Honda gives rare look at R&D center taking on big project under new leader

RAYMOND, Ohio — A mile from a rural highway and past several levels of security is the Honda complex that does some of the heavy lifting — and much of the heavy thinking — for the automaker’s operations throughout North America.

Unlike the Honda assembly plants in Marysville and East Liberty, Honda R&D Americas in Raymond does not give tours to the public. It keeps such a low profile that even its employee count was once a secret.

That began to change in January, when Honda’s top executive announced that the Ohio research center would be in charge of developing a new “supercar,” the Acura NSX. The sports car will be built at a yet-to-be announced location in Ohio.

In light of the center’s highly publicized role with the NSX and other models, company officials opened its doors to The Dispatch for a rare look inside.

The lobby is adorned with 314 plaques representing the patents that Honda obtained based on work at the center.

“It’s like a developmental Petri dish,” said Frank Paluch, senior vice president of automobile development. “We can try new things.”

Automakers tend to do their most-sophisticated research close to their home base, which for Honda is in Japan. Honda is unusual in sending a complicated project so far away.

“It’s a testament to the competence that (the Raymond office) has,” said George Peterson, president of AutoPacific, a research firm in Tustin, Calif.

The heart of the complex is a design room as large as four football fields and filled with hundreds of cubicles for designers and engineers. It’s separated into departments that handle specific aspects of vehicle design.

Everyone is dressed in the Honda uniform: white pants and a long-sleeved white shirt with the person’s first name ironed onto the left breast. This includes the division’s president, whose desk is out in the open with everyone else’s.

Starting on Monday, the new president will be Erik Berkman. Before him, every top executive in the history of the research division came from Honda in Japan. Berkman joined the company in 1982 as an engineer in Marysville. His promotion might signal a growing role for the executives who have spent their careers in North America.

Berkman will oversee a Raymond office that has about 1,300 employees, most of them engineers; 200 more engineers are to be hired in the next few years.

The head count makes this the largest facility of its type in the Americas operated by a foreign-based company. The closest parallel is probably Toyota’s center in Ann Arbor, Mich., which has 1,100 employees.

Honda R&D also has 12 smaller offices in the Americas.

On the levels below the design floor in Raymond, workers make prototype versions of the vehicles and then test them. In this way, the complex is like a miniature assembly plant.
Several of the labs look like sets from a science-fiction movie.

This includes a chamber the size of a small gymnasium whose walls are covered with white foam squares. The walls block out all outside electromagnetic signals, such as those from cellphones, television and radio. In this space, researchers measure the level of electromagnetic activity coming from a vehicle, and they test how it responds when bombarded with intense levels of radio waves.

Elsewhere in the complex, employees maintain a room full of crash-test dummies (officially, they’re called “anthropomorphic test devices”) built to look like women, men and children of various sizes and shapes. Each dummy wears black dress shoes that look as if they came from a thrift store.

The main crash-test space is a long corridor with a slab at one end. Before a crash, workers put on safety glasses and stand behind a series of clear plastic barriers.

“Blink, and you’ll miss it,” one said.

In less than a second, an Odyssey minivan streaks across the room and smacks head-on into the slab. The front crumples, but the rest is almost completely undamaged. Employees wait for a moment and then gather around the wreck to take readings. The room smells like charred nylon, which comes from the material that deploys the airbags.

“Odds are that the occupant would get up and walk out of the car,” said Chuck Thomas, chief engineer for vehicle safety.

Across the hall is a smaller crash-test site that simulates different impact angles. Unlike the main test area, this one doesn’t use whole vehicles. It studies the parts, such as seats and dash components, which get placed in the frame of a vehicle.

The center started in 1991 with a suite of offices that is now the far corner of the complex. At that time, most of the work involved making derivatives of existing models, such as the Accord wagon, which had most of the same components as the Accord sedan.

That changed in 2001 when the office did almost all the development work for the Acura MDX, a completely new model. The center also led the way on the Pilot SUV, the Ridgeline pickup truck and the 2011 redesign of the Odyssey minivan. Of the 18 Honda or Acura models in the current lineup, six were developed at the Raymond office, representing 25 percent of sales.

The NSX is not designed to be a big seller, but it might be the most eagerly awaited vehicle to come out of the center, said Peterson of AutoPacific. The original NSX sold from 1990 to 2005. With a sticker price of about $90,000, the vehicle was a showpiece; sales never topped 2,000 in a year.

The new version will be a gas-electric hybrid, adding another level of complexity to a difficult assignment.

Honda’s CEO, Takanobu Ito, unveiled a preliminary version of the NSX in January, which was when he said the model will be developed and assembled in Ohio.

Paluch, senior vice president at the Honda research center, saw the comments as an affirmation and a challenge.

“Basically, the statement Mr. Ito made is that Honda has grown up its R&D worldwide enough to build a flagship vehicle,” he said.

Source;
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2012/04/01/engine-of-design.html

Don't call it a Comeback....

Honda Putting No. 2 Executive in U.S. in Localization Drive

Honda plans to post its second-highest ranking global executive in the U.S. for the first time as the automaker that was Japan’s first to build cars in the market extends a three-decade localization push.

Tetsuo Iwamura, 60, Honda’s chief operating officer for North America, on April 1 adds the titles of executive vice president and executive officer, the Tokyo-based company said today in a statement. Iwamura is to also join Honda’s board in late June, pending shareholder approval, the company said.

Iwamura will continue to run operations in North America while assisting President Takanobu Ito in managing global sales, said Jun Odajima, a company spokesman. “This is the first time the top North American executive has also been the No. 2 company official,” he said.

The promotion of Iwamura and naming of Erik Berkman to lead Honda’s U.S. research and development unit, the first time that job has gone to a non-Japanese engineer, come as the company lifts production across North America, its biggest source of revenue, to counter a rising yen. Honda is increasing vehicle output at plants in the U.S. and Canada, adding a factory in Mexico to build subcompacts and preparing to make the Acura NSX supercar in Ohio by 2014.

Berkman, currently vice president of corporate planning and logistics for U.S. auto operations, is to become president of Honda R&D Americas on April 1, the company said.

Honda’s U.S. headquarters are in Torrance, California. The company’s American depositary receipts rose 1.3 percent to $37.28 at the close in New York.

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-22/honda-putting-no-2-global-manager-in-u-s-in-localization-drive.html

New Honda Civic awarded 5 stars by Euro NCAP

The new Honda Civic has been awarded Euro NCAP's maximum 5-star rating, following publication of the safety body's independent crash testing results.
In addition, Euro NCAP have announced that they are extending Honda's Euro NCAP Advanced reward for its Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) technology to include the new Civic.

