Patents by Inventor Masahiro Matsuura

Masahiro Matsuura 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: 7529600
    Abstract: A target vehicle path is corrected in accordance with the environment surrounding a vehicle during parking assist or U-turn assist. To achieve the target vehicle path, target wheel speeds are set for respective wheels so as to generate a speed difference an inside wheel and an outside wheel of a turn. The target wheel speed is achieved by controlling braking force and driving force of each wheel. Thus, it is possible for the vehicle to turn with a smaller turning radius than that generated by a normal steering angle, and to cause the vehicle to move accurately along the target vehicle path that avoids any obstacles that are present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Mori, Kazutaka Kato, Kazuhiro Kamiya, Masahiro Matsuura
  • Patent number: 7503436
    Abstract: In a disc brake control system for a vehicle, a control unit determines that a brake disc is in a condition of a thermal inclination of brake disc, and further determines that the brake disc is restored from the thermal inclination. The control unit operates an actuator of a disc brake devices to push a brake pad to the brake disc, when it determines that the brake disc is restored from the thermal inclination. According to such operation, the brake pad is moved to its normal position to the brake disc, so that a brake drag of the brake pad to the brake disc is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Matsuura, Takeyasu Taguchi, Masashi Kishimoto
  • Publication number: 20080138384
    Abstract: Disclosed is a hair growth stimulant for oral use comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of plants of the genus Orthosiphon in the family Lamiaceae, plants of the genus Vitex L. in the family Verbenaceae, and extracts thereof; and a food comprising the hair growth stimulant for oral use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: Kouichi Nakaoji, Masahiro Matsuura, Naoko Hayashi, Toyoyuki Nishi
  • Patent number: 7358864
    Abstract: In a parking assist control apparatus for assisting a driver with parking a vehicle, when a brake control ECU detects that a door is open based on a detection signal from a door open/close sensor during parking assist control, the brake control ECU determines whether the open door is a door other than the driver side door. If the open door is a door other than the driver side door, the vehicle is automatically stopped, thus enabling occupant safety to be ensured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Mori, Kazutaka Kato, Kazuhiro Kamiya, Masahiro Matsuura
  • Patent number: 7356396
    Abstract: An automatic steering control performs an automatic parking control which automatically steers steerable wheels of a vehicle, without requiring a driver to perform steering wheel operation, such that the actual steering angle of the steerable wheels follows a changing target steering angle, whereby the vehicle is moved to a target parking state. When the actual steering angle fails to follow the target steering angle because of insufficiency of the steering drive force of a steering actuator, a braking force difference imparting control is performed so as to apply a predetermined braking force on the steerable wheel located inside a target vehicle locus. As a result, a steering moment is generated in the steerable wheels. This steering moment serves as a force for compensating for the insufficiency of the steering drive force of the steering actuator. As a result, the actual steering angle accurately follows the target steering angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Mori, Kazutaka Kato, Kazuhiro Kamiya, Masahiro Matsuura
  • Patent number: 7344205
    Abstract: When an abnormality is detected in a vehicle side device such as an obstacle sensor during parking assist control, a brake control ECU ends the parking assist control and outputs a control signal to warn the driver while forcibly stopping the vehicle by outputting a first drive signal to a hydraulic brake device and generating braking force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Kamiya, Yukio Mori, Kazutaka Kato, Masahiro Matsuura
  • Publication number: 20080009996
    Abstract: A vehicle deceleration control device is provided that can determine an appropriate supplemental braking force when a braking force is applied according to an accelerator operation state. An engine braking-equivalent braking force is varied according to an initial accelerator angle when an accelerator returns and according to an accelerator return speed. That is, the greater the initial accelerator angle is, or the greater the accelerator return speed is, the greater the value to which the engine braking-equivalent braking force is set. It therefore becomes possible to determine the appropriate supplemental braking force that reflects the driver's braking intention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2006
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shigeru Saito, Koichi Kokubo, Masahiro Matsuura, Yuji Sengoku
  • Publication number: 20070254946
    Abstract: The present invention provides a hair growth stimulant comprising a chromene compound as an active ingredient, and which exhibits excellent hair restoration effects. The present invention also provides a hair-restoring preparation for external use, hair-restoring preparation for oral use, and hair-restoring food containing the hair growth stimulant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Inventors: Kouichi Nakaoji, Masahiro Matsuura, Toyoyuki Nishi
