Patents by Inventor Kiyotoshi SEKINE

Kiyotoshi SEKINE 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: 11981342
    Abstract: A display and voice output control system of a vehicle on which automated driving is performed includes a display device, a voice output device and a controller. The controller controls a notification of a recommended behavior by the display device and the voice output device. In the notification control, it is judged whether or not a notification condition of the recommended behavior is satisfied. If it is judged that the notification condition is satisfied, it is judged whether a notification relaxation condition of the recommended behavior is satisfied based on a status of a driver and a driving status of the vehicle. If it is judged that the notification relaxation conditions is satisfied, relaxation notification processing is executed. Otherwise, normal notification processing is executed. In the relaxation notification processing, an output status of the recommended behavior in the voice output device is controlled to an inactive state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi Sekine, Takahiko Kuwabara, Ko Igarashi
  • Patent number: 11897482
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle is configured to request that a driver grip a steering wheel at the time of a predetermined driving scene, judge whether a steering wheel grip status is a one-handed grip status or a two-handed grip status, and judge based on the steering wheel grip status whether the status is a grip completion status where the steering wheel has finished being gripped. The control device is further configured to change whether to judge the status is a grip completion status if at least a one-handed grip status or to judge whether the status is a grip completion status only if a two-handed grip status in accordance with the driving scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi Sekine, Takahiko Kuwabara
  • Patent number: 11685411
    Abstract: A travel controller performs driving control of a vehicle at an autonomous driving level that is a first autonomous driving level in which a driver of the vehicle is not obligated to watch or a second autonomous driving level in which the driver is obligated to watch; notifies, for a predetermined period, the driver of a request for driving the vehicle or taking a driving posture allowing for the driving, when the autonomous driving level of the driving control changes from the first autonomous driving level to the second autonomous driving level; and determines an attention level of the driver, based on an output of a sensor provided for the vehicle. The attention level is a level of attention to driving. The travel controller further modifies the predetermined period so as to be shorter when the determined attention level is high than when the attention level is low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi Sekine, Masato Uehara, Takashi Ota
  • Patent number: 11639186
    Abstract: A travel controller performs driving control of a vehicle at an autonomous driving level that is a first autonomous driving level in which a driver of the vehicle is not obligated to watch or a second autonomous driving level in which the driver is obligated to watch; notifies, for a predetermined period, the driver of a request for driving the vehicle or taking a driving posture allowing for the driving, when the autonomous driving level of the driving control changes from the first autonomous driving level to the second autonomous driving level; and determines an attention level of the driver, based on an output of a sensor provided for the vehicle. The attention level is a level of attention to driving. The travel controller further modifies the predetermined period so as to be shorter when the determined attention level is high than when the attention level is low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi Sekine, Masato Uehara, Takashi Ota
  • Patent number: 11472429
    Abstract: The vehicle controller includes a processor configured to determine whether a behavior of a driver of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined enabling condition after execution of a function of automatically stopping the vehicle. The function is executed due to not satisfying a driver-related condition for continuing the automated driving control of the vehicle. The enabling condition relates to driving control of the vehicle and is not imposed before the execution of the function. The processor is further configured to perform the automated driving control of the vehicle only when the behavior of the driver satisfies the enabling condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi Sekine, Takahiko Kuwabara, Taiyo Uejima, Sho Mikuriya
  • Publication number: 20220063677
    Abstract: A travel controller performs driving control of a vehicle at an autonomous driving level that is a first autonomous driving level in which a driver of the vehicle is not obligated to watch or a second autonomous driving level in which the driver is obligated to watch; notifies, for a predetermined period, the driver of a request for driving the vehicle or taking a driving posture allowing for the driving, when the autonomous driving level of the driving control changes from the first autonomous driving level to the second autonomous driving level; and determines an attention level of the driver, based on an output of a sensor provided for the vehicle. The attention level is a level of attention to driving. The travel controller further modifies the predetermined period so as to be shorter when the determined attention level is high than when the attention level is low.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi SEKINE, Masato Uehara, Takashi Ota
  • Publication number: 20220024462
