Patents by Inventor Naoto Toma

Naoto Toma 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: 10107151
    Abstract: This disclosure reliably causes transition to a locked state at the time of internal combustion engine deactivation and reliably causes transition to the locked state when a locking mechanism is not in the locked state at the time of internal combustion engine activation. A control valve spool is operable to a phase control position in which the supply/discharge of a fluid to/from an advance port and a retard port is controlled while the fluid is supplied to a lock releasing port, and to a lock transition position in which the supply/discharge of the fluid to/from the advance port and the retard port is controlled while the fluid is discharged from the lock releasing port. A communication path through which a portion of the fluid from a pump port is discharged to a drain port when the spool is operated to the lock transition position is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Mukaide, Shigemitsu Suzuki, Naoto Toma
  • Publication number: 20180149043
    Abstract: This disclosure reliably causes transition to a locked state at the time of internal combustion engine deactivation and reliably causes transition to the locked state when a locking mechanism is not in the locked state at the time of internal combustion engine activation. A control valve spool is operable to a phase control position in which the supply/discharge of a fluid to/from an advance port and a retard port is controlled while the fluid is supplied to a lock releasing port, and to a lock transition position in which the supply/discharge of the fluid to/from the advance port and the retard port is controlled while the fluid is discharged from the lock releasing port. A communication path through which a portion of the fluid from a pump port is discharged to a drain port when the spool is operated to the lock transition position is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki MUKAIDE, Shigemitsu SUZUKI, Naoto TOMA
  • Patent number: 9945271
    Abstract: Provided is a valve opening/closing timing control device that can speedily achieve a stable operation at the time of starting an engine. The device includes a drive-side rotating body that is rotated in synchronism with a crankshaft and has a plurality of projecting portions, a driven-side rotating body that has a partition portion which forms an advance angle chamber and a retard angle chamber and that is rotated together with a camshaft for valve opening/closing, an intermediate lock mechanism switchable between a locked state and an unlocked state, a pump for supplying fluid to the advance angle chamber, the retard angle chamber or the intermediate lock mechanism, and a communication passage configured to establish communication between the advance angle chamber and the retard angle chamber disposed adjacent in a circumferential direction when the intermediate lock mechanism is under the locked state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigemitsu Suzuki, Naoto Toma, Hiroki Mukaide
  • Patent number: 9903235
    Abstract: A valve timing control apparatus includes: a drive-side rotational member synchronously rotating with a drive shaft of an internal combustion engine; a driven-side rotational member disposed inside the drive-side rotational member and integrally rotating with a valve opening/closing camshaft; a hydrostatic pressure chamber formed by partitioning a space between the drive-side rotational and driven-side rotational members; an advance angle chamber and a retardation angle chamber formed by dividing the hydrostatic pressure chamber; an intermediate lock mechanism able to selectively switch between locked and unlocked states; an advance angle flow path allowing the hydraulic fluid to be circulated; a retardation angle flow path allowing the hydraulic fluid to be circulated; a control valve having a spool; and a phase control unit controlling the control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Mukaide, Naoto Toma, Yoshiaki Yamakawa, Masaki Kobayashi, Takeshi Hayashi, Hiroyuki Amano
  • Publication number: 20170138228
    Abstract: A valve opening and closing timing control apparatus includes a phase adjustment mechanism of a gear type specifying a relative rotation phase between a driving-side rotation member and a driven-side rotation member by an electric actuator, the phase adjustment mechanism causing a revolution of a position of an eccentric axis about a rotation axis by the electric actuator so that an input gear connected to the driven-side rotation member via an Oldham coupling rotates relative to an output gear fixed to the driven-side rotation member, a groove portion in a linear form and a protruding portion in a rectangular form in the Oldham coupling slidably engaging with each other between the driving-side rotation member and an Oldham ring, a groove portion in a linear form and a protruding portion in a rectangular form in the Oldham coupling slidably engaging with each other between the Oldham ring and the input gear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Eiji MIYACHI, Naoto TOMA, Yoshiaki IGUCHI, Eiri NAGATA, Nobuaki KURITA, Masayoshi TAKEUCHI, Katsuhiro TSUJIMOTO
