Patents by Inventor Kazuyoshi Isaji
Kazuyoshi Isaji 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: 7450016Abstract: A driver fatigue assessment device may include; a look information generator to generate look information regarding at least one of a driver's direction of a look and a locus at which a driver is looking; a visual stimulator to provide a visual stimulus within a driver's field of view at a first position and then move the location thereof to a second position; a change determination unit to determine whether the look information has changed in response to the movement of the visual stimulus; and a fatigue decision unit to assess driver fatigue based upon an output of the change determination unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2005Date of Patent: November 11, 2008Assignees: Denso Corporation, National University Corporation Kagawa UniversityInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru, Takahiro Wada, Hiroshi Kaneko
-
Patent number: 7440830Abstract: In a driving support system, a necessary information amount determining section determines the amount of visual information necessary for safe driving. An information acquisition capacity setting section sets an information acquisition capacity of a driver. A comparing section compares the necessary information amount with the information acquisition capacity and determines a difference between the two. If a possibility of collision between an object and a vehicle is determined by a collision possibility determining section, a driving support level setting section sets a level of driving support based on the difference.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2004Date of Patent: October 21, 2008Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Patent number: 7433772Abstract: When a vehicle travels along a curve of a road, a target vehicle acceleration/deceleration that is used for accelerating/decelerating the vehicle to a target vehicle speed, which is set for the curve, is calculated. Based on a comparison between a present vehicle speed of the vehicle and the target vehicle speed, the vehicle is controlled such that an acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle coincides with the target vehicle acceleration/deceleration.Type: GrantFiled: February 7, 2007Date of Patent: October 7, 2008Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Patent number: 7395144Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a brake control system for a vehicle, according to which a comfortable feeling for a vehicle deceleration is obtained. An index of evaluating a vehicle distance change is calculated based on a relative vehicle speed, wherein the index has a characteristic feature according to which the index value is increased as the relative vehicle speed becomes higher and a vehicle distance becomes shorter. A brake assisting operation is carried out such that the index is controlled at a target value.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2007Date of Patent: July 1, 2008Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Publication number: 20080074246Abstract: A collision determination apparatus detects a current value of a lateral acceleration of a subject vehicle for calculating a collision risk index, and the collision risk index is used to determine the risk of collision of the subject vehicle with a front object. As the collision risk index takes the lateral acceleration of the subject vehicle into account, the collision risk index correctly represents a risk of collision of the subject vehicle with the front object when the subject vehicle is traveling in a condition that is under an influence of the lateral acceleration.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2007Publication date: March 27, 2008Applicant: DENSO CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Patent number: 7343235Abstract: In a passenger restraint device for an automotive vehicle, when the relative speed of the vehicle with respect to a crash object changes as a result of a driving maneuver of the vehicle performed before a crash, the actual crash time deviates from an estimated crash time calculated from the distance and the relative speed of the vehicle and the crash object. To resolve this, the actuation timing, actuation rise time and seat belt tension of a seat belt reeling-in device are varied on the basis of information relating to a deceleration rate that is a rate of decrease of the relative speed.Type: GrantFiled: December 25, 2003Date of Patent: March 11, 2008Assignees: DENCO CORPORATION, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Hideki Kato
-
Publication number: 20080059037Abstract: A vehicle control system controls the speed of a vehicle according to actual road conditions and state of the vehicle. The control system acquires a present value of lateral acceleration occurring in a direction lateral to a controlled vehicle when the controlled vehicle avoids a collision with an obstacle or passes the obstacle. A target relative speed between the obstacle and the controlled vehicle is calculated from the present value of lateral acceleration and a turning radius of the controlled vehicle required for the controlled vehicle to avoid a collision with the obstacle or to pass the obstacle. Then, deceleration control is executed based on target relative deceleration rate at which the controlled vehicle is to be decelerated to reach the target relative speed.