Patents by Inventor Shinichi Kitajima

Shinichi Kitajima 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: 10350990
    Abstract: A cooling system includes: a shutter grille provided to an air guide port configured to guide air to a power compartment in which a power source of a vehicle is installed; a radiator configured to radiate heat from coolant for cooling the power source; a radiator fan configured to send the air to the radiator and the power source; a shutter grille controller configured to control opening and closing of the shutter grille; and a radiator fan controller configured to control the radiator fan. If a power source load on the power source is less than predetermined power source load, and if an air conditioning load on an air conditioner is equal to or greater than predetermined air conditioning load, the shutter grille controller and the radiator fan controller operate the radiator fan with the shutter grille closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kosuke Moro, Shinichi Kitajima, Naoaki Takebe
  • Publication number: 20180312053
    Abstract: A cooling system includes: a shutter grille provided to an air guide port configured to guide air to a power compartment in which a power source of a vehicle is installed; a radiator configured to radiate heat from coolant for cooling the power source; a radiator fan configured to send the air to the radiator and the power source; a shutter grille controller configured to control opening and closing of the shutter grille; and a radiator fan controller configured to control the radiator fan. If a power source load on the power source is less than predetermined power source load, and if an air conditioning load on an air conditioner is equal to or greater than predetermined air conditioning load, the shutter grille controller and the radiator fan controller operate the radiator fan with the shutter grille closed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Inventors: Kosuke MORO, Shinichi KITAJIMA, Naoaki TAKEBE
  • Patent number: 10011166
    Abstract: To provide a shutter grille device that can reduce the number of opening and closing operations and extend product life. A shutter grille device includes: a shutter grille provided in an air intake for guiding air into a power station in which a power source of a vehicle is provided; and a controller that controls opening and closing of the shutter grille. The controller disables closing of the shutter grille during a first interval after opening of the shutter grille, and has a second interval before enabling opening of the shutter grille after closing; and the first interval is set longer than the second interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Futoshi Ogura, Shinichi Kitajima, Takamune Tsukahara, Kousuke Moro
  • Publication number: 20170210221
    Abstract: To provide a shutter grille device that can reduce the number of opening and closing operations and extend product life. A shutter grille device includes: a shutter grille provided in an air intake for guiding air into a power station in which a power source of a vehicle is provided; and a controller that controls opening and closing of the shutter grille. The controller disables closing of the shutter grille during a first interval after opening of the shutter grille, and has a second interval before enabling opening of the shutter grille after closing; and the first interval is set longer than the second interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Publication date: July 27, 2017
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Futoshi Ogura, Shinichi Kitajima, Takamune Tsukahara, Kousuke Moro
  • Patent number: 9343920
    Abstract: A storage capacity management system for a battery provided in a vehicle having an electric motor as a drive source includes a deteriorated state estimating unit that estimates a deteriorated state of the battery, a zone setting unit that sets a storage capacity where the battery can be used into a plurality of zones in accordance with a deteriorated state of the battery, a charged state calculating unit that calculates a charged state of the battery, a zone determination unit that determines to which zone of the plurality of zones set by the zone setting unit the charged state of the battery belongs, and a control instructing unit that instructs to execute a control associated with the charge or discharge of the battery in accordance with the zone determined by the zone determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Shibata, Futoshi Ogura, Shinichi Kitajima, Yukihiro Fukushima
  • Publication number: 20130113433
    Abstract: A storage capacity management system for a battery provided in a vehicle having an electric motor as a drive source includes a deteriorated state estimating unit that estimates a deteriorated state of the battery, a zone setting unit that sets a storage capacity where the battery can be used into a plurality of zones in accordance with a deteriorated state of the battery, a charged state calculating unit that calculates a charged state of the battery, a zone determination unit that determines to which zone of the plurality of zones set by the zone setting unit the charged state of the battery belongs, and a control instructing unit that instructs to execute a control associated with the charge or discharge of the battery in accordance with the zone determined by the zone determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Shibata, Futoshi Ogura, Shinichi Kitajima, Yukihiro Fukushima
  • Publication number: 20080319594
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle that includes an engine and an electric motor as driving sources for the vehicle, and an energy storage device that stores an output of the engine or a kinetic energy of the vehicle after being converted into electric energy by the electric motor. The engine is a cylinder deactivation engine that is capable of deactivating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Publication date: December 25, 2008
    Inventors: Tomohiro Shibata, Shinichi Kitajima, Takahiro Sasaki, Yasuo Nakamoto
  • Patent number: 7448459
