Patents by Inventor Etsuo Watanabe

Etsuo Watanabe has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11891093
    Abstract: A control device that comprises a processor that executes instructions to cause a mobile object to travel autonomously is provided. The processor controls the mobile object based on a conditions-varying travel path so that an automated control of the mobile object does not change even if travel conditions of the conditions-varying travel path vary. The processor also executes instructions to determine a route to a destination. The processor determines the route using automated-driving map information that comprises a travel path other than the conditions-varying travel path when the mobile object travels by automated driving. The processor also determines the route using manual-driving map information that comprises the conditions-varying travel path when the mobile object travels by manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Etsuo Watanabe, Ryoichi Inoue, Yuki Motegi
  • Patent number: 11307582
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a recognition unit which recognizes surrounding situations of a vehicle, and a driving control unit which automatically controls at least steering of the vehicle based on the surrounding situations recognized by the recognition unit, and the driving control unit increases a distance between the vehicle and a traffic participant in the case where the recognition unit recognizes the traffic participant as an overtaking target and a predetermined structure in a traveling direction of the vehicle, and the vehicle travels on a side opposite to the predetermined structure in a road width direction in a case that viewed from the traffic participant to overtake the traffic participant, as compared to a case where the traffic participant as the overtaking target is recognized by the recognition unit in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the predetermined structure is not recognized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki Matsunaga, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20220080967
    Abstract: A vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium capable of increasing the traveling safety in the case where an overtaking vehicle approaches in the traveling control of the own vehicle are provided. A vehicle control device includes: a recognition part, recognizing an overtaking vehicle presumed to overtake an own vehicle from rear of the own vehicle in an own lane in which the own vehicle travels; and a driving control part, automatically controlling at least acceleration and deceleration of the own vehicle, and, in a case where the overtaking vehicle is recognized, determining a traveling velocity of the own vehicle based on a number of lanes of a road on which the own vehicle travels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2021
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Etsuo WATANABE, Ryoichi INOUE
  • Publication number: 20220055615
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, a vehicle control device includes a recognizer configured to recognize surroundings of a host vehicle, and an avoidance controller configured to able to execute first avoidance control for avoiding contact with a physical object recognized by the recognizer according to braking of the host vehicle and second avoidance control for avoiding the contact with the physical object recognized by the recognizer according to movement of the host vehicle in a vehicle width direction. When the contact between the host vehicle and the physical object is avoided, the avoidance controller selects either the first avoidance control or the second avoidance control on the basis of a lane type of a host vehicle lane recognized by the recognizer and preferentially executes the selected avoidance control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: Ryoichi Inoue, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20220001896
    Abstract: A control device includes a travel controller configured to cause a mobile object to travel autonomously. The travel controller controls the mobile object such that a behavior in which control details for the mobile object do not change even if travel conditions of a conditions-varying travel path in which the travel conditions vary according to a time period vary is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2021
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Inventors: Etsuo Watanabe, Ryoichi Inoue, Yuki Motegi
  • Publication number: 20210402998
    Abstract: A control device detects an object that is present in a traveling direction of a road on which a mobile object is traveling, controls a behavior of the mobile object, acquires an operation state of a turn signal, causes, when a degree of proximity between the mobile object and the detected object is less than a reference, the mobile object to move in a direction intersecting the traveling direction when a predetermined time has elapsed from starting of operating the turn signal obtained from the operation state of the turn signal, and causes, when the degree of proximity is equal to or greater than the reference, the mobile object to move in the direction intersecting the traveling direction before the turn signal is operated or before a predetermined time has elapsed from starting of operating the turn signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Ryoichi Inoue, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11100345
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes: a recognizer that is configured to recognize a surroundings status of a vehicle; and a driving controller that is configured to control at least steering of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings status recognized by the recognizer, wherein the driving controller is configured to cause the vehicle to run on the basis of a first reference line deviating to one side of a road in a case in which a target obstacle is not recognized in an advancement direction of the vehicle by the recognizer and, is configured to cause the vehicle to avoid the target obstacle after causing the vehicle to run on the basis of a second reference line disposed on an other side of the road from the first reference line, in a case in which the target obstacle is recognized by the recognizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Hideki Matsunaga, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe, Yuki Oshitani, Ryoma Taguchi
