Patents by Inventor Kazuhiko Kitano

Kazuhiko Kitano 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).

  • Publication number: 20130228965
    Abstract: A sheet discharging device includes a shift tray 202 on which a sheet P1 is stacked, a discharging roller 6 that discharges a sheet P2 onto the shift tray 202, a blowing device 230 that sends air to a lower surface of the sheet P2 discharged by the discharging roller 6, a blocking member 231 that blocks air sent to the lower surface of the sheet P2 from a blowing port 230-2 of the blowing device 230, and a control unit that controls the blocking amount of the blocking member 231. The blocking amount is determined based upon sheet information including sheet-type information, sheet-size information, and sheet-thickness information, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Tomomichi HOSHINO, Masahiro TAMURA, Shuuya NAGASAKO, Tomohiro FURUHASHI, Keisuke SUGIYAMA, Kyosuke NAKADA, Kazuya YAMAMOTO, Akira KUNIEDA, Takahiro WATANABE, Junya SUZUKI, Kazunori KONNO, Youhei NIITSUMA, Takamasa MATSUMOTO, Kiichiro GOTO, Kazuhiko KITANO, Takashi FUKUMOTO, Yasuo NIIKURA, Satoru TAKANO, Hidetoshi KOJIMA, Kei SASAKI, Yasushi TSURUOKA, Shintaro MATSUMOTO, Ryo TAKAHASHI, Yuuta MORI, Kohjiroh HAGA
  • Patent number: 8306713
    Abstract: An in-gear oil pressure correcting section corrects engagement control oil pressure set up by an oil pressure supply control section over the entire range to be reduced by first predetermined pressure. An engagement determining section determines, on the basis of a torque converter slip ratio calculated by a calculating section, whether a frictional engagement element of a destination gear starts to engage or not. An addition correcting control section corrects the corrected engagement control oil pressure to add second predetermined pressure thereto in the case where engagement of the frictional engagement element has not been started yet when a timer measures first predetermined time. The addition correcting control section further corrects the corrected engagement control oil pressure to add third predetermined pressure thereto in the case where the engagement of the frictional engagement element has not been started yet when the timer measures second predetermined time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinsaku Mayumi, Kazuhiko Kitano, Yoshikazu Nemoto
  • Patent number: 8061463
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle comprises an engine 2, a motor generator 4, a torque converter 6 with a lock-up clutch 5, and a ratio-change mechanism 7. A control system for the hybrid vehicle comprises a rotational sensor 22, which detects the slip ratio of the torque converter, and a hydraulic control valve 12, which controls the engagement of the lock-up clutch. While the vehicle is moving along with the accelerator pedal being released from its stepped down condition, a driving force from the wheels is transmitted to the motor generator 4 for energy regeneration. If the slip ratio of the torque converter is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value, then only the lock-up clutch is controlled into engagement. However, if the slip ratio is between the first threshold value and a second threshold value, then additionally the motor generator is controlled in cooperative operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Masachika Kimura, Yasuhiro Ijichi, Yutaka Ishikawa, Takashi Horiguchi
  • Patent number: 7899587
    Abstract: A front and rear wheel drive vehicle having a front wheel pair and a rear wheel pair, one of which is driven with an engine and the other one of which is driven with a motor. The vehicle includes an engine driving force setting section which sets a target driving force of the engine based on driving conditions of the vehicle, a motor driving force setting section which sets a target driving force of the motor based on driving conditions of the vehicle and a control section of the motor in accordance with changes of the target engine driving force and the target motor driving force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tooru Nakasako, Kazuhiko Kitano, Toshihiko Fukuda, Takahiro Yonekura
  • Patent number: 7779958
    Abstract: A hydraulic pressurizer system (30) comprises a drive source (an engine 2 and a motor generator 4), which drives a hybrid vehicle (1), a mechanical oil pump (20), which is driven by the drive source, an electrical motor (22), which is activated by a 12V battery (24), an electrical oil pump (21), which is driven by the electrical motor (22), and a control unit (15), which activates the electrical motor (22). The pressurizer further comprises a ratio-change mechanism (7), which is activated by hydraulic oil supplied by the mechanical oil pump (20) and by the electrical oil pump (21) to establish a speed change ratio, at which the rotational driving force of the drive source is transmitted to wheels (8) with a rotational speed change. For executing a control for stopping the drive source, the control unit (15) executes a cleaning operation, which operates the electrical oil pump (21) for a predetermined time before the stopping of the drive source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Osahide Miyamoto, Tomohisa Kaneda
