Patents by Inventor Kousuke Katahira

Kousuke Katahira 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: 11820408
    Abstract: The bogie includes: running wheels to be rolled on a road surface of guideway; an axle which is installed on a lower part of a body of a guideway vehicle and to which the running wheels are attached; a chassis supporting the axle; a guide device which is configured to be guided by the guideway and is installed on the chassis so as to be capable of turning around a turning axis extending in a vertical direction; a steering device which is configured to steer the running wheels in response to a turning movement of the guide device when the guide device is turned along a curved section of the guideway; and a tilting device which is connected to the guide device and which is configured to generate a tilting force of directing one side of the body located at an outside of the curved section upward with respect to the other side of the body located at an inside of the curved section in response to the turning movement of the guide device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES ENGINEERING, LTD.
    Inventors: Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura
  • Patent number: 11591007
    Abstract: A guide wheel shock absorbing device includes an attachment arm, a shock absorbing link provided on the attachment arm and extending in one direction, a shock absorbing link support portion provided on the shock absorbing link and supporting the shock absorbing link in a state of being oscillatable with respect to the attachment arm, a guide wheel coming into contact with a guide rail laid on a traveling track of a vehicle, a guide wheel support portion provided on the shock absorbing link and supporting the guide wheel in a rotatable state, and a shock absorbing elastic portion elastically supporting the shock absorbing link with respect to the attachment arm. The shock absorbing elastic portion has first and second elastic bodies different in displacement with respect to a guide wheel load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES ENGINEERING, LTD.
    Inventors: Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura
  • Publication number: 20210107534
    Abstract: The bogie includes: running wheels to be rolled on a road surface of guideway; an axle which is installed on a lower part of a body of a guideway vehicle and to which the running wheels are attached; a chassis supporting the axle; a guide device which is configured to be guided by the guideway and is installed on the chassis so as to be capable of turning around a turning axis extending in a vertical direction; a steering device which is configured to steer the running wheels in response to a turning movement of the guide device when the guide device is turned along a curved section of the guideway; and a tilting device which is connected to the guide device and which is configured to generate a tilting force of directing one side of the body located at an outside of the curved section upward with respect to the other side of the body located at an inside of the curved section in response to the turning movement of the guide device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Inventors: Kousuke KATAHIRA, So TAMURA
  • Publication number: 20200339181
    Abstract: A guide wheel shock absorbing device includes an attachment arm, a shock absorbing link provided on the attachment arm and extending in one direction, a shock absorbing link support portion provided on the shock absorbing link and supporting the shock absorbing link in a state of being oscillatable with respect to the attachment arm, a guide wheel coming into contact with a guide rail laid on a traveling track of a vehicle, a guide wheel support portion provided on the shock absorbing link and supporting the guide wheel in a rotatable state, and a shock absorbing elastic portion elastically supporting the shock absorbing link with respect to the attachment arm. The shock absorbing elastic portion has first and second elastic bodies different in displacement with respect to a guide wheel load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Inventors: Kousuke KATAHIRA, So TAMURA
  • Patent number: 10144438
    Abstract: A traveling bogie includes a steerable wheel, a bogie main body configured to support the steerable wheel, a guide apparatus pivotally supported by the bogie main body and turned by receiving a reaction force from a guide rail, a steering mechanism configured to apply a steering force to the steerable wheel using the reaction force received by the guide apparatus, and an assist mechanism configured to apply an auxiliary steering force for assisting with the steering force from the steering mechanism to the steerable wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES ENGINEERING, LTD.
    Inventors: Yukihide Yanobu, Hiroyuki Kono, Akihisa Kawauchi, Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura
  • Patent number: 10131367
    Abstract: This invention is equipped with: a steering shaft provided to an underframe of a carbody of a vehicle travelling on a traveling road surface of tracks; king pins provided as a pair to end sections of the steering shaft at both sides in the width direction; axle hubs swingably provided to the steering shaft via the king pins; tires mounted plurally to each of the axle hubs; guide wheels, which roll over guide rails provided to the tracks in the direction of extension of the tracks, and which are guided from the width direction of the tracks; a guide device part for supporting the guide wheels and the steering shaft; and a steering mechanism for causing the axle hubs to turn about the king pins in accordance with the displacement of the guide device part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES ENGINEERING, LTD.
