Patents by Inventor Satohiko Nakano

Satohiko Nakano 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: 8086375
    Abstract: A method for adjusting sensitivity of a load detecting device of a seat for a vehicle includes a seat assembling step for assembling the seat with plural load sensors assembled, a zero point adjusting step for obtaining a non-load output value by totaling output values of the load sensors when no load is applied on the seat and memorizing the non-load output value in a memory of a processing device, an adjusted output value calculating step for obtaining an adjusted output value by subtracting the non-load output value from a total of the output values of the load sensors when a predetermined load is applied on the seat, a trimming coefficient calculating step for calculating a trimming coefficient by dividing a designed output value by the adjusted output value, and a trimming coefficient memorizing step for memorizing the trimming coefficient in the memory of the processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignees: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Mutsuro Aoyama, Akira Enomoto, Minoru Izawa
  • Patent number: 7559249
    Abstract: A seat apparatus for a vehicle has a load detecting device arranged between a floor-side fixing member adapted to be fixed to a floor of the vehicle and a seat-side fixing member adapted to be fixed to a seat for the vehicle and for measuring a load of an occupant seated on the seat. The load detecting device includes: a strain member; a connecting member vertically fixed to an intermediate portion of the strain member; strain gauges attached to a surface of the strain member; an upper bracket having a first and second fixed portions both fixed to the other surface of the strain member. The upper bracket further has an attachment portion connecting the first and second fixed portions and extending in a lateral direction of the seat; and an amplifier unit attached to a surface of the attachment portion of the upper bracket corresponding to the strain member so as to be coplanar with the strain member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignees: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidoshi Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Muneto Inayoshi, Mutsuro Aoyama, Hideki Kawabata, Kenichiro Akizuki, Minoru Izawa
  • Patent number: 7555960
    Abstract: An occupant load sensor of a seat for a vehicle includes a strain member, a connecting member, first and second strain gauge plates, an upper bracket, an amplifier substrate, and an FPC substrate. The strain gauge plates are attached to a surface of the strain member and respectively arranged between a central portion and both end portions of the strain member. Each strain gauge plate includes two strain detecting elements forming a half bridge circuit of a Wheatstone bridge circuit. The FPC substrate is connected to the amplifier substrate and to the strain gauge plates between the both end portions and the central portion of the strain member. Further, the FPC substrate includes a plurality of wiring patterns. The Wheatstone bridge circuit is formed with the plurality of wiring patterns and the half bridge circuit formed at each strain gauge plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignees: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha, Minebea Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Muneto Inayoshi, Mutsuro Aoyama, Satoshi Sato, Hirofumi Otsuka
  • Patent number: 7509871
    Abstract: An occupant load sensor for a vehicle includes a strain member, a connecting member fixed at the strain member, a strain gauge attached to the strain member, an upper bracket having a fixed portion and an attachment portion connecting each fixed portion and extending at a side of the strain member in a lateral direction of the seat, an amplifier case attached to the attachment portion and arranged in parallel with the strain member, an amplifier substrate enclosed in the amplifier case and placed on an identical plane to the strain member, an FPC substrate connected to the strain gauge and the amplifier substrate, a coating portion for coating a connection portion between the FPC substrate and the strain gauge; and a low pressure molded portion molded with a hot melt resin by low pressure molding in the amplifier case to cover the amplifier substrate and the connection portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Mutsuro Aoyama, Akira Enomoto
  • Patent number: 7490523
    Abstract: An occupant load detecting device of a seat for a vehicle includes a strain member arranged between a floor-side fixing member and a seat-side fixing member and having a strain gauge, a connecting member fixed to the strain member and securely connected to one of the floor-side fixing member and the seat-side fixing member, a first supporting member relatively immovably fitted into a fixing hole and fixed to an attachment surface formed at the other one of the floor-side fixing member and the seat-side fixing member to support the strain member, a second supporting member fitted into an attachment hole and fixed to the attachment surface, and a bracket including first and second fixing portions and an amplifier case fixing portion continuous with the first and second fixing portions and extending at a side of the strain member in a lateral direction of the seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2009
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazunori Sakamoto, Hideki Kawabata, Muneto Inayoshi, Satohiko Nakano, Mutsuro Aoyama
  • Patent number: 7487687
