Patents by Inventor Eisuke KURAMOTO

Eisuke KURAMOTO 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: 11932090
    Abstract: An exterior panel structure for a vehicle prevents unevenness of an outer surface of an exterior panel material caused by joining of a reinforcing member to the exterior panel. The reinforcing member is joined to the exterior panel material such that rigidity is maintained, thereby keeping dents in the exterior panel material small even when a user presses on the exterior panel material during waxing of the vehicle, or the like. The exterior panel structure includes a door outer panel, a reinforcing member, and a bracket. In the bracket, a joint surface which follows an inner surface of the door outer panel is joined to an outer peripheral edge of the door panel which is separated from the inner surface of the door outer panel in a thickness direction of the door outer panel, and another joint surface is joined to a reinforcing outer peripheral edge of the reinforcing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro Moriyama, Eisuke Kuramoto
  • Patent number: 11932091
    Abstract: An exterior panel structure for a vehicle prevents unevenness caused by distortion of an outer surface of the exterior panel and keeps dents small even when a user presses the exterior panel from the outside. The exterior panel structure includes the exterior panel, and a reinforcing member having joint sections and coupling sections. The joint sections are separated from each other along an inner surface of the exterior panel, and each is joined to the inner surface of the exterior panel. The coupling section follows the inner surface of the exterior panel and couples the adjacent joint sections. The inner surface of the exterior panel and the coupling section abut each other when a pressing force equal to or larger than a specified value is applied inward in a thickness direction of the exterior panel from an outer surface of the exterior panel, and are otherwise separated from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro Moriyama, Eisuke Kuramoto
  • Patent number: 11933090
    Abstract: There are provided a hinge arm having a lever and a rotational axis to rotate the lever so as to be projected from the door panel, and a driving unit to transmit a drive force to the hinge arm so as to project the lever from the door panel. The driving unit comprises a motor and an output axis connected to the motor and the hinge arm so as to transmit a motor output to the hinge arm in a region from a storage position to an open position, wherein the drive force is transmitted from the motor to the hinge arm via the output axis when the lever is moved from the storage position to a gripping position and the drive force is transmitted from the hinge arm to the motor via the output axis when the lever is moved from the open position to the gripping position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro Moriyama, Eisuke Kuramoto
  • Publication number: 20230323708
    Abstract: A vehicle door maintains a pulling amount of a release cable without increasing the size of a cable pulling member, or degrading ease of operation of a door handle. The door includes a handle gripped by a user; a handle arm turned about a hinge pin with operation of the handle; a crank plate turned about a hinge pin with turning of the handle arm, thus pulling a release cable; and a latch device that releases a door lock when the release cable is pulled. The crank plate pulls the release cable by causing a contact surface, which comes into contact with the release cable, to move with turning of the crank plate. The contact surface is formed such that a distance from the hinge pin to the contact surface increases as the contact surface moves in a direction opposite to a turning direction when opening the door.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro MORIYAMA, Eisuke KURAMOTO
  • Patent number: 11725431
    Abstract: A lever is configured to be rotatable around a rotational support axis among a storage position where the lever is flush with a door outer panel, a gripping position where the lever is projected from the door outer panel by driving of a driving unit so that a user is able to grip the lever, and an open position where the lever is further projected from said gripping position. The driving unit is fixed in an opposite area of a hinge arm which is opposite, relative to the rotational support axis, to an area of the hinge arm where the lever is arranged. The above-described area of the hinge arm where the lever is arranged and the driving unit are provided to face each other relative to the rotational support axis when the lever takes the storage position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro Moriyama, Eisuke Kuramoto
  • Publication number: 20230110322
    Abstract: A door mirror device comprises a door-mirror body portion, a mirror base having a tip-end portion fixed to the door-mirror body portion, an electromotive rotational unit provided to rotate the door-mirror body portion and the mirror base between a mirror-use position and a mirror-storage position, and a control portion to control the electromotive rotational unit. The electromotive rotational unit is provided inside a side door. The control portion controls the electromotive rotational unit such that the door-mirror body portion and the mirror base are rotated in a prescribed minute range centered at the mirror-use position so as to change an angle of a mirror when a mirror-face adjusting signal is inputted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2022
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro MORIYAMA, Eisuke KURAMOTO, Masato IKEDA
  • Publication number: 20230112553
    Abstract: A vehicle capable of improving the opening and closing operability of a side door includes a lever that projects to an outer side in a vehicle width direction from a storage position at which the handle lever is flush with the surface of a door outer panel, a position switch that detects the movement position of the lever, a latch mechanism that has a latch engageable with a striker in conjunction with the lever, a latch switch that detects whether the latch is in a full-latch state, a driving device capable of changing the position of the lever in a range from the storage position to a gripping position, and a CPU capable of controlling the driving device, in which the CPU forcibly changes the position of the lever to the gripping position when the latch is in a half-latch state and the lever is at the storage position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2022
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yukihiro MORIYAMA, Eisuke KURAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20230110177
