Patents by Inventor Osamu Bunya

Osamu Bunya 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: 7044489
    Abstract: To make steerability more satisfactory in conformity with actual operation, by correcting the regulation of a damping force based on a variable quantity which has a close relationship with the magnitude of kick-back and with which the steering conditions at the time of actual operation can be grasped appropriately, in contrast to the system in which the regulation of the damping force is controlled linearly in proportion to a variable quantity related to the magnitude of kick-back. In a steering damper system of the liquid pressure type in which a damping force is exerted on a front wheel steering system provided at a front portion of a vehicle body and which comprises a control valve for making the damping force variable, the damping force is controlled based on the steering speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Bunya, Takehiko Nanri, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 6972673
    Abstract: An end of a hollow member is connected to an air valve for introducing air into a tire. A detecting and transmitting unit for detecting an air pressure in the tire and transmitting pressure information out of the detecting and transmitting unit is connected to an opposite end of the hollow member. A detecting and transmitting unit is mounted on a hub of a wheel portion. The positioning of the detecting and transmitting unit minimizes any deviation from the dynamic balancing of the wheel. Consequently, the air pressure detecting device for a wheel can be subsequently installed on the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Yamagiwa, Tomoyuki Harada, Osamu Bunya
  • Patent number: 6848698
    Abstract: If a steering damper is fixed to a top bridge, since the steering damper is comparatively heavy and the top bridge is on the steering side, steering inertia increases. An arrangement structure of the steering damper which does not greatly influence the steering inertia has been realized. A rotatable partition wall is provided in a hydraulic chamber of a steering damper to partition the inside into a right hydraulic chamber and a left hydraulic chamber. Both hydraulic chambers are in communication with each other by a liquid passage. A control valve is provided in an intermediate part of the passage and is switched to a lock or a throttle thereby a damping force zero status or a damping force generation status is set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yosuke Hasegawa, Takeyasu Itabashi, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi, Osamu Bunya
  • Patent number: 6817265
    Abstract: A steering damper device attenuating the oscillations of the handlebar of a motorcycle during operation, and more particularly, a device capable of varying a damping force variable. The steering damping device prevents the adverse effect of oscillations of the handlebar that would otherwise occur when the load on the front wheel of the motorcycle becomes light. The device includes a rotary steering damper provided in a coaxial manner on a steering shaft. Either a damping force or zero damping force is produced by a variable valve arranged in the bypass passage communicating with a right liquid chamber and a left liquid chamber. The variable valve is controlled by a control device and generates a damping force in the steering damper only when the acceleration of the motorcycle as detected by the acceleration sensor exceeds a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yosuke Hasegawa, Takeyasu Itabashi, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi, Osamu Bunya
  • Patent number: 6769707
    Abstract: In a steering damper utilizing hydraulic pressure, even if generation of a damping force is controlled in correspondence with an external force inputted to a handle upon external perturbations and the like, the damping force changes due to change in liquid temperature of working liquid. Accordingly, to precisely control the damping force, correction based on change in liquid temperature of the working liquid is required. However, to measure the change in liquid temperature of the working liquid, it is necessary to provide a particular measurement device requiring a complicated structure, which increases the number of parts and costs. Accordingly, the present invention has an object to provide a steering damper which can easily temperature-correct the damping force without such difficulty. A liquid chamber is provided in a main body of a steering damper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yosuke Hasegawa, Takeyasu Itabashi, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi, Osamu Bunya
  • Patent number: 6753768
    Abstract: An air pressure detecting device serves to detect the air pressure of a wheel of a vehicle which has a tire tube disposed in a tire, the air pressure detecting device is disposed between the tire tube and the rim of the wheel portion for detecting the air pressure of the tire. The air pressure detecting device has a pressure bearing plate held in contact with the outer surface of the tire tube, a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure of the pressure bearing plate, and a detecting and transmitting unit for detecting pressure information from the pressure sensor, converting the pressure information into an electric signal, and transmitting the electric signal as a radio wave. The pressure bearing plate, the pressure sensor, and the detecting and transmitting unit are superposed in the order named. The components including the pressure bearing plate, the pressure sensor, and the detecting and transmitting circuit can be installed without the need for a special modification of the tire tube and the rim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Yamagiwa, Tomoyuki Harada, Osamu Bunya
  • Patent number: 6742794
    Abstract: A liquid pressure type steering damper system for generating a damping force for preventing a handle from being swung due to a kick-back upon a disturbance wherein the generation of the damping force is nonlinear so that the steering angle would not be enlarged so much even if the kick-back becomes greater. A liquid pressure type steering damper is provided with a restriction passage for a working liquid and a solenoid-type control valve for varying the passage sectional area of the restriction passage. A needle portion is formed at the tip end of a plunger constituting the solenoid valve and is made to advance and retract in a restriction portion connected to a bypass passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Bunya, Takehiko Nanri, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 6725711
