Patents by Inventor Koji Okumura

Koji Okumura 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: 20220268605
    Abstract: An electromagnetic wave sensor cover, applied to an electromagnetic wave sensor including a transmission unit and a reception unit, includes a cover main body portion that covers the transmission unit and the reception unit. The cover main body portion includes: a base material formed of a resin material and having a transmission property of an electromagnetic wave from the transmission unit; an undercoat layer formed on a rear surface of the base material and having the transmission property of the electromagnetic wave from the transmission unit; a heater portion that is formed of copper in a band shape on a rear surface of the undercoat layer, is configured to generate heat by being energized, and adheres to the base material via the undercoat layer; and a SiO2 coating film having the transmission property of the electromagnetic wave from the transmission unit and covering the heater portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2022
    Publication date: August 25, 2022
    Inventors: Risa HIRANO, Koji OKUMURA, Koji FUKAGAWA, Hiroaki ANDO
  • Patent number: 11385176
    Abstract: In a cover device for a near-infrared sensor, a plate-shaped cover is arranged in a vehicle such that near-infrared light transmitted from a near-infrared sensor passes through the cover in the thickness direction. A part of the cover in the thickness direction is constituted by a bright decorative layer, which reflects part of incident visible light and allows near-infrared light to pass through. The cover is configured such that the near-infrared light transmittance is higher than the visible light transmittance. The vehicle further includes a light emitting portion, which emits visible light to the cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Okumura, Shintarou Okawa, Hiroaki Ando, Hirotaka Fukui, Yoshiharu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11366218
    Abstract: A vehicle sensor unit includes a millimeter wave radar device, an infrared sensor that is arranged at a position adjacent to the millimeter wave radar device, and a cover having a first cover portion and a second cover portion. The first cover portion is located in front of the millimeter wave radar device in a transmission direction of the millimeter waves to conceal the millimeter wave radar device and has millimeter wave transparency. The second cover portion is located in front of the infrared sensor in a transmission direction of the infrared light to conceal the infrared sensor and has infrared light transparency. The millimeter wave radar device and the infrared sensor are attached to the cover so that the whole vehicle sensor unit is configured as a single unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Takahashi, Koji Sakurai, Akihiro Misawa, Tadaoki Ichikawa, Hideto Maeda, Koji Okumura, Yasuhito Takeuchi, Shintaro Okawa, Hiroaki Ando, Yoshinori Yoshizawa
  • Publication number: 20220134964
    Abstract: An emblem (30) (vehicle decorative part) includes a decorative main body (31) and a heater (55). The decorative main body (31) is configured to be attached to a vehicle at a front side in a transmission direction of millimeter waves from a millimeter wave radar to decorate the vehicle and has a millimeter wave transparency. The heater (55) has a heating element (57) that emits heat when energized. At least a part of the heating element (57) is located in a irradiation region (Z1) of the millimeter waves in the heater (55). As a millimeter wave attenuation reducing configuration that reduces attenuation of the millimeter waves passing through the heater (55), the heating element (57) is incorporated in the heater (55) in a condition where an area proportion of an area of a section of the heating element (57) that occupies the irradiation region (Z1) to an area of the irradiation region (Z1) is set such that an attenuation amount of the millimeter waves is less than or equal to a permissible value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2022
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Koji OKUMURA, Hideto MAEDA
  • Publication number: 20220137229
    Abstract: A first fastening portion is provided on a surface on the inner side of a sensor cover. A first support portion is provided around an opening of an exterior component. The first fastening portion is fastened to the first support portion, with the first fastening portion being allowed to be unfastened from the first support portion. The exterior component includes a tubular wall portion. The tubular wall portion includes an attaching hole. Part of the near-infrared sensor is arranged inside the tubular wall portion through an attaching hole of the tubular wall portion. The near-infrared sensor includes a second fastening portion. The exterior component includes a second support portion on or outside the tubular wall portion. The second fastening portion is fastened to the second support portion, with the second fastening portion being allowed to be unfastened from the second support portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Akihiro HIROSE, Koji OKUMURA
  • Patent number: 11298917
    Abstract: A decorative member includes: a transparent resin layer provided on a rear surface thereof with a general portion, a stepped portion recessed or protrudingly provided with respect to the general portion, and an inclination portion provided between the stepped portion and the general portion; and a decorative layer provided on the rear surface, wherein: an inclination angle of the inclination portion with respect to a normal line of the general portion is equal to or more than 25° and is equal to or less than 40°; a width of the inclination portion is large beyond 0.38 mm and is equal to or less than 1 mm; and the decorative layer includes: a first layer that covers the stepped portion of the rear surface; and a second layer that covers a part of the rear surface, which is not covered by at least the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignees: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD., SHINKO NAMEPLATE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Okumura, Hideto Maeda, Tatsuya Oba, Daiichiro Kawashima, Mitsuo Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11267410
