Patents by Inventor Rentaro Kato
Rentaro Kato 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).
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Patent number: 6536566Abstract: A vibration-damping device comprising: at least one rigid housing member fixedly disposed in a vibrative member; and a plurality of independent mass members disposed non-adhesively and independently in the at least one housing member such that each of the plurality of independent mass members is opposed to the at least one housing member with a given spacing therebetween in a vibration input direction, and is displaceable relative to the at least one housing member. The each independent mass member is independently displaced relative to the at least one housing member so that the independent mass member and the housing member are brought into elastic impact against each other at their respective abutting surfaces which are opposed to each other in the vibration input direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 27, 2001Date of Patent: March 25, 2003Assignee: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Koichi Hasegawa, Rentaro Kato, Yoshinori Yasumoto, Masaaki Hamada, Yutaka Tazuke
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Publication number: 20030019704Abstract: Disclosed is a dynamic damping device for a steering system of an automotive vehicle, which equipped with a telescopic steering column, including a plurality of mutually independent dynamic dampers, each including a mass member and a spring member for elastically supporting the mass member to the steering column or wheel. At least two of natural frequencies of the plurality of dynamic dampers are tuned to a higher and a lower frequency range in relation to a central value of a range of variation in a natural frequency of the steering wheel due to an expansion or contraction of the telescopic steering column, within the range of vibration in the natural frequency of the steering wheel. Further, a difference between adjacent ones of the natural frequencies of the plurality of dynamic dampers is made held within 10-40% of the central value of the range of vibration in the natural frequency of the steering wheel.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 26, 2002Publication date: January 30, 2003Applicant: TOKAI RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Takahiro Aoi, Masaaki Hamada, Hideki Oshima, Rentaro Kato
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Patent number: 6508343Abstract: A vibration damper little depending on temperature, capable of damping plural resonance vibrations over a wide frequency region as well as damping a specific frequency vibration is provided. The vibration damper comprises a housing formed of a rigid material, having an internal space and fixed to a vibration transmitting member, an elastic body inserted in the internal space not bonded thereto with a gap in a direction of vibration of the housing, and a weight integrally supported by the elastic body so as not to touch the housing. The elastic body and the weight form a dynamic damper.Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2001Date of Patent: January 21, 2003Assignees: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Kazuhito Misaji, Kengo Okamura, Yuji Kuruhara, Keiichi Sunami, Tsuyoshi Yamashita, Akihiro Maejima, Yoshihiro Noguchi, Toru Nirei, Rentaro Kato, Koichi Hasegawa
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Publication number: 20020144873Abstract: Disclosed is a dynamic damper for use in a steering system of an automotive vehicle, including a mounting member connectable to a steering column or a steering wheel of the steering system; and a plurality of secondary vibration systems independent of each other, each including a mass member and a spring member for elastically supporting the mass member to the mounting member. One of the plurality of secondary vibration systems has a natural frequency that is tuned to an idling vibration frequency band ranging from about 20 Hz to about 30 Hz, and another one of the plurality of secondary vibration systems has a natural frequency that is tuned to a natural frequency band of the steering system, which is larger than 30 Hz.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 28, 2002Publication date: October 10, 2002Applicant: TOKAI RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Rentaro Kato, Takahiro Aoi
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Publication number: 20020139625Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration-damping device comprising an abutting member adapted to be fixedly disposed in a vibrative member and an independent mass member disposed relative to the abutting member such that the independent mass member is displaceable relative to the abutting member while being independent of the abutting member without being adhesive to the abutting member. The independent mass member having an abutting surface that comes into abutting contact directly and elastically with an abutting surface of the abutting member, in which at least one of the abutting surfaces of the abutting member and the independent mass member is provided with a flock coating.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2002Publication date: October 3, 2002Inventors: Rentaro Kato, Koichi Maeda
