Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Morinaga

Hiroshi Morinaga 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: 11434676
    Abstract: A vehicle door hinge that has a desorption function while enabling weight reduction and increasing production efficiency. The vehicle door hinge comprises a base member (2U) fixed to the door-side of the vehicle, a base member (3U) fixed to the vehicle body side; a hinge shaft (4U) rotatably connects the base members (2U, 3U) to each other; a screwed body (5U) that is detachably screwed in the axial direction to the hinge shaft (4U) so that the base member (3U) and the hinge shaft (4U) rotate integrally; bushes (6U, 7U) fitted into a shaft holes (22U) of the base member (2U) so that the base member (2U) and the hinge shaft can rotate relative to each other; and a retaining portion (8U) for preventing the hinge shaft (4U) from coming off from the shaft hole (22U) of the base member. The base members (2U, 3U) are cast from aluminum alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Morinaga, Makoto Kondo, Kumiko Sato
  • Publication number: 20200408014
    Abstract: A vehicle door hinge that has a desorption function while enabling weight reduction and increasing production efficiency. The vehicle door hinge comprises a base member (2U) fixed to the door-side of the vehicle, a base member (3U) fixed to the vehicle body side; a hinge shaft (4U) rotatably connects the base members (2U, 3U) to each other; a screwed body (5U) that is detachably screwed in the axial direction to the hinge shaft (4U) so that the base member (3U) and the hinge shaft (4U) rotate integrally; bushes (6U, 7U) fitted into a shaft holes (22U) of the base member (2U) so that the base member (2U) and the hinge shaft can rotate relative to each other; and a retaining portion (8U) for preventing the hinge shaft (4U) from coming off from the shaft hole (22U) of the base member. The base members (2U, 3U) are cast from aluminum alloy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Publication date: December 31, 2020
    Inventors: Hiroshi MORINAGA, Makoto KONDO, Kumiko SATO
  • Patent number: 10227743
    Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus, program, and method for controlling the automatic spraying of an antifreezing agent that can reduce the cost of the antifreezing agent and the impact of salt damages caused by the antifreezing agent. This is accomplished by reducing the amount of antifreezing agent to be sprayed automatically according to road surface condition and reducing the amount of the antifreezing agent left unused on completion of the spray operation by grasping in advance the total spray amount of the antifreezing agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma Nakazawa, Yasumichi Wakao, Go Nagaya, Shinya Tsuchida, Yasushi Hanatsuka, Hiroshi Morinaga, Tomonori Ohiro
  • Publication number: 20170321463
    Abstract: A vehicle door includes a fixed bracket having a base plate part fixed by a bolt to an attachment surface of a vehicle body, and a pair of bent pieces bent at a right angle in relation to the base plate part and set apart from each other in the axial direction of a hinge shaft. In the bent pieces are formed: a shaft hole in which the hinge shaft is inserted; and a raised stopper part projecting from the inner-side surface of the bent piece, the raised stopper part coming into contact with a stopped part of a movable bracket, whereby the movable bracket is stopped in the fully open position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Applicant: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Publication number: 20160281312
    Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus, program, and method for controlling the automatic spraying of an antifreezing agent that can reduce the cost of the antifreezing agent and the impact of salt damages caused by the antifreezing agent. This is accomplished by reducing the amount of antifreezing agent to be sprayed automatically according to road surface condition and reducing the amount of the antifreezing agent left unused on completion of the spray operation by grasping in advance the total spray amount of the antifreezing agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Applicant: BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuma NAKAZAWA, Yasumichi WAKAO, Go NAGAYA, Shinya TSUCHIDA, Yasushi HANATSUKA, Hiroshi MORINAGA, Tomonori OHIRO
  • Patent number: 9170102
    Abstract: A method capable of estimating a snowy road surface condition during vehicular travel in finer classification. In this method, tire vibrations in the circumferential direction, road surface temperature (T), and tire-generated sound are detected by an acceleration sensor, a road surface thermometer, and a microphone, respectively. Then band values P11, P12 and P13 for a pre-leading-edge region (R1), band values P21, P22 and P23 for a leading-edge region (R2), band values P31, P32 and P33 for a pre-trailing-edge region (R3), band values P41 and P42 for a trailing-edge region (R4), and band values P51, P52 and P53 for a post-trailing-edge region (R5) are calculated from the tire vibration data. A sound pressure level ratio (Q)=(PA/PB), which is the ratio of a band power value (PA) of a low frequency band to a band power value (PB) of a high frequency band, is calculated from data on the tire-generated sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bridgestone
    Inventors: Yasushi Hanatsuka, Yasumichi Wakao, Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Patent number: 9103146