    Abstract: A vehicle decorative part includes a decorative main body and a heater. The decorative main body is configured to be attached to a vehicle at a front side in a transmission direction of millimeter waves from a millimeter wave radar and has a millimeter wave transparency. The heater has a heating element that emits heat when energized. At least a part of the heating element is located in an irradiation region of the millimeter waves in the heater. As a millimeter wave attenuation reducing configuration that reduces attenuation of the millimeter waves passing through the heater, the heating element is incorporated in the heater in a condition where an area proportion of an area of a section of the heating element that occupies the irradiation region to an area of the irradiation region is set such that an attenuation amount of the millimeter waves is less than or equal to a permissible value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Okumura, Hideto Maeda
  • Publication number: 20220035024
    Abstract: A vehicle decorative part includes a decorative main body and a heater. The decorative main body is configured to be attached to a vehicle at a front side in a transmission direction of millimeter waves from a millimeter wave radar and has a millimeter wave transparency. The heater has a heating element that emits heat when energized. At least a part of the heating element is located in an irradiation region of the millimeter waves in the heater. As a millimeter wave attenuation reducing configuration that reduces attenuation of the millimeter waves passing through the heater, the heating element is incorporated in the heater in a condition where an area proportion of an area of a section of the heating element that occupies the irradiation region to an area of the irradiation region is set such that an attenuation amount of the millimeter waves is less than or equal to a permissible value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Koji OKUMURA, Hideto MAEDA
  • Patent number: 11193831
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a near-infrared sensor cover includes a film setting step. The film setting step includes setting a heater film on a first molding die and setting a hard coating film on a second molding die. The method for manufacturing a near-infrared sensor cover further includes a base molding step for molding a base including clamping a mold, injecting molten plastic into a gap between the heater film and the hard coating film, and curing the molten plastic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignees: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD., NISSHA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Okumura, Koji Fukagawa, Hiroyuki Konishi, Tatsuo Ito
  • Publication number: 20210148761
    Abstract: A near-infrared sensor cover includes a cover body having transmissiveness to near-infrared rays. The cover body includes a base and a heater unit. The heater unit is arranged rearward of the base in a transmission direction of the near-infrared rays and includes a wire-like heating element. The heating element is configured to generate heat when energized. The base includes a rear portion that includes a rear surface of the base in the transmission direction. In the rear portion of the base, at least part of a section that is different from a section in which the heater unit is provided is formed by a reflection suppression structure including asperities. The asperities include a reflection suppression surface that is inclined relative to the transmission direction and reduces reflection of the near-infrared rays.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Inventors: Koji OKUMURA, Koji FUKAGAWA, Kazumi SAWAMURA
  • Patent number: 10974661
    Abstract: A vehicle decorative part includes a decorative main body and a heater. The decorative main body is configured to be attached to a vehicle at a front side in a transmission direction of millimeter waves from a millimeter wave radar and has a millimeter wave transparency. The heater has a heating element that emits heat when energized. At least a part of the heating element is located in an irradiation region of the millimeter waves in the heater. As a millimeter wave attenuation reducing configuration that reduces attenuation of the millimeter waves passing through the heater, the heating element is incorporated in the heater in a condition where an area proportion of an area of a section of the heating element that occupies the irradiation region to an area of the irradiation region is set such that an attenuation amount of the millimeter waves is less than or equal to a permissible value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Okumura, Hideto Maeda
  • Publication number: 20210096221
    Abstract: A near-infrared sensor cover includes a cover body that is transmissive to near-infrared light. The cover body includes a base, a hard coating layer, a heater, and an anti-reflection layer. The base is formed from a transparent resin material. The hard coating layer is formed at a front of the base in a transmission direction of near-infrared light and has a greater hardness than the base. The heater is formed at a rear of the base in the transmission direction and formed by a linear heating element that generates heat when energized. The anti-reflection layer is formed at a rear of the heater in the transmission direction to limit reflection of near-infrared light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Koji OKUMURA, Koji FUKAGAWA, Kouki MIKAMI, Takazumi IKEGAME
  • Publication number: 20210096030
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a near-infrared sensor cover includes a film setting step. The film setting step includes setting a heater film on a first molding die and setting a hard coating film on a second molding die. The method for manufacturing a near-infrared sensor cover further includes a base molding step for molding a base including clamping a mold, injecting molten plastic into a gap between the heater film and the hard coating film, and curing the molten plastic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Publication date: April 1, 2021
    Inventors: Koji OKUMURA, Koji FUKAGAWA, Hiroyuki KONISHI, Tatsuo ITO
