Patents by Inventor Minoru Hotta

Minoru Hotta 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: 11619566
    Abstract: A straddled vehicle engine unit including an internal combustion engine and a misfire detection device. The misfire detection device includes a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquisition unit and a misfire determination unit. The misfire determination unit includes first to third determination units. The first determination unit determines whether or not the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquired by the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquisition unit is greater than a set physical quantity determination reference. The second determination unit determines whether or not a fluctuation pattern constituted by a physical quantity and the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquired at least before or after the physical quantity falls within a set misfire pattern range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignees: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Minoru Hotta, Yoshihiko Nonogaki, Kazuteru Iwamoto, Hisatoshi Kinoshita, Nobuyuki Kawashima
  • Patent number: 11536215
    Abstract: A straddled vehicle engine unit including an internal combustion engine and a misfire detection device. The internal combustion engine has a crankshaft, and a crank angle signal output unit that periodically outputs a crank angle signal in accordance with rotation of the crankshaft. The internal combustion engine is configured to repeat at least two kinds of strokes on a cycle of every 720-degree rotation of the crankshaft. The misfire detection device includes a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquisition unit configured to acquire a physical quantity related to an amount of fluctuation in a rotation speed of the crankshaft in one kind of stroke, out of the at least two kinds of strokes, based on the crank angle signal from the crank angle signal output unit, and a misfire determination unit configured to perform a misfire determination in response to each acquisition of the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignees: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Minoru Hotta, Yoshihiko Nonogaki, Kazuteru Iwamoto, Hisatoshi Kinoshita, Nobuyuki Kawashima
  • Publication number: 20210404406
    Abstract: A straddled vehicle engine unit including an internal combustion engine and a misfire detection device. The internal combustion engine has a crankshaft, and a crank angle signal output unit that periodically outputs a crank angle signal in accordance with rotation of the crankshaft. The internal combustion engine is configured to repeat at least two kinds of strokes on a cycle of every 720-degree rotation of the crankshaft. The misfire detection device includes a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquisition unit configured to acquire a physical quantity related to an amount of fluctuation in a rotation speed of the crankshaft in one kind of stroke, out of the at least two kinds of strokes, based on the crank angle signal from the crank angle signal output unit, and a misfire determination unit configured to perform a misfire determination in response to each acquisition of the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Minoru HOTTA, Yoshihiko NONOGAKI, Kazuteru IWAMOTO, Hisatoshi KINOSHITA, Nobuyuki KAWASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20210404913
    Abstract: A straddled vehicle engine unit including an internal combustion engine and a misfire detection device. The misfire detection device includes a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquisition unit and a misfire determination unit. The misfire determination unit includes first to third determination units. The first determination unit determines whether or not the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquired by the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquisition unit is greater than a set physical quantity determination reference. The second determination unit determines whether or not a fluctuation pattern constituted by a physical quantity and the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquired at least before or after the physical quantity falls within a set misfire pattern range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Minoru HOTTA, Yoshihiko NONOGAKI, Kazuteru IWAMOTO, Hisatoshi KINOSHITA, Nobuyuki KAWASHIMA
  • Patent number: 11168633
    Abstract: An engine unit includes an internal combustion engine and a misfire detection device. The misfire detection device includes a rough road traveling determination unit that: (a) determines a rough road traveling state based on a distribution state of a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquired by a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquisition unit, or (b) includes a vehicle traveling state detection unit for detecting a physical quantity in relation to a vehicle traveling state except the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity, and determines a rough road traveling state based on a detection result obtained by the vehicle traveling state detection unit; and suspends a determination of a misfire in the internal combustion engine based on a determination result obtained by the rough road traveling determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignees: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoko Fujime, Minoru Hotta, Yoshihiko Nonogaki
  • Patent number: 10823639
