Patents by Inventor Akira Kuragaki

Akira Kuragaki 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: 6382037
    Abstract: To prevent an attracting force to the plunger from becoming insufficient, at least one of an output shaft and a thrust spline is formed from magnetic material having a lower relative permeability than iron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takehiro Kobayashi, Shigeru Shiroyama, Akira Kuragaki, Koichiro Kamei, Hidekazu Katayama, Masahiko Tsukahara, Tadanori Yamaguchi, Jiro Hirao
  • Patent number: 6333567
    Abstract: To secure sufficient attractive force against a plunger, an overrunning clutch is arranged so that one end of a thrust spline is positioned so as to maintain a prescribed interval from the end of the plunger in the condition where the plunger is unexcited by an exciting coil and the outside periphery of the output shaft corresponding to the prescribed interval is covered by a cylinder body formed of a non-magnetic material or less permeable material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Shiroyama, Motoi Hisamoto, Akira Kuragaki, Koichiro Kamei, Takehiro Kobayashi, Hidekazu Katayama
  • Patent number: 6286378
    Abstract: To reduce abrasion of the pinion and the ring gear, a coil spring and a plate are arranged between the inner circumference of the plunger and the output shaft. The plate is adapted to the rear end of the thrust spline of the over-running clutch to transmit the elastic force of the coil spring to the thrust spline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichiro Kamei, Shigeru Shiroyama, Akira Kuragaki, Hidekazu Katayama
  • Patent number: 6269706
    Abstract: To fully secure the precision around an output shaft, an electromagnet is axially held in position between a center bracket and a front bracket which form an enclosing member for a starter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kuragaki, Shigeru Shiroyama, Koichiro Kamei, Hidekazu Katayama
  • Patent number: 6268670
    Abstract: To prevent damage or breakage of a pinion return coil spring employed in a starter, it is held between a first stopper and a second stopper which are coaxially arranged relative to an output shaft. Each stopper is provided with a cylindrical portion for restricting an inner diameter of the pinion return coil spring and controlling the movement of the pinion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kuragaki, Shigeru Shiroyama, Koichiro Kamei, Motoi Hisamoto, Takehiro Kobayashi, Hidekazu Katayama
  • Patent number: 6225718
    Abstract: To prevent powder caused by wear of brushes from entering a contact chamber, a first stationary contact is electrically connected to a battery and a second stationary contact is connected to positive brushes, wherein a contact bracket is provided to hold the first stationary contact, and a contact chamber cover is provided to interpose and hold the second stationary contact between the contact chamber cover and the contact bracket so that the contact chamber can be kept in an airtight state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichiro Kamei, Shigeru Shiroyama, Akira Kuragaki, Hidekazu Katayama
  • Patent number: 6202497
    Abstract: A shift lever assembly includes a shift lever having a fulcrum portion provided with a pair of pin bores for supporting portions of both ends of a pin, a first arm portion extending from one side of the fulcrum portion in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the pair of pin bores, a second arm portion for engaging the overrunning clutch extending from the other side of the fulcrum portion in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the pair of pin bores, and a housing recess formed from a root portion of the second arm portion across to the first arm portion so as to be open on one side in a direction perpendicular to both the axis of the pair of pin bores and the direction of extension of the first and second arm portions; and a lever spring housed within the housing recess such that a first end thereof is placed in contact with a surface at the tip of the first arm portion and a second end thereof is placed in contact with the floor of the housing recess at the end nearest to the root portion of the sec
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kuragaki, Shigeru Shiroyama
  • Patent number: 6201311
    Abstract: A starter in which a terminal is each provided for a motor side fixed contact point and an excitation coil separately, and the terminal of the motor side fixed contact point and the terminal of the excitation coil are of a snap-on type. Therefore, the work efficiency of connecting the motor side fixed contact point and the excitation coil of the electromagnetic switch can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2001
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichiro Kamei, Shigeru Shiroyama, Akira Kuragaki, Motoi Hisamoto, Takehiro Kobayashi, Hidekazu Katayama
  • Patent number: 6157105
    Abstract: A contact shaft moving device that reduces the wearing of a pinion in a ring gear. More specifically, the contact shaft moving device moves a contact shaft in such a direction as to cause a moving contact to be in direct contact with a stationary contact after a plunger is attracted and moved for a certain period of time by an exiting coil. The movement of the plunger also assists in moving the pinion into abutment with the ring gear prior to contact between the moveable and stationary contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kuragaki, Shigeru Shiroyama, Koichiro Kamei, Hidekazu Katayama
  • Patent number: 6097119
