Patents by Inventor Akira Minoura
Akira Minoura 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: 9469189Abstract: A work vehicle in which a cooling fan is arranged forward of an engine and an exhaust gas purification device is arranged rearward of the engine. An inlet-side exhaust passage connects an exhaust manifold and the exhaust gas purification device. An outlet-side exhaust passage connects the exhaust gas purification device and the exhaust end portion. A first exhaust passage is coupled to the exhaust gas purification device and passes over the exhaust gas purification device to reach beside a first end portion. A second exhaust passage is coupled to the first exhaust passage and extends in a transverse direction and below the exhaust gas purification device.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2015Date of Patent: October 18, 2016Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Akira Minoura, Kazuaki Nogami, Takahiro Shiraga, Hideya Umemoto
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Patent number: 9404814Abstract: An exhaust gas temperature detection sensor is arranged at a predetermined position outside a muffler, or at a predetermined position outside an exhaust pipe constituting an exhaust gas flow passage on a more downstream side than the muffler in an exhaust direction. The sensor detects that an atmosphere temperature at the predetermined position outside the muffler has reached a predetermined temperature based on an increase in a temperature inside the muffler, or detects that an atmosphere temperature at the predetermined position outside the exhaust pipe has reached a predetermined temperature based on an increase in a temperature of an exhaust gas inside the exhaust pipe.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2012Date of Patent: August 2, 2016Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Hiroyuki Tada, Masato Asahara, Yoshihiro Ueda, Hideki Aoki, Akira Minoura
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Publication number: 20160192585Abstract: The grass mower includes a front wheel unit having a left front wheel and a right front wheel which are mounted to a vehicle body frame, a rear wheel unit having a left rear wheel and a right rear wheel which are mounted to the vehicle body frame and a mower unit disposed between the front wheel unit and the rear wheel unit downwardly of the vehicle body frame, the mower unit including a rotary blade unit that has at least a left blade and a right blade which are disposed side by side in a vehicle body left/right direction. The rotary blade unit is configured such that a tread-on track of the left front wheel is overlapped with a rotation locus portion of the left blade from the front side to the rear side thereof and a tread-on track of the right front wheel is overlapped with a rotation locus portion of the right blade from the front side to the rear side thereof.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 27, 2015Publication date: July 7, 2016Inventors: Masaki Takaoka, Masato Asahara, Motosumi Shiotsuki, Hideki Aoki, Kazuaki Nogami, Akira Minoura
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Publication number: 20160193912Abstract: A work vehicle in which a cooling fan is arranged forward of an engine and an exhaust gas purification device is arranged rearward of the engine. An inlet-side exhaust passage connects an exhaust manifold and the exhaust gas purification device. An outlet-side exhaust passage connects the exhaust gas purification device and the exhaust end portion. A first exhaust passage is coupled to the exhaust gas purification device and passes over the exhaust gas purification device to reach beside a first end portion. A second exhaust passage is coupled to the first exhaust passage and extends in a transverse direction and below the exhaust gas purification device.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2015Publication date: July 7, 2016Applicant: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Akira MINOURA, Kazuaki NOGAMI, Takahiro SHIRAGA, Hideya UMEMOTO
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Publication number: 20160194989Abstract: A mower includes: a driver's seat provided to a vehicle frame. A transmission is arranged at least partially below the driver's seat. An engine arranged rearward of the transmission such that a bottom end of the engine is positioned higher than a bottom end of the transmission. An exhaust gas purification device is arranged rearward of the engine. An air cleaner is arranged forward of the exhaust gas purification device and above the engine. A radiator extends from an area between the transmission and the engine so as to project further upward than the air cleaner through an area between the driver's seat and the air cleaner.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2015Publication date: July 7, 2016Applicant: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Akira MINOURA, Kazuaki NOGAMI, Takahiro SHIRAGA, Hideya UMEMOTO, Seiya YOSHIDA, Hideki AOKI
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Publication number: 20160057924Abstract: A riding mower is provided with a front frame, a rear frame on which a drive unit is mounted, a rollover protective structure (ROPS). A first coupling part couples one front frame and one rear frame. A second coupling part couples a rear end of the front frame and a supporting column of the ROPS. A third coupling part couples the supporting column and the rear frame. The riding mower utilizes at least one triangular structural element defined in part by the first, second and third coupling parts.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2015Publication date: March 3, 2016Applicant: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Masato ASAHARA, Hideya UMEMOTO, Osami FUJIWARA, Hideki AOKI, Akira MINOURA, Yoshikazu TOGOSHI
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Patent number: 9125340Abstract: A ride-on lawn mower includes a traveling vehicle body including an operator's seat, and a wheel post for supporting a steering wheel mounted forward of the operator's seat. The lawn mower further includes a mower apparatus connected to a front part of the traveling vehicle body, a roll-over protective structure mounted in a rear part of the operator's seat, and a front guard extending upward from the wheel post and forward of the steering wheel.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2013Date of Patent: September 8, 2015Assignee: Kubota CorporationInventors: Hironori Tsuchihashi, Yoshikazu Togoshi, Takafumi Komatsu, Akira Minoura, Kazuaki Nogami, Kazutomo Miyaguchi, Eiji Satou, Yoshiyuki Esaki