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2007Publication date: March 6, 2008Applicant: DENSO CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Publication number: 20070276574Abstract: An object of the invention is to provide a brake control system for a vehicle, according to which a comfortable feeling for a vehicle deceleration is obtained. An index of evaluating a vehicle distance change is calculated based on a relative vehicle speed, wherein the index has a characteristic feature according to which the index value is increased as the relative vehicle speed becomes higher and a vehicle distance becomes shorter. A brake assisting operation is carried out such that the index is controlled at a target value.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 22, 2007Publication date: November 29, 2007Applicant: DENSO CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Publication number: 20070191997Abstract: When a vehicle travels along a curve of a road, a target vehicle acceleration/deceleration that is used for accelerating/decelerating the vehicle to a target vehicle speed, which is set for the curve, is calculated. Based on a comparison between a present vehicle speed of the vehicle and the target vehicle speed, the vehicle is controlled such that an acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle coincides with the target vehicle acceleration/deceleration.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 7, 2007Publication date: August 16, 2007Applicant: DENSO CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Patent number: 7222690Abstract: When a variation amount of a driving operation falls outside of a determining reference, a determining system determines that an awakening degree of a driver is decreased. The determining system changes the determining reference by whether or not a preceding vehicle is existing within a given distance. Therefore, in consideration of peripheral traffic environments such as existence and absence of the preceding vehicle, the awakening degree of the driver is determined, so that determining accuracy of the awakening degree is enhanced more than that of a conventional method.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2004Date of Patent: May 29, 2007Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Patent number: 7209833Abstract: A computer of a collision possibility determination device has a pixel position setting section, a travel vector calculating section, a vector direction determining section, and a collision possibility determining section. The pixel position setting section sets a travel direction pixel position in an image of view ahead of a vehicle and a circle with a specific radius from the set travel direction pixel position. The travel vector calculating section calculates a travel vector of an object that exists in the travel direction of the vehicle. The vector direction determining section determines whether an orientation of the travel vector matches a direction toward the inside of the circle. The collision possibility determining section determines a possible collision between the vehicle and the object when the orientation of the travel vector matches the direction toward the inside of the circle.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2005Date of Patent: April 24, 2007Assignee: DENSO CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Patent number: 7205888Abstract: A driving assisting apparatus for preventing a vehicular collision including a camera, a target detector and a processor. The camera takes an image of a predetermined range in front of a vehicle. The target detector detects in the image a target notifying to stop the vehicle to prevent a vehicular collision. In a case that the target detector detects a plurality of the targets, the processor automatically stops the vehicle at a safe position required to prevent the vehicle from colliding with another vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2004Date of Patent: April 17, 2007Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Patent number: 7184889Abstract: A collision-prediction unit for a vehicle including a road condition detector, a maximum deceleration estimator, a forward vehicle detector, a forward vehicle deceleration calculator, and a collision examiner is provided. The road surface detector detects a condition of a road surface on which the vehicle travels. The maximum deceleration estimator calculates a maximum vehicle deceleration for the vehicle on the road surface having the detected condition. The forward vehicle detector detects a moving condition of a forward vehicle located ahead of the vehicle. The forward vehicle deceleration calculator calculates a forward vehicle deceleration based on the moving condition of the forward vehicle. The collision examiner determines whether a collision between the vehicle and the forward vehicle is imminent by comparing the forward vehicle deceleration to the maximum vehicle deceleration of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2004Date of Patent: February 27, 2007Assignee: Denso CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Publication number: 20070021876Abstract: When there is a preceding vehicle in a traveling direction of a subject vehicle, an ECU computes a driver condition coefficient that represents degree of change in the size of an image of the preceding vehicle as viewed from the driver is computed. The driving condition of the driver is detected from this driver condition coefficient and used to provide an alarm indicative of the driving condition and to control vehicle travel condition.