    Abstract: A method for detecting an abnormality in a hybrid vehicle. The hybrid vehicle includes an engine that can run in a cylinder cut-off state where intake and exhaust valve lifts are made zero, and a motor/generator that functions as both a motor and a generator. The vehicle travels by means of the power of at least one of the engine and the motor/generator and carries out regenerative braking by the motor/generator while running the engine in a cylinder cut-off state during deceleration. When detecting an abnormality in a negative intake pressure sensor or an EGR control valve based on the negative intake pressure of the engine, the engine is prohibited from running in a cylinder cut-off state even during deceleration, thus generating a negative intake pressure and thereby enabling the abnormality detection to be carried out without any problems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2008
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Kitajima, Katsuhiro Kumagai, Futoshi Nishioka, Atsushi Izumiura
  • Patent number: 7103468
    Abstract: A failure detection device for a vehicle having a deceleration deactivatable engine, by which failure detection, performed primarily by monitoring the oil pressure of operation oil, is ensured. The failure detection device is provided for a vehicle having a deceleration deactivatable engine in which it is possible to deactivate at least one cylinder by closing both of intake and exhaust valves thereof by applying the oil pressure of operation oil to a passage for deactivation execution via an actuator, and also it is possible to cancel the closed state of both of the intake and exhaust valves by applying the oil pressure of the operation oil to a passage for deactivation cancellation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Atsushi Matsubara, Shinichi Kitajima, Kan Nakaune, Yasuo Nakamoto, Toshinari Shinohara
  • Patent number: 6956298
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle includes an engine and a motor as power sources of the hybrid vehicle, an energy storage device for storing electrical energy converted, by the motor, from the output power of the engine or the kinetic energy of the hybrid vehicle, and a control device which is adapted to obtain, at every stop of the hybrid vehicle, a first difference between the state of charge of the energy storage device at the immediately previous stop of the hybrid vehicle and the current state of charge, and to change an amount of power generation by the motor depending on the first difference when driving of the hybrid vehicle is not performed by the motor or when a regenerative deceleration operation is not performed by the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Kitajima, Tomohiro Shibata, Asao Ukai, Yasuo Nakamoto
  • Patent number: 6950739
    Abstract: A motor control device for a vehicle having a deceleration deactivatable engine which includes at least one deactivatable cylinder which is deactivated during a deceleration traveling of the vehicle, and which is started by a motor when the operation thereof transitions from a deceleration deactivation operation to a normal operation. The motor control device comprises a cylinder deactivation state determining section (S202) for determining whether or not the engine is in a cylinder deactivation state, a cylinder deactivation executing section, a cylinder deactivation operation detecting section (S201) for detecting whether or not the cylinder deactivation executing section is activated, and a starting torque setting section (S201-S204) for setting staring torque for starting the engine by the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Matsubara, Hideyuki Takahashi, Kan Nakaune, Toshinari Shinohara, Naoya Miyamoto, Shinichi Kitajima
  • Patent number: 6934610
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle for generating an appropriate amount of regeneration energy during deceleration. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle including an engine and electric motor for driving the hybrid vehicle wherein the engine comprises cylinders capable of deactivated operations and the motor executes regenerative braking when the vehicle is decelerating. The control apparatus of the present invention includes a cylinder deactivation determination device for determining whether or not the vehicle speed is appropriate for executing the cylinder deactivated operation, a regeneration amount calculating device for detecting whether the vehicle state is appropriate for regeneration and calculates the amount of regeneration; and further includes a compensation amount calculating device that compensates the amount of regeneration based on an all cylinder deactivated operation and the engine rotation speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Atsushi Matsubara, Shinichi Kitajima, Hideyuki Takahashi, Kan Nakaune, Toshinari Shinohara
  • Patent number: 6907948
    Abstract: A control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle is provided, capable of charging the battery device when the state of charge of the battery device tends to decrease and the initial state of charge of the battery device is reduced by a predetermined amount. The present device comprises a lower limit threshold value setting device S060, an upper limit threshold value setting device for setting the lower limit and upper limit threshold values of the discharge amount of the battery device, a mode setting device S054 for increasing the state of charge when the state of charge is reduced to the lower limit threshold value, a mode setting release device S062 for releasing the mode setting changed by the mode setting device, and a discharge depth detecting device S063 for detecting the discharge amount of the present state of charge by comparison with the initial state of charge. The threshold value for determining whether it is necessary for the motor to assist the engine is modified depending upon the discharge depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Shigetaka Kuroda, Shinichi Kitajima, Kazutomo Sawamura, Atsushi Izumiura, Yasuo Nakamoto, Hideyuki Oki, Kan Nakaune
  • Patent number: 6886649
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which includes an all cylinder deactivated operation execution flag F_ALCS for executing the all cylinders deactivated operation, when it is determined that the all cylinders deactivated operation is appropriate by the all cylinders deactivation standby flag F_ALCSSTB for determining the appropriateness of the all cylinders deactivated operation and the all cylinders deactivation release conditions realization flag F_F_ALCSSTP for determining the appropriateness of releasing the all cylinders deactivated operation, based on the all cylinders deactivation solenoid flag F_ALCSSOL for operating a spool valve, for determining an appropriateness of the operation of the solenoid valve, the all cylinder deactivation standby flag F_ALCSSTB, the all cylinder deactivation conditions realization flag F_ALCSSTP, the all cylinder deactivation solenoid flag F_ALCSSOL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Atsushi Matsubara, Hideyuki Takahashi, Kan Nakaune, Shinichi Kitajima, Yasuo Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20050055152