    Abstract: An occupant load sensor of a seat for a vehicle includes a metal-made bracket fixed to a strain member and having an attachment portion extending in a lateral direction from the strain member, an amplifier substrate for amplifying a signal transmitted by the strain gauge. One surface of the amplifier substrate is covered by the attachment portion of the metal-made bracket and the other surface thereof is covered by a metal-foil ground pattern. The occupant load sensor further includes a resin-made amplifier case fixed to the attachment portion of the metal-made bracket and arranged in parallel to the strain member. The resin-made amplifier case houses therein the amplifier substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Chiaki Sumi, Satohiko Nakano, Mutsuro Aoyama, Kazunori Sakamoto, Hideki Kawabata, Muneto Inayoshi, Hajime Shiohara
  • Publication number: 20080156103
    Abstract: A seat apparatus for a vehicle has a load detecting device arranged between a floor-side fixing member adapted to be fixed to a floor of the vehicle and a seat-side fixing member adapted to be fixed to a seat for the vehicle and for measuring a load of an occupant seated on the seat. The load detecting device includes: a strain member; a connecting member vertically fixed to an intermediate portion of the strain member; strain gauges attached to a surface of the strain member; an upper bracket having a first and second fixed portions both fixed to the other surface of the strain member. The upper bracket further has an attachment portion connecting the first and second fixed portions and extending in a lateral direction of the seat; and an amplifier unit attached to a surface of the attachment portion of the upper bracket corresponding to the strain member so as to be coplanar with the strain member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Applicants: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Muneto Inayoshi, Mutsuro Aoyama, Hideki Kawabata, Kenichiro Akizuki, Minoru Izawa
  • Publication number: 20080134797
    Abstract: An occupant load sensor for a vehicle includes a strain member, a connecting member fixed at the strain member, a strain gauge attached to the strain member, an upper bracket having a fixed portion and an attachment portion connecting each fixed portion and extending at a side of the strain member in a lateral direction of the seat, an amplifier case attached to the attachment portion and arranged in parallel with the strain member, an amplifier substrate enclosed in the amplifier case and placed on an identical plane to the strain member, an FPC substrate connected to the strain gauge and the amplifier substrate, a coating portion for coating a connection portion between the FPC substrate and the strain gauge; and a low pressure molded portion molded with a hot melt resin by low pressure molding in the amplifier case to cover the amplifier substrate and the connection portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Mutsuro Aoyama, Akira Enomoto
  • Publication number: 20080127752
    Abstract: An occupant load sensor of a seat for a vehicle includes a strain member, a connecting member, first and second strain gauge plates, an upper bracket, an amplifier substrate, and an FPC substrate. The strain gauge plates are attached to a surface of the strain member and respectively arranged between a central portion and both end portions of the strain member. Each strain gauge plate includes two strain detecting elements forming a half bridge circuit of a Wheatstone bridge circuit. The FPC substrate is connected to the amplifier substrate and to the strain gauge plates between the both end portions and the central portion of the strain member. Further, the FPC substrate includes a plurality of wiring patterns. The Wheatstone bridge circuit is formed with the plurality of wiring patterns and the half bridge circuit formed at each strain gauge plates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicants: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, MINEBEA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Muneto Inayoshi, Mutsuro Aoyama, Satoshi Sato, Hirofumi Otsuka
  • Publication number: 20080114517
    Abstract: A method for adjusting sensitivity of a load detecting device of a seat for a vehicle includes a seat assembling step for assembling the seat with plural load sensors assembled, a zero point adjusting step for obtaining a non-load output value by totaling output values of the load sensors when no load is applied on the seat and memorizing the non-load output value in a memory of a processing device, an adjusted output value calculating step for obtaining an adjusted output value by subtracting the non-load output value from a total of the output values of the load sensors when a predetermined load is applied on the seat, a trimming coefficient calculating step for calculating a trimming coefficient by dividing a designed output value by the adjusted output value, and a trimming coefficient memorizing step for memorizing the trimming coefficient in the memory of the processing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: May 15, 2008
    Applicants: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Mutsuro Aoyama, Akira Enomoto, Minoru Izawa
  • Publication number: 20080098822
    Abstract: An occupant load detecting device of a seat for a vehicle includes a strain member arranged between a floor-side fixing member and a seat-side fixing member and having a strain gauge, a connecting member fixed to the strain member and securely connected to one of the floor-side fixing member and the seat-side fixing member, a first supporting member relatively immovably fitted into a fixing hole and fixed to an attachment surface formed at the other one of the floor-side fixing member and the seat-side fixing member to support the strain member, a second supporting member fitted into an attachment hole and fixed to the attachment surface, and a bracket including first and second fixing portions and an amplifier case fixing portion continuous with the first and second fixing portions and extending at a side of the strain member in a lateral direction of the seat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazunori Sakamoto, Hideki Kawabata, Muneto Inayoshi, Satohiko Nakano, Mutsuro Aoyama
