Patents by Inventor Yusaku DOGAHIRA

Yusaku DOGAHIRA 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: 11897548
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes a road clearance detector, an airflow generator, and a processor. The vehicle includes a vehicle body, a wheel attached to the vehicle body to be partly protruded downward from the vehicle body, and a suspension that holds the wheel to permit the wheel to make a vertical stroke relative to the vehicle body. The road clearance detector is configured to detect a road clearance. The road clearance is a vertical distance from a road surface to an underside of the vehicle body. The airflow generator is provided in an underneath of the vehicle body, and configured to generate an airflow. The processor is configured to allow the airflow generator to generate a downward airflow having a downward speed component, on the condition that the road clearance has been on the increase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Patent number: 11840286
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes a flap and an airflow generator. The vehicle includes a wheel disposed to be partly protruded downward from a vehicle body of the vehicle. The flap is protruded, in front of the wheel, downward from the vehicle body. The airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow, and provided in an underneath of the vehicle body. The airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow. The airflow moves backward and downward of the vehicle and the airflow moves obliquely relative to a horizontal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Patent number: 11840288
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be installed in a vehicle includes an airflow generator and a controller. The airflow generator is provided on an inner surface of a wheel house or on a wheel. The wheel house provides a wheel containing section of a vehicle body. The wheel is contained in the wheel containing section. The airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow that flows from the wheel containing section toward outer side in a vehicle widthwise direction. The controller is configured to control the airflow generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Publication number: 20230322061
    Abstract: A vehicle fluid controller to be applied to a vehicle. The vehicle fluid controller includes a jet generator, a wind detector, and a jet controller. The jet generator is configured to generate a jet of air and is disposed at an edge of a vehicle-body opening through which a vehicle cabin of the vehicle is allowed to be open to an outside of the vehicle. The wind detector is configured to detect a speed and a direction of wind acting on the vehicle body of the vehicle. The jet controller is configured to control the jet from the jet generator in accordance with the speed and the direction of the wind in such a manner as to disturb an airflow passing over the vehicle-body opening along a surface of the vehicle body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2023
    Publication date: October 12, 2023
    Applicant: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusaku DOGAHIRA, Naoto WATANABE
  • Patent number: 11691679
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes a flap and an airflow generator. The vehicle includes a wheel disposed to be partly protruded downward from a vehicle body of the vehicle. The flap is protruded, in front of the wheel, downward from the vehicle body. The airflow generator is provided in an underneath of the vehicle body and vehicle-widthwise inwardly from the wheel. The airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow vehicle-widthwise inward, and backward of the vehicle. The airflow moves obliquely relative to a vehicle longitudinal direction when the vehicle travels forward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Patent number: 11660953
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus includes a duct, a duct opening-closing unit for the duct, first and second airflow generators, and an airflow adjustment processor. The duct has an inlet open toward a front of a movable body and an outlet that guides an airflow to an air-blowing target inside the movable body. The first and second airflow generators are provided respectively on first and second faces, opposed to each other, of an inner surface of the duct. The airflow adjustment processor performs, if the duct opening-closing unit is closed, vortex flow formation control of causing the first airflow generator to generate a first airflow that directs to the outlet side with respect to the duct and causing the second airflow generator to generate a second airflow that directs to the inlet side with respect to the duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Patent number: 11661122
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus includes a downward airflow generator, a rearward airflow generator, and a controller. The downward airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow, and is disposed at a front edge of a movable body to generate the airflow traveling in downward direction. The rearward airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow, and is disposed at a lower surface of the movable body to generate the airflow traveling in a rearward direction. The controller is configured to perform switching between a lifting-force increase control and a lifting-force suppression control in accordance with a state of the movable body to execute one of the controls. The lifting-force increase control is a control of activating the downward airflow generator and deactivating the rearward airflow generator. The lifting-force suppression control is a control of deactivating the downward airflow generator and activating the rearward airflow generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Patent number: 11639203
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be installed in a vehicle includes two or more outward airflow generators and a controller. The outward airflow generators are disposed side by side in a vehicle front-rear direction in vicinity of an outer edge in a vehicle widthwise direction on an upper surface of a vehicle body on a front side of a windshield. The outward airflow generators are each configured to form an outward airflow with respect to the vehicle body. The outward airflow flows in a direction that is toward an outer side in the vehicle widthwise direction and toward a rear side of the vehicle. The controller is configured to control the outward airflow generators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Patent number: 11639207
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes airflow generators. The vehicle includes a front wheel and a rear wheel that are disposed in a vehicle longitudinal direction to be partly protruded from a bottom surface of a vehicle body of the vehicle downward in a vertical direction of the vehicle body. The airflow generators are provided on the bottom surface of the vehicle body and behind the front wheel. Each of the airflow generators is configured to generate an airflow along an underside of the vehicle body. The airflow has a speed component moving vehicle-widthwise inward. The airflow generators are disposed in a distributed arrangement in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Subaru Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Patent number: 11603146
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes an airflow ejector. The vehicle includes a wheel and a wheel housing including a cavity. The cavity is opened downward and laterally outward of a vehicle body of the vehicle, and houses a portion of the wheel. The airflow ejector is provided, in the cavity, on a front side of the vehicle relative to the wheel. The airflow ejector is configured to eject an airflow that forms a turbulence boundary layer adjacent to a surface of the wheel on a vehicle-widthwise inner side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Patent number: 11518451