  • Patent number: 7284803
    Abstract: In a vehicle brake apparatus, front-wheel brake power is controlled with fluid pressure brake power (a front-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbf+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ?P1) and regenerative brake power Freg, while rear-wheel brake power is controlled with only fluid pressure brake power (a rear-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbr+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ?P2), so that regenerative and cooperative brake controlling is executed. When a brake pedal is additionally depressed during front/rear brake power proportion controlling, the shortage of the total brake power is compensated by adding additional brake power Fadd, which is the same as rear-wheel brake power shortage ?Fr generated by the additional depression, to the front-wheel brake power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Matsuura, Shigeru Saito, Koichi Kokubo, Yuji Sengoku
  • Publication number: 20070176489
    Abstract: In a disc brake control system for a vehicle, a control unit determines that a brake disc is in a condition of a thermal inclination of brake disc, and further determines that the brake disc is restored from the thermal inclination. The control unit operates an actuator of a disc brake devices to push a brake pad to the brake disc, when it determines that the brake disc is restored from the thermal inclination. According to such operation, the brake pad is moved to its normal position to the brake disc, so that a brake drag of the brake pad to the brake disc is suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2007
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Inventors: Masahiro Matsuura, Takeyasu Taguchi, Masashi Kishimoto
  • Patent number: 7234786
    Abstract: A vehicular brake control apparatus detects risky occasions and locations that may be risky by using, for example, an infrastructure information input device or a navigation device, and, for such locations and the like, performs the pre-charge so that braking force will be promptly generated. Therefore, the pre-charge can be precisely performed under necessary circumstances, irrespectively of the driver's accelerator operation. Hence, when the driver depresses the brake pedal at such a location or the like, braking force will be promptly generated. Thus, accidents and the like can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Mori, Kazutaka Kato, Kazuhiro Kamiya, Masahiro Matsuura
  • Patent number: 7185957
    Abstract: A braking force distribution apparatus for a vehicle includes pressure sensors for detecting the internal pressures of the tires, and wheel speed sensors for detecting the angular speeds of the wheels. The apparatus obtains a dynamic load radius change rate of each tire which corresponds to the deviation of the internal pressure of the tire from a reference pressure, obtains a wheel speed for calculation of a slip value on the basis of the angular speed of the tire and the change rate, and obtains a slip value on the basis of the obtained wheel speed. As a result, EBD control is started at proper timing in accordance with the slip value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Matsuura
  • Publication number: 20070046099
    Abstract: An improved vehicle brake system for controlling the frictional braking force and the regenerative braking force to be applied to a wheel of a vehicle. The brake system reduces the regenerative braking force to a predetermined force and keeps the regenerative braking force at the predetermined force before the start of anti-lock control. When the anti-lock control starts, the brake system decreases the regenerative braking force from the predetermined force. With this arrangement, it is possible to quickly eliminate a locking tendency of any wheel of the vehicle, thereby stabilizing the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2006
    Publication date: March 1, 2007
    Inventors: Masahiro Matsuura, Koichi Kokubo, Shigeru Saito, Yuji Sengoku
  • Patent number: 7168769
    Abstract: The brake system of the invention, during the ABS control mode, corrects the target slip rate in accordance with the turning of the vehicle, and determines whether the vehicle is running on a poor surface road. If the vehicle is running on a poor surface road, the system sets a target slip rate that provides a greater longitudinal force than the aforementioned target slip rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nihei, Masahiro Hara, Masahiro Matsuura, Akifumi Doura
  • Publication number: 20070018499
    Abstract: A brake apparatus for a vehicle generally sets an upper limit value of regenerative braking force to the maximum value of the regenerative braking force which can be generated at the present. In the case of a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the total braking force, the sum of front-wheel braking force (front-wheel hydraulic braking force+regenerative braking force) and rear-wheel braking force (rear-wheel hydraulic braking force), is rendered coincident with a target braking force corresponding to a brake pedal depressing force, and the regenerative braking force is set to a largest possible value equal to or less than the upper limit value. As a result, the regenerative braking force can be larger than front-wheel-side target distribution braking force. The upper limit value is decreased from the maximum value by an amount corresponding to the degree of easiness of occurrence of a locking tendency at the driven wheels (front wheels).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Publication date: January 25, 2007
