Patents by Inventor Hidenori Matsuoka

Hidenori Matsuoka 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: 11142153
    Abstract: A vehicle-body structure comprises a pair of right-and-left crash cans provided at an end portion of a vehicle body, being spaced apart from each other in a vehicle width direction, a bumper reinforcement extending in the vehicle width direction and connecting respective tip portions of the crash cans, set plates interposed between each of the crash cans and a vehicle-body side frame, wherein each of the crash cans is fixed to the vehicle-body side frame via the set plates, and a brace extending obliquely, in a plan view, from an inward side, in the vehicle width direction, of the crash can or the set plate to the bumper reinforcement such that a space is formed, in the vehicle with direction, between the brace and the crash can. The brace is fixedly joined to a lower face of the bumper reinforcement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ken Yamada, Koji Matsushita, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11110966
    Abstract: A front body structure of the vehicle includes a pair of left and right apron reinforcements, a pair of left and right front side frames, a pair of left and right suspension housings, and a sub-frame. The front body structure of the vehicle further includes a shroud upper that joins the front ends of the apron reinforcements, a pair of left and right shroud members that join the shroud upper and the front ends of the front side frames, and a pair of left and right front joint members that join the front ends of the front side frames and the sub-frame, in which the shroud members are joined to the upper surfaces and the side surfaces of the front side frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kuniyoshi Tashiro, Shigeaki Watanabe, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11097787
    Abstract: A lower vehicle-body structure allows miniaturization of an undercover and prevents an increase in minimum ground clearance. In the lower vehicle-body structure, a vehicle body floor includes step-up portions connected to a floor tunnel on opposite sides of the floor tunnel in a vehicle width direction at least in regions where first and second cross members are disposed on the vehicle body floor. The lower vehicle-body structure includes a mount member that faces the floor tunnel and connects the step-up portions on the opposite sides of the floor tunnel, and includes first and second undercovers that cover a lower side of the mount member so as to be continuous with a bottom surface of the vehicle body floor on outer sides of the step-up portions in the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisuke Ebisumoto, Hidenori Matsuoka, Hirotaka Natsume, Yuki Ikawa, Naohiko Kasaki, Yosuke Morikawa
  • Patent number: 11084532
    Abstract: A front body structure of the vehicle has a pair of left and right suspension housings provided in desired positions separated from the dash panel toward the vehicle front side. The front body structure of the vehicle further includes a first ring-shaped structural frame that passes through shroud members and is substantially ring-shaped in front view, a second ring-shaped structural frame that passes through the suspension housings and is substantially ring-shaped in front view, and a third ring-shaped structural frame that passes through hinge pillars and is substantially ring-shaped in front view, in which these ring-shaped structural frames are joined to each other by apron reinforcements, front side frames, and side members of the sub-frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeaki Watanabe, Kuniyoshi Tashiro, Kazuki Yamauchi, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11077880
    Abstract: A suspension housing which is provided at a front part of a vehicle and to which a suspension is mounted has a first fixed portion and a second fixed portion that are provided at positions separated from each other in a front-rear direction and each fixed to a front frame. The suspension housing further has, at a position between the first fixed portion and the second fixed portion in the front-rear direction, a buckling promoting portion that promotes buckling of the suspension housing when a load is applied from the front frame to the suspension housing in the front-rear direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeaki Watanabe, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11052949
    Abstract: Provided is a rear vehicle body structure that includes: a right and left pair of frame members each extending in a front-rear direction and having a damper supporting part; rear wheel wells; a rear floor panel; a rear cross member upper part connecting the right and left pair of frame members to each other on a front side of the damper supporting parts; front side reinforcements provided along a vehicle cabin inner side of each of the rear wheel wells and extending in an up-down direction on the front side of the damper supporting parts; and a reinforcing member mounted on each of the frame members and having a reinforcing member main body that reinforces the damper supporting part and a reinforcing member coupling part that couples together the rear cross member upper part and the front side reinforcement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Ken Yamada, Akiyoshi Masuda, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11046369
    Abstract: A lower vehicle-body structure of the present invention comprises a vehicle floor, a first floor cross member extending in a vehicle width direction, a second floor cross member extending in the vehicle width direction, the second floor cross member being spaced, in a vehicle longitudinal direction, apart from the first floor cross member, a side sill extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction and provided at an end portion, in the vehicle width direction, of the vehicle floor, a floor frame extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction and provided on an inward side, in the vehicle width direction, of the side sill, and attaching members for attaching a seat to a vehicle body. The attaching members are fixed to the side sill, the first floor cross member, and/or the second floor cross member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirotaka Natsume, Kazuhiro Kageyama, Keisuke Ebisumoto, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11040743