  • Patent number: 11099564
    Abstract: A vehicle control device (100) includes a recognition unit (130) that recognizes a surrounding situation of a vehicle, and a driving control unit (140, 160) that controls steering and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit. In a case where a traffic participant is recognized in a progress direction of the vehicle by the recognition unit, the driving control unit sets an entry inhibition region where an entry of the vehicle is to be avoided, using the traffic participant as a reference, based on a degree of recognition of the vehicle by the traffic participant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Hideki Matsunaga, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe, Yuki Oshitani
  • Patent number: 11091152
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle control device including: a recognition unit that recognizes a nearby situation of a vehicle; and a driving control unit that automatically controls at least steering of the vehicle on the basis of the nearby situation that is recognized by the recognition unit. In a case where an obstacle that exists in an advancing direction of the vehicle and a road-side structure that is provided in a road edge are recognized by the recognition unit, the driving control unit generates a target trajectory of the vehicle in a state in which a trajectory along which a wheel of the vehicle passes over the road-side structure is included as a candidate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11079762
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a recognition unit, an intersection road recognition determination unit, and a driving control unit. When a subject vehicle turns in a first direction that is one of left and right directions at an intersection road, in a case where it is determined that a situation of the intersection road is able to be recognized at a predetermined degree or more by the intersection road recognition determination unit, the driving control unit performs control of moving the subject vehicle toward a side of the first direction in front of the intersection road, and in a case where it is determined that the situation of the intersection road is not able to be recognized at the predetermined degree or more, the driving control unit suppresses the control of moving the subject vehicle toward the side of the first direction in front of the intersection road.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki Matsunaga, Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11077849
    Abstract: A vehicle control system including: a recognizer that is configured to recognize a surroundings status of a vehicle; and a driving controller that is configured to control an acceleration and steering of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings status recognized by the recognizer, wherein, in a case in which a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in an advancement direction of the vehicle by the recognizer, the driving controller is configured to executes follow control for following the plurality of pedestrians and is configured to determines details of the follow control on the basis of a behavior of a nearest pedestrian who is closest to the vehicle among the plurality of pedestrians and a behavior of a second pedestrian who is a monitoring target other than the nearest pedestrian among the plurality of pedestrians.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideki Matsunaga, Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe, Ryoma Taguchi
  • Patent number: 10974725
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle control apparatus (100) which includes a recognition unit (130) configured to recognize a surrounding situation of a vehicle, and driving control units (140 and 160) configured to automatically control acceleration or deceleration and steering of the vehicle on the basis of a surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit, in which, in a case that a stop position of the vehicle is recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle by the recognition unit, and a traffic participant proceeding at a speed lower than the speed of the vehicle in the traveling direction is recognized in front of the stop position, the driving control unit determines whether the traffic participant catches up with the vehicle before the vehicle reaches the stop position, and determines to cause the vehicle to reach further ahead of the traffic participant in the traveling direction on the basis of a result of the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Hideki Matsunaga, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10891498
    Abstract: A vehicle control system including a recognizer that is configured to recognize a surroundings status of a vehicle and a driving controller that is configured to control at least steering of the vehicle on the basis of the surroundings status recognized by the recognizer, and, in a case in which a obstacle present in an advancement direction of the vehicle and traffic participants present near the obstacle are recognized by the recognizer, and the vehicle is caused to avoid the obstacle, the driving controller is configured to control the vehicle on the basis of advancement directions of the traffic participants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Hideki Matsunaga, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe, Yuki Oshitani, Ryoma Taguchi
  • Publication number: 20190283743
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a recognition unit that recognizes a surrounding situation including a position of another vehicle passing by a subject vehicle and a position of a retreat space in a vicinity of the subject vehicle, a retreat necessity or not determination unit that determines whether or not the other vehicle recognized by the recognition unit is required to move to the retreat space, and a driving control unit that controls acceleration or deceleration and steering of the subject vehicle based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit, and stops or decelerates the subject vehicle while directing an orientation of the subject vehicle to a side opposite to the retreat space with respect to an extending direction of a road in a case where the retreat necessity or not determination unit determines that the other vehicle is required to move to the retreat space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Koji Kawabe, Hideki Matsunaga, Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20190286147
