Patents by Inventor Shunji Sakamoto

Shunji Sakamoto 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: 5027275
    Abstract: A toe angle adjusting method is a method wherein the toe angle of the rear wheels is adjusted for only one of the rear wheels, and the toe angle adjustment for the front wheels is performed subsequent to adjustment for the rear wheels. The toe angle adjustment for the front wheels is based on a composite angle of the rear wheels, or a forward direction, decided by a relative relationship between the rear wheels. The toe angle adjustment for the front wheels includes adjustment of a toe angle for the front wheels and a horizontal adjustment of the steering wheel to a horizontal position or neutral state. The toe angle of the front wheels is adjusted in a state when the front wheels are turned, and the horizontal adjustment for the steering wheel is performed by adjusting a tire angle of the front wheels. The toe angle adjustment for the front wheels is implemented on the basis of a forward advancing direction of the vehicle. This direction is determined on the basis of the relationship between the rear wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1991
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Tuyoshi Watanabe, Hironobu Koda
  • Patent number: 4961257
    Abstract: A door assembling apparatus for use in automobile assembly having a door transport unit for conveying a door and for maintaining a hinge member of a vehicle body and a corresponding hinge member of a door loosely engaged with each other, a hinge-pin attaching unit for inserting a gib-headed hinge pin through the engaged hinge members, and a stopper for receiving a leading end of the hinge pin as being projected from and through the engaged hinge members. The leading end of the hinge pin increases in diameter through plastic deformation thereof by the contact with the stopper, and this increased diameter effectively prevents disengagement of the pin from the hinge members. With these features, the anti-disengagement operation can be effected very efficiently and conveniently through the plastic deformation of the leading end of the pin which is realized by effectively utilizing the original function of the hinge-pin attaching means, i.e. the function for causing the hinge pin to enter the hinge members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 9, 1990
    Assignees: Mazda Motor Corporation, Daifuku Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Junichi Usui, Haruo Oda
  • Patent number: 4949833
    Abstract: An apparatus for successive supply of parts comprises a main parts feeding device for feeding parts successively to a predetermined position, a auxiliary parts feeding device provided with a parts storing portion and operative to supply parts kept in the parts storing portion in a selected situation, a checking device for checking a parts feeding condition of the main parts feeding portion, and a feeding control device operative to cause the auxiliary parts feeding device to feed the parts kept in the parts storing portion to the feeding control device when the checking device detects that the main parts feeding device fails to feed the parts to the predetermined position. The parts fed to the predetermined position and the parts fed to the feeding control device are supplied to a common destination through the feeding control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 21, 1990
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Tuyosi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 4946230
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for charging a brake system with brake liquid, when the brake system includes an anti-lock brake device, utilizes vibration generated by a motor of the anti-lock brake device to eliminate small amounts of liquid which may remain trapped during the discharge of air from the passages of the brake system and which can prevent complete removal of air from the system. After the air discharge has finished, brake liquid is supplied into the brake system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 7, 1990
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Kunji Kimura
  • Patent number: 4909869
    Abstract: A method of mounting a window glass on a vehicle body comprises the steps of attaching a positioning member for defining a position of the window glass to a window frame portion of the vehicle body in such a manner that a difference in brightness of color perceptible for an image sensor is made between the window frame portion and at least a part of the positioning member, detecting a location of the positioning member on the window frame portion by means of the image sensor, and fitting the window glass to the window frame portion by means of a robot operative to move along a working path which is modified in response to a detection output of the image sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1987
    Date of Patent: March 20, 1990
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Yoshimi Shimbara, Shigeo Okamizu
  • Patent number: 4903398
    Abstract: An apparatus for fitting proper sizes of balance weights to the inner and outer rims of a wheel at proper positions. The apparatus includes a wheel balance measuring station and a balance weight fitting station arranged side by side. In the balance weight measuring station, the wheel is measured to detect unbalance of the wheel so as to determine sizes of balance weights to be fitted to the rims and positions at which the balance weights are fitted. According to the determination, weight size signals and position signals are provided and sent to the balance weight fitting station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1990
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Hisao Miyahara
  • Patent number: 4894909
    Abstract: An apparatus for assembling a wheel attaching unit for use in a vehicle assembly line having a pallet capable of mounting at predetermined positions thereof a front assembly including a front wheel attaching unit and a rear assembly including a rear wheel attaching unit; a pallet conveyor for conveying the pallet through a setting area and a securing area of the front and rear units and a body; and a body conveyor for conveying the body to a position above the setting area and for lowering the body to set the front and rear assemblies to the body. The pallet includes a holding portion for the front assembly and/or a holding portion for the rear assembly with the holding portion being position adjustable in forward and rearward directions thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 23, 1990
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corp.
