Patents by Inventor Nobukazu Ueki

Nobukazu Ueki 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).

  • Publication number: 20140257636
    Abstract: To further improve fuel efficiency of vehicles. A vehicle control device that is mounted on a vehicle that has an engine, and a battery that can be charged by the amount of electric power that is generated by an alternator that is driven by power from the engine. The vehicle control device includes an idling stop control part 90, a battery SOC calculation part 120 that obtains the SOC of the battery, a target SOC estimation part 110 that sets a capacity for idling stop that is predicted to be used in a stop and start period between stop and restart of the engine by the idling stop control within the usable SOC range of the battery while the vehicle is running; and a remaining capacity control part 130 that controls the amount of electric power that is generated by the alternator to prevent the remaining capacity in the usable SOC range from falling below the capacity for idling stop while the vehicle is running that corresponds to the SOC.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobukazu Ueki, Koji Ito, Michihiro Miyashita, Kouhei Tochigi
  • Patent number: 8831830
    Abstract: A vehicle controlling system starts an engine by a starting device based on a vehicle speed, and changes a predetermined vehicle speed, which is a vehicle speed when the engine is started, in response to a state of an electric storage device, when an execution of inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia. Power consumed by a power steering device is changed in response to a vehicle speed. The predetermined vehicle speed is a lower limit vehicle speed in a vehicle speed range in which the electric storage device can output power consumed by the starting device when the engine is started and power consumed by the power steering device at the same time, or a vehicle speed close to the lower limit vehicle speed in the vehicle speed range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Ito, Hiroshi Tsujii, Masaki Matsunaga, Nobukazu Ueki
  • Publication number: 20130304358
    Abstract: A vehicular control apparatus performs control of enabling idle operation of an internal combustion engine that generates a motive power applied to a driving wheel of a vehicle if a vehicle speed of the vehicle is lower than a predetermined vehicle speed that is set in advance, and disabling idle operation of the internal combustion engine if the vehicle speed of the vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, when the vehicle is in a state other than an acceleration running state. Accordingly, the vehicular control apparatus achieves an effect of making it possible to suppress the consumption of fuel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaki Matsunaga, Koji Ito, Michihiro Miyashita, Nobukazu Ueki, Yasuyuki Mikami
  • Patent number: 8550959
    Abstract: A vehicle drive system is provided with an engine, a manual transmission capable of changing a gear position, a clutch arranged between the engine and the transmission, and a control device that performs drive control of the engine. During an inertia running in which torque transmission between the engine and an axle is blocked, when the clutch is opened and the gear position of the transmission is changed to a forward position, if the gear position after the change is lower than an optimal gear position corresponding to a vehicle speed, the control device executes fuel cutoff for the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobukazu Ueki
  • Publication number: 20130237372
    Abstract: A vehicle drive system is provided with an engine, a manual transmission capable of changing a gear position, a clutch arranged between the engine and the transmission, and a control device that performs drive control of the engine. During an inertia running in which torque transmission between the engine and an axle is blocked, when the clutch is opened and the gear position of the transmission is changed to a forward position, if the gear position after the change is lower than an optimal gear position corresponding to a vehicle speed, the control device executes fuel cutoff for the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Nobukazu Ueki
  • Publication number: 20130060444
    Abstract: A vehicle control system and a vehicle control device can switch control of a supporting device for support a drive of a vehicle between an ordinary travel in which the vehicle travels in a state that a power source for causing the vehicle to travel is operated and an inertia travel in which the vehicle travels in a state that an operation of the power source is stopped. Accordingly, since the vehicle control system and the vehicle control device switch the control of the supporting device between the ordinary travel and the inertia travel, the vehicle control system and the vehicle control device achieve an effect that the vehicle can be caused to appropriately travel by inertia.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Matsunaga, Nobukazu Ueki, Hiroshi Tsujii, Koji Ito
  • Publication number: 20120330505
    Abstract: A vehicle control device of a vehicle that can travel with inertia without transmitting power of an engine to drive wheels and stops an operation of an engine that generates power by fuel during an inertia travel as well as prohibits a regeneration control of a regeneration device that regenerates kinetic energy during a travel, wherein when it is estimated that predetermined energy in various types of energy in a vehicle fluctuates during the inertia travel, a regeneration control prohibition state of the regeneration device is released during the inertia travel, is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Chika Tsumori, Mitsuhiro Tabata, Sachio Toyora, Yukari Okamura, Nobukazu Ueki
  • Publication number: 20120029746
    Abstract: A vehicle controlling system includes an engine as a power source of a vehicle, an electric storage device, a generator that generates power by rotating in conjunction with a rotation of the engine, a starting device that starts the engine by consuming power from the electric storage device, and a power steering device which can receive power supplied from the electric storage device and the generator, respectively, and operates by consuming the supplied power, wherein the engine is started by the starting device based on a vehicle speed and a predetermined vehicle speed which is a vehicle speed when the engine is started is changed in response to a state of the electric storage device, when an execution of an inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Ito, Hiroshi Tsujii, Masaki Matsunaga, Nobukazu Ueki
  • Publication number: 20110270501
    Abstract: A vehicle controlling system includes an engine serving as a power source of a vehicle; an electric storage device; an assist device that assists an operation of a driver by consuming power from the electric storage device so as to operate a running device that changes the running condition of the vehicle; and a starting device that consumes power from the electric storage device so as to start the engine, wherein the starting device automatically starts the engine based upon a physical quantity concerning the engine, and the start of the engine is inhibited while the assist device operates the running device, when the execution of an inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2010
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Ito, Hiroshi Tsujii, Masaki Matsunaga, Nobukazu Ueki