Patents by Inventor Tsuyoshi Mikami

Tsuyoshi Mikami 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).

  • Publication number: 20080006347
    Abstract: The invention provides a rolling/sliding part that can elongate the service life and can increase the static load capacity to improve the indentation resistance to an indentation due to plastic deformation during rest and low-speed rotation. The rolling/sliding part is formed from a steel that contains C: 0.7 to 0.9% by weight and Cr: 3.2 to 5.0% by weight and has a surface layer portion of which surface is carburized. An area ratio of total precipitated carbide of the surface layer portion is set in the range of 15 to 25%. Of the total precipitated carbide present in the surface layer portion, 50% or more by area ratio of carbide is rendered a M7C3 type and/or M23C6 type. An average grain diameter and a maximum grain diameter of the surface layer portion are set in the range of 0.3 to 0.6 ?m and at 4 ?m, respectively. The surface hardness is set at 62 or more by Rockwell hardness C. A solid solution carbon amount in residual austenite of the surface layer portion is set in the range of 0.95 to 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Kizawa, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Publication number: 20070199789
    Abstract: Lubricating oil supply holes are drilled into a first member that is fitted to a plurality of first annular plates by a spline. Of splines to which each lubricating oil supply hole corresponds, lubricating oil grooves provided in the plurality of first annular plates do not overlap the splines on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the first annular plates, and therefore lubricating oil flowing out of the lubricating oil supply holes is dispersed in a circumferential direction and flows from the inner periphery to the outer periphery of the first annular plates, rather than gathering in each lubricating oil groove and flowing in an outer peripheral direction. As a result, a force generated by an axial lubricating oil flow, which acts in a direction for causing the second annular plates to contact friction materials on the first annular plates, is suppressed, leading to a reduction in drag torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2007
    Publication date: August 30, 2007
    Applicants: AISIN AW CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISHIN KAKO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Nishida, Satoru Kasuya, Masashi Kito, Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Akitomo Suzuki, Masato Fujikawa, Ryuji Ibaraki, Masatoshi Adachi, Tsuyoshi Mikami, Hideo Ono
  • Publication number: 20070173371
    Abstract: A control device causes a motor-generator to stop while a shift lever is set to a neutral position, and changes the rotation speed of an electric oil pump from a first rotation speed to a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed if a state of the electric oil pump in a hydraulic pressure control device enters a state where it is not preferable to continue operation at the first rotation speed. Preferably, the control device warns a driver to change the shift lever position from the neutral-position to another position if the vehicle satisfies a prescribed warning condition. Further preferably, the control device sets the vehicle to a running non-permitted state if the shift lever position is not changed from the neutral position to another position after warning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2006
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Hayashi, Masatoshi Ito, Koki Ueno, Takeshi Kanayama, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Publication number: 20070173370
    Abstract: When an engine is in operation an ignition switch is turned off by a driver an ECU executes a program including the step of actuating an electric motor driven oil pump.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2006
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeshi Kanayama, Masatoshi Ito, Koji Hayashi, Koki Ueno, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 6549840
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus for controlling a four-wheel-drive automotive vehicle of a type which comprises a first drive power source for driving one of a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, and a second drive power source for driving the other of the pairs of front and rear wheels, wherein an operator's desired value of a vehicle drive force for driving the automotive vehicle is obtained on the basis of an amount of operation of a manually operated vehicle accelerating member and a running speed of the vehicle, and a front drive force for driving the pair of front wheels and a rear drive force for driving the pair of rear wheels are controlled on the basis of a static and a dynamic state of the vehicle such that a sum of the front drive force and the rear drive force is equal to the obtained operator's desired value of the vehicle drive force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Mikami, Koichi Kondo, Takuji Kawabata
  • Patent number: 6205379
    Abstract: A controller for controlling a hybrid front-and-rear-drive automotive vehicle including a front wheel and a rear wheel an engine, an electric generator operated by the engine, and an electric motor operable with an electric energy generated by the electric generator, and wherein one and the other of the front and rear wheels is driven by the engine and the electric motor, respectively, the controller includes an electric energy storage device, and a cooperative energy supply device for supplying an electric current from the electric energy storage device to the electric motor, concurrently with a supply of an electric energy from the electric generator to the electric motor, to operate the electric motor for driving the other of the front and rear wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunio Morisawa, Eiji Ichioka, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 6158541
    Abstract: An electrically driven automotive vehicle including an electric motor for driving the vehicle, an electric energy storage device for storing an electric energy for operating the electric motor, the storage device having a plurality of storage portions which can be charged and discharged independently of each other, and a fully discharging device for fully discharging at least one of the storage portions, when an amount of electric energy stored in at least one of the other of the storage portions is larger than a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 6081042
