Patents by Inventor Akinobu Aoki

Akinobu Aoki 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: 8256280
    Abstract: Disclosed is an arrangement structure for a sensor to be mounted to an engine of a vehicle, wherein the engine is arranged in an engine compartment 2 of the vehicle in a posture allowing a crankshaft 8 of the engine to be oriented in a widthwise direction of the vehicle. The arrangement structure comprises a driveshaft 50 arranged along a vehicle-rearward lateral surface of the engine 1 facing in a rearward direction of the vehicle, to rotatably drive a front wheel, and a flange section 28a provided as a joining section between two members (12, 15) constituting the engine 1, to protrude in the rearward direction of the vehicle and at a height position below that of the driveshaft 50, wherein the sensor 42 is mounted to the vehicle-rearward lateral surface of the engine 1 at a height position located above the flange section 28a and in overlapping relation with the driveshaft 50 when viewed from a rear side of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Akinobu Aoki, Masaaki Sato, Nobuhiro Fujii, Kenji Kashiyama, Noriyoshi Okii, Tomohiro Koguchi, Fumie Kitakaze, Atsushi Hisano
  • Publication number: 20100064787
    Abstract: Disclosed is an arrangement structure for a sensor to be mounted to an engine of a vehicle, wherein the engine is arranged in an engine compartment 2 of the vehicle in a posture allowing a crankshaft 8 of the engine to be oriented in a widthwise direction of the vehicle. The arrangement structure comprises a driveshaft 50 arranged along a vehicle-rearward lateral surface of the engine 1 facing in a rearward direction of the vehicle, to rotatably drive a front wheel, and a flange section 28a provided as a joining section between two members (12, 15) constituting the engine 1, to protrude in the rearward direction of the vehicle and at a height position below that of the driveshaft 50, wherein the sensor 42 is mounted to the vehicle-rearward lateral surface of the engine 1 at a height position located above the flange section 28a and in overlapping relation with the driveshaft 50 when viewed from a rear side of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akinobu AOKI, Masaaki SATO, Nobuhiro FUJII, Kenji KASHIYAMA, Noriyoshi OKII, Tomohiro KOGUCHI, Fumie KITAKAZE, Atsushi HISANO
  • Patent number: 7237511
    Abstract: There are provided a radiator passage, a thermostat to open and close the radiator passage according to an engine temperature, a heater passage, a flow adjusting device to adjust a flow amount of the coolant that flows in the water jacket according to the engine temperature at an engine start. The flow adjusting device is configured so as to adjust the flow amount of the coolant flowing in the water jacket to be a normal amount when the engine temperature is in an extremely-cold condition, to be zero or smaller than the normal amount when the engine is in a mild-cold condition, and to be the normal amount when the engine is in a warm condition. The heater passage is in opened sate at least when the engine is in the extremely-cold condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Akinobu Aoki, Mitsuo Hitomi
  • Publication number: 20060213460
    Abstract: There are provided a radiator passage, a thermostat to open and close the radiator passage according to an engine temperature, a heater passage, a flow adjusting device to adjust a flow amount of the coolant that flows in the water jacket according to the engine temperature at an engine start. The flow adjusting device is configured so as to adjust the flow amount of the coolant flowing in the water jacket to be a normal amount when the engine temperature is in an extremely-cold condition, to be zero or smaller than the normal amount when the engine is in a mild-cold condition, and to be the normal amount when the engine is in a warm condition. The heater passage is in opened sate at least when the engine is in the extremely-cold condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2006
    Publication date: September 28, 2006
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akinobu Aoki, Mitsuo Hitomi
  • Patent number: 5810694
    Abstract: A control system for an automatic transmission having at least a friction coupling element which is coupled with a hydraulic pressure increasing by way of a leveled transitional pressure has an accumulator which discharge a high level of pressure accumulated therein into the friction coupling element during a gear shift under the condition where the line pressure is low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Kamada, Koichi Yamamoto, Tomoo Sawazaki, Hiroshi Shinozuka, Kazushi Kurokawa, Takamichi Teraoka, Masakazu Hombo, Naotaka Hirami, Yasunori Kanda, Akinobu Aoki, Tatsuhiko Iwasaki, Takeyoshi Kawa, Kenji Sawa
