Patents by Inventor Katsuhiro Sakai
Katsuhiro Sakai 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).
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Publication number: 20170185088Abstract: Arrangements related to operating an autonomous vehicle in view-obstructed environments are described. At least a portion of an external environment of the autonomous vehicle can be sensed to detect one or more objects located therein. An occupant viewable area of the external environment can be determined. It can be determined whether one or more of the detected one or more objects is located outside of the determined occupant viewable area. Responsive to determining that a detected object is located outside of the determined occupant viewable area, one or more actions can be taken. For instance, the action can include presenting an alert within the autonomous vehicle. Alternatively or in addition, the action can include causing a current driving action of the autonomous vehicle to be modified.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 16, 2017Publication date: June 29, 2017Inventors: Katsuhiro Sakai, Danil V. Prokhorov, Bunyo Okumura, Naoki Nagasaka, Masahiro Harada, Nobuhide Kamata
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Publication number: 20170185089Abstract: An autonomous vehicle can encounter an external environment in which an object overhangs a current road of the autonomous vehicle. For example, the branch of a tree may overhang the road. Such an overhanging object can be detected and suitable driving maneuvers for the autonomous vehicle can be determined. Sensor data can be acquired from at least a forward portion of the external environment. One or more floating obstacle candidates can be identified based on the acquired sensor data. The identified one or more floating obstacle candidates can be filtered to remove any floating obstacle candidates that do not meet one or more predefined parameters. A driving maneuver for the autonomous vehicle can be determined at least partially based on a height clearance between the autonomous vehicle and floating obstacle candidates that remain after being filtered out. The autonomous vehicle can be caused to implement the determined driving maneuver.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 27, 2015Publication date: June 29, 2017Inventors: Xue Mei, Katsuhiro Sakai, Nobuhide Kamata
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Patent number: 9649979Abstract: Arrangements related to operating an autonomous vehicle in view-obstructed environments are described. At least a portion of an external environment of the autonomous vehicle can be sensed to detect one or more objects located therein. An occupant viewable area of the external environment can be determined. It can be determined whether one or more of the detected one or more objects is located outside of the determined occupant viewable area. Responsive to determining that a detected object is located outside of the determined occupant viewable area, one or more actions can be taken. For instance, the action can include presenting an alert within the autonomous vehicle. Alternatively or in addition, the action can include causing a current driving action of the autonomous vehicle to be modified.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2015Date of Patent: May 16, 2017Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.Inventors: Katsuhiro Sakai, Danil V. Prokhorov, Bunyo Okumura, Naoki Nagasaka, Masahiro Harada, Nobuhide Kamata
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Patent number: 9626868Abstract: An object detection device can acquire information of an object in the vicinity of a host-vehicle for appropriate traveling assistance. An object detection device 1 includes a vehicle state detection section 2, an environmental situation acquisition section 3, a road information acquisition section 4, a detection control section 6, and a detection section 7. A host-vehicle state prediction section 61 acquires a target state of a host-vehicle 81. The detection section 7 detects an object. A parameter setting section 63 switches the detection characteristic of the object in the detection section 7 in accordance with the target state.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2010Date of Patent: April 18, 2017Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masahiro Harada, Katsuhiro Sakai, Toshiki Kindo
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Publication number: 20170088133Abstract: A course evaluation apparatus includes an estimated-course-group generation portion that generates a plurality of estimated course groups for a movable body; and a course evaluation portion that performs a course evaluation on the plurality of estimated course groups with respect to at least two different evaluation criteria.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 9, 2016Publication date: March 30, 2017Inventors: Katsuhiro Sakai, Toshiki Kindo
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Patent number: 9601020Abstract: A collision determination device determines the possibility of collision between a host vehicle and the other object on the basis of a shortest arrival time calculated by a shortest arrival time calculation unit and a passage time at each point of the host vehicle acquired by a vehicle route candidate acquisition unit. In this way, even if a locus to be taken by the other object is not generated, the shortest arrival time at which the other object can arrive at each point of the route candidate of the host vehicle with a predetermined first displacement is calculated, thereby determining the possibility of collision between the host vehicle and the other object. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a computational load for determining collision and to accurately determine collision between the host vehicle and the other object.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2010Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kazuaki Aso, Toshiki Kindo, Katsuhiro Sakai, Masahiro Harada
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Publication number: 20170032675Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicular environment estimation device capable of accurately estimating a travel environment around own vehicle on the basis of a predicted route of a mobile object or the like, which is moving in a blind area. A vehicular environment estimation device that is mounted in the own vehicle detects a behavior of another vehicle in the vicinity of the own vehicle, and estimates a travel environment, which affects the traveling of another vehicle, on the basis of the behavior of another vehicle. For example, the presence of another vehicle, which is traveling in a blind area, is estimated on the basis of the behavior of another vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to estimate a vehicle travel environment that cannot be recognized by the own vehicle but can be recognized by another vehicle in the vicinity of the own vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2016Publication date: February 2, 2017Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI TOSHIBAInventors: Katsuhiro SAKAI, Hiromitsu URANO, Toshiki KINDO
