Patents by Inventor Shinji Kurachi

Shinji Kurachi 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: 11958537
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a hood. The hood includes a hood outer and a hood inner. The hood inner has a plate shape, covers a lower surface of the hood outer, and is made of resin. A space is provided between the hood outer and the hood inner. The hood inner includes a shock absorbing portion that is bent so as to project toward the space. The shock absorbing portion has a central portion located at a center of the shock absorbing portion in a right-left direction of the vehicle and side portions located on respective sides of the central portion in the right-left direction. A thickness of the hood inner in the central portion is thicker than a thickness of the hood inner in the side portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Hidenori Iwayama
  • Patent number: 11946292
    Abstract: A side door disclosed herein is a side door for a vehicle, and includes an inner panel, a door handle attached to the inner panel and operable by a user, an outer panel covering the inner panel from an outer side of the vehicle and having an opening that exposes the door handle, and a cover attached to the inner panel and at least partially closing the opening of the outer panel. A projection is provided in the cover to project into a space between the door handle and the outer panel at least in a vehicle front-rear direction across the door handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Takanori Komatsu
  • Patent number: 11945504
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body and a mounted component provided in the vehicle body. The vehicle body includes a pair of side member, a first crossmember, a second crossmember, and a bracket. The side members extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the side members are provided on the opposite sides across the mounted component in the vehicle right-left direction when the side members are viewed from above in the vehicle up-down direction. The first crossmember extends in the vehicle right-left direction such that the first crossmember is joined to surfaces of respective inner walls of the side members. The second crossmember extends in the vehicle right-left direction at a position closer to the mounted component than the first crossmember such that the second crossmember penetrates through the respective inner walls. The mounted component is connected to the first crossmember and the second crossmember via the bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Tetsuji Shibata, Yoshinori Ikegami
  • Patent number: 11814107
    Abstract: A vehicle includes: a hood; a cowl top placed rearward of the hood; a body structure disposed below the hood and the cowl top; and a shock absorber that is disposed between the hood and the body structure and is fixed to the body structure. At least one of the hood and the cowl top has a support portion facing a side surface of the shock absorber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Hidenori Iwayama
  • Patent number: 11787480
    Abstract: The technique disclosed in the present specification is embodied as a vehicle. The vehicle includes a floor panel and a pedal. The floor panel constitutes a floor of a vehicle cabin of the vehicle and has an inclined portion in a front portion of the floor panel. The inclined portion is inclined upward toward a front side of the vehicle. The pedal is disposed rearward of the inclined portion of the floor panel in a vehicle front-rear direction and operated by a driver of the vehicle toward the inclined portion. A raised portion that is raised toward the vehicle cabin is provided integrally with the inclined portion of the floor panel. When the driver places a foot on the pedal, the raised portion is located forward of a heel portion of the foot in the vehicle front-rear direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Shunsuke Teruyama
  • Patent number: 11708114
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body including: an elongated frame made of a first material and extending along a door opening; and an elongated rail made of a second material having a linear expansion coefficient different from that of the first material, the rail covering the frame and extending along the frame, the rail being configured to abut with a weather strip when a door closes the door opening. The rail is fixed to the frame at a plurality of fixation parts that includes: a first fixation part provided in an intermediate part of the rail in the longitudinal direction of the rail; and second fixation parts provided, respectively, in opposite end parts of the rail in its longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction of the rail, backlash widths at the second fixation parts are larger than a backlash width at the first fixation part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Masayuki Koizumi
  • Patent number: 11679688
    Abstract: A plurality of charging stations and a plurality of commercial facilities where a user of a vehicle can stay during charging in one of the plurality of charging stations are provided. An information providing method for the vehicle includes: causing a charging server to select a plurality of candidates from among the plurality of charging stations in accordance with location information about each of the vehicle and the plurality of commercial facilities; causing the charging server to provide a car navigation device with information showing the plurality of candidates selected; causing the server to deliver an advertisement for a commercial facility associated with each of the plurality of candidates selected; and causing the charging server to receive information about a candidate selected with the car navigation device from among the plurality of candidates by the user referring to the advertisement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Sakuma, Shuhei Yamamoto, Munehiro Kamiya, Hideo Hasegawa, Shinji Kurachi, Tomoya Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11667215
