Patents by Inventor Harumitsu KUBOTA

Harumitsu KUBOTA 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: 11577787
    Abstract: A rear vehicle-body structure is provided that can absorb a rear-end collision load by a short frame region on a vehicle-body rear side. Embodiments include a rear side frame having a rear-side breaking frame section including a rear-side breakage starting portion on a rear side among breakage starting portions disposed at intervals in a front-rear direction, a front-side breaking frame section including a front-side breakage starting portion on a front side and at which the direction of breakage is opposite from the direction of breakage at the rear-side breakage starting portion, and a middle frame section between the rear-side breakage starting portion and the front-side breakage starting portion. The axial proof stress of the rear-side breaking frame section is lower than the axial proof stress of the front-side breaking frame section; and the middle frame section includes beads at a predetermined interval in an axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumitsu Kubota, Taichi Hirakawa
  • Patent number: 11446998
    Abstract: A front-side cross member and a rear-side cross member in a front portion of a rear floor are spaced apart from each other, on a top side of the rear floor, ends of the front-side cross member in the vehicle width direction are connected to respective lower ends of left and right brace members extending up and down, while the rear-side cross member is disposed on the rear floor from an underside of the rear floor. A high voltage component is disposed on a top face in the front portion of the rear floor between the front and rear-side cross members, the high voltage component is disposed rearwardly spaced apart from the front-side cross member and closer to the rear-side cross member, and the high voltage component is attached to the front-side cross member via a bracket that deforms under a load in the vehicle front-rear direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuto Kodama, Koji Yoshimura, Taichi Hirakawa, Toshihiko Kawamura, Harumitsu Kubota, Takeshi Sasabe
  • Patent number: 11241948
    Abstract: A vehicle body rear part structure for a vehicle includes a side frame, a subframe disposed below the side frame, and a vehicle body frame member disposed on a middle side in the vehicle body front-rear direction with respect to the subframe. The vehicle body frame member includes: a vertical frame offset outwardly in the vehicle width direction with respect to the subframe; and a lateral frame extending inwardly in the vehicle width direction from the vertical frame. A connecting portion is provided on the subframe. The connecting portion includes: an inclined portion extending while being inclined outwardly in the vehicle width direction, to face the vertical frame; and a widening portion widening inwardly in the vehicle width direction up to a position where the connecting portion linearly extends in the vehicle body front-rear direction from the inclined portion, to face the lateral frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Morimoto, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Harumitsu Kubota, Yasunori Isshiki, Taichi Hirakawa
  • Patent number: 11235807
    Abstract: A rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle can enhance the performance of protecting a vehicle component disposed under a rear floor against a rear-end collision load. The rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle includes a rear bumper reinforcement having a rear bumper beam extending in a vehicle width direction along a rear bumper and load absorbing parts extending from left and right ends of the rear bumper beam toward a vehicle front side, and rear side frames extending in a vehicle front-rear direction respectively along left and right side portions of a rear floor and coupled at rear ends to front ends of the load absorbing parts, with a vehicle component being disposed under the rear floor. A vertical center of the rear bumper beam is located lower than a respective vertical center of each of the rear side frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumitsu Kubota, Taichi Hirakawa, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Yasunori Isshiki
  • Patent number: 11192588
    Abstract: A lower vehicle-body structure of an electric vehicle includes a bending facilitating portion located outward of a bent portion of a kick-up and bends as a breakage starter in a lateral collision, earlier than the bent portion, to reduce the amount of projection from the bending facilitating portion toward an outer side and reduce the likelihood of interference with a battery. Each of left and right side portions in a vehicle width direction of a kick-up is bent downward from a position inward of a rear side frame toward a side sill and connected to the side sill. A bending facilitating portion that facilitates bending under a lateral-collision load is formed outward of a bent portion of the kick-up and an outer side portion of the battery, and either inward of an inner end of the rear side frame or at substantially the same position as the inner end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumitsu Kubota, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Katsuhito Kouno, Ryohei Nakagiri, Toshihiro Takebayashi
  • Patent number: 11192586
    Abstract: A lower vehicle-body structure of a vehicle includes a first cross member disposed on an intermediate portion of a front floor panel in a vehicle front-rear direction as a bridge in a vehicle width direction; a second cross member disposed in a kick-up portion between the front floor panel and a rear floor panel as a bridge in the vehicle width direction at a position in which at least a center portion in the vehicle width direction is higher than the first cross member; and a battery unit disposed below at least the front floor panel to a rear end position of the front floor panel. A high-strength portion for the front floor panel is formed on a rear end of the front floor panel on a lower end portion of the kick-up portion, and is coupled to both of a pair of left and right side sills.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumitsu Kubota, Yamato Matsuda, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Kazuhisa Hatano
  • Publication number: 20210300477
    Abstract: A rear vehicle-body structure is provided that can absorb a rear-end collision load by a short frame region on a vehicle-body rear side. Embodiments include a rear side frame having a rear-side breaking frame section including a rear-side breakage starting portion on a rear side among breakage starting portions disposed at intervals in a front-rear direction, a front-side breaking frame section including a front-side breakage starting portion on a front side and at which the direction of breakage is opposite from the direction of breakage at the rear-side breakage starting portion, and a middle frame section between the rear-side breakage starting portion and the front-side breakage starting portion. The axial proof stress of the rear-side breaking frame section is lower than the axial proof stress of the front-side breaking frame section; and the middle frame section includes beads at a predetermined interval in an axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumitsu KUBOTA, Taichi HIRAKAWA
