Patents by Inventor Yutaka Horiuchi
Yutaka Horiuchi 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).
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Patent number: 8051942Abstract: The present invention improves response characteristics in turning traveling of a vehicle while traveling stability at the time of turning is kept. The present invention provides a system in which toe angles of left and right rear wheels are controlled based on a steering angular velocity, not a steering angle of a steering. In a steering system in which toe angles of left and right rear wheels are controlled independently, a steering angular velocity is calculated from a steering angle, and toe angle changers are controlled to tilt the toe angle of the right rear wheel to the left when the steering angular velocity is on the left side, and is controlled to tilt the toe angle of the left rear wheel to the left when the steering angular velocity is on the right side.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2008Date of Patent: November 8, 2011Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroaki Sasaki, Yutaka Horiuchi, Takashi Yanagi
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Patent number: 8050819Abstract: A toe angle changing control ECU for controlling a toe angle of wheels of a vehicle. The toe angle changing control ECU includes: a straight traveling state judging section for judging whether or not the vehicle is in a; a memory for storing the toe angle of the wheels while the vehicle is in the straight traveling state; and a toe angle setting section for setting the wheels to the toe angle stored in the memory (44) when the straight traveling state judging section judges that the vehicle is in the straight traveling state. While in the straight traveling state, the wheels are set to a toe angle at which the wheels are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, reducing the rolling resistance of the wheels, and improving fuel consumption.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2008Date of Patent: November 1, 2011Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Koichi Suyama, Akiyoshi Kobayashi, Yutaka Horiuchi, Kenji Hattori
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Publication number: 20110202239Abstract: A steering controller for an electric power steering device 110 includes a base signal computing part 51 for computing a base signal DT in accordance with at least the steering torque; a damper compensation signal computing part 52 for computing a damper compensation signal in accordance with an angular velocity of an electric motor 4 or a speed of steering wheel turn; and an inertia compensation signal computing part 53 for compensating inertia and viscosity in the steering unit. The electric motor is driven by a target signal IM1 obtained by compensating the base signal with a damper compensation signal and an inertia compensation signal, to provide a steering auxiliary force. The target signal of the auxiliary torque is compensated so that a difference between a reference self-aligning torque of front wheel in a front wheel steering vehicle and a self-aligning torque of front wheel in an all-wheel steering vehicle is provided to a driver as a responsive feeling from the steering torque.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 28, 2011Publication date: August 18, 2011Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Kouhei Maruyama, Yasuhiro Terada, Yutaka Horiuchi, Nobuo Sugitani, Takashi Yanagi
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Patent number: 7990003Abstract: A telescopic actuator includes a motor having a rotation shaft, a reduction gear which decelerates an output rotation of the rotation shaft, a feed screw mechanism having a male screw member and a female screw member which are relatively rotated by an output rotation of the reduction gear, a first housing accommodating the motor, and a second housing accommodating the reduction gear and the feed screw mechanism. The first housing and the second housing are detachably attached.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2007Date of Patent: August 2, 2011Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Koichi Suyama, Yutaka Horiuchi, Hajime Kajiwara, Takehiko Hakui, Kotaro Yamaguchi
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Patent number: 7954827Abstract: A steering controller for an electric power steering device 110 includes a base signal computing part 51 for computing a base signal DT in accordance with at least the steering torque; a damper compensation signal computing part 52 for computing a damper compensation signal in accordance with an angular velocity of an electric motor 4 or a speed of steering wheel turn; and an inertia compensation signal computing part 53 for compensating inertia and viscosity in the steering unit. The electric motor is driven by a target signal IM1 obtained by compensating the base signal with a damper compensation signal and an inertia compensation signal, to provide a steering auxiliary force. The target signal of the auxiliary torque is compensated so that a difference between a reference self-aligning torque of front wheel in a front wheel steering vehicle and a self-aligning torque of front wheel in an all-wheel steering vehicle is provided to a driver as a responsive feeling from the steering torque.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2008Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kouhei Maruyama, Yasuhiro Terada, Yutaka Horiuchi, Nobuo Sugitani, Takashi Yanagi
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Publication number: 20110040447Abstract: In a vehicle driveability control system for determining a control variable that is applied to a vehicle for a given control input including a front wheel steering angle according to a response of a vehicle model (10) to the given input, a parameter of the vehicle model is changed according to an output of a vehicle operator skill determining unit (14). Thereby, the vehicle driveability control system can provide a driving property that suits the driving skill of the particular vehicle operator, and can satisfy vehicle operators of all skill levels. In particular, if the vehicle operator is skilled enough to cope with emergency situations, the vehicle is enabled to respond to a quick input with a high responsiveness. Also, the control system is able to adapt itself to an improvement in the skill of a vehicle operator over time.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 16, 2009Publication date: February 17, 2011Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventor: Yutaka Horiuchi
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Publication number: 20110029202Abstract: Provided is a vehicle motion stability control system that combines the VSA and RTC devices in a favorable manner, and is able to effectively control the behavior of the vehicle over an entire operating range including an extreme operating region and a normal operating region. An output of the RTC is transformed by a certain transfer function, and the front wheel steering angle ?f inputted to the actual vehicle model for the first control device (VSA) is modified according to the output of the transfer function. It means that the input front wheel steering angle is modified according to the thrust angle or toe angle of the RTC. Thereby, a harmonized control of the VSA and RTC is enabled, and such a harmonized combination can be effected without making changes to the structure of an existing VSA.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 30, 2009Publication date: February 3, 2011Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Yutaka Horiuchi, Takashi Yanagi
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Patent number: 7878512Abstract: An alignment changing control device that includes: a motor drive section which adjusts electrical power supplied to a motor of the electric actuator according to an operation command and, when receiving an operation inhibiting signal, limits or stops supplying the electrical power to the motor; a motor temperature estimating section for calculating an estimated temperature of the motor from at least a current supplied to the motor, an outside air temperature and a vehicle speed, based on heat balance relationship; and a comparator which transmits the operation inhibiting signal to the motor drive section when the estimated temperature of the motor calculated by the motor temperature estimating section is higher than a predetermined temperature, which is equal to or lower than an operation allowable temperature of the motor.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2008Date of Patent: February 1, 2011Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yutaka Horiuchi, Nobuo Sugitani
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Patent number: 7873440Abstract: A variable toe angle control system for a vehicle that can be incorporated with a fail-safe mechanism. When a fault of the system is detected, at least one of toe-angle actuators is actuated to make toe angles of two wheels agree with each other. When one of the wheels has become fixed in position without regard to a control signal supplied to the corresponding actuator, the actuator for the other wheel is actuated so as to make the toe angles of the two wheels equal to each other. When at least one toe-angle sensor is found faulty, the actuators are both actuated until the actuators reach positions corresponding to stoppers. When information for determining target values of the toe angles of the right and left wheels is found faulty, the actuators are both actuated until the actuators reach positions corresponding to prescribed reference toe positions.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2007Date of Patent: January 18, 2011Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yutaka Horiuchi, Akihko Koike, Hiroaki Sasaki, Takashi Yanagi
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Publication number: 20100332083Abstract: A steering system for rear wheels of a vehicle without a dead zone in the vicinity of the steering wheel zero. The steering system includes a steering controller and control units that control the rear wheels to be steered in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel. The steering system performs a reduction control to provide a smaller steering control amount for the rear wheels in a range where a steering angle becomes smaller than a predetermined value, compared to a steering control amount for the rear wheels in the other ranges of the steering angle. When an angle speed of the steering angle becomes greater than a predetermined value, the steering system performs no reduction control or the reduction control with less reduced steering control amount for the rear wheels even in the range where the steering angle becomes smaller than the predetermined value.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 10, 2009Publication date: December 30, 2010Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Takashi Yanagi, Yutaka Horiuchi, Hiroaki Sasaki
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Publication number: 20100263961Abstract: The present invention provides a rear wheel toe angle variable control system-equipped vehicle that is capable of assisting the steering of the front wheels by a power steering system mounted therein without deteriorating the steering feeling experienced by the vehicle operator even when the rear wheels have been steered.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 22, 2008Publication date: October 21, 2010Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventor: Yutaka Horiuchi
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Publication number: 20100191405Abstract: The main calculation section (37a) of a toe angle alteration control ECU (37) in a vehicle control system receives target toe angles ?TL and ?TR from a steering control ECU (130) and controls a motor (31L) for changing the toe angles of a left rear wheel and a motor (31R) for changing the toe angle of a right rear wheel independently. Stroke sensors (38L, 38R) detect actual toe angles ?L and ?R and inputs to the judging portion (85) of actuations of the sub calculation section (37c). In accordance with a pre-stored judgment table (85a), the judging portion (85) of actuations calculates an allowable actuation range, which is a combination of the toe angles ?L and ?R of the left-and-right rear wheels depending on vehicle speed VS, and judges whether the actuation of the motor (31L, 31R) is suitable for the turning of a vehicle or not depending on whether the actual toe angles ?L and ?R is within the allowable actuation range or not.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2007Publication date: July 29, 2010Applicant: Honda Motor Co., LtdInventors: Nobuo Sugitani, Yutaka Horiuchi
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Publication number: 20100023217Abstract: The present invention provides a rear wheel steering angle controlling device for vehicles comprising: a rear wheel steering mechanism (5R, 5L) for changing a rear wheel steering angle; a front wheel steering angle detector (9) for detecting a front wheel steering angle (?f); a vehicle velocity detector (10R, 10L) for detecting a vehicle velocity (V); a feedforward rear wheel steering angle control target value setting unit (21) for setting a feedforward control target value (?rFF) of said rear wheel steering angle according to said front wheel steering angle, said vehicle velocity, a steering yaw rate transfer function property (G?0) of the vehicle without a rear wheel steering angle control, and a prescribed reference steering yaw rate transfer function property (Gideal); and a controlling device (11) for controlling said rear wheel steering mechanism according to said feedforward rear wheel steering angle control target value; wherein a steady-state property of said reference steering yaw rate transfer funType: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2007Publication date: January 28, 2010Inventors: Yutaka Horiuchi, Takashi Yanagi, Hiroaki Sasaki
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Publication number: 20090140502Abstract: The present invention improves response characteristics in turning traveling of a vehicle while traveling stability at the time of turning is kept. The present invention provides a system in which toe angles of left and right rear wheels are controlled based on a steering angular velocity, not a steering angle of a steering. In a steering system in which toe angles of left and right rear wheels are controlled independently, a steering angular velocity is calculated from a steering angle, and toe angle changers are controlled to tilt the toe angle of the right rear wheel to the left when the steering angular velocity is on the left side, and is controlled to tilt the toe angle of the left rear wheel to the left when the steering angular velocity is on the right side.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 2, 2008Publication date: June 4, 2009Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Hiroaki Sasaki, Yutaka Horiuchi, Takashi Yanagi
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Patent number: 7516965Abstract: A variable rear wheel toe angle control system for a vehicle that can appropriately control a rear wheel toe angle without detecting a turning movement of the vehicle. Because the rear wheel toe angle can be appropriately controlled according to acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle, the turning and straight traveling performance of the vehicle can be improved. In particular, if the acceleration is computed from an output of an accelerator pedal sensor and/or an output of the brake pedal sensor, the response delay is minimized, and a favorable handling of the vehicle can be achieved. Also, the variable toe angle control may be used for favorably compensating for the change in the toe angle owing to the tendency of the vehicle to nose lift in acceleration and nose dive in deceleration caused by geometry of a rear suspension system, thereby enhancing freedom in design of the rear suspension system.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2007Date of Patent: April 14, 2009Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventor: Yutaka Horiuchi