  • Patent number: 7774108
    Abstract: A front and rear wheel drive vehicle having a front wheel pair and a rear wheel pair, one of which is driven with an engine and the other one of which is driven with a motor. The vehicle includes an engine driving force setting section which sets a target driving force of the engine based on driving conditions of the vehicle, a motor driving force setting section which sets a target driving force of the motor based on driving conditions of the vehicle and a control section of the motor in accordance with changes of the target engine driving force and the target motor driving force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tooru Nakasako, Kazuhiko Kitano, Toshihiko Fukuda, Takahiro Yonekura
  • Publication number: 20090294194
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle comprises an engine 2, a motor generator 4, a torque converter 6 with a lock-up clutch 5, and a ratio-change mechanism 7. A control system for the hybrid vehicle comprises a rotational sensor 22, which detects the slip ratio of the torque converter, and a hydraulic control valve 12, which controls the engagement of the lock-up clutch. While the vehicle is moving along with the accelerator pedal being released from its stepped down condition, a driving force from the wheels is transmitted to the motor generator 4 for energy regeneration. If the slip ratio of the torque converter is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value, then only the lock-up clutch is controlled into engagement. However, if the slip ratio is between the first threshold value and a second threshold value, then additionally the motor generator is controlled in cooperative operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD
    Inventors: Kazuhiko KITANO, Masachika KIMURA, Yasuhiro IJICHI, Yutaka ISHIKAWA, Takashi HORIGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20090281699
    Abstract: An in-gear oil pressure correcting section corrects engagement control oil pressure set up by an oil pressure supply control section over the entire range to be reduced by first predetermined pressure. An engagement determining section determines, on the basis of a torque converter slip ratio calculated by a calculating section, whether a frictional engagement element of a destination gear starts to engage or not. An addition correcting control section corrects the corrected engagement control oil pressure to add second predetermined pressure thereto in the case where engagement of the frictional engagement element has not been started yet when a timer measures first predetermined time. The addition correcting control section further corrects the corrected engagement control oil pressure to add third predetermined pressure thereto in the case where the engagement of the frictional engagement element has not been started yet when the timer measures second predetermined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2009
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinsaku Mayumi, Kazuhiko Kitano, Yoshikazu Nemoto
  • Patent number: 7533743
    Abstract: A control device for a hybrid vehicle prevents a decrease in the total amount of regenerated energy in the entire vehicle while ensuring the stability of the vehicle when the vehicle decelerates. When the vehicle decelerates and regenerated energy is recovered by the regeneration operation of front motor and rear motor, the ECU sets the amount of regeneration, which is transferred from front wheels to rear wheels, depending on the steered angle of the front wheels and on the deceleration state of the vehicle. In addition, the ECU subtracts the amount of regeneration to be transferred from regeneration torque command value for rear wheels demanding from the rear motor, and adds the same amount of regeneration to regeneration torque command value for front wheels demanding from the front motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Tetsurou Hamada
  • Patent number: 7481053
    Abstract: A hydraulic pressurizer system comprises a drive source, which drives a hybrid vehicle, a mechanical oil pump, which is driven by the drive source, an electrical motor, which is activated by a 12V battery, an electrical oil pump, which is driven by the electrical motor, and a control unit, which activates the electrical motor. The pressurizer further comprises a ratio-change mechanism, which is activated by hydraulic oil supplied by the mechanical oil pump and by the electrical oil pump to establish a speed change ratio, at which the rotational driving force of the drive source is transmitted to wheels with a rotational speed change. The control unit memorizes a characteristic value, which is specified from the temperature of the hydraulic oil and from the rotational speed of the electrical motor, and a threshold value for the rotational speed of the electrical motor, which threshold value corresponds to the characteristic value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Osahide Miyamoto, Tomohisa Kaneda, Koichi Fushimi, Ryuichi Mori
  • Publication number: 20070173995
