Patents by Inventor Kiyotaka Hamajima

Kiyotaka Hamajima 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: 7596444
    Abstract: Under the condition of a large variation in motor torque demand, the significant torque change may lead to some vibration of a vehicle to temporarily heighten an angular acceleration. The temporary rise of the angular acceleration may cause the angular acceleration to exceed a preset threshold value slip and result in misdetection of the occurrence of a ‘phantom’ skid in an angular acceleration—based skid state determination. The drive control of the invention accordingly specifies a potential for misdetection of the occurrence of a ‘phantom’ skid when the variation in motor torque demand exceeds a preset threshold value at step S108. The drive control thereby does not execute skid occurring state control with torque restriction but performs grip state control at step S116.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Patent number: 7445066
    Abstract: When a computed torque command value Tr* of a ring gear shaft as a drive shaft exceeds a maximum torque Tmax, skid occurring state control (step S118) triggered by detection of the occurrence of a skid calculates a torque restriction rate KT (=Tmax/Tr*) and restricts the torque output to the ring gear shaft to a maximum torque Tmax. In a next cycle of a drive control routine, a power demand Pr, which is calculated from inputs of accelerator pedal position AP and vehicle speed V at step S105, is limited to the product of the power demand Pr and a power restriction rate KP (=KT) at step S107. The control with the limited power demand Pr desirably prevents a large engine noise beyond the driver's expectation based on the vehicle driving state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Patent number: 7377349
    Abstract: Under the condition of a large variation Tm in motor torque demand Tm*, the significant torque change may lead to some vibration of a vehicle to temporarily heighten an angular acceleration. The temporary rise of the angular acceleration may cause the angular acceleration to exceed a preset threshold value slip and result in misdetection of the occurrence of a ‘phantom’ skid in an angular acceleration—based skid state determination (step S112). The drive control of the invention accordingly specifies a potential for misdetection of the occurrence of a ‘phantom’ skid when the variation Tm in motor torque demand Tm* exceeds a preset threshold value Tthr at step S108. The drive control thereby does not execute skid occurring state control (step S120) with torque restriction but performs grip state control at step S116.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Publication number: 20080120006
    Abstract: Under the condition of a large variation ?Tm in motor torque demand Tm*, the significant torque change may lead to some vibration of a vehicle to temporarily heighten an angular acceleration ?. The temporary rise of the angular acceleration ? may cause the angular acceleration ? to exceed a preset threshold value ?slip and result in misdetection of the occurrence of a ‘phantom’ skid in an angular acceleration ?-based skid state determination (step S112). The drive control of the invention accordingly specifies a potential for misdetection of the occurrence of a ‘phantom’ skid when the variation ?Tm in motor torque demand Tm* exceeds a preset threshold value Tthr at step S108. The drive control thereby does not execute skid occurring state control (step S120) with torque restriction but performs grip state control at step S116.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Patent number: 7230393
    Abstract: In response to detection of a skid of drive wheels based on an increase in angular acceleration ? of a rotating shaft of a motor, the control procedure of the invention refers to a map representing a variation in maximum torque Tmax against the angular acceleration ? and sets torque restriction of the motor to limit the torque level of the motor to the maximum torque Tmax corresponding to a peak value of the angular acceleration ?. When the torque restriction sufficiently lowers the angular acceleration ? to detect convergence of the skid, the control procedure cancels the torque restriction to a certain level of the maximum torque Tmax corresponding to a torque restoration limit ?1, which is set according to the degree of the skid. The torque restoration limit ?1 (that is, the maximum torque Tmax) is cancelled in a stepwise manner by a cancellation rate and a cancellation time corresponding to an additional accelerator depression relative to an accelerator opening at the time of detection of the skid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Patent number: 7132806
    Abstract: An increase in angular acceleration ? of a rotating shaft of a motor, which outputs a torque to a drive shaft linked to drive wheels, may cause a skid on the drive wheels. In response to detection of a skid, the control procedure of the invention sets a maximum torque Tmax according to a preset map representing a relation between the angular acceleration ? and the maximum torque Tmax, and restricts an output torque level to the drive shaft. The map is set to decrease the maximum torque Tmax with an in crease in angular acceleration ?. The restricted output torque level is restored at a zero cross timing of the angular acceleration ? after a negative peak in the course of convergence of the skid. This arrangement makes the direction of the torque restored from the torque restriction identical with the direction of the angular acceleration, thus effectively reducing torsions of the drive shaft and thereby preventing potential torsional vibrations of the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Patent number: 7091678
    Abstract: When an angular acceleration ? of a rotating shaft of a motor connected with a drive shaft exceeds a preset threshold value ?slip, which suggests the occurrence of a skid, the torque control procedure sets a maximum torque Tmax by referring to a map, which gives a smaller maximum torque Tmax with an increase in angular acceleration ?, and restricts the motor torque to the maximum torque Tmax. The maximum torque Tmax is fixed to a value corresponding to a peak value of the angular acceleration ? at the time of occurrence of a skid. The torque control procedure then integrates the angular acceleration ? to give a time integration thereof over an integration interval when the angular acceleration ? once exceeds the preset threshold value ?slip and decreases again below the preset threshold value ?slip by the motor torque restriction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Publication number: 20060175997
