Patents by Inventor Masaaki Okuhara

Masaaki Okuhara 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: 11603068
    Abstract: An airbag apparatus includes two airbags. The airbags are respectively accommodated in side accommodation portions in a seat back. The airbags include two side inflation portions and two front inflation portions. Each airbag further includes a tether. Each airbag includes a non-inflation portion. Each tether includes a pass-through section at which the tether is passed through the non-inflation portion. A portion of each tether between the pass-through section and a distal end is arranged along a rear surface of the front inflation portion. A portion of each tether between the pass-through section and a basal end is arranged along an inner surface of the side inflation portion. The basal end of each tether is configured to be fixed to a rear end of the side inflation portion or the seat back. The distal end of each tether is fixed to a front end of the front inflation portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Kawamura, Masaaki Okuhara, Motoyuki Tanaka, Toshihito Yanagisawa, Hitomi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11390312
    Abstract: A steering wheel includes an annular rim portion, a boss section, one or more spokes interconnecting the rim portion and boss section, and a core member interconnecting these portions, the core member including a wheel portion disposed in the rim portion. The steering wheel further includes a cladding layer disposed around the wheel portion, a skin layer disposed on a front surface of the rim portion, and a sensor layer disposed between the cladding layer and the skin layer for detecting the driver's grip. The sensor layer includes a sheet-shaped substrate having stretch properties, a sensor composed of a conductive ink having stretch properties and applied to a front surface of the substrate, and an insulation sheet covering the sensor and having stretch properties. The sensor layer is generally formed into an annular band and mounted on an outer circumferential portion of the cladding layer by being stretched and expanded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi Hotta, Koji Kawamura, Wataru Miura, Norio Umemura, Masaaki Okuhara
  • Publication number: 20220203921
    Abstract: An airbag apparatus includes two airbags. The airbags are respectively accommodated in side accommodation portions in a seat back. The airbags include two side inflation portions and two front inflation portions. Each airbag further includes a tether. Each airbag includes a non-inflation portion. Each tether includes a pass-through section at which the tether is passed through the non-inflation portion. A portion of each tether between the pass-through section and a distal end is arranged along a rear surface of the front inflation portion. A portion of each tether between the pass-through section and a basal end is arranged along an inner surface of the side inflation portion. The basal end of each tether is configured to be fixed to a rear end of the side inflation portion or the seat back. The distal end of each tether is fixed to a front end of the front inflation portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Yusuke KAWAMURA, Masaaki OKUHARA, Motoyuki TANAKA, Toshihito YANAGISAWA, Hitomi TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 11155231
    Abstract: A restraint performance improvement portion of a curtain airbag device for a vehicle is provided at a location of a lower end portion of a curtain airbag which location corresponds with a vehicle seat when the vehicle seat is in a comfortable state. The restraint performance improvement portion inhibits a head area of a vehicle occupant from slipping past the curtain airbag to a vehicle width direction outer side thereof when the vehicle occupant is being restrained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Ohno, Masaaki Okuhara
  • Publication number: 20210300454
    Abstract: A steering wheel includes an annular rim portion, a boss section, one or more spokes interconnecting the rim portion and boss section, and a core member interconnecting these portions, the core member including a wheel portion disposed in the rim portion. The steering wheel further includes a cladding layer disposed around the wheel portion, a skin layer disposed on a front surface of the rim portion, and a sensor layer disposed between the cladding layer and the skin layer for detecting the driver's grip. The sensor layer includes a sheet-shaped substrate having stretch properties, a sensor composed of a conductive ink having stretch properties and applied to a front surface of the substrate, and an insulation sheet covering the sensor and having stretch properties. The sensor layer is generally formed into an annular band and mounted on an outer circumferential portion of the cladding layer by being stretched and expanded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Masashi HOTTA, Koji KAWAMURA, Wataru MIURA, Norio UMEMURA, Masaaki OKUHARA
  • Patent number: 11084450
    Abstract: When a curtain airbag inflates and expands, an independent portion inside a slit portion inflates and expands toward a vehicle lower side toward a gap between a seat back and a center pillar garnish. If the independent portion interferes with the seat back, the independent portion inflects in the vehicle width direction. Meanwhile, regions of the curtain airbag other than the independent portion inflate and expand toward the vehicle lower side without being affected by the position of the independent portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi Ohno, Masaaki Okuhara
  • Patent number: 10836342