  • Patent number: 9556758
    Abstract: A control valve includes a valve case, a spool accommodated in the valve case, an electromagnetic solenoid operating the spool along a spool axis extending in a longitudinal direction, the valve case including a pump port, an advanced angle port, a retarded angle port, and an unlocking port, the spool being operated to at least five positions, and a lock control fluid passage formed inside the spool in an attitude along the spool axis, the lock control fluid passage allowing the fluid from the pump port to be supplied only to the unlocking port irrespective of the position of the spool when the spool is operated to any one of the positions at which the fluid is supplied from the pump port to the unlocking port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Mukaide, Shigemitsu Suzuki, Naoto Toma
  • Publication number: 20170009614
    Abstract: Provided is a valve opening/closing timing control device that can speedily achieve a stable operation at the time of starting an engine. The device includes a drive-side rotating body that is rotated in synchronism with a crankshaft and has a plurality of projecting portions, a driven-side rotating body that has a partition portion which forms an advance angle chamber and a retard angle chamber and that is rotated together with a camshaft for valve opening/closing, an intermediate lock mechanism switchable between a locked state and an unlocked state, a pump for supplying fluid to the advance angle chamber, the retard angle chamber or the intermediate lock mechanism, and a communication passage configured to establish communication between the advance angle chamber and the retard angle chamber disposed adjacent in a circumferential direction when the intermediate lock mechanism is under the locked state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Publication date: January 12, 2017
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigemitsu SUZUKI, Naoto TOMA, Hiroki MUKAIDE
  • Patent number: 9447896
    Abstract: A control valve includes a spool formed with a fluid passage allowing a circulation of an operation fluid for switching a supply of the operation fluid to plural operation fluid supply portions, a cylindrical sleeve including plural supply and exhaust ports supplying and exhausting the operation fluid to and from the plural operation fluid supply portions and plural drain ports allowing the operation fluid returning from the plural operation fluid supply portions to drain, the sleeve slidably accommodating the spool therein, a solenoid mechanism for changing a position of the spool relative to the sleeve, and a communication portion formed on an outer periphery surface of the sleeve, the communication portion connected to plural drain ports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Mukaide, Naoto Toma
  • Patent number: 9303536
    Abstract: A valve opening and closing time control apparatus includes; a relative rotation angle control unit performs most delayed angle setting control of setting a relative rotation angle between a driving side rotating body and a driven side rotating body to the most delayed angle when performing an automatic stop, and most delayed angle restriction control of maintaining the relative rotation angle in the most delayed angle from a beginning of the automatic start until reaching a set timing when the automatic start-up begins, and releasing a maintenance of the most delayed angle after the setting timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigemitsu Suzuki, Naoto Toma, Hiroki Mukaide
  • Publication number: 20160061064
    Abstract: A valve timing control apparatus includes: a drive-side rotational member synchronously rotating with a drive shaft of an internal combustion engine; a driven-side rotational member disposed inside the drive-side rotational member and integrally rotating with a valve opening/closing camshaft; a hydrostatic pressure chamber formed by partitioning a space between the drive-side rotational and driven-side rotational members; an advance angle chamber and a retardation angle chamber formed by dividing the hydrostatic pressure chamber; an intermediate lock mechanism able to selectively switch between locked and unlocked states; an advance angle flow path allowing the hydraulic fluid to be circulated; a retardation angle flow path allowing the hydraulic fluid to be circulated; a control valve having a spool; and a phase control unit controlling the control valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki MUKAIDE, Naoto TOMA, Yoshiaki YAMAKAWA, Masaki KOBAYASHI, Takeshi HAYASHI, Hiroyuki AMANO
  • Patent number: 9151189