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Publication number: 20080203690Abstract: An alignment changing control device that includes: a motor drive section which adjusts electrical power supplied to a motor of the electric actuator according to an operation command and, when receiving an operation inhibiting signal, limits or stops supplying the electrical power to the motor; a motor temperature estimating section for calculating an estimated temperature of the motor from at least a current supplied to the motor, an outside air temperature and a vehicle speed, based on heat balance relationship; and a comparators which transmits the operation inhibiting signal to the motor drive section when the estimated temperature of the motor calculated by the motor temperature estimating section is higher than a predetermined temperature, which is equal to or lower than an operation allowable temperature of the motor.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2008Publication date: August 28, 2008Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Yutaka Horiuchi, Nobuo Sugitani
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Publication number: 20080196966Abstract: A steering controller for an electric power steering device 110 includes a base signal computing part 51 for computing a base signal DT in accordance with at least the steering torque; a damper compensation signal computing part 52 for computing a damper compensation signal in accordance with an angular velocity of an electric motor 4 or a speed of steering wheel turn; and an inertia compensation signal computing part 53 for compensating inertia and viscosity in the steering unit. The electric motor is driven by a target signal IM1 obtained by compensating the base signal with a damper compensation signal and an inertia compensation signal, to provide a steering auxiliary force. The target signal of the auxiliary torque is compensated so that a difference between a reference self-aligning torque of front wheel in a front wheel steering vehicle and a self-aligning torque of front wheel in an all-wheel steering vehicle is provided to a driver as a responsive feeling from the steering torque.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 8, 2008Publication date: August 21, 2008Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Kouhei Maruyama, Yasuhiro Terada, Yutaka Horiuchi, Nobuo Sugitani, Takashi Yanagi
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Publication number: 20080201037Abstract: To provide a toe angle changing control ECU for controlling a toe angle of wheels of a vehicle. The toe angle changing control ECU includes: a straight traveling state judging section (41) for judging whether or not the vehicle is in a straight traveling state within a predetermined time period based on detection results (a vehicle speed, a steering torque, a yaw rate, and a lateral acceleration) of the traveling condition of the vehicle; a memory (44) for storing the toe angle of the wheels while the vehicle is in the straight traveling state; and a toe angle setting section (43) for setting the wheels to the toe angle stored in the memory (44) when the straight traveling state judging section (41) judges that the vehicle is in the straight traveling state. While the vehicle is in the straight traveling state, the wheels are set to a toe angle at which the wheels are substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the rolling resistance of the wheels becomes minimum theoretically.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2008Publication date: August 21, 2008Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Koichi Suyama, Akiyoshi Kobayashi, Yutaka Horiuchi, Kenji Hattori
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Publication number: 20080157612Abstract: A telescopic actuator includes a motor having a rotation shaft, a reduction gear which decelerates an output rotation of the rotation shaft, a feed screw mechanism having a male screw member and a female screw member which are relatively rotated by an output rotation of the reduction gear, a first housing accommodating the motor, and a second housing accommodating the reduction gear and the feed screw mechanism. The first housing and the second housing are detachably attached.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 26, 2007Publication date: July 3, 2008Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Koichi Suyama, Yutaka Horiuchi, Hajime Kajiwara, Takehiko Hakui, Kotaro Yamaguchi
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Publication number: 20080054577Abstract: A variable rear wheel toe angle control system for a vehicle that can appropriately control a rear wheel toe angle without detecting a turning movement of the vehicle. Because the rear wheel toe angle can be appropriately controlled according to acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle, the turning and straight traveling performance of the vehicle can be improved. In particular, if the acceleration is computed from an output of an accelerator pedal sensor and/or an output of the brake pedal sensor, the response delay is minimized, and a favorable handling of the vehicle can be achieved. Also, the variable toe angle control may be used for favorably compensating for the change in the toe angle owing to the tendency of the vehicle to nose lift in acceleration and nose dive in deceleration caused by geometry of a rear suspension system, thereby enhancing freedom in design of the rear suspension system.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2007Publication date: March 6, 2008Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventor: Yutaka Horiuchi