The rating scheme focuses on the vehicle's overall safety performance which gives consumers an easy to understand single score. The system considers occupant protection, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids. Since the introduction of Euro NCAP's new rating scheme in February 2009, all Honda models tested have achieved 5-stars.

Euro NCAP also announced that they are extending Honda's Advanced NCAP reward for its CMBS technology to include the new Civic. The reward recognises Honda's CMBS technology as amongst the best available safety innovations, offering proven benefits. Euro NCAP Advanced is an initiative developed in response to the rapid development of new safety technologies, for which there is no independent assessment.

Honda's Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS) is a radar-based autonomous emergency braking system designed to help prevent collisions with vehicles which are stationary or travelling in the same direction. The system is aimed at alerting the driver to an imminent collision both at low speeds, typical of urban driving, and at higher speeds typical of rural roads and motorways. By studying accident statistics in Germany and extending the figures to the broader European community, Honda estimates that, if all cars were fitted with CMBS, between 200,000 and 250,000 accidents could be either prevented or mitigated every year.

Honda uses its own car-to-car crash test facility at the Tochigi R&D centre allows the Japanese manufacturer to analyse impacts between models of different sizes and weights and develops solutions to mitigate injuries for both passengers and pedestrians. The omni-directional vehicle-to-vehicle crash test facility opened in 2001 and is the world's first indoor facility of its type.

Source;
http://www.newcarnet.co.uk/Honda_news.html?id=11913

Honda back in the innovation game

By Richard Russell @ Globe and Mail

Although Honda built its reputation in engineering and innovation, in recent years it has strayed from that path – there have been no new engines, transmissions, hybrid, electric or plug-in systems in an era when the competition is bombarding us with new thinking.

Honda Motor president and CEO Takanobu Ito admits the company has had trouble. “The real challenge facing car companies around the world is the speed at which change is taking place. To be honest, we have not been able to keep up as well as we’d like.”

He also heads up Honda R&D and in that role says his first task as president is to push for advanced technologies, advances that will put Honda ahead of the pack in the fields of batteries, hybrids and fuel cells while working on further efficiencies with the internal combustion engine. “We’re hard at work on all of these at once,” he said recently.

The previous day, at the company’s R&D centre in Motegi, 125 km north of Tokyo near the area decimated by the March earthquake and tsunami, we had sampled a steady stream of new innovations that will find their way into an array of new vehicles in the next couple of years.

We drove a variety of new and future vehicles powered by a completely new family of four- and six-cylinder engines. We tried several new transmissions, a truly innovative all-wheel-drive system, various hybrids including one without a transmission, pure electric vehicles and a sleek sedan powered by a fuel cell.

On the engine front, a unique combination of variable valve-timing, twin camshafts and direct injection has been developed allowing engines to run on the fuel-savings Atkinson Cycle without the loss of power or torque previously associated with that method. These include a quartet of new four-cylinder gasoline engines ranging in displacement from 1.0 to 2.4 litres and a new 3.5-litre V6. The new 2.4-litre will first appear in the next Accord, late in 2012, and perhaps the new CR-V shortly afterward.

We drove vehicles powered by a new 148-horsepower, 1.8-litre four that would be right at home in a mid-cycle version of the new Civic being readied for the 2013 model year and a 127-horsepower, 1.5-litre four destined for the Fit. In all cases, these preliminary power figures are on the conservative side but considerably higher than current engines of similar displacement, while consuming 10 per cent less fuel. We also sampled a Civic powered by a potent little 1.6-litre turbo diesel.

Honda engineers have developed a trio of new continuously variable transmissions for small and mid-sized cars. On road and track they exhibited less of the “motor-boating” and “rubber-band” effects associated with CVT transmissions. Only when pressed hard on the track did they assume the CVT propensity to sound like a clutch was slipping.

Honda has also come up with a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox for higher power applications.
All of these engines and transmission will appear in standalone or hybrid applications across a wide range of vehicles of all sizes and shapes in the next two years.

Honda also showed off what it says is the world’s most efficient two-motor hybrid system, one that allows a big family-size car to operate without a transmission with a resulting saving in space and cost. Headed for the North American market next year in the next-generation Accord, it can run on electric or gasoline power or a combination of the two.

The main electric motor produces 221 lb-ft of torque and is used to launch the car, which can run for up to 24 km on battery power alone. The second electric motor is used as a generator to recharge the batteries. At highway speeds, the electric motor drops out and a 134-horsepower gasoline engine takes over.

The IC engine also comes into use to drive the generator and keep the batteries charged, much like the Chevrolet Volt. With the big electric motor able to get the car to cruising speed there is no need for a transmission.

The company also turned us loose on the big oval of the adjacent Twin-Ring Motegi racetrack in an Accord-size sedan equipped with the new V-6 sending 310 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels through the seven-speed DSG gearbox and a pair of 27-horsepower electric motors powering the rear wheels.

In addition to the abundance of instant torque when accelerating, one motor is programmed to send more power to the outside wheel in a corner while the other applies negative torque to the inside wheel.

Off-the-line performance can be silent and seamless with the twin electric motors providing the go – or is truly impressive if you get into the throttle and add the V-6 to the equation. Turn-in is exemplary and transient response exceptional thanks to the rear wheels being used to pull the car into the turn. Add to this the ability to get on the power earlier when existing the corner and you’ve got a true sports sedan.

Look for this combination in a forthcoming replacement for the big Acura RL sedan and the replacement for the NSX sports car.

Source;
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/new-cars/auto-news/honda-back-in-the-innovation-game/article2287398/?utm_medium=Feeds%3A%20RSS%2FAtom&utm_source=Home&utm_content=2287398

Honda plans to make lighter vehicles - Nikkei

Dec 24 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co plans to adopt new design and assembly methods to make its vehicles lighter, the Nikkei business daily reported.

Some of Honda's new manufacturing methods involve welding outer panels to the frame, rather than assembling the ceiling, side and other panels, to reduce the use of bolts and reinforcing materials, the Japanese newspaper said.

Honda plans to spend tens of billions of yen to revamp production lines in Japan and overseas, using the new methods on small vehicles initially, then on all models within several years, the Nikkei said.

The automaker has begun steps to scale back on materials, parts and processing steps for producing its minivehicle, the N Box, which was launched last Friday, the daily said.