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Hisaaki Katsuki, Junichi Usui, Haruo Oda, Tsuyoshi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 4880072
    Abstract: In order to check four-wheel steering characteristics of a four-wheeled vehicle provided with a four-wheel steering system in which both the front wheels and the rear wheels are turned in response to operation of the steering wheel according to preset four-wheel steering characteristics, the steering wheel is turned to turn the front wheels and the rear wheels, and the actual turning angle of the front wheels and the actual turning angle of the rear wheels are measured, thereby detecting the actual relation between the turning angles of the front and rear wheels. Whether the actual four-wheel steering characteristics of the vehicle deviates from the preset four-wheel steering characteristics is determined through comparison of the actual relation between the turning angles of the front and rear wheels with the preset four-wheel steering characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1988
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1989
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Shigeo Okamizu, Yuji Ota, Hisaaki Katsuki
  • Patent number: 4854410
    Abstract: A four-wheel steering system has a front wheel turning mechanism for turning front wheels in response to operation of a steering wheel, a rear wheel turning mechanism for turning rear wheels, a controller for controlling the rear wheel turning mechanism to turn the rear wheels according to preset four-wheel steering characteristics and a relay shaft which is connected to the controller to transmit turning of the front wheels to the controller. The front wheel turning mechanism and the rear wheel turning mechanism are caused to bring the front wheels and the rear wheels to the respective straight-ahead positions while the relay shaft is disconnected from the controller. Then the controller is brought into the state corresponding to the straight-ahead positions of the front and rear wheels on the basis of the preset four-wheel steering characteristics. Thereafter, the relay shaft is connected to the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1989
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotaka Kanazawa, Koushun Note, Yasuhiro Nakashima, Yoshiaki Mukai, Shunji Sakamoto, Shigeo Okamizu
  • Patent number: 4827598
    Abstract: An automatic assembling method and apparatus for vehicles including providing a pallet with a plurality of supporting devices for supporting under-floor parts including an engine unit, at least the supporting device for supporting the engine unit among the supporting devices being movable with respect to the pallet in a horizontal plane, and moving said movable supporting means in the horizontal plane by an operating device. In this way, the under-floor parts supported by the supporting device can be mounted on the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1989
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Tuyosi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 4806849
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for diagnosing degree of degradation of a coating film of a painted metal material by dividing the surface of the painted metal material into a number of small area zones, measuring impedance of the coating film at each of the zones through an AC impedance measuring technique, determining a statistic distribution and/or a two-dimensional distribution of impedance values measured at the individual zones to thereby determine the degree of degradation of the coating film of the painted metal material on the basis of the aforementioned distribution(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1987
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1989
    Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kihira, Satoshi Ito, Tomomi Murata, Shunji Sakamoto, Kazuo Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 4789417
    Abstract: A windowpane mounting system for mounting a windowpane on a vehicle body comprises a vehicle body conveyor for intermittently feeding the vehicle body, and a windowpane mounting robot for mounting a windowpane on the vehicle body at a windowpane mounting station. The windowpane mounting robot is arranged to be movable between a first mounting position for mounting one of the windowpanes for the windshield and the rear window and a second mounting position for mounting the other windowpane, the first mounting position being further than the second mounting position from a windowpane supply station at which the windowpane mounting robot receives the windowpanes, and is arranged to perform a mounting operation at the first mounting position in response to the feeding of the vehicle body to said windowpane mounting station by the vehicle body conveyor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1988
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masanobu Komatsu, Takashi Senba, Hisao Miyahara, Kunzi Kimura, Shunji Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 4774757
