Patents Assigned to Honda Motors Co., Ltd.
  • Publication number: 20140083789
    Abstract: A motorcycle internal combustion engine including engine hangers capable of reducing the size of the internal combustion engine in an up-down direction. A motorcycle internal combustion engine includes a crankcase of the internal combustion engine with an oil filter attached to a front face thereof. Engine hangers are formed integrally with the crankcase on the front face thereof with each having a hanger boss configured to be fastened to a vehicle body frame of a motorcycle from a vehicle left-right direction. The engine hangers are formed to be distributed on left and right sides on the front face of the crankcase. The oil filter is arranged between the left and right engine hangers with the engine hangers and the oil filter overlapping each other in a vehicle side view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi YOKOTA
  • Publication number: 20140087128
    Abstract: There are disclosed a honeycomb structure hardly generates ring cracks; and a honeycomb structure 100 includes a honeycomb basal body 4 having porous partition walls 1 defining a plurality of cells 2 to become through channels of a fluid; and a ring-shaped convex portion 10 being a ring of convex portion surrounding an outer periphery of the honeycomb basal body 4 over the whole periphery; and the ring-shaped convex portion 10 is disposed to project outwardly from the outer periphery of the honeycomb basal body 4 and to cover a part of the outer periphery of the honeycomb basal body 4, the shapes of both end portions of the ring-shaped convex portion are tapered shape, and a thickness of the ring-shaped convex portion 10 in a cross section perpendicular to an extending direction of the cells 2 is from 3 to 20 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicants: HONDA MOTOR CO. LTD., NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hidetoshi YANASE, Tomokatsu AOYAMA, Yoshiaki HATAKEYAMA
  • Publication number: 20140084195
    Abstract: A solenoid valve includes first and second attraction portions in the interior of a housing disposed on an upper part of a valve body. A movable iron core, which confronts the first and second attraction portions, is disposed displaceably in the housing. Further, in the interior of the first attraction portion, which is recessed in a concave shape, a first guide body is installed, the first guide body being formed in a cylindrical shape from a non-magnetic material, and a first rod member of the movable iron core is supported displaceably in axial directions by the first guide body. On the other hand, a cylindrically shaped second guide body is disposed on a lower end of the housing, and a second rod member of the movable iron core is supported displaceably in the axial directions by the second guide body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicants: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., KEIHIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Hakoda, Hideto Hiramoto, Takao Ikenaga, Ryoichi Yoshitomi
  • Publication number: 20140086789
    Abstract: An aluminum alloy for a vehicle has the composition including, by weight %, 0.5% or less of Fe, 0.2% or less of Mn, Si, and Cu with the balance being Al and unavoidable impurities, wherein dendrite arm spacing is 45 ?m or less, and a size of an intermetallic compound is 150 ?m or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Agata, Kyo Takahashi, Toshimitsu Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20140084879
    Abstract: A connection switch control part that, within a voltage change period where an applied voltage to an inverter can be changed by repeatedly and alternately switching to a serial state where a first power supply and a second power supply are connected in series to the inverter and to a parallel state where the first power supply and the second power supply are connected in parallel to the inverter, provides: a first period during which current of either one of the first power supply and the second power supply changes with an increasing trend, and current of the other one changes with a decreasing trend; and a second period during which current of one of the power supplies changes with a decreasing trend and current of the other power supply changes with an increasing trend.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Manabu Kurokawa, Toshihiro Sone
  • Publication number: 20140087280
    Abstract: A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell module and a control device. The control device includes a partial oxidation reformer adjuster, a combustion starter, and a power generator. Based on at least any of the reforming state in the partial oxidation reformer, the combustion state in the exhaust gas combustor and the temperature of the fuel cell stack, the partial oxidation reformer adjuster adjusts the temperature of the partial oxidation reformer, the supply amount of raw fuel, and the supply amount of oxygen-containing gas, the combustion starter starts combustion in the exhaust gas combustor, and the power generator starts power generation in the fuel cell stack.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Ogawa, Ayatoshi Yokokawa
  • Publication number: 20140087608
