Patents by Inventor Morihiko NANJO

Morihiko NANJO 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: 11987338
    Abstract: A marine vessel maneuvering system includes a controller configured or programmed to control a steering speed to be a first steering speed when an operator is moved from a neutral position, and to control the steering speed to be a second steering speed that is lower than the first steering speed when the operator is returned to the neutral position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Morihiko Nanjo, Noriyuki Oba, Yuji Ikegaya
  • Publication number: 20240092469
    Abstract: A marine propulsion system includes a first marine propulsion device and a second marine propulsion device. The first marine propulsion device includes an engine, a first propeller shaft to receive a driving force from the engine, and a first controller configured or programmed to control the engine. The second marine propulsion device includes an electric motor, a second propeller shaft to receive a driving force from the electric motor, an electric circuit connected to the electric motor to drive the electric motor, and a second controller configured or programmed to control the electric motor. The first controller is configured or programmed to put a limitation on an output of the engine when the electric motor is not being driven.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Yuta MIYAGI, Morihiko NANJO
  • Patent number: 11866140
    Abstract: A marine propulsion system includes marine propulsion devices each including a propeller shaft, an engine, an electric motor, a power transmission to transmit mechanical power to the propeller shaft from at least one of the engine and the electric motor, an electric circuit connected to the electric motor, and a controller to control the engine. The controllers in the marine propulsion devices are communicable with each other when in a communicable state. When the controller in each of the marine propulsion devices is in the communicable state, but the controller of one of the marine propulsion devices is incommunicable with any other controller of the marine propulsion devices, the incommunicable controller limits an output of the engine controlled by the incommunicable controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuta Miyagi, Morihiko Nanjo
  • Patent number: 11584497
    Abstract: An outboard motor includes an outboard motor body that, when located in a full trim-in position, an upper connecting pin is located in a lower limit position below a tilt shaft. When the outboard motor body is in a full tilt-up position, the upper connecting pin is located in the upper limit position above the tilt shaft. The upper connecting pin rotates around the tilt shaft at a first rotation angle from the lower limit position to a horizontal position at the same height as the tilt shaft. The upper connecting pin rotates at a second rotation angle around the tilt shaft from the horizontal position to the upper limit position. The second rotation angle is larger than the first rotation angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Morihiko Nanjo
  • Publication number: 20220081096
    Abstract: A marine vessel maneuvering system includes a controller configured or programmed to control a steering speed to be a first steering speed when an operator is moved from a neutral position, and to control the steering speed to be a second steering speed that is lower than the first steering speed when the operator is returned to the neutral position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Inventors: Morihiko NANJO, Noriyuki OBA, Yuji IKEGAYA
  • Patent number: 11260947
    Abstract: An outboard motor includes an engine, a drive shaft, and a shift shaft disposed forward of the drive shaft. The shift shaft includes a first shift shaft that extends in an upward-downward direction, a second shift shaft disposed below the first shift shaft and spaced apart from and rearward of the first shift shaft, the second shift shaft extending in the upward-downward direction, and a shift force transmission to transmit, to the second shift shaft, a shift force applied to the first shift shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Morihiko Nanjo, Akihiro Onoue, Satoru Hamada, Kimitaka Saruwatari, Yuki Ikegaya
  • Publication number: 20220017200
    Abstract: An outboard motor includes an outboard motor body that, when located in a full trim-in position, an upper connecting pin is located in a lower limit position below a tilt shaft. When the outboard motor body is in a full tilt-up position, the upper connecting pin is located in the upper limit position above the tilt shaft. The upper connecting pin rotates around the tilt shaft at a first rotation angle from the lower limit position to a horizontal position at the same height as the tilt shaft. The upper connecting pin rotates at a second rotation angle around the tilt shaft from the horizontal position to the upper limit position. The second rotation angle is larger than the first rotation angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2021
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Inventor: Morihiko NANJO
  • Patent number: 11208189
    Abstract: An outboard motor includes an engine, a propeller shaft that rotates together with a propeller and extends in a forward-rearward direction, and a lower case that houses the propeller shaft. The lower case includes a front case and a rear case separate from the front case and positioned rearward of the front case, and the front case and the rear case are assembled to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Morihiko Nanjo, Akihiro Onoue, Satoru Hamada, Kimitaka Saruwatari, Yuki Ikegaya
  • Patent number: 11161583
    Abstract: A marine propulsion unit includes a motor driving force transmission shaft, a propeller shaft, and a shaft including one of a switching shaft and a drive shaft, and one of the motor driving force transmission shaft and the shaft includes a hollow member, and the other of the motor driving force transmission shaft and the shaft is disposed inside the hollow member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Morihiko Nanjo, Akihiro Onoue, Takahiro Oguma
  • Publication number: 20210276686
    Abstract: A marine propulsion system includes marine propulsion devices each including a propeller shaft, an engine, an electric motor, a power transmission to transmit mechanical power to the propeller shaft from at least one of the engine and the electric motor, an electric circuit connected to the electric motor, and a controller to control the engine. The controllers in the marine propulsion devices are communicable with each other when in a communicable state. When the controller in each of the marine propulsion devices is in the communicable state, but the controller of one of the marine propulsion devices is incommunicable with any other controller of the marine propulsion devices, the incommunicable controller limits an output of the engine controlled by the incommunicable controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Yuta MIYAGI, Morihiko NANJO
