Patents by Inventor Masafumi Nakayama

Masafumi Nakayama 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: 4650019
    Abstract: An inventive electrical motor-assisted power-steering system is compact while still providing adequate steering assist force. The system can also act as a manual steering system in the event of failure of an electrical motor. The system includes a steering gear with a shaft rotated manually via a steering shaft, a worm driven by the electrical motor operating in response to rotation of the steering shaft, and a worm wheel fixed to the steering gear shaft and meshing with the worm. The lead angle of the worm is selected to be larger than the friction angle between the worm and the worm wheel so that the worm wheel can drive the worm freely if the motor should fail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1985
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1987
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Company, Limited
    Inventors: Tokiyoshi Yanai, Masafumi Nakayama, Yutaka Aoyama, Moritsune Nakata
  • Patent number: 4607717
    Abstract: A steering apparatus, which includes a device for fluid power-assist of manual steering forces transmitted to a steering gear, a control valve controlling operation of the fluid power-assist device, a valve body of the valve being actuated in accordance with a signal indicative of steering conditions and a steering reactive-force transmitting member directly transmitting steering reactive forces to the valve body so as to displacing same in response to an abnormal steering reactive force. The steering reactive-force transmitting member corrects an abnormal position of the valve body by engaging and moving the valve body when the reactive force exceeds a predetermined magnitude.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1985
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1986
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Company, Limited
    Inventor: Masafumi Nakayama
  • Patent number: 4473128
    Abstract: In a vehicular power steering system, the hydraulic fluid supply to a hydraulic power actuator is controlled in accordance with the vehicle speed and the angular velocity of the steering wheel. Preferably, the fluid supply is reduced so that the steering effort becomes heavier as the vehicle speed increases while the fluid supply is increased when the angular velocity of the steering wheel is high. To control the fluid supply, there is provided, in a power steering system, a bypass valve means for draining a portion of the fluid flow to bypass the power actuator, and control means for producing a control signal to control the bypass valve means in accordance with the vehicle speed and the angular velocity of the steering wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 25, 1984
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masafumi Nakayama, Tokiyoshi Yanai, Masato Fukino
  • Patent number: 4418779
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a power-assisted steering system, comprising a power cylinder having pressure acting chambers respectively communicating with the control ports of a pressure control valve having inlet and outlet ports respectively communicable with the delivery and suction ports of a pump, and first and second flow control valves each having an inlet port and a discharge port communicating with the suction port of the pump, each flow control valve including a control pressure acting chamber communicating with a pressure acting chamber of the power cylinder to develop a differential pressure variable with a differential pressure between the pressure acting chambers of the cylinder, and a valve member movable in response to the differential pressure acting thereon and urged to provide communication between the inlet and discharge ports of each flow control valve, the inlet port of the first flow control valve being in constant communication with the delivery port of the pump and the inlet port of the pr
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1982
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Company, Limited
    Inventors: Masafumi Nakayama, Tokiyoshi Yanai, Masato Fukino
  • Patent number: 4410059
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a power-assisted vehicle steering system, comprising a power cylinder having two pressure-acting chambers, a control valve having inlet and outlet ports respectively communicable with a pump and a fluid reservoir and selectively with the inlet and outlet ports, a pressure compensating valve having an inlet port communicating with the pressure-acting chambers, outlet and control ports and a valve member for varying the degree of communication between the inlet and outlet ports, the fluid pressure in the inlet port being variable with the fluid pressure from the pump and urging the valve member to move in one direction and a spring urging the valve member to move in the other direction to maintain constant the differential pressure between the inlet and outlet ports, and a pressure reducing valve having an inlet port communicating with the outlet port of the compensating valve, a discharge port communicating with the reservoir and the control port of the compensating valve and a valve me
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 18, 1983
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Company, Limited
    Inventors: Masafumi Nakayama, Tokiyoshi Yanai, Masato Fukino
  • Patent number: 4231972
    Abstract: In a venturi type fuel supply apparatus wherein a resistance member biased by a spring against a negative suction pressure is provided in an air suction passage to engage a throat formed therein and a needle valve is moved by the resistance member, a unitary structure for metering and ejecting fuel is disposed at the center of the air suction passage. The unitary structure comprises an outer and inner nozzles defining therebetween an air-fuel passage leading to fuel ejection ports. The lower end of the needle valve extends through the inner nozzle which communicates with a source of fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 1979
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1980
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Company, Limited
    Inventor: Masafumi Nakayama