Patents by Inventor Kouichi Hotta

Kouichi Hotta 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: 10394027
    Abstract: A head-up display system includes an image-forming and projection device, a combiner, a housing, and a lid body. The lid body includes at least a first divided lid body and a second divided lid body which engage with each other at the time of covering an opening of the housing. The first divided lid body includes an optical path regulator that regulates an optical path of projection light of a display image projected from the image-forming and projection device in use of the combiner onto an inner side of the housing, and allows projection light, which is necessary for formation of the virtual image of the display image in the projection light of the display image, to pass through the optical path regulator. The second divided lid body includes a covering member that covers the optical path regulator at the time of covering the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Yagi, Kouichi Hotta, Hayato Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20170336633
    Abstract: A head-up display system includes an image-forming and projection device, a combiner, a housing, and a lid body. The lid body includes at least a first divided lid body and a second divided lid body which engage with each other at the time of covering an opening of the housing. The first divided lid body includes an optical path regulator that regulates an optical path of projection light of a display image projected from the image-forming and projection device in use of the combiner onto an inner side of the housing, and allows projection light, which is necessary for formation of the virtual image of the display image in the projection light of the display image, to pass through the optical path regulator. The second divided lid body includes a covering member that covers the optical path regulator at the time of covering the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Publication date: November 23, 2017
    Applicant: Yazaki Corporation
    Inventors: Kenji YAGI, Kouichi HOTTA, Hayato NAKAMURA
  • Patent number: 8152229
    Abstract: A sunroof apparatus for opening or closing an opening formed on a fixed roof of an automobile includes: a movable front panel and a movable rear panel both provided in the fixed roof; a panel frame made of engineering plastic and attached around one of the panels; a hollow elastic weatherstrip attached around the panel frame attached around the one of the panels; a panel frame made of the engineering plastic and attached on a periphery end section of other one of the panels, the other one of the panels having a butt end section and the periphery end section; and a hollow elastic weatherstrip attached to the panel frame attached to the other one of the panels, wherein the opening is closed when the weatherstrip of the one of the panels and the butt end section of the other one of the panels butt against each other. This structure can enhance efficiency in molding weatherstrips since the weatherstrip attached around the two panels are in a hollow structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignees: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd., Nishikawa Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigehito Horiuchi, Kouichi Hotta, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Masayuki Daio
  • Patent number: 8118357
    Abstract: A frame structure of a sunroof apparatus includes a pair of guide rails provided, respectively, on both sides in a width direction of an opening of a vehicle and guiding a movement of a sunroof panel; a frame including a drain extended across the direction and connecting ends of the rails; sliders sliding in the rails, respectively; a drive device installed at the frame and making the sliders slide; cables connecting the sliders and the device and routed so as to cross above the drain; guide pipes covering the cables; and guide pipe grooves depressingly provided at the frame and where the guide pipes are arranged, respectively, wherein protrusion portions protruding outside from outer peripheries of the pipes are provided, and wherein engagement portions where the protrusion portions are engaged are formed in the grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Kouichi Hotta, Hajime Katayama, Ayumi Mihashi
  • Patent number: 8075050
    Abstract: In a sunroof system (3) for a vehicle using a push-pull cable (22) for actuating a sunroof panel (4), the push-pull cable is received in a drive pipe (25), and a sunroof frame (12) is provided with a drive pipe retaining feature (16, 18). Therefore, the drive pipe may be made of flexible material, and firmly held in place by the pipe retaining feature even when the push-pull cable is subjected to significant tensile and compressive load. The pipe retaining feature may include a pipe retaining groove (16) for receiving the drive pipe and clips (18) for resiliently retaining the drive pipes in the pipe retaining groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouichi Hotta, Ayumi Mihashi
  • Patent number: 8002341
    Abstract: A roll sunshade device, which includes a screen for shadowing an inner opening of a roof of a vehicle, a rotating body which is disposed ahead of the inner opening or behind the inner opening in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and rotates freely around an axis in a vehicle width direction, a turning member which is disposed at a predetermined distance from the rotating body in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and rotates freely around an axis in the vehicle width direction, and two circular wires which are disposed on both sides of the inner opening in the vehicle width direction, respectively and hung between the rotating body and the turning member, in which both edge portions of the screen in the vehicle width direction are supported by the two circular wires, respectively, and when the screen is slid in the front-rear direction of the vehicle from a state where the screen shadows the inner opening, the screen is folded along an outer circumferential surface of the turning member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouichi Hotta, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Hisanori Fukuda, Yoshikazu Ikeda
  • Patent number: 7914073
    Abstract: According to a slider structure of a sunroof apparatus, the apparatus includes: a roof panel attached to an opening of a fixed roof; a panel support stay, where a cam groove is formed, is fixed to a side edge of the roof panel; and a slider that moves along a guide rail, is engaged with the cam groove through a pin, and tilts and slides the roof panel, wherein the slider structure includes: a pair of lifters that interpose the panel support stay, are divided, and are engaged with the cam groove through the pin; and a pair of slide shoes that are attached to the lifters, respectively, are connected with each other, integrate the lifters, and are slid on the guide rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouichi Hotta, Teruyuki Nakamura, Tatsuaki Uehara
