Patents by Inventor Kensaku Honda

Kensaku Honda 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: 8770620
    Abstract: Inside of an airbag is partitioned by a partitioning member into an upstream inflation portion, which is inflated by a supply of gas, and a downstream inflation portion, which is inflated by inflow of the gas from the upstream inflation portion. The partitioning member includes a wide portion where an external force to be applied accompanying an occupant restraint by the airbag becomes largest. In the partitioning member, slits are formed at portions other than the wide portion. The slits cause the gas to flow into the downstream inflation portion from the upstream inflation portion upon the inflation of the airbag. The slits are opened by the force to increase the flow rate of the gas into the downstream inflation portion from the upstream inflation portion during the occupant restraint by the airbag compared to the gas flow rate before the occupant restraint by the airbag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Hotta, Yuji Sato, Kensaku Honda, Hitoshi Kawabe, Hiroshi Kato
  • Patent number: 8757657
    Abstract: A lateral partition is formed by a pair of structural fabric portions, each of which has a first peripheral portion and a second peripheral portion. The first peripheral portions of the structural fabric portions are each joined to one of main body fabric portions. The second peripheral portions of the structural fabric portions are joined to each other by a joint portion provided along the second peripheral portions. An inner tube extends over the upper inflation chamber and the lower inflation chamber, while intersecting with the lateral partition. A rear peripheral portion of a part of the inner tube is joined to the main body fabric portions by a part of the peripheral joint portion, and a front peripheral portion of the part is joined to the structural fabric portions by the joint portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Hotta, Yuji Sato, Kensaku Honda, Yoshiaki Goto, Eiji Sato, Takashi Iida, Akira Yamashita, Takuya Hiraiwa
  • Publication number: 20140151985
    Abstract: An airbag of a side airbag apparatus includes an upstream inflation portion, which inflates by inflation gas, and deploys frontward at a side of a vehicle seat. An opening is provided at a wall portion of the upstream inflation portion. A pressure regulator valve closes before an occupant is restrained by the upstream inflation portion, thereby restricting the inflation gas in the upstream inflation portion from flowing through the opening. Upon the occupant restraint, the pressure regulator valve cancels the restriction in response to a change in a tensed state of the dividing portion by an external force applied due to the restraint. A tear seam that connects valve body portions of the pressure regulator valve delays the opening time of the pressure regulator valve upon the occupant restraint by the upstream inflation portion relative to the opening time set only by the pressure regulator valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi HOTTA, Yuji SATO, Kensaku HONDA, Hitoshi KAWABE, Hiroshi KATO
  • Patent number: 8740246
    Abstract: An inflation portion of an airbag is divided by a partitioning member into an upstream inflation portion and a downstream inflation portion. Part of the partitioning member forms a pair of overlapping portions overlapped with each other in a band-like shape inside the upstream inflation portion. The overlapping portions are joined to each other by a joint portion located at a boundary between the overlapping portions and non-overlapping portions. The partitioning member includes an opening, which is formed by cancelling the joint between the overlapping portions by the joint portion, and a pressure regulating valve, which includes a pair of valve bodies, which sandwiches the opening. Stress relaxation portions are provided at the overlapping portions. The stress relaxation portions relax stress acting on parts of the joint portion that are adjacent to the opening as the pressure regulating valve is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Hotta, Yuji Sato, Kensaku Honda
  • Patent number: 8727376
    Abstract: An airbag includes an airbag body and an inner tube. The inner tube includes a gas upstream section located in an upstream region of an inflation gas stream fed from a gas generator and a gas outlet section that opens toward an inflatable region of the airbag body and feeds an inflation gas to the inflatable region. The gas outlet section includes a check valve section. The check valve section has a flexible and a generally tubular shape extending and opening toward the inflatable region due to pressure of an inflation gas so as to stream the inflation gas into the inflatable region. After the gas generator has finished discharging the inflation gas, the check valve section folds back toward the gas upstream section due to an internal pressure of the inflatable region and closes off the gas outlet section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Goto, Yasushi Masuda, Koji Kawamura, Hitoshi Kawabe, Kensaku Honda, Yuji Sato, Masashi Hotta
