Patents by Inventor Yasunori SAWA

Yasunori SAWA 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: 11975765
    Abstract: There is provided an exterior panel including a steel sheet, the steel sheet including a flat portion, wherein in an outer-layer region of the flat portion, a microstructure contains, in volume fraction, ferrite of 80% or more, an average grain diameter of ferrite is 1.0 to 15.0 ?m, an intensity ratio XODF{001}/{111},S of ferrite is 0.30 or more to less than 3.50, when uEl1 denotes a uniform elongation measured with a tensile test specimen cut from the flat portion, and uEl2 denotes a theoretical uniform elongation that is derived from volume fractions, hardnesses, and average grain diameters of ferrite and martensite in a microstructure of an inside region of the flat portion, and a sheet thickness of the flat portion, uEl1/uEl2 is 0.44 to 0.80.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Sawa, Mai Nagano, Ryuichi Nishimura
  • Publication number: 20240124068
    Abstract: An automobile panel 1 has a sheet-shaped outer panel 2 and a sheet-shaped inner panel 3, and an interior member 30 arranged in a space S between the inner panel 3 and the outer panel 2. The interior member 30 is an elongated member that extends in a first direction D1 along the outer panel 2, and includes a first end 41 that is one end in the first direction D1, and a second end 42 that is another end. The first end 41 has a first connecting portion 45 which is connected to the inner panel 3. The interior member 30 has a second connecting portion 46 that is connected to the outer panel 2, at a position that is separated from the first end 41 along the first direction D1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori SAWA, Ryuichi NISHIMURA
  • Patent number: 11890694
    Abstract: There is provided a resistance spot welding apparatus including a first rod-shaped electrode body, second rod-shaped electrode body, first ring-shaped member, second ring-shaped member, first elastic body, and second elastic body. The first rod-shaped electrode body and second rod-shaped electrode body are arranged facing each other, the first rod-shaped electrode body is inserted into a through hole of the first ring-shaped member, the first elastic body is connected to an opposite side of first ring-shaped member to second rod-shaped electrode body side, the first rod-shaped electrode body and first ring-shaped member are not electrically connected to each other, the second rod-shaped electrode body is inserted into a through hole of the second ring-shaped member, the second elastic body is connected to an opposite side of second ring-shaped member to first rod-shaped electrode body side, and the second rod-shaped electrode body and second ring-shaped member are not electrically connected each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Nakazawa, Tohru Okada, Yasuhiro Ito, Masanori Yasuyama, Yasunori Sawa
  • Patent number: 11884143
    Abstract: A reinforcing structure of an automobile exterior panel improving performance in absorbing an impact load, the reinforcing structure of an automobile exterior panel comprising an outer panel 110 of a sheet shape, a reinforcing member 120 arranged at a vehicle inner side from the outer panel 110, an inner panel 135 of a sheet shape arranged at a vehicle inner side from the reinforcing member 120, and a support member 140 provided at a vehicle outer side from the inner panel 135 and supporting the reinforcing member 120 from a vehicle inner side, the support member 140 comprised of tube-shaped member having axial centers directed from the vehicle inner side toward the vehicle outer side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Sawa, Toshiya Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11850924
    Abstract: A reinforcing structure of an automobile exterior panel improving performance in absorbing an impact load, the reinforcing structure of an automobile exterior panel including an outer panel of a sheet shape, a plurality of first and second reinforcing members of long shapes arranged at a vehicle inner side from the outer panel the second reinforcing members crossing the first reinforcing members, an inner panel of a sheet shape arranged at a vehicle inner side from the first and second reinforcing members, and support members provided at a vehicle outer side from the inner panel and supporting the first or the second reinforcing members from a vehicle inner side, the support members supporting first or the second reinforcing members at a plurality of crossing parts where the first and the second reinforcing members cross or between adjoining crossing parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Sawa, Toshiya Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11787478