    Abstract: A rim drop section dented in a shape of a ring is provided on an inner side of a bead seat section of a rim for holding a bead section of a tire. Furthermore, a recessed section is provided on this rim drop section, and a detecting device main body of a tire air pressure detecting device is accommodated in this recessed section. When a tire is assembled on a cast wheel by utilizing a tire changer or the like, or when the tire is removed from the cast wheel, the bead sections of the tire are prevented from interfering with an air pressure sensor, and damaging of the air pressure sensor is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Bunya, Toshio Yamagiwa, Tomoyuki Harada
  • Patent number: 6726232
    Abstract: A steering damper for reducing the inertia of steering that is attached in a low position relative to the steering shaft. The upper portion of a steering shaft is fitted in the center of the rear of a top bridge as a fitting part and a lower screw part of a shaft is tightened in the fitting part and is integrated with the fitting part. The shaft is provided with a shaft main part having a small diameter extending in an axial direction of the steering shaft, when the shaft main part is made to pierce a turning shaft in the steering damper. A steering nut is attached to an upper screw part at the upper end and the upper screw part is tightened. The steering damper and the top bridge are fixed to the upper portion of the steering shaft by jointly fastening. Hereby, a steering nut heretofore provided under the steering damper can be omitted and a position in which the steering damper is attached can be lowered by the quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yosuke Hasegawa, Takeyasu Itabashi, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi, Osamu Bunya
  • Patent number: 6708795
    Abstract: To generate a damping force in a steering damper only upon an unintentionally caused handle action when it is truly necessary to restrain the turning of the handle, according to whether the cause of a handle action is intentional or unintentional. A rotation type steering damper is provided coaxially with a steering shaft, and the generation of a damping force or zero damping force is selected through a changeover by a variable valve provided in a bypass passage for communication between a right liquid chamber and a left liquid chamber of the steering damper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yosuke Hasegawa, Takeyasu Itabashi, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi, Osamu Bunya
  • Patent number: 6705631
    Abstract: A steering damper system for motorcycles provided for generating an adjustable damping force for restraining the shaking of the steering system at the time of disturbance. The system includes a cross member laid between the front portions of the mainframes branching to the left and right from the head pipe and extending to the rear, and a steering damper mounted at the center of the cross member. A sector gear projects forward from the housing, and the teeth thereof are inserted through the opening formed on the head pipe, and are engaged with the drive gear integrally mounted around the steering stem rotatably supported within the head pipe. The resulting steering damper provides the desired adjustable damping force without adversely increasing the inertia of the steering system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yosuke Hasegawa, Takeyasu Itabashi, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi, Osamu Bunya, Tomoyuki Harada
  • Patent number: 6696936
    Abstract: An air pressure detecting device for detecting the air pressure of a wheel of a vehicle which has a tire tube disposed in a tire. The air pressure detecting device is disposed between the tire tube and the rim of the wheel portion for detecting the air pressure of the tire. The air pressure detecting device includes an annular seat mounted in an opening defined in the tire tube. A lid member is removably fitted over the seat. A detecting and transmitting unit is integrally mounted in the lid member for detecting an air pressure in the tire tube and transmitting pressure information out of the detecting and transmitting unit. When the tire is to be replaced, the lid member is removed, and the detecting and transmitting unit is attached to a new tire for use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Yamagiwa, Tomoyuki Harada, Osamu Bunya, Takashi Ashigai
  • Patent number: 6609418
    Abstract: A tire air pressure detecting apparatus has an tire air pressure detecting mechanism for detecting the air pressure of a tire of a motorcycle, and a second control mechanism for comparing an actual air pressure detected by the tire air pressure detecting mechanism with a stored air pressure threshold, and controlling an engine output when the actual air pressure becomes lower than said air pressure threshold. Since the air pressure detecting apparatus comprises a small number of constituent elements including the tire air pressure detecting mechanism and the second control mechanism for reducing an engine output under certain conditions, the tire air pressure detecting apparatus can easily be reduced in size and cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshio Yamagiwa, Tomoyuki Harada, Hiroyuki Kawasaki, Osamu Bunya
  • Publication number: 20030146594
    Abstract: To make steerability more satisfactory in conformity with actual operation, by correcting the regulation of a damping force based on a variable quantity which has a close relationship with the magnitude of kick-back and with which the steering conditions at the time of actual operation can be grasped appropriately, in contrast to the system in which the regulation of the damping force is controlled linearly in proportion to a variable quantity related to the magnitude of kick-back. In a steering damper system of the liquid pressure type in which a damping force is exerted on a front wheel steering system provided at a front portion of a vehicle body and which comprises a control valve for making the damping force variable, the damping force is controlled based on the steering speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2002