  • Patent number: 8720940
    Abstract: A side airbag apparatus includes an inflator, which generates inflation gas in response to an impact applied from a side of a seat of a vehicle, an airbag, which is deployed and inflated forward with inflation gas on a side of an occupant seated in the seat, and an accommodating portion, which accommodates the airbag folded into an accommodation state. The airbag in the accommodation state is formed through first and second folding operations in a state where the airbag is deployed but not inflated. In the first folding operation, an upper portion of the airbag is folded downward. In the second folding operation, which is after the first folding operation, the airbag is folded rearward from front.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kensaku Honda, Yuji Sato, Masahi Hotta
  • Patent number: 8714588
    Abstract: A side airbag apparatus has an inflatable portion, which is deployed and inflated on a side of a seat of a vehicle by inflation gas. The inflatable portion is divided into upstream and downstream sections by a partitioning member including a valve having an opening and a pair of valve body elements. Immediately after the beginning of the supplying of the gas, the valve body elements remain in contact with each other to close the valve. When the upstream section restrains an occupant, a force is exerted to the partitioning member by the occupant, which causes the partitioning member to warp and the valve body elements to be separated from each other to open the valve. The upstream section has a shoulder-protecting portion, which is deployed and inflated on a side of a region of the occupant including a rear end part and a middle part of a shoulder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kensaku Honda, Yuji Sato, Masashi Hotta
  • Patent number: 8714584
    Abstract: An airbag includes a check valve in a communication passage connecting a lumbar-region-protecting inflatable portion and a shoulder-protecting inflatable portion. The check valve restricts outflow of inflation gas from the lumbar-region-protecting inflatable portion to the shoulder-protecting inflatable portion. A pressure regulation valve, which has an internal opening and a pair of valve body elements, is provided in a partitioning member between the shoulder-protecting inflatable portion and a thorax-protecting inflatable portion. Before an occupant is restrained by the shoulder-protecting inflatable portion, the valve body elements are pressed and contact with each other by inflation gas in the shoulder-protecting inflatable portion, thereby restricting flow of inflation gas at the internal opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kensaku Honda, Yuji Sato, Masashi Hotta
  • Patent number: 8684399
    Abstract: A gas generator includes an inflator and a retainer. The retainer includes a holding portion, which partially covers the inflator. The inflator has an attaching protrusion for determining the position relative to the retainer. The retainer includes an engagement base and a tongue piece. The tongue piece extends in an axial direction of the inflator and from a position separated from the engagement base in the circumferential direction of the holding portion. The engagement base and the tongue piece each have an engagement portion. The engagement portions face each other to form an engagement space therebetween, into which the attaching protrusion enters. The engagement space has an inlet the width of which is less than the size of the positioning protrusion. When the inflator causes the positioning protrusion to increase the width of the inlet, the tongue piece is elastically deformed about a basal end of the tongue piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kensaku Honda, Yuji Sato, Takashi Iida, Yoshiaki Goto, Masashi Hotta, Eiji Sato, Akira Yamashita, Yoshihiko Hishiki, Yoshinari Takei, Kikuyo Izoe, Naoki Nimi, Toshihiro Hosoi
  • Patent number: 8684401
    Abstract: The airbag has a front portion, in which a front chamber is formed, a rear portion, in which a rear chamber is formed, and a partition, which partitions the front and rear chambers from each other. The partition has a communication passage for connecting the front and rear chambers to communicate to each other. A pressure regulating valve is located in the passage. At an early stage of a supply period during which an inflator supplies inflation gas to the airbag, the valve is closed to restrict flow of the inflation gas from the rear chamber to the front chamber via the passage. The valve is opened during the supply period to permit the inflation gas to flow therethrough. A front portion of the airbag is roll-folded, while a rear portion is accordion-folded. The airbag front portion and the airbag rear portion are located in front of the inflator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Shibayama, Michiyasu Ito, Yuji Sato, Kensaku Honda, Masashi Hotta
