Patents by Inventor Kentaro Ichikawa

Kentaro Ichikawa 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: 10108190
    Abstract: An autonomous driving apparatus executes an autonomous driving control of a vehicle. When an override occurs during the autonomous driving control, switching from the autonomous driving control to manual driving is executed. A first determination condition is for determining that the autonomous driving control can be resumed, when the driver is estimated to have a continued operation intention, which is an intention to continue the manual driving, after the switching from the autonomous driving control to the manual driving is executed. A second determination condition is for determining that the autonomous driving control can be resumed, when the driver is estimated not to have the continued operation intention after the switching from the autonomous driving control to the manual driving is executed. The first determination condition is less likely to be met than the second determination condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Tomatsu, Ikuma Suzuki, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Watanabe, Bunyo Okumura
  • Publication number: 20180299891
    Abstract: An autonomous driving control device is capable of starting an autonomous driving control without an operation of a driver and reducing a possibility that the driver can not start manual driving. An autonomous driving control is switched to manual driving when a determination section determines that the amount of operation by the driver is equal to or greater than a first threshold, before a predetermined time elapses since the autonomous driving control is automatically started. An autonomous driving control is switched to a manual driving when the determination section determines that the amount of operation by the driver is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, after the predetermined time elapses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Publication date: October 18, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Maiko HIRANO, Bunyo OKUMURA
  • Publication number: 20180290666
    Abstract: An automatic driving device includes an electronic control unit configured to: receive a driving operation by a driver; create a first travel plan; execute automatic driving based on the first travel plan; based on the received driving operation, deactivate the automatic driving; when an automatic driving resumption condition is met, resume the automatic driving; based on the driving operation or a state of the vehicle at a time when the automatic driving resumption condition is met, calculate a target offset amount that is a target amount of offset from the first travel plan of the vehicle; create a second travel plan using the target offset amount; and based on the second travel plan, resume automatic driving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Kunihito Sato, Bunyo Okumura, Maiko Hirano
  • Publication number: 20180292822
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured: to create a first travel plan of a vehicle based on a position of the vehicle, an environment surrounding the vehicle, and a state of the vehicle; to calculate a first reliability of the first travel plan; to create a second travel plan of the vehicle based on one or two of the position of the vehicle, the environment surrounding the vehicle, and the state of the vehicle; to calculate a second reliability of the second travel plan; and to start the automatic driving control such that the vehicle travels based on the first travel plan when the first reliability of the first travel plan is equal to or higher than the second reliability of the second travel plan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Kunihito SATO, Bunyo OKUMURA, Maiko HIRANO
  • Patent number: 10095227
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an actuator and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to recognize a position, a surrounding environment, a state of the vehicle. The electronic control unit is configured to generate a first traveling plan based on the recognized position, the recognized surrounding environment, and the recognized state of the vehicle and calculate reliability of the first traveling plan. The electronic control unit is configured to generate a second traveling plan of the vehicle based on one or two of the recognized position, the recognized surrounding environment, and the recognized state of the vehicle and calculate reliability of the second traveling plan. The electronic control unit is configured to select a traveling plan having the higher reliability out of the first traveling plan and the second traveling plan, and control the traveling of the vehicle by the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Toshiki Kindo, Sho Otaki, Yasuo Sakaguchi, Bunyo Okumura
  • Publication number: 20180284790
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes at least one electronic control unit configured to: generate a traveling plan so as to moderate a change in behavior of a vehicle at a time when an automatic driving control of the vehicle is started by an automatic engagement compared to a change in the behavior of the vehicle at a time when the automatic driving control is started by a triggered engagement, the automatic engagement being an engagement in which the automatic driving control is automatically started when an automatic engagement condition is satisfied, the triggered engagement being an engagement in which the automatic driving control is started when an automatic driving start condition is satisfied and an automatic driving start trigger is input by an occupant; and execute the automatic driving control by controlling the behavior of the vehicle based on the traveling plan, using an actuator equipped in the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Kunihito SATO, Bunyo OKUMURA, Maiko HIRANO
  • Publication number: 20180267530
    Abstract: An automated driving system includes at least one electronic control unit configured to: recognize at least one obstacles around a vehicle, based on ambient surroundings of the vehicle; create a traveling plan of the vehicle, based on the ambient surroundings and a result of recognition of the at least one obstacles; control the vehicle using an actuator installed on the vehicle, based on the traveling plan; and perform, according to input from a user of the vehicle, overwriting operation to change the result of recognition of the at least one obstacles used for creation of the traveling plan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taisuke SUGAIWA, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Hiromitsu URANO, Kunihito SATO, Maiko HIRANO
  • Patent number: 10067505
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control device configured to: detect a driving operation input amount during an automatic driving control for a vehicle; determine whether the driver is able to start manual driving during the automatic driving control for the vehicle; output a signal for performing switching from automatic driving to the manual driving based on a result of a comparison between the driving operation input amount and a driving switching threshold that is a threshold for the switching from the automatic driving to the manual driving; set the driving switching threshold to a first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is able to start the manual driving; and set the driving switching threshold to a second driving switching threshold exceeding the first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is not able to start the manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Patent number: 10054942
