Patents by Inventor Tomohiro Nishi

Tomohiro Nishi 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: 7210464
    Abstract: In a fuel pump control system for an internal combustion engine whose operation is switched between cut-off-cylinder operating mode during which some of the cylinders are non-operative and full-cylinder operating mode during which all of the cylinders are operative and having a fuel injector connected to the fuel supply line and supplied with fuel pressurized by the fuel pump, it is discriminated whether the operation of the engine is in the full-cylinder operating mode or in the cut-off-cylinder operating mode, the operation of the fuel pump is controlled based on the discriminated operating mode of the engine, i.e., is controlled such that the delivery flow rate of the fuel pump when the engine is discriminated to be in the cut-off-cylinder operating mode, is reduced relative to that when the engine is discriminated to be in the full-cylinder operating mode, thereby reducing the power consumption and operating noise of the fuel pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Asao Ukai, Toshitaka Hachiro, Tomohiro Nishi, Takahiro Yonekura
  • Patent number: 7104244
    Abstract: A control system for a variable-cylinder internal combustion engine, which is capable of attaining excellent fuel economy by executing a partial-cylinder operation mode as long as possible, while suppressing vibration and noise during the partial-cylinder operation mode. A control system switches the operation mode of a variable-cylinder internal combustion engine between an all-cylinder operation mode in which all of a plurality of cylinders (#1 to #3, and #4 to #6) are put in operation, and a partial-cylinder operation mode in which some (#1 to #3) of the plurality of cylinders are deactivated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nishi, Masanobu Asakawa, Toshitaka Hachiro, Manabu Niki
  • Patent number: 7074157
    Abstract: A motor charge-discharge torque limit correction coefficient for during cylinder deactivation enlargement assistance, which changes with an increasing trend according to an increase in a regeneration/assistance integrated residual amount which is an integrated value of the energy amount obtained during deceleration regeneration of vehicle, that is a correction coefficient which corrects to decrease an energy management discharge torque limit which is an upper limit value of motor torque set according to for example, an energy state in high voltage electrical equipment and an operating state of the vehicle, when assisting the output from the internal-combustion engine by the motor, is calculated. A value obtained by correcting the energy management discharge torque limit is set to an energy management discharge torque limit for cylinder deactivation enlargement assistance, and a cylinder deactivation upper limit ENG torque is added so as to calculate a cylinder deactivation upper limit torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Masanobu Asakawa, Kohei Hanada, Manabu Niki, Toshitaka Hachiro, Tomohiro Nishi
  • Publication number: 20060119740
    Abstract: A video-signal-processing device configured to externally transmit at least one brightness signal and at least one color-difference signal is provided. A single frame of the color-difference signal is assigned to a plurality of frames of the brightness signal so that a first frame frequency of the color-difference signal is lower than a second frame frequency of the brightness signal, where the first frame frequency is 24 Hz or higher. The brightness signal and the color-difference signal are transmitted so that a first center value on a first time base generated by the single frame of the color-difference signal becomes closest to a second center value on a second time base generated by the plurality of frames of the brightness signal corresponding to the color-difference signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2005
    Publication date: June 8, 2006
    Inventor: Tomohiro Nishi
  • Publication number: 20060107919
    Abstract: A control system for a variable-cylinder internal combustion engine, which is capable of attaining excellent fuel economy by executing a partial-cylinder operation mode as long as possible, while suppressing vibration and noise during the partial-cylinder operation mode. A control system switches the operation mode of a variable-cylinder internal combustion engine between an all-cylinder operation mode in which all of a plurality of cylinders (#1 to #3, and #4 to #6) are put in operation, and a partial-cylinder operation mode in which some (#1 to #3) of the plurality of cylinders are deactivated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nishi, Masanobu Asakawa, Toshitaka Hachiro, Manabu Niki
  • Patent number: 7050076
    Abstract: An optical state modulation unit is provided to apply an optical intensity modulation in temporal domain on a display image generated from an inputted image signal for different gray scale values such that the optical intensity modulation performed at least one of the gray scale values of the display image falls into a region at which the flicker is perceptible to human vision when a recorded image obtained by image-capturing the display image is viewed, while remaining imperceptible when the display image is directly viewed. The optical state modulation unit provides the optical intensity modulation such that the average optical intensity of the display image based on the image signal with the optical intensity modulation is the same as that of the display image generated from the image signal without the optical intensity modulation at each gray scale value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nishi, Michihiro Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 7030956
    Abstract: An optical intensity modulation having a periodicity in the temporal domain is applied on an optical state of an original display image, being displayed on a projection screen or a display screen, that takes into account a human temporal frequency contrast sensitivity characteristics, so that an optical state variation that is independent of the original display image would appear in an image recorded by capturing the display image using an image capturing apparatus, while the optical state variation in the display image being directly viewed remains imperceptible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nishi, Michihiro Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 6972773