    Abstract: The commutator is disposed within the case of the starter motor at the end nearest to the pinion, an arc-shaped recess is formed in the outer circumferential wall of the case radially outside the commutator so as to indent between the brushes, and the electromagnetic switch is accommodated in the arc-shaped recess so as to be positioned radially outside the commutator and between the end surface of a core portion of the armature nearest to the commutator and the end surface of the over-running clutch nearest to the commutator, with the central axis thereof generally parallel to the rotor shaft, and with part thereof positioned radially inside the outer circumferential surface of the starter motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kuragaki, Shigeru Shiroyama
  • Patent number: 5539264
    Abstract: A brush device having a brush holding frame 320 made of an insulating material provided with a plurality of brush accommodating portions 320a, b which are open at their ends in the axial direction and at their inner peripheries in the radial direction, and a pair of protruded portions 320c at opposite outer ends in the radial direction. Brushes 305a, b are accommodated in the brush accommodating portions along with brush springs 308, press-contacting a commutator of a direct current machine. An insulation plate 321 touches an end face of the brush holding frame in the axial direction, covering the axial openings of the brush accommodating portion, and a pair of attaching pieces 309a, b are mounted on and pinch both end faces of the pair of protruded portions, thereby fixing the insulation plate to the end face of the brush holding frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 23, 1996
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kuragaki, Shigeru Shiroyama
  • Patent number: 5485048
    Abstract: A brush device having a brush holding frame made of an insulation material provided with a plurality of brush accommodating portions which are open at end portions thereof in the axial direction and at inner peripheral portions thereof in the radial direction, and a pair of protruded portions at opposing outer ends thereof in the radial direction; brushes accommodated in the brush accommodating portions along with brush springs, press-contacting a commutator of a direct current machine; an insulation plate touching an end face of the brush holding frame in the axial direction, covering the open portions at the end portions of the brush accommodating portion; and a pair of U-shaped attaching pieces mounted on and pinching both end faces of the pair of protruded portions of the brush holding frame thereby fixing the insulation plate to the end face of the brush holding frame in the axial direction comprises tap accommodating holes previously provided for accommodating front ends of taps for machining tapped hol
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1996
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kuragaki, Shigeru Shiroyama
  • Patent number: 5448122
    Abstract: A brush device includes elliptic compression coil springs, an electrical conductive member, rotary shaft, and brushes pushed against an electrical conductive member on the rotary shaft with the elliptic compression coil springs. And the outer end parts of each of the elliptic compression coil springs are bent inwardly of the ellipse formed by the elliptic compression coil spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 5, 1995
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Shiroyama, Akira Kuragaki
  • Patent number: 5332940
    Abstract: A brush device having a brush holding frame made of an insulation material provided with a plurality of brush accommodating portions which are open at end portions thereof in the axial direction and at inner peripheral portions thereof in the radial direction, and a pair of protruded portions at opposing outer ends thereof in the radial direction; brushes accommodated in the brush accommodating portions along with brush springs, press-contacting a commutator of a direct current machine; an insulation plate touching an end face of the brush holding frame in the axial direction, covering the open portions at the end portions of the brush accommodating portion; and a pair of attaching pieces mounted on and pinching both end faces of the pair of protruded portions of the brush holding frame thereby fixing the insulation plate to the end face of the brush holding frame in the axial direction comprises a pair of stopper protrusion portions protruded in the axial direction provided at intermediate positions situated
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 26, 1994
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Kuragaki, Shigeru Shiroyama
  • Patent number: 5289070
    Abstract: The brush holder 12 of a brush device for a d.c. machine is provided with plural pairs of brush boxes 12a each having an open front portion and an open inner diameter portion, and a pair of projections 12d at outer portions; lead wires 14a, 14b for each pair of brushes 13a and 13b have such length that they can avoid interference with the projections 12d, and the brushes 13a, 13b can be fitted to the brush boxes 12 from the front side and in the axial direction of the brush holder 12; brush springs 15 are put at the top portion of the brushes 13a, 13b; and an insulating plate 16 is attached to the front of the brush holder 12, whereby assembling work for the brushes 13a, 13b can be automated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 22, 1994
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushik Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Shiroyama, Akira Kuragaki