Patents by Inventor Fumio Okana
Fumio Okana 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).
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Patent number: 7331611Abstract: An underbody structure of a vehicle includes a floor panel of which rear portion is raised to form a rear floor, a pair of left and right rear side frames extending generally along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle at the rear of the floor panel with a specific distance held between the left and right rear side frames across the vehicle, and a rear cross member extending widthwise across the vehicle and interconnecting forward end portions of the left and right rear side frames. A fuel tank is mounted between the left and right rear side frames, and the rear cross member is located under the floor panel at the front of the fuel tank.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2005Date of Patent: February 19, 2008Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Hirotaka Kusu, Fumio Okana, Noritaka Sakiyama
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Patent number: 7270369Abstract: Disclosed is an automobile underbody structure, wherein a pair of laterally-spaced floor frames 10 are disposed to extend longitudinally in such a manner as to interpose a tunnel region 6 of a front floor portion 2 therebetween and joined to a bottom surface of the front floor portion 2, and a cross member 15, 16 is disposed to extend laterally so as to connect each side-sill 7 and the tunnel region 6 and joined to a top surface of the front floor portion 2. Each of the floor frames 10 is gradually inclined laterally inward toward the rear end thereof so as to be obliquely disposed relative to the cross member 15, 16 in top plan view. A rearward displacement of the floor frames 10 during a head-on collision exerts a compressive force on a region of the cross member 15, 16 located on the laterally outward side relative to each of the floor frames 10, and a tensile force on a region of the cross member 15, 16 located on the laterally inward side relative to each of the floor frames 10.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2005Date of Patent: September 18, 2007Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Fumio Okana, Noritaka Sakiyama, Yukiichirou Shimada, Shigeyuki Mori
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Patent number: 7204547Abstract: Disclosed is an underbody structure for an automobile, which comprises a pair of laterally-spaced floor frames 10 disposed to extend longitudinally in such a manner as to interpose a tunnel region 6 therebetween and joined to a bottom surface of a front floor portion 2. Each of the floor frames 10 has a rear end located in the vicinity of a rear kick-up portion 3 extending upward from a rear end of the front floor portion 2. The rear kick-up portion 3 and each rear end region of the floor frames 10 are connected to one another from the exterior side of the automobile through an end gusset 45 (47, 48). The end gusset 45 (47, 48) may be designed to define a closed section in cooperation with the rear kick-up portion 3, or to extend laterally outward so as to be connected to a front end region of a rear frame 17. The underbody structure of the present invention can prevent or suppress a rearward movement of each rear end of the floor frames during a head-on collision.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2005Date of Patent: April 17, 2007Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Fumio Okana, Noritaka Sakiyama, Yukiichirou Shimada, Shigeyuki Mori
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Patent number: 7140642Abstract: There is provided the fuel tank disposition structure of the vehicle, in which a plurality of passenger seats are disposed longitudinally in the cabin, comprising the tunnel portion provided so as to project upward toward the inside of the cabin at the central portion of the floor panel forming the lower face of the cabin, the tunnel portion including the wide portion and the narrow portions, the fuel tank disposed in the tunnel portion below the floor panel, the fuel tank including the wide portion and the narrow portion so as to correspond to the tunnel portion, wherein the front seat is disposed above the wide portion of the tunnel portion, and the rear seat is disposed above the narrow portions.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2005Date of Patent: November 28, 2006Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Akira Ito, Kazue Sumida, Fumio Okana, Hirotaka Kusu, Naomune Moriyama
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Publication number: 20060087109Abstract: An underbody structure of a vehicle includes a floor panel of which rear portion is raised to form a rear floor, a pair of left and right rear side frames extending generally along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle at the rear of the floor panel with a specific distance held between the left and right rear side frames across the vehicle, and a rear cross member extending widthwise across the vehicle and interconnecting forward end portions of the left and right rear side frames. A fuel tank is mounted between the left and right rear side frames, and the rear cross member is located under the floor panel at the front of the fuel tank.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2005Publication date: April 27, 2006Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATIONInventors: Hirotaka Kusu, Fumio Okana, Noritaka Sakiyama
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Publication number: 20060066138Abstract: Disclosed is an underbody structure for an automobile, which comprises a pair of laterally-spaced floor frames 10 disposed to extend longitudinally in such a manner as to interpose a tunnel region 6 therebetween and joined to a bottom surface of a front floor portion 2. Each of the floor frames 10 has a rear end located in the vicinity of a rear kick-up portion 3 extending upward from a rear end of the front floor portion 2. The rear kick-up portion 3 and each rear end region of the floor frames 10 are connected to one another from the exterior side of the automobile through an end gusset 45 (47, 48). The end gusset 45 (47, 48) may be designed to define a closed section in cooperation with the rear kick-up portion 3, or to extend laterally outward so as to be connected to a front end region of a rear frame 17. The underbody structure of the present invention can prevent or suppress a rearward movement of each rear end of the floor frames during a head-on collision.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 19, 2005Publication date: March 30, 2006Applicant: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Fumio Okana, Noritaka Sakiyama, Yukiichirou Shimada, Shigeyuki Mori
