Patents by Inventor Masahiro Funato

Masahiro Funato 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: 7195580
    Abstract: A vehicle control system which is capable of performing a quick decelerating operation in all vehicle speed regions and setting a direct region where power from an engine is transmitted through a mechanical transmission unit only in a hydro-mechanical transmission. The vehicle control system includes an engine and a hydro-mechanical transmission and is designed to set a tractive force-vehicle speed characteristic corresponding to the direct region where power transmission from the input shaft to the intermediate output shaft of the hydro-mechanical transmission is done by the mechanical transmission unit alone in a specified engine speed region. An engine control system controls the engine and a decelerator outputs a deceleration command according to an operating amount thereof. The engine control system controls the engine to reduce engine output torque corresponding to a specified engine speed region in response to the deceleration command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Funato, Toshikazu Okada, Shigeru Yamamoto, Tomohiro Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 7121970
    Abstract: A variable relief valve is inserted in a hydraulic piping for connecting a first pump/motor to a second pump/motor. The variable relief valve is controlled such that when shifting the transmission from forward to reverse or vice versa, a relief set pressure of the variable relief valve is reduced in response to switching of a forward/reverse shifting clutch mechanism and after completion of the switching of the forward/reverse shifting clutch mechanism, the relief set value is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2006
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Funato, Toshikazu Okada, Shigeru Yamamoto, Tomohiro Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 6937931
    Abstract: A vehicle control system having an engine and a hydro-mechanical transmission, which further comprises a decelerator for changing target engine speed according to the operating amount of a decelerator pedal; a hydrostatic transmission unit controlling means for controlling a hydrostatic transmission unit so as to make the actual speed of the engine coincident with the target engine speed; and engine controlling means for controlling the engine such that if the target engine speed is changed from a first target value to a second target value lower than the first target value by the decelerator, the output torque of the engine is reduced, while keeping the ratio of the amount of change in the output torque of the engine to the amount of change in the target engine speed constant or substantially constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Funato, Toshikazu Okada, Shigeru Yamamoto, Tomohiro Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20050101436
    Abstract: A vehicle control system is disclosed which is capable of performing quick decelerating operation in all vehicle speed regions and setting a direct region where power from an engine is transmitted through a mechanical transmission unit only in a hydro-mechanical transmission. In the vehicle control system which has an engine and a hydro-mechanical transmission and is designed to set a tractive force-vehicle speed characteristic corresponding to the direct region where power transmission from the input shaft to the intermediate output shaft of the hydro-mechanical transmission is done by the mechanical transmission unit alone in a specified engine speed region, there are provided an engine control system for controlling the engine and a decelerator for outputting a deceleration command according to its operating amount. The engine control system controls the engine so as to reduce engine output torque corresponding to a specified engine speed region in response to a deceleration command from the decelerator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2004
    Publication date: May 12, 2005
    Applicant: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro Funato, Toshikazu Okada, Shigeru Yamamoto, Tomohiro Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20050071068
    Abstract: A vehicle control system having an engine and a hydro-mechanical transmission, which further comprises a decelerator for changing target engine speed according to the operating amount of a decelerator pedal; a hydrostatic transmission unit controlling means for controlling a hydrostatic transmission unit so as to make the actual speed of the engine coincident with the target engine speed; and engine controlling means for controlling the engine such that if the target engine speed is changed from a first target value to a second target value lower than the first target value by the decelerator, the output torque of the engine is reduced, while keeping the ratio of the amount of change in the output torque of the engine to the amount of change in the target engine speed constant or substantially constant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Publication date: March 31, 2005
    Applicant: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro Funato, Toshikazu Okada, Shigeru Yamamoto, Tomohiro Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20050059521
    Abstract: A variable relief valve is inserted in a hydraulic piping for connecting a first pump/motor to a second pump/motor. The variable relief valve is controlled such that when shifting the transmission from forward to reverse or vice versa, a relief set pressure of the variable relief valve is reduced in response to switching of a forward/reverse shifting clutch mechanism and after completion of the switching of the forward/reverse shifting clutch mechanism, the relief set value is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Publication date: March 17, 2005
    Applicant: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Masahiro Funato, Toshikazu Okada, Shigeru Yamamoto, Tomohiro Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 6250350
    Abstract: A method of impregnating wood with liquid puts the wood in a pressure vessel, immerses the wood in the liquid contained in the pressure vessel, pressurizes the liquid to compress the wood while keeping the temperature of the wood at or above the softening point of the wood, and reduces pressure in the pressure vessel so that the wood may cause volume relaxation in the liquid and be impregnated with the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Mywood Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Muraki, Masahiro Funato, Akiko Hoshino, Tamio Arakawa