    Abstract: A recessed portion is formed at a frame member provided at a rear portion of a vehicle body and having a closed cross section extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction such that a part of a lower face of the frame member is recessed upwardly, where a damper of a rear suspension is inserted and fixed. A front portion of the frame member is joined to a side sill extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction at a position offset outwardly in a vehicle width direction from the frame member. Branch-shaped closed cross sections branching off from the closed cross section inwardly and outwardly relative to the damper are formed at a position corresponding to the recessed portion of the frame member. A portion of the frame member located at the above-described position is wide outwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Tsukamoto, Ken Yamada, Akiyoshi Masuda, Hidenori Matsuoka, Koji Matsushita
  • Patent number: 11008049
    Abstract: A lower vehicle-body structure comprises a vehicle floor comprising a bottom face portion and a floor tunnel which protrudes upwardly and extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a pair of right-and-left floor cross members extending in a vehicle width direction on both sides of the floor tunnel, and a connecting member provided to extend in the vehicle width direction at a position which overlaps the floor cross members in the vehicle longitudinal direction and be fixed to at least one of the vehicle floor and the floor cross members at plural fixation positions. These plural fixation positions are located at plural different levels in a range of a height of the floor cross members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirotaka Natsume, Kazuhiro Kageyama, Hiroaki Suumen, Yuki Kuwano, Tsuyoshi Iwata, Keisuke Ebisumoto, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 11008048
    Abstract: A lower vehicle-body structure comprises a vehicle floor comprising a bottom face portion and a floor tunnel, a pair of right-and-left first floor cross members extending in a vehicle width direction and provided on both sides of the floor tunnel, a pair of right-and-left second floor cross members extending in the vehicle width direction and provided on both sides of the floor tunnel, the second floor cross members being spaced rearwardly from the first floor cross members, a first connecting member provided to extend in the vehicle width direction at a position overlapping the first floor cross members in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a second connecting member provided to extend in the vehicle width direction at a position overlapping the second floor cross members in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirotaka Natsume, Kazuhiro Kageyama, Keisuke Ebisumoto, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 10981603
    Abstract: A front body structure of the vehicle includes a pair of left and right rear joint members that join front side frames and the sub-frame in a vehicle up-down direction in substantially the same positions in a vehicle front-rear direction as rear reinforcing parts of the suspension housings, and third link members that separate internal spaces of the front side frames in substantially the same positions in the vehicle front-rear direction as the upper ends of rear joint members. The front body structure further includes a tower bar that joins a cowl box and the rear reinforcing parts of the suspension housings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroki Matsuoka, Shigeaki Watanabe, Hidenori Matsuoka, Kazuki Yamauchi
  • Patent number: 10981516
    Abstract: To a hinge pillar including a hinge pillar inner and a hinge pillar outer that form a closed cross-section extending vertically, a speaker box configured to hold and house a speaker therein is joined and fixed. As necessary, the speaker box includes a box part formed of a sheet metal member including a bottom and side walls that form a housing space housing the speaker, together with the bottom. The box part is arranged in the opening, with the bottom located in the closed cross-section and with the housing space open inside a vehicle cabin, and is joined to an edge of the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki Kataoka, Hidenori Matsuoka, Takeshi Nakamura, Kiyoshi Mutsura, Akihiro Fujiwara, Yoshihiro Teshima, Koji Wakamatsu, Hiroshi Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 10940890
    Abstract: A recessed portion is formed at a frame member provided at a rear portion of a vehicle body and having a closed cross section extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, wherein the recessed portion is configured such that a lower face of the frame member is recessed upwardly and a damper is inserted into and fixed to the recessed portion. Closed cross sections are formed inside the frame member at a position corresponding to the recessed portion. These closed cross sections are configured to branch off from the closed cross section outwardly and inwardly relative to the damper. A reinforcing member is fixed to the frame member and a wheel house inner at the position corresponding to the recessed portion such that a space is formed at a corner portion of these.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Tsukamoto, Ken Yamada, Akiyoshi Masuda, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 10843738
