Patents by Inventor Takehiro NIWA

Takehiro NIWA 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: 10458537
    Abstract: In a shift lever device, a lever moves an operation member when the lever is rotationally operated in a front-rear direction, and the lever rotates a select link such that the select link moves the operation member when the lever is rotation operated in a left-right direction. The position of the operation member is detected to detect a shift position of the lever. When the lever is rotation operated in the front-rear direction, the lever therefore moves the operation member without being through the select link, thereby enabling the precision with which the shift position of the lever in the front-rear direction is detected to be raised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Takehiro Niwa, Yohei Nakano, Naomi Asahina
  • Patent number: 10428932
    Abstract: At a shift lever device, a shift lever is supported at a retainer due to the shift lever being inserted into the retainer from an upper side portion, and select shafts of the shift lever being inserted into select frames of the retainer. Here, at the select shafts, amounts of projection of circular shafts and intermediate shafts are small as compared with amounts of projection of plate shafts. At a time when the select shafts are inserted into the select frames, the circular shafts and intermediate shafts can pass supporting pillars of the select frames, and an angle of tilting of the shift lever with respect to the retainer in a left-right direction can be made to be small. Therefore, a left-right direction dimension of the retainer can be made to be small, and the shift lever device can be made to be compact in the left-right direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Takehiro Niwa
  • Patent number: 10253870
    Abstract: In a shift lever device, a gate pin of a lever is guided by a gate groove of a gate plate, and a detent pin of the lever is abutted on a detent face of a detent block due to an urging force. A sensor mechanism detects a shift position of the lever. The gate plate, the detent block, and the sensor mechanism are disposed at a lower side of the lever, the gate plate and the detent block are disposed at a rear side of the lever, and the sensor mechanism is disposed at a front side of the gate plate and the detent block. This thereby enables a reduction in size of the shift lever device in an up-down direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-DEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Takehiro Niwa, Yohei Nakano, Naomi Asahina
  • Patent number: 9939060
    Abstract: In a shift lever device, at a time when a shift lever is pivotally operated in a front-rear direction, a retainer and a link are pivoted integrally with the shift lever, and a pivot portion is pivoted in the front-rear direction. Further, at a time when the shift lever is pivotally operated in a left-right direction, the shift lever is pivoted with respect to the retainer, and the link is pivoted, and the pivot portion is thereby pivoted in the left-right direction. Moreover, a position of the pivot portion is detected by a detecting mechanism, and a shift position of the shift lever is detected. Therefore, the shift position of the shift lever can be detected via the link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI-RIKA-DENKI-SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Daisuke Kato, Wataru Yumoto, Reiji Higuchi, Takehiro Niwa
  • Publication number: 20180031117
    Abstract: In a shift lever device, a gate pin of a lever is guided by a gate groove of a gate plate, and a detent pin of the lever is abutted on a detent face of a detent block due to an urging force. A sensor mechanism detects a shift position of the lever. The gate plate, the detent block, and the sensor mechanism are disposed at a lower side of the lever, the gate plate and the detent block are disposed at a rear side of the lever, and the sensor mechanism is disposed at a front side of the gate plate and the detent block. This thereby enables a reduction in size of the shift lever device in an up-down direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Inventors: Takehiro NIWA, Yohei NAKANO, Naomi ASAHINA
  • Publication number: 20180031118
    Abstract: In a shift lever device, a lever moves an operation member when the lever is rotationally operated in a front-rear direction, and the lever rotates a select link such that the select link moves the operation member when the lever is rotation operated in a left-right direction. The position of the operation member is detected to detect a shift position of the lever. When the lever is rotation operated in the front-rear direction, the lever therefore moves the operation member without being through the select link, thereby enabling the precision with which the shift position of the lever in the front-rear direction is detected to be raised.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Inventors: Takehiro NIWA, Yohei NAKANO, Naomi ASAHINA
  • Publication number: 20170204965
    Abstract: At a shift lever device, a shift lever is supported at a retainer due to the shift lever being inserted into the retainer from an upper side portion, and select shafts of the shift lever being inserted into select frames of the retainer. Here, at the select shafts, amounts of projection of circular shafts and intermediate shafts are small as compared with amounts of projection of plate shafts. At a time when the select shafts are inserted into the select frames, the circular shafts and intermediate shafts can pass supporting pillars of the select frames, and an angle of tilting of the shift lever with respect to the retainer in a left-right direction can be made to be small. Therefore, a left-right direction dimension of the retainer can be made to be small, and the shift lever device can be made to be compact in the left-right direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2015
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventor: Takehiro NIWA
  • Publication number: 20160273648
    Abstract: In a shift lever device, at a time when a shift lever is pivotally operated in a front-rear direction, a retainer and a link are pivoted integrally with the shift lever, and a pivot portion is pivoted in the front-rear direction. Further, at a time when the shift lever is pivotally operated in a left-right direction, the shift lever is pivoted with respect to the retainer, and the link is pivoted, and the pivot portion is thereby pivoted in the left-right direction. Moreover, a position of the pivot portion is detected by a detecting mechanism, and a shift position of the shift lever is detected. Therefore, the shift position of the shift lever can be detected via the link.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 22, 2016
    Inventors: Daisuke KATO, Wataru YUMOTO, Reiji HIGUCHI, Takehiro NIWA
  • Publication number: 20140033849
    Abstract: A shift device provided with a shift lever that is movable from a home position to a plurality of mode selection positions including a travel mode selection position and a non-travel mode selection position. A lever holding mechanism holds the shift lever at the travel mode selection position when the shift lever is moved to the travel mode selection position and returns the shift lever from the non-travel mode selection position to the home position when the shift lever is moved to the non-travel mode selection position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Publication date: February 6, 2014
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI RIKA DENKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Makoto YAMAMOTO, Katsushi MIWA, Yohei NAKANO, Takehiro NIWA, Hironori WATANABE, Naomi ASAHINA