Patents Assigned to Mazda Motor Corporation
  • Patent number: 12162415
    Abstract: A design method for a vehicle control system includes constructing a daisy chain trunk network by a central processing unit and a plurality of zone ECUs, calculating a first activation time from when a network is sequentially activated from a predetermined zone ECU to when the central processing unit is activated, calculating a second activation time from when a network is sequentially activated from the central processing unit to when the zone ECU is activated, and determining a connection destination of an information acquisition unit and a connection destination of an in-vehicle device from the zone ECUs in a manner that a total time of the first activation time and the second activation time is less than a predetermined delay time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Kurokawa, Tetsuhiro Yamashita
  • Publication number: 20240402070
    Abstract: A corrosion resistance test method for a coated metal material, the method including: a preparation step of arranging one or two containers holding a water-containing material and one or two electrodes, and electrically connecting the electrode and the metal base to each other or the two electrodes to each other; a current supply step of supplying a current between the electrode serving as an anode and the metal base serving as a cathode or between one of the two electrodes serving as an anode and the other electrode serving as a cathode to cause corrosion of the coated metal material to progress; a calculation step of calculating a progress degree of the corrosion; a correction step of correcting the progress degree based on a posture of the test target portion; and an evaluation step of evaluating corrosion resistance based on a correction value for the progress degree.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2024
    Publication date: December 5, 2024
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsunobu SASAKI, Teruaki ASADA, Tatsuya EZAKI
  • Patent number: 12157373
    Abstract: To provide a battery heater failure diagnostic device for a vehicle capable of diagnosing failure of a battery heater with a high degree of accuracy, a battery output sensor capable of detecting a battery output value that is a current value or a voltage value of a battery is provided. When a specified failure diagnosis condition is satisfied, a first control for stopping actuation of a battery heater and at least one non-heater device and a second control for actuating the battery heater while maintaining a stop of the actuation of the at least one non-heater device after execution of the first control are executed. The failure of the battery heater is diagnosed based on battery output values detected by the battery output sensor during execution of the first control and during execution of the second control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Fujioka, Atsushi Yoshimoto, Yuki Ida
  • Patent number: 12157425
    Abstract: To improve protection performance for a pedestrian colliding with a front portion of a traveling vehicle, a front bumper includes a bumper fascia, a front grill, and a decorative member. The decorative member includes a left part extending along a left edge portion of an opening, and a right part extending along a right edge portion of the opening. A left end portion of a bumper reinforcement is positioned on a right side of the left part of the decorative member. A right end portion of the bumper reinforcement is positioned on a left side of the right part of the decorative member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuma Inami, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Hiroyuki Baba, Mitsuru Wakabayashi, Koji Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 12157458
    Abstract: A controller detects partitioning lines OL and BL of a road and a road edge E based on an image taken by a camera, generates a pair of left and right virtual lines ILL and ILR that extend from the side to the front of a vehicle along the partitioning lines OL and BL, controls the steering so the vehicle travels between the left and right virtual lines ILL and ILR, moves the left virtual line ILL to a position in proximity to the road edge E and fixes the left virtual line ILL to this position, and then, moves the right virtual line ILR to a position separated from the left virtual line ILL by the width of the vehicle and fixes the right virtual line ILR to this position, and controls brakes to stop the vehicle after fixing the left and right virtual lines ILL and ILR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Hamada, Yuma Nishijo, Kouichi Kojima, Yoshiyuki Yamashita, Yuta Tsuji, Hiroshi Ohmura, Takashi Goto, Shoji Harada, Kenta Tada, Kazuki Sato
  • Publication number: 20240391515
    Abstract: A steering device comprises a tilt-telescopic mechanism to switch between its tilt-and-axial move allowed state and its prohibited state. The tilt-telescopic mechanism comprises a pair of side wall portions provided on both sides, in a vehicle width direction, of an upper column, a bolt penetrating the side wall portions and pressing the side wall portions against each other in an approaching direction, a lever, and a biasing portion arranged between each of the side wall portions and the upper column and operative to apply a pressing force to the upper column from the both sides, in the vehicle width direction, thereof. The biasing portion comprises a pair of upper-side pressing portions to press an upper portion of the upper column above its axial center from both sides and a pair of lower-side pressing portions to press a lower portion of that below its axial center from both sides.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2024