    Abstract: In a vehicle door hinge, a moving hinge member is fixed to a mounting surface of a door, and a fixed hinge member is fixed to a mounting surface of a vehicle body. The moving hinge member is pivotally mounted to the fixed hinge member via a hinge shaft. The fixed hinge member has a deformation-promoting portion which meets the mounting surface of the vehicle body at an intersection. An extension line extends from a facing side of the fixed hinge member facing the mounting surface of the door. First and second tangential lines which contact an outer circumference of the hinge shaft extend perpendicular the mounting surface of the vehicle body. The intersection is positioned between the extension line and the second tangential line remote from the extension line compared with the first tangential line. The facing side is formed at right angles or approximate right angles with respect to the mounting surface of the vehicle body, and the fixed hinge member is unfolded to a T-shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Patent number: 9046457
    Abstract: The vibration of a tire 10 of a running vehicle in the circumferential direction or the width direction is detected by a road surface condition estimating tire 10, provided with an acceleration sensor 11 and a signal processing unit 12. Data of a detected vibration waveform are divided into data of three domains, namely, a pre-leading domain, a contact patch domain, and a post-trailing domain, and then the vibration levels in the pre-leading domain and the contact patch domain, respectively, are extracted. At the same time, a vibration component in a low-frequency band and a vibration component in a high-frequency band are extracted respectively from the vibration levels in the respective domains, and respective vibration level ratios R, which are each a ratio thereof, are calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bridgestone
    Inventors: Yasushi Hanatsuka, Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Publication number: 20150026924
    Abstract: In a vehicle door hinge, a moving hinge member is fixed to a mounting surface of a door, and a fixed hinge member is fixed to a mounting surface of a vehicle body. The moving hinge member is pivotally mounted to the fixed hinge member via a hinge shaft. The fixed hinge member has a deformation-promoting portion which meets the mounting surface of the vehicle body at an intersection. An extension line extends from a facing side of the fixed hinge member facing the mounting surface of the door. First and second tangential lines which contact an outer circumference of the hinge shaft extend perpendicular the mounting surface of the vehicle body. The intersection is positioned between the extension line and the second tangential line remote from the extension line compared with the first tangential line. The facing side is formed at right angles or approximate right angles with respect to the mounting surface of the vehicle body, and the fixed hinge member is unfolded to a T-shape.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventor: Hiroshi MORINAGA
  • Patent number: 8483976
    Abstract: The degree of tire wear is estimated with constancy and accuracy even when the road surface becomes rough during a vehicular run. The deformation speeds Vtf and Vtk of the tread of the tire are obtained respectively by calculating the levels of peaks Pf and Pk at contact edges appearing in the differentiated waveform of radial acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor 11 installed on the inner surface in the inner liner region of the tire. An average standardized deformation velocity Vnt is calculated as the average of the absolute values of leading-edge-side standardized deformation speed Vntf and trailing-edge-side standardized deformation speed Vntk, which are obtained by standardizing the Vtf and Vtk using the rotation time Tr of the tire. At the same time, an extra-contact-patch vibration level v of the tread is detected from the radial acceleration having passed through a bandpass filter 16.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bridgestone
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Publication number: 20130116972
    Abstract: A method capable of estimating a snowy road surface condition during vehicular travel in finer classification. In this method, tire vibrations in the circumferential direction, road surface temperature (T), and tire-generated sound are detected by an acceleration sensor, a road surface thermometer, and a microphone, respectively. Then band values P11, P12 and P13 for a pre-leading-edge region (R1), band values P21, P22 and P23 for a leading-edge region (R2), band values P31, P32 and P33 for a pre-trailing-edge region (R3), band values P41 and P42 for a trailing-edge region (R4), and band values P51, P52 and P53 for a post-trailing-edge region (R5) are calculated from the tire vibration data. A sound pressure level ratio (Q)=(PA/PB), which is the ratio of a band power value (PA) of a low frequency band to a band power value (PB) of a high frequency band, is calculated from data on the tire-generated sound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA BRIDGESTONE
    Inventors: Yasushi Hanatsuka, Yasumichi Wakao, Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Patent number: 8371159
    Abstract: The degree of wear of a tire is estimated with constant accuracy. An acceleration sensor (11) is installed on the inner surface in the inner liner region of a tire to detect the acceleration of the tread in the radial direction of the tire. The peak level on the leading edge side or the trailing edge side of the tread appearing in the differentiated waveform of the detected acceleration is calculated and used as an index V of deformation speed of the tread. The degree of wear of the tire is estimated on the basis of the calculated index V of deformation speed and an M-V map (16B) showing a predetermined relationship between the degree M of tire wear and the index V of deformation speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bridgestone
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Publication number: 20110118989
