Patents by Inventor Shigetaro Okano

Shigetaro Okano 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: 7823678
    Abstract: A versatile vehicle speed sensor compactly disposed on the outside in a radial direction of a gear. A motorcycle includes a power unit having a torque take-out shaft for outputting a torque generated by an internal combustion engine as a drive torque for driving a rear wheel, a torque transmission mechanism T which includes a gear pair consisting of bevel gears and a drive shaft and which transmits the drive torque to the rear wheel, and a vehicle speed sensor such that teeth of a driven gear constituting the gear pair constitute a portion to be detected. The vehicle speed sensor includes a main body portion having a detecting portion opposed to the addendum of the teeth in the direction of a normal to the addendum cone surface of the driven gear, and the main body portion extends along the normal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigetaro Okano, Kenji Matsuo, Hiroatsu Inui
  • Patent number: 7093569
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine and a transmission are supported by a saddle-ride type vehicle body having a front wheel in a front portion thereof. An oil cooler is installed without interference with other parts such as, for example, an exhaust pipe and the front wheel. Further, the distance between a water pump and the oil cooler is made shorter to shorten the length of a cooling water pipe. The power unit includes a crank shaft, an output shaft disposed in a rear portion of the power unit to output torque produced by the crank shaft to the exterior through a transmission, a water pump is adapted to be rotated with the torque transferred thereto from the crank shaft, and an oil cooler mounted on a rear surface of the power unit in a vehicle advancing direction below the output shaft and at a position lower than the crank shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiko Nakatsuka, Kazuhisa Takemoto, Shigetaro Okano, Yoshinobu Ozaki
  • Publication number: 20050229894
    Abstract: A versatile vehicle speed sensor compactly disposed on the outside in a radial direction of a gear. A motorcycle includes a power unit having a torque take-out shaft for outputting a torque generated by an internal combustion engine as a drive torque for driving a rear wheel, a torque transmission mechanism T which includes a gear pair consisting of bevel gears and a drive shaft and which transmits the drive torque to the rear wheel, and a vehicle speed sensor such that teeth of a driven gear constituting the gear pair constitute a portion to be detected. The vehicle speed sensor includes a main body portion having a detecting portion opposed to the addendum of the teeth in the direction of a normal to the addendum cone surface of the driven gear, and the main body portion extends along the normal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Publication date: October 20, 2005
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shigetaro Okano, Kenji Matsuo, Hiroatsu Inui
  • Publication number: 20050193965
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine and a transmission are supported by a saddle-ride type vehicle body having a front wheel in a front portion thereof. An oil cooler is installed without interference with other parts such as, for example, an exhaust pipe and the front wheel. Further, the distance between a water pump and the oil cooler is made shorter to shorten the length of a cooling water pipe. The power unit includes a crank shaft, an output shaft disposed in a rear portion of the power unit to output torque produced by the crank shaft to the exterior through a transmission, a water pump is adapted to be rotated with the torque transferred thereto from the crank shaft, and an oil cooler mounted on a rear surface of the power unit in a vehicle advancing direction below the output shaft and at a position lower than the crank shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventors: Masahiko Nakatsuka, Kazuhisa Takemoto, Shigetaro Okano, Yoshinobu Ozaki
  • Patent number: 6729294
    Abstract: In a V-type engine for a motorcycle in which both banks are arranged in a V-shape in a plane orthogonal to the axis of a crankshaft and the heights of both the banks are different from each other, the heights of the pair of banks are visually recognized to be almost equal to enhance the functional beauty of the engine and improve the marketability. A plurality of fins are aligned in the direction along cylinder axes and are provided on sides of cylinders and on sides of dummy covers for covering at least part of cylinder heads from the sides. Wherein the total number and center line mutual distances of the fins are almost equal in both banks. Lengths between the center lines of the fins closest to a crankshaft of the fins and a cross point of the cylinder axes are set to be almost equal in both the banks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigetaro Okano, Tsuguto Inayama
  • Patent number: 6722338
    Abstract: An engine for a motorcycle having dummy covers for covering at least part of cylinder heads from the sides and overhead covers for covering at least part of head covers coupled to the cylinder heads from above and the sides. This configuration is provided in order to enhance the functional beauty of the engine wand to eliminate the need to provide specially shaped parts for cylinder heads, or the need provide a special surface treatment for the cylinder heads. At least one spot of dummy covers is fastened to an engine main unit including a cylinder head and a head cover with bolts. A plurality of engaging protrusions provided in overhead covers formed in a shape to cover the bolts are resiliently engaged with the engine main unit or the dummy covers so that the overhead covers are detachable or attachable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigetaro Okano, Syuichi Ochiai, Itoko Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20030070649
    Abstract: An engine for a motorcycle having dummy covers for covering at least part of cylinder heads from the sides and overhead covers for covering at least part of head covers coupled to the cylinder heads from above and the sides. This configuration is provided in order to enhance the functional beauty of the engine wand to eliminate the need to provide specially shaped parts for cylinder heads, or the need provide a special surface treatment for the cylinder heads. At least one spot of dummy covers is fastened to an engine main unit including a cylinder head and a head cover with bolts. A plurality of engaging protrusions provided in overhead covers formed in a shape to cover the bolts are resiliently engaged with the engine main unit or the dummy covers so that the overhead covers are detachable or attachable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Inventors: Shigetaro Okano, Syuichi Ochiai, Itoko Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20030062018
    Abstract: In a V-type engine for a motorcycle in which both banks are arranged in a V-shape in a plane orthogonal to the axis of a crankshaft and the heights of both the banks are different from each other, the heights of the pair of banks are visually recognized to be almost equal to enhance the functional beauty of the engine and improve the marketability. A plurality of fins are aligned in the direction along cylinder axes and are provided on sides of cylinders and on sides of dummy covers for covering at least part of cylinder heads from the sides. Wherein the total number and center line mutual distances of the fins are almost equal in both banks. Lengths between the center lines of the fins closest to a crankshaft of the fins and a cross point of the cylinder axes are set to be almost equal in both the banks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Inventors: Shigetaro Okano, Tsuguto Inayama
  • Patent number: 4903790
    Abstract: A motorcycle exhibiting improved cornering clearance has its front and rear wheels mounted to a fixed frame portion via front and rear suspensions. A moveable frame portion including the motorcycle seat is moveably mounted to the fixed frame portion and moves under control of the rider further inside a corner during cornering in order to shift the effective center of gravity of the motorcycle further inside the corner and thus further increase the lean angle of the entire motorcycle. Movement is provided via a pivot, slidable shaft, or a pair of parallel linkages. The moveable frame portion may include only the motorcycle seat or may include the tank, seat, and entire motorcycle fairing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1990
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoru Horiike, Yasuhiko Nakano, Shigetaro Okano, Shigeru Kimura, Toshiteru Yamamoto, Masanobu Matsuzaki, Eiji Hamano, Mikio Kubo