the pretensioner device, movement of the clutch plate toward one side in the axial direction with respect to the pinion is restricted due to the second projections engaging with the first projections. Accordingly, in the pretensioner device, in the state before operation, even if some type of external force is applied to the clutch plate, positional offset of the clutch plate toward the one side in the axial direction with respect to the pinion can be prevented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2006
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Yasuho Kitazawa, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Yasuda, Kazuhiko Aihara, Toshio Nakashima, Tomonori Nagata
  • Publication number: 20060186252
    Abstract: A webbing take-up device comprising: a take-up shaft that takes up a webbing belt; a metal frame that axially supports the take-up shaft; and a lock mechanism comprising a lock plate that blocks rotation in the pullout direction of the webbing of the take-up shaft by engaging the take-up shaft directly or indirectly. The lock plate is formed by performing press-punch and press-bend processing on a metal plate and has a connecting portion formed so that one end side thereof is continuous with a lock, which engages the take-up shaft. The connecting portion spans between one side and the other side of the frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Yasuho Kitazawa, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Yasuda, Kazuhiko Aihara, Toshio Nakashima, Tomonori Nagata
  • Publication number: 20060186249
    Abstract: A holding structure for holding a member to be held that is provided in a holding element by the holding element. The holding structure comprises a holding pawl which is provided in the holding element, having a basal part positioned on the lateral side of the member to be held as well as a pawl part provided in the tip part of the basal part, and with which the pawl part engages with the member to be held, thereby holding the member to be held; and restriction means which, when the basal part is deformed in a direction in which it separates from the member to be held, engages with the holding pawl for restricting the deformation of the basal part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Yasuho Kitazawa, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Yasuda, Kazuhiko Aihara, Toshio Nakashima, Tomonori Nagata
  • Publication number: 20060186251
    Abstract: A lock plate (46) chatter preventing structure which, under a predetermined condition, directly or indirectly engages with a take-up shaft that takes up a passenger-restraining webbing belt to deter the rotation of the take-up shaft in a webbing belt pullout direction. The lock plate chatter preventing structure includes: a support member that rotatably supports the lock plate (46); and an urging portion (128) formed continuously from the support member. The urging portion includes a leading end (128B) that pressingly contacts one axial-direction end portion (116) of the lock plate and urges the lock plate toward the other axial-direction end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Yasuho Kitazawa, Hitoshi Takamatsu, Masaki Yasuda, Kazuhiko Aihara, Toshio Nakashima, Tomonori Nagata