Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Giken Kogyo K.k.

Yoshihiro Iijima

Hiroshi Sueshige

Masayuki Osumi

Yoshiaki Kotani

Yoshihisa Hirose

Junji Okuda

Toshio Inoue

Tsutomu Wakitani

Toshikazu Nakamura

Keiji Iino

Hiroaki Hasebe

Naoya Toida

Mitsuru Nakamura

Yasunori Matsubara

Toshinori Inagawa

Yoshinori Nakagawa

Hiroo Kanke

Makoto Yamanaka

Junichi Eguchi

Yasunori Yamamoto

Takahiro Ideguchi

Yosihisa Hirose

Katsumi Maruyama

A float-type oil-level detection apparatus is provided for detecting the surface of engine oil. A housing () for housing a float () has a through-hole () in the sidewall of the side opposite from the sidewall that faces the movement of the oil dipper ().

Liquid level detection apparatus for engine oil

A generator apparatus can provide generated power fit for a connected battery, and even if a load voltage is not within a suitable range, when the load voltage is a certain level or more, the generator can provide power. A selectorselects a target voltage for controlling the output voltage of a rectifier. An output controllercontrols the rectifieraccording to the target. A load judgment sectionjudges the terminal voltage of a battery. When the terminal voltage is within an allowable range with respect to the target value, permission for output is given to the output controller. When the load voltage is not within the allowable range, an alarm is raised. Even when the alarm is raised, if a load voltage develops which is not less than a predetermined voltage lower than the allowable range, the batterycan be charged by forced-output.

Generator apparatus

An underwater scooter including a main frame on which are disposed two air tanks serving as a saddle area for the operator, a depth adjusting mechanism disposed to the fore of the air tanks, and a steering mechanism disposed to the aft of the air tanks. The depth adjusting mechanism can be swiveled freely around a vertical axis using a swivel mechanism, and moreover the angular displacement in this swiveling is transmitted by a swivel angle displacement transmission mechanism to the steering mechanism so that a rudder swivels around a vertical axis, and thus while the underwater scooter is traveling, the operator can ride upon the main frame and also adjust the depth of travel and direction of forward motion of the underwater scooter by manipulating the depth adjusting mechanism and steering mechanisms. Thus, the burden on the operator is reduced in comparison to that of the conventional types of scooters that tow the operator.

Underwater scooter

An indicatorhaving LEDsis mounted on a panelwhich is provided at the center of a steering handlefor monitoring the winkers. The indicatorindicates the battery charge amount with the lit up LEDsand also the right or left turn of the vehicle when a winker switchis turned on for indicating the corresponding steering direction. For right turns, the LEDsare lit up incrementally in a sequence from the left to the right. As the LEDsall have been lit up, they are temporarily turned off and their action in the incremental sequence is then repeated. For left turns, the LEDsare lit up incrementally in order from the right. As the LEDsall have been lit up, they are temporarily turned off and their incremental action from the right is then repeated.

Electric vehicle

An underwater scooter includes a watertight vessel enclosing an engine disposed in the fore part of a cylindrically shaped main frame, a propeller disposed in the aft area, and a driveshaft passes through the interior of the main frame and transmits the output of the engine to the propeller. An operator rides upon air tanks disposed between the engine and the propeller on the main frame, so the burden on the operator can be reduced in comparison to that of conventional types that tow the operator. In addition, the propeller is disposed aft of the operator and also the exhaust gas from the engine is exhausted aft of the operator, so there is no risk of either the jet of water ejected by the propeller or the exhaust gas reducing the field of view or causing articles (goggles, etc.) worn by the operator to come off.

An underwater scooter is provided with an engine enclosed in a watertight vessel and an electric motor enclosed in the watertight vessel and connected to the output shaft of the engine, and a propeller disposed upon a main frame and connected to the output shaft of the motor to be driven and turned by at least one of the engine and the motor so as to propel the scooter. In other words, the scooter is a hybrid type having the engine and electric motor as the drive power of the propeller. With this, the operator can easily re-start, once stopped on the surface of the water or underwater. Moreover, since the propeller can be driven even by the engine, a distance of travel is elongated with less increased weight, when compared to the case that the propeller is driven solely by the engine.

Hybrid-powered underwater scooter

Underwater vehicle

A method of starting an electric brushless rotating machine is provided where a large startup torque is obtained with no use of any rotor position detecting device and the forced commutation can be switched to normal energization easily and smoothly. At the startup stage, any two of three-phase stator windings are energized for initial magnetization (Steps S and S ) to hold the magnetic rotor at a position. Then, the windings of the phases are energized in a sequence while gradually increasing the level of the energization (Step S ). During the forced commutation, the magnetic rotor is rotated by a rotating position detecting signal generated from a voltage signal induced on the not-energized windings to drive the output shaft of an engine. Then, the energization is canceled when the number of revolutions in the internal combustion engine determined from the rotating position detecting signal reaches its predetermined level.

Method for starting an electric brushless rotating machine for driving an internal combustion engine

An electric wheel motor mounted integrally in a wheel has at least one electric leader line extending from the inside of a motor main body of the motor to the outside thereof. A breather passage is provided in the at least one electric leader line and communicates the inside of the motor main body with the outside thereof.

Electric wheel motor

A wheel motor for a vehicle is provided in which an electric motor is arranged in a central space defined in a wheel, to rotatably drive the wheel. A gear reducer is also arranged in the central space of the wheel, which has a plurality of gears including a final stage gear having an axial through hole formed therein. The electric motor includes a housing fixed to the vehicle body, a stator secured to the housing, a rotor rotatably fitted in a central space defined in the stator to generate the rotative driving force during rotation thereof, and an output shaft connected to the rotor through the gear reducer as well as to the wheel to be rotatively driven by the rotor, for transmitting the rotating output from the rotor through the gear reducer to the wheel. The output shaft extends through an axial through hole formed in the final stage gear of the gear reducer and an axial through hole formed in the rotor, and is rotatably supported by opposite end portions of the housing.

Wheel motor for vehicles

A wheel motor for a vehicle has an electric motor which is arranged in a central space defined in a wheel, to rotatively drive the wheel. A gear reducer is also arranged in the central space of the wheel. The electric motor includes a housing fixed to the vehicle body, a stator secured to the housing, a rotor rotatably fitted in a central space defined in the stator to generate the rotative driving force during rotation thereof, and an output shaft connected through the gear reducer to the rotor to be rotatively driven thereby, for transmitting the rotating output from the rotor through the gear reducer to the wheel. The output shaft extends through an axial through hole formed in the final stage gear of the gear reducer and an axial through hole formed in the rotor, and is rotatably supported by opposite end portions of the housing. An electric circuit for driving the electric motor is arranged in the central space of the wheel, together with the electric motor.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Yoshihiro Iijima