Patents by Inventor Yoh YAMAZAKI

Yoh YAMAZAKI 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: 10836253
    Abstract: A vehicle control system is provided, which includes an operating amount detector configured to detect an operating amount by an operator, of an operation mechanism comprising at least one of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, a speed detector configured to detect a vehicle traveling speed, a reaction-force generator configured to generate a reaction force of the pedal, and a controller. The controller includes a processor to execute an acceleration calculating module to calculate an acceleration based on the traveling speed and the operating amount, a rigidity characteristic setting module to set the reaction force so that a rigidity value that is a ratio of the reaction force to the operating amount increases as the acceleration increases, and a reaction-force control module to control the reaction-force generator so that the reaction force generated by the reaction-force generator becomes the reaction-force value set by the rigidity characteristic setting module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masao Inoue, Nobuyuki Sakata, Atsushi Yagi, Naoki Yamada, Yoh Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10634242
    Abstract: A vehicular shifter device includes: an operation member; a body portion which supports the operation member to be shiftable from a home position in a predetermined direction, and which causes the operation member after a shift operation to automatically return to the home position; and a control means which controls the range of a transmission on the basis of a shift operation of the operation member. The control means sets the range to a neutral range when the operation member is shifted from the home position in the predetermined direction. The control means switches the range from the neutral range to a travel range when the operation member is shifted from the home position in the predetermined direction again after the shift operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoh Yamazaki, Masayuki Tokumo
  • Publication number: 20190299781
    Abstract: A vehicle control system is provided, which includes an operating amount detector configured to detect an operating amount by an operator, of an operation mechanism comprising at least one of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal, a speed detector configured to detect a vehicle traveling speed, a reaction-force generator configured to generate a reaction force of the pedal, and a controller. The controller includes a processor to execute an acceleration calculating module to calculate an acceleration based on the traveling speed and the operating amount, a rigidity characteristic setting module to set the reaction force so that a rigidity value that is a ratio of the reaction force to the operating amount increases as the acceleration increases, and a reaction-force control module to control the reaction-force generator so that the reaction force generated by the reaction-force generator becomes the reaction-force value set by the rigidity characteristic setting module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Masao Inoue, Nobuyuki Sakata, Atsushi Yagi, Naoki Yamada, Yoh Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10124672
    Abstract: In a pedal structure of an automotive vehicle which includes a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal which are provided at a vehicle body side by side in a vehicle width direction, the accelerator pedal comprises an accelerator pedal body to receive a pressing operation by a right foot, a hinge portion pivotally supporting a lower end of the accelerator pedal body, and a pedal base supporting the accelerator pedal body via the hinge portion, and a heel support portion to support the right foot's heel is provided at the pedal base. The heel support portion is positioned on a left side of and adjacently to the hinge portion and spaced apart forward from the hinge portion by a specified distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Tabata, Yoh Yamazaki, Masayuki Tokumo
  • Publication number: 20180180173
    Abstract: A vehicular shifter device includes: an operation member; a body portion which supports the operation member to be shiftable from a home position in a predetermined direction, and which causes the operation member after a shift operation to automatically return to the home position; and a control means which controls the range of a transmission on the basis of a shift operation of the operation member. The control means sets the range to a neutral range when the operation member is shifted from the home position in the predetermined direction. The control means switches the range from the neutral range to a travel range when the operation member is shifted from the home position in the predetermined direction again after the shift operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoh YAMAZAKI, Masayuki TOKUMO
  • Patent number: 9908409
    Abstract: The present invention provides a vehicle accelerator pedal reaction force control device which may increase an output by a small accelerator opening operation, allows the driving force etc. to be easily controlled by the driver's intention, increases the resistance to the depression of an accelerator to make the driver feel secure, and allows the driver to experience the operational feeling that he or she is operating the vehicle by himself or herself. The vehicle accelerator pedal reaction force control device 1 has a first mode in which a relation of the driving force with respect to an accelerator opening is regarded as a predetermined characteristic and a second mode in which the driving force is higher than the driving force in the first mode. In the second mode, the pedal reaction force increases with an increase in the accelerator opening with respect to the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kosuke Takegawa, Nobuyuki Sakata, Takuru Uchiyama, Yoh Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20170240044
    Abstract: In a pedal structure of an automotive vehicle which includes a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal which are provided at a vehicle body side by side in a vehicle width direction, the accelerator pedal comprises an accelerator pedal body to receive a pressing operation by a right foot, a hinge portion pivotally supporting a lower end of the accelerator pedal body, and a pedal base supporting the accelerator pedal body via the hinge portion, and a heel support portion to support the right foot's heel is provided at the pedal base. The heel support portion is positioned on a left side of and adjacently to the hinge portion and spaced apart forward from the hinge portion by a specified distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji TABATA, Yoh YAMAZAKI, Masayuki TOKUMO
