Patents Assigned to NSK Ltd.
  • Patent number: 11485400
    Abstract: An adjustment subassembly for a steering column assembly including a telescope plate (40) adapted to be secured to a column tube (20) of the steering column assembly; a locking pin (70) having one or more features (78) at one end that are adapted to engage with the telescope plate (40); a preload plate (50) adapted to receive at least a portion of the locking pin (70) at an opposing end of the locking pin (70); and a user operating device (34) for causing engagement and disengagement of the locking pin (70) and the telescope plate (40) through contact with the preload plate (50).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Abhishek Mathur, Gerald Lim, Jonathon Lyte
  • Publication number: 20220341456
    Abstract: A rolled thread screw includes: a screw part having, on an outer circumferential part of the screw part, thread crests and thread grooves disposed alternately along an axial direction of the rolled thread screw; and a columnar part adjoining at least one of both sides of the screw part in the axial direction. An axial end surface of the columnar part is provided with: a first concave surface concave in the axial direction; a second concave surface positioned to an outer circumference of the first concave surface and being concave in the axial direction; and a salient part positioned on a boundary between the first concave surface and the second concave surface and projecting further than a bottom of the first concave surface and a bottom of the second concave surface, the salient part extending in an arc-like shape along a circumferential direction of the columnar part as viewed in the axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: NSK Ltd.
    Inventor: Takeshi SAITO
  • Publication number: 20220332362
    Abstract: A vehicle steering device includes a reaction force device, a drive device, a first ECU configured to control the reaction force device, a second ECU configured to control the drive device, a first rudder angle sensor and a second rudder angle sensor each configured to detect a steering angle of a wheel and output the detected steering angle to the second ECU, and a communication line that transmits at least one of steering angles of the wheel as detected values of the first rudder angle sensor and the second rudder angle sensor from the second ECU to the first ECU.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Applicant: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Sakiya WATANABE, Kenji MORI
  • Patent number: 11473620
    Abstract: In a housing that supports a rotating shaft via a rolling bearing which is subjected to predetermined position precompression, a wedge member, the radial thickness of which increases from the leading end towards the base end thereof, is inserted between the housing and the outer circumferential surface of the outer race of the rolling bearing and between the rotating shaft and the inner circumferential surface of an inner race of the rolling bearing, the wedge member being inserted from the leading end thereof along the radial direction of the rotating shaft. The wedge member is fixed by being fastened, ahead in the insertion direction, by bolts and nuts, so that precompression force along with predetermined position precompression is imparted to the rolling bearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Kouhei Dobashi
  • Patent number: 11472479
    Abstract: A hands-off detection device includes: a first steering angle acquisition unit configured to acquire a first steering angle of a steering wheel; a second steering angle acquisition unit configured to acquire a second steering angle of a steering mechanism connected to the steering wheel via a torsion bar; a steering angle estimation unit configured to obtain an estimation angle of the first steering angle in a state where the steering wheel is not being grasped on a basis of the second steering angle; and a grasping state determination unit configured to determine a grasping state of the steering wheel on a basis of the frequency component of a angle difference between the first steering angle and the estimation angle and a reference frequency component being the frequency component of the angle difference in the state where the steering wheel is not being grasped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Tetsuya Kitazume
  • Patent number: 11472250
    Abstract: A suspension device has an upper shell having a stepped section around an inner circumferential surface; a lower shell; a ball screw shaft rotatably supported by the upper shell; a bearing unit arranged between a part of the ball screw shaft and the upper shell, and having an outer side part in a radial direction including a side surface that comes in contact with a side surface on the other side in the axial direction of the stepped section; a ball nut screwed on the ball screw shaft; an inner tube joined to the lower shell and the ball nut; an electric motor; and a coil spring, and a circumscribed circle diameter of the ball nut and the inner tube is less than an inner diameter dimension of the stepped section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Shin Yamamoto, Takahiro Sushi, Cyou Kyo, Mitsuru Oike, Shunsuke Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11473988
    Abstract: A torque measuring device includes: a magnetostrictive sensor having a ring-shaped holder arranged around a magnetostrictively affected section of a rotating shaft, a detecting section embedded in the holder and that changing a voltage according to a change in magnetic permeability of the magnetostrictively affected section; and a sensor-side engaging section; and a fixed member having a fixed-side engaging section, the fixed member not rotating even during operation. One of the sensor-side engaging portion and the fixed-side engaging section is a convex section and the other is a concave section. With the sensor-side engaging section and the fixed-side engaging section engaged with a concave-convex engagement, shifting of the position of the magnetostrictive sensor in the direction of rotation and the radial direction with respect to the substrate is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Odera, Junji Ono, Masahiro Kobayashi, Kota Fukuda