  • Publication number: 20140084571
    Abstract: Inside of an airbag is partitioned by a partitioning member into an upstream inflation portion, which is inflated by a supply of gas, and a downstream inflation portion, which is inflated by inflow of the gas from the upstream inflation portion. The partitioning member includes a wide portion where an external force to be applied accompanying an occupant restraint by the airbag becomes largest. In the partitioning member, slits are formed at portions other than the wide portion. The slits cause the gas to flow into the downstream inflation portion from the upstream inflation portion upon the inflation of the airbag. The slits are opened by the force to increase the flow rate of the gas into the downstream inflation portion from the upstream inflation portion during the occupant restraint by the airbag compared to the gas flow rate before the occupant restraint by the airbag.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Masashi HOTTA, Yuji SATO, Kensaku HONDA, Hitoshi KAWABE, Hiroshi KATO
  • Publication number: 20140084570
    Abstract: An airbag apparatus includes an airbag, a retainer secured to the airbag, and an elongated inflator attached to the retainer. The inflator discharges gas for inflating the airbag. The retainer includes an attaching protrusion, which protrudes in a direction intersecting an axis of the inflator and secures the retainer to a vehicle together with the airbag. The inflator includes an attaching protrusion, which protrudes in the direction intersecting the axis and secures the inflator to the vehicle together with the retainer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi HOTTA, Yuji SATO, Kensaku HONDA, Yoshiaki GOTO, Akira YAMASHITA
  • Patent number: 8656507
    Abstract: An information management apparatus includes: a registration unit, a condition storage, a determination unit, a transmission unit and a deletion unit. The registration unit registers electronic information in association with access right information representing whether a user has an access right. The condition storage stores a condition for prohibiting an access to the electronic information registered by the registration unit on the basis of an administrator's right for the apparatus. The determination unit determines whether the changed access right information satisfies the condition stored in the condition storage. The transmission unit transmits the electronic information to a transmission destination in a case where the determination unit determines that the access right information of the electronic information satisfies the condition. The deletion unit deletes the electronic information stored in a transmission source after the electronic information is transmitted by the transmission unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kensaku Honda
  • Publication number: 20140042735
    Abstract: An inflation portion of an airbag, which is inflated by inflation gas, is partitioned into an upstream inflation portion and a downstream inflation portion via a partition member. When being tensioned in a planar manner, the partition member has a length in a longitudinal direction that is longer than a length in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. A pressure regulating valve that is closed at an early stage of a supply period of the inflation gas to the inflation portion and is opened from the middle of the supply period includes a slit-like inner opening that is provided on the partition member and extends in the transverse direction and a pair of valve body portions that are provided around the inner opening and are selectively positioned close to and separated from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji SHIBAYAMA, Kensaku HONDA, Yuji SATO, Michiyasu ITO, Masashi HOTTA, Masashi AOKI, Daisuke YAMAMURA
  • Publication number: 20140008903
    Abstract: An airbag includes a high pressure expansion chamber, a low pressure expansion chamber, and a communication passage, which connects the high pressure expansion chamber and the low pressure expansion chamber to each other. A gas supply port, which supplies inflation gas into the airbag, is located inside the low pressure expansion chamber to discharge the inflation gas toward the inside of the communication passage. The communication passage extends from the edge of a communication port, which connects the high pressure expansion chamber and the low pressure expansion chamber, toward the inside of the high pressure expansion chamber. At deployment and inflation of the airbag, the communication passage is located between a seam formed at the outer periphery of the base fabric sheet of the airbag and the gas supply port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Inventors: Masashi HOTTA, Yuji SATO, Kensaku HONDA, Yoshiaki GOTO, Takashi IIDA, Akira YAMASHITA, Masaaki OKUHARA
  • Publication number: 20130341892
