Patents by Inventor Kohshi Katoh

Kohshi Katoh 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: 9873364
    Abstract: To improve steering operability in a driver's seat, and to improve posture maintaining capability at the time of turning in the driver's seat and a seat other than the driver's seat. In a vehicle seat including a seat, a seat backrest, and a headrest, the seat backrest has a seat backrest frame formed in a frame shape and a net disposed to stretch in the seat backrest frame. The net has a first string portion arranged radially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsutomu Hamabe, Kohshi Katoh
  • Patent number: 9802513
    Abstract: A seat includes a pivotally movable bottom, a pivotally movable backrest independent from the bottom, a first supporter suspending and supporting a front side of the bottom, and a second supporter suspending a rear side of the bottom from a side behind the backrest section, and pivotally movably supporting the bottom together with the first supporter. According to the seat, the front side and the rear side of the bottom are suspended and supported. Thus, compared to a seat in which a front side of a bottom is supported in a cantilever manner, the seat is capable of ensuring bearing capacity for a seating load. The rear side of the bottom is suspended and supported from a side behind the backrest section. Accordingly, a support structure around the bottom including the front side of the bottom can be downsized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHIA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kohshi Katoh, Eishi Takeuchi, Yasuhiro Suwa, Yasuhiro Inuzuka
  • Publication number: 20170267144
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a seatback. The seatback includes a main frame and a sub-frame suspended from the main frame. The sub-frame is configured to swivel with respect to the main frame. The sub-frame includes a first lateral member, a second lateral member separated from the first lateral member by a distance, and a reinforcement member coupling the first lateral member with the second lateral member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Carlos David GONZALEZ URIBE, Kohshi KATOH, Hikaru SATO
  • Publication number: 20170267145
    Abstract: A seatback of a vehicle seat includes a seatback frame and a backrest attached to the seatback frame. The backrest includes a first supporting area configured to receive a load of a shoulder of the occupant, and a second supporting area configured to receive a load of a spine area of the occupant. Support stiffness in the first supporting area for a vertical load is lower than that in the second supporting area. Support stiffness in the second supporting area for a shearing load is higher than that in the first supporting area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Carlos David GONZALEZ URIBE, Kohshi KATOH, Hikaru SATO
  • Patent number: 9714036
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a value corresponding to a steering operation during an autonomous driving, and a control unit configured to perform the autonomous driving and to control switching of a driving state between the autonomous driving and a manual driving. In a case where a first value corresponding to the steering operation is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and a second value corresponding to the steering operation before the driving state is switched from the autonomous driving in progress to the manual driving is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, the control unit decelerates the vehicle and switches the driving state from the autonomous driving in progress to the manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Yamaoka, Kohshi Katoh, Eishi Takeuchi, Tomoyuki Kuriyama, Hikaru Sato
  • Patent number: 9682682
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle seat including: a seat main body including a seating portion, a seat back that supports an upper body of the vehicle occupant seated on the seating portion, and a headrest that is provided at an upper side of the seat back and supports a head portion of the vehicle occupant; a seatbelt that restrains the upper body of the vehicle occupant with respect to the seat back; a belt guide portion that is provided at an upper portion of the seat back or at the headrest, and through which the seatbelt is inserted, and that guides the seatbelt; and a rotating portion that, following movement of a shoulder portion of the vehicle occupant, changes a direction of guiding the seatbelt by rotating the belt guide portion by external force applied due to tension of the seatbelt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norihisa Aoki, Kohshi Katoh, Eishi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 9669836
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a value corresponding to a steering operation during an autonomous driving, and a control unit configured to perform the autonomous driving and to control switching of a driving state between the autonomous driving and a manual driving. In a case where a first value corresponding to the steering operation is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and a second value corresponding to the steering operation before the driving state is switched from the autonomous driving in progress to the manual driving is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, the control unit decelerates the vehicle and switches the driving state from the autonomous driving in progress to the manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Yamaoka, Kohshi Katoh, Eishi Takeuchi, Tomoyuki Kuriyama, Hikaru Sato
  • Patent number: 9671782
    Abstract: There is provided an autonomous driving device that improves the convenience for a driver in the switching between autonomous driving and manual driving. When the driver discovers an obstacle which cannot be detected by an autonomous driving device, and performs a driving operation which causes a manual driving switching threshold value to be exceeded for an operation time less than or equal to an operation threshold value so as to avoid the obstacle, a control unit of the autonomous driving device switches autonomous driving to manual driving, and then the control unit switches manual driving to autonomous driving even if the driver does not perform an autonomous driving switching operation. For this reason, it is possible to improve the convenience for the driver in the switching between autonomous driving and manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Yamaoka, Kohshi Katoh, Eishi Takeuchi, Tomoyuki Kuriyama, Hikaru Sato
  • Patent number: 9566889
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a supporting member that supports a load of a seated person, a cushion frame, a rear pipe that is rotatably attached to the cushion frame, a lifter link that is fixed to the rear pipe, and a bracket that is rotatably attached to the rear pipe. An inclination of the cushion frame changes when the cushion frame is moved up and down by tilting the lifter link. The supporting member is connected to the rear pipe via the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignees: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hidetaka Nagayasu, Osamu Kaneko, Kohshi Katoh, Eishi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 9561782
    Abstract: The vehicle includes a seating section provided in a main body and configured such that a driver is able to take a seat by straddling the same, foot placement sections located beneath the seating section to be respectively provided at left and right positions of sides of the main body with the seating section interposed therebetween, feet of the seated driver being placed on the foot placement sections, and a grip section located in front of the seating section and disposed above the seating section, the grip section being gripped with a hand of the driver so as to be operated, an acceleration operation being performed by tilting the grip section in a forward direction, a deceleration operation being performed by tilting the grip section in a rearward direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kohshi Katoh, Kuniaki Gotou, Eishi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 9550440