    Abstract: The degree of tire wear is estimated with constancy and accuracy even when the road surface becomes rough during a vehicular run. The deformation speeds Vtf and Vtk of the tread of the tire are obtained respectively by calculating the levels of peaks Pf and Pk at contact edges appearing in the differentiated waveform of radial acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor 11 installed on the inner surface in the inner liner region of the tire. An average standardized deformation velocity Vnt is calculated as the average of the absolute values of leading-edge-side standardized deformation speed Vntf and trailing-edge-side standardized deformation speed Vntk, which are obtained by standardizing the Vtf and Vtk using the rotation time Tr of the tire. At the same time, an extra-contact-patch vibration level v of the tread is detected from the radial acceleration having passed through a bandpass filter 16.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA BRIDGESTONE
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Publication number: 20100186492
    Abstract: The degree of wear of a tire is estimated with constant accuracy. An acceleration sensor (11) is installed on the inner surface in the inner liner region of a tire to detect the acceleration of the tread in the radial direction of the tire. The peak level on the leading edge side or the trailing edge side of the tread appearing in the differentiated waveform of the detected acceleration is calculated and used as an index V of deformation speed of the tread. The degree of wear of the tire is estimated on the basis of the calculated index V of deformation speed and an M-V map (16B) showing a predetermined relationship between the degree M of tire wear and the index V of deformation speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Patent number: 7669367
    Abstract: A horizontal wall is formed with a notch groove. The notch groove is formed by cutting a tip end of the horizontal wall on the side of the vehicle body substantially along an approaching/separating direction between a vehicle body and a slide door. A connecting unit which turnably connects a plate and a roller holder of a connection assembly to each other is movably inserted into the notch groove. The plate and the horizontal wall of the bracket are fastened to each other in a state where they are superposed on each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoji Shimura, Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Patent number: 7568384
    Abstract: In order to accurately and stably estimate the conditions of a running tire, a vehicle is equipped with a sensor-incorporating tire having, at an equal distance from the center in the axial direction of the tire, pressure sensors (11A, 11B) buried in a tread rubber positioned on the outer side in the radial direction of the tire belt layer of a tire tread portion and on the inner sides in the radial direction of tread blocks, the contact length LA of the car body side and the contact length LB of the opposite side of the center in the axial direction of the tire are detected by using the duration times of pressure values from the pressure sensors (11A, 11B) and a wheel speed from a wheel speed sensor (14), and the ratio R=LA/LB of the contact length LA to the contact length LB is computed to estimate lateral force generated by the tire, or the average contact length LAB which is the average value of the contact lengths LA and LB is computed to determine a load applied to the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bridgestone
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Patent number: 7546764
    Abstract: The dynamic state amount of a tire when a load is applied to the tire while running can be estimated accurately and stably by installing tire deformation amount measuring means 11A and 11B at axisymmetrical positions which are equally distant in the axial direction from the center in the axial direction of the tire on the cross-section in the radial direction of the tire on the inner side of the belt portion of a tire tread in the radial direction, such as at the inner surface of the tread, between an inner liner and a ply, between plies or between a ply and a belt to measure the waveforms of deformation of the tire, detecting the contact time which is the time difference between contact edges from the waveforms of deformation, calculating contact length indices kA and kB from the contact time and the wheel speed detected by a wheel speed sensor 15, calculating the average value k of the above indices kA and kB, and obtaining a load applied to the tire by using the calculated average value k of the indices of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Bridgestone
    Inventors: Hiroshi Morinaga, Yasumichi Wakao, Akira Kobayakawa
  • Publication number: 20090105921
    Abstract: The vibration of a tire 10 of a running vehicle in the circumferential direction or the width direction is detected by a road surface condition estimating tire 10, provided with an acceleration sensor 11 and a signal processing unit 12. Data of a detected vibration waveform are divided into data of three domains, namely, a pre-leading domain, a contact patch domain, and a post-trailing domain, and then the vibration levels in the pre-leading domain and the contact patch domain, respectively, are extracted. At the same time, a vibration component in a low-frequency band and a vibration component in a high-frequency band are extracted respectively from the vibration levels in the respective domains, and respective vibration level ratios R, which are each a ratio thereof, are calculated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA BRIDGESTONE
    Inventors: Yasushi Hanatsuka, Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Patent number: D748966
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morinaga
  • Patent number: D749394
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morinaga