  • Publication number: 20160221437
    Abstract: The present invention provides a vehicle accelerator pedal reaction force control device which may increase an output by a small accelerator opening operation, allows the driving force etc. to be easily controlled by the driver's intention, increases the resistance to the depression of an accelerator to make the driver feel secure, and allows the driver to experience the operational feeling that he or she is operating the vehicle by himself or herself. The vehicle accelerator pedal reaction force control device 1 has a first mode in which a relation of the driving force with respect to an accelerator opening is regarded as a predetermined characteristic and a second mode in which the driving force is higher than the driving force in the first mode. In the second mode, the pedal reaction force increases with an increase in the accelerator opening with respect to the first mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Publication date: August 4, 2016
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kosuke TAKEGAWA, Nobuyuki SAKATA, Takuru UCHIYAMA, Yoh YAMAZAKI
  • Patent number: 9334952
    Abstract: There are provided an operational member and a body portion supporting the operational member rotatably from a home position and movably in a vehicle longitudinal direction from its rotated position. A shift range is changed to a drive range or a reverse range when the operational member is moved in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the rotated position after the operational member is rotated in a specified direction from the home position. A shift mode is changed to a first mode or a second mode, which have different gear ratios from each other, when the operational member is moved in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the rotated position after the operational member is rotated in an opposite direction to the specified direction from the home position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki Tokumo, Yoh Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9254745
    Abstract: There are provided an operational member and a body portion supporting the operational member rotatably, clockwise or counterclockwise, from a home position and movably in a vehicle longitudinal direction from its rotated position. The body portion is configured to allow the rotated or moved operational member to return to the home position automatically. A shift range is changed to a neutral range when the operational member is rotated from the home position, and the shift range is changed to a traveling range (a drive range or a reverse range) when the operational member is moved in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the rotated position after the operational member is rotated from the home position. Herein, changing of the shift range to the drive range or the reverse range depends on the direction of the rotation of the dial from the home position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Tokumo, Yoh Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20150266376
    Abstract: There are provided an operational member and a body portion supporting the operational member rotatably, clockwise or counterclockwise, from a home position and movably in a vehicle longitudinal direction from its rotated position. The body portion is configured to allow the rotated or moved operational member to return to the home position automatically. A shift range is changed to a neutral range when the operational member is rotated from the home position, and the shift range is changed to a traveling range (a drive range or a reverse range) when the operational member is moved in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the rotated position after the operational member is rotated from the home position. Herein, changing of the shift range to the drive range or the reverse range depends on the direction of the rotation of the dial from the home position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki TOKUMO, Yoh YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20150267807
    Abstract: There are provided an operational member and a body portion supporting the operational member rotatably from a home position and movably in a vehicle longitudinal direction from its rotated position. A shift range is changed to a drive range or a reverse range when the operational member is moved in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the rotated position after the operational member is rotated in a specified direction from the home position. A shift mode is changed to a first mode or a second mode, which have different gear ratios from each other, when the operational member is moved in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the rotated position after the operational member is rotated in an opposite direction to the specified direction from the home position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki TOKUMO, Yoh YAMAZAKI
  • Patent number: 8479866
    Abstract: An operational pedal support structure of an automotive vehicle comprises a fixed pedal support member on the side of a dash panel, a swing pedal support member, a pedal body supported at the swing pedal support member via a first pivotal axis, a holding portion to allow a downward move of the first pivotal axis only in case the rotational lever rotates, and a pressing portion provided at the rotational lever so as to press down the swing pedal support member. The pressing portion is positioned in front of the second pivotal axis. Accordingly, the operational pedal support structure of an automotive vehicle equipped with a means mechanism for compulsively moving down the pedal at the vehicle frontal collision, which can be made compact and simple with a high reliability, can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Tokumo, Yoh Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20110030500
    Abstract: An operational pedal support structure of an automotive vehicle comprises a fixed pedal support member on the side of a dash panel, a swing pedal support member, a pedal body supported at the swing pedal support member via a first pivotal axis, a downward-move restricting means to allow a downward move of the first pivotal axis only in case the rotational lever rotates, and a pressing portion provided at the rotational lever so as to press down the swing pedal support member. The pressing portion is positioned in front of the second pivotal axis. Accordingly, the operational pedal support structure of an automotive vehicle equipped with a means for compulsively moving down the pedal at the vehicle frontal collision, which can be made compact and simple with a high reliability, can be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Publication date: February 10, 2011
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masayuki TOKUMO, Yoh YAMAZAKI