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a recognition unit, an intersection road recognition determination unit, and a driving control unit. When a subject vehicle turns in a first direction that is one of left and right directions at an intersection road, in a case where it is determined that a situation of the intersection road is able to be recognized at a predetermined degree or more by the intersection road recognition determination unit, the driving control unit performs control of moving the subject vehicle toward a side of the first direction in front of the intersection road, and in a case where it is determined that the situation of the intersection road is not able to be recognized at the predetermined degree or more, the driving control unit suppresses the control of moving the subject vehicle toward the side of the first direction in front of the intersection road.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Hideki Matsunaga, Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20190283802
    Abstract: A vehicle control device (100) includes a recognizer (130) that recognizes a surrounding situation of a vehicle and a driving controller (140, 160) that automatically controls at least steering of the vehicle on the basis of the surrounding situation recognized by the recognizer, wherein the driving controller is configured to, when the recognizer has recognized a single pedestrian ahead in a travel direction of the vehicle, make a distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian equal to or greater than a first minimum interval and to, when the recognizer has recognized a plurality of pedestrians ahead in the travel direction of the vehicle, make the distance between the vehicle and a pedestrian closest to the vehicle equal to or greater than a second minimum interval which is greater than the first minimum interval.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Hideki Matsunaga, Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20190286130
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a recognition unit that recognizes a surrounding situation of a vehicle, a driving control unit that executes a first driving mode in which steering, and speed of the vehicle are controlled or a second driving mode in which a degree of dependence on the operation of the occupant is higher than the first driving mode on the basis of the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit, and a switching controller that switches between the first driving mode and the second driving mode, wherein the driving control unit switches a traveling line of the vehicle from a first traveling line on which the vehicle travels in the first driving mode to a second traveling line on which the vehicle travels in the second driving mode and then switches a driving mode of the vehicle from the first driving mode to the second driving mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Hideki Matsunaga, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe, Ryoma Taguchi
  • Publication number: 20190283742
    Abstract: Provided is an automatic driving control device (100) including: a recognition unit (130) that recognizes a nearby situation of a vehicle; a driving control unit (140, 160) that automatically controls acceleration/deceleration and steering of the vehicle on the basis of the nearby situation that is recognized by the recognition unit; an output unit that outputs information; and a notification control unit (180) that controls the output unit to notify a traffic participant of existence of the vehicle in a case where the traffic participant who exists in an advancing direction of the vehicle is recognized by the recognition unit. The notification control unit adjusts the degree of notification with respect to the traffic participant on the basis of a distance between an edge portion that is disposed away from the traffic participant in a width direction of a road on which the vehicle travels, and the traffic participant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Koji Kawabe, Hideki Matsunaga, Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20190286137
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a recognition unit which recognizes surrounding situations of a vehicle, and a driving control unit which automatically controls at least steering of the vehicle based on the surrounding situations recognized by the recognition unit, and the driving control unit increases a distance between the vehicle and a traffic participant in the case where the recognition unit recognizes the traffic participant as an overtaking target and a predetermined structure in a traveling direction of the vehicle, and the vehicle travels on a side opposite to the predetermined structure in a road width direction in a case that viewed from the traffic participant to overtake the traffic participant, as compared to a case where the traffic participant as the overtaking target is recognized by the recognition unit in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the predetermined structure is not recognized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Hideki Matsunaga, Etsuo Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20190278270
    Abstract: A vehicle control device (100) includes a recognition unit (130) that recognizes a surrounding situation of a vehicle, and a driving control unit (140, 160) that controls steering and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit. In a case where a traffic participant is recognized in a progress direction of the vehicle by the recognition unit, the driving control unit sets an entry inhibition region where an entry of the vehicle is to be avoided, using the traffic participant as a reference, based on a degree of recognition of the vehicle by the traffic participant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Hideki Matsunaga, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe, Yuki Oshitani