    Abstract: The technology described in the present specification is embodied in a vehicle. The vehicle includes a vehicle body, a seat, and a seat bracket. The vehicle body includes a pipe material extending in the vehicle right-left direction. The seat is provided in the vehicle body, and an occupant of the vehicle sits on the seat. The seat is fixed to the pipe material via the seat bracket. The seat bracket includes a bracket lower and a bracket upper. The bracket lower is placed below the pipe material. The bracket upper is placed above the pipe material such that the pipe material is sandwiched between the bracket upper and the bracket lower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Yoshinori Ikegami, Yoshikazu Tanoue
  • Publication number: 20220161644
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body including: an elongated frame made of a first material and extending along a door opening; and an elongated rail made of a second material having a linear expansion coefficient different from that of the first material, the rail covering the frame and extending along the frame, the rail being configured to abut with a weather strip when a door closes the door opening. The rail is fixed to the frame at a plurality of fixation parts that includes: a first fixation part provided in an intermediate part of the rail in the longitudinal direction of the rail; and second fixation parts provided, respectively, in opposite end parts of the rail in its longitudinal direction. In the longitudinal direction of the rail, backlash widths at the second fixation parts are larger than a backlash width at the first fixation part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Masayuki Koizumi
  • Publication number: 20220161689
    Abstract: The technology described in the present specification is embodied in a vehicle. The vehicle includes a vehicle body, a seat, and a seat bracket. The vehicle body includes a pipe material extending in the vehicle right-left direction. The seat is provided in the vehicle body, and an occupant of the vehicle sits on the seat. The seat is fixed to the pipe material via the seat bracket. The seat bracket includes a bracket lower and a bracket upper. The bracket lower is placed below the pipe material. The bracket upper is placed above the pipe material such that the pipe material is sandwiched between the bracket upper and the bracket lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Yoshinori Ikegami, Yoshikazu Tanoue
  • Publication number: 20220161861
    Abstract: A vehicle includes: a hood; a cowl top placed rearward of the hood; a body structure disposed below the hood and the cowl top; and a shock absorber that is disposed between the hood and the body structure and is fixed to the body structure. At least one of the hood and the cowl top has a support portion facing a side surface of the shock absorber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Hidenori Iwayama
  • Publication number: 20220162888
    Abstract: A side door disclosed herein is a side door for a vehicle, and includes an inner panel, a door handle attached to the inner panel and operable by a user, an outer panel covering the inner panel from an outer side of the vehicle and having an opening that exposes the door handle, and a cover attached to the inner panel and at least partially closing the opening of the outer panel. A projection is provided in the cover to project into a space between the door handle and the outer panel at least in a vehicle front-rear direction across the door handle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Takanori Komatsu
  • Publication number: 20220161856
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body and a mounted component provided in the vehicle body. The vehicle body includes a pair of side member, a first crossmember, a second crossmember, and a bracket. The side members extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the side members are provided on the opposite sides across the mounted component in the vehicle right-left direction when the side members are viewed from above in the vehicle up-down direction. The first crossmember extends in the vehicle right-left direction such that the first crossmember is joined to surfaces of respective inner walls of the side members. The second crossmember extends in the vehicle right-left direction at a position closer to the mounted component than the first crossmember such that the second crossmember penetrates through the respective inner walls. The mounted component is connected to the first crossmember and the second crossmember via the bracket.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Tetsuji Shibata, Yoshinori Ikegami
  • Publication number: 20220161865
    Abstract: The technique disclosed in the present specification is embodied as a vehicle. The vehicle includes a floor panel and a pedal. The floor panel constitutes a floor of a vehicle cabin of the vehicle and has an inclined portion in a front portion of the floor panel. The inclined portion is inclined upward toward a front side of the vehicle. The pedal is disposed rearward of the inclined portion of the floor panel in a vehicle front-rear direction and operated by a driver of the vehicle toward the inclined portion. A raised portion that is raised toward the vehicle cabin is provided integrally with the inclined portion of the floor panel. When the driver places a foot on the pedal, the raised portion is located forward of a heel portion of the foot in the vehicle front-rear direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Shunsuke Teruyama
