Patents by Inventor Tomiyasu Hirano

Tomiyasu Hirano 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: 7942119
    Abstract: The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism that varies amounts of opening and closing of a valve includes a rotating cam, a rocker arm, two lash adjusters, a hydraulic passage, and a switching mechanism. The rocker arm includes an input member and an output member. The two lash adjusters support the rocker arm so that the rocker arm can rock. The hydraulic passage includes an internal oil passage that is provided in an interior of at least one of the lash adjusters, and an arm oil passage that is provided in an interior of the rocker arm and that is connected from the internal oil passage. The switching mechanism uses a hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic passage to perform a switching between a linked state and a released state, and the switching varies the amounts of the opening and the closing of the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Otics Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Sugiura, Tomiyasu Hirano, Tamotsu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7673605
    Abstract: A rocker arm that is rockably attached to a cylinder head actuates a valve by a guide groove that is formed at an end thereof engaging with an upper end of a valve stem, and a roller that is mounted in a roller housing portion of the arm main unit contacting against a cam and rocking. The guide groove is formed by press working ends of the arm main unit in the thickness direction of the plate material to form a pair of walls, and thereafter applying sandwiching pressure in the lateral direction to the walls to increase the height thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignees: Otics Corporation, Nakanishi Metal Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Hiramatsu, Akira Takeuchi, Kimihiko Todo, Tomiyasu Hirano, Yoshio Kawatake
  • Patent number: 7621242
    Abstract: The present invention provides a variable valve operating mechanism which includes two valve operating members for opening and closing two valves individually, a drive cam provided on a single camshaft, two swing arms for transmitting a power of the drive cam to the valve operating members individually by swinging about a different axis to the camshaft, and a variable device for modifying a displacement of the swing arm per rotation of the drive cam in accordance with an operating condition of an internal combustion engine. The variable device includes a single control shaft, an actuator for driving the control shaft, and a cam device that operates in conjunction with the control shaft to dissimilate the displacement of the two swing arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: OTICS Corporation
    Inventors: Katsutoshi Kitagawa, Akira Sugiura, Tomiyasu Hirano, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Tetsuya Niwa
  • Patent number: 7451729
    Abstract: The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism which includes a rotating cam provided on a camshaft, a swing arm that contacts with the rotating cam to swing, a drive arm that drives a valve in conjunction with the swing arm, a variable arm that turns the drive arm around a swing axis of the swing arm, an actuator that drives the variable arm, and cam device that is provided between the swing arm and the drive arm. The variable arm is provided so as to be able to rotate relatively around the same axis as the swing arm, and the cam device changes the initial position of the drive arm with respect to the swing arm accompanying the turning of the drive arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Otics Corporation
    Inventors: Akira Sugiura, Tetsuya Niwa, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Katsutoshi Kitagawa, Tomiyasu Hirano, Tomoki Miyoshi
  • Publication number: 20080230023
    Abstract: The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism that varies amounts of opening and closing of a valve includes a rotating cam, a rocker arm, two lash adjusters, a hydraulic passage, and a switching mechanism. The rocker arm includes an input member and an output member. The two lash adjusters support the rocker arm so that the rocker arm can rock. The hydraulic passage includes an internal oil passage that is provided in an interior of at least one of the lash adjusters, and an arm oil passage that is provided in an interior of the rocker arm and that is connected from the internal oil passage. The switching mechanism uses a hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic passage to perform a switching between a linked state and a released state, and the switching varies the amounts of the opening and the closing of the valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2008
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Applicant: OTICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Sugiura, Tomiyasu Hirano, Tamotsu Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20080216785
    Abstract: A lash adjuster includes a plunger and a cylinder. The cylinder includes a high-pressure chamber defined therein. The plunger has a valve port provided through a bottom wall thereof. The valve port includes a seat. A spherical valve body is accommodated in the high-pressure chamber. The valve body is made of ceramic material containing silicon nitride. The valve body is arranged to have a surface roughness average (Ra) of equal to or less than 0.13 ?m. The valve body is arranged to have a contact pressure of equal to or lower than 1386 Mpa with the seat in a state where the valve port is closed by the valve body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventors: Hiroki Fujii, Kimihiko Todo, Tomiyasu Hirano
  • Publication number: 20070295292
    Abstract: The present invention provides a variable valve mechanism which includes a rotating cam provided on a camshaft, a swing arm that contacts with the rotating cam to swing, a drive arm that drives a valve in conjunction with the swing arm, a variable arm that turns the drive arm around a swing axis of the swing arm, an actuator that drives the variable arm, and cam device that is provided between the swing arm and the drive arm. The variable arm is provided so as to be able to rotate relatively around the same axis as the swing arm, and the cam device changes the initial position of the drive arm with respect to the swing arm accompanying the turning of the drive arm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicant: OTICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akira Sugiura, Tetsuya Niwa, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Katsutoshi Kitagawa, Tomiyasu Hirano, Tomoki Miyoshi
  • Publication number: 20070175428
    Abstract: A rocker arm 6 that is rockably attached to a cylinder head 1 actuates a valve 4 by means of a guide groove 73b that is formed at an end thereof engaging with an upper end of a valve stem 41, and a roller 8 that is mounted in a roller housing portion 72 of the arm main unit 7 contacting against a cam 31 and rocking. The guide groove 73b is formed by press working ends of the arm main unit 7 in the thickness direction of the plate material to form a pair of walls 73d, and thereafter applying sandwiching pressure in the lateral direction to the walls 73d to increase the height thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Inventors: Naoki Hiramatsu, Akira Takeuchi, Kimihiko Todo, Tomiyasu Hirano, Yoshio Kawatake
  • Publication number: 20070144474
    Abstract: The present invention provides a variable valve operating mechanism which includes two valve operating members for opening and closing two valves individually, a drive cam provided on a single camshaft, two swing arms for transmitting a power of the drive cam to the valve operating members individually by swinging about a different axis to the camshaft, and a variable device for modifying a displacement of the swing arm per rotation of the drive cam in accordance with an operating condition of an internal combustion engine. The variable device includes a single control shaft, an actuator for driving the control shaft, and a cam device that operates in conjunction with the control shaft to dissimilate the displacement of the two swing arms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Applicant: OTICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsutoshi Kitagawa, Akira Sugiura, Tomiyasu Hirano, Tamotsu Yamamoto, Tetsuya Niwa
  • Patent number: 4644914
    Abstract: A hydraulic valve lifter is held in the recess of the rocker arm swingably pivoted to the rocker shaft. An oil pressure chamber is formed between the lifter body and the plunger. An oil chamber to supply the oil to the oil pressure chamber is formed between the plunger and the recess. An oil supply path to supply the oil through the oil path of the rocker shaft communicates to the oil chamber. A return path is provided extending from the top of the oil chamber to a clearance between the inside of the rocker arm hole and the outside of the rocker shaft or to a clearance between the outside of the lifter body and the inside of the rocker arm recess. With this arrangement of the device, the air infiltrating the oil chamber can be discharged from the top of the oil chamber via the return path and the clearance, thereby preventing invasion of the air into the oil pressure chamber and ensuring normal functioning of the hydraulic valve lifter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1985
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1987
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Odai Tekko Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuji Morita, Katsujiro Sato, Yoshio Asaoka, Isao Harada, Tomiyasu Hirano