    Abstract: An airbag includes a bag body and an inlet port section of inflation gas. As a gas receivable region, the bag body includes a front main inflatable region, a rear main inflatable region, a feed path that feeds the inflation gas from the inlet port section to the front and rear main inflatable regions, and a sub inflatable region that absorbs the gas from the front main inflatable region when a pressure of the front main inflatable region soars. A front partitioning region partitions the front main inflatable region from the sub inflatable region. The front partitioning region is disposed in front of a front end of an upper partitioning region in an island-like fashion remote from other uninflatable region so as to provide, at the rear of and there beneath, one each communication passage that provides gas communication between the front main inflatable region and the sub inflatable region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinji Hayashi, Masaaki Okuhara, Takashi Iida, Ryosuke Jinnai, Kunihiro Aikawa, Sho Ikenohata, Jun Sato
  • Patent number: 10661744
    Abstract: An airbag has a bag main body and a connection member with a base side joined to the bag main body and a distal end side fixed to a circumferential window edge. The bag main body has end-side and normal inflation portions. A slit is formed between the end-side and normal inflation portions. The base side of the connection member is joined to the bag main body at a position on a front and upper side from the slit. The bag main body is pulled by the connection member that covers a vehicle exterior side of the end-side inflation portion, in which is inserted into the slit from the vehicle interior side toward the vehicle exterior side when the airbag is completely inflated, and a vicinity of a part of the end-side inflation portion, is oriented toward the vehicle interior side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Okuhara, Koji Kawamura, Takashi Iida
  • Patent number: 10632960
    Abstract: A folded body of a head protection airbag includes a compression section, and a non-compression section. The airbag includes a shield inflation section that covers the vehicle interior side of a window at a time of inflation completion. The shield inflation section includes: a primary development area developed and inflated in an initial stage of an inflow of the inflation gas; and a secondary development area disposed on a side of one end of the airbag in the front-rear direction so as to be inflatable by following development and inflation of the primary development area. The secondary development area is disposed in the compression section and the primary development area is disposed in the non-compression section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Okuhara, Shinji Hayashi, Takashi Iida
  • Publication number: 20200108792
    Abstract: A restraint performance improvement portion of a curtain airbag device for a vehicle is provided at a location of a lower end portion of a curtain airbag which location corresponds with a vehicle seat when the vehicle seat is in a comfortable state. The restraint performance improvement portion inhibits a head area of a vehicle occupant from slipping past the curtain airbag to a vehicle width direction outer side thereof when the vehicle occupant is being restrained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi OHNO, Masaaki OKUHARA
  • Publication number: 20200108791
    Abstract: When a curtain airbag inflates and expands, an independent portion inside a slit portion inflates and expands toward a vehicle lower side toward a gap between a seat back and a center pillar garnish. If the independent portion interferes with the seat back, the independent portion inflects in the vehicle width direction. Meanwhile, regions of the curtain airbag other than the independent portion inflate and expand toward the vehicle lower side without being affected by the position of the independent portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuyoshi OHNO, Masaaki OKUHARA
  • Patent number: 10562481
    Abstract: An airbag package of an airbag for head protection includes a rolled portion formed by rolling a skin material of the airbag as laid flat, and a compressed region in which a void space formed at the center of the cross-sectional surface of the rolled portion has been crushed due to compression. The rolled portion includes, in the cross-sectional surface, an upper layered portion, a lower layered portion, and a pair of side layered portions that are disposed around the center of the cross-sectional surface of the rolled portion and each have layers of the skin material. In the compressed region, each of the side layered portions bends generally at the center in an up and down direction such that the bent regions butt against each other and are packed between the upper layered portion and the lower layered portion in such a manner as to fill the void space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinji Hayashi, Masaaki Okuhara, Takashi Iida
  • Publication number: 20190126882
    Abstract: An airbag includes a bag body and an inlet port section of inflation gas. As a gas receivable region, the bag body includes a front main inflatable region, a rear main inflatable region, a feed path that feeds the inflation gas from the inlet port section to the front and rear main inflatable regions, and a sub inflatable region that absorbs the gas from the front main inflatable region when a pressure of the front main inflatable region soars. A front partitioning region partitions the front main inflatable region from the sub inflatable region. The front partitioning region is disposed in front of a front end of an upper partitioning region in an island-like fashion remote from other uninflatable region so as to provide, at the rear of and there beneath, one each communication passage that provides gas communication between the front main inflatable region and the sub inflatable region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Shinji HAYASHI, Masaaki OKUHARA, Takashi IIDA, Ryosuke JINNAI, Kunihiro AIKAWA, Sho IKENOHATA, Jun SATO
  • Publication number: 20190061672
