Patents by Inventor Tsuneaki Zenitani

Tsuneaki Zenitani 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: 11420682
    Abstract: In a vehicle having a large side door opening, a vehicle-body structure suppresses, during a collision in which an apron reinforcement recedes, bending deformation of a hinge pillar at a mounting portion of the apron reinforcement. Embodiments include a reinforcement member inside a closed cross-section of a hinge pillar overlapping a mounting portion of an apron reinforcement in the up-down direction. The reinforcement member includes a body extending in the up-down direction spaced apart from the hinge pillar, a front flange portion at a front portion of the body, a lateral flange portion at a rear portion of the body, a front ridge portion between the body and the front flange portion, and a rear ridge portion between the body and the lateral flange portion. Each of the front ridge portion and the rear ridge portion is continuously provided over the reinforcement member in the vehicle up-down direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Muraoka, Yusuke Desaki, Tsuneaki Zenitani, Satoshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11345407
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an upper vehicle-body structure that suppresses bending deformation of a front pillar portion with respect to a hinge pillar portion by suppressing the crushing of a closed cross-section portion when external force is applied to the front pillar portion in the direction of bending the front pillar portion in the bending direction thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuneaki Zenitani, Shuji Muraoka, Yusuke Desaki, Arata Osako
  • Patent number: 11192592
    Abstract: An upper vehicle-body structure includes a roof reinforcement having a width in a vehicle front-rear direction to serve as a bridge between a pair of roof side rails in a vehicle width direction and a reinforcement member on the roof reinforcement and diagonally extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The brace is joined to the roof reinforcement at positions at which a front end portion and a rear end portion of the brace in the vehicle front-rear direction are offset from each other in the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsuneaki Zenitani, Makoto Morimoto
  • Publication number: 20210147003
    Abstract: In a vehicle having a large side door opening, a vehicle-body structure suppresses, during a collision in which an apron reinforcement recedes, bending deformation of a hinge pillar at a mounting portion of the apron reinforcement. Embodiments include a reinforcement member inside a closed cross-section of a hinge pillar overlapping a mounting portion of an apron reinforcement in the up-down direction. The reinforcement member includes a body extending in the up-down direction spaced apart from the hinge pillar, a front flange portion at a front portion of the body, a lateral flange portion at a rear portion of the body, a front ridge portion between the body and the front flange portion, and a rear ridge portion between the body and the lateral flange portion. Each of the front ridge portion and the rear ridge portion is continuously provided over the reinforcement member in the vehicle up-down direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2020
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Muraoka, Yusuke Desaki, Tsuneaki Zenitani, Satoshi Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20200385063
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an upper vehicle-body structure that suppresses bending deformation of a front pillar portion with respect to a hinge pillar portion by suppressing the crushing of a closed cross-section portion when external force is applied to the front pillar portion in the direction of bending the front pillar portion in the bending direction thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuneaki ZENITANI, Shuji MURAOKA, Yusuke DESAKI, Arata OSAKO
  • Publication number: 20200385065
    Abstract: An upper vehicle-body structure includes a roof reinforcement having a width in a vehicle front-rear direction to serve as a bridge between a pair of roof side rails in a vehicle width direction and a reinforcement member on the roof reinforcement and diagonally extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The brace is joined to the roof reinforcement at positions at which a front end portion and a rear end portion of the brace in the vehicle front-rear direction are offset from each other in the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuneaki ZENITANI, Makoto MORIMOTO
  • Patent number: 7651158
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicle body structure which has a sub-window plate and a front fender each disposed at the rear of a headlamp lens on a sidewall of a vehicle body. In the vehicle body structure, a longitudinally-extending concave portion 60 is defined between the front fender 4 and a combination of a front pillar 52 and a hood 2. The concave portion 60 has at least a frontward region partly receiving therein a headlamp lens 10 and a rearward region receiving therein the sub-window plate 30 at the rear of the headlamp lens 10, whereby a plurality of components including at least the headlamp lens 10 and the sub-window plate 30 are received in the concave portion 60 to form a belt-line surface module F which continuously covers the concave portion 60 to define a transparent or semi-transparent exterior surface on the sidewall of the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Iwao Koizumi, Kenji Nonaka, Kouji Kishino, Masayoshi Sannomiya, Tsuneaki Zenitani
  • Publication number: 20070262615
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicle body structure which has a sub-window plate and a front fender each disposed at the rear of a headlamp lens on a sidewall of a vehicle body. In the vehicle body structure, a longitudinally-extending concave portion 60 is defined between the front fender 4 and a combination of a front pillar 52 and a hood 2. The concave portion 60 has at least a frontward region partly receiving therein a headlamp lens 10 and a rearward region receiving therein the sub-window plate 30 at the rear of the headlamp lens 10, whereby a plurality of components including at least the headlamp lens 10 and the sub-window plate 30 are received in the concave portion 60 to form a belt-line surface module F which continuously covers the concave portion 60 to define a transparent or semi-transparent exterior surface on the sidewall of the vehicle body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2007
    Publication date: November 15, 2007
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Iwao Koizumi, Kenji Nonaka, Kouji Kishino, Masayoshi Sannomiya, Tsuneaki Zenitani