    Abstract: A front and rear wheel drive vehicle having a front wheel pair and a rear wheel pair, one of which is driven with an engine and the other one of which is driven with a motor. The vehicle includes an engine driving force setting section which sets a target driving force of the engine based on driving conditions of the vehicle, a motor driving force setting section which sets a target driving force of the motor based on driving conditions of the vehicle and a control section of the motor in accordance with changes of the target engine driving force and the target motor driving force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Publication date: July 26, 2007
    Inventors: Tooru Nakasako, Kazuhiko Kitano, Toshihiko Fukuda, Takahiro Yonekura
  • Patent number: 7059435
    Abstract: An object is to improve fuel consumption efficiency while maintaining a desired driving force. Accordingly, in a case where an assisting possibility of a motor M is increased accompanying a relatively high state of charge SOC of a battery (YES side in step S02), and moreover in a case where a required torque TQAPCC is less than a predetermined value (NO side in step S03 or YES side in step S04), a “1” is set to a flag value of an LC_ON assistance flag F_LCOAST, and in a region for an accelerator pedal opening AP, and a vehicle speed VP, a region which maintains an LC_ON state where a lock-up clutch 21 is in an engaged state is enlarged compared to for a normal state where the flag value of the LC_ON assistance flag F_LCOAST is “0”. In the LC_ON region enlarging state, it is determined whether or not it is possible to shift to the normal state, according to the state of charge SOC and the required torque TQAPCC (step S07 to step S09).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Niki, Masanobu Asakawa, Kohei Hanada, Minoru Suzuki, Toshitaka Hachiro, Kazuhiko Kitano
  • Publication number: 20060120876
    Abstract: A hydraulic pressurizer system 30 comprises a drive source (an engine 2 and a motor generator 4), which drives a hybrid vehicle 1, a mechanical oil pump 20, which is driven by the drive source, an electrical motor 22, which is activated by a 12V battery 24, an electrical oil pump 21, which is driven by the electrical motor 22, and a control unit 15, which activates the electrical motor 22. The pressurizer further comprises a ratio-change mechanism 7, which is activated by hydraulic oil supplied by the mechanical oil pump 20 and by the electrical oil pump 21 to establish a speed change ratio, at which the rotational driving force of the drive source is transmitted to wheels 8 with a rotational speed change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Publication date: June 8, 2006
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Osahide Miyamoto, Tomohisa Kaneda, Koichi Fushimi, Ryuichi Mori
  • Publication number: 20060120888
    Abstract: A hydraulic pressurizer system 30 comprises a drive source (an engine 2 and a motor generator 4), which drives a hybrid vehicle 1, a mechanical oil pump 20, which is driven by the drive source, an electrical motor 22, which is activated by a 12V battery 24, an electrical oil pump 21, which is driven by the electrical motor 22, and a control unit 15, which activates the electrical motor 22. The pressurizer further comprises a ratio-change mechanism 7, which is activated by hydraulic oil supplied by the mechanical oil pump 20 and by the electrical oil pump 21 to establish a speed change ratio, at which the rotational driving force of the drive source is transmitted to wheels 8 with a rotational speed change. For executing a control for stopping the drive source, the control unit 15 executes a cleaning operation, which operates the electrical oil pump 21 for a predetermined time before the stopping of the drive source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Publication date: June 8, 2006
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Osahide Miyamoto, Tomohisa Kaneda
  • Publication number: 20060108163
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle comprises an engine 2, a motor generator 4, a torque converter 6 with a lock-up clutch 5, and a ratio-change mechanism 7. A control system for the hybrid vehicle comprises a rotational sensor 22, which detects the slip ratio of the torque converter, and a hydraulic control valve 12, which controls the engagement of the lock-up clutch. While the vehicle is moving along with the accelerator pedal being released from its stepped down condition, a driving force from the wheels is transmitted to the motor generator 4 for energy regeneration. If the slip ratio of the torque converter is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value, then only the lock-up clutch is controlled into engagement. However, if the slip ratio is between the first threshold value and a second threshold value, then additionally the motor generator is controlled in cooperative operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Masachika Kimura, Yasuhiro Ijichi, Yutaka Ishikawa, Takashi Horiguchi
  • Patent number: 6913558
