Patents by Inventor Mitsuo Kawamura

Mitsuo Kawamura 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: 11641146
    Abstract: Provided is a wheel bearing apparatus with a generator that can have a simplified structure to reduce costs and is capable of preventing electrolytic corrosion. The wheel bearing apparatus with a generator includes a wheel bearing and a generator. The generator includes a stator attached to a fixed wheel and a motor rotor attached to a rotating wheel and is of an outer-rotor type in which the stator is located on an outer periphery of the wheel bearing, and the motor rotor is located radially outside of the stator. The wheel bearing apparatus with the generator further includes at least one conducting unit that conducts a current between the fixed wheel and the rotating wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroki Yabuta, Mitsuo Kawamura, Kentaro Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 11634021
    Abstract: The power device for a vehicle includes: a wheel bearing including a stationary ring and a rotary ring having a hub flange, the rotary ring being rotatably supported by the stationary ring via rolling element, the hub flange being configured to be attached with a wheel of a vehicle and a brake rotor; and a generator including a stator attached to the stationary ring of the wheel bearing and a rotor attached to the rotary ring of the wheel bearing, wherein the rotor includes a soft magnetic material part, magnets, and a resin material part that is integrally molded with the soft magnetic material part and the magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Kawamura, Kentaro Nishikawa, Yuuji Yada, Yasuyuki Fujita, Hiroki Yabuta
  • Patent number: 11577598
    Abstract: A wheel support bearing assembly includes a wheel support bearing and a power unit. The power unit is that of an outer rotor design in which a stator is located at an outer periphery of the wheel support bearing and a rotor is located radially outward of the stator. A radial extension of the entire power unit is sized to be radially inward of a peripheral section of a brake rotor. An entirety of the power unit, excluding a mount part thereof to a hub flange, is sized to be situated in an axial range between the hub flange and a mount surface, on an inboard side of the wheel support bearing. The rotor includes an outer shell magnetic body, which is made from soft magnetic material and forms an outer shell of the power unit, and permanent magnets that are provided to the outer shell magnetic body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Kawamura, Kentaro Nishikawa, Taisuke Igi, Yuuji Yada, Yasuyuki Fujita, Hiroki Yabuta
  • Publication number: 20220320919
    Abstract: The stator core is divided into an annular part and a plurality of teeth, including a tooth main part and a distal end part, having a larger circumferential width than a circumferential width of the tooth main part, and the annular part includes a plurality of fitting grooves, in the circumferential direction on an outer peripheral surface, extending in an axial direction and having a sectional shape with a narrowed part on an open side. Each of the teeth includes, at a base end part, a fitting part having a sectional shape that allows the fitting part, fitted into a fitting groove, inserted into the fitting groove of the annular part in the axial direction fitted to the annular part in an undetachable manner in a radial direction, and the fitting part has a maximum width in the circumferential direction smaller than the circumferential width of the tooth main part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mitsuo KAWAMURA
  • Patent number: 11447003
    Abstract: The vehicle power device includes: a wheel bearing including a stationary ring and a rotary ring; and a motor including a stator and a rotor. The stator and the rotor of the motor generator have a smaller diameter than that of an outer peripheral part of the brake rotor, and an entirety of the motor, excluding a mounting part to the hub flange, is located within an axial range between the hub flange and an outboard-side surface of a chassis frame component. An insulating layer is interposed between the stationary ring and the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroki Yabuta, Kentaro Nishikawa, Mitsuo Kawamura, Yasuyuki Fujita, Yuuji Yada
  • Publication number: 20210075289
    Abstract: Provided is a motor which includes a stator that can be received in a limited housing space and is capable of providing an increased output without increasing an axial length of the stator; a vehicle power unit including the motor; a generator; as well as a vehicle wheel bearing assembly with the generator. The motor generator includes: a stator including a stator core having an annular shape and stator coils wound around the stator core; and a rotor located opposite to the stator in a radial direction. Each of the stator coils includes coil ends that protrude with respect to an axial width of the stator core in an axial direction. A bus bar is connected to a wiring connection part at the coil ends, and the bus bar is disposed within an axial width of the stator core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuuji YADA, Kentaro NISHIKAWA, Mitsuo KAWAMURA
  • Patent number: 10836247
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Kawamura, Kentaro Nishikawa, Tomomi Ishikawa, Yasuyuki Fujita
  • Publication number: 20200276896