    Abstract: A front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle, comprising a dash panel constituting a partition wall which is positioned at a front side of a cabin portion of the vehicle, a pair of right-and-left hinge pillars connected to both ends of the dash panel and extending in a vehicle vertical direction, an instrument panel member interconnecting the hinge pillars in a vehicle width direction in the cabin portion, a suspension tower provided to be spaced forwardly apart from the dash panel and supporting an upper end of a front suspension damper, a heat-insulating inner upper portion connecting the suspension tower and the dash panel, and an instrument-panel connecting member connecting a portion of the dash panel which is positioned in the vicinity of a rear end of the heat-insulating inner upper portion and the instrument panel member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuki Yamauchi, Hidenori Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 10836438
    Abstract: A front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle comprises a dash panel, a pair of right-and-left hinge pillars, and a suspension tower, wherein the dash panel comprises a dash panel body which constitutes a partition wall positioned at a front side of a cabin portion and a dash cross member which is joined to a front face of a lower portion of the dash panel body and interconnects respective lower portions of the right-and-left hinge pillars in a vehicle width direction, and there are provided a pair of right-and-left heat-insulating inner lower portion, each of which connects the suspension tower and the dash cross member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuki Yamauchi, Hidenori Matsuoka, Kuniyoshi Tashiro
  • Patent number: 10814745
    Abstract: A lower vehicle body structure is provided, which includes a vehicle body floor having a bottom surface part, a floor tunnel bulging upwardly from the bottom surface part of the vehicle body floor and extending in vehicle front-and-rear directions, a power transmission mechanism disposed inside the floor tunnel, a mount member supporting the power transmission mechanism from below, and seat rails disposed on the vehicle body floor and slidably supporting seats from below. The mount member and the seat rails are jointly fastened to the vehicle body floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotaka Natsume, Hidenori Matsuoka, Keisuke Ebisumoto
  • Patent number: 10793191
    Abstract: A lower vehicle body structure includes a vehicle body floor having a bottom surface part, a floor tunnel bulging upwardly from the bottom surface part and extending in vehicle front-and-rear directions, side sills extending in the front-and-rear directions, hinge pillars extending upwardly from the side sills, first frames, lowered parts and second frames. Each first frame extends in the front-and-rear directions between the floor tunnel and a side sill. Each lowered part is provided to the bottom surface part between a first frame and a side sill so as to be lowered below a part where the floor and the side sills are joined. Each second frame extends to a first frame, obliquely rearwardly and inwardly from a side sill along an upper surface of the bottom surface part, and forms in a part including a lowered part a closed cross-section between the bottom surface part and a second frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotaka Natsume, Hidenori Matsuoka, Keisuke Ebisumoto
  • Patent number: 10730558
    Abstract: A front vehicle-body structure of a vehicle, comprising a dash panel, a pair of right-and-left hinge pillars, a suspension tower, and a heat-insulating inner upper portion connecting the suspension tower and the dash panel, wherein the dash panel comprises a dash panel body, a dash cross member interconnecting respective lower portions of the hinge pillars, and a dash-panel reinforcing member joined to a portion which is positioned above the dash cross member, the heat-insulating inner upper portion is connected to the dash panel body via the dash-panel reinforcing member, and the dash-panel reinforcing member comprises a leg portion which connects the heat-insulating inner upper portion and the dash cross member and a bridge portion which interconnects respective rear ends of the heat-insulating inner upper portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuki Yamauchi, Hidenori Matsuoka, Kuniyoshi Tashiro
  • Patent number: 10730567
    Abstract: A recessed portion is formed at a frame member provided at a rear portion of a vehicle body and having a closed cross section extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction such that a part of a lower face of the frame member is recessed upwardly, where a damper of a rear suspension is inserted and fixed. Closed cross sections are formed at a position corresponding to the recessed portion, in a longitudinal direction, of the frame member. The closed cross sections are configured to branch off from the closed cross section inwardly and outwardly in the vehicle width direction relative to the damper. A ridgeline extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction is formed at least at a portion of the frame member which is positioned in front of the recessed portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Tsukamoto, Ken Yamada, Akiyoshi Masuda, Hidenori Matsuoka, Koji Matsushita
  • Patent number: 10730564
    Abstract: A recessed portion is formed at a lower face of a frame member provided at a vehicle rear portion and having a closed cross section extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, where a damper of a rear suspension is inserted into and fixed. A front portion of the frame member is joined to a side sill extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction at a position offset outwardly from the frame member. Branch-shaped closed cross sections branching off from the closed cross section inwardly and outwardly relative to the damper are formed at a recessed-portion corresponding position. A front portion of the frame member located in front of the recessed-portion corresponding position extends in an oblique direction forwardly and outwardly and a front end of the frame member is joined to a rear portion of the side sill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyuki Tsukamoto, Ken Yamada, Akiyoshi Masuda, Hidenori Matsuoka