Patents by Inventor Shigeru NAKAUCHI

Shigeru NAKAUCHI 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: 11142261
    Abstract: The support stiffness of a suspension supporting portion can be improved to reduce floor vibration. Arm front-end supporting portions, each supporting a front end portion of a trailing of a rear suspension, are formed on lower portions of rear frames extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and each include a squared U-shape portion including outer, inner and front wall portions, with a rear side being open when viewed from the bottom, and an extending outer wall portion extending from the outer wall portion to in front of the front wall portion. The outer wall portion and extending outer wall portion are formed by a side sill inner portion joined to each rear side frame. Also, each arm front-end supporting portion includes an extending inner wall portion extending from the inner wall portion to in front of the front wall portion and joined to each of the rear side frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru Nakauchi, Masanobu Hanazaki, Toshio Kimura, Sho Kurokawa, Kinya Sakaguchi, Kouki Sato, Yosuke Yabumoto, Hiroshi Matsubara, Yohei Izumi, Kentaro Nomura
  • Patent number: 10618566
    Abstract: Provided is an automobile front body structure configured such that a reinforcement member is joined to a cowl panel. The cowl panel includes an upper surface portion, a forwardly bulging portion, a rearwardly bulging portion, and a lower surface portion. The reinforcement member includes a reinforcement member body which has a substantially squared U-shaped section which is bent and extends along the cowl panel, a first joint portion and a second joint portion. The reinforcement member body includes a wide portion of a substantially squared U-shaped section which is wide in the vehicle width direction and extending along the forwardly bulging portion, and a narrow portion such that a substantially squared U-shaped section is narrowed in the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle lower side. A sectional depth of the narrow portion is larger than a sectional depth of the wide portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru Nakauchi, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Takayuki Nakamae
  • Publication number: 20190389515
    Abstract: The support stiffness of a suspension supporting portion can be improved to reduce floor vibration. Arm front-end supporting portions, each supporting a front end portion of a trailing of a rear suspension, are formed on lower portions of rear frames extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and each include a squared U-shape portion including outer, inner and front wall portions, with a rear side being open when viewed from the bottom, and an extending outer wall portion extending from the outer wall portion to in front of the front wall portion. The outer wall portion and extending outer wall portion are formed by a side sill inner portion joined to each rear side frame. Also, each arm front-end supporting portion includes an extending inner wall portion extending from the inner wall portion to in front of the front wall portion and joined to each of the rear side frames.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru NAKAUCHI, Masanobu HANAZAKI, Toshio KIMURA, Sho KUROKAWA, Kinya SAKAGUCHI, Kouki SATO, Yosuke YABUMOTO, Hiroshi MATSUBARA, Yohei IZUMI, Kentaro NOMURA
  • Patent number: 10486751
    Abstract: A side vehicle body structure prevents a fastening bolt of a cowl member from being loosened while suppressing production cost. The structure includes a pair of left and right suspension towers each formed so as to expand into an engine room and supporting a buffer device of a front suspension, and a cowl member extending forward from an upper end portion of a dash panel separating the engine room from a vehicle interior. Left and right end portions of the cowl member are coupled to respective top portions of the suspension towers by a pair of fastening portions using bolts, and each fastening portion includes a first bolt fastening portion arranged inward of a corresponding center of the top portion and at least partially overlapping a line connecting the centers, and a second bolt fastening portion arranged at a front side of the first bolt fastening portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Nakauchi, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Takayuki Nakamae, Kazuya Ochi
  • Patent number: 10173731
    Abstract: Present application discloses side chassis structure. Side chassis structure includes: apron reinforcement member; fender panel covering outside of the apron reinforcement member; and brackets connected to the fender panel. At least one of the brackets includes: main body including support portion supporting fender panel; front leg portion extending downward from front end of inner portion of main body in vehicle width direction, front leg portion being attached to apron reinforcement member; and rear leg portion which extends downward from rear end of the main body, rear leg portion being attached to apron reinforcement member. Front leg portion has inner slotted hole having long axis extending in vehicle width direction, and outer slotted hole which is formed outside inner slotted hole in vehicle width direction, outer slotted hole having long axis longer than long axis of inner slotted hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru Nakauchi, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Takayuki Nakamae
  • Publication number: 20180354559
    Abstract: A side vehicle body structure prevents a fastening bolt of a cowl member from being loosened while suppressing production cost. The structure includes a pair of left and right suspension towers each formed so as to expand into an engine room and supporting a buffer device of a front suspension, and a cowl member extending forward from an upper end portion of a dash panel separating the engine room from a vehicle interior. Left and right end portions of the cowl member are coupled to respective top portions of the suspension towers by a pair of fastening portions using bolts, and each fastening portion includes a first bolt fastening portion arranged inward of a corresponding center of the top portion and at least partially overlapping a line connecting the centers, and a second bolt fastening portion arranged at a front side of the first bolt fastening portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2016