    Abstract: The invention provides a display control apparatus and a display control method wherein, where digital gradation display is performed, occurrences of a moving picture pseudo contour can be reduced simply. A signal production circuit produces a signal for driving a display section so that light of divisional light amounts obtained by dividing light amounts corresponding to bits which compose digital values which are pixel values may be emitted in a such manner as to be distributed within a time corresponding to one screen. In this instance, where both of a first light amount corresponding to a predetermined bit and a second light amount corresponding to a bit in a lower order by one bit to the bit are divided, the first and second light amounts are divided so that the division number of the first light amount may be smaller than twice the division number of the second light amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Matsui, Tomohiro Nishi
  • Patent number: 6943460
    Abstract: A control device for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle comprising an engine and a motor as power sources, the control device including: a battery device sending energy to and receiving energy from the motor, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the battery device; a control section which is adapted to execute a warming control operation for the battery device when the temperature of the battery device is low; and a determination section for determining whether a cylinder deactivation operation is permitted for the engine depending on the running state of the engine. The control section executes a vibration control operation for the engine by operating the motor so as to reduce vibration of the engine when it is determined by the determination section that the partial cylinder deactivation operation is permitted for the engine, and to perform the warming control operation for the battery device by executing a vibration control operation for the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Kohei Hanada, Takahiro Yonekura, Makoto Kishida, Tomohiro Nishi, Kazuhiro Hara
  • Publication number: 20050150482
    Abstract: In a fuel pump control system for an internal combustion engine whose operation is switched between cut-off-cylinder operating mode during which some of the cylinders are non-operative and full-cylinder operating mode during which all of the cylinders are operative and having a fuel injector connected to the fuel supply line and supplied with fuel pressurized by the fuel pump, it is discriminated whether the operation of the engine is in the full-cylinder operating mode or in the cut-off-cylinder operating mode, the operation of the fuel pump is controlled based on the discriminated operating mode of the engine, i.e., is controlled such that the delivery flow rate of the fuel pump when the engine is discriminated to be in the cut-off-cylinder operating mode, is reduced relative to that when the engine is discriminated to be in the full-cylinder operating mode, thereby reducing the power consumption and operating noise of the fuel pump.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2005
    Publication date: July 14, 2005
    Inventors: Asao Ukai, Toshitaka Hachiro, Tomohiro Nishi, Takahiro Yonekura
  • Patent number: 6915782
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which comprises an internal-combustion engine and a motor as a power source, and connects at least one of the internal-combustion engine and the motor to driving wheels of the vehicle through a transmission so as to transmit a driving force to the driving wheels, comprises: a target torque setting device which sets a target torque with respect to a crank end torque, which is a torque at the end of a crank shaft, of the power plant torque output from the power plant being the internal combustion engine and the motor, based on a change of accelerator pedal opening from fully opened to fully closed; and a torque allocation device which allocates the target torque corresponding to the accelerator pedal opening, to an engine torque instruction, being a required value with respect to the output torque from the internal combustion engine, and to a motor torque instruction, being a required value with respect to the output torque from the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Hanada, Manabu Niki, Masanobu Asakawa, Minoru Suzuki, Teruo Wakashiro, Tomohiro Nishi, Takahiro Yonekura
  • Publication number: 20050093773
    Abstract: In an image display system, when a sequence of frames ?, ?+1, ?+2, ?+3, . . . , with a frame rate of m is given as an input video signal S1, a controller controls a frame memory to output a sequence of frames ?, ?+2, . . . , as an output video signal S2 at a frame rate of m/2 and a sequence of frames ?+1, ?+3, . . . , as an output video signal S3 at a frame rate of m/2 such that the timing of outputting each of frames ?+1, ?+3, . . . , of the output video signal S3 is delayed by 1/m with respect of the timing of outputting each of frames ?, ?+2, . . . , of the output video signal S2. By displaying the output video signals S3 and S2 in the above-described manner, a resultant motion image formed by a combination of the output video signals S3 and S2 is refreshed at an effective frame rate of m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2004
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Kuroki, Tomohiro Nishi
  • Patent number: 6886524
    Abstract: In order to improve the fuel consumption efficiency of a hybrid vehicle, a control apparatus 1 for a hybrid vehicle is provided, which comprises as a power source a motor M and an engine E capable of executing partial cylinder deactivation operation and the driving force of at least one of these is transmitted to wheels for running the vehicle. When the required output is larger than the output of the engine under partial cylinder deactivation operation, and is smaller than the total output of the engine and the motor, which is adjustable for assisting the engine, the control apparatus operates the engine under partial deactivation and adjusts the motor output so as to compensate the difference between the total output of the power source and the output of the partial cylinder deactivated engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kohei Hanada, Teruo Wakashiro, Shigetaka Kuroda, Takahiro Yonekura, Makoto Kishida, Tomohiro Nishi
  • Publication number: 20050003925
    Abstract: A motor charge-discharge torque limit correction coefficient for during cylinder deactivation enlargement assistance, which changes with an increasing trend according to an increase in a regeneration/assistance integrated residual amount which is an integrated value of the energy amount obtained during deceleration regeneration of vehicle, that is a correction coefficient which corrects to decrease an energy management discharge torque limit which is an upper limit value of motor torque set according to for example, an energy state in high voltage electrical equipment and an operating state of the vehicle, when assisting the output from the internal-combustion engine by the motor, is calculated. A value obtained by correcting the energy management discharge torque limit is set to an energy management discharge torque limit for cylinder deactivation enlargement assistance, and a cylinder deactivation upper limit ENG torque is added so as to calculate a cylinder deactivation upper limit torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2004
