Patents by Inventor Masaki Tomaru

Masaki Tomaru 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: 10578087
    Abstract: Provided is a variable-capacity compressor control valve that can suppress a decrease in the efficiency by reducing the amount of leakage in the valve without requiring severe accuracy of the components, avoid possible operation failures, and suppress the influence on the sliding resistance as well as the influence on the control characteristics. A main valve element of a valve element or a valve body is provided with a flexible or elastic sealing member. The sealing member is adapted to, when the valve orifice is closed by the main valve element, abut an end portion on the higher pressure side in a gap between sliding surfaces that is formed between the main valve element and a guide hole into which the main valve element is adapted to be slidably fitted and inserted, and thus seal the gap between the sliding surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Fujikoki Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kume, Hisashi Asano, Masaki Tomaru, Masaharu Itoh
  • Publication number: 20170175724
    Abstract: Provided is a variable-capacity compressor control valve where a valve body can be easily machined and the machining time and machining cost can be reduced without a decrease in the valve closing property or a decrease in the slidability of the valve element due to shaft misalignment. The valve body includes a support member having formed therein a valve orifice and a guide hole into which the valve element is adapted to be slidably fitted and inserted; and a body member having formed therein a Ps inlet/outlet port, a Pd introduction port, and a Pc inlet/outlet port. The support member is fixedly inserted into a recess hole provided in the body member. In addition, a chip sealing portion (pocket portion) for sealing chips of the body member and/or the support member is provided between the body member and the support member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Applicant: Fujikoki Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kume, Hisashi Asano, Masaki Tomaru, Masaharu Itoh
  • Publication number: 20170175726
    Abstract: Provided is a variable-capacity compressor control valve where the size of a plunger can be reduced, the machining and assembly process can be simplified, weight reduction can be achieved, and cost reduction can also be achieved, for example. The plunger has a slit through which a valve element is assembled to the plunger by being inserted from a lateral side. The slit serves as a flow path for releasing the pressure Pc in the crank chamber to the suction chamber of the compressor from the Ps inlet/outlet port when the sub valve element has opened the in-valve release passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Applicant: Fujikoki Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kume, Hisashi Asano, Masaki Tomaru, Masaharu Itoh
  • Publication number: 20170175723
    Abstract: Provided is a variable-capacity compressor control valve that can suppress a decrease in the efficiency by reducing the amount of leakage in the valve without requiring severe accuracy of the components, avoid possible operation failures, and suppress the influence on the sliding resistance as well as the influence on the control characteristics. A main valve element of a valve element or a valve body is provided with a flexible or elastic sealing member. The sealing member is adapted to, when the valve orifice is closed by the main valve element, abut an end portion on the higher pressure side in a gap between sliding surfaces that is formed between the main valve element and a guide hole into which the main valve element is adapted to be slidably fitted and inserted, and thus seal the gap between the sliding surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Applicant: FUJIKOKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: YOSHIYUKI KUME, HISASHI ASANO, MASAKI TOMARU, MASAHARU ITOH
  • Publication number: 20170175725
    Abstract: Provided is a variable-capacity compressor control valve where a decrease in the sealability or the operability due to shaft misalignment can be effectively suppressed without requiring high dimensional accuracy. The dimensions and the shape of each part are designed such that when the sub valve element closes the in-valve release passage, the tapered portion (sub valve element portion) provided at the lower end portion of the sub valve element enters the release through-hole of the in-valve release passage, and the sub valve element is thus aligned with the main valve element by the tapered portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Applicant: Fujikoki Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kume, Hisashi Asano, Masaki Tomaru, Masaharu Itoh
  • Patent number: 9519748
    Abstract: A design assistance device for a steering device and a method of assisting a steering device design which assists a design of a steering device including an intermediate shaft by using existing components of a tube yoke and a shaft yoke. A design assistance device 1 for a steering device displays a select button on a display device when a fitting length of the combination of a candidate component of the tube yoke and a candidate component of the shaft yoke satisfies a condition of a fitting length. When the select button is selected, a control device 4 may receive information in which a drawing selected by a designer is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Tomaru, Naoki Sawada, Akira Ichikawa, Ryou Oosawa
  • Patent number: 8965743
    Abstract: A design assisting apparatus of a steering device arranges a coordinate of a handle position reference point, a coordinate of a first universal joint reference point, a coordinate of a second universal joint reference point, and a coordinate of a steering gear reference point in a three-dimensional space, calculates a reference axis passing through the second universal joint reference point from the first universal joint reference point, calculates a phase angle which is an angle between a straight line from the handle position reference point to the first joint reference point when viewed along the reference axis and a straight line from the second joint reference point to the steering gear reference point when viewed along the reference axis, and determines success or failure of a condition in which the allowable range of the phase angle allowable error is included in the allowable range of the allowable torque variation rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Tomaru, Naoki Sawada, Akira Ichikawa, Ryou Oosawa