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Inventors: Shigeru Nakauchi, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Takayuki Nakamae, Kazuya Ochi
  • Publication number: 20180244317
    Abstract: Provided is an automobile front body structure configured such that a reinforcement member is joined to a cowl panel. The cowl panel includes an upper surface portion, a forwardly bulging portion, a rearwardly bulging portion, and a lower surface portion. The reinforcement member includes a reinforcement member body which has a substantially squared U-shaped section which is bent and extends along the cowl panel, a first joint portion and a second joint portion. The reinforcement member body includes a wide portion of a substantially squared U-shaped section which is wide in the vehicle width direction and extending along the forwardly bulging portion, and a narrow portion such that a substantially squared U-shaped section is narrowed in the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle lower side. A sectional depth of the narrow portion is larger than a sectional depth of the wide portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru NAKAUCHI, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA, Takayuki NAKAMAE
  • Publication number: 20170282975
    Abstract: Present application discloses side chassis structure. Side chassis structure includes: apron reinforcement member; fender panel covering outside of the apron reinforcement member; and brackets connected to the fender panel. At least one of the brackets includes: main body including support portion supporting fender panel; front leg portion extending downward from front end of inner portion of main body in vehicle width direction, front leg portion being attached to apron reinforcement member; and rear leg portion which extends downward from rear end of the main body, rear leg portion being attached to apron reinforcement member. Front leg portion has inner slotted hole having long axis extending in vehicle width direction, and outer slotted hole which is formed outside inner slotted hole in vehicle width direction, outer slotted hole having long axis longer than long axis of inner slotted hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru NAKAUCHI, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA, Takayuki NAKAMAE
  • Patent number: 9610980
    Abstract: There are provided a pair of right-and-left front side frames which extend in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a pair of right-and-left apron reinforcements which extend straightly in the vehicle longitudinal direction above and outward, in a vehicle width direction, of the pair of front side frames, a pair of right-and-left fender panels which cover respective outward sides, in the vehicle width direction, of the pair of apron reinforcements, a pair of right-and-left connecting frames which connect respective front end portions of the pair of apron reinforcements to the front side frames, and a pair of right-and-left connecting brackets which connect respective front-end side portions of the pair of fender panels to the pair of apron reinforcements. The connecting bracket is arranged substantially at the same longitudinal position as a connection portion of the apron reinforcement and the connecting frame in a plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Nakauchi, Takayuki Nakamae, Nobuyuki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 9446797
    Abstract: There are provided a cowl panel provided above a dash panel partitioning an engine room from a vehicle compartment and extending in a vehicle width direction, a suspension tower protruding toward an inside of the engine room and supporting a front suspension, and a connecting bracket connecting the suspension tower and the cowl panel and configured to slant rearward and upward, wherein the connecting bracket comprises a front-end flange portion and a rear-end flange portion, the front-end flange portion is joined to a slant portion formed at a rear portion of a top of the suspension tower which is configured to slant rearward and downward, and the rear-end flange portion is configured to rise upward via a bending portion and joined to a vertical wall portion of the cowl panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeru Nakauchi, Nobuyuki Nakayama, Masahide Kanemori
  • Publication number: 20160031485
    Abstract: There are provided a cowl panel provided above a dash panel partitioning an engine room from a vehicle compartment and extending in a vehicle width direction, a suspension tower protruding toward an inside of the engine room and supporting a front suspension, and a connecting bracket connecting the suspension tower and the cowl panel and configured to slant rearward and upward, wherein the connecting bracket comprises a front-end flange portion and a rear-end flange portion, the front-end flange portion is joined to a slant portion formed at a rear portion of a top of the suspension tower which is configured to slant rearward and downward, and the rear-end flange portion is configured to rise upward via a bending portion and joined to a vertical wall portion of the cowl panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Publication date: February 4, 2016
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru NAKAUCHI, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA, Masahide KANEMORI
  • Publication number: 20160031484
    Abstract: There are provided a pair of right-and-left front side frames which extend in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a pair of right-and-left apron reinforcements which extend straightly in the vehicle longitudinal direction above and outward, in a vehicle width direction, of the pair of front side frames, a pair of right-and-left fender panels which cover respective outward sides, in the vehicle width direction, of the pair of apron reinforcements, a pair of right-and-left connecting frames which connect respective front end portions of the pair of apron reinforcements to the pair of apron reinforcements, and a pair of right-and-left connecting brackets which connect respective front-end side portions of the pair of fender panels to the pair of apron reinforcements. The connecting bracket is arranged substantially at the same longitudinal position as a connection portion of the apron reinforcement and the connecting frame in a plan view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Publication date: February 4, 2016
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru NAKAUCHI, Takayuki NAKAMAE, Nobuyuki NAKAYAMA