  • Publication number: 20200363329
    Abstract: In a cover device for a near-infrared sensor, a plate-shaped cover is arranged in a vehicle such that near-infrared light transmitted from a near-infrared sensor passes through the cover in the thickness direction. A part of the cover in the thickness direction is constituted by a bright decorative layer, which reflects part of incident visible light and allows near-infrared light to pass through. The cover is configured such that the near-infrared light transmittance is higher than the visible light transmittance. The vehicle further includes a light emitting portion, which emits visible light to the cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2018
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventors: Koji OKUMURA, Shintarou OKAWA, Hiroaki ANDO, Hirotaka FUKUI, Yoshiharu TANAKA
  • Patent number: 10794757
    Abstract: There is provided a near-infrared sensor cover to be applied to a near-infrared sensor including a transmitting unit that transmits near-infrared radiation to outside of a vehicle and a receiving unit that receives near-infrared radiation reaching and reflected by an object outside the vehicle, and to cover the transmitting unit and the receiving unit. The near-infrared sensor cover includes a luster layer formed by dispersing a filler in a coating film, the filler including a core and a shell that covers the core with a material having a refractive index different from that of the core. Light transmittance of near-infrared radiation in the near-infrared sensor cover is 60% or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Okumura, Shintaro Okawa, Hiroaki Ando
  • Patent number: 10724620
    Abstract: A worm wheel includes: a sleeve; and a toothed portion provided by injection molding so as to cover a part of the sleeve, the toothed portion including a first thick portion provided on a first side face, which is a surface of the sleeve on a side closer to an injection-mold gate in an axial direction, and a second thick portion provided on a second side face, which is a surface on an opposite side to the first side face. A central part, in the axial direction, of the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve projects in the radial direction relative to both ends in the axial direction. The first thick portion of the toothed portion has a smaller thickness in the axial direction than the second thick portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Takeuchi, Yu Suematsu, Yuji Wakugawa, Yoshitomo Nagai, Koji Okumura, Hiroshi Kutsumi
  • Publication number: 20200223183
    Abstract: A decorative member includes: a transparent resin layer provided on a rear surface thereof with a general portion, a stepped portion recessed or protrudingly provided with respect to the general portion, and an inclination portion provided between the stepped portion and the general portion; and a decorative layer provided on the rear surface, wherein: an inclination angle of the inclination portion with respect to a normal line of the general portion is equal to or more than 25° and is equal to or less than 40°; a width of the inclination portion is large beyond 0.38 mm and is equal to or less than 1 mm; and the decorative layer includes: a first layer that covers the stepped portion of the rear surface; and a second layer that covers a part of the rear surface, which is not covered by at least the first layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: Koji OKUMURA, Hideto MAEDA, Tatsuya OBA, Daiichiro KAWASHIMA, Mitsuo YOSHIDA
  • Patent number: 10698085
    Abstract: There is provided a near-infrared sensor cover to be applied to a near-infrared sensor including a transmitting unit that transmits near-infrared radiation and a receiving unit that receives near-infrared radiation reflected by an object. The near-infrared sensor cover includes a cover main body portion disposed with a thickness direction thereof to be coincide with a transmission and reception direction of the near-infrared radiation and covering the transmitting unit and the receiving unit, and a heater wire disposed on the cover main body portion to generate heat when energized. The heater wire includes plural straight line portions that extend in parallel to each other and plural connection portions that connect end portions of adjacent straight line portions. An interval between adjacent straight line portions ranges from 3 mm to 10 mm, and a diameter of the heater wire ranges from 0.01 mm to 0.2 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Okumura, Shintaro Okawa, Hiroaki Ando, Hideto Maeda, Kimihiro Iimura
  • Patent number: 10693224
    Abstract: A radio-wave transmitting cover is configured to be arranged in the path of the radio wave of a radio-wave radar device. The thickness of the cover is set to a reference thickness at a reference position where the incident angle of the radio wave from the radio-wave radar device is 0°. The reference thickness is set to a value obtained by multiplying half of the wavelength of the radio wave by an integer. In the area around the reference position, the thickness of the cover is gradually changed such that the greater the distance from the reference position, the greater becomes the difference by which the thickness of the cover is larger than the reference thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seiya Tokunaga, Hideto Maeda, Kenji Isobe, Koji Okumura, Kimihiro Iimura, Tatsuya Oba
  • Patent number: 10651530
    Abstract: A decorative component for a vehicle includes a decorative body portion having millimeter wave transmittance and a heating sheet. The decorative body portion is configured to decorate the vehicle by being attached to part of a vehicle on a leading side in a transmitting direction of millimeter waves from a millimeter wave radar device. The heating sheet includes a plastic sheet and a wire-shaped heater provided on the plastic sheet. At least a main portion of the heating sheet is provided integrally with the decorative body portion. The thickness in the front-rear direction is set uniform in at least a transmittance area of millimeter waves in the decorative body portion and the heating sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Okumura, Hideto Maeda, Tetsuo Yasuda, Seiya Tokunaga, Tatsuya Oba