Patents by Inventor Koji Kuriyagawa

Koji Kuriyagawa 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: 10390482
    Abstract: The power equipment such as a lawn mower (10) comprises an internal combustion engine (100) having a plurality of cylinders, an engine control unit (110) for selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders, a work implement such as a cutting blade (70) connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship, a clutch (80) provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the work implement, and a central control unit (50) for controlling an operation of a propelling device, the clutch and the engine control unit. The central control unit is configured to operate the engine at a prescribed rotational speed with two or more of the cylinders kept activated when the clutch is engaged and the propelling device is propelling the power equipment forward, and to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when an opening of a throttle valve is below a first prescribed value for a prescribed time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Norikazu Shimizu, Shota Tanabe, Tomohiro Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 10306828
    Abstract: The lawn mower (10) comprises an internal combustion engine (100) having a plurality of cylinders, an engine control unit (110) for selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders, a cutting blade (70) supported by a lawn mower main body via a cutter deck, and connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship, a clutch (80) provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the cutting blade, a height adjustment mechanism (90) provided on the cutter deck for adjusting the height of the cutting blade, and a central control unit (50) for controlling an operation of the height adjusting mechanism, the clutch and the engine control unit. The central control unit is configured to cause the engine control unit to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when a prescribed operating condition is met, and to raise the cutting blade to a prescribed elevated height before deactivating the at least one of the cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Norikazu Shimizu, Shota Tanabe, Tomohiro Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 10292326
    Abstract: In a mower (10) driven by a pair of electric motors (15), a battery (16) for supplying electric power to the electric motors is positioned in a space surrounded by the electric motors and a chute (30) for forwarding grass clippings to a grass collection bag (23). The chute extends rearward with an upward slant, and is bent in side view in such a manner that a lower part has a steeper incline than an upper part thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shota Tanabe, Koji Kuriyagawa, Satoshi Onodera, Hajime Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 10219437
    Abstract: The power equipment such as a lawn mower (10) comprises an internal combustion engine (100) having a plurality of cylinders, an engine control unit (110) for selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders, a work implement such as a cutting blade (70) connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship, a clutch (80) provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the work implement, and a central control unit (50) for controlling an operation of a propelling device, the clutch and the engine control unit. The central control unit is configured to start the engine with two or more of the cylinders activated, to cause the engine control unit to operate the engine at a prescribed rotational speed, and to cause the engine control unit to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when the engine has reached a stable state at the prescribed rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Norikazu Shimizu, Shota Tanabe, Tomohiro Miyauchi
  • Patent number: 10149432
    Abstract: In a mower (10) driven by a pair of electric motors (15) and using an engine (14) for driving a cutter blade (22), a fuel tank (16) for supplying fuel to the engine is positioned in a space surrounded by the electric motors and a chute (30) for forwarding grass clippings to a grass collection bag (23). The chute extends rearward with an upward slant, and is bent in side view in such a manner that a lower part has a steeper incline than an upper part thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shota Tanabe, Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Satoshi Onodera
  • Patent number: 10091931
    Abstract: A lawn mower includes a hollow shaft, a cutter blade, flaps, a belt type continuously variable transmission, and a transmission mechanism. The cutter blade extends along a horizontal line which is perpendicular to the hollow shaft. The flaps are provided for the cutter blade. Each of the flaps has a flap angle changeable along the horizontal line. A control force converter unit of the belt type continuously variable transmission converts a displacement force of the movable sheave relative to the fixed sheave in an axial direction into a control force that controls the flap angle of the flaps. The transmission mechanism is accommodated inside the hollow shaft, and transmits the control force to the flaps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hajime Yoshimura, Koji Kuriyagawa, Satoshi Onodera
  • Patent number: 10085380
    Abstract: A lawn mower includes a housing, a drive source, flaps, a grass clippings container, a grass clippings container weight detection unit, an internal pressure detection unit, and a control unit. If it is determined that a first condition where a change amount per predetermined fixed time of the weight detected by the grass clippings container weight detection unit is below a weight change amount reference value and a second condition where a change amount per predetermined fixed time of the internal pressure detected by the internal pressure detection unit has increased to a internal pressure change amount reference value, are satisfied, the control unit implements control to place the flaps in a substantially horizontal state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 10070581
    Abstract: A control unit of a lawn mower performs switching control for switching operation between a first control mode and a second mode. In the first control mode, during rotation of an engine at a first reference rotation speed, in the case where a change amount of rotation speed of the engine per unit time has exceeded a reference speed change amount, the rotation speed is maintained at a second reference rotation speed, and an flap angle is increased. In the second control mode, during rotation of the engine at a second reference rotation speed, in the case where an opening angle of a throttle valve has fallen below a reference opening angle, the rotation speed is maintained at the first reference rotation speed, and the flap angle is decreased. The second reference rotation speed is higher than the first reference rotation speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 10070580
    Abstract: A lawn mower includes a drive source for driving a cutter blade through a rotation shaft, a flap provided for the cutter blade in a manner that the flaps have a flap angle changeable along a horizontal line which is perpendicular to the rotation shaft, an actuator for controlling the flap angle of the flaps, a control unit for controlling the actuator, and a blade switching unit for switching the cutter blade between an operation state and a stop state. When the control unit determines that a stop switch signal has been received from the blade switching unit, the control unit controls the actuator to increase the flap angle of the flaps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 10070578
    Abstract: A lawn mower includes a drive source for driving a cutter blade, flaps, a grass clippings container, a grass clippings container weight detection unit, a travel distance detection unit, and a control unit. The control unit determines a change amount of weight of the grass clippings container detected by the grass clippings container weight detection unit over the elapsed time period from the time when detection of travel distance of the lawn mower is started by the travel distance detection unit to the time when travel of predetermined distance is completed, and implements control in a manner that the rotation speed of the drive source and the flap angle of the flaps are adjusted in accordance with the change amount of the weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 10070584
    Abstract: A lawn mower includes a housing with an opened bottom, a hollow shaft extending in a vertical direction of the housing and including a lower end positioned within the housing, a cutter blade, flaps provided for at least part of the cutter blade in a manner that the flaps have a flap angle changeable along a horizontal line, an actuator for outputting an output to control the flap angle of the flap, and a transmission mechanism accommodated in the hollow shaft for transmitting the output of the actuator to the flaps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 10070579
    Abstract: A lawn mower includes a housing having an opened bottom, a drive source for driving the cutter blade in the housing, a flap provided for the cutter blade in a manner that the flap has a changeable flap angle, a grass clippings container storing cut lawn grass, a grass clippings container weight detection unit for detecting weight of the grass clippings container, and a control unit. The control unit controls at least one of the rotational speed of the drive source and the flap angle of the flap in correspondence with the weight detected by the grass clippings container weight detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura
  • Publication number: 20180177128
    Abstract: A lawn mower contains: a work unit including a housing having a downward-facing opening and a cutter blade rotatably provided in the housing such that when rotated, the cutter blade cuts grass and generates a transport air flow flowing from the opening of the housing to inside; a grass clippings receptacle configured to receive grass clippings cut by the work unit; a grass clippings transport passage connecting an interior of the housing with the grass clippings receptacle; a shutter device including a shutter configured to selectively open and close the grass clippings transport passage and an actuator configured to drive the shutter; a controller configured to control the shutter device; and a pressure sensor provided in the grass clippings transport passage to detect a pressure in the grass clippings transport passage, wherein the controller is configured to control the shutter device in accordance with the pressure detected by the pressure sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Shota Tanabe