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus includes two or more airflow generators and a controller. The airflow generators are arranged in first and second directions along a surface of an object. The airflow generators are configured to generate respective airflows in parallel directions parallel along the surface of the object. The second direction intersects with the first direction. The controller is configured to control outputs from the respective airflow generators independently of each other. The controller is configured to cause a total output from the airflow generators in a first group to be greater than a total output of the airflow generators in a second group. The airflow generators in the first and the second groups are arranged side by side in an airflow generation direction. The airflow generators in the second group are adjacent to those in the first group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Patent number: 11485430
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus includes an airflow generator, a state detector, and a controller. The airflow generator is configured to generate a control airflow to cause the control airflow to join an around-vehicle airflow formed around a vehicle body of a traveling vehicle. The airflow generator is configured to vary a flow direction of the control airflow with respect to a surface of the vehicle body. The state detector is configured to detect a state of the around-vehicle airflow. The controller is configured to vary the flow direction of the control airflow on the basis of the state of the around-vehicle airflow detected by the state detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Publication number: 20220033009
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes a flap and an airflow generator. The vehicle includes a wheel disposed to be partly protruded downward from a vehicle body of the vehicle. The flap is protruded, in front of the wheel, downward from the vehicle body. The airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow, and provided in an underneath of the vehicle body. The airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow. The airflow moves backward and downward of the vehicle and the airflow moves obliquely relative to a horizontal plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Naoto WATANABE, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Publication number: 20220033010
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes a flap and an airflow generator. The vehicle includes a wheel disposed to be partly protruded downward from a vehicle body of the vehicle. The flap is protruded, in front of the wheel, downward from the vehicle body. The airflow generator is provided in an underneath of the vehicle body and vehicle-widthwise inwardly from the wheel. The airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow vehicle-widthwise inward, and backward of the vehicle. The airflow moves obliquely relative to a vehicle longitudinal direction when the vehicle travels forward.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Naoto WATANABE, Yusaku DOGAHIRA
  • Publication number: 20220033012
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes a first airflow generator and a second airflow generator. The vehicle includes a front wheel and a rear wheel that are disposed in a vehicle longitudinal direction to be partly protruded from a bottom surface of a vehicle body of the vehicle downward in a vertical direction of the vehicle body. The first airflow generator is provided on the bottom surface of the vehicle body and behind the front wheel, and configured to generate a first airflow moving backward of the vehicle. The second airflow generator is provided on the bottom surface of the vehicle body and behind the first airflow generator, and configured to generate a second airflow that deflects, vehicle-widthwise inward, an airflow flowing in from a side on which the first airflow generator is disposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Naoto WATANABE, Yusaku DOGAHIRA
  • Publication number: 20220033011
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes a road clearance detector, an airflow generator, and a processor. The vehicle includes a vehicle body, a wheel attached to the vehicle body to be partly protruded downward from the vehicle body, and a suspension that holds the wheel to permit the wheel to make a vertical stroke relative to the vehicle body. The road clearance detector is configured to detect a road clearance. The road clearance is a vertical distance from a road surface to an underside of the vehicle body. The airflow generator is provided in an underneath of the vehicle body, and configured to generate an airflow. The processor is configured to allow the airflow generator to generate a downward airflow having a downward speed component, on the condition that the road clearance has been on the increase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Naoto WATANABE, Yusaku DOGAHIRA
  • Publication number: 20220033013
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes airflow generators. The vehicle includes a front wheel and a rear wheel that are disposed in a vehicle longitudinal direction to be partly protruded from a bottom surface of a vehicle body of the vehicle downward in a vertical direction of the vehicle body. The airflow generators are provided on the bottom surface of the vehicle body and behind the front wheel. Each of the airflow generators is configured to generate an airflow along an underside of the vehicle body. The airflow has a speed component moving vehicle-widthwise inward. The airflow generators are disposed in a distributed arrangement in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Publication number: 20220033014
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes an airflow ejector. The vehicle includes a wheel and a wheel housing including a cavity. The cavity is opened downward and laterally outward of a vehicle body of the vehicle, and houses a portion of the wheel. The airflow ejector is provided, in the cavity, on a front side of the vehicle relative to the wheel. The airflow ejector is configured to eject an airflow that forms a turbulence boundary layer adjacent to a surface of the wheel on a vehicle-widthwise inner side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
  • Publication number: 20210370759
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus includes a duct, a duct opening-closing unit for the duct, first and second airflow generators, and an airflow adjustment processor. The duct has an inlet open toward a front of a movable body and an outlet that guides an airflow to an air-blowing target inside the movable body. The first and second airflow generators are provided respectively on first and second faces, opposed to each other, of an inner surface of the duct. The airflow adjustment processor performs, if the duct opening-closing unit is closed, vortex flow formation control of causing the first airflow generator to generate a first airflow that directs to the outlet side with respect to the duct and causing the second airflow generator to generate a second airflow that directs to the inlet side with respect to the duct.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Naoto WATANABE, Yusaku DOGAHIRA
  • Publication number: 20210300485
    Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus includes a downward airflow generator, a rearward airflow generator, and a controller. The downward airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow, and is disposed at a front edge of a movable body to generate the airflow traveling in downward direction. The rearward airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow, and is disposed at a lower surface of the movable body to generate the airflow traveling in a rearward direction. The controller is configured to perform switching between a lifting-force increase control and a lifting-force suppression control in accordance with a state of the movable body to execute one of the controls. The lifting-force increase control is a control of activating the downward airflow generator and deactivating the rearward airflow generator. The lifting-force suppression control is a control of deactivating the downward airflow generator and activating the rearward airflow generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoto WATANABE, Yusaku DOGAHIRA