Patents by Inventor Shunsuke HIRAI

Shunsuke HIRAI 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: 11679811
    Abstract: A front vehicle-body structure for reducing second-order vibration of a windshield, and improving NVH performance in a vehicle cabin. A tower bar coupling each of left and right front suspension housings with a region around a vehicle-width-direction center portion of a cowl forming a lower edge of an opening for a front windshield has a center portion extending in a vehicle width direction along the cowl. A bracket extending from the cowl toward a front of a vehicle is provided in a region including a vehicle-width-direction center portion of the front windshield in the lower edge of the opening. The center portion of the tower bar is fixed to the bracket from above, and a reinforcement member supporting the fixing region from below is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunsuke Hirai, Hiroaki Ishizu, Hidekazu Shiraishi, Kyohei Hirata, Kazuki Yamauchi, Takumi Fukuda
  • Patent number: 11584446
    Abstract: A front vehicle-body structure which reduces third-order vibration of a windshield, and improves NVH performance in a vehicle cabin. A front windshield fixed to an edge portion of an opening formed in a vehicle body, a pair of left and right front suspension housings, a cowl forming a lower edge of the opening for the front windshield, and a tower bar coupling each of the left and right front suspension housings with a region around a vehicle-width-direction center portion of the cowl are provided. Node members, each of which locally improves bending rigidity of the cowl, are disposed in two positions in the cowl that divide a bonding surface to a windshield lower edge into generally three equal parts in the vehicle width direction, and the tower bar is fixed between respective positions of the two node members in the cowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunsuke Hirai, Hiroaki Ishizu, Hidekazu Shiraishi, Kyohei Hirata, Kazuki Yamauchi, Takumi Fukuda
  • Patent number: 11535302
    Abstract: There are provided a cowl provided to support a front windshield in an inclined state where a rear side of the front windshield is located at a higher level than a front side of the front windshield and forming a lower edge of an opening portion for arranging the front windshield and a bonnet provided in front of and above the cowl. An upper portion of the cowl comprises a first face portion to which the front windshield adheres and an inclined second face portion which extends obliquely rearwardly-and-downwardly from the first face portion, and a front end of the first face portion is positioned on a rearward side, in a vehicle longitudinal direction, of a rear end of the bonnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Susumu Kuroda, Hiroshi Sogabe, Shunsuke Hirai, Kazuki Yamauchi, Minoru Sunada, Ryo Asahi
  • Publication number: 20220348267
    Abstract: A lower vehicle-body structure of a vehicle may include: a floor panel; a raised wall portion; a cross member that is disposed on an upper face of the floor panel and extends in the vehicle width direction; a frame member including: an inclined portion that is disposed so as to form a closed cross-section with the floor panel on a vehicle-width-direction outer side of the raised wall portion on the upper face of the floor panel and a connector connected to the cross member at a rear end of the inclined portion; and a coupler that is disposed on the floor panel at a place on a vehicle front side of the connection portion and couples the inclined portion and the raised wall portion to each other in the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Keisuke EBISUMOTO, Hirotaka NATSUME, Ippei KURODA, Shunsuke HIRAI
  • Patent number: 11364957
    Abstract: Provided is a rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle, capable of reducing vibrations transmitted from a rear wheel to a floor panel, while ensuring required performance for rear side frames and a cross member. The rear vehicle-body structure comprises a symmetric pair of frame members extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction along respective lateral sides of a rear of a vehicle body of the vehicle, and a rear-side rear cross member bridging the symmetric pair of frame members in a vehicle width direction, wherein an attachment portion between each of the frame members and the rear-side rear cross member provided with rigidity difference generation part to generate a rigidity difference between the frame member and the rear-side rear cross member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hajime Ito, Hiroaki Ishizu, Akiyoshi Masuda, Shunsuke Hirai, Yuuki Sano, Masashi Notomi, Takumi Fukuda, Hidemitsu Shinhara, Masahiro Awane, Hidekazu Shiraishi, Yasuhiko Nishida, Takanori Yoshida, Ken Yamada
  • Publication number: 20210309302
    Abstract: A front vehicle-body structure for reducing second-order vibration of a windshield, and improving NVH performance in a vehicle cabin. A tower bar coupling each of left and right front suspension housings with a region around a vehicle-width-direction center portion of a cowl forming a lower edge of an opening for a front windshield has a center portion extending in a vehicle width direction along the cowl. A bracket extending from the cowl toward a front of a vehicle is provided in a region including a vehicle-width-direction center portion of the front windshield in the lower edge of the opening. The center portion of the tower bar is fixed to the bracket from above, and a reinforcement member supporting the fixing region from below is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunsuke HIRAI, Hiroaki ISHIZU, Hidekazu SHIRAISHI, Kyohei HIRATA, Kazuki YAMAUCHI, Takumi FUKUDA