    Publication date: November 28, 2024
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki TOGAWA, Yuki HORI, Gaku IKEYAMA, Shuji SANAGI, Toshihiko MORI, Hiroyuki FUKE, Nobuyuki TANAKA, Daito NAKANO
  • Publication number: 20240388186
    Abstract: The vehicle drive system includes a motor that has a stator and a rotor provided in the stator and that drives a drive wheel of a vehicle by rotation of the rotor. The rotor has: plural secondary conductors that are aligned in a circumferential direction in a radially outer portion; and plural permanent magnets that are aligned in the circumferential direction in a portion on a radially inner side of these plural secondary conductors. An ECU and a motor ECU capable of switching a drive mode of the motor between a synchronous operation mode and an asynchronous operation mode are further provided. Based on required output for the motor, the ECU and the motor ECU are configured to switch the drive mode of the motor from the synchronous operation mode to the asynchronous operation mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Kei YONEMORI
  • Publication number: 20240388182
    Abstract: The vehicle drive system includes: a motor having a cylindrical stator and a cylindrical rotor provided in the stator and driving a drive wheel of a vehicle by rotation of the rotor; and a motor ECU controlling the motor. The stator has plural primary conductors, and the rotor has plural secondary conductors in a radially outer portion. The motor is configured to change a number of poles of the stator when the motor ECU increases/reduces a number of primary conductor groups through which the current flows in the same direction and are continuously aligned in a circumferential direction. An ECU and the motor ECU are configured to change the number of the poles of the stator on the basis of at least one of a driving operation by a driver and a travel state of an own vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Kei YONEMORI
  • Publication number: 20240388183
    Abstract: A motor includes a cylindrical stator and a cylindrical rotor rotatably provided in the stator coaxially with the center axis of the stator and is used to drive wheels of a vehicle with rotation of the rotor. The rotor includes a cage including a single short-circuit ring formed in a ring shape and a plurality of secondary conductors. First end portions and second end portions of the secondary conductors are respectively connected to positions separated in the circumferential direction in the single short-circuit ring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Kei YONEMORI
  • Publication number: 20240388185
    Abstract: A motor includes a stator having a cylindrical shape and a rotor having a cylindrical shape rotatable about a central axis of the stator and is used to drive a front wheel of a vehicle by rotation of the rotor. The motor has a cage provided for the rotor and a permanent magnet provided for the rotor on an inner side of the cage. The permanent magnet unit is formed by a ferrite magnet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Kei YONEMORI
  • Publication number: 20240388184
    Abstract: A motor includes a stator having a cylindrical shape and a rotor having a cylindrical shape provided in the stator and is rotatable about a central axis of the stator and is used to drive a driving wheel of a vehicle by rotation of the rotor. The rotor has a cage and a plurality of permanent magnets provided on an inner side of the cage and disposed side by side in a circumferential direction. The cage includes a plurality of first secondary conductors extend in a radial direction. The plurality of first secondary conductors are configured such that the permanent magnet is interposed between inner parts of first secondary conductors on opposite sides in the circumferential direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Kei YONEMORI
  • Publication number: 20240388181
    Abstract: The vehicle drive system includes: a motor having a stator and a rotor; and a battery. The stator has primary conductors, the rotor has secondary conductors, and the battery has battery modules. A motor ECU and a battery ECU are provided. The motor ECU can change the number of poles of the motor by increasing/reducing the number of primary conductor groups, in each of which a current flows in the same direction and the primary conductors are continuously aligned in a circumferential direction. The battery ECU can change a connection mode of battery module pairs, which are electrically connected to each other, between in series and in parallel. The ECU, the motor ECU, and the battery ECU are configured to initiate changing the number of the poles and changing the connection mode of the battery module pairs at different timings from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Kei YONEMORI
  • Publication number: 20240388187
    Abstract: A vehicle drive system includes a motor that has a cylindrical stator and a cylindrical rotor provided in the stator to be coaxially rotatable with a center axis of the stator and drives a front wheel of a vehicle by rotation of the rotor. The rotor has a cage section and a permanent magnet section provided on an inner circumferential side of the cage section and formed of a rare earth magnet. The vehicle drive system further includes a controller that executes a synchronous operation mode when a temperature of the permanent magnet section is lower than a predetermined temperature, and executes an asynchronous operation mode when the temperature of the permanent magnet section is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature. In the synchronous operation mode, the rotor is rotated by using a magnetic force of the permanent magnet section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Kei YONEMORI