    Abstract: An autonomous driving control device capable of starting an autonomous driving control without an operation of a driver and reducing a possibility that the driver can not start manual driving. An autonomous driving control is switched to manual driving when a determination section determines that the amount of operation by the driver is equal to or greater than a first threshold, before a predetermined time elapses since the autonomous driving control is automatically started. An autonomous driving control is switched to manual driving when the determination section determines that the amount of operation by the driver is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, after the predetermined time elapses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Publication number: 20180210453
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a map database and at least one electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to calculate a reference arrival position based on a target time or a target distance. The at least one electronic control unit is configured to determine, according to the map information or the external situation at the reference arrival position, as a target arrival position, a position where the vehicle arrives on the potential route in a time different from the target time or over a distance different from the target distance. The at least one electronic control unit is configured to calculate a transition route from the road position to the target arrival position, and generate the target route by connecting the transition route and the potential route following the target arrival position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito SATO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Maiko HIRANO, Bunyo OKUMURA
  • Publication number: 20180201260
    Abstract: An object recognizing device includes: an other-vehicle recognizing unit configured to recognize another vehicle traveling near the vehicle based on the detection point information of the LIDAR and to recognize a size and a traveling condition of the other vehicle; an other-vehicle tracking unit configured to track the other vehicle based on the detection point information of the LIDAR; and an enlargement determining unit configured to determine whether the size of the other vehicle which is tracked by the other vehicle tracking unit is enlarged, wherein, when the enlargement determining unit determines that the size of the other vehicle has been enlarged, detection points located near the other vehicle before being enlarged are recognized as an object other than the other vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Hiromitsu URANO, Yusuke HAYASHI, Bunyo OKUMURA
  • Publication number: 20180148054
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes an actuator and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to determine one of the following conditions is satisfied: (i) an adjacent vehicle has started; (ii) a first timing at which the preceding vehicle has started does not indicate a second timing at which a slipping-by vehicle has been lost; and (iii) a second preceding vehicle has started. The electronic control unit is configured to start the host vehicle by using the actuator when at least one of the conditions is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Publication date: May 31, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kunihito SATOU, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Taisuke SUGAIWA, Bunyo OKUMURA, Maiko HIRANO
  • Patent number: 9981658
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Toshiki Kindo, Katsuhiro Sakai, Masahiro Harada, Hiromitsu Urano
  • Patent number: 9981659
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Katsuhiro Sakai, Toshiki Kindo, Kentaro Ichikawa, Masahiro Harada
  • Publication number: 20180143629
    Abstract: A driving assistance device, including an automated driving switch; an emergency button; and a controller configured to provide either automated driving in which travel is performed along a current travel path of a host vehicle or automated stopping in response to manipulation by a driver of the automated driving switch or of the emergency button.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2018
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Toshiki KINDO
  • Patent number: 9921585
    Abstract: A computer-readable detailed map format is disclosed. The map format can be used in the operation of an autonomous vehicle. The detailed map format includes a plurality of lane segments and a plurality of lane links. Each of the lane links can extend between two lane segments across a traffic intersection. Each of the lane links can also be associated with one of a plurality of traffic signals. A transition rule is associated with a first lane link and based on information associated with the one of the plurality of traffic signals associated with the first lane link. An interlock rule can be based on information associated with the one of the plurality of traffic signals associated with a second lane link. The first lane link and second lane link can be associated with different traffic signals and can extend between different lane segments across the traffic intersection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Michael J. Delp
  • Publication number: 20180072326
    Abstract: An automatic driving system, that switches a driving state of a vehicle from automatic driving to manual driving due to a driver's operation during automatic driving of the vehicle, includes an electronic control unit configured to: determine whether a turning-off condition is satisfied when a direction indicator under the automatic driving is in a turned-on state and the driver's operation is performed; switch a driving state from the automatic driving to the manual driving and maintain the turned-on state of the direction indicator when the direction indicator is in the turned-on state and the driver's operation has been performed; determine whether the turning-off condition is satisfied based on a position of the vehicle under the manual driving or a traveling state of the vehicle under the manual driving; switch the direction indicator from the turned-on state to the turned-off state when it is determined that the turning-off condition is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Kunihito SATOU, Bunyo OKUMURA, Maiko HIRANO
  • Publication number: 20180065635
    Abstract: A system includes an acquisition unit that acquires an operation amount or a duration count, and a switching unit that switches a driving state. The switching unit switches the driving state to the cooperative driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than an intervention threshold and less than a start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold during the autonomous driving state, switches the driving state to the autonomous driving state when the operation amount is less than the intervention threshold or the duration count is less than the first threshold during the cooperative driving state, and switches the driving state to the manual driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than the start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than the second threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Taisuke SUGAIWA, Toshiki KINDO
  • Patent number: 9891622
    Abstract: A driving assistance device, including an automated driving switch; an emergency button; and a controller configured to provide either automated driving in which travel is performed along a current travel path of a host vehicle or automated stopping in response to manipulation by a driver of the automated driving switch or of the emergency button.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Toshiki Kindo
  • Publication number: 20180029594
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Publication date: February 1, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Katsuhiro SAKAI, Toshiki KINDO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Masahiro HARADA