    Abstract: In an automobile inner panel and an automobile panel that includes the automobile inner panel, panel rigidity of the panel is secured while achieving a weight reduction. An automobile inner panel 2 has a plurality of sub-units 10 that each include a flange 11, an inclined wall 12 continuous with the flange 11, and a bottom portion 13 continuous with inclined wall 12 and separated from the flange 11. The bottom portions 13 and 13 of the sub-units 10 and 10 which are adjacent to each other are butted against each other and are directly continuous with each other. A maximum value of a distance D1 between two of the flanges 11 and 11 of two of the sub-units 10 and 10 in which the bottom portions 13 are arranged separated from each other and which are adjacent to each other is 250 mm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuichi Nishimura, Koichi Hamada, Atsuo Koga, Takeshi Kawachi, Yasunori Sawa, Tohru Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20230242190
    Abstract: There is provided an exterior panel including a steel sheet, the steel sheet including a flat portion, wherein in an outer-layer region of the flat portion, a microstructure contains, in volume fraction, ferrite of 80% or more, an average grain diameter of ferrite is 1.0 to 15.0 ?m, an intensity ratio XODF{001}/{111},S of ferrite is 0.30 or more to less than 3.50, when uEl1 denotes a uniform elongation measured with a tensile test specimen cut from the flat portion, and uEl2 denotes a theoretical uniform elongation that is derived from volume fractions, hardnesses, and average grain diameters of ferrite and martensite in a microstructure of an inside region of the flat portion, and a sheet thickness of the flat portion, uEl1/uEl2 is 0.44 to 0.80.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori SAWA, Mai NAGANO, Ryuichi NISHIMURA
  • Patent number: 11684963
    Abstract: In a method for producing an outer panel having a character line, a punch includes a projecting portion for forming a bent surface of the character line at a punch top portion, and a punch shoulder R portion. A contact pressure applied to a blank by at least one of the projecting portion and the punch shoulder R portion is higher than a contact pressure applied to the blank by a remaining portion of the punch which excludes the projecting portion and the punch shoulder R portion. A static friction coefficient of a first portion of the punch which includes at least one of the projecting portion and the punch shoulder R portion with respect to the blank is larger than a static friction coefficient of a second portion of the punch which excludes the first portion with respect to the blank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Sawa, Masahiro Saito, Shigeru Yonemura, Akira Egami, Kohki Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20230112540
    Abstract: An automobile hood 1 has an inner panel 2, an outer panel 3, and a plurality of linear sealer regions A in which joints 21 are arranged. A region which includes the linear sealer region A and in which both ends in a longitudinal direction L of the linear sealer region A reach the outer circumferential edge of the inner panel 2 is defined as an end-to-end region B. Each of three longest linear sealer regions A2, A4 and A3 among the plurality of linear sealer regions A is a length that is 40% or more of the length of an end-to-end region B2, B4 or B3 to which the linear sealer regions A2, A4 or A3 belongs, respectively. These three end-to-end regions B2, B4 and B3 do not intersect with each other within a region surrounded by the outer circumferential edge of the inner panel 2.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuichi NISHIMURA, Koichi HAMADA, Yasunori SAWA, Tohru YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20230100272
    Abstract: A stiffened panel structure includes a panel-shaped component and a wire. The panel-shaped component has a panel body that curves in such a manner as to be convex outward. The wire has a first end portion and a second end portion. The first end portion is bonded to a first point on the inner surface of the panel body. The second end portion is bonded to a second point on the inner surface of the panel body. The wire is strained between the first point and the second point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichiro OTSUKA, Toru YONEBAYASHI, Satoshi SHIRAKAMI, Yasunori SAWA, Masafumi AZUMA, Ryuichi NISHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20230050487
