Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Tatsuo Masuda

Akito Enokimoto

Akio Handa

Toshio Tsuchiya

Suwaji Takano

Yutaka Murata

Takerou Shibukawa

Takeshi Kobayashi

Yasuki Motozawa

Atsuo Ota

Shinji Takayanagi

Satoru Narita

Eiji Hosoya

Kozo Yamada

Kazuhiro Iwai

Hitoshi Furuhashi

Makoto Ishiwatari

Hiroyuki Kido

Seiji Watanabe

Toru Iiizumi

Hisahiro Komori

Kazutoshi Ohtsuka

Shuichi Yamamoto

A shift control unit is provided in an electric-power-assist transmission which offers good operatability. A shift disabling unit employs a neutral-position detecting unit, a vehicle-speed judging unit, an engine-rotational-speed judging device, an OR circuit and an AND circuit. The neutral-position detecting unit is used for outputting an 'H'-level signal to indicate that a gear is placed at a neutral position. The vehicle-speed judging unit generates an 'H'-level signal for a speed of a vehicle equal to or higher than 10 km/h. On the other hand, the engine-rotational-speed judging device generates an 'H'-level signal for a rotational speed of an engine equal to or higher than 3,000 rpm. The OR circuit generates an 'H'-level signal when the vehicle-speed judging unit generates an 'H'-level signal or the engine-rotational speed judging device generates an 'H'-level signal. On the other hand, the AND circuit generates an 'H'-level signal when the neutral-position detecting unit generates an 'H'-level signal and the OR circuit also generates an 'H'-level signal. With the AND circuit outputting the 'H'-level signal, the shift disabling unit prevents a shift change from being made.

Shift control unit of electric-power assist transmission

In a four-wheeled buggy which has a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels and a seat arranged around the middle of the vehicle to enable the rider to operate the vehicle in a sitting posture thereon, a pair of right and left main frames are two-dimensionally bent upwardly at the forward sections thereof and adapted to support at the front ends thereof a front wheel axle so as to prevent a front wheel driving device from hitting ground. The rearward sections of the main frames extend horizontally rearwardly to define a lowermost height from ground and are adapted to support a power unit behind the seat close to the rear wheels so as to obtain mass concentration.

Four-wheeled buggy

An off-road vehicle contains a floor panel including a first inclined portion facing the seat and forming a foot rest and a second inclined portion disposed adjacent to and facing the seat and having an irregularly formed surface thereon to protect the driver against slipping upon entering and existing the vehicle. The second inclined portion has an angle of inclination less than that of the first inclined portion and has surface irregularities comprising longitudinally spaced flats interconnected by angularly displaced surface sections.

Floor panel for off-road vehicle

An off-road vehicle has a vehicle frame of piping, a power unit including an engine, a fuel tank, an air cleaner, and other components, and a double-wishbone suspension supporting a rear wheel on the vehicle frame. The vehicle frame has a side frame member positioned laterally of the power unit and a rear frame member positioned rearwardly of the power unit. The suspension comprises a knuckle having a proximal end and an upward extension, a lower arm assembly coupled between the proximal end of the knuckle and the side frame member, and a bifurcated upper arm having a vertex end pivotally coupled to the upward extension of the knuckle, a front leg pivotally coupled to the side frame member, and a rear leg being pivotally coupled to the rear frame member.

Rear suspension for off-road vehicle

A cable retractor having a spring loaded reel for winding a cable thereonto. The tension applied to the cable by the cable retractor is made to change as the take out length of the cable changes either by changing the effective radius of the reel or the effective spring constant of a spring member biasing the reel. Such a cable retractor can be advantageously applied to a rear shelf structure which lifts a rear shelf cooperative with the opening action of the tail gate of a three-door or five-door car by attaching the cable retractor to either the tail gate or the rear shelf and the free end of the cable taken out from the cable retractor to the other of the tail gate and the rear shelf. Thus, the rear shelf will not droop due to the increase in the tension of the cable when the tail gate is fully open and the cable retractor will not apply undue resistance to the tail gate in the early phase of opening the tail gate. Part of the cable may be still left wound on the reel when the tail gate is fully open so that the rear shelf may be moveable even when the tail gate is fully open.

Automotive rear shelf structure

A wheel suspension in a vehicle having a frame structure and a drive shaft mounted on the frame structure for driving a wheel to rotate about a wheel shaft thereof, includes a trailing arm having a front end pivotably connected to the frame structure and a rear end supporting the wheel shaft of the wheel, a propeller shaft having a first end coupled to the drive shaft through a first universal joint and an opposite end coupled to the wheel shaft through a second universal joint, a link rod having a first end pivotably connected to the frame structure and an opposite end pivotably connected to the rear end of the trailing arm, and a cushioning unit supporting the trailing arm on the frame structure for dampening movement of the trailing arm with respect to the frame structure. The propeller shaft extends substantially transversely of the frame structure, and the link rod is spaced substantially vertically from the propeller shaft and, also, extends substantially transversely of the frame structure. The wheel suspension has an increased minimum height from the ground on which the wheel rests, is relatively simple in structure, small in size or volume, and has a small unsprung weight.

Wheel suspension for a vehicle

A rear axle supporting structure in a three-wheeled motor vehicle equipped with a chain drive mechanism. A holder member having an eccentric bore is fitted in a pipe member which is fixed to the rear end of a swing arm, and a rear axle is inserted in the eccentric bore of the holder member. A brake caliper for braking a brake disc is connected to the holder member through a caliper supporting member concentrically rotatably with respect to the eccentric bore of the holder member. Adjustment of the drive chain is effected by turning the holder member, without affecting the positional relation between the vehicle body frame and the swing arm, without any inclination of the rear axle occurring, and while maintaining a constant positional relation between the brake disc and the brake caliper.

Rear axle supporting structure in three-wheeled motor vehicle

A motor vehicle which includes two front wheels and at least one rear wheel. A steering handle is arranged at a widthwise center of the frame of the vehicle, and a driver's seat is arranged substantially at a longitudinal center of the vehicle frame. The floor of the frame upon which the feet of the driver are positioned has substantially the same width as the width of the driver's seat, such that the handling and driving operations of the vehicle can be simplified and improved.

Motor vehicle

A motor vehicle which includes at least two rear wheels, wherein two leaf springs extend rearwardly from both sides of the frame of the vehicle, below the driver's seat, for supporting the axles of the rear wheels, respectively. An engine is interposed between the leaf springs.

A front wheel suspension mechanism for a vehicle having two front wheels. The suspension mechanism includes two transverse leaf springs mounted on a front portion of the frame of the vehicle and vertically spaced apart from each other, supports for supporting the front wheels, and elastic members for connecting both ends of the leaf springs and the front wheel supports.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Tatsuo Masuda