    Abstract: An object is to provide a misfire detection device and a vehicle with an enhanced detection reliability. A misfire detection device includes: a rotation speed acquisition unit configured to acquire a rotation speed of a rotator rotated by a four-stroke engine; a misfire determination unit configured to determine the presence or absence of a misfire in the four-stroke engine based on the rotation speed of the rotator acquired by the rotation speed acquisition unit; and a periodic fluctuation detection unit configured to detect a periodic fluctuation contained in a rotation fluctuation of the four-stroke engine based on a rotation speed acquired by the rotation speed acquisition unit, the periodic fluctuation being repeated on a circulation cycle of at least one element of a wrapping transmission element or a plurality of transmission wheels, the periodic fluctuation having a plurality of extreme values within the circulation cycle of the one element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignees: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Wakimura, Kazuteru Iwamoto, Yoh Aramaki, Shunichi Akama, Minoru Hotta, Yoshihiko Nonogaki
  • Patent number: 10794314
    Abstract: An unequal-interval combustion engine misfire-determination device determines whether a misfire has occurred in an unequal-interval combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders in which combustion occurs at unequal intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru Hotta, Yoshihiko Nonogaki, Hisatoshi Kinoshita, Yo Aramaki, Kazuteru Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 10788397
    Abstract: A misfire determination device includes: a combustion fluctuation canceled value acquisition unit that acquires a first combustion fluctuation canceled value corresponding to a first angle position and a second combustion fluctuation canceled value corresponding to a second angle position; a combustion fluctuation manifested value calculation unit that calculates a first fluctuation manifested value by removing the first combustion fluctuation canceled value from a rotation speed at the first angle position, and calculates a second fluctuation manifested value by removing the second combustion fluctuation canceled value from a rotation speed at the second angle position; a first-order difference calculation unit that calculates a first-order difference between the first fluctuation manifested value and the second fluctuation manifested value; and a specific cylinder misfire determination unit that determines a misfire in a specific cylinder by using the first-order difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru Hotta, Yoshihiko Nonogaki, Hisatoshi Kinoshita, Yo Aramaki, Kazuteru Iwamoto
  • Patent number: 10551275
    Abstract: The present teaching aims to provide: a cam angle sensor fault diagnosis apparatus for straddled vehicle, capable of detecting a fault of a cam angle sensor installed in a straddled vehicle and guessing a fault place; an engine system; and a straddled vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru Hotta, Yoshihiko Nonogaki, Naoki Nagata, Daisuke Nonaka, Yoko Fujime
  • Patent number: 10408151
    Abstract: A control device for a rotating element rotated by a four-stroke engine has a high degree of freedom in the choice of an apparatus to which the control device is applicable. The control device includes a rotation speed acquisition unit configured to obtain a rotation speed of the rotating element rotated by the four-stroke engine, and an undulation detection unit configured to, based on the rotation speed obtained by the rotation speed acquisition unit, detect a periodic undulation contained in a rotation fluctuation of the four-stroke engine, the periodic undulation having an angular period longer than a crank angle corresponding to four strokes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru Hotta, Yoshihiko Nonogaki, Kazuteru Iwamoto, Makoto Wakimura, Naoki Nagata
  • Publication number: 20190136759
    Abstract: An engine unit includes an internal combustion engine and a misfire detection device. The misfire detection device includes a rough road traveling determination unit that: (a) determines a rough road traveling state based on a distribution state of a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquired by a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquisition unit, or (b) includes a vehicle traveling state detection unit for detecting a physical quantity in relation to a vehicle traveling state except the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity, and determines a rough road traveling state based on a detection result obtained by the vehicle traveling state detection unit; and suspends a determination of a misfire in the internal combustion engine based on a determination result obtained by the rough road traveling determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Applicants: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoko FUJIME, Minoru HOTTA, Yoshihiko NONOGAKI
  • Publication number: 20190128779
    Abstract: A misfire determination device includes: a combustion fluctuation canceled value acquisition unit that acquires a first combustion fluctuation canceled value corresponding to a first angle position and a second combustion fluctuation canceled value corresponding to a second angle position; a combustion fluctuation manifested value calculation unit that calculates a first fluctuation manifested value by removing the first combustion fluctuation canceled value from a rotation speed at the first angle position, and calculates a second fluctuation manifested value by removing the second combustion fluctuation canceled value from a rotation speed at the second angle position; a first-order difference calculation unit that calculates a first-order difference between the first fluctuation manifested value and the second fluctuation manifested value; and a specific cylinder misfire determination unit that determines a misfire in a specific cylinder by using the first-order difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru HOTTA, Yoshihiko NONOGAKI, Hisatoshi KINOSHITA, Yo ARAMAKI, Kazuteru IWAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20190128199
    Abstract: An unequal-interval combustion engine misfire-determination device determines whether a misfire has occurred in an unequal-interval combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders in which combustion occurs at unequal intervals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Applicants: Denso Corporation, Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Minoru Hotta, Yoshihiko Nonogaki, Hisatoshi Kinoshita, Yo Aramaki, Kazuteru Iwamoto