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Patent number: 6439359Abstract: A vibration restraining apparatus for vehicle of the present invention is comprised of a housing formed by a rigid material and having an inner space, and fixed to a vibration transmitting member; a filled member sealed in the inner space of said housing in a non-adhered state with leaving a gap with respect to a vibrating direction of said housing, and formed by an elastic body at least at a surface thereof. When the housing resonates by vibration transmitted from the vibration transmitting member, the filled member contacts inner surface parts located at both sides of the housing in a vibrating direction thereof to exercise a damping character due to an energy loss caused by a sliding friction and a collision. Thus, a large damping character occurs inside of the housing to reduce vibration of the housing effectively. As a result, vibration of the vibration transmitting member is effectively reduced.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2000Date of Patent: August 27, 2002Assignee: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Rentaro Kato, Yoshinori Yasumoto, Masaaki Hamada, Syuji Ikaga, Hajime Maeno, Shigemitsu Hattori
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Publication number: 20020113351Abstract: A vibration-damping device for damping vibrations of a vibrative member, which includes a damper mass member having a rigid abutting portion, a spring member for elastically connecting the damper mass member to the vibrative member to cooperate with the damper mass member to constitute a second vibration system whose natural frequency is tuned to a frequency band of the vibrations of the vibrative member, and an independent mass member disposed so as to be opposed to the rigid abutting portion in a vibration input direction with a given gap therebetween without being adhesive to the rigid abutting portion. The independent mass member is independently displaceable relative to and brought into abutting contact directly and elastically with said rigid abutting portion in said vibration input direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2002Publication date: August 22, 2002Applicant: TOKAI RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventors: Rentaro Kato, Hajime Maeno, Koichi Hasegawa, Koichi Maeda, Takahiro Aoi
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Publication number: 20020101013Abstract: Disclosed is a vibration-damping device comprising: a first and a second mounting member disposed in mutually spaced apart relationship with each other and attachable to two members of a vibration system, respectively; and an elastic body disposed between and elastically connecting the first and second mounting members and including a connecting portion adapted to primarily connect the first and second mounting members. The connecting portion has a hollow housing portion in which an independent mass member is accommodated such that the independent mass member is independently displaceable relative to the housing portion without being bonded to the housing portion, and is brought into direct and elastic impact against the housing portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2001Publication date: August 1, 2002Applicant: TOKAI RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.Inventor: Rentaro Kato
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Publication number: 20020030315Abstract: A vibration-damping device for damping vibrations of a vibrative member of a vehicle, including: a mass member disposed in the vibrative member such that the mass member is non-adhesive to and is displaceable independent of and relative to the vibrative member; the mass member and the vibrative member being brought into impact against with each other at their abutting portions. At least one of the abutting portions of the mass member and the vibrative member is formed of an elastic member adapted to undergo shear deformation in a direction in which the mass member and vibrative member are brought into impact against each other.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 8, 2001Publication date: March 14, 2002Inventors: Rentaro Kato, Koichi Hasegawa, Hajime Maeno, Masaaki Hamada, Yuushi Hashimoto
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Patent number: 6325567Abstract: An arm member is used as, for example, a suspension arm of an automobile. The arm member comprises a main body made of a pipe member and a coupling member having a connecting portion. The pipe member is made of aluminum or its alloy. The coupling member is made of aluminum and includes a bushing mounting portion for mounting a vibroisolating bushing. The thickness of the peripheral wall of the end portion of the main body is increased in thickness to have a thickness thicker than that of the other portion of the main body. The connecting portion is abutted to the peripheral wall of the end portion to form an abutted portion, and connected thereto at the abutted portion. Thus, the coupling member is coupled to the main body.Type: GrantFiled: September 1, 1999Date of Patent: December 4, 2001Assignees: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd., Showa and Denko K.K.Inventors: Rentaro Kato, Yuichi Ogawa, Koji Uchino, Masaharu Tochigi, Naoyuki Kawata, Takenori Hashimoto