    Publication date: January 6, 2005
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Masanobu Asakawa, Kohei Hanada, Manabu Niki, Toshitaka Hachiro, Tomohiro Nishi
  • Publication number: 20050003926
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which comprises an internal-combustion engine and a motor as a power source, and connects at least one of the internal-combustion engine and the motor to driving wheels of the vehicle through a transmission so as to transmit a driving force to the driving wheels, comprises: a target torque setting device which sets a target torque with respect to a crank end torque, which is a torque at the end of a crank shaft, of the power plant torque output from the power plant being the internal combustion engine and the motor, based on a change of accelerator pedal opening from fully opened to fully closed; and a torque allocation device which allocates the target torque corresponding to the accelerator pedal opening, to an engine torque instruction, being a required value with respect to the output torque from the internal combustion engine, and to a motor torque instruction, being a required value with respect to the output torque from the motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Publication date: January 6, 2005
    Inventors: Kohei Hanada, Manabu Niki, Masanobu Asakawa, Minoru Suzuki, Teruo Wakashiro, Tomohiro Nishi, Takahiro Yonekura
  • Patent number: 6726593
    Abstract: A vehicle control device for front and rear wheel drive vehicles, which have one wheel pair driven with an engine and the other pair driven with an electrical motor, and a torque converter with a lock-up mechanism controlling the engagement amount, has a lock-up control means changing the target slip amount to be set in accordance with driving conditions, a motor drive power setting means which sets the drive power distribution ratio of the motor and a compensation means which compensates the target slip amount according to the drive power distribution ratio set by the motor drive power setting means. The control device enables the setting of the optimum slip ratio of the torque converter to improve the fuel consumption, avoiding problems associated with: noise and vibration during the motor assisting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Yamamoto, Takahiro Yonekura, Tomohiro Nishi, Tetsu Sugiyama, Yusuke Tatara
  • Publication number: 20040035113
    Abstract: In order to improve the fuel consumption efficiency of a hybrid vehicle, a control apparatus 1 for a hybrid vehicle is provided, which comprises as a power source a motor M and an engine E capable of executing partial cylinder deactivation operation and the driving force of at least one of these is transmitted to wheels for running the vehicle. When the required output is larger than the output of the engine under partial cylinder deactivation operation, and is smaller than the total output of the engine and the motor, which is adjustable for assisting the engine, the control apparatus operates the engine under partial deactivation and adjusts the motor output so as to compensate the difference between the total output of the power source and the output of the partial cylinder deactivated engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2003
    Publication date: February 26, 2004
    Applicant: HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kohei Hanada, Teruo Wakashiro, Shigetaka Kuroda, Takahiro Yonekura, Makoto Kishida, Tomohiro Nishi
  • Publication number: 20040012206
    Abstract: A control device for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle comprising an engine and a motor as power sources, the control device including: a battery device sending energy to and receiving energy from the motor, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the battery device; a control section which is adapted to execute a warming control operation for the battery device when the temperature of the battery device is low; and a determination section for determining whether a cylinder deactivation operation is permitted for the engine depending on the running state of the engine. The control section executes a vibration control operation for the engine by operating the motor so as to reduce vibration of the engine when it is determined by the determination section that the partial cylinder deactivation operation is permitted for the engine, and to perform the warming control operation for the battery device by executing a vibration control operation for the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2003
    Publication date: January 22, 2004
    Applicant: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Kohei Hanada, Takahiro Yonekura, Makoto Kishida, Tomohiro Nishi, Kazuhiro Hara
  • Patent number: 6674561
    Abstract: An optical state modulation method is provided. The method comprises steps of periodically modulating luminance of a visible light in temporal domain so as to generate an optical state variation on a recorded image that is obtained by image-capturing of a displayed image, the visible light being superposed on an original display image to produce the displayed image, the optical state variation being independent of an original display image and generating no hampering effect when the displayed image is directly watched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Michihiro Ohnishi, Tomohiro Nishi
  • Publication number: 20030227442
    Abstract: An optical state modulation unit is provided to apply an optical intensity modulation in temporal domain on a display image generated from an inputted image signal for different gray scale values such that the optical intensity modulation performed at least one of the gray scale values of the display image falls into a region at which the flicker is perceptible to human vision when a recorded image obtained by image-capturing the display image is viewed, while remaining imperceptible when the display image is directly viewed. The optical state modulation unit provides the optical intensity modulation such that the average optical intensity of the display image based on the image signal with the optical intensity modulation is the same as that of the display image generated from the image signal without the optical intensity modulation at each gray scale value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2003
    Publication date: December 11, 2003
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nishi, Michihiro Ohnishi