  • Patent number: 5785628
    Abstract: A control system for an automatic transmission having friction coupling elements, at least one of which is locked in 3rd and 4th gears and unlocked in 1st and 2nd gears, includes a first shift valve shiftable between 3rd and 4th gears, and second shift valve shiftable between in 2nd gear and 1st gear in which engine brake available, and a solenoid valve providing control pressure which is selectively directed to these shift valves and cause them to shift so as to lock or unlock the friction coupling elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1998
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Kamada, Kenji Sawa, Hiroshi Shinozuka, Tomoo Sawazaki, Koichi Yamamoto, Kazushi Kurokawa, Takamichi Teraoka, Masakazu Hombo, Naotaka Hirami, Yasunori Kanda, Akinobu Aoki, Tatsuhiko Iwasaki, Takeyoshi Kawa
  • Patent number: 5772550
    Abstract: A control system for an automatic transmission having a transmission gear mechanism and a plurality of friction coupling elements which are selectively locked and unlocked with hydraulic oil to change power transmission paths to place the automatic transmission into desired available gears, a first one of the friction coupling elements having a locking pressure chamber and an unlocking pressure chamber and being locked when operating oil is supplied into only the locking pressure chamber and unlocking when operating oil is coincidentally supplied into the locking pressure chamber and the unlocking pressure chamber, and a second one of the friction coupling elements having a locking/unlocking pressure chamber in communication, with the unlocking pressure chamber of the first friction coupling element and being locked only when operation oil is supplied into the locking/unlocking pressure chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Kamada, Koichi Yamamoto, Tomoo Sawazaki, Hiroshi Shinozuka, Kazushi Kurokawa, Takamichi Teraoka, Masakazu Hombo, Naotaka Hirami, Yasunori Kanda, Akinobu Aoki, Tatsuhiko Iwasaki, Takeyoshi Kawa
  • Patent number: 5725455
    Abstract: A hydraulic control system for an automatic transmission having at least a forward clutch which is unlocked in a fourth gear and locked in other forward gears and a lock-up clutch for coupling input and output elements of a torque converter together is equipped with a pressure control valve for controlling operating pressure for the forward clutch, a lock-up control valve for connecting and disconnecting the first valve from the lock-up clutch, a pressure line through which control source pressure is introduced into the forward clutch while the first valve is in communication with the lock-up clutch, and a shift valve for discharging the control source pressure from the pressure line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Kamada, Kenji Sawa, Hiroshi Shinozuka, Tomoo Sawazaki, Koichi Yamamoto, Kazushi Kurokawa, Takamichi Teraoka, Masakazu Hombo, Naotaka Hirami, Yasunori Kanda, Akinobu Aoki, Tatsuhiko Iwasaki, Takeyoshi Kawa
  • Patent number: 5665020
    Abstract: A control system for an automatic transmission having at least a friction coupling element which is coupled with a hydraulic pressure increasing by way of a leveled transitional pressure has an accumulator which discharge a high level of pressure accumulated therein into the fiction coupling element during a gear shift under the condition where the line pressure is low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Kamada, Koichi Yamamoto, Tomoo Sawazaki, Hiroshi Shinozuka, Kazushi Kurokawa, Takamichi Teraoka, Masakazu Hombo, Naotaka Hirami, Yasunori Kanda, Akinobu Aoki, Tatsuhiko Iwasaki, Takeyoshi Kawa, Kenji Sawa
  • Patent number: 5133313
    Abstract: An engine cylinder block includes lower and upper cylinder block portions which are fastened together by bearing cap fastening bolts and cylinder block fastening bolts. The engine cylinder block is provided with a baffle plate, for separating a crankcase from an oil pan. The baffle plate is fastened to the engine cylinder block by the cylinder block fastening bolts. Bearing cap fastening bolts are arranged in a row parallel to an axis of rotation of the crankshaft at each side of a row of bearing caps. The cylinder block fastening bolts, each of which is located between adjoining bearing caps, are arranged in a row parallel to the axis of rotation of the crankshaft on each side of the row of bearing caps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: July 28, 1992
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yasushi Inoue, Shigeki Nakatani, Akinobu Aoki