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Patent number: 6311996Abstract: This invention relates to a suspension arm comprised of a bent arm member, and a pair of bearing members joined to end portion thereof. The arm member of the conventional suspension is made of the aluminium alloy and manufactured by the forging. So, the arm member of hollow construction and has a bent portion is hardly manufactured by the forging. In view of this, in the present invention, the arm member 1 made of the aluminium alloy and has hollow construction is manufactured by the extrusion, and bent before a pair of bearing members 2,3 are joined to each of end portions.Type: GrantFiled: November 2, 1999Date of Patent: November 6, 2001Assignees: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd., Showa Denko K.K.Inventors: Rentaro Kato, Masaharu Tochigi, Naoyuki Kawata, Naoki Nishikawa
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Publication number: 20010032764Abstract: A vibration-damping device comprising: at least one rigid housing member fixedly disposed in a vibrative member; and a plurality of independent mass members disposed non-adhesively and independently in the at least one housing member such that each of the plurality of independent mass members is opposed to the at least one housing member with a given spacing therebetween in a vibration input direction, and is displaceable relative to the at least one housing member. The each independent mass member is independently displaced relative to the at least one housing member so that the independent mass member and the housing member are brought into elastic impact against each other at their respective abutting surfaces which are opposed to each other in the vibration input direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 27, 2001Publication date: October 25, 2001Applicant: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Koichi Hasegawa, Rentaro Kato, Yoshinori Yasumoto, Masaaki Hamada, Yutaka Tazuke
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Patent number: 6298962Abstract: There is disclosed a member for use with an arm that is used as an automobile suspension arm, for example. The member comprises a rodlike body and bushing-mounting portions formed at both ends of the rodlike body. The rodlike body consists of a hollow tube fabricated by extruding an aluminum material into a circular cross section. The bushing-mounting portions are formed by welding bushing-mounting members to both ends of the rodlike body. Each bushing-mounting member has a hole in which a bushing is mounted with a press fit. The curved wall of the rodlike body is recessed at the longitudinal center of the rodlike body. When an automobile having the aforementioned member collides, an axial compressive load is applied to the rodlike body. The rodlike body buckles at the recessed portion. This mitigates the impact in the collision.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 1999Date of Patent: October 9, 2001Assignee: Showa Denko K.K.Inventors: Rentaro Kato, Koji Uchino, Yuichi Ogawa, Masaharu Tochigi, Masatoshi Enomoto, Naoki Nishikawa, Noriyuki Iwameji, Naoyuki Kawata
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Publication number: 20010026039Abstract: Vibration damping device for vehicles includes: a rigid housing member having an accommodation space and fixed to a vibrative member; and an independent mass member having a rigid mass body and an elastic body layer bonded on the outer surface of the rigid mass body. The independent mass member is non-adhesively disposed in the accommodation space such that an outer surface of the independent mass member is opposed to the inner surface of the housing member with a predetermined gap distance therebetween, to thereby permit displacement of the independent mass member relative to the housing member. The independent mass member and the housing member is brought into elastic impact against each other at respective abutting surfaces thereof in at least one vibrational input direction. The elastic body layer has a spherical outer surface so as to facilitate bouncing displacement of the independent mass member within the accommodation space.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 13, 2001Publication date: October 4, 2001Inventors: Koichi Hasegawa, Rentaro Kato
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Publication number: 20010022256Abstract: A vibration damper little depending on temperature, capable of damping plural resonance vibrations over a wide frequency region as well as damping a specific frequency vibration is provided. The vibration damper comprises a housing formed of a rigid material, having an internal space and fixed to a vibration transmitting member, an elastic body inserted in the internal space not bonded thereto with a gap in a direction of vibration of the housing, and a weight integrally supported by the elastic body so as not to touch the housing. The elastic body and the weight form a dynamic damper.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2001Publication date: September 20, 2001Inventors: Kazuhito Misaji, Kengo Okamura, Yuji Kuruhara, Keiichi Sunami, Tsuyoshi Yamashita, Akihiro Maejima, Yoshihiro Noguchi, Toru Nirei, Rentaro Kato, Koichi Hasegawa