  • Publication number: 20220325788
    Abstract: A cam device includes a cam, a cam roller, a rotary drive device, a linear motion guide device, and an action unit. A cam profile of the cam includes a rotary end at a circumferential one end, at which a camshaft is non-rotatatable in a reverse direction by the cam roller, a cam surface from the rotary end to the circumferential other end, on which the cam roller is abuttable, and formed of a single CV curve from a vicinity of the rotary end to the circumferential other end of the cam surface, and a non-continuous section formed between the rotary end and the circumferential other end of the cam surface and not in contact with the cam roller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2020
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Kouhei DOBASHI
  • Patent number: 11465667
    Abstract: A rack housing has a concave portion first inclined surface 45 on the inner side surface of an engaging concave portion located on the opening side that is inclined in a direction toward the back side while going outward in the radial direction. The rack bush has a convex portion first inclined surface on the outer side surface of an engaging convex portion that faces the concave portion first inclined surface, and that is inclined in a direction toward the back side while going outward in the radial direction. The convex portion first inclined surface is pressed outward in the radial direction against the concave portion first inclined surface, and the other outer side surface of the engaging convex portion facing the back side is pressed in the axial direction against the other inner side surface of the engaging concave portion facing the opening side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventor: Tatsuya Ishii
  • Patent number: 11466767
    Abstract: A worm reducer includes: a housing including a wheel accommodating portion, and a worm accommodating portion; a worm wheel including wheel teeth disposed on an outer circumferential surface and rotatably supported inside the wheel accommodating portion; and a worm including worm teeth disposed on an outer circumferential surface to mesh with the wheel teeth and rotatably supported inside the worm accommodating portion, wherein a proximal end portion of the worm is connected to a drive shaft such that torque can be transmitted. An inner circumferential surface of the worm accommodating portion includes a housing side step surface which faces a proximal end side in an axial direction of the worm. An outer circumferential surface of the worm includes a worm side step surface which closely faces the housing side step surface in the axial direction at a portion axially deviated from a portion where the worm teeth are disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Ishii, Toru Segawa
  • Patent number: 11465319
    Abstract: The resin injection gate is disposed at the pillar part. When the bearing cage is divided into first and second regions by an imaginary line connecting the resin injection gate and a weld to be formed at a position radially facing the resin injection gate, a resin reservoir that can store therein the melted resin is formed at the pillar part in only one of the regions. A circumferential distance between the resin reservoir and the weld is smaller than a circumferential distance between the resin reservoir and the resin injection gate. A cross-sectional area of a communicating part of the resin reservoir, which is configured to communicate with the pillar part, is equal to or less than a quarter of a cross-sectional area of the resin injection gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Kuramoto, Nariaki Aihara, Takayuki Hiramoto
  • Patent number: 11465672
    Abstract: A steering device includes a motor that assists or performs steering, and a controller that controls the motor. The controller receives a steering request for a plurality of assistance functions, selects a driving assistance function to be operated at the same time from the driving assistance functions for which the steering request was made, calculates a command value for the motor for each of the selected driving assistance function, adjusts the command value based on a combination of the selected driving assistance function, and calculates a final command value for the motor using the adjusted command value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Tsutomu Shibata
  • Publication number: 20220315103
    Abstract: A vehicle steering device capable of stabilizing behavior of a vehicle when traveling backward. The device includes a reaction force device configured to apply steering reaction force to a wheel, a drive device configured to turn tires in accordance with steering of the wheel, and a control unit configured to control the reaction force device and the drive device. The control unit includes a turning ratio map unit configured to set a turning ratio gain in accordance with the vehicle speed of a vehicle, and a target turning angle generation unit configured to generate a target turning angle by multiplying the steering angle of the wheel by the turning ratio gain. The turning ratio gain at backward traveling of the vehicle is equal to or larger than the turning ratio gain at forward traveling of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2020