  • Publication number: 20180177124
    Abstract: A cutter blade of a lawn mower includes a blade body and flaps. The blade body includes a shape with a sweepback angle inclined in a reverse-rotation direction of the cutter blade. The flap pivotal axis is provided along a blade edge without intersecting with a blade rotational axis. A flap pivotal axis is provided at a position offset from a line perpendicular to the blade rotational axis and in parallel to the pivotal axis, in a rotation direction of the cutter blade.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Publication date: June 28, 2018
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Tomoki Ito, Hideaki Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20180148089
    Abstract: Power equipment such as a riding mower 2 is provided with a center pivot axle 16 for non-driven wheels 9 thereof and a rigid axle 14 for driven wheels 8. A control unit 1 of the power equipment is configured to accelerate the left driven wheel when a right end up roll angle of the center pivot axle is detected by an axle sensor 25, and to accelerate the right driven wheel when a left end up roll angle of the center pivot axle is detected by the axle sensor when substantially no steering input of a steering device 22 is detected by a steering sensor 24 so that the power equipment may maintain a straight course.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Norikazu Shimizu, Shota Tanabe
  • Publication number: 20180146615
    Abstract: In a mower provided with a center pivot axle 12, a control unit 1 controls a height adjusting mechanism 19 for a mowing unit 16 so that a grass cutting height is increased from an initial level when an absolute value of a roll angle of the center pivot axle relative to a vehicle body has exceeded a first roll angle threshold value. A cutting blade 21 is stopped when the absolute value of the roll angle has exceeded a fourth roll angle threshold value which is greater than the first roll angle threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Norikazu Shimizu, Shota Tanabe
  • Publication number: 20170265384
    Abstract: In a mower (10) driven by a pair of electric motors (15) and using an engine (14) for driving a cutter blade (22), a fuel tank (16) for supplying fuel to the engine is positioned in a space surrounded by the electric motors and a chute (30) for forwarding grass clippings to a grass collection bag (23). The chute extends rearward with an upward slant, and is bent in side view in such a manner that a lower part has a steeper incline than an upper part thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Shota Tanabe, Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Satoshi Onodera
  • Publication number: 20170265387
    Abstract: In a mower (10) driven by a pair of electric motors (15), a battery (16) for supplying electric power to the electric motors is positioned in a space surrounded by the electric motors and a chute (30) for forwarding grass clippings to a grass collection bag (23). The chute extends rearward with an upward slant, and is bent in side view in such a manner that a lower part has a steeper incline than an upper part thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Shota Tanabe, Koji Kuriyagawa, Satoshi Onodera, Hajime Yoshimura
  • Publication number: 20170265381
    Abstract: The power equipment such as a lawn mower (10) comprises an internal combustion engine (100) having a plurality of cylinders, an engine control unit (110) for selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders, a work implement such as a cutting blade (70) connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship, a clutch (80) provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the work implement, and a central control unit (50) for controlling an operation of a propelling device, the clutch and the engine control unit. The central control unit is configured to operate the engine at a prescribed rotational speed with two or more of the cylinders kept activated when the clutch is engaged and the propelling device is propelling the power equipment forward, and to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when an opening of a throttle valve is below a first prescribed value for a prescribed time period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Norikazu Shimizu, Shota Tanabe, Tomohiro Miyauchi
  • Publication number: 20170265395
    Abstract: The power equipment such as a lawn mower (10) comprises an internal combustion engine (100) having a plurality of cylinders, an engine control unit (110) for selectively deactivating at least one of the cylinders, a work implement such as a cutting blade (70) connected to the engine in a power transmitting relationship, a clutch (80) provided in a power transmission path between the engine and the work implement, and a central control unit (50) for controlling an operation of a propelling device, the clutch and the engine control unit. The central control unit is configured to start the engine with two or more of the cylinders activated, to cause the engine control unit to operate the engine at a prescribed rotational speed, and to cause the engine control unit to deactivate at least one of the cylinders when the engine has reached a stable state at the prescribed rotational speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Inventors: Koji Kuriyagawa, Hajime Yoshimura, Norikazu Shimizu, Shota Tanabe, Tomohiro Miyauchi