Honda modified one of the two production lines that assemble the N Box at its Suzuka plant in Mie Prefecture, the Nikkei said. The move will help make the N Box 10 percent lighter and lower manufacturing costs, the paper added.

By making lighter and cheaper automobiles, the carmaker aims to fast track its advance into emerging markets, which is one of its top priorities, the newspaper said.

Source;
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/23/honda-idUSL3E7NN2XB20111223

Honda Jazz (FIT) EV

by Graham Hope
The Honda Jazz has always been a pioneer, and now it’s blazing a new trail in all-electric guise. It was one of the first supermini-MPVs when it was introduced a decade ago, and now finds itself at the cutting edge of technology, with an electric version to be launched in Japan and America next year. This will be badged the Fit, and will initially arrive in California and Oregon before being rolled out to six east coast US states in 2013.

The blanked-off nose distinguishes the model from the standard Jazz, plus our car features Fit EV livery. It also gets new five-spoke alloys, while a unique blue paintjob is available in the US.
Under the floor is a lithium-ion battery pack with a capacity of 20 kilowatt-hours (less than the Nissan Leaf’s 24kWh). The maximum output is 100 kilowatts. The 92kW coaxial electric motor, meanwhile, is derived from the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity.

Inside, the most obvious additions are the buttons which let you choose which mode to drive in: Normal, Econ and Sport, as seen on the CR-Z.

As with all EVs, what stands out most is the silence at start-up. And with all the power available from a standstill, the car gets off the mark quickly.

Econ, as the name suggests, offers the most energy-efficient driving, with Sport optimistically claiming to deliver “exhilarating performance”. That’s pushing things somewhat, but there is a tangible difference between the modes: in Sport the drive is surprisingly fun, and claimed performance is on par with that of a 2.0-litre engine.

At low city speeds, the EV is very nippy and guaranteed to cause a few surprises when pulling away from the lights. Ride quality is similar to that of the standard model, though, so it doesn’t take much for the little Honda to get unsettled.

Do the numbers stack up? The US version of the Jazz claims a range of 76 miles in combined city and motorway use, or 123 miles in town alone, with the battery taking three hours to fully recharge when connected to a standard 240V socket.

Will the car come here? Honda bosses remain tight-lipped, but if this happens it won’t be for another three years at least. They do recognise, though, that one thing an electric Jazz would have in its favour is a familiar badge – they believe this would encourage sales.

Source;
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/276067/honda_jazz_ev.html

Honda creates electric brakes

By Edwin Kee

Honda might have stumbled upon an important discovery in the world of motoring – by working on an electric-powered brake which will control the hydraulic pressure of its master cylinder using nothing but a ball screw. Whenever the driver steps on the brake pedal, a reaction force can be felt thanks to a simulator, where said reaction force from the master cylinder is not applied to the pedal. Touted to be the first “fully-electric-powered brake” in the world which will separate the pedal and the brake completely, Honda has plans to introduce this new brake into their compact electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) which are on track to roll out sometime next year.

What are some of the benefits of an electric-powered brake? For starters, it is now possible for you to finely control braking, never mind how much force you apply on the pedal with your foot. This translates to electricity being regenerated by using a motor of an EV to help bring the vehicle to a stop, or at least to slow down. The amount of regenerated electricity can be increased by decreasing the brake’s contribution to the slowdown, and when placed side-by-side with existing brakes, the amount of regenerated electricity will see an increase of around 5%. Here’s to the future, Honda.

Source;

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/12/honda-electric-brakes/

Honda's new diesel engine unveiled (India not North America)

Considering the demand for diesel cars in India Honda's new 1.6 litre diesel engine is bound to come to our shores. Read on to know more

In 2003 Honda had developed a 2.2 litre i-CTDi four cylinder diesel engine for the Accord in Europe and America. The engine found its way under the hood of many other Honda models sold across various nations in the western world. Then in 2008 Honda introduced the i-DTEC version of the 2.2 litre diesel engine to meet Euro 5 emissions norms.

Now, Honda has revealed a downsized turbocharged version of the old 2.2 unit as a 1.6 litre common rail i-DTEC engine at the Tokyo Motor Show. Honda has used lots of aluminium in the engine and the new engine is bound to be very light. The four pot motor develops 120PS of power at 4000 rpm and 299Nm of torque at 2000 rpm. The engine is said to be fairly rev happy for a diesel like Mazda’s SKYACTIV 2.2 litre diesel engine and is also said to have good low end grunt.

Honda engineers say that they are working on a more powerful 160PS version of the 1.6 litre i-DTEC engine with 349Nm of torque that will replace the current 2.2 litre diesel unit in Europe.

As for India, the new 1.6 litre i-DTEC is bound to find its way under the hood of the Honda City which will help the mid-size Honda ramp up considerably in the sales department due to the demand for diesel cars in India. Also, a downsized version of the 1.6 litre i-DTEC engine should be on the cards for the Honda Jazz and Brio, which will help Honda gain a considerable chunk of the diesel hatchback market share in India.

Honda had confirmed their plans for a diesel power plant for India earlier this year when the Honda R&D Co (Automobile R&D Centre) Managing Officer, Chief Officer (Development Operations) Yasuhisa said, "We are aware of the petrol price increase in India but we consider that as a sign of growth in the Indian market... definitely we are currently developing diesel engine cars.” That comment has been cemented by the unveiling of the new 1.6 litre i-DTEC diesel engine.

Source;

http://www.zigwheels.com/news-features/news/hondas-new-diesel-engine-unveiled/10822/1

First Drive: Honda hosts at Research and Developement centre

By Richard Russell
MOTEGI, Japan – For a company with a reputation for innovation and engineering, Honda has been surprisingly quiet on those fronts in recent years. No new engines, transmissions, hybrid, electric or plug-in systems in an era when everyone else in the industry is rushing them into production.

In what could be called a comeback or a reaffirmation of what put the company on the map, Honda is about to unveil a steady stream of new innovations that will find their way into everything the company builds, from lawn mowers and leaf blowers to motorcycles and cars of all sizes and stripes.

As if apologizing for its recent lack of news on these fronts, Honda hosted media from around the globe at its R & D Center here. We were exposed to a dizzying array of new products and ideas, most of which will find their way into your local Honda store in the next couple of years.
We drove a variety of new and future vehicles powered by a completely new family of four and six cylinder engines. We tried several new transmissions, a truly innovative all-wheel-drive system, various hybrids, including one without a transmission, pure electric vehicles and a sleek sedan powered by a fuel cell.

