Vehicle with engine output control

• US 8,393,428 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2010
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Tsumiyama, Yoshinori, Kaku, Hidetoshi, Furman, Tyler, Waida, Kazuma, Iwai, Hiroyuki, Morita, Hirokazu, Maeda, Kazuhiro, Onishi, Yoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Restifo, Jeffrey J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gurari, Erez
• Application Number:
  US12/711,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20110204669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 180/69.3, 180/54.1
• US Class Current: 180/69.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/24 for particular purposes or particular vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame

Abstract

A vehicle includes a front seat and a rear seat that is changeable between an installed state in which the passenger can be seated and a retracted state in which the passenger is not seated and the rear seat is retracted. The vehicle includes an output control unit controlling the output of an engine, and a detection device for detecting the installed state of the rear seat. When the detection device detects the installed state of the rear seat, the output control unit regulates the output of the engine as compared with the output when the detection device does not detect the installed state of the rear seat.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a front seat; and

a rear seat that is changeable between an installed state in which a passenger can be seated and a retracted state in which the passenger is not seated and the rear seat is retracted;

an output control unit controlling the output of an engine; and

detection means for detecting the installed state of the rear seat,

wherein when the detection means detects the installed state of the rear seat, the output control unit regulates the output of the engine as compared with the output when the detection means does not detect the installed state of the rear seat,

wherein a seating portion of the rear seat in the installed state is brought to a substantially horizontal state,

wherein the detection means is a switch operable to detect a load, the switch being provided on a bottom surface of the seating portion when the seating portion of the rear seat is brought to the substantially horizontal state, and

wherein the seating portion of the rear seat is brought to the substantially horizontal state so that the switch is pressed by the load of the rear seat to detect the installed state of the rear seat.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit changes the ignition timing of the engine to regulate the output of the engine.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit retards the ignition timing of the engine to regulate the output of the engine.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit reduces the fuel injection quantity of the engine to regulate the output of the engine.

5. A vehicle comprising:

a front seat; and

a rear seat that is changeable between an installed state in which a passenger can be seated and a retracted state in which the passenger is not seated and the rear seat is retracted;

an output control unit controlling the output of an engine; and

detection means for detecting the installed state of the rear seat,

wherein, when the detection means detects the installed state of the rear seat, the output control unit regulates the output of the engine as compared with the output when the detection means does not detect the installed state of the rear seat,

wherein a backrest of the rear seat in the installed state is brought to an erected state,

wherein the detection means is a switch operable to detect a load and is provided on the backrest of the rear seat, and

wherein the backrest of the rear seat is brought to the erected state so that the switch is contacted with a partitioning member partitioning a riding space and a cargo bed to detect the installed state of the rear seat.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the output control unit changes the ignition timing of the engine to regulate the output of the engine.

7. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the output control unit retards the ignition timing of the engine to regulate the output of the engine.

8. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the output control unit reduces the fuel injection quantity of the engine to regulate the output of the engine.