  • Patent number: 11130526
    Abstract: A vehicle body rear part structure for a vehicle includes a rear subframe disposed below a rear side frame and extending in a vehicle body front-rear direction. The rear subframe includes a front load absorbing portion and a rear load absorbing portion which extend rearwardly of a vehicle body from an important safety related component disposed on a vehicle body rear part, are disposed on a vehicle body rear side with respect to the important safety related component, and are configured to absorb a collision load when the collision load from rearwardly of the vehicle body is applied. The rear load absorbing portion is disposed on the vehicle body rear side of the front load absorbing portion. Strength of the rear load absorbing portion against compression in an axis direction is set low, as compared with strength of the front load absorbing portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Morimoto, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Harumitsu Kubota, Yasunori Isshiki, Taichi Hirakawa
  • Publication number: 20210061081
    Abstract: A front-side cross member and a rear-side cross member in a front portion of a rear floor are spaced apart from each other, on a top side of the rear floor, ends of the front-side cross member in the vehicle width direction are connected to respective lower ends of left and right brace members extending up and down, while the rear-side cross member is disposed on the rear floor from an underside of the rear floor. A high voltage component is disposed on a top face in the front portion of the rear floor between the front and rear-side cross members, the high voltage component is disposed rearwardly spaced apart from the front-side cross member and closer to the rear-side cross member, and the high voltage component is attached to the front-side cross member via a bracket that deforms under a load in the vehicle front-rear direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuto KODAMA, Koji YOSHIMURA, Taichi HIRAKAWA, Toshihiko KAWAMURA, Harumitsu KUBOTA, Takeshi SASABE
  • Publication number: 20200385056
    Abstract: A lower vehicle-body structure of a vehicle includes a first cross member disposed on an intermediate portion of a front floor panel in a vehicle front-rear direction as a bridge in a vehicle width direction; a second cross member disposed in a kick-up portion between the front floor panel and a rear floor panel as a bridge in the vehicle width direction at a position in which at least a center portion in the vehicle width direction is higher than the first cross member; and a battery unit disposed below at least the front floor panel to a rear end position of the front floor panel. A high-strength portion for the front floor panel is formed on a rear end of the front floor panel on a lower end portion of the kick-up portion, and is coupled to both of a pair of left and right side sills.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumitsu KUBOTA, Yamato MATSUDA, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA, Kazuhisa HATANO
  • Publication number: 20200385058
    Abstract: A rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle can enhance the performance of protecting a vehicle component disposed under a rear floor against a rear-end collision load. The rear vehicle-body structure of a vehicle includes a rear bumper reinforcement having a rear bumper beam extending in a vehicle width direction along a rear bumper and load absorbing parts extending from left and right ends of the rear bumper beam toward a vehicle front side, and rear side frames extending in a vehicle front-rear direction respectively along left and right side portions of a rear floor and coupled at rear ends to front ends of the load absorbing parts, with a vehicle component being disposed under the rear floor. A vertical center of the rear bumper beam is located lower than a respective vertical center of each of the rear side frames.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumitsu KUBOTA, Taichi HIRAKAWA, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA, Yasunori ISSHIKI
  • Publication number: 20200385059
    Abstract: A lower vehicle-body structure of an electric vehicle includes a bending facilitating portion located outward of a bent portion of a kick-up and bends as a breakage starter in a lateral collision, earlier than the bent portion, to reduce the amount of projection from the bending facilitating portion toward an outer side and reduce the likelihood of interference with a battery. Each of left and right side portions in a vehicle width direction of a kick-up is bent downward from a position inward of a rear side frame toward a side sill and connected to the side sill. A bending facilitating portion that facilitates bending under a lateral-collision load is formed outward of a bent portion of the kick-up and an outer side portion of the battery, and either inward of an inner end of the rear side frame or at substantially the same position as the inner end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harumitsu KUBOTA, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA, Katsuhito KOUNO, Ryohei NAKAGIRI, Toshihiro TAKEBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20200156706
    Abstract: A vehicle body rear part structure for a vehicle includes a rear subframe disposed below a rear side frame and extending in a vehicle body front-rear direction. The rear subframe includes a front load absorbing portion and a rear load absorbing portion which extend rearwardly of a vehicle body from an important safety related component disposed on a vehicle body rear part, are disposed on a vehicle body rear side with respect to the important safety related component, and are configured to absorb a collision load when the collision load from rearwardly of the vehicle body is applied. The rear load absorbing portion is disposed on the vehicle body rear side of the front load absorbing portion. Strength of the rear load absorbing portion against compression in an axis direction is set low, as compared with strength of the front load absorbing portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto MORIMOTO, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA, Harumitsu KUBOTA, Yasunori ISSHIKI, Taichi HIRAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20200086928
    Abstract: A vehicle body rear part structure for a vehicle includes a side frame, a subframe disposed below the side frame, and a vehicle body frame member disposed on a middle side in the vehicle body front-rear direction with respect to the subframe. The vehicle body frame member includes: a vertical frame offset outwardly in the vehicle width direction with respect to the subframe; and a lateral frame extending inwardly in the vehicle width direction from the vertical frame. A connecting portion is provided on the subframe. The connecting portion includes: an inclined portion extending while being inclined outwardly in the vehicle width direction, to face the vertical frame; and a widening portion widening inwardly in the vehicle width direction up to a position where the connecting portion linearly extends in the vehicle body front-rear direction from the inclined portion, to face the lateral frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto MORIMOTO, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA, Harumitsu KUBOTA, Yasunori ISSHIKI, Taichi HIRAKAWA