    Inventors: Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura, Mitsuaki Hoshi, Masahisa Masukawa
  • Patent number: 10065663
    Abstract: A steering bogie provided with a pair of tires (13) positioned on both sides in the vehicle-widthwise direction, a primary suspension mechanism (51) for supporting the pair of tires (13) independent from a subframe (11), and a steering guide device (14) which is guided along guide rails (6) extending along a track (5), wherein the steering guide device (14) is equipped with: a guide frame (31); guide wheels (33) which roll as a result of contact with the guide rails (6), and are rotatably supported by the guide frame (31); and a guide frame support mechanism (32) for supporting the guide frame (31) by hanging from the primary suspension mechanism (51).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES ENGINEERING, LTD.
    Inventors: Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura, Mitsuaki Hoshi
  • Patent number: 10046777
    Abstract: A vehicular suspension device has: a pair of primary support parts for respectively and elastically supporting elastic tires on a sub frame, the tires being located on both vehicle-widthwise sides; and a secondary support part for integrally and elastically supporting the pair of primary support parts and a car body via the sub frame, the secondary support part being located between the sub frame and the car body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura, Mitsuaki Hoshi
  • Patent number: 10000190
    Abstract: A cooling device provided with cooling fins which: is provided in a wheel of a running wheel which integrally rotates with a axle shaft and has a brake device positioned in the interior thereof; and produces, by rotating in both the forward and reverse directions of the wheel, airflow which flows through the brake device via ventilation holes passing from the inside to the outside of the wheel. Therein, the cooling fins produce an airflow which flows through a plurality of decorative holes serving as the ventilation holes and formed in the wheel along the circumference centered around the rotational axis of the axle shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura, Mitsuaki Hoshi
  • Patent number: 9981509
    Abstract: A guide wheel (33) for guiding a vehicle along a track is equipped with an annular tread section (61) that comes into contact with a guide rail extending along the track and a pair of sidewall sections (62) that are formed continuing from both edges of the tread section (61) in the axial direction and extend inward in the radial direction, said guide wheel (33) being characterized in that protrusions (63a, 63b) are formed over the entire circumference of each of the sidewall sections (62).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura, Mitsuaki Hoshi
  • Patent number: 9919720
    Abstract: This traveling bogie is provided with: steered wheels; a main body for supporting the steered wheels; a guide device turning when subjected to a reaction force from a guide rail; a steering mechanism for applying a steering force to the steered wheels utilizing the reaction force applied to the guide device; and an assist mechanism for applying an assist steering force to the steered wheels, the assist steering force assisting the steering force applied by the steering mechanism. The assist mechanism is provided with: a first operation arm pivoting together with the steered wheels in the direction in which the steered wheels are steered; a second operation arm rotating about a rotation axis relative to the main body in response to the turning of the guide device; and an elastically deformable section connected to the first operation arm and the second operation arm and elastically deformable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Yukihide Yanobu, Hiroyuki Kono, Akihisa Kawauchi, Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura
  • Patent number: 9821824
    Abstract: A vehicle includes running wheels traveling on traveling road surfaces of tracks; a pair of position detection parts disposed at an interval in a width direction that output signals by detecting a distance from measured objects; a control unit controlling the amount of steering of the running wheels according to the signals from the position detection parts; and a steering mechanism steering the running wheels via the control unit. Each of the position detection parts outputs a signal having characteristics such that the output increases as the distance from the measured objects increases while an output change ratio is decreased in a range wherein the distance from the measured objects is not less than a predetermined value, and is configured such that, when the distance between one position detection part and the measured object is decreased, the distance between the other position detection part and the measured object is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Maeyama, Takahiro Suzuki, Kousuke Katahira
  • Patent number: 9777450
    Abstract: A snow removal device includes: a brush rotary shaft that is mounted on a vehicle body traveling along a track and in front of a running wheel of the vehicle body and that is rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the running wheel; a travel brush part that protrudes radially outward from an outer circumferential surface of the brush rotary shaft and comes into contact with a runway of the track with which the running wheel is in contact; and a brush pressing part that presses the travel brush part toward the runway. The travel brush part is provided in a spiral region formed on the outer circumferential surface of the brush rotary shaft in a spiral manner extending toward an axis direction in which the axis extends as going toward a circumferential direction of the brush rotary shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura
  • Patent number: 9738178
    Abstract: A guide track includes a guide rail having a guide groove opened upward in which guide wheels are inserted, and formed with guide surfaces for causing each of the guide wheels to roll at both sides of a traveling course in a width direction; conductor rails that are placed at both sides of an outside of the traveling course in the width direction with respect to the guide groove to perform contact electricity supply by pressing a power collection shoe of a power collector of a track-based vehicle; a first insulator that supports the conductor rails with respect to the guide rail; and insulation plates that are provided at both sides of the conductor rail in the width direction, and are provided in parallel to the conductor rail and in parallel to a pressing direction of the power collection shoe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Kanemori, Hiromichi Yamamoto, Kousuke Katahira
  • Patent number: 9732490
    Abstract: A snow removal brush includes a brush rotary shaft that is disposed on each of opposite lateral surfaces of a vehicle body traveling along a track and in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle body and is supported by the vehicle body to be rotatable about an axis extending in a direction intersecting a track surface of the track, and a brush part that protrudes from an outer circumferential surface of the brush rotary shaft to a radial outer side. The brush part is formed to come into contact with trolley wires provided for the track and supplying electricity to the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kousuke Katahira, So Tamura
  • Publication number: 20170158210
    Abstract: A vehicular suspension device has: a pair of primary support parts for respectively and elastically supporting elastic tires on a sub frame, the tires being located on both vehicle-widthwise sides; and a secondary support part for integrally and elastically supporting the pair of primary support parts and a car body via the sub frame, the secondary support part being located between the sub frame and the car body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Inventors: Kousuke KATAHIRA, So TAMURA, Mitsuaki HOSHI
  • Patent number: 9643622
    Abstract: This track-guided vehicle is provided with a car body, and a bogie that supports the car body from the bottom, and has a frame capable of pivoting around an axis perpendicular to a track. The bogie is provided with: a car body tilting part that tilts the car body to the left and right in the direction of travel; a detection part that detects the amount of pivot of the frame; and a tilt control part that allows the car body to be tilted by the car body tilting part on the basis of the amount of pivot detected by the detection part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Maeyama, So Tamura, Kousuke Katahira
  • Patent number: 9517738
    Abstract: A grounding shoe is provided in a vehicle so as to face a grounding rail provided on a track. The grounding shoe includes a collector unit that has an electroconductive body; and a holding part that fixes the collector unit by holding a first end of the electroconductive body in such a manner that the electroconductive body can be energized as well as attached/detached and that is in contact with the electroconductive body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Yamada, Kousuke Katahira, Hiroyuki Andoh
  • Publication number: 20160355059
    Abstract: A guide wheel (33) for guiding a vehicle along a track is equipped with an annular tread section (61) that comes into contact with a guide rail extending along the track and a pair of sidewall sections (62) that are formed continuing from both edges of the tread section (61) in the axial direction and extend inward in the radial direction, said guide wheel (33) being characterized in that protrusions (63a, 63b) are formed over the entire circumference of each of the sidewall sections (62).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Kousuke KATAHIRA, So TAMURA, Mitsuaki HOSHI
  • Patent number: 9452763
    Abstract: This guide-rail track vehicle, which travels on a track, is provided with: a carbody disposed at the top of a vehicle; and a running device that supports the carbody from below, and has a guide frame to which at least a pair of guide wheels, which are guided by a guide rail disposed on the track, are attached. Moreover, the guide frame has: a pair of beam members that are capable of sliding in the width direction of the track, and to which the guide wheels are attached; a rotating part capable of rotating around a first axis in the direction of travel; and a transmission part that converts the rotation of the rotating part to motion in the width direction, and moves the guide wheels in a symmetrical fashion by synchronizing the pair of beam members. Thus, the guide-rail track vehicle has a running device that allows the distance between the guide wheels to be changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Maeyama, So Tamura, Kousuke Katahira