Patents by Inventor Kentaro Nishikawa
Kentaro Nishikawa 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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Publication number: 20190217696Abstract: A vehicle power assist system can be applied to a vehicle with a driven wheel (4) that is mechanically unconnected to a main drive source (5) such as an internal combustion engine. The driven wheel (4) is supported by a wheel support bearing assembly (31) to which a drive assist, motor generator (8) is mounted. A rotor of the motor generator (8) is directly fixed to a rotational ring of the wheel support bearing assembly (31) without interposition of a speed reducing mechanism or a speed increasing mechanism. The vehicle power assist system includes a power storage unit (19) configured to store a regenerative power generated by the motor generator (8) and to supply the stored power to the motor generator (8).Type: ApplicationFiled: March 20, 2019Publication date: July 18, 2019Applicant: NTN CORPORATIONInventors: Mitsuo KAWAMURA, Kentaro NISHIKAWA, Tomomi ISHIKAWA, Yasuyuki FUJITA
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Patent number: 10112444Abstract: A wear amount detection device to detect that a tire is in a worn state, during running, without a special sensor. The device includes a rotation sensor detecting rotation of a wheel to measure a speed of an automobile; a signal processing extracting rotation speed fluctuations synchronized with rotation, from a rotation signal detected by the rotation sensor, and obtain a rotation speed fluctuation pattern synchronized with rotation, from rotation speed fluctuations over a plurality of rotations; and a wear state determination configured to obtain, from the obtained pattern, a value of a component induced by a characteristic embodied in a tire of the wheel, the value varying in accordance with a wear state of the tire, to estimate a wear state of the tire, and to output the state.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2016Date of Patent: October 30, 2018Assignee: NTN CORPORATIONInventors: Toru Takahashi, Kentaro Nishikawa, Nobuo Masaki, Yasumichi Wakao
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Publication number: 20180095008Abstract: Provided is a device for determining a wheel fastening state that allows a wheel fastening state to be monitored during running. The device includes a sensor unit (3) that is attachable to and detachable from a wheel fastening part, an information terminal (4) that is an in-vehicle device (4A) or a portable terminal (4B), and a server (30). The terminal (4) includes a measurement instruction module (23) to read vehicle state data from a control and communication system (5) of a vehicle and send an instruction for to measurement to the sensor unit (3) at determined timing. The server (30) includes a first information processing module (32) configured to determine an abnormality of a fastening state of the wheel fastening part by comparing the measurement data with accumulated data that is measured under the same condition and stored in the past.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2017Publication date: April 5, 2018Applicant: NTN CorporationInventors: Yasutaka Kusumi, Yuichiro Noro, Hiroya Kato, Kentaro Nishikawa
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Patent number: 9823094Abstract: The rotation detection device includes: an encoder having to-be-detected patterns cyclically arranged in the circumferential direction; and a sensor configured to detect the to-be-detected patterns to generate pulses. The device further includes a reference pattern storage unit, a phase difference detection unit, and an error correction unit. The reference pattern storage unit measures pitch errors in the to-be-detected patterns prior to operation and stores the pitch errors as a reference pattern Pref. The phase difference detection unit determines a pitch error pattern Pm corresponding to one rotation of the to-be-detected patterns from rotation signals representing a plurality of rotations detected during operation, and performs comparison with a reference pattern Pref to determine a relative phase difference ?. Based on the phase difference ? obtained by the phase difference detection unit, the error correction unit corrects errors included in the rotation signals detected by the sensor.Type: GrantFiled: January 20, 2016Date of Patent: November 21, 2017Assignee: NTN CORPORATIONInventors: Toru Takahashi, Kentaro Nishikawa
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Publication number: 20160250899Abstract: Provided is a wear amount detection device that is able to detect that a tire is in a worn state, during running, without a special sensor while suppressing an increase in cost. The device includes: a rotation sensor (2) detecting rotation of a wheel (1) to measure a speed of an automobile; a signal processing (3) extracting rotation speed fluctuations synchronized with rotation, from a rotation signal detected by the rotation sensor, and obtain a rotation speed fluctuation pattern synchronized with rotation, from rotation speed fluctuations over a plurality of rotations; and a wear state determination (4) configured to: obtain, from the obtained pattern, a value of a component induced by a characteristic embodied in a tire (1a) of the wheel (1), the value varying in accordance with a wear state of the tire (1a); estimate a wear state of the tire (1a); and output the state.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2016Publication date: September 1, 2016Applicant: NTN CORPORATIONInventors: Toru TAKAHASHI, Kentaro NISHIKAWA, Nobuo MASAKI, Yasumichi WAKAO
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Publication number: 20160138942Abstract: The rotation detection device includes: an encoder having to-be-detected patterns cyclically arranged in the circumferential direction; and a sensor configured to detect the to-be-detected patterns to generate pulses. The device further includes a reference pattern storage unit, a phase difference detection unit, and an error correction unit. The reference pattern storage unit measures pitch errors in the to-be-detected patterns prior to operation and stores the pitch errors as a reference pattern Pref. The phase difference detection unit determines a pitch error pattern Pm corresponding to one rotation of the to-be-detected patterns from rotation signals representing a plurality of rotations detected during operation, and performs comparison with a reference pattern Pref to determine a relative phase difference ?. Based on the phase difference ? obtained by the phase difference detection unit, the error correction unit corrects errors included in the rotation signals detected by the sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 20, 2016Publication date: May 19, 2016Applicant: NTN CORPORATIONInventors: Toru Takahashi, Kentaro Nishikawa
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Patent number: 8424953Abstract: A double-sided adhesive tape at a vehicle front-side is provided straddling from a first flange section to a second flange section so as to cover a vehicle width direction outer side end portion of a double-face contact portion. Accordingly, water is prevented from penetrating in from a vehicle width direction outer side end portion of the double-face contact portion. In other words, the double-sided adhesive tape doubles both as a joining member for fixing a garnish and as a waterproofing member for preventing water from penetrating in from the vehicle width direction outer side end portion of the double-face contact portion. Consequently, for example, provision of a waterproofing member such as a sealer or sponge can be dispensed with, and as a result a reduction in cost can be achieved.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2009Date of Patent: April 23, 2013Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masanori Kawano, Hiroaki Yamasaki, Kentaro Nishikawa, Masaru Toyota
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Publication number: 20110198882Abstract: A double-sided adhesive tape at a vehicle front-side is provided straddling from a first flange section to a second flange section so as to cover a vehicle width direction outer side end portion of a double-face contact portion. Accordingly, water is prevented from penetrating in from a vehicle width direction outer side end portion of the double-face contact portion. In other words, the double-sided adhesive tape doubles both as a joining member for fixing a garnish and as a waterproofing member for preventing water from penetrating in from the vehicle width direction outer side end portion of the double-face contact portion. Consequently, for example, provision of a waterproofing member such as a sealer or sponge can be dispensed with, and as a result a reduction in cost can be achieved.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 23, 2009Publication date: August 18, 2011Inventors: Masanori Kawano, Hiroaki Yamasaki, Kentaro Nishikawa, Masaru Toyota
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Patent number: 7997155Abstract: A load sensor includes a base substrate having two holes as two fixing portions to a frame member as a detection object, a pair of strain detecting elements provided on a surface of the base substrate, and input-output terminals provided on the surface of the base substrate. The strain detecting elements are arranged in a region that is between the holes and is opposite the input-output terminals with respect to at least one of the holes.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2010Date of Patent: August 16, 2011Assignees: ALPS Electric Co., Ltd., NTN CorporationInventors: Ryoichi Maeda, Yoshiharu Terauchi, Tekayuki Norimatsu, Kentaro Nishikawa
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Publication number: 20100251834Abstract: A load sensor includes a base substrate having two holes as two fixing portions to a frame member as a detection object, a pair of strain detecting elements provided on a surface of the base substrate, and input-output terminals provided on the surface of the base substrate. The strain detecting elements are arranged in a region that is between the holes and is opposite the input-output terminals with respect to at least one of the holes.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 18, 2010Publication date: October 7, 2010Applicants: ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD., NTN CORPORATIONInventors: Ryoichi Maeda, Yoshiharu Terauchi, Takayuki Norimatsu, Kentaro Nishikawa