    Abstract: A failure detection device for a vehicle having a deceleration deactivatable engine, by which failure detection, performed primarily by monitoring the oil pressure of operation oil, is ensured. The failure detection device is provided for a vehicle having a deceleration deactivatable engine in which it is possible to deactivate at least one cylinder by closing both of intake and exhaust valves thereof by applying the oil pressure of operation oil to a passage for deactivation execution via an actuator, and also it is possible to cancel the closed state of both of the intake and exhaust valves by applying the oil pressure of the operation oil to a passage for deactivation cancellation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2002
    Publication date: March 10, 2005
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Atsushi Matsubara, Shinichi Kitajima, Kan Nakaune, Yasuo Nakamoto, Toshinari Shinohara
  • Patent number: 6859693
    Abstract: A torque variation control device for a vehicle which has a motor providing rotational torque to a drive shaft of a vehicle, a motor control means controlling the motor based on drive torque, and a rotational velocity detection means detecting a rotational velocity of the drive shaft or a rotational shaft of the motor. The device has a feature that the device includes a torque variation detection means detecting a torque variation of the vehicle caused by a variation of the rotational velocity, and a compensation torque setting means setting compensation torque in an opposite phase relative to the torque variation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yutaka Tamagawa, Hiroyuki Makino, Yoshihiro Katagiri, Tomoyuki Takano, Atsushi Matsubara, Shinichi Kitajima
  • Publication number: 20050010353
    Abstract: A motor control device for a vehicle having a deceleration deactivatable engine which includes at least one deactivatable cylinder which is deactivated during a deceleration traveling of the vehicle, and which is started by a motor when the operation thereof transitions from a deceleration deactivation operation to a normal operation. The motor control device comprises a cylinder deactivation state determining section (S202) for determining whether or not the engine is in a cylinder deactivation state, a cylinder deactivation executing section, a cylinder deactivation operation detecting section (S201) for detecting whether or not the cylinder deactivation executing section is activated, and a starting torque setting section (S201-S204) for setting staring torque for starting the engine by the motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2002
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Atsushi Matsubara, Hideyuki Takahashi, Kan Nakaune, Toshinari Shinohara, Naoya Miyamoto, Shinichi Kitajima
  • Patent number: 6837320
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle comprises an engine and a motor as its drive sources. The hybrid vehicle also comprises a control device which stops the fuel supply to the engine at the time of vehicle deceleration, and performs regenerative braking by the motor depending on the deceleration state, in which the engine is a cylinder deactivation engine capable of switching between all cylinder operation for operating all cylinders and cylinder deactivation operation for deactivating at least one or more cylinders. The cylinder deactivation operation is conducted during deceleration state of the vehicle to reduce pumping losses of the engine so that the regeneration efficiency of the motor is improved. The control device comprises an abnormality detection device which detects abnormality in the cylinder deactivation engine, and a motor output limiting device which limits the output of the motor in response to the detection of the abnormality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Shigetaka Kuroda, Atsushi Matsubara, Shinichi Kitajima, Atsushi Izumiura, Yasuo Nakamoto
  • Patent number: 6823658
    Abstract: An exhaust gas purifying apparatus for an internal-combustion engine includes an exhaust gas purifier having a nitrogen oxide purifier for purifying nitrogen oxide contained in exhaust gases and an oxygen density sensor located downstream of the exhaust gas purifier. The apparatus further includes a sulfur oxide detector for detecting the density of sulfur oxide in the exhaust gas purifier, a sulfur-poisoning recovery apparatus for recovering the exhaust gas purifier from sulfur poisoning when the sulfur oxide detector determines the sulfur oxide density is high, a lean operation limiter for limiting the lean operation of the engine to such operation region that is not influenced so much by the sulfur poisoning after the exhaust gas purifier has been recovered from the sulfur poisoning, and a deterioration determiner for determining deterioration of the exhaust gas purifier based on the output of the oxygen density sensor during the lean operation of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigetaka Kuroda, Shinichi Kitajima, Katsuhiro Kumagai, Futoshi Nishioka
  • Patent number: 6807942
    Abstract: A control system for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The engine has an exhaust gas recirculation passage for recirculating a portion of exhaust gases from the engine to an intake system and an exhaust gas recirculation control valve for controlling an amount of exhaust gases recirculated through the exhaust gas recirculation passage. A valve opening amount of the exhaust gas recirculation control valve is detected. A fuel amount to be supplied to the engine is calculated according to the valve opening amount of the exhaust gas recirculation control valve. An average valve opening value, a change rate of which is smaller than that of the detected valve opening amount is used to calculate a correction value for correcting the fuel supply amount. The fuel supply amount is corrected according to the calculated correction value from a time at which an opening of the exhaust gas recirculation control valve is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Kitajima, Hironao Fukuchi, Atsushi Matsubara