Patents by Inventor Yuki HOTODA

Yuki HOTODA 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).

  • Publication number: 20240116195
    Abstract: Provided is a bending structure that can be reduced in diameter. The present invention is provided with a bending part 9 which has an elastically bendable and expandable inner coil part 13 and outer coil part 15, and in which a corresponding winding section 13a of the inner coil part 13 is fit in the space between adjacent winding sections 15a of the outer coil part 15. At least one of the inner and outer coil parts 13 and 15 is conductive and forms a conductive path P1. The bending part 9, which is capable of suppressing compression in the axial direction, enables the formation of the conductive path P1 without the need of another conductive line or the like, thereby simplifying the structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi HIRATA, Yuki HOTODA
  • Publication number: 20230405844
    Abstract: A bending operation mechanism comprises: an elastically bendable driving part; an elastically bendable driven part that is provided separate from the driving part; and a linking part that connects the driving part and the driven part, and tensions and bends the driven part in accordance with bending of the driving part. The driving part and the driven part each comprise an inner coil part and an outer coil part that are bendable with respect to the axial direction, and wound parts corresponding to the inner coil part are respectively fitted to pitches between adjacent wound parts of the outer coil part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi HIRATA, Yuki HOTODA, Masahiro INABA
  • Publication number: 20230339124
    Abstract: Provided are a bending structure and a joint function part, capable of stabilizing bending operation and simplifying a structure. An inner coiled part is located into an outer coiled part. The outer coiled part and the inner coiled part have a plurality of gaps distancing adjacent coils in an axial direction, and the coils of the inner coiled part fit between the adjacent coils of the outer coiled part while being in contact with the adjacent coils. A dimension P is set in a range meeting ?R/4N?P<d??R/4N in which P is the dimension of the gap of the outer coiled part in the axial direction in a free state, N is the number of turns of the outer coiled part, R is a diameter of the outer coiled part, and d is a wire diameter of the wire of the inner coiled part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2021
    Publication date: October 26, 2023
    Inventors: Motoyuki OTSUKA, Takafumi HIRATA, Shimpei KUROKAWA, Yuki HOTODA
  • Publication number: 20230330871
    Abstract: The present invention provides a bending structural body with which a simplified structure can be achieved. The bending structural body comprises: an inner cylinder that is formed from a first inner coil part and a first outer coil part, and in which wound parts corresponding to the first inner coil part are respectively fitted to pitches between adjacent wound parts of the first outer coil part; an outer cylinder that covers at least some of the outer circumference of the inner cylinder with a space therebetween, that is formed from a second inner coil part and a second outer coil part, and in which wound parts corresponding to the second inner coil part are respectively fitted to pitches between adjacent wound parts of the second outer coil part; and drive wires and guide wires that are guided and axially inserted into the space between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi HIRATA, Yuki HOTODA, Masahiro INABA, Yuki HAYAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20230256625
    Abstract: A joint function unit, in which a movable part is supported by a base partso as to be displaceable in an axial direction thereof, includes: a plurality of drive wireseach having a fixed partfixed to the movable parton one side in the axial direction and the a supported partsupported by the base parton the other side in the axial direction; and an elastic bodysupporting the supported partof each of the plurality of drive wireson the base part, energizing the supported partwith respect to the fixed partin the axial direction, and applying tension to the drive wires.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Applicant: NHK SPRING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi HIRATA, Yuki HOTODA, Masahiro INABA
  • Patent number: 11576740
    Abstract: Provided are a bending structure and a flexible tube for a medical manipulator, which comprise a main body that is composed of the wave washers stacked in an axial direction and kept a stacked state, the main body being bendable according to the expansion and contraction in the axial direction. Accordingly, linearity of load characteristics based on load and a bending angle is made high to make it possible to obtain the flexible tube having superior load bearing and bendability while conducting size reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: NHK Spring Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shimpei Kurokawa, Yuki Hotoda, Shinji Iino
  • Publication number: 20230001590
    Abstract: Provided is a bending structure and a joint function part, capable of ensuring sufficient flexibility and rigidity in an axial direction. The bending structure is provided with an outer coiled part formed of a wire wound in a coiled shape and an inner coiled part formed of a wire wound in a coiled shape and arranged in the outer coiled part, wherein the outer coiled part has a plurality of gaps to distance adjacent coils, and coils of the inner coiled part are provided so as to correspond to the gaps of the outer coiled part and fit between the adjacent coils while being in contact with the adjacent coils of the outer coiled part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Inventors: Takafumi HIRATA, Shimpei KUROKAWA, Yuki HOTODA
  • Publication number: 20210307773
    Abstract: An instrument for a surgical assistance robot is provided with a bending structure that enables a joint function part to be bent and is provided with an outer coiled part formed of a wire wound in a coiled shape and an inner coiled part formed of a wire wound in a coiled shape and arranged in the outer coiled part, wherein the outer coiled part has a plurality of gaps to distance adjacent coils, and coils of the inner coiled part are provided so as to correspond to the gaps of the outer coiled part and fit between the adjacent coils while being in contact with the adjacent coils of the outer coiled part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Inventors: Takafumi HIRATA, Shimpei KUROKAWA, Yuki HOTODA, Daisuke HARAGUCHI, Koki SHINDO, Kyohei TAKIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20210186637
    Abstract: Provided are a bending structure and a flexible tube for a medical manipulator, which comprise a corrugated tube portion having a corrugated portion in which crests and troughs are alternately arranged in the axial direction and being bendable according to expansion and contraction of the crests and the troughs, and insertion holes provided on the corrugated portion to pass the drive wires in the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: Shimpei KUROKAWA, Yuki HOTODA
  • Publication number: 20200323600
    Abstract: Provided are a bending structure and a flexible tube for a medical manipulator, which comprise a main body that is composed of the wave washers stacked in an axial direction and kept a stacked state, the main body being bendable according to the expansion and contraction in the axial direction. Accordingly, linearity of load characteristics based on load and a bending angle is made high to make it possible to obtain the flexible tube having superior load bearing and bendability while conducting size reduction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: Shimpei KUROKAWA, Yuki HOTODA, Shinji IINO