Patents by Inventor Mitsuru Fujioka

Mitsuru Fujioka 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: 6089118
    Abstract: A shifting device for an automatic transmission of a vehicle has a manual shift mode which permits a driver to manually change a speed ratio by displacing a shift lever in an upshift direction or a downshift direction in a manual operation lane from its neutral position. The shifting device is provided with a switch for detecting that the shift lever has moved to the manual operation lane, a switch for detecting that the shift lever has moved in the upshift direction from its neutral position, and a switch for detecting that the shift lever has moved in the downshift direction from its neutral position. All these three switches comprise a traveling contact and two contacts. The traveling contacts of the three switches are earthed, and the six contacts of the three switches are respectively connected to six input terminals of a control unit. Due to this, the control unit can determine a fault in any of the switches based on the signals input into the input terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Ishii, Masashi Sugiuchi, Mitsuru Fujioka
  • Patent number: 6053066
    Abstract: A shifting device for a vehicle automatic transmission comprises a manual shift mode which permits a driver to manually change a speed ratio by displacing a shift lever to an upshift or downshift direction from its neutral position in a manual operation lane. An upshift signal input terminal and a downshift signal input terminal are provided in a control unit. Upshift signals transmitted from an upshift switch of a selector and a steering switch on a steering wheel are input into the upshift signal input terminal, and downshift signals transmitted from a downshift switch of the selector and the steering switch on the steering wheel are input into the downshift signal input terminal. In this way, the number of input terminals of the control unit is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Ishii, Masashi Sugiuchi, Mitsuru Fujioka
  • Patent number: 6032519
    Abstract: A throttle opening degree detection apparatus installed to an engine of a vehicle comprises a idle-up section which directly changes a throttle value opening degree to improve an engine starting characteristic under an engine cold condition and a sensor device which detects the operation of the idle-up section. The apparatus further includes a first learning section which updates a full close reference value under inoperative condition of the idle-up section and a second learning section which updates the full close reference value under idle-up section operating condition. The apparatus calculates a throttle opening degree on the basis of a difference between a throttle detection signal of a throttle sensor and the full close reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Ishii, Masashi Sugiuchi, Mitsuru Fujioka
  • Patent number: 6012352
    Abstract: A shifting device for an automatic transmission of a vehicle has a manual shift mode which permits a driver to manually change a speed ratio by displacing a shift lever in an upshift direction or a downshift direction in a manual operation lane from its neutral position. The shifting device is provided with a switch for detecting that the shift lever has moved to the manual operation lane, a switch for detecting that the shift lever has moved in the upshift direction from its neutral position, and a switch for detecting that the shift lever has moved in the downshift direction from its neutral position. All these three switches comprise a traveling contact and two contacts. The traveling contacts of the three switches are earthed, and the six contacts of the three switches are respectively connected to six input terminals of a control unit. Due to this, the control unit can determine a fault in any of the switches based on the signals input into the input terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Ishii, Masashi Sugiuchi, Mitsuru Fujioka
  • Patent number: 5964813
    Abstract: A vehicle diagnostic information storage system includes a volatile storage device such as a backup RAM and a nonvolatile storage device such as EEPROM. If a fault occurs, a control section stores data on fault items, and input and output conditions of sensors of a vehicle control system, in the volatile storage device and updates the data in the volatile storage device during a vehicle operation. In response to a switching operation of a vehicle main switch such as a turn-on operation of an ignition switch, the control section transfers the most recent version of updated data from the volatile storage device to the nonvolatile storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeru Ishii, Yoshihide Shinso, Mitsuru Fujioka