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Patent number: 9552733Abstract: A course evaluation apparatus includes an estimated-course-group generation portion that generates a plurality of estimated course groups for a movable body; and a course evaluation portion that performs a course evaluation on the plurality of estimated course groups with respect to at least two different evaluation criteria.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2008Date of Patent: January 24, 2017Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Katsuhiro Sakai, Toshiki Kindo
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Patent number: 9540001Abstract: A parking assistance device includes: a route information storage unit storing in advance route information indicating a travel route at the time of parking, the route information being stored according to the forward start position; an inclination calculation unit configured to calculate a current inclination of a vehicle length direction of the vehicle with respect to the target parking position; an offset amount setting unit configured to set an offset amount in the interval direction of the forward route between the current vehicle position and the position at which the vehicle length direction is parallel with the forward route; and a guiding unit configured to guide the vehicle to the target parking position based on a travel route adjacent to the position at which the vehicle length direction is parallel with the forward route.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2014Date of Patent: January 10, 2017Assignees: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, HONDA MOTOR CO., LTDInventors: Hiroki Inagaki, Yoshihito Mizuno, Masahiro Ishihara, Katsuhiro Sakai
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Publication number: 20160355180Abstract: Provided is a driving assist device 10 that recognizes an object in the vicinity of a moving body, and assists a driver in driving the moving body, the apparatus including: an object detecting unit 12 that detects the object in the vicinity of the moving body; a three dimensional object detecting unit 13 that detects a three dimensional object in the vicinity of the moving body; and an object recognition unit 18 that recognizes the object at a predetermined detection position as a non-obstacle when the object information storing unit 16 stores the position of the object, and the three dimensional object information storing unit 17 does not store the position of the three dimensional object at the predetermined position in which detection is performed by both of the object detecting unit 12 and the three dimensional object detecting unit 13.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2016Publication date: December 8, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Katsuhiro SAKAI, Toshiki KINDO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Masahiro HARADA
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Publication number: 20160355192Abstract: Arrangements relating to the transitioning of a vehicle between operational modes are described. The vehicle can transition between a first operational mode and a second operational mode. The second operational mode has a greater degree of manual involvement than the first operational mode. For instance, the first operational mode can be an unmonitored autonomous operational mode, and the second operational mode can be a monitored autonomous operational mode or a manual operational mode. It can be determined whether an operational mode transition event has occurred while the vehicle is operating in the first operational mode. In response to determining that an operational mode transition event has occurred, a time buffer for continuing in the first operational mode before switching to the second operational mode can be determined. A transition alert can be presented within the vehicle. The transition alert can represent the determined time buffer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 4, 2015Publication date: December 8, 2016Inventors: Michael R. James, Katsuhiro Sakai, Toshiki Kindo, Danil V. Prokhorov, Masahiro Harada
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Publication number: 20160358476Abstract: A collision determination device determines the possibility of collision between a host vehicle and the other object on the basis of a shortest arrival time calculated by a shortest arrival time calculation unit and a passage time at each point of the host vehicle acquired by a vehicle route candidate acquisition unit. In this way, even if a locus to be taken by the other object is not generated, the shortest arrival time at which the other object can arrive at each point of the route candidate of the host vehicle with a predetermined first displacement is calculated, thereby determining the possibility of collision between the host vehicle and the other object. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a computational load for determining collision and to accurately determine collision between the host vehicle and the other object.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 19, 2016Publication date: December 8, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kazuaki ASO, Toshiki KINDO, Katsuhiro SAKAI, Masahiro HARADA
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Patent number: 9511767Abstract: This application describes an automated driving system and methods. The automated driving system includes a perception system disposed on an autonomous vehicle. The automated driving system can detect, using the perception system, information for an environment proximate to the autonomous vehicle. The information for the environment includes current behavior of an object of interest and traffic density information. The automated driving system can also determine a classifier for the environment based on a prediction of future behavior of the object of interest. Based on the classifier, the automated driving system can identify a transition between vehicle states, the vehicle states being associated with a planned action for the autonomous vehicle. The automated driving system can also send a command to one or more vehicle systems to control the autonomous vehicle to execute the planned action according to the transition.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2015Date of Patent: December 6, 2016Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.Inventors: Bunyo Okumura, Michael R. James, Katsuhiro Sakai, Tomoki Nishi