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Publication number: 20150181803Abstract: A mid-mount mower has a mower unit mounted under a vehicle body between front wheels and rear wheels. The mower includes a lift link mechanism having a front link and a rear link, an intermediate structure interconnecting one end of the front link and one end of the rear link via a pivot axis, a blade housing having an engaged portion engageable with an engaging potion of the intermediate structure and a guide face configured to guide the engaging portion ad the engaged portion to an engaging position so as to establish connection between the blade housing placed on a ground surface and the intermediate structure in association with a movement of the vehicle body in a front/rear direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2014Publication date: July 2, 2015Inventors: Hiroyuki Tada, Akira Minoura, Takeshi Komorida, Azusa Furihata, Hiroshi Kawabata, Ryo Matsumoto
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Patent number: 9045171Abstract: A work vehicle includes a fixed hood covering a rear area of an engine compartment housing an engine and an engine accessory, a swing axis extending through the rear area of the engine compartment in a transverse direction of the vehicle, and a swing hood swinging around the swing axis between a closed position and an open position. The swing hood tucks the fixed hood inside the swing hood and thus covers the fixed hood in the open position, and covers a front area and a middle area of the engine compartment and overlaps with a front end portion of the fixed hood in the closed position.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2013Date of Patent: June 2, 2015Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuaki Nogami, Hiroyuki Tada, Yoshiyuki Esaki, Kazutomo Miyaguchi, Eiji Sato, Akira Minoura, Hironori Tsuchihashi, Osami Fujiwara, Seiya Yoshida
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Patent number: 8997914Abstract: A pump supplying reservoir oil reservoired in an input case to devices to be supplied with the reservoir oil and a filter for filtering the reservoir oil circulating in the input case are provided in the input case. A pump supplying reservoir oil in each of left and right axle cases to a hydraulic continuously variable transmission provided in each of the axle cases and a filter filtering the reservoir oil circulating in each of the left and right axle cases are provided in each of the left and right axle cases.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2012Date of Patent: April 7, 2015Assignee: Kubota CorporationInventors: Hideya Umemoto, Akira Minoura
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Patent number: 8960359Abstract: A work vehicle includes a cooling fan, an engine, and a diesel particulate filter (DPF) purifying exhaust gas of the engine, placed under a hood in that order, beginning at the front. Exhaust gas from the engine is exhausted through an exhaust passage after passing through the DPF. The cooling fan supplies cooling air to the rear. The DPF is placed such that a length direction thereof follows a width direction of a vehicle body. The exhaust passage includes a first passage, a second passage, and a third passage. The first passage extends forward and upward from the DPF before extending along the length direction thereof on a front side of the DPF. The second passage extends downward from a downstream portion of the first passage. The third passage extends to the rear from a downstream portion of the second passage and also includes an exhaust outlet.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2012Date of Patent: February 24, 2015Assignee: Kubota CorporationInventors: Kazuaki Nogami, Hironori Tsuchihashi, Takahiro Shiraga, Eiji Sato, Akira Minoura, Takafumi Komatsu
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Patent number: 8858073Abstract: An exhaust gas temperature detection sensor is arranged at a predetermined position outside a muffler, or at a predetermined position outside an exhaust pipe constituting an exhaust gas flow passage on a more downstream side than the muffler in an exhaust direction. The sensor detects that an atmosphere temperature at the predetermined position outside the muffler has reached a predetermined temperature based on an increase in a temperature inside the muffler, or detects that an atmosphere temperature at the predetermined position outside the exhaust pipe has reached a predetermined temperature based on an increase in a temperature of an exhaust gas inside the exhaust pipe.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2012Date of Patent: October 14, 2014Assignee: Kubota CorporationInventors: Hiroyuki Tada, Masato Asahara, Yoshihiro Ueda, Hideki Aoki, Akira Minoura
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Publication number: 20140237973Abstract: A ride-on lawn mower includes a traveling vehicle body including an operator's seat, and a wheel post for supporting a steering wheel mounted forward of the operator's seat. The lawn mower further includes a mower apparatus connected to a front part of the traveling vehicle body, a roll-over protective structure mounted in a rear part of the operator's seat, and a front guard extending upward from the wheel post and forward of the steering wheel.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2013Publication date: August 28, 2014Applicant: Kubota CorporationInventors: Hironori Tsuchihashi, Yoshikazu Togoshi, Takafumi Komatsu, Akira Minoura, Kazuaki Nogami, Kazutomo Miyaguchi, Eiji Satou, Yoshiyuki Esaki