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a variable valve timing control apparatus including a driving-side rotating member rotating about a rotary axis by rotational force transmitted from a crankshaft, a driven-side rotating member including at least one fluid pressure chambers partitioned and formed with at least one advanced angle chambers and at least one retarded angle chambers and integrally rotating with a camshaft for opening and closing a valve, and a lock mechanism configured with a lock member provided at one of the driving-side rotating member and the driven-side rotary member to be engageable and disengageable with a recessed portion formed at the other of the driving-side rotating member and the driven-side rotary member, and an engine control unit for stopping the internal combustion engine to position a portion where the lock mechanism is formed below a virtual line passing through the rotary axis when the internal combustion engine is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoto Toma, Shigemitsu Suzuki, Hiroki Mukaide, Masaki Kobayashi, Kazuo Ueda
  • Publication number: 20150059671
    Abstract: A control valve includes a valve case, a spool accommodated in the valve case, an electromagnetic solenoid operating the spool along a spool axis extending in a longitudinal direction, the valve case including a pump port, an advanced angle port, a retarded angle port, and an unlocking port, the spool being operated to at least five positions, and a lock control fluid passage formed inside the spool in an attitude along the spool axis, the lock control fluid passage allowing the fluid from the pump port to be supplied only to the unlocking port irrespective of the position of the spool when the spool is operated to any one of the positions at which the fluid is supplied from the pump port to the unlocking port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki MUKAIDE, Shigemitsu SUZUKI, Naoto TOMA
  • Publication number: 20150059899
    Abstract: A control valve includes a spool formed with a fluid passage allowing a circulation of an operation fluid for switching a supply of the operation fluid to plural operation fluid supply portions, a cylindrical sleeve including plural supply and exhaust ports supplying and exhausting the operation fluid to and from the plural operation fluid supply portions and plural drain ports allowing the operation fluid returning from the plural operation fluid supply portions to drain, the sleeve slidably accommodating the spool therein, a solenoid mechanism for changing a position of the spool relative to the sleeve, and a communication portion formed on an outer periphery surface of the sleeve, the communication portion connected to plural drain ports.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Publication date: March 5, 2015
    Inventors: Hiroki MUKAIDE, Naoto TOMA
  • Patent number: 8960142
    Abstract: A valve opening-closing timing control apparatus includes a partition portion partitioning a fluid pressure chamber into an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber, a phase control portion controlling a rotational phase of a driven-side rotational member relative to a driving-side rotational member, a lock mechanism including a lock member and a lock recess for locking the rotational phase at a predetermined phase, a lock control portion switching the lock mechanism between a locked state and an unlocked state by supplying and discharging a pressurized fluid to and from the lock recess, a phase controlling supply passage supplying the pressurized fluid to the advanced angle chamber and the retarded angle chamber, a lock controlling supply passage supplying the pressurized fluid to the lock recess, and a one-way valve blocking the pressurized fluid supplied to the lock controlling supply passage from flowing into the phase controlling supply passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Toma, Shigemitsu Suzuki, Hiroki Mukaide, Masaki Kobayashi, Kazuo Ueda
  • Patent number: 8857395
    Abstract: A valve timing control apparatus includes a driving-side rotation member, a driven-side rotation member, a fluid chamber, an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber, a fluid control valve portion controlling supply and discharge of fluid relative to each of the advanced angle chamber and the retarded angle chamber, an accumulator accumulating a portion of fluid supplied to the fluid control valve portion from a pump at a fluid storage portion during an operation of an internal combustion engine and supplying fluid accumulated at the fluid storage portion to the fluid control valve portion at a start of the internal combustion engine, and a supply flow passage connecting the pump, the fluid control valve portion, and the accumulator in series. The accumulator includes a relief control valve portion configured to maintain a pressure of fluid accumulated at the fluid storage portion equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Mukaide, Shigemitsu Suzuki, Naoto Toma
  • Patent number: 8857394