    Abstract: A conveyance seat includes a seat frame; a seat pad; and a support body disposed based on a center portion of a distribution of a sitting pressure applied by a seated occupant to the seat pad. The support body is supported with respect to the seat frame such that a front end portion thereof is rotatable in a right-left direction about a straight line tilted upward in a direction from a front side toward a rear side, and a rear end portion thereof is movable in the right-left direction. The seat pad includes a fixed portion that is supported at a fixed position by the seat frame, and a movable portion that is supported by the support body such that the movable portion is movable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignees: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hidetaka Nagayasu, Kohshi Katoh, Eishi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 9511684
    Abstract: A vehicle seat control device includes a seat unit on which an occupant sits, a seat unit support mechanism that supports the seat unit such that a right side and a left side of the seat unit are capable of moving relative to each other in a vehicle up-down direction, a lock actuator for fixing the relative movement in the up-down direction of the seat unit supported by the seat unit support mechanism, and a seat ECU that controls the lock actuator so as to fix the seat unit in cases in which a predetermined fixing condition for fixing the seat unit has been satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsutomu Hamabe, Reiji Iwaihara, Kohshi Katoh, Eishi Takeuchi, Hikaru Sato
  • Publication number: 20160209841
    Abstract: There is provided an autonomous driving device that improves the convenience for a driver in the switching between autonomous driving and manual driving. When the driver discovers an obstacle which cannot be detected by an autonomous driving device, and performs a driving operation which causes a manual driving switching threshold value to be exceeded for an operation time less than or equal to an operation threshold value so as to avoid the obstacle, a control unit of the autonomous driving device switches autonomous driving to manual driving, and then the control unit switches manual driving to autonomous driving even if the driver does not perform an autonomous driving switching operation. For this reason, it is possible to improve the convenience for the driver in the switching between autonomous driving and manual driving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki YAMAOKA, Kohshi KATOH, Eishi TAKEUCHI, Tomoyuki KURIYAMA, Hikaru SATO
  • Publication number: 20160207536
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a value corresponding to a steering operation during an autonomous driving, and a control unit configured to perform the autonomous driving and to control switching of a driving state between the autonomous driving and a manual driving. In a case where a first value corresponding to the steering operation is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and a second value corresponding to the steering operation before the driving state is switched from the autonomous driving in progress to the manual driving is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, the control unit decelerates the vehicle and switches the driving state from the autonomous driving in progress to the manual driving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Publication date: July 21, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki YAMAOKA, Kohshi KATOH, Eishi TAKEUCHI, Tomoyuki KURIYAMA, Hikaru SATO
  • Publication number: 20160159254
    Abstract: A seat includes a pivotally movable bottom, a pivotally movable backrest independent from the bottom, a first supporter suspending and supporting a front side of the bottom, and a second supporter suspending a rear side of the bottom from a side behind the backrest section, and pivotally movably supporting the bottom together with the first supporter. According to the seat, the front side and the rear side of the bottom are suspended and supported. Thus, compared to a seat in which a front side of a bottom is supported in a cantilever manner, the seat is capable of ensuring bearing capacity for a seating load. The rear side of the bottom is suspended and supported from a side behind the backrest section. Accordingly, a support structure around the bottom including the front side of the bottom can be downsized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHIA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kohshi KATOH, Eishi TAKEUCHI, Yasuhiro SUWA, Yasuhiro INUZUKA
  • Patent number: 9272643
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle seat including a seat cushion configured to support a weight of a sitting passenger from below, and a seat back configured to support an upper body of the sitting passenger from a back side thereof. The seat back includes a seat back fixing part including a back frame which configures a frame of the seat back, and a seat back moving part configured to support the upper body of the passenger at a passenger sitting surface side of the seat back fixing part. The seat back moving part is supported to the seat back fixing part so as to be rotatable about an upper part thereof in a left-right direction which corresponds to lateral sides of the sitting passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignees: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hidetaka Nagayasu, Osamu Kaneko, Eishi Takeuchi, Kohshi Katoh
  • Publication number: 20160009199
    Abstract: A vehicle seat comprises a seat cushion frame configuring a frame member of a seat cushion, and a seat unit that is supported by the seat cushion frame and on which an occupant sits, that has a higher seating face rigidity in a seat front-rear direction than a seating face rigidity in a seat width direction, and that has the seating face rigidity in the seat width direction set lower at a seat front-rear direction rear side than at a seat front-rear direction front side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsutomu HAMABE, Kohshi KATOH, Eishi TAKEUCHI
  • Publication number: 20160009200
    Abstract: A vehicle seat includes: a main frame joined to a vehicle body floor; a rocking frame supported by the main frame so as to be rockable about an axis along a vehicle front-rear direction, the rocking frame fixed with a seat portion configured to support hips of a seated occupant; and a lap belt extending from a buckle via a member or directly and configured to be placed across the waist of the seated occupant to restrain the waist, the lap belt having an end portion fixed to the rocking frame or the seat portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kohshi KATOH, Eishi TAKEUCHI
  • Patent number: 9227685
    Abstract: Provided herein is a vehicle having high driving operability during turning. The vehicle having a right wheel provided at the right of a main body and a left wheel provided at the left of the main body, includes a right lower arm that connects the main body to the right wheel, a left lower arm that connects the main body to the left wheel, and foot placement sections that are respectively mounted to the right and left lower arms in order to place feet of a driver thereon. A mounting position of the right lower arm to the main body is to the left of the main body and a mounting position of the left lower arm to the main body is to the right of the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kohshi Katoh, Kuniaki Gotou, Eishi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: D807658
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Carlos David Gonzalez Uribe, Kohshi Katoh