  • Publication number: 20240388188
    Abstract: The vehicle drive system includes a motor that has a stator and a rotor and drives a drive wheel. The stator has primary conductors that are aligned in a circumferential direction. The rotor has: secondary conductors that are aligned in the circumferential direction in a radially outer portion; and permanent magnets that are aligned in the circumferential direction in a radially inner portion. An ECU is provided to generate a rotating magnetic field in the stator through a current supply to the primary conductor and to set a drive mode of the motor to an asynchronous operation mode in which the rotor is rotated by using an induced current generated in the secondary conductor. In the asynchronous operation mode, the ECU is configured to cause the motor to generate pulsation by making a number of poles of the stator different from a number of poles of the permanent magnet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Kei YONEMORI
  • Patent number: 12145506
    Abstract: A door mirror structure comprises a door-mirror body portion, a mirror base having a tip-end portion fixed to the door-mirror body portion and a base-end portion provided away from the tip-end portion, a rotational support axis connected to the base-end portion and rotatably supporting the door-mirror body portion and the mirror base between a mirror-use position and a mirror-storage position, and an electromotive rotational unit provided to rotate the door-mirror body portion and the mirror base between the mirror-use position and the mirror-storage position around an axis line of the rotational support axis. The electromotive rotational unit is provided at a side door. The rotational support axis is provided to be inclined such that an upper side thereof is located on a vehicle forward side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro Moriyama, Atsushi Yakushinji
  • Publication number: 20240375717
    Abstract: A vehicle frame includes an elongated main body member, a reinforcing member along the main body member, and an adhesive layer that joins the main body member and the reinforcing member. The main body member includes a main body first wall portion and two main body side wall portions. The reinforcing member includes a reinforcing first wall portion and two reinforcing side wall portions. The adhesive layer is formed such that a thickness between the main body side wall portion and the reinforcing side wall portion at a reinforcing side end portion is larger than a thickness between the main body first wall portion and the reinforcing first wall portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2024
    Publication date: November 14, 2024
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chikara KAWAMURA, Kenichi YAMAMOTO, Masanori HONDA, Toshiyuki GENDO, Tetsuya SUGIYAMA, Masaki SHIMADA, Masumi HASEGAWA, Koichi HAMADA
  • Patent number: 12139085
    Abstract: A bumper-face support member extending in a vehicle width direction in front of a vehicle-body member provided at a vehicle-body front portion and having an attachment portion where a bumper face is attached, plural brackets fixedly connecting the vehicle-body member and the bumper-face support member, a bumper beam extending in the vehicle width direction below the bumper-face support member, and a stay connecting the bumper-face support member and the bumper beam in a vertical direction are provide. The stay has a deformation promotion portion configured to be bent so as to promote deformation of the stay when a collision load is downwardly inputted to the bumper-face support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kuniyoshi Tashiro, Hiroshi Mizuguchi
  • Patent number: 12143027
    Abstract: In an inverter that includes a smoothing capacitor and a plurality of power modules, the smoothing capacitor includes a plurality of columnar unit capacitors each having electrodes at both ends thereof, a one-end-side bus plate connected to the electrode at one end of each unit capacitor, and an other-end-side bus plate connected to the electrode at the other end of the unit capacitor. The unit capacitors are arranged, with axes thereof parallel to each other, side by side in a direction perpendicular to the axes. The power modules are arranged at positions equally distant from a center of the inverter and equally distant from the smoothing capacitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignees: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION, ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takayuki Sato, Masashi Hayashiguchi
  • Patent number: 12140105
    Abstract: A method of controlling an engine is provided, which includes, during motoring of the engine, injecting, by an injector, fuel for analysis into a cylinder of the engine at a specific timing after an intake valve of the cylinder is closed. The method includes acquiring, by a controller, a crank angle period from a start timing of the fuel injection to a timing of a pressure inside the cylinder reaching a reference pressure, in response to signals of a crank angle sensor and an in-cylinder pressure sensor. The method includes determining, by the controller, a property of the fuel injected by the injector by comparing the acquired crank angle period with a reference crank angle period, the reference crank angle period being from an injection start timing when a standard fuel is injected into the cylinder to a timing of the pressure inside the cylinder reaching the reference pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihisa Nou, Fumihiko Saito
  • Patent number: D1054072
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsushi Yoshida, Yuki Ishikawa, Yasunori Kawano