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Publication number: 20060061143Abstract: Disclosed is an automobile underbody structure, wherein a pair of laterally-spaced floor frames 10 are disposed to extend longitudinally in such a manner as to interpose a tunnel region 6 of a front floor portion 2 therebetween and joined to a bottom surface of the front floor portion 2, and a cross member 15, 16 is disposed to extend laterally so as to connect each side-sill 7 and the tunnel region 6 and joined to a top surface of the front floor portion 2. Each of the floor frames 10 is gradually inclined laterally inward toward the rear end thereof so as to be obliquely disposed relative to the cross member 15, 16 in top plan view. A rearward displacement of the floor frames 10 during a head-on collision exerts a compressive force on a region of the cross member 15, 16 located on the laterally outward side relative to each of the floor frames 10, and a tensile force on a region of the cross member 15, 16 located on the laterally inward side relative to each of the floor frames 10.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2005Publication date: March 23, 2006Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATIONInventors: Fumio Okana, Noritaka Sakiyama, Yukiichirou Shimada, Shigeyuki Mori
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Publication number: 20050211496Abstract: There is provided the fuel tank disposition structure of the vehicle, in which a plurality of passenger seats are disposed longitudinally in the cabin, comprising the tunnel portion provided so as to project upward toward the inside of the cabin at the central portion of the floor panel forming the lower face of the cabin, the tunnel portion including the wide portion and the narrow portions, the fuel tank disposed in the tunnel portion below the floor panel, the fuel tank including the wide portion and the narrow portion so as to correspond to the tunnel portion, wherein the front seat is disposed above the wide portion of the tunnel portion, and the rear seat is disposed above the narrow portions.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2005Publication date: September 29, 2005Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATIONInventors: Akira Ito, Kazue Sumida, Fumio Okana, Hirotaka Kusu, Naomune Moriyama
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Patent number: 6561563Abstract: A light-weighted and high rigidity front body structure for vehicle bodies. The front body structure comprises a transverse dash panel member extending over and welded to a dash panel or another member close to the dash panel and a transverse instrument panel member extending in the close vicinity of the dash panel. The instrument panel member, which is preferably formed from a pipe by hydro-forming, has opposite end portions welded to opposite side panels of the front body, respectively, and a generally U-shaped central portion opening upward and welded to a floor panel at a bottom thereof.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2001Date of Patent: May 13, 2003Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Fumio Okana, Hayatsugu Harasaki
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Publication number: 20020050726Abstract: A light-weighted and high rigidity front body structure for vehicle bodies is disclosed. The front body structure comprises a transverse dash panel member extending over and welded to a dash panel or another member close to the dash panel and a transverse instrument panel member extending in the close vicinity of the dash panel. The instrument panel member, which is preferably formed from a pipe by hydro-forming, has opposite end portions welded to opposite side panels of the front body, respectively, and a generally U-shaped central portion opening upward and welded to a floor panel at a bottom thereof.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 17, 2001Publication date: May 2, 2002Inventors: Fumio Okana, Hayatsugu Harasaki
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Patent number: 6332641Abstract: Double-leafed hinged door type front and rear doors do not have a center pillar in a side opening. In order that one can open and close the front and rear doors independently of each other and in order to protect passengers by absorbing any impact caused by side collision, reinforcing members (10, 11) obtained from high tensile steel by hydroforming are provided near joint surfaces of the front door (2) and rear door (3) provided to the side opening of a car body (1).Type: GrantFiled: June 5, 2000Date of Patent: December 25, 2001Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventor: Fumio Okana
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Patent number: 6322135Abstract: A body structure of a motor vehicle having an inner section and an outer section is disclosed. The vehicle body structure comprises an outer panel structure and an inner closed section structure. The outer panel structure forms the outer section of the body structure. The inner closed section structure is disposed along an inner side configuration of the outer panel structure and attached to the outer panel structure. The inner closed section structure has a sectional configuration that changes in accordance with changes in the inner side configuration of the outer panel structure and has a closed section that is made of a single member. The outer panel structure has a part that functions as the inner section of the body structure.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2000Date of Patent: November 27, 2001Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Fumio Okana, Hayatsugu Harasaki
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Patent number: 6217109Abstract: A body structure of a motor vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle body structure includes a first closed section structure and a second closed section structure. The first closed section structure has a first closed section that is made of a plurality of members. The second closed section structure has a second closed section. The second closed section structure is disposed within the first closed section of the first closed section structure and made of a single member. The second closed section structure has a section configuration that changes in accordance with changes in the inner side configuration of the first closed section structure.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2000Date of Patent: April 17, 2001Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Fumio Okana, Hayatsugu Harasaki