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Inventors: Osamu Bunya, Takehiko Nanri, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20030132598
    Abstract: A liquid pressure type steering damper system for generating a damping force for preventing a handle from being swung due to a kick-back upon a disturbance wherein the generation of the damping force is nonlinear so that the steering angle would not be enlarged so much even if the kick-back becomes greater. A liquid pressure type steering damper is provided with a restriction passage for a working liquid and a solenoid-type control valve for varying the passage sectional area of the restriction passage. A needle portion is formed at the tip end of a plunger constituting the solenoid valve and is made to advance and retract in a restriction portion connected to a bypass passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Publication date: July 17, 2003
    Inventors: Osamu Bunya, Takehiko Nanri, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20030127824
    Abstract: A steering damper for reducing the inertia of steering that is attached in a low position relative to the steering shaft. The upper portion of a steering shaft is fitted in the center of the rear of a top bridge as a fitting part and a lower screw part of a shaft is tightened in the fitting part and is integrated with the fitting part. The shaft is provided with a shaft main part having a small diameter extending in an axial direction of the steering shaft, when the shaft main part is made to pierce a turning shaft in the steering damper. A steering nut is attached to an upper screw part at the upper end and the upper screw part is tightened. The steering damper and the top bridge are fixed to the upper portion of the steering shaft by jointly fastening. Hereby, a steering nut heretofore provided under the steering damper can be omitted and a position in which the steering damper is attached can be lowered by the quantity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2002
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Inventors: Yosuke Hasegawa, Takeyasu Itabashi, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi, Osamu Bunya
  • Publication number: 20030112135
    Abstract: An end of a hollow member is connected to an air valve for introducing air into a tire. A detecting and transmitting unit for detecting an air pressure in the tire and transmitting pressure information out of the detecting and transmitting unit is connected to an opposite end of the hollow member. A detecting and transmitting unit is mounted on a hub of a wheel portion. The positioning of the detecting and transmitting unit minimizes any deviation from the dynamic balancing of the wheel. Consequently, the air pressure detecting device for a wheel can be subsequently installed on the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2001
    Publication date: June 19, 2003
    Inventors: Toshio Yamagiwa, Tomoyuki Harada, Osamu Bunya
  • Patent number: 6546722
    Abstract: A partitioning member for dividing a connecting pipe into at least two exhaust passageways is provided in the connecting pipe, which is attached to an exhaust side of a silencer. A valve mechanism is operable to vary the passageway area of one of the exhaust passageways. With this structure, for example, when an engine is rotating at low revs, exhaust gas is discharged from the exhaust passageway without the valve mechanism, while when the engine is rotating at high revs exhaust gas is simultaneously discharged from the exhaust passageway having no valve mechanism and a passageway provided with the valve mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to reduce exhaust noise when the engine is rotating at low revs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mikio Sagara, Noritoshi Iwase, Kazuo Yamamoto, Masakazu Kadota, Hideo Koide, Yoshiaki Nakashima, Shinji Goto, Hiroaki Tsukui, Osamu Bunya
  • Publication number: 20030047904
    Abstract: In a steering damper utilizing hydraulic pressure, even if generation of a damping force is controlled in correspondence with an external force inputted to a handle upon external perturbations and the like, the damping force changes due to change in liquid temperature of working liquid. Accordingly, to precisely control the damping force, correction based on change in liquid temperature of the working liquid is required. However, to measure the change in liquid temperature of the working liquid, it is necessary to provide a particular measurement device requiring a complicated structure, which increases the number of parts and costs. Accordingly, the present invention has an object to provide a steering damper which can easily temperature-correct the damping force without such difficulty. A liquid chamber is provided in a main body of a steering damper.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventors: Yosuke Hasegawa, Takeyasu Itabashi, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi, Osamu Bunya
  • Publication number: 20030047903
    Abstract: If a steering damper is fixed to a top bridge, since the steering damper is comparatively heavy and the top bridge is on the steering side, steering inertia increases. An arrangement structure of the steering damper which does not greatly influence the steering inertia has been realized. A rotatable partition wall is provided in a hydraulic chamber of a steering damper to partition the inside into a right hydraulic chamber and a left hydraulic chamber. A shaft provided at one end of the partition wall is integrally and rotatably coupled to a coaxial steering shaft. Both hydraulic chambers are in communication with each other by a liquid passage. A control valve is provided in an intermediate part of the passage and is switched to a lock or a throttle thereby a damping force zero status or a damping force generation status is set. The switching is controlled by a control device in correspondence with the ON/OFF of a main switch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2002
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventors: Yosuke Hasegawa, Takeyasu Itabashi, Kanji Hayashi, Takeshi Wakabayashi, Osamu Bunya