    Abstract: An engine stop and start control system for securing a normal line pressure in a hydraulic circuit of the transmission. The system has an engine as a power source for driving the vehicle; a transmission; a mechanical oil pump, operated by the power produced by the engine, for supplying oil pressure to the transmission; an automatic engine stopping and starting section for automatically stopping the engine under predetermined stopping conditions and automatically starting the engine under predetermined starting conditions; and an electric oil pump operated when the predetermined stopping conditions are satisfied, so as to supply the oil pressure to the transmission. The automatic engine stopping and starting section has a control section for prohibiting the automatic engine stop when the line pressure in a hydraulic circuit for supplying oil pressure to the transmission is equal to or lower than a predetermined value while the engine is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryuichi Mori, Kazuhiko Kitano, Koichi Fushimi, Hiroyuki Okajima
  • Patent number: 6846265
    Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle, power is transmitted via a torque converter provided with a lock-up clutch, and a force input through wheels during deceleration is transmitted to the motor via the torque converter so that a regenerative operation may be carried out by the motor to convert deceleration energy into regenerative energy. The hybrid vehicle includes a throttle opening degree detection unit which detects an opening degree of the throttle; a lock-up clutch engaging state determination unit which determines an engaged state of the lock-up clutch; and a lock-up clutch engagement control unit which controls an engagement of the lock-up clutch. The lock-up clutch engagement control unit, if the throttle opening degree detection unit detects a completely closed state of the throttle, controls the lock-up clutch so as to be engaged regardless of an engaged state of the lock-up clutch determined by the lock-up clutch engaging state determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Kazuhiko Kitano, Yutaka Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 6840889
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle controls a motor-driven pump at an appropriate timing when an internal combustion engine is stopped or starts. An ECU of the control device comprises an operation determination section which determines whether or not the motor-driven pump is operated depending on the value of an idling stop flag that makes the internal combustion engine stop, depending on a measured value output from an oil pressure sensor for measuring oil pressure in oil lines providing operation oil to a torque converter and a transmission, and depending on a measured value output from an oil temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the operation oil; and a target electrical current calculation section for calculating a target value of electrical current to be supplied during the operation of the motor-driven oil pump depending on the determination result by the operation determination section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Aoki, Kazuhiko Kitano
  • Publication number: 20050003928
    Abstract: t An object is to improve fuel consumption efficiency while maintaining a desired driving force. Accordingly, in a case where an assisting possibility of a motor M is increased accompanying a relatively high state of charge SOC of a battery (YES side in step S02), and moreover in a case where a required torque TQAPCC is less than a predetermined value (NO side in step S03 or YES side in step S04), a “1” is set to a flag value of an LC_ON assistance flag F_LCOAST, and in a region for an accelerator pedal opening AP, and a vehicle speed VP, a region which maintains an LC_ON state where a lock-up clutch 21 is in an engaged state is enlarged compared to for a normal state where the flag value of the LC_ON assistance flag F_LCOAST is “0”. In the LC_ON region enlarging state, it is determined whether or not it is possible to shift to the normal state, according to the state of charge SOC and the required torque TQAPCC (step S07 to step S09).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Publication date: January 6, 2005
    Inventors: Manabu Niki, Masanobu Asakawa, Kohei Hanada, Minoru Suzuki, Toshitaka Hachiro, Kazuhiko Kitano
  • Patent number: 6835160
    Abstract: A control device for a hybrid vehicle is described which enables preventing a decrease in the efficiency of regeneration even when the revolution rate of an internal combustion engine is decreased during deceleration of the vehicle. The control device for a hybrid vehicle comprises an internal combustion engine and a motor connected in series with respect to each other, a torque converter which is connected to the rotational axis of the motor and which is provided with a lockup clutch, a transmission, a mechanical oil pump producing oil pressure for controllably operating the torque converter and the transmission, a motor-driven oil pump producing oil pressure for controllably operating the lockup clutch, and an ECU. The ECU operates the motor-driven oil pump depending on the deceleration state of the vehicle, and sets the lockup clutch in an engaged state. A method for operating the concerned control device is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Kazuhisa Yamamoto