Honda is back
On the engine front, look for a unique combination of variable valve-timing, twin camshafts and direct injection that allow engines to run on the fuel-savings Atkinson Cycle without the loss of power or torque previously associated with that method. These include a quartet of new four-cylinder gasoline engines ranging in displacement from 1.0 to 2.4 –litres and a new 3.5-litre V6. The new 2.4-litre will first appear in the next Accord, late in 2012 and perhaps the new CR-V shortly afterwards.

We drove vehicles powered by a new 148-horsepower, 1.8-litre four that would be right at home in a mid-cycle version of the new Civic being readied for the 2012 model year and a 127-horsepower, 1.5-litre four destined for the Fit. In all cases these preliminary power figures are on the conservative side but considerably higher than current engines of similar displacement, while consuming 10 per cent less fuel.

We also sampled a Civic powered by a potent little 1.6-litre turbo diesel. Bring it on!
Honda R&D has come up with a trio of new CVT (Continuously Variable Transmissions) for small and mid-sized cars. Development has led to less of the “motor-boating” and “rubber-band” effects associated with CVT transmissions. Driven under normal conditions they feel like a normal stepped automatic, only when pressed hard on the track did they assume the CVT propensity to sound like a clutch was slipping.

It has also developed a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.

Under the “Earth Dreams” banner, all of these engines and transmission will appear in stand-alone or hybrid applications across a wide range of vehicles of all sizes and shapes in the next two years.

Honda has developed the world’s most efficient two-motor hybrid system, one that allows a big family-size car to operate without a transmission with a resultant savings in space and cost.
It also turned us loose on the big oval of the adjacent Twin-Ring Motegi race track in an Accord-size sedan equipped with the new V6 sending 310 horsepower and 265 lb. ft. of torque to the front wheels and a pair of electric motors powering the rear wheels. In addition to the abundance of instant torque when accelerating the innovation meter was pegged by the fact the motors were programmed to send more power to the outside wheel in a corner and reduced power to the inside wheel.

Needless to say performance was more than impressive on the straights or in the turns. Look for this combination in a forthcoming replacement for the big RL sedan and a rumored replacement for the NSX sports car.

Honda NSX for Detroit

The first clues to Honda’s long-awaited NSX successor will be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show. The Japanese company has confirmed that a hybrid concept known internally as the Super Sports will appear at the US event at the start of January.

A mysterious Acura concept was spotted last month on the set of the new Avengers movie in Central Park, New York, alongsive the film's star, Robert Downey Jr. Honda refused to comment on the pictures, but it's though that this mid-engined roadster could be the car in question.

Should the model make production, as is anticipated, it is likely to go on sale by 2013. Honda even took the bold move of showing a fleeting image of a sleek, silhouetted image of the model at a technical presentation to journalists at its Motegi Twin Ring facility.R and D boss Yoshikazu Kigoshi said: “It will define the new face of Acura (Honda’s premium US brand).” But the car is set to go on sale worldwide, and it will wear the Honda badge in Europe and possibly even resurrect the revered NSX name.

An insider at the company admitted new boss Takanobu Ito had been stung into action after suggestions that a company once famed for its sporty cars and engineering expertise had lost its way in recent years. “This is the start of new direction for Honda,” he stressed. “We need a halo product.”

And chief operating officer of R and D Toshikiho Nonaka outlined the company’s agenda when he confirmed: “We are investigating a Super Sports car that pursues exhilarating fun.”

However, the new model will be in keeping with Honda’s Earth Dreams policy, which prioritises Fun, the Environment and Safety, and is likely to feature an electric motor as well as conventional power.

Other technology which could be used in the car is the firm’s new Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system.

This torque control system transfers energy from inside wheels to outside wheels while cornering to maximize stability. Auto Express briefly tested it at the firm’s test track and found it delivered an extremely sporty drive, even in something the size of an Accord.

Nonaka acknowledged SH-AWD would be ideal for a new flagship performance model when he said: “We do have an understanding that lightweight, speedy, sporty vehicles are needed for this system.” President of Honda Motor Europe Manabu Nishimae added: “We know there are customers who want Honda sports cars and we are developing and intending to deliver products for them.”

Source;
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/motorshows/tokyo-motor-show/275806/honda_nsx_for_detroit.html

Honda Unveils All-new ASIMO with Significant Advancements

11/07/2011 - TOKYO, Japan
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today unveiled an all-new ASIMO humanoid robot newly equipped with the world's first1 autonomous behavior control technology. With a further advance in autonomy, the all-new ASIMO can now continue moving without being controlled by an operator. Moreover, with significantly improved intelligence and the physical ability to adapt to situations, ASIMO took another step closer to practical use in an office or a public space where many people come and go.

1Honda internal research as of Nov. 8, 2011

Since the establishment of the company, Honda has continued to take on new challenges in the effort to create new products and advance technologies with the spirit of utilizing technology to help people. In the area of humanoid robot research, Honda has been developing and advancing the ASIMO humanoid robot to realize a dream to be useful for people and to help enrich people's daily lives.

Honda has a newly established collective name, Honda Robotics, to represent all of its robotics technologies and product applications created through its research and development of humanoid robots. While continuing the research and development of humanoid robots, Honda will also focus on applying robotics technologies to mass-produced products and putting product applications into practical use.

Based on this concept of Honda Robotics, Honda also introduced an experimental model of a task-performing robot arm that was developed while applying multi-joint simultaneous orbit control and posture control technologies amassed through the research and development of ASIMO. This robot arm can be remotely controlled to perform tasks in unstable places which are difficult for people to access.

All-new ASIMO
The all-new ASIMO is now advanced from an "automatic machine" to an "autonomous machine" with the decision-making capability to determine its behavior in concert with its surroundings such as movements of people. At the beginning of the development process, the following three factors were identified as necessary for a robot to perform as an autonomous machine, and the technologies required to realize these capabilities were developed;
1) high-level postural balancing capability which enables the robot to maintain its posture by putting out its leg in an instant,
2) external recognition capability which enables the robot to integrate information, such as movements of people around it, from multiple sensors and estimate the changes that are taking place, and
3) the capability to generate autonomous behavior which enables the robot to make predictions from gathered information and autonomously determine the next behavior without being controlled by an operator. With these capabilities, the all-new ASIMO takes another step closer to practical use in an environment where it coexists with people.