    Abstract: A folded body of a head protection airbag includes a compression section, and a non-compression section. The airbag includes a shield inflation section that covers the vehicle interior side of a window at a time of inflation completion. The shield inflation section includes: a primary development area developed and inflated in an initial stage of an inflow of the inflation gas; and a secondary development area disposed on a side of one end of the airbag in the front-rear direction so as to be inflatable by following development and inflation of the primary development area. The secondary development area is disposed in the compression section and the primary development area is disposed in the non-compression section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Masaaki OKUHARA, Shinji HAYASHI, Takashi IIDA
  • Publication number: 20190061669
    Abstract: An airbag package of an airbag for head protection includes a rolled portion formed by rolling a skin material of the airbag as laid flat, and a compressed region in which a void space formed at the center of the cross-sectional surface of the rolled portion has been crushed due to compression. The rolled portion includes, in the cross-sectional surface, an upper layered portion, a lower layered portion, and a pair of side layered portions that are disposed around the center of the cross-sectional surface of the rolled portion and each have layers of the skin material. In the compressed region, each of the side layered portions bends generally at the center in an up and down direction such that the bent regions butt against each other and are packed between the upper layered portion and the lower layered portion in such a manner as to fill the void space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Shinji HAYASHI, Masaaki OKUHARA, Takashi IIDA
  • Publication number: 20190001913
    Abstract: An airbag has a bag main body and a connection member with a base side joined to the bag main body and a distal end side fixed to a circumferential window edge. The bag main body has end-side and normal inflation portions. A slit is formed between the end-side and normal inflation portions. The base side of the connection member is joined to the bag main body at a position on a front and upper side from the slit. The bag main body is pulled by the connection member that covers a vehicle exterior side of the end-side inflation portion, in which is inserted into the slit from the vehicle interior side toward the vehicle exterior side when the airbag is completely inflated, and a vicinity of a part of the end-side inflation portion, is oriented toward the vehicle interior side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Inventors: Masaaki OKUHARA, Koji KAWAMURA, Takashi IIDA
  • Patent number: 10000174
    Abstract: In a head protection airbag device equipped with an airbag, a boundary closing portion is disposed between a main inflation portion and an end-side inflation portion of the airbag at the time of completion of inflation so as to partition the main inflation portion and the end-side inflation portion; the boundary closing portion is provided with a distribution port that is configured to allow the inflating gas from the main inflation portion to flow to the end-side inflation portion, between the upper edge and the lower edge of the peripheral portion; and the boundary closing portion is equipped with a vertical closing portion disposed along a substantially vertical direction on the lower side, and an inclined closing portion that extends in an obliquely upward direction of the main inflation portion from the vicinity of the upper end of the vertical closing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Okuhara, Koji Kawamura, Yuji Sato, Takuya Hiraiwa
  • Patent number: 9994187
    Abstract: A folding completion body of a head-protecting airbag includes a compressed portion which is compressed to have a small sectional shape in an axis orthogonal direction in the folding completion body is provided in at least one end in a front and rear direction, wherein: the compressed portion is formed in such a manner that a thin-plate folded portion is disposed by folding back an end periphery in the front and rear direction to be directed to a center in the front and rear direction in a state where the head-protecting airbag is flatly deployed, and a folded-up portion in which the lower periphery is brought close to the upper periphery is provided; and the thin-plate folded portion is configured such that a tip extending from a crease is disposed to be positioned on an end side of the gas guidance path in the front and rear direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaaki Okuhara, Koji Kawamura, Yuji Sato
  • Patent number: 9956935
    Abstract: In a folding completion body of an airbag, the airbag includes: an airbag body configured to be stored on an upper edge of a window on an inboard side of a vehicle; and a plurality of mounting pieces which extend from an upper edge of the airbag body and mount the airbag body to the upper edge of the window, the lower edge of the airbag body in a flatly deployed state is folded to be brought close to the upper edge so as to form a folded body; a folding-collapse preventing member is assembled to the folded body; and the mounting piece with the lug is folded and superimposed to the upper edge of the airbag body in the folded body, and the lug is interposed between the folding-collapse preventing member and a surface of the folded body so as to be fixed to the folded body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Kawamura, Masaaki Okuhara, Yuji Sato, Takuya Hiraiwa
  • Patent number: 9950686
    Abstract: An occupant protection apparatus is provided with a first airbag device having a window airbag that protects an occupant in a vehicle and a second airbag device having an adjacent airbag that completes inflation to contact the window airbag for which inflation is completed, thereby protecting the occupant. Where the internal pressure of an inflation chamber at the contact site during contact with the adjacent airbag by the window airbag is P1 and the internal pressure of the adjacent airbag is P2, P1<P2 is satisfied. The wrap amount of the inflation chamber with the adjacent airbag is set as a proportion of a calculated value or less of a predetermined numeric expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takuya Hiraiwa, Koji Kawamura, Yuji Sato, Masaaki Okuhara