Patents by Inventor Kazuo Hirama

Kazuo Hirama 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: 7296489
    Abstract: A starting apparatus includes a drive motor and a reduction gear having a planetary gear for starting an engine by the drive motor via the reduction gear. An internal gear of the reduction gear includes a locking projection projecting in an axial direction. A rotation restricting member is formed with a guide groove in which the locking projection is loosely received and guided in a circumferential direction. A shock absorbing member is held in the guide groove in a state of being elastically in close contact with the locking projection in the circumferential direction. Thus, shock load to the internal gear is alleviated from the start.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Oomura, Kazuo Hirama, Mitsuhiro Murata, Tatsuya Saitou, Hiroshi Kaneda, Shinji Usami
  • Publication number: 20060060009
    Abstract: A starting apparatus includes a drive motor and a reduction gear having a planetary gear for starting an engine by the drive motor via the reduction gear. An internal gear of the reduction gear includes a locking projection projecting in an axial direction. A rotation restricting member is formed with a guide groove in which the locking projection is loosely received and guided in a circumferential direction. A shock absorbing member is held in the guide groove in a state of being elastically in close contact with the locking projection in the circumferential direction. Thus, shock load to the internal gear is alleviated from the start.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2005
    Publication date: March 23, 2006
    Applicant: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Oomura, Kazuo Hirama, Mitsuhiro Murata, Tatsuya Saitou, Hiroshi Kaneda, Shinji Usami
  • Patent number: 7010992
    Abstract: A center case has a force-receiving wall and a fixed wall, and is rigidly fixed in a starter. A gear-forming section is coaxially arranged with the center case, and has a forcing wall and a movable wall on the side of the center case. A cushion member is elastically received between the force-receiving wall of the center case and the forcing wall of the gear-forming section. The fixed wall of the center case and the movable wall of the gear-forming section are arranged to have a gap, and oppose each other. When an excessive torque works on the gear-forming section via an internal gear, the cushion member absorbs an impact force to move the movable wall by a predetermined distance. In this case, the movable wall contacts the fixed wall so that a compression rate of the cushion member can be restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Katoh, Kazuo Hirama, Hiroshi Kaneda
  • Patent number: 6993989
    Abstract: A starting apparatus includes a drive motor and a reduction gear having a planetary gear for starting an engine by the drive motor via the reduction gear. An internal gear of the reduction gear includes a locking projection projecting in an axial direction. A rotation restricting member is formed with a guide groove in which the locking projection is loosely received and guided in a circumferential direction. A shock absorbing member is held in the guide groove in a state of being elastically in close contact with the locking projection in the circumferential direction. Thus, shock load to the internal gear is alleviated from the start.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Oomura, Kazuo Hirama, Mitsuhiro Murata, Tatsuya Saitou, Hiroshi Kaneda, Shinji Usami
  • Publication number: 20040180750
    Abstract: A center case has a force-receiving wall and a fixed wall, and is rigidly fixed in a starter. A gear-forming section is coaxially arranged with the center case, and has a forcing wall and a movable wall on the side of the center case. A cushion member is elastically received between the force-receiving wall of the center case and the forcing wall of the gear-forming section. The fixed wall of the center case and the movable wall of the gear-forming section are arranged to have a gap, and oppose each other. When an excessive torque works on the gear-forming section via an internal gear, the cushion member absorbs an impact force to move the movable wall by a predetermined distance. In this case, the movable wall contacts the fixed wall so that a compression rate of the cushion member can be restricted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2004
    Publication date: September 16, 2004
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro Katoh, Kazuo Hirama, Hiroshi Kaneda
  • Publication number: 20030200826
    Abstract: A starting apparatus includes a drive motor and a reduction gear having a planetary gear for starting an engine by the drive motor via the reduction gear. An internal gear of the reduction gear includes a locking projection projecting in an axial direction. A rotation restricting member is formed with a guide groove in which the locking projection is loosely received and guided in a circumferential direction. A shock absorbing member is held in the guide groove in a state of being elastically in close contact with the locking projection in the circumferential direction. Thus, shock load to the internal gear is alleviated from the start.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2003
    Publication date: October 30, 2003
    Applicant: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Oomura, Kazuo Hirama, Mitsuhiro Murata, Tatsuya Saitou, Hiroshi Kaneda, Shinji Usami
  • Patent number: 5323663
    Abstract: A starter comprises a planetary gear reduction mechanism including an internal gear provided with a cylindrical chamber, a rotary disk, and a friction disk for restricting the rotary disk. The rotary disk is prevented from angularly moving with respect to the internal gear through an elastic member. When a larger load is applied to the internal gear which the elastic member cannot absorb, the rotary disk is released from the friction disk to angularly move to absorb such larger load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 28, 1994
    Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Ohgi, Yasuhiro Nagao, Kazuo Hirama, Youichi Hasegawa