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle is configured to request that a driver grip a steering wheel at the time of a predetermined driving scene, judge whether a steering wheel grip status is a one-handed grip status or a two-handed grip status, and judge based on the steering wheel grip status whether the status is a grip completion status where the steering wheel has finished being gripped. The control device is further configured to change whether to judge the status is a grip completion status if at least a one-handed grip status or to judge whether the status is a grip completion status only if a two-handed grip status in accordance with the driving scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2021
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi SEKINE, Takahiko KUWABARA
  • Publication number: 20220001887
    Abstract: A display and voice output control system of a vehicle on which automated driving is performed includes a display device, a voice output device and a controller. The controller controls a notification of a recommended behavior by the display device and the voice output device. In the notification control, it is judged whether or not a notification condition of the recommended behavior is satisfied. If it is judged that the notification condition is satisfied, it is judged whether a notification relaxation condition of the recommended behavior is satisfied based on a status of a driver and a driving status of the vehicle. If it is judged that the notification relaxation conditions is satisfied, relaxation notification processing is executed. Otherwise, normal notification processing is executed. In the relaxation notification processing, an output status of the recommended behavior in the voice output device is controlled to an inactive state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi SEKINE, Takahiko KUWABARA, Ko IGARASHI
  • Publication number: 20210300403
    Abstract: The vehicle controller is configured to have a transition request notification unit which, when a first condition is satisfied, notifies a driver, by a first aspect, of a request of a driving transition from an autonomous driving mode in which operation by the driver during traveling is not necessary to a manual driving mode in which operation by the driver during traveling is necessary, and when a second condition, which has an urgency lower than the first condition, is satisfied, notifies the driver, by a second aspect having a lower strength than the first aspect, of the request of the driving transition, and when the driving transition has not been performed after a second aspect notification period has elapsed from the notification by the second aspect, notifies the request of the driving transition by the first aspect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Takahiko KUWABARA, Kiyotoshi SEKINE, Shunichiroh SAWAI
  • Publication number: 20210276581
    Abstract: The vehicle controller includes a processor configured to determine whether a behavior of a driver of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined enabling condition after execution of a function of automatically stopping the vehicle. The function is executed due to not satisfying a driver-related condition for continuing the automated driving control of the vehicle. The enabling condition relates to driving control of the vehicle and is not imposed before the execution of the function. The processor is further configured to perform the automated driving control of the vehicle only when the behavior of the driver satisfies the enabling condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2021
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Kiyotoshi SEKINE, Takahiko KUWABARA, Taiyo UEJIMA, Sho MIKURIYA
  • Patent number: 10493953
    Abstract: A car sharing system includes a car sharing device installed in a vehicle. The car sharing device is configured to perform ID verification via an electronic key system of the vehicle in a state in which key information registered to the mobile terminal has been authenticated to allow an onboard device to be operated by the mobile terminal. The car sharing system includes a key function unit that implements a smart function to perform the ID verification through bidirectional short-range wireless communication with the electronic key system, a determination processing unit that determines whether or not a condition for permitting actuation of the smart function has been satisfied, and an actuation switching unit that validates the smart function if the condition for permitting actuation of the smart function has been satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI RIKA DENKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Masahiro Arakawa, Masahiko Oya, Masaki Oshima, Kiyotoshi Sekine, Yutaka Kubo, Hiroaki Iwashita
  • Publication number: 20190001925
    Abstract: A car sharing system includes a car sharing device installed in a vehicle. The car sharing device is configured to perform ID verification via an electronic key system of the vehicle in a state in which key information registered to the mobile terminal has been authenticated to allow an onboard device to be operated by the mobile terminal. The car sharing system includes a key function unit that implements a smart function to perform the ID verification through bidirectional short-range wireless communication with the electronic key system, a determination processing unit that determines whether or not a condition for permitting actuation of the smart function has been satisfied, and an actuation switching unit that validates the smart function if the condition for permitting actuation of the smart function has been satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI RIKA DENKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Masahiro ARAKAWA, Masahiko OYA, Masaki OSHIMA, Kiyotoshi SEKINE, Yutaka KUBO, Hiroaki IWASHITA