Patents by Inventor Naoki Sawada

Naoki Sawada 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: 20050167962
    Abstract: An impact absorbing type steering column apparatus for an automotive vehicle is capable of adjusting a steering position and, when a secondary collision happens, absorbs impact energy thereof by moving a steering column supported through a bracket on a car body towards the front of the vehicle. The bracket includes a restricting portion for restricting a steering position adjusting range of the steering column. The restricting portion allows, upon the secondary collision, the steering column to move beyond the steering position adjusting range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2003
    Publication date: August 4, 2005
    Inventors: Kenji Sato, Naoki Sawada
  • Publication number: 20050127656
    Abstract: A steering column adjustable height and inclination of steering wheel has a singularity of control lever for controlling clamping/unclamping of a telescopic mechanism and a tilting mechanism for the adjustment. An energizing direction inverting mechanism inverts direction of biasing force applied to the lever by an energizing member from clamping direction to unclamping direction halfway through operation of the lever by a driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Inventors: Kenji Sato, Naoki Sawada, Tetsuya Koike
  • Patent number: 6902241
    Abstract: A brake control apparatus for controlling at least three brake devices provided for braking respective at least three wheels of an automotive vehicle which includes two wheels located on respective left and right sides of the vehicle, wherein an emergency brake control portion is provided for controlling at least two normal brake devices when at least one of the at least three brake devices is defective, such that a difference between a total left-side braking force to be generated by at least one normal brake device located on the left side of the vehicle and a total right-side braking force to be generated by the other normal brake device or devices located on the right side is made larger when operations of all of the normal brake devices in a detected running condition of the vehicle are not likely to deteriorate the vehicle running stability, than when the operations of all of the normal brake devices in the detected running condition are likely to deteriorate the vehicle running stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2005
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Yamamoto, Seiichi Kojima, Hiroaki Aizawa, Naoki Sawada
  • Publication number: 20050093284
    Abstract: An impact absorption type steering column apparatus for an automotive vehicle is constructed so that a car body sided bracket secured to a car body is press-fitted to a column sided bracket provided separately from or integrally with a steering column, the steering column is supported by inserting a bolt through through-holes formed in the two brackets, and, when a secondary collision happens, an impact energy thereof is absorbed in a way that causes a flexural deformation of the car body sided bracket while moving the steering column towards the front of the automotive vehicle. In this apparatus, the through-hole of the column sided bracket is formed as an elongate hole extending to the rear side of the automotive vehicle from a position of the bolt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2003
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: Kenji Sato, Naoki Sawada
  • Publication number: 20050093281
    Abstract: A steering column apparatus, includes: a fixed column member having a vehicle body attachment portion to be attached to a vehicle body; a column head supported by the fixed column member movably in a direction of a center shaft of the fixed column member; a wheel shaft, rotatably supported by the column head, for fixing a steering wheel to an end thereof; a column clamp, provided in the column head, for putting the column head into a state in which the column head is clamped to or unclamped from the fixed column member; an operation lever having a rocking shaft in the column head; and a mechanical transmission apparatus for transmitting a rocking motion of the operation lever to the column clamp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2004
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: Masaki Nishioka, Naoki Sawada
  • Publication number: 20050081674
    Abstract: A steering column apparatus includes: a stationary column member; a movable column member whose one end is supported on the stationary column member nonrotatably about a center axis and movably along the center axis; a column head disposed on the other end of the movable column member; a wheel shaft supported rotatably on the column head; a column clamp for clamping and unclamping the movable column member with respect to the stationary column member at two or more points which are spaced along the center axis of the movable column member; and a control lever whose operation lever end is positioned in the vicinity of a steering wheel and which is capable of operating the column clamp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2004
    Publication date: April 21, 2005
    Inventors: Masaki Nishioka, Naoki Sawada
  • Publication number: 20040159173
    Abstract: Disclosed here is a steering column apparatus that enables a single operation lever provided apart from the steering wheel and to be used for clamping/unclamping each of the telescopic mechanism and the tilting mechanism independently, as well as for keeping at least one of the telescopic mechanism and the tilting mechanism unclamped after it is unclamped even after the driver takes his/her hand off the operation lever. This makes it possible for the driver to use both hands to adjust at least either the position in the front-rear direction or tilting angle of the steering wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2004
    Publication date: August 19, 2004
    Applicants: NSK LTD., NSK STEERING SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Naoki Sawada
  • Publication number: 20040104618
