Patents by Inventor Takahiro Kasuga
Takahiro Kasuga 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).
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Patent number: 10226978Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer, a detector, a vehicle height controller, and a malfunction detector. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The detector is configured to detect the relative position of the body of the vehicle relative to the axle of the wheel of the vehicle. The vehicle height controller is configured to control the changer based on a detection value detected by the detector to change the relative position to control a vehicle height, which is a height of the body. When the detection value detected by the detector changes by a predetermined amount or more in a predetermined period of time, the malfunction detector is configured to determine that there is a possibility of a malfunction occurring in the detector.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2017Date of Patent: March 12, 2019Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Kasuga, Takahiro Koresawa, Masayoshi Ikeda
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Patent number: 10214070Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer, a vehicle height controller, and a malfunction detector. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The vehicle height controller is configured to change the relative position based on a detection value detected by a detector configured to detect the relative position so as to control a vehicle height, which is a height of the body. The malfunction detector is configured to detect a malfunction in at least one of the changer and the detector, the malfunction causing the vehicle height controller to continue to control the vehicle height to increase.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2017Date of Patent: February 26, 2019Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Kasuga, Takahiro Koresawa, Masayoshi Ikeda
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Patent number: 10150531Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer and a controller. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The controller is configured to control the changer to make the relative position a target value so as to control a vehicle height of the body of the vehicle. The controller is configured to control the changer to maintain the relative position irrespective of the target value when a decreasing malfunction occurs causing the vehicle height to decrease.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2016Date of Patent: December 11, 2018Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Kasuga, Takahiro Koresawa
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Patent number: 9776683Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer, a detector, and a controller. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The detector is configured to detect the relative position. The controller is configured to control the changer to change the relative position based on a detection value detected by the detector so as to control a height of the body as a vehicle height. The controller is configured to control the changer to maintain the vehicle height when there is a possibility of a malfunction in the detector.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2016Date of Patent: October 3, 2017Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Kasuga, Shunya Senda, Takahiro Koresawa
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Publication number: 20170274721Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer, a detector, a vehicle height controller, and a malfunction detector. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The detector is configured to detect the relative position of the body of the vehicle relative to the axle of the wheel of the vehicle. The vehicle height controller is configured to control the changer based on a detection value detected by the detector to change the relative position to control a vehicle height, which is a height of the body. When the detection value detected by the detector changes by a predetermined amount or more in a predetermined period of time, the malfunction detector is configured to determine that there is a possibility of a malfunction occurring in the detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2017Publication date: September 28, 2017Applicant: Showa CorporationInventors: Takahiro KASUGA, Takahiro KORESAWA, Masayoshi IKEDA
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Publication number: 20170274722Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer, a vehicle height controller, and a malfunction detector. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The vehicle height controller is configured to change the relative position based on a detection value detected by a detector configured to detect the relative position so as to control a vehicle height, which is a height of the body. The malfunction detector is configured to detect a malfunction in at least one of the changer and the detector, the malfunction causing the vehicle height controller to continue to control the vehicle height to increase.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 24, 2017Publication date: September 28, 2017Applicant: Showa CorporationInventors: Takahiro KASUGA, Takahiro KORESAWA, Masayoshi IKEDA
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Patent number: 9738346Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer and a controller. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The controller is configured to control the changer to make the relative position a target value so as to control a vehicle height of the body. The controller is configured to control the changer to maintain the relative position when there is a possibility of a malfunction in a detector configured to detect a parameter for control.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2016Date of Patent: August 22, 2017Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Kasuga, Takahiro Koresawa