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2006Publication date: January 25, 2007Applicant: DENSO CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Publication number: 20060237960Abstract: A seatbelt apparatus includes an electric motor 20 for winding a seatbelt 12, and a microcomputer 30 for controlling the electric motor 20. The microcomputer 30 controls the electric motor 20 so as to wind the seatbelt 12 at a winding load which increases to a first winding load at a first rising gradient when collision is detected using a detected length and a detected vehicle velocity by a length sensor 41 and a vehicle velocity sensor 42. The microcomputer 30 controls the electric motor 20 so as to wind the seatbelt 12 at a winding load which increases to a second winding load which is larger than the first winding load at a second rising gradient which is larger than the first rising gradient when an emergency braking operation is detected by detection signal from a brake switch 43. Therefore, the seatbelt can be wound at a winding mode and a winding load which can protect a passenger without giving much feeling of discomfort.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2004Publication date: October 26, 2006Inventors: Toshiya Kudo, Hideki Kato, Ryoutarou Kachuu, Takuya Nezaki, Kazuyoshi Isaji
-
Publication number: 20060145463Abstract: In a passenger restraint device for an automotive vehicle, when the relative speed of the vehicle with respect to a crash object changes as a result of a driving maneuver of the vehicle performed before a crash, the actual crash time deviates from an estimated crash time calculated from the distance and the relative speed of the vehicle and the crash object. To resolve this, the actuation timing, actuation rise time and seat belt tension of a seat belt reeling-in device are varied on the basis of information relating to a deceleration rate that is a rate of decrease of the relative speed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 25, 2003Publication date: July 6, 2006Inventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Hideki Nato
-
Publication number: 20060132319Abstract: A driver fatigue assessment device may include; a look information generator to generate look information regarding at least one of a driver's direction of a look and a locus at which a driver is looking; a visual stimulator to provide a visual stimulus within a driver's field of view at a first position and then move the location thereof to a second position; a change determination unit to determine whether the look information has changed in response to the movement of the visual stimulus; and a fatigue decision unit to assess driver fatigue based upon an output of the change determination unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2005Publication date: June 22, 2006Applicants: DENSO Corporation, National University Corporation Kagawa UniversityInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru, Takahiro Wada, Hiroshi Kaneko
-
Publication number: 20060103539Abstract: The vision recognition support device includes an obscuring device configured to obscure a view of an operator operating an apparatus, and may further include a control device controlling operation of the obscuring device to temporarily obscure the view of the operator.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 24, 2005Publication date: May 18, 2006Applicant: DENSO CorporationInventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
-
Publication number: 20060095195Abstract: A vehicle operation control device utilizes a plurality of sensors and receivers to develop an absolute rule set and a relative rule set that take into account the capabilities of the vehicle, the condition of the roadway, the preferences of the operator and the operation of surrounding vehicles. The vehicle operation control device uses information from both an absolute rule set and a relative rule set to define a set of operating principles that can be varied as necessary to improve safely and the comfort of the operator and/or the passengers within the controlled vehicle. The absolute rule set is based primarily on road information and operating regulations with which an operator should normally comply during operation of any vehicle. The relative rule set is based primarily on the relative positioning and movement of other vehicles in the vicinity of the controlled vehicle or farther along the intended path.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2005Publication date: May 4, 2006Applicant: DENSO CorporationInventors: Takao Nishimura, Yoshihiko Teguri, Kazuyoshi Isaji
-
Publication number: 20050167175Abstract: A cruise control system includes a speed sensor, an instructor, an accelerator sensor and a speed controller. The speed sensor detects a host vehicle speed. The instructor indicates a start of a cruise control operation. The accelerator sensor detects an operational position of an accelerator pedal at the start of the cruise control operation and a signal position of the accelerator pedal subsequent to the start of the cruise control operation. The speed controller terminates the accelerator pedal from directly controlling an engine output after the start of the cruise control operation and memorizes the operational position of the accelerator pedal. The speed controller also changes the engine output according to a difference between the operational position and the signal position of the accelerator pedal.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2005Publication date: August 4, 2005Inventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru