Patents by Inventor Masahiro Kawai

Masahiro Kawai 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).

  • Publication number: 20190032728
    Abstract: A clutch unit includes a lever-side clutch part to control transmission of rotational torque input through a lever operation, and a brake-side clutch part to transmit the rotational torque from the lever-side clutch part to an output side, and interrupt rotational torque from the output side. The brake-side clutch part includes an outer ring constrained in rotation, an output shaft configured to output the rotation, a cage arranged between the outer ring and the output shaft to receive the rotational torque from the lever-side clutch part, and a cylindrical roller to control the interruption of the rotational torque from the output shaft and the transmission of the rotational torque input from the cage through engagement and disengagement between the outer ring and the output shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Publication date: January 31, 2019
    Inventors: Koji SATO, Masahiro KAWAI
  • Publication number: 20190017588
    Abstract: An oil pump driving device of which the oil pump can be driven by either of an engine and an electric motor, and which is short in axial dimension. The oil pump driving device includes a first one-way clutch for transmitting motive power from the engine only in one direction, and a second one-way clutch for transmitting motive power from the electric motor only in the above one direction. The first one-way clutch is disposed within an opening formed in a partition wall of a transmission case. The oil pump includes a rotor having an inner peripheral portion defining a hollow space. The second one-way clutch is disposed inside of the inner peripheral portion of the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro KAWAI, Koji SATO
  • Patent number: 10151357
    Abstract: A rotation transmission device is configured such that when an electromagnet of an electromagnetic clutch is energized, an armature is attracted toward a rotor, so that a control retainer defining a two-way clutch is moved in an axial direction, whereby the control retainer and a rotary retainer are rotated relative to each other in a direction in which circumferential widths of pockets decrease, thereby disengaging pairs of rollers from an inner periphery of an outer ring and an outer periphery of an inner ring. The rotation transmission device includes a shock absorbing member on a surface of the armature facing the rotor, the shock absorbing member being configured to absorb impact force when the armature is attracted to the rotor by being elastically deformed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naotsugu Kitayama, Marina Fukunari, Kyohei Sasanuma, Koji Akiyoshi, Masahiro Kawai, Takahide Saito, Koji Sato
  • Patent number: 10144329
    Abstract: A headrest includes a reverse input blocking clutch and a displacement mechanism. The reverse input blocking clutch includes input and output shafts that respectively receive and output rotational torque, an outer ring and a side plate in which rotation is restricted, cylindrical rollers that control blocking of the rotational torque reversely input from the output shaft and transmission of the rotational torque from the input shaft through engagement and disengagement between the outer ring and output shaft, and a cage to retain the cylindrical rollers. The displacement mechanism has one end fixed to stays and another end fixed to a headrest main body positioned at a top of a seat back, and displaces the headrest main body through the rotational torque from the output shaft of the reverse input blocking clutch. The another end of displacement mechanism has the side plate of the reverse input blocking clutch mounted thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignees: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION, NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuharu Ogawa, Shunsuke Sueda, Ryo Sawai, Masahiro Kawai
  • Publication number: 20180283375
    Abstract: An oil pump includes a hollow rotor having an inner peripheral portion defining a space inside of the inner peripheral portion. A first one-way clutch configured to transmit the motive power input from an engine side, to the rotor only in one direction, and a second one-way clutch configured to transmit the motive power input from an electric motor side, to the rotor only in the one direction are arranged inside of the inner peripheral portion of the rotor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro KAWAI, Takahide SAITO
  • Publication number: 20180266885
    Abstract: This temperature measuring device includes: a case which has a bottomed tubular shape with a closed portion at one end and an opening at the other end, and in which a temperature sensing part is disposed on the side of the closed portion; an infrared temperature sensor unit in which an infrared temperature detection unit that has a light-receiving surface receiving an infrared ray and detects the received infrared ray and outputs the ray in the form of an electrical signal is disposed opposite the temperature sensing part while being spaced therefrom inside the case; and a connection terminal unit which has in the interior thereof a circuit unit that acquires the electrical signal and that generates temperature information so that the temperature information is outputted to an external device, wherein the connection terminal unit can be disposed at a position spaced from the heat source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro KAWAI, Shigeki TSUJII, Hiroshi SAKANOUE, Satoi KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20180266861
    Abstract: This signal processing unit includes: a comparison signal output unit which outputs a comparison signal on a negative side that corresponds to a negative side portion, of a second amplitude-increased signal, which is on the negative side with respect to the comparison threshold TH; an averaging processing unit which outputs an average signal obtained by averaging the comparison signal; a coefficient multiplication processing unit which outputs a coefficient-multiplied signal obtained by multiplying the average signal by an adjustment coefficient set in advance; and a signal correction processing unit which outputs, as a flow rate signal, a value obtained by correcting a first amplitude-increased signal so as to be decreased by use of the coefficient-multiplied signal, wherein the comparison threshold TH is set on the basis of an output characteristic of a sensor measured in advance with respect to at least a forward flow direction of an intake air.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2017