  • Publication number: 20210061432
    Abstract: An outboard motor includes an engine, a propeller shaft that rotates together with a propeller and extends in a forward-rearward direction, and a lower case that houses the propeller shaft. The lower case includes a front case and a rear case separate from the front case and positioned rearward of the front case, and the front case and the rear case are assembled to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Inventors: Morihiko NANJO, Akihiro ONOUE, Satoru HAMADA, Kimitaka SARUWATARI, Yuki IKEGAYA
  • Publication number: 20210053664
    Abstract: An outboard motor includes an engine, a drive shaft, and a shift shaft disposed forward of the drive shaft. The shift shaft includes a first shift shaft that extends in an upward-downward direction, a second shift shaft disposed below the first shift shaft and spaced apart from and rearward of the first shift shaft, the second shift shaft extending in the upward-downward direction, and a shift force transmission to transmit, to the second shift shaft, a shift force applied to the first shift shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Morihiko NANJO, Akihiro ONOUE, Satoru HAMADA, Kimitaka SARUWATARI, Yuki IKEGAYA
  • Publication number: 20210024191
    Abstract: A marine propulsion unit includes a motor driving force transmission shaft, a propeller shaft, and a shaft including one of a switching shaft and a drive shaft, and one of the motor driving force transmission shaft and the shaft includes a hollow member, and the other of the motor driving force transmission shaft and the shaft is disposed inside the hollow member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Morihiko NANJO, Akihiro ONOUE, Takahiro OGUMA
  • Patent number: 10766590
    Abstract: An outboard motor includes a steering arm that turns around a centerline of a steering shaft together with the steering shaft, a steering actuator including a movable body that moves in a right-left direction, and a motion converter that converts a movement of the movable body in the right-left direction into a turning motion of the steering arm around the centerline of the steering shaft. The motion converter includes a bushing holder into which the steering arm is inserted in a front-rear direction and a bushing interposed between the steering arm and the bushing holder and including an outer surface provided with a pair of first sliding portions each including a convex arc-shaped vertical section that is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the right-left direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignees: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, MARINE CANADA ACQUISITION INC.
    Inventors: Morihiko Nanjo, Noam Dean Davidson, Richard Tyler Redfern, Mark Isaac Dyck, Eric B. Fetchko
  • Patent number: 10696368
    Abstract: An inner circumferential surface of a clamp bracket is open at an inner side surface of the clamp bracket. At least a portion of a movable body is surrounded by the inner circumferential surface in a side view. The movable body is movable to a plurality of positions including a position above a swivel bracket and a position inside a space surrounded by the inner circumferential surface of the clamp bracket. A steering shaft rotates around a steering axis along with movement of the movable body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignees: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, MARINE CANADA ACQUISITION INC.
    Inventors: Makoto Mizutani, Morihiko Nanjo, Noam Dean Davidson, Ray Tat Lung Wong
  • Publication number: 20190344872
    Abstract: An outboard motor includes a steering arm that turns around a centerline of a steering shaft together with the steering shaft, a steering actuator including a movable body that moves in a right-left direction, and a motion converter that converts a movement of the movable body in the right-left direction into a turning motion of the steering arm around the centerline of the steering shaft. The motion converter includes a bushing holder into which the steering arm is inserted in a front-rear direction and a bushing interposed between the steering arm and the bushing holder and including an outer surface provided with a pair of first sliding portions each including a convex arc-shaped vertical section that is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the right-left direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventors: Morihiko NANJO, Noam Dean DAVIDSON, Richard Tyler REDFERN, Mark Isaac DYCK, Eric B. FETCHKO
  • Publication number: 20190344870
    Abstract: An inner circumferential surface of a clamp bracket is open at an inner side surface of the clamp bracket. At least a portion of a movable body is surrounded by the inner circumferential surface in a side view. The movable body is movable to a plurality of positions including a position above a swivel bracket and a position inside a space surrounded by the inner circumferential surface of the clamp bracket. A steering shaft rotates around a steering axis along with movement of the movable body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventors: Makoto MIZUTANI, Morihiko NANJO, Noam Dean DAVIDSON, Ray Tat Lung WONG
  • Patent number: 9079650
    Abstract: An electric steering apparatus for a vessel propulsion apparatus includes a steering motor, a lock clutch, and a rotation stopper mechanism. The steering motor generates a driving force to turn the steering shaft joined to an outboard motor. The lock clutch transmits a driving force from an input shaft to an output shaft when a forward input to transmit a driving force from the steering motor is generated, and shuts off the driving force transmission from the output shaft to the input shaft when a reverse input to transmit a driving force from the steering shaft is generated. The rotation stopper mechanism is configured to switch between a lock state in which the rotation stopper mechanism restricts rotation of the casing and a release state in which the rotation stopper mechanism releases the rotation restriction of the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Morihiko Nanjo, Makoto Mizutani
  • Publication number: 20150093947
    Abstract: An electric steering apparatus for a vessel propulsion apparatus includes a steering motor, a lock clutch, and a rotation stopper mechanism. The steering motor generates a driving force to turn the steering shaft joined to an outboard motor. The lock clutch transmits a driving force from an input shaft to an output shaft when a forward input to transmit a driving force from the steering motor is generated, and shuts off the driving force transmission from the output shaft to the input shaft when a reverse input to transmit a driving force from the steering shaft is generated. The rotation stopper mechanism is configured to switch between a lock state in which the rotation stopper mechanism restricts rotation of the casing and a release state in which the rotation stopper mechanism releases the rotation restriction of the casing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Morihiko NANJO, Makoto MIZUTANI