Patents by Inventor Tamotsu Todo
Tamotsu Todo 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).
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Publication number: 20190048936Abstract: Provided is a balancer device in which friction loss between a driving shaft and a bearing can be reduced. The balancer device of the invention comprises an upper housing and a lower housing. The upper housing receives the upper half portion of a rolling bearing which rotatably supports the driving shaft. The balancer device includes a first member which biases the rolling bearing toward a bearing receiving portion.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2017Publication date: February 14, 2019Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventor: Tamotsu TODO
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Patent number: 9816582Abstract: A balancer device includes a housing fixed to an internal combustion engine, a roller bearing disposed in the housing, a balancer shaft rotatably supported in the housing by the roller bearing, a balancer weight integrally mounted on the balancer shaft and rotatably accommodated in an weight accommodation room of the housing, an introduction part that introduces a lubricating oil from the outside to the inside of the weight accommodation room, and a discharge part that provides communication between the inside and the outside of the weight accommodation room and discharges the lubricating oil from the inside of the weight accommodation room, wherein herein the roller bearing is arranged to face the weight accommodation room.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2015Date of Patent: November 14, 2017Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Harunobu Okabe, Masatoshi Matsuo, Tamotsu Todo, Masaharu Saito, Dai Niwata, Hiroaki Kabasawa
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Publication number: 20160131221Abstract: A balancer device includes a housing fixed to an internal combustion engine, a roller bearing disposed in the housing, a balancer shaft rotatably supported in the housing by the roller bearing, a balancer weight integrally mounted on the balancer shaft and rotatably accommodated in an weight accommodation room of the housing, an introduction part that introduces a lubricating oil from the outside to the inside of the weight accommodation room, and a discharge part that provides communication between the inside and the outside of the weight accommodation room and discharges the lubricating oil from the inside of the weight accommodation room, wherein herein the roller bearing is arranged to face the weight accommodation room.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2015Publication date: May 12, 2016Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Harunobu OKABE, Masatoshi MATSUO, Tamotsu TODO, Masaharu SAITO, Dai NIWATA, Hiroaki KABASAWA
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Patent number: 9068626Abstract: A balancer device of an internal combustion engine, has a drive gear engaged with an input gear to which a rotation force is transmitted from a crankshaft; a balancer drive shaft to which the rotation force is transmitted from the drive gear and which has a balancer weight; a balancer drive gear rotating integrally with the balancer drive shaft; a balancer driven gear engaged with the balancer drive gear; and a balancer driven shaft rotating integrally with the balancer driven gear and having a balancer weight. At least one of the drive gear, the balancer drive gear and the balancer driven gear is provided, on both axial direction side surfaces thereof, with ring-shaped grooves whose diameters are different from each other. The ring-shaped grooves are formed up to a depth from the surface of the gear at which both the ring-shaped grooves overlap each other in the axial direction.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2014Date of Patent: June 30, 2015Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Masaharu Saito, Tamotsu Todo, Masaharu Kitamura, Harunobu Okabe, Seiji Tsuruta, Takashi Hirano
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Publication number: 20140190442Abstract: A balancer device of an internal combustion engine, has a drive gear engaged with an input gear to which a rotation force is transmitted from a crankshaft; a balancer drive shaft to which the rotation force is transmitted from the drive gear and which has a balancer weight; a balancer drive gear rotating integrally with the balancer drive shaft; a balancer driven gear engaged with the balancer drive gear; and a balancer driven shaft rotating integrally with the balancer driven gear and having a balancer weight. At least one of the drive gear, the balancer drive gear and the balancer driven gear is provided, on both axial direction side surfaces thereof, with ring-shaped grooves whose diameters are different from each other. The ring-shaped grooves are formed up to a depth from the surface of the gear at which both the ring-shaped grooves overlap each other in the axial direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 6, 2014Publication date: July 10, 2014Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Masaharu Saito, Tamotsu Todo, Masaharu Kitamura, Harunobu Okabe, Seiji Tsuruta, Takashi Hirano