    Abstract: A variable valve timing control apparatus includes a driving-side rotating member, an driven-side rotating member, a cam shaft, a control valve switching supply and discharge of a working fluid relative to an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber, an advanced angle-side oil passage, a retarded angle-side oil passage, a spider provided with a first oil passage and a second oil passage, a seal mechanism partitioning between at least one of the first oil passage and the second oil passage, and an outside space, and the seal mechanism allows air to come in the at least one of the first oil passage and the second oil passage in a case where pressure inside the at least the one of the first oil passage and the second oil passage is lower than air pressure of the outside space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Toma, Shigemitsu Suzuki, Hiroki Mukaide
  • Publication number: 20140283769
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a variable valve timing control apparatus including a driving-side rotating member rotating about a rotary axis by rotational force transmitted from a crankshaft, a driven-side rotating member including at least one fluid pressure chambers partitioned and formed with at least one advanced angle chambers and at least one retarded angle chambers and integrally rotating with a camshaft for opening and closing a valve, and a lock mechanism configured with a lock member provided at one of the driving-side rotating member and the driven-side rotary member to be engageable and disengageable with a recessed portion formed at the other of the driving-side rotating member and the driven-side rotary member, and an engine control unit for stopping the internal combustion engine to position a portion where the lock mechanism is formed below a virtual line passing through the rotary axis when the internal combustion engine is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoto TOMA, Shigemitsu SUZUKI, Hiroki MUKAIDE, Masaki KOBAYASHI, Kazuo UEDA
  • Publication number: 20140283771
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a lift amount adjusting apparatus, a valve opening-closing timing control apparatus, a first assist portion, a second assist portion, and an engine control portion. The engine control portion performs a lift amount adjustment control controlling the lift amount adjusting portion to reduce a push force that the valve applies on the camshaft when the camshaft rotates in a case where the engine control portion receives start information of the internal combustion engine, controls the phase changing portion thereafter to change the relative rotational phase toward the advanced angle direction or toward the retarded angle direction on a basis of a predetermined condition, controls the lift amount adjusting portion thereafter to make the lift amount reach a predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined condition, and drives a starter motor of the internal combustion engine thereafter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Mukaide, Shigemitsu SUZUKI, Naoto TOMA
  • Patent number: 8794202
    Abstract: A valve timing control apparatus includes a driving-side rotation member, a driven-side rotation member, a fluid chamber, an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber, a fluid control mechanism, a first intermediate lock mechanism configured to selectively lock a relative rotation phase of the driven-side rotation member relative to the driving-side rotation member at a first intermediate lock phase and release a locked state of the relative rotation phase at the first intermediate lock phase, a most retarded angle lock mechanism configured to selectively lock the relative rotation phase at a most retarded angle lock phase and release a locked state of the relative rotation phase at the most retarded angle lock phase, and a second intermediate lock mechanism configured to selectively lock the relative rotation phase at a second intermediate lock phase and release a locked state of the relative rotation phase at the second intermediate lock phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigemitsu Suzuki, Naoto Toma, Hiroki Mukaide
  • Publication number: 20140076250
    Abstract: A valve timing control apparatus includes a driving-side rotation member, a driven-side rotation member, a fluid chamber, an advanced angle chamber and a retarded angle chamber, a fluid control valve portion controlling supply and discharge of fluid relative to each of the advanced angle chamber and the retarded angle chamber, an accumulator accumulating a portion of fluid supplied to the fluid control valve portion from a pump at a fluid storage portion during an operation of an internal combustion engine and supplying fluid accumulated at the fluid storage portion to the fluid control valve portion at a start of the internal combustion engine, and a supply flow passage connecting the pump, the fluid control valve portion, and the accumulator in series. The accumulator includes a relief control valve portion configured to maintain a pressure of fluid accumulated at the fluid storage portion equal to or smaller than a predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Inventors: Hiroki MUKAIDE, Shigemitsu Suzuki, Naoto Toma