1. Advancement of intelligence capability
Honda has developed a new system that is a fundamental technology for advanced intelligence, which comprehensively evaluates inputs from multiple sensors that are equivalent to the visual, auditory, and tactile senses of a human being, then estimates the situation of the surrounding environment and determines the corresponding behavior of the robot. With this technology, ASIMO became capable of responding to the movement of people and the surrounding situations. For instance, ASIMO will stop its current action and change its behavior to accommodate the intention of the other party. Moreover, coordination between visual and auditory sensors enables ASIMO to simultaneously recognize a face and voice, enabling ASIMO to recognize the voices of multiple people who are speaking simultaneously, which is difficult even for a human being to accomplish.

Further, ASIMO is now capable of predicting the direction a person will walk within the next few seconds based on information from pre-set space sensors and quickly determining to take an alternate path to avoid a collision with the person if the estimated locations of the person and the ASIMO intersect.

2. Advancement of physical capability
The combination of strengthened legs, an expanded range of leg movement and a newly developed control technology that enables ASIMO to change landing positions in the middle of a motion has enabled ASIMO to walk, run, run backward, hop on one leg or on two legs continuously. As a result of acquiring the ability to make such agile motions, ASIMO has become capable of more flexibly adapting to changing external situations so that it can, as an example, walk over an uneven surface while maintaining a stable posture.

3. Improved task-performing capability
Honda has developed a highly functional compact multi-fingered hand, which has a tactile sensor and a force sensor imbedded on the palm and in each finger, respectively, and which acts to control each finger independently. Combined with the object recognition technology based on visual and tactile senses, this multi-fingered hand enables the all-new ASIMO to perform tasks with dexterity, such as picking up a glass bottle and twisting off the cap, or holding a soft paper cup to pour a liquid without squishing it. Moreover, ASIMO is now capable of making sign language expressions which require the complex movement of fingers.

Key specifications of the all-new ASIMO
1. Height
130 cm
2. Weight
48kg (decreased 6kg from previous model)
3. Operating degreesof freedom
Total: 57 degrees of freedom (increase of 23 degrees of freedom from previous model)
4. Running Speed
9km/hour (previous model: 6km/hour)

Establishing a collective name, Honda Robotics, to represent Honda's robotics technologies and product applications
Studying human beings to understand people and learn from people is the root of Honda's manufacturing. While positioning the humanoid robot research as one of the important pillars in the area of studying human beings, Honda has been working to realize various functions of a human being that is the ultimate mobility with intelligence.

Honda newly established a collective term, Honda Robotics, and the logo to represent Honda's robotics technologies and application products created through its research and development of humanoid robot represented by ASIMO.

In addition to the all-new ASIMO and the task-performing robot arm introduced today, the previously introduced the walking assist device with stride management system which supports walking for people with weakened leg muscles, the bodyweight support assist system which reduces the load on legs by supporting part of the bodyweight, and the U3-X, a compact one-wheel-drive mobility device that provides free movement in all directions, are examples of product applications resulting from the application of bipedal technology and balance control technology amassed through the research and development of ASIMO.

Striving to offer next-generation mobility products which expand the joy and fun of mobility, Honda will continue the robotics research that leads to ASIMO, walking assist devices, U3-X and other technologies. In addition, Honda will also work proactively toward putting such product applications into practical use.

Task-performing Robot Arm
Technologies developed for ASIMO were applied to an experimental model of a task-performing robot arm, which moves on a self-propelled base and was designed under the assumption of being utilized at disaster sites or other places too dangerous for people to work. Toward this end, the robot arm was made possible to be remotely controlled to approach the object and stably perform necessary tasks even in a narrow space with unstable footing and many obstacles.

The stability control technology used for ASIMO's walking and running was applied to stabilize the posture of the end of the arm even on an unstable surface so that the robot arm can exert the necessary power output to perform the task. Moreover, the application of other ASIMO technologies such as the compact layout structural designing technique and multi-joint simultaneous orbit control technology that simultaneously controls as many as 57 motors imbedded in the joints of the arms and legs has enabled the robot arm to avoid obstacles and approach an object even in a narrow space with obstacles such as a complicated layout of pipelines.

In the development process, the robot arm is designed to perform the task of opening and closing valves on pipelines; however, it will become capable of performing a variety of tasks by changing the end piece of the arm.

Key specifications of the task-performing robot arm
1. Length
1583 mm (arm length)
2. Width
338mm (base)
3. Depth
391mm (base)
4. Weight
29.5kg
5. Operating degreesof freedom
10 degrees of freedom (including the end piece of the arm)

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/corporate-headlines/releases/honda-unveils-all-new-asimo-with-significant-advancements

Honda Intelligent Horse Among 2011 L.A. Auto Show Design Challenge Competitors

By Anita Lienert, Correspondent Published Nov 2, 2011

Just the Facts:
The Honda Intelligent Horse, Hyundai Stratus Sprinter, Mercedes Silver Arrow, Smart 341 Parkour, Subaru Horizon and Maybach Berline are set to duke it out at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show Design Challenge.
Designers were charged with creating Hollywood's next hottest movie car.
The winner will be announced November 17.

LOS ANGELES — The Honda Intelligent Horse, Hyundai Stratus Sprinter, Mercedes Silver Arrow, Smart 341 Parkour, Subaru Horizon and Maybach Berline are set to duke it out at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show Design Challenge.

The cars are inspired by vampires, Cinderella, a classic cowboy movie and crash-test dummies, say show organizers. Designers were charged with creating Hollywood's next hottest movie car.
The winner will be announced on November 17.

The Honda IH or Intelligent Horse is at the heart of a futuristic action-adventure movie called High Noon. "The Honda IH was inspired by the legend and material remains of an ancient creature called the horse and brought to life with advanced technology," said show organizers in a statement. It is the work of Honda Research and Development Americas.

The Hyundai Stratus Sprinter is the centerpiece of a vampire tale called Countess of Siberia. The vehicle has a "magical stealth force" that renders it invisible. It is the work of Hyundai Design North America.

The Mercedes Silver Arrow is the conveyance of two "enlightened" crash dummies who are pitted against the evil "Dr. Barrier" in an unnamed movie. It is inspired by the W125 series, a Silberpfeil racecar of the late 1930s and the Uhlenhaut SLR from the '50s. It is the work of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America.

The Smart 341 Parkour, which features a "fly mode" and a "climb mode" that allows it to climb skyscrapers, is the work of Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Germany. The unnamed movie features a reporter looking for a scoop.