  • Publication number: 20190101472
    Abstract: An object is to provide a misfire detection device and a vehicle with an enhanced detection reliability. A misfire detection device includes: a rotation speed acquisition unit configured to acquire a rotation speed of a rotator rotated by a four-stroke engine; a misfire determination unit configured to determine the presence or absence of a misfire in the four-stroke engine based on the rotation speed of the rotator acquired by the rotation speed acquisition unit; and a periodic fluctuation detection unit configured to detect a periodic fluctuation contained in a rotation fluctuation of the four-stroke engine based on a rotation speed acquired by the rotation speed acquisition unit, the periodic fluctuation being repeated on a circulation cycle of at least one element of a wrapping transmission element or a plurality of transmission wheels, the periodic fluctuation having a plurality of extreme values within the circulation cycle of the one element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicants: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto WAKIMURA, Kazuteru IWAMOTO, Yoh ARAMAKI, Shunichi AKAMA, Minoru HOTTA, Yoshihiko NONOGAKI
  • Publication number: 20180231434
    Abstract: The present teaching aims to provide: a cam angle sensor fault diagnosis apparatus for straddled vehicle, capable of detecting a fault of a cam angle sensor installed in a straddled vehicle and guessing a fault place; an engine system; and a straddled vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2018
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru HOTTA, Yoshihiko NONOGAKI, Naoki NAGATA, Daisuke NONAKA, Yoko FUJIME
  • Publication number: 20180087462
    Abstract: A control device for a rotating element rotated by a four-stroke engine has a high degree of freedom in the choice of an apparatus to which the control device is applicable. The control device includes a rotation speed acquisition unit configured to obtain a rotation speed of the rotating element rotated by the four-stroke engine, and an undulation detection unit configured to, based on the rotation speed obtained by the rotation speed acquisition unit, detect a periodic undulation contained in a rotation fluctuation of the four-stroke engine, the periodic undulation having an angular period longer than a crank angle corresponding to four strokes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Applicants: DENSO CORPORATION, YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Minoru HOTTA, Yoshihiko NONOGAKI, Kazuteru IWAMOTO, Makoto WAKIMURA, Naoki NAGATA
  • Publication number: 20090075018
    Abstract: A colored polyamide fiber composed of a polyamide resin, a pigment, a coupling agent and a compound represented by the following formula I: R?—CO—NH—R—NH—CO—R???(I) wherein R is an alkylene group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R? and R? are each independently an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 9 to 18 carbon atoms. The colored polyamide fibers are produced without causing bending and fiber break during the melt spinning even when the raw composition contains the pigment in a high concentration. Since the pigment is uniformly dispersed throughout the colored polyamide fibers, the coloration is deep and the strength is high. The colored polyamide fibers are suitable for the production of artificial leathers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicants: Kuraray Co., Ltd, Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals Mfg. Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Ashida, Shinichi Yoshimoto, Hisao Yoneda, Yusuke Takahashi, Kenjiro Tomita, Minoru Hotta
  • Patent number: 6575904
    Abstract: A biodata interfacing device includes a service console, an attachment storage compartment defined in the service console for accommodating a variety of sensors used for collecting biodata, a lid mounted on the service console for opening and closing a top opening of the attachment storage compartment, and a display unit formed on an upper surface of the lid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazutoshi Nagai, Motomichi Kato, Itaru Enguchi, Toshiyuki Tanaka, Naruaki Akai, Masanori Nishikawa, Kiyoshi Sekiya, Shunichi Nagamoto, Minoru Hotta, Masaru Kikukawa
  • Publication number: 20010047126
    Abstract: A biodata interfacing device includes a service console (1), an attachment storage compartment (3) defined in the service console (1) for accommodating a variety of sensors (31, 32, 33) used for collecting biodata, a lid (11) mounted on the service console (1) for opening and closing a top opening of the attachment storage compartment (3), and a display unit (12) formed on an upper surface of the lid (11).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2001
    Publication date: November 29, 2001
    Inventors: Kazutoshi Nagai, Motomichi Kato, Itaru Enguchi, Toshiyuki Tanaka, Naruaki Akai, Masanori Nishikawa, Kiyoshi Sekiya, Shunichi Nagamoto, Minoru Hotta, Masaru Kikukawa
  • Patent number: 5653212
    Abstract: An open/close means M1 opens or closes an EGR passage. An engine load detecting means M2 detects an engine load, such as an intake air amount or an intake air pressure. Either an open. condition or a closed condition of the open/close means M1 is specified as a referential state, while the other is specified as a non-referential state. A memory means M3 memorizes engine loads at the referential state and the non-referential state. A constant acceleration judging means M4 makes a judgement as to whether or not the operational condition of the engine is in a constant accelerating condition. An open/close control means M5 switches the open/close means M1 from the referential state to the non-referential state in response to a constant accelerating condition detected by the constant acceleration judging means M4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 5, 1997
    Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Minoru Hotta, Yoshinori Maegawa, Masahiko Tajima