  • Publication number: 20210309301
    Abstract: There are provided a cowl provided to support a front windshield in an inclined state where a rear side of the front windshield is located at a higher level than a front side of the front windshield and forming a lower edge of an opening portion for arranging the front windshield and a bonnet provided in front of and above the cowl. An upper portion of the cowl comprises a first face portion to which the front windshield adheres and an inclined second face portion which extends obliquely rearwardly-and-downwardly from the first face portion, and a front end of the first face portion is positioned on a rearward side, in a vehicle longitudinal direction, of a rear end of the bonnet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Susumu KURODA, Hiroshi SOGABE, Shunsuke HIRAI, Kazuki YAMAUCHI, Minoru SUNADA, Ryo ASAHI
  • Publication number: 20210309303
    Abstract: A front vehicle-body structure which reduces third-order vibration of a windshield, and improves NVH performance in a vehicle cabin. A front windshield fixed to an edge portion of an opening formed in a vehicle body, a pair of left and right front suspension housings, a cowl forming a lower edge of the opening for the front windshield, and a tower bar coupling each of the left and right front suspension housings with a region around a vehicle-width-direction center portion of the cowl are provided. Node members, each of which locally improves bending rigidity of the cowl, are disposed in two positions in the cowl that divide a bonding surface to a windshield lower edge into generally three equal parts in the vehicle width direction, and the tower bar is fixed between respective positions of the two node members in the cowl.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunsuke HIRAI, Hiroaki ISHIZU, Hidekazu SHIRAISHI, Kyohei HIRATA, Kazuki YAMAUCHI, Takumi FUKUDA
  • Publication number: 20210214016
    Abstract: Provided is a rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle, capable of reducing vibrations transmitted from a rear wheel to a floor panel, while ensuring required performance for rear side frames and a cross member. The rear vehicle-body structure comprises a symmetric pair of frame members 6 extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction along respective lateral sides of a rear of a vehicle body of the vehicle, and a rear-side rear cross member 13 bridging the symmetric pair of frame members 6 in a vehicle width direction, wherein an attachment portion between each of the frame members 6 and the rear-side rear cross member 13 is provided with rigidity difference generation means 20 to generate a rigidity difference between the frame member 6 and the rear-side rear cross member 13.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hajime ITO, Hiroaki ISHIZU, Akiyoshi MASUDA, Shunsuke HIRAI, Yuuki SANO, Masashi NOTOMI, Takumi FUKUDA, Hidemitsu SHINHARA, Masahiro AWANE, Hidekazu SHIRAISHI, Yasuhiko NISHIDA, Takanori YOSHIDA, Ken YAMADA
  • Patent number: 10513293
    Abstract: There are provided a front side frame having a closed cross section extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction and including a mount-bracket attachment part for attaching a PT mount bracket provided at a PT mount for supporting a powertrain and a crash can attached to a front end of the front side frame. The front side frame includes a compressive-deformation part which is configured to be compressively deformed in a vehicle frontal collision and extend rearward from the front end, having substantially the same sectional shape as the crash can. A gusset member for preventing shearing deformation of the closed cross section of the front side frame is provided at a portion of the front side frame between the mount-bracket attachment part and the compressive-deformation part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takehiro Kamei, Daisuke Sakagami, Shunsuke Hirai, Yasuhiko Nishida
  • Publication number: 20190016389
    Abstract: There are provided a front side frame having a closed cross section extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction and including a mount-bracket attachment part for attaching a PT mount bracket provided at a PT mount for supporting a powertrain and a crash can attached to a front end of the front side frame. The front side frame includes a compressive-deformation part which is configured to be compressively deformed in a vehicle frontal collision and extend rearward from the front end, having substantially the same sectional shape as the crash can. A gusset member for preventing shearing deformation of the closed cross section of the front side frame is provided at a portion of the front side frame between the mount-bracket attachment part and the compressive-deformation part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2018
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takehiro KAMEI, Daisuke SAKAGAMI, Shunsuke HIRAI, Yasuhiko NISHIDA