    Abstract: A hybrid drive system for a motor vehicle, wherein a controllable device such as an automatic transmission or a center differential device is disposed between drive wheels of the vehicle and a drive power source consisting of an engine operated by combustion of a fuel, and an electric motor operated with an electric energy, and the engine and/or the electric motor is/are operated for driving the motor vehicle in different running modes. The controllable device is controlled by a control device on the basis of an input torque received by the controllable device. The control device is adapted to estimate the input torque of depending upon a currently selected one of the running modes, or effect learning control of the controllable device in different manners corresponding to the different running modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Tsuyoshi Mikami, Hiroshi Hata
  • Patent number: 5982045
    Abstract: A hybrid drive system including an engine and an electric motor at least one of which is operated as drive power source to drive a motor vehicle in a selected one of different operation modes. The system is adapted to prevent concurrent operations to change the operation mode and the speed ratio of a power transmitting device or the ratio of torque distribution to front and rear drive wheels, or concurrent operations to change the operation mode and switch the power transmitting device from a non-drive state to a drive state, for avoiding a shock due to a torque variation which would arise from the concurrent operations. The system is alternatively adapted to cut a power transfer from the drive power source to the power transmitting device, or hold the output of the drive power source substantially constant, when the power transmitting device is switched from the non-drive state to the drive state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Hiroshi Hata, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 5951614
    Abstract: Apparatus for controlling a vehicle hybrid drive system having a transmission disposed between a vehicle drive wheel and an assembly of an engine and a motor/generator, the apparatus including a torque reduction control device for reducing an input torque of the transmission during a shifting action of the transmission, wherein the torque reduction control device includes a first torque reducing device for reducing the input torque by controlling the engine, a second torque reducing device for reducing the input torque by controlling the motor/generator, and a torque reduction mode selecting device for enabling the first torque reducing device and/or the second torque reducing device to operate to reduce the input torque, according to a predetermined selecting condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Hiroshi Hata, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 5935040
    Abstract: A hybrid drive system for a motor vehicle, including a drive power source consisting of an engine operated by combustion of a fuel, and an electric motor operated with an electric energy, and a controller for selectively establishing a plurality of operation modes in which the drive power source is placed in respective different operating states, and wherein the controller includes a drive force control device for controlling the hybrid drive system so as to produce a substantially constant drive force for driving the vehicle, under the same running condition of the vehicle, irrespective of the currently established operation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Hiroshi Hata, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 5923093
    Abstract: A hybrid drive system for a motor vehicle, including an engine, a motor/motor, an automatic transmission disposed between the engine and a vehicle drive wheel, a regenerative braking device for applying to the vehicle a regenerative braking force corresponding to an amount of electric energy generated by the motor/generator during an operation of the motor/generator by a kinetic energy of the running vehicle, and at least one of (a) a shift inhibiting device for inhibiting a shifting action of the automatic transmission during an operation of the regenerative braking device so as to prevent a change of an engine braking force applied to the vehicle, (b) a braking shift control device which is operated when the regenerative braking device is inoperable to provide the required regenerative braking force, for changing the speed ratio of the automatic transmission to increase the engine braking force, or operated prior to the operation of the regenerative braking device, for controlling the speed ratio of the tra
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Hiroshi Hata, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 5887670
    Abstract: A power transmitting system for a motor vehicle having a manually operated member for selecting one of operating states of the power transmitting system, which include a neutral state, wherein a power transmitting path between a drive power source and a drive wheel of the motor vehicle is electrically disconnected by a first power disconnecting device, and is mechanically disconnected by a second power disconnecting device which is operated in response to an operation the manually operated member to the neutral state. Also disclosed is a hybrid drive system including a start-up control device operated upon operation of the manually operated member from a non-drive state to a drive state, for controlling the reaction torque of a motor/generator to rise according to one of predetermined rise characteristics which is selected depending upon a vehicle running condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Hiroshi Hata, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 5873426
    Abstract: Hybrid drive system for a motor vehicle, wherein an automatic transmission disposed between a drive wheel of the vehicle and a drive power source including an engine and an electric motor is controlled by a shift control device, to change the speed ratio according to a normal shift pattern in a normal vehicle operating state, and according to a special shift pattern in a predetermined special vehicle operating state such that the speed ratio according to the special shift pattern is smaller than the speed ratio according to the normal shift pattern, and wherein at least the engine is selected by a substitute drive power source selecting device, as the drive power source for driving the vehicle in the special operating state in which the automatic transmission is controlled according to the special shift pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Hiroshi Hata, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 5856709