    Inventors: Koichi Kokubo, Masahiro Matsuura, Shigeru Saito, Yuji Sengoku
  • Publication number: 20060220453
    Abstract: A brake apparatus for a vehicle controls braking force acting on front wheels by hydraulic braking force (front-wheel-side vacuum-booster hydraulic pressure fraction+linear-valve differential pressure fraction), which is frictional braking force, and regenerative braking force, and controls braking force acting on rear wheels by hydraulic braking force (rear-wheel-side vacuum-booster hydraulic pressure fraction) only, to thereby perform regeneration-coordinative brake control. During performance of ABS control, the apparatus sets the limit regenerative braking force to a force under which locking of the front wheels does not occur in a case in which the force acts on the front wheels, which are wheels undergoing regenerative braking, and adjusts the regenerative braking force such that the regenerative braking force does not exceed the limit regenerative braking force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Publication date: October 5, 2006
    Inventors: Shigeru Saito, Masahiro Matsuura, Koichi Kokubo, Yuji Sengoku
  • Publication number: 20060131956
    Abstract: In a vehicle brake apparatus, front-wheel brake power is controlled with fluid pressure brake power (a front-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbf+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ?P1) and regenerative brake power Freg, while rear-wheel brake power is controlled with only fluid pressure brake power (a rear-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbr+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ?P2), so that regenerative and cooperative brake controlling is executed. When a brake pedal is additionally depressed during front/rear brake power proportion controlling, the shortage of the total brake power is compensated by adding additional brake power Fadd, which is the same as rear-wheel brake power shortage ?Fr generated by the additional depression, to the front-wheel brake power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2005
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Inventors: Masahiro Matsuura, Shigeru Saito, Koichi Kokubo, Yuji Sengoku
  • Publication number: 20060125317
    Abstract: The unit controls a linear-valve-pressure-difference braking force and a regenerative braking force so that a total braking force obtained by adding a complementary braking force that is “the sum of the increments of the respective hydraulic braking forces by linear-valve pressure differences generated by linear solenoid valves disposed for their respective systems (linear-valve-pressure-difference braking force) and a regenerative braking force” to a hydraulic braking force (VB hydraulic braking force) based on a master-cylinder pressure output from a master cylinder reaches a target value for a brake-pedal pressure. For example, for a vehicle equipped with a cross pipe arrangement, when one of the linear solenoid valves fails, the linear-valve pressure difference of a normal linear solenoid valve is set to a value as twice as large as that when both of the linear solenoid valves are normal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Publication date: June 15, 2006
    Inventors: Koichi Kokubo, Shigeru Saito, Masahiro Matsuura, Yuji Sengoku
  • Publication number: 20060018983
    Abstract: The present invention provides a composition comprising a green-yellow vegetable (e.g., broccoli, spinach, parsley, komatsuna (Brassica rapa L.), Japanese radish leaves) and a light-colored vegetable (e.g., lettuce, cabbage, celery), the composition having the following effects: (1) inhibiting the generation of blood lipid peroxide; (2) lowering blood TBARS levels or suppressing the elevation of blood TBARS levels; (3) increasing blood vitamin E levels; (4) enhancing blood antioxidant activity; (5) enhancing blood TRAP levels; (6) lowering blood active oxygen levels or suppressing the elevation of blood active oxygen levels; and (7) preventing or treating diabetic complications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Publication date: January 26, 2006
    Applicant: Sunstar Inc.
    Inventors: Mayumi Kotani, Akihito Fujita, Masahiro Matsuura, Taketoshi Makino
  • Patent number: 6976741
    Abstract: In a brake control system for a vehicle, a target wheel cylinder pressure of each wheel is calculated in accordance with a braking force applied by the driver, a brake control mode is determined to be one of an increase pressure mode, a decrease pressure mode, or a maintain pressure mode, and a target increase/decrease force slope is calculated in accordance with a slip amount of the wheel. In particular, the target wheel cylinder pressure is calculated based on actual wheel cylinder pressure and the target increase/decrease pressure slope, set on the target increase/decrease force slope when starting anti-skid control, the target wheel cylinder pressure is calculated after starting the anti-skid control based on the most recent target wheel cylinder pressure and the target increase/decrease pressure slope, and the wheel cylinder pressure Pi is controlled so as to become equal to the target wheel cylinder pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Hara, Toshihisa Nihei, Naruyuki Matsui, Masahiro Matsuura