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Publication number: 20160280311Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer, a detector, and a controller. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The detector is configured to detect the relative position. The controller is configured to control the changer to change the relative position based on a detection value detected by the detector so as to control a height of the body as a vehicle height. The controller is configured to control the changer to maintain the vehicle height when there is a possibility of a malfunction in the detector.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2016Publication date: September 29, 2016Applicant: Showa CorporationInventors: Takahiro KASUGA, Shunya SENDA, Takahiro KORESAWA
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Publication number: 20160280312Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer and a controller. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The controller is configured to control the changer to make the relative position a target value so as to control a vehicle height of the body of the vehicle. The controller is configured to control the changer to maintain the relative position irrespective of the target value when a decreasing malfunction occurs causing the vehicle height to decrease.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 18, 2016Publication date: September 29, 2016Applicant: Showa CorporationInventors: Takahiro KASUGA, Takahiro KORESAWA
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Publication number: 20160280313Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment device includes a changer and a controller. The changer is configured to change a relative position of a body of a vehicle relative to an axle of a wheel of the vehicle. The controller is configured to control the changer to make the relative position a target value so as to control a vehicle height of the body. The controller is configured to control the changer to maintain the relative position when there is a possibility of a malfunction in a detector configured to detect a parameter for control.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 18, 2016Publication date: September 29, 2016Applicant: Showa CorporationInventors: Takahiro KASUGA, Takahiro KORESAWA
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Patent number: 9440704Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment apparatus adjusts a vehicle height by changing a front distance that is a distance in a longitudinal direction of the front fork between a body of a vehicle and a front wheel of the vehicle, and by changing a rear distance that is a distance in a longitudinal direction of the rear suspension between the body of the vehicle and a rear wheel of the vehicle. In this apparatus, the posture of the vehicle body is not affected even when the vehicle height is adjusted (i.e., raised), providing the vehicle with further stability during driving.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2014Date of Patent: September 13, 2016Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Kasuga, Fumiaki Ishikawa
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Patent number: 9180746Abstract: A vehicle height adjusting device includes: a changing unit that changes relative positions of a vehicle main body and wheels of a vehicle; and a control unit that adjusts a vehicle height that is a height of the vehicle main body by controlling the changing unit to change the relative positions, in which the changing unit includes an electromagnetic valve that is provided on a circulation path of a fluid and that is adjusted to have an opening amount in accordance with supplied power and changes the relative positions as pressure of the fluid varies in accordance with the opening amount of the electromagnetic valve, and the control unit performs Pulse-Width-Modulation control on voltage applied to the electromagnetic valve so that the opening amount of the electromagnetic valve equals a desired opening amount.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2014Date of Patent: November 10, 2015Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Kasuga, Fumiaki Ishikawa
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Patent number: 9132712Abstract: Technology is provided that enables vehicle speed to be grasped more accurately utilized for adjusting vehicle height. A vehicle height adjusting device includes: a relative position changing device capable of changing relative positions of a vehicle body frame and a rear wheel of a vehicle; a vehicle speed grasping section configured to grasp vehicle speed, which is moving speed of the vehicle body frame; and a change-over valve control section configured to control the relative position changing device on the basis of the vehicle speed grasped by the vehicle speed grasping section and change the relative positions of the vehicle body frame and the rear wheel to adjust vehicle height, which is the height of the vehicle body frame. The vehicle speed grasping section grasps the vehicle speed on the basis of front wheel rotating speed, which is the rotating speed of a front wheel, and rear wheel rotating speed, which is the rotating speed of the rear wheel.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2013Date of Patent: September 15, 2015Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro Kasuga, Fumiaki Ishikawa, Shunya Senda
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Publication number: 20150239526Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment apparatus includes a rear wheel suspension spring that is disposed between a vehicle body and a tire wheel of a vehicle; a rear wheel damper that undergoes an extensional and contractional operation so as to move working oil to dampen vibration of the spring; a support member that supports one end portion of the spring, and moves relative to the damper to change the length of the spring; a jack chamber into which the working oil causing the support member to move relative to the damper flows by the extensional and contractional operation of the damper; a rear wheel electromagnetic valve that adjusts the amount of the working oil flowing into the jack chamber by the degree of opening of the electromagnetic valve; and control device that controls the degree of opening of the electromagnetic valve based on a weight exerted on the vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2014Publication date: August 27, 2015Applicant: Showa CorporationInventors: Fumiaki ISHIKAWA, Takahiro KASUGA, Yosuke MURAKAMI, Kimitoshi SATO