  • Publication number: 20140195204
    Abstract: A design assistance device for a steering device and a method of assisting a steering device design which assists a design of a steering device including an intermediate shaft by using existing components of a tube yoke and a shaft yoke. A design assistance device 1 for a steering device displays a select button on a display device when a fitting length of the combination of a candidate component of the tube yoke and a candidate component of the shaft yoke satisfies a condition of a fitting length. When the select button is selected, a control device 4 may receive information in which a drawing selected by a designer is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2012
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Tomaru, Naoki Sawada, Akira Ichikawa, Ryou Oosawa
  • Patent number: 8596160
    Abstract: The invention provides a steering apparatus which includes: an inner column 3; an outer column 4 fitted with the inner column 3 in such a manner that it is movable in a telescopic manner; a steering shaft 102 which is rotatably supported on the inner column 3 and outer column 4, and on the vehicle body rearward side of which a steering wheel 103 can be mounted; a lock apparatus 7 including a lock pin 73A which can be operated by an actuator to thereby prevent the rotation of the steering shaft 102; and, a lock housing 71 which is formed integrally with the outer column 4 and stores the lock apparatus 7 therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomonao Nagamura, Naoki Sawada, Wataru Hagiwara, Masaki Tomaru, Seiichi Moriyama
  • Publication number: 20120185219
    Abstract: A design assisting apparatus of a steering device arranges a coordinate of a handle position reference point, a coordinate of a first universal joint reference point, a coordinate of a second universal joint reference point, and a coordinate of a steering gear reference point in a three-dimensional space, calculates a reference axis passing through the second universal joint reference point from the first universal joint reference point, calculates a phase angle which is an angle between a straight line from the handle position reference point to the first joint reference point when viewed along the reference axis and a straight line from the second joint reference point to the steering gear reference point when viewed along the reference axis, and determines success or failure of a condition in which the allowable range of the phase angle allowable error is included in the allowable range of the allowable torque variation rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Tomaru, Naoki Sawada, Akira Ichikawa, Ryou Oosawa
  • Patent number: 7886630
    Abstract: When a column 4 reaches a tilting ascent end, the lower end 732 of a nut 73 abuts on the buffering segment 83 of a buffer 82. Thus, while the buffering segment 83 of the buffer 82 is elastically deformed, the nut 73 stops with no impact. Accordingly, the inertia when the nut 73 stops is restrained and the tightening torque of the nut 73 when the nut 73 stops is also restrained. For this reason, when an electric motor 61 is rotationally driven in a reverse direction, a feeding screw shaft 71 rotates in the reverse direction with the normal rotation torque of the electric motor 61. Thus, the nut 73 is caused to ascend in the axial direction along the screw segment of the feeding screw shaft 71 so that the column 4 can be tiltingly moved downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Tomaru, Yuuichi Tomaru, Kouhei Yonezawa, Naoki Sawada
  • Publication number: 20100242665
    Abstract: The invention provides a steering apparatus which includes: an inner column 3; an outer column 4 fitted with the inner column 3 in such a manner that it is movable in a telescopic manner; a steering shaft 102 which is rotatably supported on the inner column 3 and outer column 4, and on the vehicle body rearward side of which a steering wheel 103 can be mounted; a lock apparatus 7 including a lock pin 73A which can be operated by an actuator to thereby prevent the rotation of the steering shaft 102; and, a lock housing 71 which is formed integrally with the outer column 4 and stores the lock apparatus 7 therein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomonao Nagamura, Naoki Sawada, Wataru Hagiwara, Masaki Tomaru, Seiichi Moriyama
  • Publication number: 20090308189
    Abstract: Provided are a steering device and a feed screw mechanism. The steering device is made so easy in the adjusting work of a backlash that it can eliminate the backlash reliably, even if the precision of the thread of a feed thread shaft or a feed nut is poor, thereby to improve the rigidity and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the feed screw mechanism. An upper-side end portion feed nut is urged upward of FIG. 8 by an upper-side disc spring so that an upper-side flank face of the thread ridge of the upper-side end portion fee nut is brought into close contact with the lower-side flank face of the thread ridge of a feed screw shaft. On the other hand, a lower-side end portion feed nut is urged downward of FIG. 8 by a lower-side disc spring so that a lower-side flank face of the thread ridge of the lower-side end portion fee nut is brought into close contact with the upper-side flank face of the thread ridge of the feed screw shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Applicant: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Tomaru, Yuichi Tomaru, Kouhei Yonezawa, Takahiro Minamigata, Koji Nagai
  • Publication number: 20090241721
