Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroki Kodama

Shinichi Kitajima

Yoshihiko Kobayashi

Yukihisa Ishii

Toshiyuki Suga

Ryoji Ei

An electric vehicle includes a main battery mounted on a vehicle body and a sub-battery detachably connected to the vehicle body. The electric vehicle travels with the electric power of the main battery in the case where the traveling distance is not long. In the case where the traveling distance is long, a trailer with the sub-battery is coupled to the rear of the electric vehicle, so that both the electric powers of the two batteries are used to drive an electric motor to allow the electric vehicle to travel. At the time of driving of the motor, the electric power of the sub-battery is preferentially used. When the sub-battery becomes completely discharged, the trailer is disconnected from the electric vehicle. In this case, with the vehicle body weight reduced, the traveling of the electric vehicle with the electric power of the main battery can be continued, and therefore the total traveling distance is further increased. At the time of regeneration of electrical energy by the motor during braking operations, the main battery is preferentially charged with the regenerative power, so that the electric power of the main battery is maintained as long as possible.

Electric vehicle

A system for controlling an electric fuel pump housing a DC motor therein for an internal combustion engine using a gasoline-alcohol blend fuel. A switchover line is preestablished with respect to alcohol concentration in the fuel and operating condition of the engine such as an engine load, an engine speed or both the engine load and engine speed. If the detected condition exceeds the switchover line in a high engine load, a relay is energized so that battery voltage is supplied to the motor through a line bypassing a resistor provided at an initial power supply line. Voltage and hence current applied to the motor is thus increased to raise pump speed higher. Although the system construction is simple and low-cost, sufficient fuel can be supplied at the high engine load.

Fuel pump control system for internal combustion engine

A system for controlling heater mounted on a spark plug which ignites the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion chamber. The heater-on time is determined such that it decreases with increasing engine temperature and increasing alcohol concentration. Current supplied to the heater is also determined such that it increases with increasing alcohol concentration and decreases with increasing engine temperature. Therefore, droplets at the spark plug caused by high alcohol concentration fuel can be removed while eliminating carbon fouling. The engine startablity can thus been improved without shorting the service life of the spark plug. Moreover, fuel injection amount is reduced so as not another fuel be deposited on a droplet fuel which is still being present. The heater is furthermore kept off when a starter motor is turning to supply sufficient power to the motor.

Growing community of inventors

Wako, Japan

Hiroki Kodama