  • Publication number: 20080098823
    Abstract: An occupant load sensor of a seat for a vehicle includes a metal-made bracket fixed to a strain member and having an attachment portion extending in a lateral direction from the strain member, an amplifier substrate for amplifying a signal transmitted by the strain gauge. One surface of the amplifier substrate is covered by the attachment portion of the metal-made bracket and the other surface thereof is covered by a metal-foil ground pattern. The occupant load sensor further includes a resin-made amplifier case fixed to the attachment portion of the metal-made bracket and arranged in parallel to the strain member. The resin-made amplifier case houses therein the amplifier substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Applicant: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Chiaki Sumi, Satohiko Nakano, Mutsuro Aoyama, Kazunori Sakamoto, Hideki Kawabata, Muneto Inayoshi, Hajime Shiohara
  • Patent number: 6903546
    Abstract: A rotation detection sensor provided at a cover member relative to a non-rotation member includes a fitting member including a convex portion inserted into an assembling bore formed on the cover member and a detection portion provided at the fitting member and facing a rotor. The convex portion is unitarily formed with the cover member with resin molding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Masakazu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6785639
    Abstract: A threshold value at a side of a bottom value of a sensor signal is renewed by a value calculated by multiplying a minimum value of a deviation between the bottom value and a reference value for the predetermined period of time by a ratio when the minimum value of the deviation is equal to or smaller than the threshold value. A threshold value at a side of a peak value thereof is also renewed by a value calculated by multiplying a minimum vale of a deviation between the peak value and the reference value from the predetermined period of time by a ratio when the minimum value of the deviation is equal to or smaller than the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Shirai, Toshiyuki Matsuo, Kenichi Taguchi, Satohiko Nakano, Kazuhiro Kamiya
  • Publication number: 20040150392
    Abstract: A rotation detection sensor provided at a cover member relative to a non-rotation member includes a fitting member including a convex portion inserted into an assembling bore formed on the cover member and a detection portion provided at the fitting member and facing a rotor. The convex portion is unitarily formed with the cover member with resin molding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Inventors: Satohiko Nakano, Masakazu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20030110008
    Abstract: A threshold value at a side of a bottom value of a sensor signal is renewed by a value calculated by multiplying a minimum value of a deviation between the bottom value and a reference value for the predetermined period of time by a ratio when the minimum value of the deviation is equal to or smaller than the threshold value. A threshold value at a side of a peak value thereof is also renewed by a value calculated by multiplying a minimum vale of a deviation between the peak value and the reference value from the predetermined period of time by a ratio when the minimum value of the deviation is equal to or smaller than the threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2002
    Publication date: June 12, 2003
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Shirai, Toshiyuki Matsuo, Kenichi Taguchi, Satohiko Nakano, Kazuhiro Kamiya
  • Patent number: 6101879
    Abstract: In the present invention, a detection coil and a cancellation coil are closely provided and electrically connected in series to cancel induction noise. The cancellation coil may be disposed at a position not to sense the rotation. An axis of the cancellation coil may be provided in parallel to an axis of the detection coil. The numbers of turns for the cancellation coil may be the same as those for the detection coils. The cancellation coil may be disposed coaxial to the detection coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2000
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Shirai, Satohiko Nakano, Yuji Hiraiwa
  • Patent number: 5905375
    Abstract: A rotational speed sensing device for sensing a rotational speed of a rotating member includes a pulsar ring having a plurality of wall portions, a permanent magnet, a coil, a first magnetic member and a second magnetic member. The first magnetic member is provided for forming a first magnetic circuit which includes at least the inner side of the coil. The first magnetic member has a plurality of projections that are alternately positionable during rotation of the pulsar ring in a first position in which the projections oppose the wall portions and in a second position in which the projections do not oppose the wall portions while the pulsar ring is rotating. The second magnetic member is provided for forming a second magnetic circuit which does not include the inner side of the coil in such a manner that the magnetic resistance of the second magnetic circuit is lower than the magnetic resistance of the first magnetic circuit when the projections are located in the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 18, 1999
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuyoshi Shirai, Satohiko Nakano