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Patent number: 9114846Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment apparatus includes a rear wheel suspension spring that is disposed between a vehicle body and a tire wheel of a vehicle; a rear wheel damper that undergoes an extensional and contractional operation so as to move working oil to dampen vibration of the spring; a support member that supports one end portion of the spring, and moves relative to the damper to change the length of the spring; a jack chamber into which the working oil causing the support member to move relative to the damper flows by the extensional and contractional operation of the damper; a rear wheel electromagnetic valve that adjusts the amount of the working oil flowing into the jack chamber by the degree of opening of the electromagnetic valve; and control device that controls the degree of opening of the electromagnetic valve based on a weight exerted on the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2014Date of Patent: August 25, 2015Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Fumiaki Ishikawa, Takahiro Kasuga, Yosuke Murakami, Kimitoshi Sato
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Patent number: 9115734Abstract: An object of the present invention is to reduce current consumption for switching and holding an actuation position of an electromagnetic change-over valve included in a vehicle height adjusting device for a motorcycle and to surely hold the actuation position. In a rear-wheel side vehicle height adjusting device for a motorcycle, after applying a startup current to a solenoid of a change-over valve in order switch an actuation position of the change-over valve, while switching an applied current to the solenoid to a holding current which is smaller than the startup current and holding the actuation position of the change-over valve, a control section intermittently applies a large current, which is larger than the holding current, to the solenoid.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2013Date of Patent: August 25, 2015Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Yosuke Murakami, Tadashi Hachisuka, Takahiro Kasuga, Fumiaki Ishikawa
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Publication number: 20150210344Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment apparatus includes: a front wheel-side change unit that can change a front wheel relative position, which is a relative position between a body of a vehicle and a front wheel of the vehicle; a rear wheel-side change unit that can change a rear wheel relative position, which is a relative position between the body and a rear wheel of the vehicle; and a control unit that controls the front wheel-side change unit and the rear wheel-side change unit so as to change the front wheel and the rear wheel relative positions to adjust a vehicle height, which is a height of the body of the vehicle, and the control unit increases the vehicle height while maintaining a ratio of a displacement of the front wheel relative position to a displacement of the rear wheel relative position within a predetermined range.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 12, 2014Publication date: July 30, 2015Applicant: Showa CorporationInventors: Takahiro KASUGA, Fumiaki ISHIKAWA
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Publication number: 20150076773Abstract: A vehicle height adjusting device includes: a changing unit that changes relative positions of a vehicle main body and wheels of a vehicle; and a control unit that adjusts a vehicle height that is a height of the vehicle main body by controlling the changing unit to change the relative positions, in which the changing unit includes an electromagnetic valve that is provided on a circulation path of a fluid and that is adjusted to have an opening amount in accordance with supplied power and changes the relative positions as pressure of the fluid varies in accordance with the opening amount of the electromagnetic valve, and the control unit performs Pulse-Width-Modulation control on voltage applied to the electromagnetic valve so that the opening amount of the electromagnetic valve equals a desired opening amount.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2014Publication date: March 19, 2015Applicant: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventors: Takahiro KASUGA, Fumiaki ISHIKAWA
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Patent number: 8894074Abstract: A vehicle height adjustment apparatus, includes: a front wheel side changing unit capable of changing a front wheel side relative position; a rear wheel side changing unit capable of changing a rear wheel side relative position; and a control unit for adjusting a height of the main body of the vehicle by controlling the front wheel side changing unit and the rear wheel side changing unit so as to change the front wheel side relative position and the rear wheel side relative position, in which the control unit controls the front wheel side changing unit and the rear wheel side changing unit in such a manner that a rate of change of the front wheel side relative position and a rate of change of the rear wheel side relative position satisfy a predetermined relationship.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2013Date of Patent: November 25, 2014Assignee: Showa CorporationInventors: Takahiro Kasuga, Fumiaki Ishikawa, Shunya Senda
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Patent number: 8888107Abstract: An object of the present invention is to stabilize a rider's driving position in spite of a change in vehicle height. Provided is a motorcycle 1 that adjusts a vehicle height by interlocking a rear-wheel-side vehicle height adjusting operation based on controllable actuation of a hydraulic jack 41 provided in a rear suspension 10, with a front-wheel-side vehicle height adjusting operation based on controllable actuation of a hydraulic jack 141 provided in a front fork 110.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2013Date of Patent: November 18, 2014Assignee: Showa CorporationInventors: Yosuke Murakami, Tadashi Hachisuka, Takahiro Kasuga, Fumiaki Ishikawa