    Abstract: The power device for a vehicle includes: a wheel bearing including a stationary ring and a rotary ring having a hub flange, the rotary ring being rotatably supported by the stationary ring via rolling element, the hub flange being configured to be attached with a wheel of a vehicle and a brake rotor; and a generator including a stator attached to the stationary ring of the wheel bearing and a rotor attached to the rotary ring of the wheel bearing, wherein the rotor includes a soft magnetic material part, magnets, and a resin material part that is integrally molded with the soft magnetic material part and the magnets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Publication date: September 3, 2020
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo KAWAMURA, Kentaro NISHIKAWA, Yuuji YADA, Yasuyuki FUJITA, Hiroki YABUTA
  • Patent number: 10752104
    Abstract: An auxiliary power unit equipped wheel support bearing assembly is provided which includes a wheel support bearing assembly and an auxiliary power unit. The auxiliary power unit is of a direct drive design that includes a stator mounted to a stationary ring of the wheel support bearing assembly and a motor rotor mounted to a rotational ring of the wheel support bearing assembly. An entirety of the auxiliary power unit is sized to extend less than an outer peripheral segment of a brake rotor, with the outer peripheral segment defining an area against which a brake caliper is intended to be pushed. The auxiliary power unit is, with respect to an axial direction, sized to be situated between a hub flange of the wheel support bearing assembly and a mounting face of the wheel support bearing assembly for mounting to a vehicle body of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Kawamura, Kentaro Nishikawa, Tomomi Ishikawa, Takushi Matsuto
  • Publication number: 20200238817
    Abstract: The vehicle power device includes: a wheel bearing including a stationary ring and a rotary ring; and a motor including a stator and a rotor. The stator and the rotor of the motor generator have a smaller diameter than that of an outer peripheral part of the brake rotor, and an entirety of the motor, excluding a mounting part to the hub flange, is located within an axial range between the hub flange and an outboard-side surface of a chassis frame component. An insulating layer is interposed between the stationary ring and the stator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroki YABUTA, Kentaro NISHIKAWA, Mitsuo KAWAMURA, Yasuyuki FUJITA, Yuuji YADA
  • Publication number: 20200198456
    Abstract: A wheel support bearing assembly includes a wheel support bearing and a power unit. The power unit is that of an outer rotor design in which a stator is located at an outer periphery of the wheel support bearing and a rotor is located radially outward of the stator. A radial extension of the entire power unit is sized to be radially inward of a peripheral section of a brake rotor. An entirety of the power unit, excluding a mount part thereof to a hub flange, is sized to be situated in an axial range between the hub flange and a mount surface, on an inboard side of the wheel support bearing. The rotor includes an outer shell magnetic body, which is made from soft magnetic material and forms an outer shell of the power unit, and permanent magnets that are provided to the outer shell magnetic body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo KAWAMURA, Kentaro NISHIKAWA, Taisuke IGI, Yuuji YADA, Yasuyuki FUJITA, Hiroki Yabuta
  • Publication number: 20200112229
    Abstract: Provided is a wheel bearing apparatus with a generator that can have a simplified structure to reduce costs and is capable of preventing electrolytic corrosion. The wheel bearing apparatus with a generator includes a wheel bearing and a generator. The generator includes a stator attached to a fixed wheel and a motor rotor attached to a rotating wheel and is of an outer-rotor type in which the stator is located on an outer periphery of the wheel bearing, and the motor rotor is located radially outside of the stator. The wheel bearing apparatus with the generator further includes at least one conducting unit that conducts a current between the fixed wheel and the rotating wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Publication date: April 9, 2020
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroki YABUTA, Mitsuo KAWAMURA, Kentaro NISHIKAWA
  • Patent number: 10487870
    Abstract: The present invention provides a foil bearing (10), including: a top foil portion (Tf); and a back foil portion (Bf), which is arranged on a back of the top foil portion (Tf), and is configured to elastically support the top foil portion (Tf), wherein the back foil portion (Bf) includes: an intermediate portion (23) being flat; first projecting portions (21) projecting on a front side of the intermediate portion (23); and second projecting portions (22) projecting on a back side of the intermediate portion (23).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masato Yoshino, Hiroki Fujiwara, Mitsuo Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20190248225
