Patents by Inventor Hiroo Kiko

Hiroo Kiko 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: 6471023
    Abstract: In a belt-driven auxiliary equipment driving apparatus for vehicle engines, a one-way clutch-integrated pulley is disposed which includes a bearing for relatively rotatably supporting inner and outer rings and a clutch mechanism for effecting or blocking torque transmission between the inner and outer rings by changing the tilting direction of sprags according to the direction of relative rotation of the inner and outer rings. In such a case, a cage of the clutch mechanism is connected to a cage of the bearing. The cage of the bearing is rotated in the same direction as that of relative rotation of the outer ring at a relative rotational speed lower than that of the outer ring, and as a result, the relative speed of bodily movement of each sprag around the inner ring is made slower than the relative rotational speed of the outer ring. During idling of the inner and outer rings, each sprag thereby slides also on the outer ring and the speed of slide of each sprag on the inner ring is lowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignees: Bando Chemical Industries, Ltd., NTN Corporation
    Inventors: Shuichi Nagaya, Hiroo Kiko, Masakazu Domoto
  • Publication number: 20010006138
    Abstract: In a belt-driven auxiliary equipment driving apparatus for vehicle engines, a one-way clutch-integrated pulley is disposed which includes a bearing for relatively rotatably supporting inner and outer rings and a clutch mechanism for effecting or blocking torque transmission between the inner and outer rings by changing the tilting direction of sprags according to the direction of relative rotation of the inner and outer rings. In such a case, a cage of the clutch mechanism is connected to a cage of the bearing. The cage of the bearing is rotated in the same direction as that of relative rotation of the outer ring at a relative rotational speed lower than that of the outer ring, and as a result, the relative speed of bodily movement of each sprag around the inner ring is made slower than the relative rotational speed of the outer ring. During idling of the inner and outer rings, each sprag thereby slides also on the outer ring and the speed of slide of each sprag on the inner ring is lowered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Publication date: July 5, 2001
    Inventors: Shuichi Nagaya, Hiroo Kiko, Masakazu Domoto