    Abstract: A prop shaft holder for an outboard motor includes a forward end for engaging a gear casing of the outboard motor and a rearward end axially spaced apart from the forward end. The rearward end includes an inner radial surface for engaging an outer radial surface of a propeller. The prop shaft holder further includes a tapered surface extending from the forward end to the rearward end. The tapered surface includes a surface feature for inducing turbulent flow to water passing thereover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chad Nere, Marcus Clements
  • Publication number: 20140083228
    Abstract: A shift drum structure for a drum-type transmission in which a shift fork moving on a shift fork shaft in an axial direction while guided by a guide groove in response to a turn of a shift drum, changes speeds by sliding a shifter member on a transmission driving shaft pivotally supporting a transmission gear, the shift drum. The shift drum includes a cylindrical drum main body and drum spindles projecting outward from drum end walls on the respective two sides of the drum main body, and the guide groove formed in an outer peripheral surface of the drum main body in a circumferential direction, wherein in the shift drum, a work groove is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the drum main body from one end surface to an opposite end surface of the drum main body, or to the guide groove near the opposite end surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD
    Inventors: Toshimasa Mitsubori, Seiji Hamaoka, Hiromi Sumi, Kazuhiro Norita, Yasushi Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20140083790
    Abstract: A four-wheeled vehicle is provided which increases and secures the volume of an air cleaner while avoiding increase in the number of components and reducing the influence of the air cleaner on other components. The vehicle is equipped with a driver seat and a passenger seat arranged on a vehicle body frame side by side in the vehicle width direction, and is equipped with an engine disposed on the vehicle body frame substantially at the center in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. An air cleaner, constituting a part of an intake device of the engine and formed in an elongated shape in the vehicle width direction, is disposed between the driver seat and the passenger seat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD
    Inventors: Takaaki Shomura, Tadashi Oshima
  • Patent number: 8678485
    Abstract: A lower frame and an upper frame, which configure a main frame, are connected to each other by a first reinforcing frame, a second reinforcing frame, a third reinforcing frame, a fourth reinforcing frame, a fifth reinforcing frame, and a sixth reinforcing frame. A first engine hanger is welded to a lower end of the lower frame such that an atmospheric air communicating hole formed in a side face of the first engine hanger communicates with the inside of the lower frame. A first air vent port and a second air vent port for the lower frame and the upper frame and third air vent port formed in a third reinforcing frame and a fourth reinforcing frame are formed in side faces of the abutting portions so that they are not observed from the outside.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kishikawa Keisuke, Masashi Hagimoto
  • Patent number: 8681221
    Abstract: A vehicular image processing device is provided with a kernel setting unit which sets a plurality of smoothing kernels which have a width supposed to be between the width of the lane mark and that of the road to the image acquired from a photographing unit, a smoothing unit which smoothes the acquired image by filtering using the set smoothing kernels, a variation degree calculating unit which calculates the variation degree of the pixel value of each pixel in the acquired image with respect to the smoothed image, and a pixel value replacing unit which replaces the pixel value of a pixel which is of the acquired image and has the variation degree not greater than a predefined value with a specific value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yosuke Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 8677860
    Abstract: A transmission is provided in which gears (31 to 34) of a first gear group provided on a first auxiliary input shaft (13) to which driving force of a main input shaft (12) is transmitted via a first clutch (24) and gears (37 to 39) of a second gear group provided on a second auxiliary input shaft (14) to which the driving force of the main input shaft (12) is transmitted via an idle gear (17 to 19) and a second clutch (25) use in common gears (43 to 46) of a third gear group provided on an output shaft (16), whereby it becomes possible to cut the number of components and reduce the dimensions of the transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Hisato Nishida, Kazuma Hatakeyama, Akira Fujimura, Shuichi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 8678454
    Abstract: A front vehicle body structure includes a bumper face that extends in a vehicle width direction and a license base that is formed separately from the bumper face and fixed to the bumper face. The license base includes a main body which allows a license plate to be attached to a front surface thereof, a leg portion that extends rearward from a rear surface of the main body, and a hinge portion that extends downward from a rear end of the leg portion and is capable of being bent upward. The license base is fixed to the bumper face by engaging the hinge portion that has been bent upward with the bumper face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Ryota Abe, Shun Ueno
  • Patent number: 8679305
