Patents by Inventor Toru Nakasako

Toru Nakasako 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).

  • Publication number: 20180334014
    Abstract: A control unit, at the time of a heating operation, pressure-reduces refrigerant that has passed through an indoor condenser, by an expansion valve, and thereafter introduces the refrigerant into an outdoor heat exchanger to thereby perform heat exchange with outside air. Further, the control unit, at the time of a defrosting operation, introduces high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by a compressor into the outdoor heat exchanger to thereby remove frost adhering to the outdoor heat exchanger. Furthermore, the control unit determines whether to perform the defrosting operation or not, based on the amount of electric power required for the defrosting operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Inventors: Toru Nakasako, Yoshiyuki Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 9849773
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a battery, a generating unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operating the internal combustion engine to supply the generated electric power to a motor or the battery, and the motor which is driven by the electric power supplied from at least one of the battery and the generating unit. A generation control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle evaluates the driving condition of the vehicle from viewpoints of the energy consumption at the motor, the NV performance of the vehicle and the generation efficiency of the generating unit and determines whether or not the operation of the generating unit is necessary based on an evaluation parameter of any one or more viewpoints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tagami, Toru Nakasako
  • Patent number: 9403439
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to improve the operation efficiency of an internal combustion engine while supplying a required drive force for an electric motor. A power generation control device determines the appropriateness of power generation by a power generator in accordance with the state of a storage battery, and when allowing power generation, sets the amount of power generation equivalent to an output required for cruising in accordance with a travelling state, while setting an additional amount of power generation in accordance with the amount of power required depending on a vehicle state and the traveling state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toru Nakasako
  • Publication number: 20160200314
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes a battery, a generating unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operating the internal combustion engine to supply the generated electric power to a motor or the battery, and the motor which is driven by the electric power supplied from at least one of the battery and the generating unit. A generation control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle evaluates the driving condition of the vehicle from viewpoints of the energy consumption at the motor, the NV performance of the vehicle and the generation efficiency of the generating unit and determines whether or not the operation of the generating unit is necessary based on an evaluation parameter of any one or more viewpoints.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tagami, Toru Nakasako
  • Publication number: 20150274022
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to improve the operation efficiency of an internal combustion engine while supplying a required drive force for an electric motor. A power generation control device determines the appropriateness of power generation by a power generator in accordance with the state of a storage battery, and when allowing power generation, sets the amount of power generation equivalent to an output required for cruising in accordance with a travelling state, while setting an additional amount of power generation in accordance with the amount of power required depending on a vehicle state and the traveling state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2013
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toru Nakasako
  • Publication number: 20150046007
    Abstract: A control device judges whether electric power generation of an electric generator is to be performed on the basis of a state of a storage battery. When permitting the electric power generation, the control device sets an electric power generation amount equivalent to an output required for cruising, depending on a traveling state, and also sets an additional electric power generation amount, depending on an electric power amount required in a vehicle state and the traveling state. The control device controls an internal combustion engine and the electric generator on the basis of the electric power generation amount and the additional electric power generation amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Hiroshi Tagami, Toru Nakasako
  • Publication number: 20150046010
    Abstract: A control device judges whether electric power generation of an electric generator is to be performed, depending on a state of a storage battery. When permitting the electric power generation, the control device sets an internal combustion engine rotational speed by which the electric generator is capable of performing electric power generation equivalent to an output required for cruising, depending on a traveling state, and also sets an additional internal combustion engine rotational speed by which the electric generator is capable of performing electric power generation according to a required electric power amount, from a vehicle state and the traveling state. The control device controls the internal combustion engine and the electric generator depending on the internal combustion engine rotational speed and the additional internal combustion engine rotational speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2013
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Teruo Wakashiro, Hiroshi Tagami, Toru Nakasako
  • Patent number: 8506450
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hybrid vehicle with a transmission, the transmission including a transmission input shaft (25) to which the power from the engine is transmitted, transmission output shafts (26, 27) from which a power for driving a driven section is outputted, a first input shaft (21) which is connectable to the transmission input shaft (25) via a first clutch (CL1) of a twin clutch unit (20), a second input shaft (22) which is connectable to the transmission input shaft (25) via a second clutch (CL2), gear trains (G1 to GR) which are configured so that the gear trains can be selected to connect the first input shaft (21) and the second input shaft (22) to the transmission output shafts (26, 27), and a connection device (SM1) which can be selectively switched between a first operation state for enabling power transmission between the output shaft of an electric motor (3) and the transmission input shaft (25) and a second operation state for interrupting the power transmission therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toru Nakasako
  • Publication number: 20110269599
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hybrid vehicle with a transmission, the transmission including a transmission input shaft (25) to which the power from the engine is transmitted, transmission output shafts (26, 27) from which a power for driving a driven section is outputted, a first input shaft (21) which is connectable to the transmission input shaft (25) via a first clutch (CL1) of a twin clutch unit (20), a second input shaft (22) which is connectable to the transmission input shaft (25) via a second clutch (CL2), gear trains (G1 to GR) which are configured so that the gear trains can be selected to connect the first input shaft (21) and the second input shaft (22) to the transmission output shafts (26, 27), and a connection device (SM1) which can be selectively switched between a first operation state for enabling power transmission between the output shaft of an electric motor (3) and the transmission input shaft (25) and a second operation state for interrupting the power transmission therebetween.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Inventor: Toru Nakasako
  • Patent number: 6419040
    Abstract: A four-wheel drive vehicle is provided in which the main driven wheels are driven by an engine via a torque converter and the auxiliary driven wheels are driven by an electric motor. The response of the vehicle to the operation of the accelerator is improved by suppressing in advance the slip of the main driven wheels due to an excess output of the engine. The main driven wheels are driven by an engine via a torque converter and auxiliary driven wheels are driven by an electric motor. The vehicle is started by the output of the electric motor in the region in which the speed ratio of the torque converter is small (that is to say, the region in which the efficiency is low) such as when the vehicle is starting, and when it enters the region in which the speed ratio of the torque converter exceeds 0.8 and the efficiency exceeds 85% the drive of the electric motor is stopped or suspended and the vehicle is made to travel by means of the output of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Toru Nakasako, Akihiro Yamamoto, Naoki Uchiyama, Mitsuaki Hirakawa, Satoshi Taguchi
  • Publication number: 20010005704
    Abstract: A four-wheel drive vehicle is provided in which the main driven wheels are driven by an engine via a torque converter and the auxiliary driven wheels are driven by an electric motor. The response of the vehicle to the operation of the accelerator is improved by suppressing in advance the slip of the main driven wheels due to an excess output of the engine. The main driven wheels are driven by an engine via a torque converter and auxiliary driven wheels are driven by an electric motor. The vehicle is started by the output of the electric motor in the region in which the speed ratio of the torque converter is small (that is to say, the region in which the efficiency is low) such as when the vehicle is starting, and when it enters the region in which the speed ratio of the torque converter exceeds 0.8 and the efficiency exceeds 85% the drive of the electric motor is stopped or suspended and the vehicle is made to travel by means of the output of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2000
    Publication date: June 28, 2001
    Applicant: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Kitano, Toru Nakasako, Akihiro Yamamoto, Naoki Uchiyama, Mitsuaki Hirakawa, Satoshi Taguchi