The Subaru Horizon stars in the action-thriller Divided. It can withstand strong electromagnetic fields, chemical imbalances, scorching heat and raging storms. It is the work of Subaru Design Studio Tokyo.

The Maybach Berline ferries a modern-day Cinderella in a romantic drama. It gets gullwing doors with oversized privacy glass, retractable stairs and a "Royal Lounge." It is the work of the Mercedes-Benz Interior Design Studio in Germany.

Inside Line says: Still pretty hard to beat Steve McQueen's 1968 Mustang GT in Bullitt.

Source;
http://www.insideline.com/honda/honda-intelligent-horse-among-2011-la-auto-show-design-challenge-competitors.html

Inside Honda Performance Development

By Carlos Lago of www.motortrend.com
"Oh cute," I'm thinking, "Honda's strapped a wing and a roll cage to a CR-Z and called it a racecar." Burbling out of pit lane at Willow Springs Raceway in the Honda CR-Z Racer, with what sounds like a swarm of bees armed with a megaphone in tow, I roll on the throttle. Suddenly the tach needle jumps by two thousand rpm, the front wheels jolt, the steering wheel scrambles in my hand, and I'm heading into turn one much faster than anticipated.

This white and red concoction of turbochargers, nickel cobalt magnesium batteries, and racing slicks is the work of Honda Performance Development, a research and development subsidiary of the Japanese automaker that focuses solely on racing. Based in Valencia, California, the roller coasters at Six Flags Magic Mountain are visible from the road that approaches HPD's two-story, 125,000 square foot building. Home to an engine assembly hall, machining rooms, dynos, and so on, HPD is responsible for producing about one-third of the engines for IndyCar -- each of which takes 120 hours -- and for developing products for ALMS, go-karts, SCCA World challenge racers, quarter midgets, and SEMA show pieces.

Hence, the CR-Z Racer I'm fumbling around the big track at Willow Springs. It bowed at SEMA last year, alongside a group of similarly modified stable mates, with a turbocharged 1.5-liter I-4 and a higher output battery pack; combined, the package makes right around 190 horsepower. The hybrid system offers interesting approaches to racing. The 25 horsepower and 65 pound-feet of torque Honda estimates it delivers can be activated by pressing a button, push-to-pass style. The powertrain can even revert to an economy setting for endurance races. How well does it work? Honda entered two CR-Zs at the arduous 25 Hours of Thunderhill (a race famous for its "I survived the 25" finish line slogan) one of which placed second in class and ninth overall.

If there were a finishing place for fun-factor, the result might've been similar. The CR-Z is exceedingly hilarious. It is not a fast car, although it offers admirable acceleration in the upper arches of its powerband. The CR-Z's strength is maintaining speed. Its 17-inch wheels are shod in BFGoodrich racing slicks which beg to be pushed harder corner after corner. After a two-lap taste, I want to gorge.

The CR-Z Racer remains a small part of HPD's interests, which range from top-tier IndyCar and ALMS series to grassroots efforts. In 2010, the SCCA approved a variant of the Fit-based 1.5-liter engine for use in Formula Ford, or as it's now known officially, Formula F. The engine that powers your Honda generator? HPD turns that into a mill for quarter midget racing. It also takes 125 cc dirt bike engines and readies them for go-karts.

Most recently, Honda has been working with other manufacturers to introduce B Spec, a racing series for subcompacts like the Fit. The cars rely on production components -- engine, transmission, and chassis -- to drive down the cost of entry; a finished racecar should total around $25,000. Required changes for safety include a roll cage, suspension upgrades, wheels and tires, and a few other pieces, and HPD will, of course, offer these parts for your Fit. Mazda has been gung-ho with its Mazda2 -- such that it and Honda debuted the two racecars simultaneously. Ford and Kia have subsequently prepared versions of the Fiesta and Rio for competition. Toyota may even offer a Yaris. The series is rapidly gaining traction, and the automakers plan on having the cars performance balanced soon (a process that ensures that all cars perform on an equal level).

DEPENDABLE RACE CARS
Honda calls itself the most dependable name in racing and eagerly backs up the claim. Since becoming the sole supplier, HPD's IndyCar V-8s have broken records for reliability; the last in-race engine failure happened in 2009. Such performance is the result of scrupulous investigation. A materials analysis room at HPD is the home of countless slivers of metal and rubber, material encased in plastic. Each one has a story to tell. A piston, for example, is cross-sectioned, sliced thinly like a steak. Across the length of the slice, every few millimeters, HPD takes measurements to see what temperatures the metal has experienced. Knowing the temperatures means knowing how far the pistons can be pushed in the future, or how much to back off.

Other pieces tell stories of tragedy. A square gasket, no taller than a coffee mug, hangs from a wire stand. It's from Fernandez Racing's ARX-01b, the then Acura-branded American Le Mans prototype, which finished second overall at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring. During the post-race inspection, the engine refused to stall after its intakes were plugged (ALMS requires all air entering an engine to go through inlet restrictors). The team was disqualified. After an intense search, HPD found that the supplier responsible for the small gasket switched glues during production. That glue failed and the gasket unseated, allowing extra air through. Though a small, seemingly insignificant piece, the gasket cost the team the race. HPD doesn't forget, and team members still sour when telling the story.

The injury is one to ego. HPD knows the ins and outs of its hardware, as most of it is factory spec. The V-6 the new ARX-01d chassis relies upon is based on a stock Honda Accord engine. HPD changes the crank, cam profile, and adds two turbochargers. There's your race engine.

When I toured the facility, I was guided to one of the dyno rooms, where an example of the twin-turbo V-6 sat. In the isolated room, the bare engine was hooked to an innumerable amount of wires, looking ready to enter the Matrix. We entered an adjacent room for monitoring, separated from the dyno chamber by two heavy doors. We watched as the engine ran a simulated lap of Sebring raceway, using data gathered from a race. The suspended engine revved to its 6200-rpm limiter, simulated an up shift, and continued again. Its sound is a flat and low burble, the piping around the turbochargers quickly glows orange. When needed, HPD will run an engine for 24 hours to simulate the rigors of endurance racing. I closed my eyes and pictured running a lap, downshifting for braking, maintaining throttle during long corners. At one point the engine audibly shot past limiter. "Over rev," the technician says. The driver from when this data was gathered put a tire on the slippery painted curbing, getting wheel spin.

