Patents by Inventor Yoshiharu Saitou

Yoshiharu Saitou 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: 8413782
    Abstract: A clutch can comprise driving clutch plates spline-fitted on an input member, driven clutch plates arranged alternately with the driving clutch plates and spline-fitted on an output member, a clutch piston having one surface facing an oil pressure chamber and another surface facing the clutch plates and adapted to be displaced toward the plates by supplying oil to the oil pressure chamber and to be returned by discharging the oil from the chamber. A valve can pass through the clutch piston and be adapted to be closed for preventing oil from exiting the chamber to the other side of the clutch piston when the clutch is clutched-on and to be opened and allow airflow to the oil pressure chamber when the clutch is clutched-off. One or more weight reduction recesses can be formed on one surface of the clutch piston near the outer circumference further radially outward than the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha F.C.C., Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Amano, Kenji Toda, Tooru Takahashi, Yoshiharu Saitou
  • Patent number: 8219300
    Abstract: An engine control system and method for controlling engine air flow during a deceleration fuel cut includes an internal combustion engine, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), and an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the engine. The ECU establishes a desired air flow rate for the internal combustion engine, which is taken from an ABS failed condition look-up table when determined that the ABS has failed while the engine is in a deceleration fuel cut mode, and otherwise is taken from a normal condition look-up table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dan Nagashima, Paul DeHart, Hirokazu Toyoshima, Takahide Mizuno, Yoshiharu Saitou, Yutaka Ishikawa, Akio Muto
  • Patent number: 8014925
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an automatic transmission includes an operational condition detecting unit for detecting a vehicle operational condition, a slope detecting unit for detecting a road surface slope, and a shift characteristic selecting unit for selecting one of a plurality of shift maps preliminarily set according to the road surface slope. The control apparatus further includes an acceleration/deceleration calculating unit for calculating an acceleration or deceleration from the degree of increase or decrease in vehicle speed per unit time, a deceleration shift characteristic for deciding a gear position according to the deceleration and the vehicle speed, and a brake detecting unit for detecting a brake operation. When the road surface slope is determined to be a downhill slope and the brake operation is detected, the selected shift map is changed to the deceleration shift characteristic and the gear position is decided according to the deceleration shift characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Saitou, Ryuji Murata
  • Patent number: 7988595
    Abstract: A control device for an automatic transmission for a vehicle including a torque converter interposed between an output shaft of an engine and an input shaft of the automatic transmission, the torque converter having a lock-up clutch for mechanically connecting the output shaft and the input shaft in a direct manner, and a lock-up clutch engagement control unit for engaging the lock-up clutch by a predetermined engagement force in a predetermined operational region determined by a throttle angle and a vehicle speed. The control device further includes a shift map having a slip region for the lock-up clutch set in relation to a plurality of shift characteristics preliminarily set according to vehicle speeds, the slip region being defined by a downshift line and a slip start line deviated from the downshift line by a predetermined range of throttle angle toward lower throttle angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Saitou, Akio Muto
  • Patent number: 7951042
    Abstract: A control device for an automatic transmission having a torque converter with a lock-up clutch provided between an engine and the automatic transmission, and a lock-up control device for controlling an engaged condition of the lock-up clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Saitou, Masaaki Takamatsu
  • Publication number: 20100262351
    Abstract: An engine control system and method for controlling engine air flow during a deceleration fuel cut includes an internal combustion engine, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), and an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the engine. The ECU establishes a desired air flow rate for the internal combustion engine, which is taken from an ABS failed condition look-up table when determined that the ABS has failed while the engine is in a deceleration fuel cut mode, and otherwise is taken from a normal condition look-up table.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2009
    Publication date: October 14, 2010
    Inventors: Dan Nagashima, Paul DeHart, Hirokazu Toyoshima, Takahide Mizuno, Yoshiharu Saitou, Yutaka Ishikawa, Akio Muto
  • Publication number: 20100108459
    Abstract: A multiple disc clutch apparatus can comprise a plurality of driving clutch plates spline-fitted axially slidably on an input member rotated by a driving source, a plurality of driven clutch plates arranged alternately with the driving clutch plates and spline-fitted axially slidably on an output member, a clutch piston having one surface facing toward an oil pressure chamber and the other surface facing toward the driving clutch plates or driven clutch plates and adapted to be displaced toward a clutch-on side by supplying oil to the oil pressure chamber to pressure-contact the driving clutch plates and driven clutch plates each other so as to transmit a driving force of the input member to the output member and also adapted to be returned toward a clutch-off side by discharging the oil in the oil pressure chamber to separate the driving and driven clutch plates and from each other so as to cut off the transmission of driving force from the input member to the output member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Inventors: Makoto Amano, Kenji Toda, Tooru Takahashi, Yoshiharu Saitou
  • Patent number: 7533652
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle for cooperatively controlling the engagement of a lock-up clutch and the conditions of fuel cut. When the rotational speed of an input shaft of a transmission becomes greater than a predetermined value during deceleration running in the condition where a throttle valve is fully closed, the lock-up clutch is engaged. Thereafter, the fuel cut start engine speed increased by a predetermined value is changed to a normal fuel cut start engine speed, at which the fuel cut is started. Accordingly, engine brake can be produced at a lower vehicle speed as compared with the prior art.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Saitou, Hiroyuki Takeo
  • Publication number: 20080178837
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle for cooperatively controlling the engagement of a lock-up clutch and the conditions of fuel cut. When the rotational speed of an input shaft of a transmission becomes greater than a predetermined value during deceleration running in the condition where a throttle valve is fully closed, the lock-up clutch is engaged. Thereafter, the fuel cut start engine speed increased by a predetermined value is changed to a normal fuel cut start engine speed, at which the fuel cut is started. Accordingly, engine brake can be produced at a lower vehicle speed as compared with the prior art.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu Saitou, Hiroyuki Takeo
  • Publication number: 20080182714
    Abstract: A control device for an automatic transmission for a vehicle including a torque converter interposed between an output shaft of an engine and an input shaft of the automatic transmission, the torque converter having a lock-up clutch for mechanically connecting the output shaft and the input shaft in a direct manner, and a lock-up clutch engagement control unit for engaging the lock-up clutch by a predetermined engagement force in a predetermined operational region determined by a throttle angle and a vehicle speed. The control device further includes a shift map having a slip region for the lock-up clutch set in relation to a plurality of shift characteristics preliminarily set according to vehicle speeds, the slip region being defined by a downshift line and a slip start line deviated from the downshift line by a predetermined range of throttle angle toward lower throttle angles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu SAITOU, Akio Muto
  • Publication number: 20080182721
    Abstract: A control device for an automatic transmission having a torque converter with a lock-up clutch provided between an engine and the automatic transmission, and a lock-up control device for controlling an engaged condition of the lock-up clutch.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu SAITOU, Masaaki Takamatsu
  • Publication number: 20080177451
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an automatic transmission for a vehicle including an operational condition detecting unit for detecting a vehicle operational condition including at least a vehicle speed and an engine load, a slope detecting unit for detecting a road surface slope, and a shift characteristic selecting unit for selecting one of a plurality of shift maps preliminarily set according to the road surface slope. The control apparatus further includes an acceleration/deceleration calculating unit for calculating an acceleration or deceleration from the degree of increase or decrease in vehicle speed per unit time, a deceleration shift characteristic for deciding a gear position according to the deceleration and the vehicle speed, and a brake detecting unit for detecting a brake operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiharu SAITOU, Ryuji MURATA