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Publication number: 20140060474Abstract: An engine balancer including a driving gear, a driving shaft, a driven gear, and a gear pair formed by interlocking the driving gear with the driven gear, wherein the driving gear is engaged with the driven gear, and the engine balancer further includes a fixing member to elastically fix the driving gear onto the driving shaft.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 21, 2013Publication date: March 6, 2014Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Kosaku OHNO, Takashi HIRANO, Tamotsu TODO
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Patent number: 7171931Abstract: A variable valve system varies an operation condition of an engine valve by controlling an angular position of a control shaft in accordance with an operation condition of the engine. The system has an actuating mechanism for actuating the control shaft. The actuating mechanism comprises a threaded shaft that is rotated about its axis in accordance with the operation condition of the engine; a nut member operatively engaged with the threaded shaft, so that upon rotation of the threaded shaft the nut member runs axially along the threaded shaft; a link mechanism provided between the control shaft and the nut member, so that the axial movement of the nut member along the threaded shaft induces a rotational motion of the control shaft; and a biasing mechanism that biases the nut member relative to the threaded shaft at least at a predetermined range of the operation condition of the engine valve.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2006Date of Patent: February 6, 2007Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Tamotsu Todo, Shinichi Kawada, Keisuke Takeda, Mikihiro Kajiura
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Publication number: 20060207536Abstract: A variable valve system varies an operation condition of an engine valve by controlling an angular position of a control shaft in accordance with an operation condition of the engine. The system has an actuating mechanism for actuating the control shaft. The actuating mechanism comprises a threaded shaft that is rotated about its axis in accordance with the operation condition of the engine; a nut member operatively engaged with the threaded shaft, so that upon rotation of the threaded shaft the nut member runs axially along the threaded shaft; a link mechanism provided between the control shaft and the nut member, so that the axial movement of the nut member along the threaded shaft induces a rotational motion of the control shaft; and a biasing mechanism that biases the nut member relative to the threaded shaft at least at a predetermined range of the operation condition of the engine valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2006Publication date: September 21, 2006Inventors: Tamotsu Todo, Shinichi Kawada, Keisuke Takeda, Mikihiro Kajiura
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Patent number: 7077086Abstract: A variable valve system varies an operation condition of an engine valve by controlling an angular position of a control shaft in accordance with an operation condition of the engine. The system has an actuating mechanism for actuating the control shaft. The actuating mechanism comprises a threaded shaft that is rotated about its axis in accordance with the operation condition of the engine; a nut member operatively engaged with the threaded shaft, so that upon rotation of the threaded shaft the nut member runs axially along the threaded shaft; a link mechanism provided between the control shaft and the nut member, so that the axial movement of the nut member along the threaded shaft induces a rotational motion of the control shaft; and a biasing mechanism that biases the nut member relative to the threaded shaft at least at a predetermined range of the operation condition of the engine valve.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2005Date of Patent: July 18, 2006Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Tamotsu Todo, Shinichi Kawada, Keisuke Takeda, Mikihiro Kajiura
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Patent number: 7055477Abstract: A VA apparatus includes a rocker arm coaxially swingably supported on a support shaft. The rocker arm is swung by torque transmitted from an engine to operate an engine valve and includes a first arm to which torque is transmitted and a second arm for operating the engine valve. The first and second arms, which are separate and distinct from each other, are swingable relative to each other. Bolts are provided to fix the first and second arms in a predetermined relative angle position.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2004Date of Patent: June 6, 2006Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Tamotsu Todo, Yoshihiko Yamada, Yusuke Takagi