This type of development is one of HPD's contributions to Honda products. Since its inception in 1993, HPD has learned much about efficiently developing cars for extreme scenarios. For example, HPD doesn't rely on wind tunnel testing anymore, favoring computational fluid dynamics, or CFD, until race day. Eliminating wind tunnels means eliminating costly and time-consuming scale models; designing and building a front splitter for that 50 percent scale ALMS prototype costs $25,000. The company relies on computing power and claims no downsides. The team says it has so much success with the process that they can take a prototype out on a shakedown and it will perform just as CFD predicted. Passing this expertise on to the parent company has the potential to cut development time and costs.

Admittedly, I wasn't thinking about development practices while heading towards turn one at Big Willow. I was thinking about attempting the fast left-hander in fourth gear and pushing those tires harder. I wasn't thinking "Oh, cute" anymore. I was thinking that while the showroom may not inspire the enthusiast within, enthusiasm for racing is alive and well at Honda.

Source;

http://www.motortrend.com/features/performance/1110_inside_honda_performance_development/

Honda to bring diesel engined cars to India: Official Word Emerges!

Sure would be nice to see a Diesel from Honda come to North America....
Honda SIEL seems to be on a resurgence of sorts. First we had superb product repositioning strategies with the Honda City Sedan and Honda Jazz Hatchback seeing big price drops on account of what Honda would like us to believe, increased localization which has led to massive cost savings. Then came the superbly priced Honda Brio, which at a starting price of INR 3.95 Lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi has all the trappings of being a best seller. Now, Honda has just come out with the most important of announcements yet, of that of Honda bringing in diesel engines for its Indian line up.

While this isn’t exactly something we hadn’t reported earlier, Honda SIEL officials openly speaking about diesel engines for Honda cars in India only means that Brand Honda is going all out to ensure that it manages to stay relevant in the Indian market by adapting itself to the growing trend of diesel engined cars outselling petrol engined cars in India owing to high petrol prices and the big difference in pricing between petrol and diesel fuel. Currently, Honda sells six models in India, the Brio, the Jazz, the City, the Civic, the CR-V and the Accord.

Of these cars, European variants of the Civic, CR-V and Accord already feature powerful and frugal common rail, turbo diesel engines. So, only three of Honda’s six cars in India actually need brand new diesel engines developed from scratch. For the record, Honda has already begun development of diesel engines on a war footing with engineers from Honda’s former F1 program actually being involved in this high stakes project. Hence, it is just a matter of time before Honda comes up with small capacity diesel engines for its Indian bread-and-butter product line up, although the firm remains tight lipped about when exactly the new small capacity diesel engines will be available.

Meanwhile, here’s official word emerging about Honda’s diesel engined car model plans for the Indian market, from Mr Jnaneswar Sen, Vice-President (Sales and Marketing) HSCI.

The Research and Development team in Japan is developing diesel engines. It is premature to say that the products will be rolled out on diesel (platform).

Source;
http://www.indiancarsbikes.in/cars/honda-bring-diesel-engined-cars-india-official-word-emerges-49690/

Honda opens first UK hydrogen filling station

Awesome!
Honda has opened the first open access refuelling site for hydrogen powered vehicles at it’s manufacturing facility in Swindon. It’s open to anyone developing or using hydrogen powered vehicles, and will fill to 350 and 700 bar, the two standard filling pressures adopted by major manufacturers.

The aim behind the site is to encourage the development of hydrogen powered vehicles, including Honda’s own FCX Clarity. Hydrogen powered vehicles offer the same benefits as electric vehicles but with the advantages of improved range and no slow recharge time.

Thomas Brachmann, Head of Electrical Powertrain R&D at Honda, commented: “Hydrogen fuel cell technology is the ultimate transport solution; meeting environmental demands but also delivering the range and performance that customers expect.

“The cooperation on this project between vehicle manufacturers like Honda, infrastructure providers like BOC and the public sector can be a blueprint for future development.”

Source;
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/green-motoring/2011-09/honda-opens-first-uk-hydrogen-filling-station/

Honda FCX Clarity heads Glasgow hydrogen conference

Fresh from its appearance at Ecovelocity last week, the FCX Clarity is now making a star appearance in Scotland, appearing at the World Hydrogen Technologies Conference in Glasgow.

One of only a handful of series production hydrogen fuel cars in the world, the Honda-made car became the very first such car to enter production back in 2008. Currently available on a limited lease programme in the US and Japan, the car will now appear in Glasgow between September 14 and 18th, as the conference explores the future of a hydrogen economy.

Welcoming more than 150 leading hydrogen experts from around the world, the conference’s major theme this year is ‘Renewables to Hydrogen’ exploring the opportunities to create a clean, sustainable hydrogen economy from the many forms of available renewable energy. This is particularly relevant to Scotland and to the UK, given the substantial wind, wave and tidal resources available.

The conference was opened by Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s Minister of Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, (pictured) who fully endorsed the drive to renewable energy and cleaner fuels.

The Honda FCX Clarity works like an electric car with hydrogen creating the electric on-board through a ‘fuel cell stack’. The stack creates electricity from a reaction between hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen. This reaction produces only one emission; pure water which comes out of the tailpipe in the form of vapour. If hydrogen can be produced for commercial use from clean sources such as wind power then cars such as the Honda FCX Clarity can truly become zero harmful emissions.

Hydrogen cars depend on a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure however, currently absent in the UK. In response to this, Honda, in cooperation with BOC and Forward Swindon- are launching the UK’s first public hydrogen refuelling station, just off the M4, at Honda’s Swindon car plant, on September 20.

Source;
http://www.thegreencarwebsite.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/09/15/honda-fcx-clarity-heads-glasgow-hydrogen-conference/

Honda Civic Noise & Relaxation 2012

High Levels of Refinement For The New Honda Civic

In order for the new 2012 Honda Civic to provide a quieter and more refined driving experience, the development team focused on sharpening every detail of the design, build and aerodynamics resulting in optimal interior refinement.



The new Honda Civic was tested across Europe in order to tune the car to the varying road conditions found throughout the region. To fine tune the cabin insulation, the Civic was also tested in Honda's anechoic (echo-free) chamber in the Research & Development facility located in Swindon. As a result of the tests in the anechoic chamber, the design and construction of the roof lining and how it interacts with the bodywork was modified.

The aerodynamic efficiency of the new Honda Civic also has a key role for maximising refinement. Formula One experience offered by several members of the development team helped to provide a car combining low coefficient of drag in combination with high-speed stability. Performance, reduced fuel consumption and the quiet interior were the result of hours of meticulous work in the Honda wind tunnel.