    Abstract: An auxiliary power unit equipped wheel support bearing assembly is provided which includes a wheel support bearing assembly and an auxiliary power unit. The auxiliary power unit is of a direct drive design that includes a stator mounted to a stationary ring of the wheel support bearing assembly and a motor rotor mounted to a rotational ring of the wheel support bearing assembly. An entirety of the auxiliary power unit is sized to extend less than an outer peripheral segment of a brake rotor, with the outer peripheral segment defining an area against which a brake caliper is intended to be pushed. The auxiliary power unit is, with respect to an axial direction, sized to be situated between a hub flange of the wheel support bearing assembly and a mounting face of the wheel support bearing assembly for mounting to a vehicle body of a vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Kawamura, Kentaro Nishikawa, Tomomi Ishikawa, Takushi Matsuto
  • Publication number: 20190217696
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Applicant: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo KAWAMURA, Kentaro NISHIKAWA, Tomomi ISHIKAWA, Yasuyuki FUJITA
  • Publication number: 20180355909
    Abstract: The present invention provides a foil bearing (10), including: a top foil portion (Tf); and a back foil portion (Bf), which is arranged on a back of the top foil portion (Tf), and is configured to elastically support the top foil portion (Tf), wherein the back foil portion (Bf) includes: an intermediate portion (23) being flat; first projecting portions (21) projecting on a front side of the intermediate portion (23); and second projecting portions (22) projecting on a back side of the intermediate portion (23).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Inventors: Masato YOSHINO, Hiroki FUJIWARA, Mitsuo KAWAMURA
  • Patent number: 10132358
    Abstract: A rolling bearing that can easily achieve the higher lubricating characteristic including the smaller rotational torque while employing the existing bearing shape and lubricant is provided. A rolling bearing 1 includes: an inner ring 2 and an outer ring 3 as a race ring; a plurality of rolling elements 4 held between the inner and outer rings; a retainer 5 that retains the rolling elements 4; a sealing member 11 provided at openings on opposite ends in an axial direction of the inner ring 2 and the outer ring 3; and grease 12 to be enclosed in an in-bearing space. At least one member selected from the inner ring 2, the outer ring 3, the retainer 5, and the sealing member 11 is provided with a flocking part 6 formed by flocking fiber on a surface of the member which is in contact with the grease 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsuo Kawamura, Tomohiko Obata
  • Patent number: 9689422
    Abstract: A foil bearing unit includes: a first foil holder formed of a single component; a radial bearing foil mounted to an inner peripheral surface of the first foil holder; a thrust bearing foil mounted to an end surface of the first foil holder; and an inner member including: a shaft portion; and a flange portion projecting radially outward from the shaft portion. The inner member is supported in a radial direction by a fluid pressure that is generated in a radial bearing gap between a bearing surface of the radial bearing foil and an outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion, and the inner member is further supported in a thrust direction by a fluid pressure that is generated in a thrust bearing gap between a bearing surface of the thrust bearing foil and one end surface of the flange portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: NTN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masato Yoshino, Mitsuo Kawamura, Hiroki Fujiwara
  • Publication number: 20170152891
    Abstract: A rolling bearing that can easily achieve the higher lubricating characteristic including the smaller rotational torque while employing the existing bearing shape and lubricant is provided. A rolling bearing 1 includes: an inner ring 2 and an outer ring 3 as a race ring; a plurality of rolling elements 4 held between the inner and outer rings; a retainer 5 that retains the rolling elements 4; a sealing member 11 provided at openings on opposite ends in an axial direction of the inner ring 2 and the outer ring 3; and grease 12 to be enclosed in an in-bearing space. At least one member selected from the inner ring 2, the outer ring 3, the retainer 5, and the sealing member 11 is provided with a flocking part 6 formed by flocking fiber on a surface of the member which is in contact with the grease 12.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Inventors: Mitsuo KAWAMURA, Tomohiko OBATA
  • Publication number: 20160186799
    Abstract: A foil bearing unit includes: a first foil holder formed of a single component; a radial bearing foil mounted to an inner peripheral surface of the first foil holder; a thrust bearing foil mounted to an end surface of the first foil holder; and an inner member including: a shaft portion; and a flange portion projecting radially outward from the shaft portion. The inner member is supported in a radial direction by a fluid pressure that is generated in a radial bearing gap between a bearing surface of the radial bearing foil and an outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion, and the inner member is further supported in a thrust direction by a fluid pressure that is generated in a thrust bearing gap between a bearing surface of the thrust bearing foil and one end surface of the flange portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2014
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: Masato YOSHINO, Mitsuo KAWAMURA, Hiroki FUJIWARA