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Patent number: 7032551Abstract: A rocker arm 13 is rocked with respect to a control shaft 32 through a link arm 14 by rotation of a drive shaft 3. With this configuration, a rocking cam 7 is rocked with respect to the drive shaft 3 through a link member 15. A valve lifter 6 is pushed downward by rocking of the rocking cam 7. The control shaft 32 is integrally provided with a control cam which is eccentric with respect to an axis of the control shaft 32. If the control cam is rotated, a rocking fulcrum position of the rocker arm 13 is changed, thereby varying a valve-lift amount. An eccentric bush 22 is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the rocker arm 13 on an outer periphery side of the control cam. The eccentric bush 22 meshes with an inner peripheral gear formed on an inner periphery of the rocker arm 13 by an outer peripheral gear 39b, and is coupled to the rocker arm 13. This coupled state is released by moving the eccentric bush 22 in the axial direction.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2005Date of Patent: April 25, 2006Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kaoru Eguchi, Masaru Nemoto, Yoshihiko Yamada, Tamotsu Todo
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Publication number: 20050211204Abstract: A variable valve system varies an operation condition of an engine valve by controlling an angular position of a control shaft in accordance with an operation condition of the engine. The system has an actuating mechanism for actuating the control shaft. The actuating mechanism comprises a threaded shaft that is rotated about its axis in accordance with the operation condition of the engine; a nut member operatively engaged with the threaded shaft, so that upon rotation of the threaded shaft the nut member runs axially along the threaded shaft; a link mechanism provided between the control shaft and the nut member, so that the axial movement of the nut member along the threaded shaft induces a rotational motion of the control shaft; and a biasing mechanism that biases the nut member relative to the threaded shaft at least at a predetermined range of the operation condition of the engine valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2005Publication date: September 29, 2005Inventors: Tamotsu Todo, Shinichi Kawada, Keisuke Takeda, Mikihiro Kajiura
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Publication number: 20050199199Abstract: A rocker arm 13 is rocked with respect to a control shaft 32 through a link arm 14 by rotation of a drive shaft 3. With this configuration, a rocking cam 7 is rocked with respect to the drive shaft 3 through a link member 15. A valve lifter 6 is pushed downward by rocking of the rocking cam 7. The control shaft 32 is integrally provided with a control cam which is eccentric with respect to an axis of the control shaft 32. If the control cam is rotated, a rocking fulcrum position of the rocker arm 13 is changed, thereby varying a valve-lift amount. An eccentric bush 22 is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the rocker arm 13 on an outer periphery side of the control cam. The eccentric bush 22 meshes with an inner peripheral gear formed on an inner periphery of the rocker arm 13 by an outer peripheral gear 39b, and is coupled to the rocker arm 13. This coupled state is released by moving the eccentric bush 22 in the axial direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2005Publication date: September 15, 2005Inventors: Kaoru Eguchi, Masaru Nemoto, Yoshihiko Yamada, Tamotsu Todo
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Publication number: 20050028769Abstract: A VA apparatus includes a rocker arm coaxially swingably supported on a support shaft. The rocker arm is swung by torque transmitted from an engine to operate an engine valve and includes a first arm to which torque is transmitted and a second arm for operating the engine valve. The first and second arms are separate and distinct from each other, and are swingable relative to each other. Bolts are provided to fix the first and second arms in a predetermined relative angle position.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 27, 2004Publication date: February 10, 2005Inventors: Tamotsu Todo, Yoshihiko Yamada, Yusuke Takagi
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Patent number: 6805081Abstract: A valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine, comprises a drive rotary member rotated by a crankshaft of the engine, a driven rotary member to rotate a camshaft of the engine upon rotation of the drive rotary member; a rotational phase control mechanism having an intermediate rotary member rotated relative to the drive and driven rotary members to cause relative rotation between the drive and driven rotary members and an braking mechanism having a hysteresis brake that generates a braking force to cause the intermediate rotary member to rotate relative to the drive and driven rotary members.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2003Date of Patent: October 19, 2004Assignee: Hitachi Unisia Automotive, Ltd.Inventors: Masahiko Watanabe, Tamotsu Todo, Kazuhiko Takayanagi