    Abstract: A panel that is excellent in both appearance and dent resistance after being formed from a starting material is provided. The panel has a steel sheet including martensite, and a surface roughness parameter (Sa) at a flat part of a center-side portion of the panel is Sa?0.500 ?m. In laths of the martensite, the panel has precipitates having a major axis of 0.05 ?m to 1.00 ?m and an aspect ratio of 3 or more in an amount of 15 precipitates/?m2 or more. A ratio YS1/YS2 between a yield stress YS1 measured in a tensile test specimen cut out from the flat part of the center-side portion of the panel and a yield stress YS2 measured in a tensile test specimen cut out from an end part of the panel is 0.90 to 1.10.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Publication date: February 16, 2023
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mai NAGANO, Yasunori SAWA, Shigeru YONEMURA
  • Publication number: 20220324307
    Abstract: A reinforcing structure of an automobile exterior panel improving performance in absorbing an impact load, the reinforcing structure of an automobile exterior panel comprising an outer panel 110 of a sheet shape, a reinforcing member 120 arranged at a vehicle inner side from the outer panel 110, an inner panel 135 of a sheet shape arranged at a vehicle inner side from the reinforcing member 120, and a support member 140 provided at a vehicle outer side from the inner panel 135 and supporting the reinforcing member 120 from a vehicle inner side, the support member 140 comprised of tube-shaped member having axial centers directed from the vehicle inner side toward the vehicle outer side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori SAWA, Toshiya SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20220274472
    Abstract: A reinforcing structure of an automobile exterior panel improving performance in absorbing an impact load, the reinforcing structure of an automobile exterior panel comprising an outer panel 110 of a sheet shape, a plurality of first reinforcing members 122 of long shapes arranged at a vehicle inner side from the outer panel 110 and a plurality of second reinforcing members 124 of long shapes arranged at a vehicle inner side from the outer panel 110 and crossing the plurality of first reinforcing members 122, an inner panel 135 of a sheet shape arranged at a vehicle inner side from the first reinforcing members 122 and second reinforcing members 124, and support members 140 provided at a vehicle outer side from the inner panel 135 and supporting the first reinforcing members 122 or the second reinforcing members 124 from a vehicle inner side, the support members 140 supporting first reinforcing members 122 or second reinforcing members 124 at a plurality of crossing parts where the first reinforcing members 1
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Publication date: September 1, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori SAWA, Toshiya SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20220176486
    Abstract: A joint structure includes a first sheet member, a second sheet member, a third sheet member, and plural joining parts formed at locations where the first sheet member, the second sheet member, and the third sheet member overlap, so as to join the first sheet member, the second sheet member, and the third sheet member together. The plural joining parts are formed at an interval along an edge of the first sheet member and an edge of the second sheet member. The third sheet member includes a fold-back portion provided at least between the plural joining parts by folding the third sheet member back around the edge of the first sheet member and the edge of the second sheet member such that the fold-back portion is disposed on an opposite side of the first sheet member from a side overlapped with the second sheet member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2020
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Inventors: Hiroki FUJIMOTO, Koichi HAMADA, Atsushi ONO, Yasunori SAWA, Toshiya SUZUKI, Tohru OKADA
  • Publication number: 20220126926
    Abstract: In an automobile inner panel and an automobile panel that includes the automobile inner panel, panel rigidity of the panel is secured while achieving a weight reduction. An automobile inner panel 2 has a plurality of sub-units 10 that each include a flange 11, an inclined wall 12 continuous with the flange 11, and a bottom portion 13 continuous with inclined wall 12 and separated from the flange 11. The bottom portions 13 and 13 of the sub-units 10 and 10 which are adjacent to each other are butted against each other and are directly continuous with each other. A maximum value of a distance D1 between two of the flanges 11 and 11 of two of the sub-units 10 and 10 in which the bottom portions 13 are arranged separated from each other and which are adjacent to each other is 250 mm or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryuichi NISHIMURA, Koichi HAMADA, Atsuo KOGA, Takeshi KAWACHI, Yasunori SAWA, Tohru YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20210220897