    Abstract: A steering apparatus including an attaching bracket having a slot, respectively, a column supported on the attaching bracket, a fastening rod inserted into the slot and the column, an operation lever attached to the fastening rod, a cam mechanism converting an operating movement of the operation lever into an axial movement of the fastening rod, and a tilt lock mechanism including an eccentric cam rotating in accordance with the operation of the operation lever, an irregularity portion being formed on a cam face of the eccentric cam, and an irregularity portion formed on the cam face. When the operation lever is operated, the cam mechanism moves the fastening rod so as to fasten and clamp the column by the attaching bracket at a desired tilt position and the irregularity portion comes into contact with the attaching bracket so as to regulate an upward movement of the column.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Koji INOUE, Mikio Katsumata, Masaki Tomaru
  • Patent number: 7444900
    Abstract: An electrically-driven steering column apparatus includes a steering column rotatably holding a steering shaft and capable of adjusting a position of the steering wheel, and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting to the steering column a rotational driving force of an electric motor as a position adjusting motion driving force, wherein the power transmission mechanism has a joint constructed of a spherical joint element and a cylindrical joint element in which the spherical joint element is slidably fitted, on within a driving force transmission route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Tomaru, Chie Mitsuhashi, Takeshi Fujiwara, Yasuhiro Shibuya
  • Publication number: 20080251742
    Abstract: There is disclosed a pressure control valve comprising: a valve body (10A) provided successively with, mentioning from the upstream side in the flowing direction of refrigerant, a refrigerant inflow port (11), a refrigerant introduction chamber (14), a valve seat (13) with which a rod-like valve (15) is retractably contacted, and a refrigerant outflow port (12); and a temperature-sensitive/pressure-responsive element (20) which is provided with a temperature sensitive chamber (25) for sensing the temperature of the refrigerant that has been introduced into the refrigerant introduction chamber (14) and is designed to drive the valve (15) in opening or closing direction in response to fluctuations of the inner pressure of the temperature sensitive chamber (25). The temperature-sensitive/pressure-responsive element (20) is integrally attached to the valve body (10A).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Inventors: Sadatake Ise, Shu Yanagisawa, Masaki Tomaru, Toshiharu Katayama
  • Publication number: 20080156138
    Abstract: When a lower column 3 tilts upwards or downwards, a vehicular front end face 831 of a resin cover 83 having a small friction coefficient tilts slidably along a first guide surface 22A of a left-hand side plate 22 of a vehicle body mounting upper bracket 2. Consequently, since there emerges no situation in which the front end face 831 is caught on the first guide surface 22A of the left-hand side plate of the vehicle body mounting upper bracket 2, a smooth tilt position adjustment can be implemented without any abnormal noise. Further, in secondary collision, the front end face 831 of the resin cover 83 collides with the first guide surface 22A of the left-hand side plate 22 of the vehicle body mounting upper bracket 2, whereby frontward impact force can be transmitted to the vehicle body mounting upper bracket 2 in an ensured fashion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2007
    Publication date: July 3, 2008
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki TOMARU, Kouji NAGAI, Kouhei YONEZAWA
  • Patent number: 7354068
    Abstract: In a tilt and/or telescopic type steering column apparatus for a vehicle, in which a column sided bracket attached to a steering column is so provided as to be swingable about a car body sided bracket attached to a car body, the two brackets are press-fitted to each other by fastening a fastening bolt inserted through the two brackets and thus fastened in a tilt and/or telescopic adjustment position, while a tilt and/or telescopic adjustment can be made by releasing the two brackets from being press-fitted by slackening the fastening bolt, a balance or leap-up spring for biasing a pair of biasing end portions each other is provided, the one biasing end portion of the balance or leap-up spring is fitted to the car body or the car body sided bracket, and the other biasing end portion supports sad steering column or the column sided bracket, an improvement is characterized in that a slide member abutting on the steering column or the column sided bracket is attached to the other biasing end portion of the balanc
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuuichi Ishida, Shin Yoshimoto, Masaki Tomaru
  • Patent number: 7350816
    Abstract: A spacer is interposed between a body-side bracket and a column-side bracket for retaining a steering column. A pin insertion hole through which a supporting pin is passed is formed in the spacer. A portion of the spacer to be broken by the shock of collision is formed in a region of the spacer surrounding the pin insertion hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuuichi Ishida, Toshimichi Takano, Masaki Tomaru
  • Publication number: 20080047382
    Abstract: In the steering apparatus and feed screw mechanism, by properly adjusting the screw-in distance of a pressing force adjusting screw 77, the arc-shaped contact surface 761 of a pressing member 76 can be pressed against the outer diameter portion 711 of a feed screw shaft 71 with a required pressing force due to the biasing force of a compression coil spring 78. As a result of this, a backlash between a feed nut 73 and feed screw shaft 71 can be removed. Therefore, the telescopic position adjustment and tilt position adjustment of a steering wheel 3 can be carried out smoothly, thereby being able to enhance the rigidity of the steering wheel 3 after execution of the position adjustment thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2007
    Publication date: February 28, 2008
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Tomaru, Kouhei Yonezawa, Hiroyuki Muramatsu