    Abstract: A hybrid drive system for a motor vehicle, having an engine operated by combustion of a fuel, an electric energy storage device for storing an electric energy, a motor/generator connected to the electric energy storage device, and a synthesizing/distributing mechanism which includes a first rotary element, a second rotary element connected to the motor/generator, and a third rotary element, and an output member connected to the third rotary element, wherein a first clutch is provided for connecting the first rotary element and the engine, and a second clutch is provided for connecting two elements of the first, second and third rotary elements of the synthesizing/distributing mechanism, for rotation of the two elements as a unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryuji Ibaraki, Seitoku Kubo, Yutaka Taga, Hiroshi Hata, Tsuyoshi Mikami, Hideaki Matsui
  • Patent number: 5841201
    Abstract: A hybrid drive system for a motor vehicle, having a power drive state in which there is available a power drive mode in which an engine and an electric motor are both operated as a drive power source for driving the vehicle, and wherein a manually operated power drive selector is provided for selecting the power drive mode, and a power drive restricting device is provided to inhibit the vehicle from being driven in the power drive state and therefore in the power drive mode if the power drive selector is not manually operated. The hybrid drive system may have an engine assist drive mode in which the electric motor is operated as an auxiliary drive power source, together with the engine operated as a primary drive power source, according to a selected one of different drivability modes of the vehicle selected by a manually operated drivability performance selector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Tsuyoshi Mikami, Hiroshi Hata
  • Patent number: 5839533
    Abstract: Apparatus for controlling a drive source brake force to be applied to a hybrid drive vehicle including an engine, an electric motor, and a transmission, the apparatus including a manually operated member for selecting one of different degrees of application of a drive source brake to the vehicle, an electric generator driven by a kinetic energy of the vehicle to generate an electric energy and apply as the drive source brake a regenerative brake force corresponding to the generated electric energy to the vehicle, and an electricity generation control device for controlling the electric energy generated by the electric generator, depending upon the selected degree of the drive source brake application. The apparatus may include a shift control device for changing the speed ratio of the transmission so that an engine brake force produced by the engine as the drive source brake is controlled depending upon the selected degree of the drive source brake application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 24, 1998
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Mikami, Yutaka Taga
  • Patent number: 5833570
    Abstract: A shift control apparatus for controlling a variable-speed ratio automatic transmission of a motor vehicle having an engine, and a motor/generator which function as a vehicle driving electric motor and/or an electric generator, the automatic transmission being operatively connected to a drive wheel and an assembly of the engine and the motor/generator, the shift control apparatus including a target determining device for determining a pattern of change of a target value of the rotating speed of a rotary member of the automatic transmission or a target value of the output torque of the automatic transmission, during a shifting action thereof, and a motor torque feedback control device for feedback controlling a torque of the motor/generator during the shifting action of the automatic transmission such that the rotating speed of the rotary member or the output torque changes according to the pattern of change of the target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Yutaka Taga, Ryuji Ibaraki, Hiroshi Hata, Tsuyoshi Mikami
  • Patent number: 5818116
    Abstract: A starting control apparatus of the present invention prevents a variation in output torque of an internal combustion engine at a time of starting the internal combustion engine, while effectively reducing an emission. In response to a requirement for starting an engine (150) (S212), a controller (180) calculates an idle revolving speed Ni that is a target at a starting time and a required amount of the air Qi for maintaining the idle revolving speed Ni (S213). The idle revolving speed Ni and the required amount of the air Qi are respectively set equal to a target engine speed Ne* and a target amount of air intake Q* (S214). The controller (180) sets torque command values Tm1* and Tm2* of first and second motors MG1 and MG2, in order to enable the motors MG1 and MG2 to generate a cranking torque required for revolving the engine (150) at the target revolving speed Ne* (S216 and S218), and controls the first motor MG1 and the second motor MG2 (S220 and S222).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Nakae, Kiyoo Hirose, Tsuyoshi Mikami, Ryuji Ibaraki, Hiroshi Hata
  • Patent number: 5672138
    Abstract: A control system serves for surely preventing occurrence of a shift shock due to engagement of a one-way clutch with an automatic transmission in non-shift condition, and comprises a disengagement detecter for detecting disengagement of the one-way clutch; a power-on detecter for detecting change in an operation of the engine from driven mode to drive mode; a throttle opening detecter for detecting a throttle opening of the engine; a throttle opening estimater for estimating a second throttle opening when a predetermined time has elapsed from the time at which the operation of the engine is changed from driven mode to drive mode, on the basis of a first throttle opening detected when the operation of the engine is changed from driven mode to drive mode; and a torque down instructer for generating a torque down signal for reducing the output torque of the engine when the estimated second throttle opening is not less than a predetermined reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Mikami, Hidehiro Oba, Nobuaki Takahashi