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki MORINAGA, Yuji ARIYOSHI, Shinichiro HIDAKA, Masahiro KAWAI
  • Publication number: 20180238402
    Abstract: An automatic clutch device includes an axial force generating mechanism including an electric motor arranged adjacent to the outer periphery of an end of an input shaft of a transmission, and a rotation-linear motion conversion mechanism for converting the rotation of the rotor of the electric motor to a linear motion of a release bearing. The rotation-linear motion conversion mechanism includes plural annular cam plates arranged in tandem on the input shaft, and torque cam mechanisms each disposed between each opposed pair of cam plates, for reduced size and improved responsiveness of the automatic clutch device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Publication date: August 23, 2018
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahide SAITO, Koji SATO, Masahiro KAWAI, Atsushi IKEDA
  • Publication number: 20180222367
    Abstract: A headrest includes a reverse input blocking clutch and a displacement mechanism. The reverse input blocking clutch includes input and output shafts that respectively receive and output rotational torque, an outer ring and a side plate in which rotation is restricted, cylindrical rollers that control blocking of the rotational torque reversely input from the output shaft and transmission of the rotational torque from the input shaft through engagement and disengagement between the outer ring and output shaft, and a cage to retain the cylindrical rollers. The displacement mechanism has one end fixed to stays and another end fixed to a headrest main body positioned at a top of a seat back, and displaces the headrest main body through the rotational torque from the output shaft of the reverse input blocking clutch. The another end of displacement mechanism has the side plate of the reverse input blocking clutch mounted thereto.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2015
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Inventors: Kazuharu OGAWA, Shunsuke SUEDA, Ryo SAWAI, Masahiro KAWAI
  • Publication number: 20180223917
    Abstract: An automatic clutch device includes an axial force generating mechanism which presses and moves a release bearing toward a diaphragm spring to disengage a clutch disk and the diaphragm spring from each other. The axial force generating mechanism includes an electric motor disposed adjacent to the outer periphery of an end of an input shaft of a transmission, and a rotation-linear motion conversion mechanism for converting the rotation of the rotor of the electric motor to a linear motion of the release bearing. This automatic clutch device is compact in size and sufficiently responsive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2016
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahide SAITO, Kimihito USHIDA, Koji SATO, Masahiro KAWAI, Atsushi IKEDA
  • Patent number: 10006792
    Abstract: There is provided a thermal-type airflow meter that reduces the number of output signals of the sensor circuit and that can suppress the accuracy of flow rate detection from being deteriorated because due to a nonlinear sensor output characteristic and a response delay in the output signal, the output signal shifts toward the positive side or the negative side. A thermal-type airflow meter outputs one or both of a positive-side comparison signal that is at the positive side of a comparison threshold value and a negative-side comparison signal that is at the negative side of the comparison threshold value, outputs a coefficient multiplication signal obtained by multiplying an average signal acquired by averaging the comparison signal by an adjustment coefficient, and outputs, as a flow rate signal, a value obtained by applying the coefficient multiplication signal to increase correction or decrease correction of the amplitude increase signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Morinaga, Masahiro Kawai, Yuji Ariyoshi, Shinichiro Hidaka
  • Publication number: 20180113015
    Abstract: Provide a flow measuring device by which a variation of a shape of a bypass passage, which is caused by a stack of a foreign material, is prevented, and a flow velocity of a measured fluid, which is passed on a flow detecting element, is constant. A sub-bypass passage is arranged at a previous step with respect to a bypass passage which is linked to a flow detecting element, and bypass passage wall surfaces, which are positioned at an adjacent portion of the sub-bypass passage, are inclined toward a direction of a sub-inflow opening, and an inner-circumference-side wall surface and an outer-circumference-side wall surface of the sub-bypass passage are inclined toward a direction of a sub-outflow opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2017
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuto AKAGI, Naoyuki KISHIKAWA, Masahiro KAWAI, Yuji ARIYOSHI
  • Patent number: 9869573
    Abstract: Provided is an intake air temperature detection apparatus mounted integrally with a flow rate measurement apparatus, the intake air temperature detection apparatus having temperature measurement precision improved by increasing thermal responsiveness of an intake air temperature detection part that is arranged in a measurement passage of the flow rate measurement apparatus and detects a temperature of intake air, which is a fluid to be measured. The intake air temperature measurement apparatus includes: the intake air temperature detection part for detecting a temperature of the intake air in the measurement passage of the flow rate measurement apparatus; and an intake air temperature detection circuit part arranged in a circuit accommodating part of the flow rate measurement apparatus, for generating a signal obtained by carrying out phase lead correction on a signal representing a result of detection by the intake air temperature detection part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Kawai, Yuji Ariyoshi, Koji Tanimoto, Shinichiro Hidaka
  • Publication number: 20170356124