    Abstract: An increase in angular acceleration ? of a rotating shaft of a motor, which outputs a torque to a drive shaft linked to drive wheels, may cause a skid on the drive wheels. In response to detection of a skid, the control procedure of the invention sets a maximum torque Tmax according to a preset map representing a relation between the angular acceleration ? and the maximum torque Tmax, and restricts an output torque level to the drive shaft. The map is set to decrease the maximum torque Tmax with an in crease in angular acceleration ?. The restricted output torque level is restored at a zero cross timing of the angular acceleration ? after a negative peak in the course of convergence of the skid. This arrangement makes the direction of the torque restored from the torque restriction identical with the direction of the angular acceleration, thus effectively reducing torsions of the drive shaft and thereby preventing potential torsional vibrations of the drive shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Publication date: August 10, 2006
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Publication number: 20060145644
    Abstract: In response to detection of a skid of drive wheels based on an increase in angular acceleration ? of a rotating shaft of a motor, the control procedure of the invention refers to a map representing a variation in maximum torque Tmax against the angular acceleration ? and sets torque restriction of the motor to limit the torque level of the motor to the maximum torque Tmax corresponding to a peak value of the angular acceleration ?. When the torque restriction sufficiently lowers the angular acceleration ? to detect convergence of the skid, the control procedure cancels the torque restriction to a certain level of the maximum torque Tmax corresponding to a torque restoration limit ?1, which is set according to the degree of the skid. The torque restoration limit ?1 (that is, the maximum torque Tmax) is cancelled in a stepwise manner by a cancellation rate and a cancellation time corresponding to an additional accelerator depression relative to an accelerator opening at the time of detection of the skid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Publication date: July 6, 2006
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima
  • Publication number: 20050284679
    Abstract: Under the condition of a large variation Tm in motor torque demand Tm*, the significant torque change may lead to some vibration of a vehicle to temporarily heighten an angular acceleration. The temporary rise of the angular acceleration may cause the angular acceleration to exceed a preset threshold value slip and result in misdetection of the occurrence of a ‘phantom’ skid in an angular acceleration—based skid state determination (step S112). The drive control of the invention accordingly specifies a potential for misdetection of the occurrence of a ‘phantom’ skid when the variation Tm in motor torque demand Tm* exceeds a preset threshold value Tthr at step S108. The drive control thereby does not execute skid occurring state control (step S120) with torque restriction but performs grip state control at step S116.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Publication date: December 29, 2005
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Publication number: 20050258785
    Abstract: When an angular acceleration ? of a rotating shaft of a motor connected with a drive shaft exceeds a preset threshold value ?slip, which suggests the occurrence of a skid, the torque control procedure sets a maximum torque Tmax by referring to a map, which gives a smaller maximum torque Tmax with an increase in angular acceleration ?, and restricts the motor torque to the maximum torque Tmax. The maximum torque Tmax is fixed to a value corresponding to a peak value of the angular acceleration ? at the time of occurrence of a skid. The torque control procedure then integrates the angular acceleration ? to give a time integration thereof over an integration interval when the angular acceleration ? once exceeds the preset threshold value ?slip and decreases again below the preset threshold value ?slip by the motor torque restriction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Publication date: November 24, 2005
    Applicant: TOYOT JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Publication number: 20050246087
    Abstract: The control procedure of the invention sets the measured value of the rotation angular acceleration ? to a first peak angular acceleration ?1 at a timing when the rotation angular acceleration ? of a motor, which directly outputs torque to a drive shaft, reaches a first peak after an increase over a preset threshold value ?slip that suggests the occurrence of a wheelspin-induced skid. The control procedure also sets a second peak angular acceleration ?2 by multiplication of the measured value of the rotation angular acceleration ? by ‘?1’ at a timing when the rotation angular acceleration ? reaches a negative second peak detected immediately after the first peak.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Publication date: November 3, 2005
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada
  • Publication number: 20050241868
    Abstract: When a computed torque command value Tr* of a ring gear shaft as a drive shaft exceeds a maximum torque Tmax, skid occurring state control (step S118) triggered by detection of the occurrence of a skid calculates a torque restriction rate KT (=Tmax/Tr*) and restricts the torque output to the ring gear shaft to a maximum torque Tmax. In a next cycle of a drive control routine, a power demand Pr, which is calculated from inputs of accelerator pedal position AP and vehicle speed V at step S105, is limited to the product of the power demand Pr and a power restriction rate KP (=KT) at step S107. The control with the limited power demand Pr desirably prevents a large engine noise beyond the driver's expectation based on the vehicle driving state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Publication date: November 3, 2005
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Hommi, Kiyotaka Hamajima, Mitsuhiro Nada