  • Publication number: 20110049938
    Abstract: A frame structure of a sunroof apparatus includes a pair of guide rails provided, respectively, on both sides in a width direction of an opening of a vehicle and guiding a movement of a sunroof panel; a frame including a drain extended across the direction and connecting ends of the rails; sliders sliding in the rails, respectively; a drive device installed at the frame and making the sliders slide; cables connecting the sliders and the device and routed so as to cross above the drain; guide pipes covering the cables; and guide pipe grooves depressingly provided at the frame and where the guide pipes are arranged, respectively, wherein protrusion portions protruding outside from outer peripheries of the pipes are provided, and wherein engagement portions where the protrusion portions are engaged are formed in the grooves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: YACHIYO INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kouichi Hotta, Hajime Katayama, Ayumi Mihashi
  • Patent number: 7854475
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sliding roof for a vehicle including a plurality of roof panels separately mounted on an opening of a fixed roof of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a guide frame attached at a lower portion of each side edge of the opening, and an anchor installed into the guide frame to engage with at least part of the roof panel, so as to assist open-close operations of the plurality of the roof panels in the vicinity of a closed state thereof. Sliding of sliders attached to the each guide frame allows the plurality of the roof panels to open or close in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle. The sliding roof for a vehicle further includes a guide member installed into the guide frame to guide a movement of engagement portions of the plurality of the roof panels adjacent in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The anchor and the guide member are installed into an identical groove formed on the guide frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignees: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyasu Ito, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Kouichi Hotta, Michio Tamura
  • Patent number: 7850231
    Abstract: A vehicular sunroof apparatus includes a sunroof panel having a front panel and a rear panel configured to open and close an opening formed in a vehicle roof. A first drive mechanism effects rising/lowering and opening/closing movements of the front panel relative to the opening of the vehicle roof. A second drive mechanism effects rising/lowering and opening/closing movements of the rear panel relative to the opening of the vehicle roof. The second drive mechanism comprises a rear panel support stay that supports the rear panel, a stay extension connected to the rear panel support stay and mounted to undergo sliding and vertical swinging movement relative to the vehicle roof, and a stopper member that is mounted on the vehicle roof and that provides an upper limit of vertical swing of the stay extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignees: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyasu Ito, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Kouichi Hotta, Michio Tamura
  • Publication number: 20100181805
    Abstract: In a sunroof system (3) for a vehicle using a push-pull cable (22) for actuating a sunroof panel (4), the push-pull cable is received in a drive pipe (25), and a sunroof frame (12) is provided with a drive pipe retaining feature (16, 18). Therefore, the drive pipe may be made of flexible material, and firmly held in place by the pipe retaining feature even when the push-pull cable is subjected to significant tensile and compressive load. The pipe retaining feature may include a pipe retaining groove (16) for receiving the drive pipe and clips (18) for resiliently retaining the drive pipes in the pipe retaining groove.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Publication date: July 22, 2010
    Applicant: YACHIYO INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kouichi Hotta, Ayumi Mihashi
  • Publication number: 20100148540
    Abstract: A roll sunshade device, which includes a screen for shadowing an inner opening of a roof of a vehicle, a rotating body which is disposed ahead of the inner opening or behind the inner opening in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and rotates freely around an axis in a vehicle width direction, a turning member which is disposed at a predetermined distance from the rotating body in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and rotates freely around an axis in the vehicle width direction, and two circular wires which are disposed on both sides of the inner opening in the vehicle width direction, respectively and hung between the rotating body and the turning member, in which both edge portions of the screen in the vehicle width direction are supported by the two circular wires, respectively, and when the screen is slid in the front-rear direction of the vehicle from a state where the screen shadows the inner opening, the screen is folded along an outer circumferential surface of the turning member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: YACHIYO INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kouichi HOTTA, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Hisanori Fukuda, Yoshikazu Ikeda
  • Patent number: 7708337
    Abstract: A vehicular sunroof apparatus includes a front panel, a rear panel, a linking rod, a rod-locking part, and a slider linking part. The linking rod is connected to a rear slider provided for opening the rear panel. The rod-locking part is disposed on a vehicle roof for locking a distal end of the linking rod when the rear panel is in a fully closed state. The slider linking part is provided on a front slider provided for opening/closing the front panel. The slider linking part is designed to engage with the distal end part and to release the distal end part from the locking engagement with the rod-locking part when the front slider moves from a fully closed position to a half-open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignees: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyasu Ito, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Kouichi Hotta, Michio Tamura
  • Publication number: 20100096889