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Publication number: 20140196428Abstract: Mower blade utilizes a blade portion formed on the blade main body and an air circulator portion formed on the blade main body and generating airflow via rotation centered around the vertically-oriented axis of the mower blade. The blade portion is arranged in a length-direction end portion of the blade main body and extends along a predetermined area in the length-direction. The air circulator portion is located opposite the blade portion in a width direction, has a rising upward portion, and extends along a predetermined area in the length-direction. A boundary portion is arranged between the blade main body and a rising upward portion of the air circulator portion has a portion inclined or angled with respect to the blade portion such that, beginning at the length-direction end portion, a distance between the boundary portion and the blade portion increases along the length-direction and moving toward the vertically-oriented axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2013Publication date: July 17, 2014Applicant: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Motosumi SHIOTSUKI, Akira MINOURA, Kazuo KOIKE, Hirokazu ITO
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Publication number: 20140157747Abstract: There is provided a mower in which a guide member does not easily protrude on the side of the mower, and a grass mowing machine including the same. A mower for discharging mowed grasses from a discharge port provided in a side part of a mower deck to an exterior of the mower deck includes a flexible rubber sheet formed in a flat plate shape, a pivot frame, support frames, and a pivot shaft for attaching the rubber sheet to the mower deck oscillatably in the up and down direction, and fixing clips for fixing the rubber sheet to the mower deck in a state that the rubber sheet is bent into a shape capable of guiding the mowed grasses discharged from the discharge port.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 20, 2013Publication date: June 12, 2014Applicant: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Yusuke SHOJI, Satoshi OGATA, Akira MINOURA
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Publication number: 20140014429Abstract: A work vehicle includes a fixed hood covering a rear area of an engine compartment housing an engine and an engine accessory, a swing axis extending through the rear area of the engine compartment in a transverse direction of the vehicle, and a swing hood swinging around the swing axis between a closed position and an open position. The swing hood tucks the fixed hood inside the swing hood and thus covers the fixed hood in the open position, and covers a front area and a middle area of the engine compartment and overlaps with a front end portion of the fixed hood in the closed position.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 1, 2013Publication date: January 16, 2014Applicant: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuaki NOGAMI, Hiroyuki TADA, Yoshiyuki ESAKI, Kazutomo MIYAGUCHI, Eiji SATO, Akira MINOURA, Hironori TSUCHIHASHI, Osami FUJIWARA, Seiya YOSHIDA
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Patent number: 8567166Abstract: A spring support body is slidably supported on a support portion provided to a connecting member connected to a link mechanism, the spring support body supporting a side of a tension spring opposite to the side connecting the tension spring to a tension wheel body, the tension spring biasing the tension wheel body to a tension position, the tension wheel body being freely movable between a tension position and a tension release position. An operation tool slides the spring support body between the tension side and the loosened side of the tension spring, the operation tool being connected to the spring support body by being disposed such that the operation tool is positioned on a lateral exterior side of a cutting blade housing with respect to the connecting member.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2012Date of Patent: October 29, 2013Assignee: Kubota CorporationInventors: Akira Minoura, Akihito Sugio, Yoshikazu Togoshi, Eiji Sato
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Publication number: 20130256054Abstract: A work vehicle includes a cooling fan, an engine, and a diesel particulate filter (DPF) purifying exhaust gas of the engine, placed under a hood in that order, beginning at the front. Exhaust gas from the engine is exhausted through an exhaust passage after passing through the DPF. The cooling fan supplies cooling air to the rear. The DPF is placed such that a length direction thereof follows a width direction of a vehicle body. The exhaust passage includes a first passage, a second passage, and a third passage. The first passage extends forward and upward from the DPF before extending along the length direction thereof on a front side of the DPF. The second passage extends downward from a downstream portion of the first passage. The third passage extends to the rear from a downstream portion of the second passage and also includes an exhaust outlet.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2012Publication date: October 3, 2013Applicant: KUBOTA CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuaki NOGAMI, Hironori TSUCHIHASHI, Takahiro SHIRAGA, Eiji SATO, Akira MINOURA, Takafumi KOMATSU
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Patent number: 8523231Abstract: A riding mower includes a pair of right and left front wheels; a pair of right and left rear wheels; a driver's seat provided between the rear wheels and the front wheels; an engine provided in the rear of the driver's seat; and a mower provided under the driver's seat. The riding mower is capable of being mounted with a fuel gas cylinder sideways on a side of the engine in which an operation section of the fuel gas cylinder faces backward. The riding mower further includes a guard member that is opposed to a rear surface of the fuel gas cylinder and is switchable between a protection position to cover the rear side of the operation section and an open position to open the rear surface of the fuel gas cylinder.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2011Date of Patent: September 3, 2013Assignee: Kubota CorporationInventors: Hiroyuki Tada, Yoshikazu Togoshi, Kazuaki Nogami, Akira Minoura
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Patent number: D693373Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2013Date of Patent: November 12, 2013Assignee: Kubota CorporationInventors: Motosumi Shiotsuki, Akira Minoura, Kazuo Koike, Hirokazu Ito