  • Publication number: 20220161863
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a hood. The hood includes a hood outer and a hood inner. The hood inner has a plate shape, covers a lower surface of the hood outer, and is made of resin. A space is provided between the hood outer and the hood inner. The hood inner includes a shock absorbing portion that is bent so as to project toward the space. The shock absorbing portion has a central portion located at a center of the shock absorbing portion in a right-left direction of the vehicle and side portions located on respective sides of the central portion in the right-left direction. A thickness of the hood inner in the central portion is thicker than a thickness of the hood inner in the side portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2021
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Yanaka, Shinji Kurachi, Hidenori Iwayama
  • Patent number: 11200800
    Abstract: A vehicle search system includes a vehicle incorporating a vehicle-mounted camera and a server configured to communicate with the vehicle. The server transmits search target vehicle data for specifying a search target vehicle to the vehicle. The vehicle is configured to (a) store the search target vehicle data from the server and (b) transmit, when a vehicle detected by the vehicle-mounted camera falls under search target vehicles included in the search target vehicle data, detection information on the detected vehicle to the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Sakuma, Shuhei Yamamoto, Munehiro Kamiya, Hideo Hasegawa, Shinji Kurachi, Tomoya Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11192544
    Abstract: A vehicle management system includes a vehicle controller mountable in a vehicle, and a commercial facility management system for managing a parking lot and payment in a commercial facility. The commercial facility management system includes a system controller. The system controller performs processing for associating the vehicle with a user of the vehicle when the vehicle enters the parking lot, and cooperates with the vehicle controller of the vehicle associated with the user to control the vehicle to travel from a parking place to a pick-up/drop-off place for the user when the user finishes payment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Sakuma, Shuhei Yamamoto, Munehiro Kamiya, Hideo Hasegawa, Shinji Kurachi, Tomoya Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11175143
    Abstract: An electric efficiency prediction method for a vehicle includes: the first step of obtaining “object vehicle information” showing information about a status of use of a vehicle that is an electrically powered vehicle; and the second step of, for each link connecting nodes virtually set on an expected traveling route of the vehicle, by using the object vehicle information, correcting an electric efficiency actual value of electric efficiency collected from each of a plurality of vehicles to calculate an electric efficiency predicted value in each link for the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru Sakuma, Shuhei Yamamoto, Munehiro Kamiya, Hideo Hasegawa, Shinji Kurachi, Tomoya Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20210162880
    Abstract: A plurality of charging stations and a plurality of commercial facilities where a user of a vehicle can stay during charging in one of the plurality of charging stations are provided. An information providing method for the vehicle includes: causing a charging server to select a plurality of candidates from among the plurality of charging stations in accordance with location information about each of the vehicle and the plurality of commercial facilities; causing the charging server to provide a car navigation device with information showing the plurality of candidates selected; causing the server to deliver an advertisement for a commercial facility associated with each of the plurality of candidates selected; and causing the charging server to receive information about a candidate selected with the car navigation device from among the plurality of candidates by the user referring to the advertisement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru SAKUMA, Shuhei YAMAMOTO, Munehiro KAMIYA, Hideo HASEGAWA, Shinji KURACHI, Tomoya SHIMIZU
  • Publication number: 20210138925
    Abstract: A provider terminal transmits, to a server, (i) location information for specifying a location of a power supply facility for supplying power to a vehicle and (ii) an acceptance period for accepting the supply of power at the location. The user terminal transmits, to the server, (i) a desired location for the supply of power to the vehicle and (ii) a desired starting time for the supply of power to the vehicle at the desired location. The server includes: a provision DB configured to store one or more pieces of association information in which respective pieces of location information are associated with respective acceptance periods; a determination device configured to determine a power supply facility corresponding to the desired location and the desired starting time; and a communicator configured to notify a location of the power supply facility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2021
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoru SAKUMA, Shuhei YAMAMOTO, Munehiro KAMIYA, Hideo HASEGAWA, Shinji KURACHI, Tomoya SHIMIZU