    Abstract: A clothes separating device and a clothes processing apparatus including the clothes separating device according to this disclosure are provided with a separator that operates to grip clothes in a washing tub and to separate, from the gripped clothes, another item of clothes entwined with the gripped clothes. In this manner, a user does not need to separate a plurality of individual items of clothes before folding the clothes. Hence, it is possible to provide the clothes separating device that contributes to reducing a burden of work related to laundry and a clothes processing apparatus including the clothes separating device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2016
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Applicant: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji OZEKI, Shinji SUEMATSU, Hiroshi KOHSO, Hiroshi HORIBATA, Junichi NAWAMA, Masahiro KAWAI, Yasunori MATSUNARI, Masataka KITAJIMA
  • Publication number: 20170343400
    Abstract: There is provided a thermal-type airflow meter that reduces the number of output signals of the sensor circuit and that can suppress the accuracy of flow rate detection from being deteriorated because due to a nonlinear sensor output characteristic and a response delay in the output signal, the output signal shifts toward the positive side or the negative side. A thermal-type airflow meter outputs one or both of a positive-side comparison signal that is at the positive side of a comparison threshold value and a negative-side comparison signal that is at the negative side of the comparison threshold value, outputs a coefficient multiplication signal obtained by multiplying an average signal acquired by averaging the comparison signal by an adjustment coefficient, and outputs, as a flow rate signal, a value obtained by applying the coefficient multiplication signal to increase correction or decrease correction of the amplitude increase signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki MORINAGA, Masahiro KAWAI, Yuji ARIYOSHI, Shinichiro HIDAKA
  • Patent number: 9810561
    Abstract: A flow rate measuring apparatus includes: a flow rate detecting device placed in an intake passage; a detection circuit for outputting an analog signal varying depending on the flow rate; a conversion circuit for converting the analog signal to a digital signal; a temperature detecting device for detecting an ambient temperature; and a correction circuit for primarily correcting the digital signal using a gain and/or an offset (correction coefficient) that can set the temperature coefficient in any appropriate way. The gain and/or the offset vary depending on the temperature coefficient set in any appropriate way and the ambient temperature detected by the temperature detecting device. Also, a plurality of the gains and/or the offsets are set depending on the flow rate, allowing the temperature characteristic error in flow rate measurement to be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichiro Hidaka, Yuji Ariyoshi, Masahiro Kawai
  • Publication number: 20170122788
    Abstract: An environment sensor arranged in a measuring chamber disposed in a circuit board receiving portion does not affect a flow of air through a bypass passage, and thus does not affect detection accuracy of a flow rate detection element arranged in the bypass passage. A recessed portion is disposed in a side surface of a base parallel to a flow direction A of intake air passing through a main passage and a communication port of the measuring chamber is disposed in the recessed portion, and thus the measuring chamber is unlikely to be infiltrated by fouling substances, water droplets, and the like contained in the intake air. The communication port has a small length dimension L, and thus an environment parameter of the intake air is likely to propagate to the measuring chamber and high levels of detection response, detection accuracy, and reliability are ensured for the environment sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naoyuki KISHIKAWA, Yuji ARIYOSHI, Masahiro KAWAI, Shinichiro HIDAKA, Kazuto AKAGI
  • Patent number: 9625292
    Abstract: An environment sensor is mounted on a second surface of a circuit board that does not have a wire bonding pad, and is arranged in a measuring chamber that is disposed in a circuit board receiving portion. The measuring chamber has a communication port for communication with a main passage. According to this configuration, process addition attributable to integration between a flow rate measurement device and the environment sensor is not required. The environment sensor does not affect air flow in a bypass passage, and thus detection accuracy of a flow rate detection element that is arranged in the bypass passage does not decline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichiro Hidaka, Yuji Ariyoshi, Masahiro Kawai, Kazuhiko Otsuka, Naoyuki Kishikawa, Naoki Morinaga
  • Patent number: 9618062
    Abstract: A clutch unit includes a lever-side clutch portion for controlling transmission and interruption of rotational torque to an output side through lever operation, and a brake-side clutch portion for transmitting torque input from the lever-side clutch portion to the output side and for interrupting torque reversely input from the output side. The lever-side clutch portion has an outer centering spring provided between a lever-side outer ring to be rotated through the lever operation and a cover restricted in rotation, for accumulating an elastic force obtained by torque input from the lever-side outer ring and for restoring the lever-side outer ring to a neutral state with the accumulated elastic force through releasing of the torque input from the lever-side outer ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Sato, Takahide Saito, Masahiro Kawai, Kouji Isoda, Naochika Kubota, Yumiko Mineno, Hiromitsu Hamazaki
  • Patent number: 9574623
    Abstract: A clutch unit includes a lever-side clutch portion for controlling transmission and interruption of rotational torque to an output side through lever operation, and a brake-side clutch portion for transmitting torque input from the lever-side clutch portion to the output side and for interrupting torque reversely input from the output side. The lever-side clutch portion has an outer centering spring provided between a lever-side outer ring to be rotated through the lever operation and a cover restricted in rotation, for accumulating an elastic force obtained by torque input from the lever-side outer ring and for restoring the lever-side outer ring to a neutral state with the accumulated elastic force through releasing of the torque input from the lever-side outer ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Sato, Takahide Saito, Masahiro Kawai, Kouji Isoda, Naochika Kubota, Yumiko Mineno, Hiromitsu Hamazaki