Patents Assigned to NSK Ltd.
  • Patent number: 11506269
    Abstract: A ball screw includes a screw, a nut, a plurality of balls and a ball return path. A spiral screw groove is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft. The nut is disposed around the screw shaft. A spiral screw groove is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the nut. The balls are housed in rolling paths formed by the two screw grooves facing each other. The ball return path circulates the balls in no more than one turn of the rolling paths. A length of the ball return path between scoop-up points where the balls are scooped up from the screw groove of the screw shaft is set to a value which is from ?0.1 to +0.3 times of a diameter of the balls with respect to an integer value of a number of the balls filled between the scoop-up points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Keitaro Oka
  • Patent number: 11506249
    Abstract: The reverse input cutoff clutch comprises a pressed member having a pressed surface, an input member arranged coaxially with the pressed surface and having an input-side engaging portion arranged radially inside the pressed surface, an output member arranged coaxially with the pressed surface and having an output-side engaging portion arranged more radially inside than the input-side engaging portion, and an engaging element arranged radially inside the pressed surface and having a pressing surface facing the pressed surface, an input-side engaged portion that engages with the input-side engaging portions, and an output-side engaged portion that engages with the output-side engaging portion. The output-side engaged portion is configured by a recessed portion, and the interior surface of the recessed portion has a pair of guided surfaces. The output-side engaging portion has a pair of guide surfaces facing the pair of guided surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Nagao Dohi, Yuya Daikoku
  • Publication number: 20220363304
    Abstract: Provided is an outer tube including a solid-shaped male-shaft portion and a bottomed cylindrical female-tube portion integrally formed with the male shaft portion. A hole cover is externally fitted to the female-tube portion and closes a gap between a dash panel separating the vehicle cabin interior and the vehicle cabin exterior of a vehicle body and the outer tube. In an assembled state in the vehicle body, the solid male-shaft portion is arranged in the vehicle cabin exterior, and an opening portion of a slide hole provided in the female-tube portion is arranged in the vehicle cabin interior.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Seiichi MORIYAMA, Keisuke NAKAO, Kaname YASUDA, Naofumi FUJITA
  • Patent number: 11498605
    Abstract: The front-side portion of an outer column includes a substantially cylindrical column main body portion having a pair of clamp portions and externally fitting with an inner column, and a reinforcing bridge portion that is integrally provided below the column main body portion. The front-side connecting portion of the reinforcing bridge portion includes a front-side inclined portion that inclines in a direction toward the front side going toward the upper side, and a rear-side connecting portion inclines in a direction toward the rear side going toward the upper side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventor: Suguru Sugishita
  • Publication number: 20220355856
    Abstract: A vehicle steering device includes a target steering torque generation unit configured to generate target steering torque for a reaction force motor, and a torque correction value calculation unit configured to generate a torque signal Tref_p in accordance with road surface reaction force acting on a steering wheel of a vehicle. The torque correction value calculation unit generates the torque signal Tref_p by separating estimated road surface reaction force into a low-frequency component and a high-frequency component, providing level restriction on each of the low-frequency component and the high-frequency component, and adding torque values converted from the low-frequency component and the high-frequency component after the level restriction. The target steering torque generation unit generates the target steering torque by adding the torque signal Tref_p and a torque signal Tref_a generated based on a predetermined basic map in accordance with at least a vehicle speed and a steering angle of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: NSK LTD.
    Inventor: Keitarou TANAKA
  • Patent number: 11493128
    Abstract: A cam device having a drive cam and a driven cam; and a friction engagement device having at least one friction plate and at least one separation plate are provided. The friction engagement device is configured so as to be put into a connected state by pressing the friction plate and the separation plate against each other by the driven cam, and a disconnected state. Also provided are a rotation transmission state switching device having a first member and a second member coaxially arranged, and a mode selecting part configured to rotate or displace in the axial direction according to rotation of the drive cam. The rotation transmission state switching device has at least one mode of a free mode and a lock mode of the first member and the second member, and a one-way clutch mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Kishida, Ricardo Rodriguez Lopez, Seigou Urakami, Shohei Kaneko, Akihiro Yamamoto
  • 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