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Patent number: 6672264Abstract: A first stopper device is arranged between an output element of a planetary gear unit and a drive rotation member driven by an output shaft of an engine. The first stopper device stops a relative rotation therebetween when a relative rotation angle therebetween comes to a first predetermined degree. A second stopper device may be arranged between a free element of the planetary gear unit and an input element of the planetary gear unit. The second stopper device stops a relative rotation therebetween when a relative rotation angle therebetween comes to a second predetermined degree.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2002Date of Patent: January 6, 2004Assignee: Hitachi Unisia Automotive, Ltd.Inventors: Masahiko Watanabe, Tamotsu Todo
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Patent number: 6672265Abstract: In a valve timing control system, an intermediate rotator is rotated with respect to a driving plate and a lever shaft to make radial displacement of a ball engaged with a spiral slot of the intermediate rotator along a radial slot. The radial displacement is converted into relative rotation of the driving plate and the lever shaft through a link. A bottomed cylindrical guide member which is rotatably supported by a front end of the link has a base engaged with the spiral slot. The ball engaged with the spiral slot, a retainer for supporting the back of the ball, and a coil spring for biasing the ball through the retainer are accommodated in a hold hole of the guide member. Disengagement of the ball from the spiral slot is prevented by an abutment of an end face of the retainer and a bottom wall of the hold hole.Type: GrantFiled: October 10, 2002Date of Patent: January 6, 2004Assignee: Hitachi Unisia Automotive, Ltd.Inventors: Tamotsu Todo, Kazuhiko Takayanagi, Shigeaki Yamamuro, Naotaka Nakura
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Publication number: 20030226534Abstract: A valve timing control device for an internal combustion engine, comprises a drive rotary member rotated by a crankshaft of the engine, a driven rotary member to rotate a camshaft of the engine upon rotation of the drive rotary member; a rotational phase control mechanism having an intermediate rotary member rotated relative to the drive and driven rotary members to cause relative rotation between the drive and driven rotary members and an braking mechanism having a hysteresis brake that generates a braking force to cause the intermediate rotary member to rotate relative to the drive and driven rotary members.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2003Publication date: December 11, 2003Applicant: HITACHI UNISIA AUTOMOTIVE, LTD.Inventors: Masahiko Watanabe, Tamotsu Todo, Kazuhiko Takayanagi
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Publication number: 20030070641Abstract: A first stopper device is arranged between an output element of a planetary gear unit and a drive rotation member driven by an output shaft of an engine. The first stopper device stops a relative rotation therebetween when a relative rotation angle therebetween comes to a first predetermined degree. A second stopper device may be arranged between a free element of the planetary gear unit and an input element of the planetary gear unit. The second stopper device stops a relative rotation therebetween when a relative rotation angle therebetween comes to a second predetermined degree.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2002Publication date: April 17, 2003Applicant: HITACHI UNISIA AUTOMOTIVE, LTD.Inventors: Masahiko Watanabe, Tamotsu Todo
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Publication number: 20030070642Abstract: In a valve timing control system, an intermediate rotator is rotated with respect to a driving plate and a lever shaft to make radial displacement of a ball engaged with a spiral slot of the intermediate rotator along a radial slot. The radial displacement is converted into relative rotation of the driving plate and the lever shaft through a link. A bottomed cylindrical guide member which is rotatably supported by a front end of the link has a base engaged with the spiral slot. The ball engaged with the spiral slot, a retainer for supporting the back of the ball, and a coil spring for biasing the ball through the retainer are accommodated in a hold hole of the guide member. Disengagement of the ball from the spiral slot is prevented by an abutment of an end face of the retainer and a bottom wall of the hold hole.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 10, 2002Publication date: April 17, 2003Applicant: HITACHI UNISIA AUTOMOTIVE, LTD.Inventors: Tamotsu Todo, Kazuhiko Takayanagi, Shigeaki Yamamuro, Naotaka Nakura