    Abstract: A gas generator includes an inflator and a retainer. The retainer includes a holding portion, which partially covers the inflator. The inflator has an attaching protrusion for determining the position relative to the retainer. The retainer includes an engagement base and a tongue piece. The tongue piece extends in an axial direction of the inflator and from a position separated from the engagement base in the circumferential direction of the holding portion. The engagement base and the tongue piece each have an engagement portion. The engagement portions face each other to form an engagement space therebetween, into which the attaching protrusion enters. The engagement space has an inlet the width of which is less than the size of the positioning protrusion. When the inflator causes the positioning protrusion to increase the width of the inlet, the tongue piece is elastically deformed about a basal end of the tongue piece.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Inventors: Kensaku HONDA, Yuji SATO, Takashi IIDA, Yoshiaki GOTO, Masashi HOTTA, Eiji SATO, Akira YAMASHITA, Yoshihiko HISHIKI, Yoshinari TAKEI, Kikuyo IZOE, Naoki NIMI, Toshihiro HOSOI
  • Publication number: 20130341896
    Abstract: An inflation portion of an airbag is divided by a partitioning member into an upstream inflation portion and a downstream inflation portion. Part of the partitioning member forms a pair of overlapping portions overlapped with each other in a band-like shape inside the upstream inflation portion. The overlapping portions are joined to each other by a joint portion located at a boundary between the overlapping portions and non-overlapping portions. The partitioning member includes an opening, which is formed by cancelling the joint between the overlapping portions by the joint portion, and a pressure regulating valve, which includes a pair of valve bodies, which sandwiches the opening. Stress relaxation portions are provided at the overlapping portions. The stress relaxation portions relax stress acting on parts of the joint portion that are adjacent to the opening as the pressure regulating valve is opened.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Inventors: Masashi HOTTA, Yuji SATO, Kensaku HONDA
  • Patent number: 8608198
    Abstract: An inflation portion of an airbag, which is inflated by inflation gas, is partitioned into an upstream inflation portion and a downstream inflation portion via a partition member. When being tensioned in a planar manner, the partition member has a length in a longitudinal direction that is longer than a length in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. A pressure regulating valve that is closed at an early stage of a supply period of the inflation gas to the inflation portion and is opened from the middle of the supply period includes a slit-like inner opening that is provided on the partition member and extends in the transverse direction and a pair of valve body portions that are provided around the inner opening and are selectively positioned close to and separated from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Shibayama, Kensaku Honda, Yuji Sato, Michiyasu Ito, Masashi Hotta, Masashi Aoki, Daisuke Yamamura
  • Publication number: 20130244698
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a controller that performs a control for storing, in a case where an instruction for storage of management target information is performed, the management target information and for matching, for storage in a storage area, region information indicating a predetermined range of regions that includes a place where the instruction is performed with storage location information indicating a storage location where the management target information is stored, a receiving unit that receives specified place information indicating a specified place, and a presentation unit that presents, in a case where region information corresponding to the specified place information received by the receiving unit is stored in the storage area, the storage location information matched with the region information corresponding to the specified place information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Applicant: FUJI XEROX CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kago TAI, Kensaku HONDA
  • Publication number: 20130234421
    Abstract: A side airbag apparatus includes an inflator, which generates inflation gas in response to an impact applied from a side of a seat of a vehicle, an airbag, which is deployed and inflated forward with inflation gas on a side of an occupant seated in the seat, and an accommodating portion, which accommodates the airbag folded into an accommodation state. The airbag in the accommodation state is formed through first and second folding operations in a state where the airbag is deployed but not inflated. In the first folding operation, an upper portion of the airbag is folded downward. In the second folding operation, which is after the first folding operation, the airbag is folded rearward from front.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kensaku Honda, Yuji Sato, Masashi Hotta