    Abstract: A vehicular brake control apparatus comprises: a braked member that rotates together with a wheel; a braking member that produces a braking torque when being pressed against the braked member; an electric motor that presses the braking member against the braked member to apply a braking torque, to the wheel, when being supplied with electric current; current supplying means for supplying electric current to the electric device; operational state detecting means for detecting an operational state of the vehicle and providing a quantity of state representative of the operational state of the vehicle; braking torque change request determining means for determining selectively determines that the braking torque is to be increased and that the braking torque is to be reduced, based on the quantity of state; and current controlling means for controlling the supply of electrical current to the electric motor so that the electric motor is caused to rotate in a predetermined direction if it is determined that the brak
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2003
    Publication date: June 3, 2004
    Inventors: Takayuki Yamamoto, Naoki Sawada
  • Publication number: 20040094945
    Abstract: An impact absorption type steering column apparatus for a vehicle includes a car body securing bracket taking substantially an L-shape as viewed from its side. The car body securing bracket is constructed so that a bent portion and a couple of plate-shaped support wall portions are disposed at the rear side of the vehicle on the car body securing portion, and a couple of column fastening fixation portions are disposed at the front side of the vehicle on these plate-shaped support wall portions. With this layout, when a secondary collision happens, the support wall portions of the car body securing bracket and the column fastening fixation portions start moving in the direction of their rotating about the bent portion as a fulcrum, however, this direction is substantially the horizontal direction and is substantially coincident with an input direction (substantially the horizontal direction) of a load of impact from a driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2003
    Publication date: May 20, 2004
    Inventors: Naoki Sawada, Kenji Sato
  • Patent number: 6607253
    Abstract: A pair of shoes are expanded by driving an electric brake motor. Due to the friction engagement of the shoes with a drum inner peripheral surface, a braking force is applied to a wheel. An actual braking torque is detected by a strain sensor that detects the load applied to an anchor pin. Through a feedback control using the actual braking torque, the electric motor is driven and controlled so that the actual braking torque becomes equal to a target braking torque that is determined in accordance with the amount of operation of a brake pedal. When the actual braking torque is undetectable, for example, during a stop of a vehicle, the electric motor is driven and controlled through an actuating force control using the current through the electric motor that is detected by a motor current sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Yamamoto, Keiji Murashima, Naoki Sawada
  • Patent number: 6476515
    Abstract: An electric control system for an automotive vehicle, including a peripheral control device for electrically controlling an actuator device, a central control device connected to the peripheral control device, and an input device, wherein the central control device and the peripheral control device cooperate with each other to control the actuator device on the basis of an output of the input device. The input device is connected to both of the central control device and the peripheral control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayuki Yamamoto, Satoru Niwa, Naoki Sawada, Hiroaki Aizawa, Seiichi Kojima
  • Publication number: 20020109403
    Abstract: A brake control apparatus for controlling at least three brake devices provided for braking respective at least three wheels of an automotive vehicle which includes two wheels located on respective left and right sides of the vehicle, wherein an emergency brake control portion is provided for controlling at least two normal brake devices when at least one of the at least three brake devices is defective, such that a difference between a total left-side braking force to be generated by at least one normal brake device located on the left side of the vehicle and a total right-side braking force to be generated by the other normal brake device or devices located on the right side is made larger when operations of all of the normal brake devices in a detected running condition of the vehicle are not likely to deteriorate the vehicle running stability, than when the operations of all of the normal brake devices in the detected running condition are likely to deteriorate the vehicle running stability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2002
    Publication date: August 15, 2002
    Inventors: Takayuki Yamamoto, Seiichi Kojima, Hiroaki Aizawa, Naoki Sawada
  • Patent number: 6416140
    Abstract: A brake control apparatus for controlling at least three brake devices provided for braking respective at least three wheels of an automotive vehicle which includes two wheels located on respective left and right sides of the vehicle, wherein an emergency brake control portion is provided for controlling at least two normal brake devices when at least one of the at least three brake devices is defective, such that a difference between a total left-side braking force to be generated by at least one normal brake device located on the left side of the vehicle and a total right-side braking force to be generated by the other normal brake device or devices located on the right side is made larger when operations of all of the normal brake devices in a detected running condition of the vehicle are not likely to deteriorate the vehicle running stability, than when the operations of all of the normal brake devices in the detected running condition are likely to deteriorate the vehicle running stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takayuki Yamamoto, Seiichi Kojima, Hiroaki Aizawa, Naoki Sawada