    Abstract: A sunroof apparatus for opening or closing an opening formed on a fixed roof of an automobile includes: a movable front panel and a movable rear panel both provided in the fixed roof; a panel frame made of engineering plastic and attached around one of the panels; a hollow elastic weatherstrip attached around the panel frame attached around the one of the panels; a panel frame made of the engineering plastic and attached on a periphery end section of other one of the panels, the other one of the panels having a butt end section and the periphery end section; and a hollow elastic weatherstrip attached to the panel frame attached to the other one of the panels, wherein the opening is closed when the weatherstrip of the one of the panels and the butt end section of the other one of the panels butt against each other. This structure can enhance efficiency in molding weatherstrips since the weatherstrip attached around the two panels are in a hollow structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Publication date: April 22, 2010
    Applicants: Yachiyo Industry Co., Ltd., Nishikawa Rubber Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigehito Horiuchi, Kouichi Hotta, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Masayuki Daio
  • Publication number: 20090212603
    Abstract: According to a slider structure of a sunroof apparatus, the apparatus includes: a roof panel attached to an opening of a fixed roof; a panel support stay, where a cam groove is formed, is fixed to a side edge of the roof panel; and a slider that moves along a guide rail, is engaged with the cam groove through a pin, and tilts and slides the roof panel, wherein the slider structure includes: a pair of lifters that interpose the panel support stay, are divided, and are engaged with the cam groove through the pin; and a pair of slide shoes that are attached to the lifters, respectively, are connected with each other, integrate the lifters, and are slid on the guide rail.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2009
    Publication date: August 27, 2009
    Applicant: YACHIYO INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kouichi HOTTA, Teruyuki Nakamura, Tatsuaki Uehara
  • Publication number: 20090127890
    Abstract: The present invention provides a sliding roof for a vehicle including a plurality of roof panels separately mounted on an opening of a fixed roof of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a guide frame attached at a lower portion of each side edge of the opening, and an anchor installed into the guide frame to engage with at least part of the roof panel, so as to assist open-close operations of the plurality of the roof panels in the vicinity of a closed state thereof. Sliding of sliders attached to the each guide frame allows the plurality of the roof panels to open or close in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle. The sliding roof for a vehicle further includes a guide member installed into the guide frame to guide a movement of engagement portions of the plurality of the roof panels adjacent in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The anchor and the guide member are installed into an identical groove formed on the guide frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Applicants: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., YACHIYO INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiyasu ITO, Hiroyuki TSUKAMOTO, Kouichi HOTTA, Michio TAMURA
  • Publication number: 20090072589
    Abstract: A vehicular sunroof apparatus includes a front panel, a rear panel, a linking rod, a rod-locking part, and a slider linking part. The linking rod is connected to a rear slider provided for opening the rear panel. The rod-locking part is disposed on a vehicle roof for locking a distal end of the linking rod when the rear panel is in a fully closed state. The slider linking part is provided on a front slider provided for opening/closing the front panel. The slider linking part is designed to engage with the distal end part and to release the distal end part from the locking engagement with the rod-locking part when the front slider moves from a fully closed position to a half-open position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Inventors: Yoshiyasu Ito, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Kouichi Hotta, Michio Tamura
  • Publication number: 20090039682
    Abstract: A vehicular sunroof apparatus in which a sunroof panel for opening and closing an opening in a vehicle roof has a front panel and a rear panel. The sunroof apparatus also includes a rear panel drive mechanism for effecting rising/lowering and opening/closing movements of the rear panel relative to the opening. A restricting part provided in the rear panel drive mechanism restricts a front end part of the rear panel from rising when a rear end part of the fully closed rear panel is lowered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2008
    Publication date: February 12, 2009
    Inventors: Yoshiyasu Ito, Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Kouichi Hotta, Michio Tamura
  • Publication number: 20060109385
    Abstract: Provided is a digital broadcast receiving apparatus 1 for receiving a digital stream Wb obtained by interframe interpolation, in which a channel selection section 2 and 3 designates one of a plurality of channels and instructs reproduction of contents VS and AS, the contents reproduction section 4, 6, 11, and 17 reproduces the designated contents VS an AS, and the contents output section 12, 11, 18, and 17 outputs, when receiving an instruction for reproducing second contests VS(C) of a second channel during reproduction of first contents VS(P) of a first channel, the reproduced first contents VS(P) until reproduction of the second contents VS(C) is enabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Inventors: Takeshi Wakako, Tadashi Ono, Kouichi Hotta
  • Patent number: 6817658
    Abstract: In an automotive sunroof system which comprises a fixed roof panel defining a roof opening, an inner frame defining guide rails and drain grooves, a moveable panel guided along said guide rails via sliders and a slide and tilt mechanism for effecting a slide and tilt motion of the moveable pane, a terminal member is attached to each front corner of the inner frame to serve several purposes such as a closure member for the guide rail, a stopper for the forward travel of one of the sliders, a member for retaining the fore-and-aft movement of the moveable panel, and a support for a wind deflector device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignees: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Yachiyo Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaharu Ohnishi, Michio Tamura, Tatsuya Ohara, Hirofumi Yamane, Tatsuaki Uehara, Kouichi Hotta