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Patent number: 9501932Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicular environment estimation device capable of accurately estimating a travel environment around own vehicle on the basis of a predicted route of a mobile object or the like, which is moving in a blind area. A vehicular environment estimation device that is mounted in the own vehicle detects a behavior of another vehicle in the vicinity of the own vehicle, and estimates a travel environment, which affects the traveling of another vehicle, on the basis of the behavior of another vehicle. For example, the presence of another vehicle, which is traveling in a blind area, is estimated on the basis of the behavior of another vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to estimate a vehicle travel environment that cannot be recognized by the own vehicle but can be recognized by another vehicle in the vicinity of the own vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2010Date of Patent: November 22, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Katsuhiro Sakai, Hiromitsu Urano, Toshiki Kindo
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Patent number: 9495873Abstract: An other-vehicle detector 18 of an other-vehicle detection device 10a detects an other-vehicle VO around a host vehicle VM based on the predetermined feature amount. A detection reference value adjustment unit 16 of the other-vehicle detection device 10a, regarding the feature amount for detecting the other-vehicle VO around the host vehicle VM, changes a threshold value of the feature amount for detecting the other-vehicle VO, and detects the other-vehicle VO, based on a relative positional relationship between the other-vehicle VO and the host vehicle VM. In this way, it is possible to detect the existence of the other-vehicle VO according to the situation more.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2011Date of Patent: November 15, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Katsuhiro Sakai, Toshiki Kindo, Kentaro Ichikawa, Masahiro Harada
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Patent number: 9446711Abstract: Provided is a driving assist device 10 that recognizes an object in the vicinity of a moving body, and assists a driver in driving the moving body, the apparatus including: an object detecting unit 12 that detects the object in the vicinity of the moving body; a three dimensional object detecting unit 13 that detects a three dimensional object in the vicinity of the moving body; and an object recognition unit 18 that recognizes the object at a predetermined detection position as a non-obstacle when the object information storing unit 16 stores the position of the object, and the three dimensional object information storing unit 17 does not store the position of the three dimensional object at the predetermined position in which detection is performed by both of the object detecting unit 12 and the three dimensional object detecting unit 13.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 2012Date of Patent: September 20, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Katsuhiro Sakai, Toshiki Kindo, Kentaro Ichikawa, Masahiro Harada
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Publication number: 20160221500Abstract: Arrangements related to operating an autonomous vehicle in view-obstructed environments are described. At least a portion of an external environment of the autonomous vehicle can be sensed to detect one or more objects located therein. An occupant viewable area of the external environment can be determined. It can be determined whether one or more of the detected one or more objects is located outside of the determined occupant viewable area. Responsive to determining that a detected object is located outside of the determined occupant viewable area, one or more actions can be taken. For instance, the action can include presenting an alert within the autonomous vehicle. Alternatively or in addition, the action can include causing a current driving action of the autonomous vehicle to be modified.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2015Publication date: August 4, 2016Inventors: Katsuhiro Sakai, Danil V. Prokhorov, Bunyo Okumura, Naoki Nagasaka, Masahiro Harada, Nobuhide Kamata
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Patent number: 9384664Abstract: Provided is a parking assistance device capable of setting a parking target position without placing a burden on a driver. The parking assistance device includes: a ground object detection unit configured to detect a ground object that defines a parking stall in a predetermined detection region set in advance on a lateral side of a vehicle; a parking stall calculation unit configured to, based on the ground object detected by the ground object detection unit, calculate a parking stall that exists in the detection region; and a target parking stall setting unit configured to, among the parking stalls calculated by the parking stall calculation unit, sets a parking stall in a width direction of the vehicle in a view from a driver's seat of the vehicle as a target parking stall.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2014Date of Patent: July 5, 2016Assignees: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Masanori Torii, Jun Kadowaki, Hiroki Inagaki, Katsuhiro Sakai
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Publication number: 20160139598Abstract: An autonomous driving vehicle system includes: a surrounding information detection unit that is configured to detect surrounding information on a vehicle; and at least one electronic control unit including: a travel plan generation unit configured to generate a travel plan along a pre-set target route based on the surrounding information and map information; a traveling control unit configured to autonomously control a traveling of the vehicle based on the travel plan; and a warning light control unit configured to turn on a warning light earlier than a start time of a braking of the vehicle in the travel plan, the warning light informing a following vehicle about the braking.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2015Publication date: May 19, 2016Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Toshiki KINDO, Katsuhiro SAKAI, Masahiro HARADA, Hiromitsu URANO
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Patent number: 9340207Abstract: A system, device, and methods of automated driving are disclosed. One example method includes determining one or more potential vehicle paths based on information specific to the environment surrounding a vehicle and receiving an indication classifying one or more objects proximate to the one or more potential vehicle paths as an object of interest based on input received from one or more sensors disposed on the vehicle. The method further includes selecting a preferred vehicle path from the one or more potential vehicle paths based on properties of the one or more objects of interest and sending a command, to one or more vehicle systems, to control the vehicle to follow the preferred vehicle path.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 2014Date of Patent: May 17, 2016Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.Inventors: Naoki Nagasaka, Katsuhiro Sakai, Bunyo Okumura, Masahiro Harada, Nobuhide Kamata