    Abstract: A door mirror structure comprises a mirror unit and a support member fixing the mirror unit to a frame member inside a side door. The mirror unit 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 rotating 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 inside the side door.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2022
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro MORIYAMA, Eisuke KURAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20230108074
    Abstract: An exterior panel structure for a vehicle prevents unevenness caused by distortion of an outer surface of the exterior panel and keeps dents small even when a user presses the exterior panel from the outside. The exterior panel structure includes the exterior panel, and a reinforcing member having joint sections and coupling sections. The joint sections are separated from each other along an inner surface of the exterior panel, and each is joined to the inner surface of the exterior panel. The coupling section follows the inner surface of the exterior panel and couples the adjacent joint sections. The inner surface of the exterior panel and the coupling section abut each other when a pressing force equal to or larger than a specified value is applied inward in a thickness direction of the exterior panel from an outer surface of the exterior panel, and are otherwise separated from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro MORIYAMA, Eisuke KURAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20230108393
    Abstract: An exterior panel structure for a vehicle prevents unevenness of an outer surface of an exterior panel material caused by joining of a reinforcing member to the exterior panel. The reinforcing member is joined to the exterior panel material such that rigidity is maintained, thereby keeping dents in the exterior panel material small even when a user presses on the exterior panel material during waxing of the vehicle, or the like. The exterior panel structure includes a door outer panel, a reinforcing member, and a bracket. In the bracket, a joint surface which follows an inner surface of the door outer panel is joined to an outer peripheral edge of the door panel which is separated from the inner surface of the door outer panel in a thickness direction of the door outer panel, and another joint surface is joined to a reinforcing outer peripheral edge of the reinforcing member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro MORIYAMA, Eisuke KURAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20220243505
    Abstract: A lever is configured to be rotatable around a rotational support axis among a storage position where the lever is flush with a door outer panel, a gripping position where the lever is projected from the door outer panel by driving of a driving unit so that a user is able to grip the lever, and an open position where the lever is further projected from said gripping position. The driving unit is fixed in an opposite area of a hinge arm which is opposite, relative to the rotational support axis, to an area of the hinge arm where the lever is arranged. The above-described area of the hinge arm where the lever is arranged and the driving unit are provided to face each other relative to the rotational support axis when the lever takes the storage position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro MORIYAMA, Eisuke KURAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20220243507
    Abstract: There are provided a hinge arm having a lever and a rotational axis to rotate the lever so as to be projected from the door panel, and a driving unit to transmit a drive force to the hinge arm so as to project the lever from the door panel. The driving unit comprises a motor and an output axis connected to the motor and the hinge arm so as to transmit a motor output to the hinge arm in a region from a storage position to an open position, wherein the drive force is transmitted from the motor to the hinge arm via the output axis when the lever is moved from the storage position to a gripping position and the drive force is transmitted from the hinge arm to the motor via the output axis when the lever is moved from the open position to the gripping position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro MORIYAMA, Eisuke KURAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20220243506
    Abstract: There are provided a hinge arm with a lever and a driving unit to transmit a drive force to the hinge arm. The lever is configured to be rotatable among a storage position where the lever is flush with a door panel, a gripping position where a whole part of a design surface of the lever is projected from the door panel by the driving unit so that a user is able to grip the lever, and an open position where the lever is further projected from the gripping position. The lever is attached to the hinge arm in a swingable manner such that at least a part of the lever is projected from the door panel by pushing one end of the lever when the lever takes the storage position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro MORIYAMA, Eisuke KURAMOTO
  • Patent number: 9623736
    Abstract: An openable roof includes an expandable and retractable awning frame, and an awning cloth for covering the outside of the awning frame. The awning frame is provided with an awning bow which supports the awning cloth when the awning frame is expanded. The awning bow includes a pair of left and right leg portions extending in up and down directions, and an upper side portion which connects between upper ends of the leg portions in a vehicle width direction. Each of the leg portions of the awning bow is formed with two or more bent parts. At least one pair of the bent parts on each of the leg portions are configured such that moments generated in the awning bow due to a tensile force exerted from the awning cloth when the openable roof is in an expanded state act in such directions as to cancel out each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouichi Matsumoto, Eisuke Kuramoto, Tomohiro Komaji, Motonori Horii
  • Publication number: 20160059681
    Abstract: An openable roof includes an expandable and retractable awning frame, and an awning cloth for covering the outside of the awning frame. The awning frame is provided with an awning bow which supports the awning cloth when the awning frame is expanded. The awning bow includes a pair of left and right leg portions extending in up and down directions, and an upper side portion which connects between upper ends of the leg portions in a vehicle width direction. Each of the leg portions of the awning bow is formed with two or more bent parts. At least one pair of the bent parts on each of the leg portions are configured such that moments generated in the awning bow due to a tensile force exerted from the awning cloth when the openable roof is in an expanded state act in such directions as to cancel out each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouichi MATSUMOTO, Eisuke KURAMOTO, Tomohiro KOMAJI, Motonori HORII