    Abstract: In a method for producing an outer panel having a character line, a punch includes a projecting portion for forming a bent surface of the character line at a punch top portion, and a punch shoulder R portion. A contact pressure applied to a blank by at least one of the projecting portion and the punch shoulder R portion is higher than a contact pressure applied to the blank by a remaining portion of the punch which excludes the projecting portion and the punch shoulder R portion. A static friction coefficient of a first portion of the punch which includes at least one of the projecting portion and the punch shoulder R portion with respect to the blank is larger than a static friction coefficient of a second portion of the punch which excludes the first portion with respect to the blank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 25, 2017
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori SAWA, Masahiro SAITO, Shigeru YONEMURA, Akira EGAMI, Kohki NAKAMURA
  • Publication number: 20200306866
    Abstract: There is provided a resistance spot welding apparatus including a first rod-shaped electrode body, second rod-shaped electrode body, first ring-shaped member, second ring-shaped member, first elastic body, and second elastic body. The first rod-shaped electrode body and second rod-shaped electrode body are arranged facing each other, the first rod-shaped electrode body is inserted into a through hole of the first ring-shaped member, the first elastic body is connected to an opposite side of first ring-shaped member to second rod-shaped electrode body side, the first rod-shaped electrode body and first ring-shaped member are not electrically connected to each other, the second rod-shaped electrode body is inserted into a through hole of the second ring-shaped member, the second elastic body is connected to an opposite side of second ring-shaped member to first rod-shaped electrode body side, and the second rod-shaped electrode body and second ring-shaped member are not electrically connected each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiaki NAKAZAWA, Tohru Okada, Yasuhiro Ito, Masanori Yasuyama, Yasunori Sawa
  • Patent number: 10486744
    Abstract: A vehicle frame member includes: an outer panel configured to be disposed at a vehicle outer side, and having a U-shaped cross-section open toward a vehicle inner side; an inner panel configured to be disposed at the vehicle inner side, having a U-shaped cross-section open toward the vehicle outer side, and configuring a closed cross section structure together with the outer panel by both opening-ends of the inner panel respectively abutting and being joined to both opening-ends of the outer panel; and a bead formed at one or both abutting-joint portions between the outer panel and the inner panel, and projecting toward an outside of the closed cross section structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koki Ikeda, Shunsuke Kanagai, Yasunori Sawa
  • Patent number: 10343501
    Abstract: A main body (2) has door attaching portions respectively formed on both end sides of a long longitudinal direction thereof and a bending deformation generation portion (3) disposed between the door attaching portions, and the bending deformation generation portion (3) has a groove bottom portion (4), two edge line portions (5a, 5b), two vertical wall portions (6a, 6b), two curved portions (7a, 7b), and two flanges (8a, 8b). There is provided a bead (13) which is formed toward the longitudinal direction of the main body (2) in a part of the groove bottom portion (4) in a manner to project in a shape having a curved surface toward the outside of a cross-sectional shape of the bending deformation generation portion (3) so as to oppose an impact load acting on a door impact beam (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Sawa, Yoshiaki Nakazawa
  • Patent number: 10336371
    Abstract: An impact absorbing member 10 able to secure absorption energy while lightening weight by absorbing the impact load applied in the axial direction by periodic buckling, wherein the impact absorbing member 10 is provided with a main body 20 comprised of metal sheet and having a polygonal shape in cross-section vertical to an axial direction and a center sheet 30 comprised of metal sheet and provided at a hollow part in the main body along the axial direction, the polygonal shape of the main body 20 includes a pair of long side (20a, 20b) facing each other, the center sheet 30 is joined to each of the long sides (20a, 20b) of the polygonal shape of the main body 20, and the sheet thickness t1 (mm) of the main body 20 and the sheet thickness t2 (mm) of the center sheet 30 satisfy 1.3×t1?t2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: NIPPON STEEL & SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Sawa, Yoshiaki Nakazawa, Koichi Hamada, Yasunori Ito, Hiroshi Yoshida