"We did not improve the noise and refinement of the new Civic through just one technique," commented Kazuo Sunaoshi, Development Leader – Chassis. "It was the accumulation of lots of little details. My big challenge was to match the noise and vibration levels of our European competitors. I am proud to say that we have achieved our goals."

Source;

http://www.carpages.co.uk/honda/honda-civic-26-08-11.asp

Honda Installs Wind Tunnel Amid $355 Million Ohio Plant Upgrades

Honda Motor Co. is making $355 million of upgrades at plants in Ohio where it opened its first U.S. wind tunnel, seeking productivity and fuel-economy gains for models designed and built in North America.



The Ohio projects for Japan’s first company to make cars in the U.S. include $166 million of improvements to its factory in East Liberty and a $64 million stamping press at its Marysville plant, said Ron Lietzke, spokesman for the company’s assembly unit. Honda wouldn’t provide the cost of the wind tunnel or other additions to its engineering center in Raymond.



“The driver of the projects is to improve all our characteristics,” Lietzke said in an interview, declining to say whether the changes will lead to greater output. “If we end up increasing production capacity as a result, that’s fine,” he said, without elaborating.



Honda is refurbishing factories as it prepares to restore full North American production next month after parts shortages triggered by Japan’s March earthquake left Honda and Acura dealers short of models. The Tokyo-based company’s U.S. sales fell 2.6 percent this year through July, and market share shrank to 9.3 percent from 10.6 percent as industrywide deliveries rose 11 percent.



Output at Honda’s auto-assembly plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico dropped 26 percent to 559,981 through July from 754,807 a year ago, according to company data.

Efficiency



Having opened Marysville in 1982, before Toyota Motor Corp. (7203), Nissan Motor Co. and other Asian companies began making cars in the U.S., Honda’s North America engineering and production units are among the region’s most sophisticated, said Jeffrey Liker, professor of engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.



“By the most common productivity metrics, they’re among the most efficient,” said Liker, who studies automotive- assembly operations. “They have a history of developing exceptional people and actually keeping them. That allows them to accumulate knowledge and continue to learn.”



The Raymond R&D center, near the Marysville and East Liberty plants, is Honda’s main vehicle-development facility for the Americas. It’s responsible for designing and engineering the Pilot and Acura MDX sport-utility vehicles, Ridgeline pickup, Acura ZDX wagon and TL sedan, and North American version Odyssey minivan, all of which are built only in the region.



Fuel-Economy Push

Boosting fuel-economy on those models to meet tightening regulations is also its responsibility, Frank Paluch, senior vice present of Honda R&D Americas, said in an interview this month.

Last month, carmakers agreed to double the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, to 54.5 mpg by 2025. The first phase for the industry is to reach a U.S. average of 35.5 mpg by 2016.



“We are very aware of those targets and where our responsibility is for CAFE within the lineup. There are set plans how to meet them,” Paluch said. “By the 2016 model introductions, we’ll target about an 18 percent improvement, specifically for our areas.”



Improvements will come through enhanced engine and transmission performance, lighter-weight materials, and smaller and more-efficient components, said Paluch.



Such “evolutionary” changes were used when Ohio engineers revamped the Odyssey last year, raising fuel economy 17 percent, he said. Hitting the 2025 goal is a “bit more gray,” he said.



“If consumers are buying a lot more hybrids, we can easily meet those requirements,” Paluch said. “If consumers don’t buy a lot more hybrids or don’t buy more battery-electric vehicles, we’re going to have to think about other ways to meet those goals.”



Wind Tunnel

Honda hasn’t previously acknowledged the Ohio wind tunnel that was built in late 2010. It will help engineers improve vehicle aerodynamics for further efficiency gains, said John Dirrig, a manager and chief engineer at the Raymond center.



“The ability to do that type of analysis as early as possible in the development phase of new vehicles is a big deal,” he said.



Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai Motor Co. (005380) don’t have wind tunnels in the U.S. Toyota’s Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, uses one nearby operated by affiliate Denso Corp., said Bruce Brownlee, a Toyota spokesman.



Honda’s is a “half-scale” tunnel, intended for early prototypes.



‘Not Just a Big Fan’

Such a device may cost $25 million, while a full-size wind tunnel is at least $100 million, said Frank Ohlemacher, project manager at the Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research in Columbus. “This is sophisticated equipment, not just a big fan,” Ohlemacher said.

Honda won’t say how much it’s invested in Raymond, where more than 1,000 engineers work at desks in a central hall the length of 2.5 football fields, or 750 feet. It also has a crash- test center and laboratories to test electromagnetic interference and the effect of heat, rain and cold on vehicles.



Along with the Ohio upgrades, Honda said in March it’s spending $94 million to modify its Lincoln, Alabama, plant that builds Odysseys and Pilots. This month Honda said it will build an $800 million plant in central Mexico that will make 200,000 small cars a year after it opens in 2014.



Honda’s American depositary receipts, representing one ordinary share, rose 69 cents, or 2.3 percent, $31.30 yesterday in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Its U.S. unit is based in Torrance, California.



Source;

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-25/honda-adds-wind-tunnel-in-ohio-amid-355-million-in-auto-plant-upgrades.html

Honda Motor Assigned Patent

08/23/2011

By Targeted News Service



ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 23 -- Honda Motor, Tokyo, has been assigned a patent (7,997,070) developed by Yuji Yasui, Saitama-ken, Japan, and Ikue Kawasumi, Saitama, Japan, for an "exhaust emission control device for internal combustion engine."



The abstract of the patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office states: "An exhaust emission control device for an internal combustion engine, capable of supplying a just enough amount of reducing agent to a selective reduction catalyst even when a NOx purification ratio of the catalyst is changed by various causes, thereby enabling a high NOx purification ratio and very low exhaust emissions to be maintained. An ECU calculates a filtered value based on a signal from an exhaust gas concentration sensor, calculates a moving average value of a product of the filtered value and a reference input, calculates a control input such that the moving average value becomes equal to 0, and adds a reference input to the control input to calculate an FB injection amount. The ECU calculates an FF injection amount with a predetermined feedforward control algorithm, and adds the FF injection amount to the FB injection amount, to thereby calculate a urea injection amount."



The patent application was filed on June 6, 2008 (12/134,670). The full-text of the patent can be found at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=7,997,070.PN.&OS=PN/7,997,070&RS=PN/7,997,070



Written by Shabnam Sheikh; edited by Jaya Anand.



Source;

http://www.power-eng.com/news/2011/08/1484687165/honda-motor-assigned-patent.html