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenji MORI, Sakiya WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20220316599
    Abstract: To provide a dust cover capable of maintaining a state in which a first flexible part and a second flexible part of a bellows are fitted onto a mounting member. A dust cover includes a bushing, a bellows, and a mounting member. The mounting member has a main body and a flange part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Seiichi MORIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20220316984
    Abstract: Provided is a method and a system capable of detecting a fatigue state before damage to a rolling bearing component occurs, and capable of performing diagnosis of the fatigue state without having to disassemble the rolling bearing. A magnetic sensor arranged close to a component of a rolling machine element measures magnetic flux density in the axial direction and/or radial direction of the component, then the amount of change in magnetic flux density is calculated based on a reference magnetic flux density corresponding to the magnetic flux density before the start of use of the component, and the progression of fatigue of the rolling machine element is determined from the amount of change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2020
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Daisuke KOBAYASHI, Koichiro ONO
  • Publication number: 20220306186
    Abstract: A motor control device includes a third harmonic calculation unit (60) configured to calculate a first third harmonic on a basis of an average value between a voltage command value of a maximum phase with a maximum duty ratio and a voltage command value of a minimum phase with a minimum duty ratio among three-phase voltage command values; an amplitude calculation unit (61) configured to calculate an amplitude of the three-phase voltage command values; a third harmonic conversion unit (62, 62?, 63, 65-67) configured to convert the first third harmonic into a second third harmonic on a basis of the first third harmonic and the amplitude; a correction unit (64) configured to correct the three-phase voltage command values by subtracting the second third harmonic from the three-phase voltage command values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Yasutoshi MIKI, Masahiro MAEDA
  • Patent number: 11453439
    Abstract: The power control unit sets a drive interval for driving the sensor by providing power intermittently to the sensor to a first time interval when no change is detected in the sine-wave signal and the cosine-wave signal, sets to the second time interval that is shorter than the first time interval when a change in only one of the sine-wave signal and the cosine-wave signal is detected, and sets to the third time interval that is shorter than the second time interval when a change in one of the sine-wave signal and the cosine-wave signal is detected and then a change in the other is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Takayuki Kobayashi, Dai Suzuki, Shin Kumagai, Hidetaka Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20220297757
    Abstract: A rotation angle detection device including: an angular position calculation unit configured to calculate angular position information representing an angular position of the motor rotation shaft based on a first sensor signal of the first sensor; an rotation number detection unit configured to detect a rotation number of the motor rotation shaft based on a second sensor signal of a second sensor and outputs rotation number information representing the rotation number; a rotation angle calculation unit configured to calculate rotation angle information indicating a rotation angle of the motor rotation shaft based on the angular position information and the rotation number information; and a power supply unit configured to stop supplying power to the first sensor, the angular position calculation unit and the rotation angle calculation unit and to supply power to the second sensor and the rotation number detection unit when the power switch is off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Publication date: September 22, 2022
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Takayuki KOBAYASHI, Dai SUZUKI, Shin KUMAGAI, Hidetaka NAKAMURA
  • Patent number: 11447170
    Abstract: The outer column 25 has a front-side small-diameter tubular portion 37 into which the inner column 24 is press fitted. The inner-circumferential surface of the front-side small-diameter tubular portion 37 and the outer-circumferential surface of the inner column 24 come in contact with an interference fit at only a plurality of contact locations separated in the circumferential direction. At least one location in the axial direction of the column-side bracket 26 is welded to the outer-circumferential surface of the front-side small-diameter tubular portion 37 at only two weld locations that are close in the circumferential direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Suguru Sugishita, Masaru Oosawa
  • Patent number: 11440579
    Abstract: A steering column device has an inner column; an outer column combined with the inner column and having a slit extending in the axial direction, the inner column and the outer column configuring a telescopic steering column; a release bracket arranged inside the slit of the outer column and supported by and fixed to the inner column; a support bracket joined to the release bracket so as to be able to detach due to an impact load that is applied to the inner column during a secondary collision; and a telescopic friction plate having a function to increase a holding force for holding the steering column with respect to a vehicle-body-side bracket and supported by the support bracket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kakita, Kazuki Hara