    Abstract: A part incorporating system includes a plurality of visual sensors at a detecting station immediately upstream of an incorporating station and respectively detect the positions of reference points in the base material when the base material is supplied to the detecting station, a plurality of second visual sensors at the incorporating station and respectively detect the positions of the reference points when the base material is supplied to the incorporating station, an incorporating unit at the incorporating station to support the part so that the position of the part can be adjusted and which has a fastening device for incorporating the part in the base material, and a control means which calculates the position in which the part is to be incorporated in the base material and controls the incorporating unit to adjust the position of the part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1987
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1988
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Yukio Munenaga
  • Patent number: 4738022
    Abstract: A vehicle assembling-and-feeding system comprises an engine/suspension feeding line which travels through an engine assembly line and a first suspension assembly line for assembling one of front and rear suspensions to feed the engine and said one suspension, a suspension feeding line which travels through a second suspension assembly line for assembling the other suspension to feed the suspension, a body feeding line for feeding a vehicle body in indexed feed fashion, a slippage detecting station which is provided midway along the body feeding means to detect slippage in the position of the vehicle body fed by the body feeding means in indexed feed fashion, a mounting station disposed downstream of the slippage detecting station, and a mingling feed line which alternately feeds to the mounting station the material fed by the engine/suspension feeding means and the material fed by the suspension feeding means. An automatic mounting device is provided at the mounting station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1988
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Tuyoshi Watanabe, Shigeo Okamizu
  • Patent number: 4734979
    Abstract: A weighty object mounting system includes a mounting table provided in a mounting station established in an assembly line for supporting a weighty object placed thereon to be mounted on a transportable object transported into the mounting station, a lifting device for lifting the mounting table to move the weighty object thereon into a mounting position provided on the transportable object, a position adjusting device for shifting the position of the mounting table so as to compensate for misalignments arising between the transportable object and the weighty object, a mounting table releasing device operative to cause the position adjusting device to make the mounting table movable in a plane along the direction of transportation of the transportable object in the mounting station, and a positioning device attached to the mounting table and having a tapered portion provided for engaging with a receiving portion provided on the transportable object when the mounting table ascends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: April 5, 1988
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Tuyoshi Watanabe, Shigeo Okamizu, Yukio Munenaga
  • Patent number: 4723356
    Abstract: A weighty object mounting system comprises tact-transporting means for transporting a transportable object so as to have the same stop temporarily at each working stations, position detecting means for detecting a stop position of the transportable object stopped at one of the stations, a lifter provided in a mounting station and including a mounting portion provided for supporting a weighty object placed thereon and arranged to be movable forward and backward, right and left, and up and down in relation to the transportable object in the mounting station and a driving portion for moving the mounting portion so as to cause the weighty object to engage with the transportable object and to be automatically mounted to the same, and control means operative to supply the driving portion with control commands which direct the driving portion to cause the mounting portion to have each of predetermined movements at a predetermined timing, and operative also to calculate a misalignment between the transportable object
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1986
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1988
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shunji Sakamoto, Tuyoshi Watanabe, Shigeo Okamizu
  • Patent number: 4658501
    Abstract: A vehicle assembling apparatus including a part transfer arm supported at one end for swingable movements about vertical and horizontal axes, a part carrying plate provided at the other end of the transfer arm for carrying a part to be assembled, and a fastener driving tool for driving fasteners. The fastener driving tool is supported on the part carrying plate for swinging movements about a vertical axis and for adjustment of the distance between the part carrying plate and the fastener driving tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1987
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Fujii, Shunji Sakamoto, Kunji Kimura