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Patent number: 6244496Abstract: A connected structure includes a supporting member and a bushing mounting member connected thereto. The supporting member is made of a pipe having a round cross-sectional shape. The bushing mounting member includes a bushing mounting portion for mounting a bushing having a rubber elastic member and a connecting portion protruded from the bushing mounting portion. The connecting portion is press-fitted into an opening at one end of the supporting member, and the connecting portion and the supporting member are joined together along a circumference of the supporting member by a friction agitation joining method. Accordingly, the connecting member which is light in weight and high in strength with an improved efficiency for utilizing the surrounding space and a predetermined characteristics of a bushing can be obtained.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 1998Date of Patent: June 12, 2001Assignees: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd., Showa Aluminum CorporationInventors: Rentaro Kato, Koji Uchino, Yuichi Ogawa, Masatoshi Enomoto, Seiji Tasaki, Naoki Nishikawa, Naoyuki Kawata, Takenori Hashimoto
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Patent number: 6217251Abstract: A joining structure for joining adjacent members includes a first member and a second member. One end portion of the first member is joined to one end portion of the second member such that protruded portions formed on the one end portion of the first and second members are engaged with corresponding dented portions formed on one end portion of the second and first members, respectively. A hollow joining member is fitted on a joined portion of said first and second members and crimped on the joined portion.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 1998Date of Patent: April 17, 2001Assignees: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd., Showa Aluminum CorporationInventors: Rentaro Kato, Koji Uchino, Yuichi Ogawa, Masaharu Tochigi, Naoyuki Kawata, Naoki Nishikawa
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Patent number: 6125539Abstract: A process for producing a vibration isolator. The process involves steps of forming an intermediate product including an axial member, an outside member having a cylinder-shaped portion and a rubber elastic member, and drawing the cylinder-shaped portion with a drawing apparatus provided with a drawing hole at least by pressing the cylinder-shaped portion into the drawing hole. The drawing hole has a predetermined dimensional diameter being smaller than an outer peripheral diameter of the cylinder-shaped portion. Thus, the cylinder-shaped portion is reduced diametrically to plastically deform. The production process can obviate the conventional pressed-in construction in which metallic members contact with each other, can make the manufacture of the vibration isolator easy, and can reduce the manufacturing cost.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 1999Date of Patent: October 3, 2000Assignees: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd., Showa Aluminum CorporationInventors: Yuichi Ogawa, Rentaro Kato, Naoki Nishikawa, Masatoshi Enomoto, Shoichi Satoh
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Patent number: 6094818Abstract: A process for producing a vibration isolator includes the steps of preparing an axial member, an outside member, the outside member including a cylinder-shaped portion and a bracket having a hollow, and a cylinder-shaped rubber elastic member, and drawing the cylinder-shaped portion by inserting a stationary mold, with which a drawing apparatus is provided, into the hollow of the outside member so that an outer peripheral surface of the cylinder-shaped portion contacts with the stationary mold, by disposing the rubber elastic member and the axial member inside the cylinder-shaped portion, and by pressing the cylinder-shaped portion onto the stationary mold and simultaneously diametrically reducing the cylinder-shaped portion to plastically deform the same. The production process can obviate the conventional pressed-in construction in which metallic members contact with each other, can make the manufacture of the vibration isolator easy, and can reduce the manufacturing cost.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 1999Date of Patent: August 1, 2000Assignees: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd., Showa Aluminum CorporationInventors: Yuichi Ogawa, Rentaro Kato, Naoki Nishikawa, Masatoshi Enomoto, Shoichi Sato
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Patent number: 5967269Abstract: A vibration damper including a mounting member fixed to a subject body whose vibration is to be damped, a first mass assembly disposed such that the first mass assembly is displaceable relative to the mounting member in a direction of vibration of the subject body, a first elastic member elastically connecting the first mass assembly to the mounting member, a second mass assembly disposed such that the second mass assembly is displaceable relative to the mounting member and the first mass assembly in the direction of vibration, a second elastic member elastically connecting the second mass assembly to the mounting member, and an oscillating device for generating an oscillating force acting on the first and second mass assemblies so as to cause relative displacement therebetween.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 1997Date of Patent: October 19, 1999Assignee: Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.Inventor: Rentaro Kato