    Abstract: A high-pressure hydrogen producing apparatus includes a cell device and a piston member. The piston member is to apply a pressing force to the cell device from an end of the piston member in a stacking direction in which unit cells are stacked. The piston member is provided with a first hydrogen passage, at least one second hydrogen passage, and a hydrogen lead-out passage. The first hydrogen passage and the second hydrogen passage are spaced at substantially equal angular intervals on a virtual circle centered on a center of an end face of the piston member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Nakazawa, Hiroyuki Ishikawa, Yuji Yamakawa
  • Patent number: 8681136
    Abstract: A vehicle display apparatus includes a first indicator, a second indicator, and an illuminance detector. The illuminance detector is configured detect illuminance outside a vehicle. Display luminance of the second indicator is capable of being changed in a specific luminance range in accordance with the illuminance outside the vehicle detected by the illuminance detector irrespective of daytime or nighttime. A luminance setting device is configured to set the specific luminance range. A controller is configured to increase or decrease the display luminance of the second indicator at least in a portion of the specific luminance range set by the luminance setting device based on display luminance for each of daytime and nighttime of the first indicator set by the luminance setting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masatoshi Kubota
  • Patent number: 8678973
    Abstract: An automatic transmission includes an input shaft, a first planetary gear mechanism, a second planetary gear mechanism, a third planetary gear mechanism, a fourth planetary gear mechanism, a first engagement device, a second engagement device, a third engagement device, a fourth engagement device, a fifth engagement device, a sixth engagement device, and a seventh engagement device. Ten forward gears of the automatic transmission are established by bringing at least three of the first to seventh engagement devices into the engagement state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Iizuka, Soichi Sugino
  • Patent number: 8682532
    Abstract: A method for controlling a vehicle comprises operating at least one friction control device in a first friction mode, said at least one friction control device comprising one of a suspension damper, a lower control arm ball joint, a strut bearing, a steering rack guide, and an outer tie rod ball joint. The method further comprises changing operation of said at least one friction control device from the first friction mode to a second friction mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jinghong Yu
  • Patent number: 8682567
    Abstract: An intake air control apparatus for an internal-combustion engine includes an intake air adjusting device. An operating mode determination device is configured to determine whether the internal-combustion engine is in a predetermined high rotation speed and high load operation mode in which cooling is required by increasing an amount of fuel. An intake air reduction controller is configured to, if the operating mode determination device determines that the internal-combustion engine is in the predetermined high rotation speed and high load operation mode, control the intake air adjusting device so that an intake air amount is reduced in accordance with a rotation speed of the internal-combustion engine and an ignition timing in order to restrict a fuel injection quantity to be injected from a fuel injection valve so that the fuel injection quantity does not exceed a maximum fueling rate of the fuel injection valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Futoshi Nishioka, Hideharu Takamiya, Masayoshi Nishino
  • Patent number: 8677692
    Abstract: A cover for an automatic vehicle door latch. The cover comprises a first wall having a free top and bottom edge, and a second edge intersecting an edge of a second wall. The second wall also includes top, free and bottom edges, wherein the bottom and top edge of the first and second walls are contiguous. The first and second walls are angled relative to one another at the intersecting edges. A top ridge protrudes from the walls adjacent the top edges, and a second ridge protrudes from the wall between the top and bottom ridges such that the top ridge and the second ridge define a channel therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Steven R. Thiele, Aaron R. Kerestan, Andrew Philip Dean
  • Patent number: 8682536
    Abstract: When an occupant's sight line detected by sight line detector is directed to any one of multiple onboard units (a side mirror, a rear view mirror, a navigation system, an in-vehicle phone, an air blowout port, and a meter panel), a controller allows the onboard unit, to which the sight line is directed, to be operable. Thus, the occupant can select the onboard unit, which the occupant wishes to operate, by the sight line without using the hand and further can operate the onboard unit by use of a common steering switch, thereby enhancing the convenience of operation. In addition, a corresponding one of pilot lamps notifies the occupant that the corresponding one of the onboard units, to which the sight line is directed, is operable. Accordingly, the occupant can avoid operating a wrong onboard unit while reliably recognizing the operable onboard unit even if the multiple onboard units are arranged close to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akio Takahashi, Shinsuke Ueda