Patents by Inventor Ryusuke KURODA

Ryusuke KURODA 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: 20240123976
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to detect a candidate object on a road surface ahead of a vehicle from an image representing surroundings of the vehicle generated by a camera provided on the vehicle, determine whether the orientation of the vehicle has deflected more than a predetermined angle, when the vehicle reaches the position of the detected candidate object, and control the vehicle to decelerate when the orientation of the vehicle has deflected more than the predetermined angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ryusuke KURODA
  • Patent number: 11938972
    Abstract: A vehicle controller for automated driving control of a vehicle in traffic congestion includes a processor configured to sense at least one another vehicle around the vehicle, based on a sensor signal obtained by a sensor for sensing a situation around the vehicle, the sensor being mounted on the vehicle; calculate a motion value indicating motion of the sensed at least one other vehicle; determine, when the motion value satisfies a congestion relief condition, that congestion is relieved around the vehicle; and set the congestion relief condition, based on road environment information indicating environment of a road around the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryusuke Kuroda, Takuya Fujiki
  • Publication number: 20240075962
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to determine whether a vehicle under manual driving control is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control of the vehicle, switch, when the vehicle is in a situation that allows for starting autonomous driving control, control of the vehicle from manual driving control to autonomous driving control in the case where operating mode of a device related to ensuring visibility of a driver of the vehicle is set to automatic mode to automatically control the device, and continue manual driving control in the case where the operating mode of the device related to ensuring the driver's visibility is set to manual mode to manually control the device and where the driver's visibility will not be ensured unless the device operates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2023
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Inventors: Ryusuke Kuroda, Takuya Fujiki
  • Publication number: 20240067227
    Abstract: A vehicle control device has a processor configured to calculate an average speed of a vehicle traveling in a traffic lane and another vehicle in a predetermined range from the vehicle, for each of multiple traffic lanes of a traveling road on which the vehicle is traveling, as a traffic lane average speed, to determine whether the traffic lanes are congested based on the traffic lane average speed for each of the multiple traffic lanes of the traveling road and to estimate whether the traveling road as a whole is congested based on a proportion of traffic lanes of the traveling road that are congested, and to decide to drive the vehicle by automatic control when the traveling road as a whole is congested.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Kunio Goto, Ryusuke Kuroda, Takuya Fujiki
  • Publication number: 20240067230
    Abstract: A travel controller autonomously controlling a travel of a vehicle, detecting a departure preventer preventing the vehicle from running off a road at an edge of the road under autonomous control from surrounding data representing surroundings of the vehicle, when no departure preventer is detected, determining a possibility of the vehicle reaching the edge of the road based on an expected movement amount of the vehicle in the lateral direction until stopping and a distance from the vehicle to the road edge, and, when there is a possibility of the vehicle reaching the road edge, notifying the driver of a transition demand demanding transition from the autonomous control to manual control of a travel of the vehicle based on driving operations of the driver of the vehicle, and when there is no possibility of the vehicle reaching the road edge, not notifying the driver of the transition demand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventor: Ryusuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20240067168
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to detect a vehicle ahead of a host vehicle from time-series sensor signals obtained by a sensor provided on the host vehicle for sensing objects around the host vehicle, track the vehicle ahead detected from the time-series sensor signals, determine whether the vehicle ahead has performed an avoidance action, based on the result of tracking, detect, when the vehicle ahead has performed an avoidance action, a trajectory of an edge of the vehicle ahead opposite a direction of avoidance in the avoidance action, and control travel of the host vehicle so that an edge of the host vehicle opposite the direction of avoidance moves along the detected trajectory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryusuke KURODA, Kenichiro Aoki, Tetsuro Sugiura, Takuya Fujiki, Hitoshi Kamada, Wataru Kawashima, Tadashi Okubo
  • Publication number: 20240067231
    Abstract: A travel controller of a vehicle that can travel on a road under autonomous driving control detecting two-wheelers, including bicycles, located in surroundings of the vehicle from surrounding data representing the surroundings of the vehicle generated by a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle, determining whether a target road on which the vehicle was traveling when the surrounding data in which a two-wheeler was detected was generated is a shared road on which travel by bicycles is permitted, when it is determined that the target road is a shared road, notifying a driver of the vehicle of a transition demand demanding transition in control of the vehicle from autonomous driving control to manual driving control requiring driving operations by the driver of the vehicle, and when it is determined that the target road is not a shared road, not notifying the driver of the transition demand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Ryusuke Kuroda, Kenichiro Aoki, Tadashi Okubo, Takuya Fujiki, Tetsuro Sugiura, Kunio Goto
  • Publication number: 20240067171
    Abstract: A brake light activation determining device has a processor configured to detect decrease in the speed of a vehicle ahead, which is located ahead of one's own vehicle, based on output information from a sensor that acquires information relating to the vehicle ahead, to discriminate whether the brake light of the vehicle ahead is activated based on an image representing the vehicle ahead, and to determine that the vehicle ahead is braking, when it has been discriminated that the brake light of the vehicle ahead has been activated, when the speed decrease timing at which reduction in the speed of the vehicle ahead has been detected and the activation timing at which brake light activation by the vehicle ahead was discriminated are synchronized for the vehicle ahead.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryusuke KURODA, Hitoshi KAMADA, Tetsuro SUGIURA, Daisuke HASHIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20240071097
    Abstract: An apparatus for object detection detects a number of lanes included in a road on which a vehicle is traveling, detects one or more surrounding vehicles positioned in surroundings of the vehicle from a surrounding image showing the surroundings of the vehicle generated by a camera mounted in the vehicle, and determines, when more surrounding vehicles than the number of lanes detected in a predetermined range at the back of the vehicle are detected alongside in a width direction of the vehicle, that a possibility that any one of the surrounding vehicles being an emergency vehicle which is allowed to travel without obeying the traveling rule of the road is higher than when more surrounding vehicles than the number of lanes are not detected alongside in a width direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Takuya Fujiki, Ryusuke Kuroda, Tadashi Okubo, Kenichiro Aoki, Tetsuro Sugiura, Wataru Kawashima, Hitoshi Kamada
  • Publication number: 20240067232
    Abstract: The vehicle controller includes a processor configured to determine a rear detection range within which an object is detectable behind a vehicle, based on a sensor signal from a sensor mounted on the vehicle, the sensor being capable of detecting objects around the vehicle, and change the level of autonomous driving control applied to the vehicle to increase the degree of a driver's involvement in driving, when the rear detection range has been less than a first distance threshold for more than a first predetermined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventor: Ryusuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20240067165
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to sense trouble with a first sensor among sensors that are capable of detecting objects around a host vehicle and whose sensing areas at least partially overlap, detect another vehicle traveling in an area around the host vehicle, based on sensor signals from the respective sensors, and decelerate the host vehicle at first deceleration in the case where trouble with the first sensor is sensed and where the other vehicle is detected on the basis of a sensor signal from a second sensor having lower priority than the first sensor in sensing the other vehicle cutting in front of the host vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryusuke Kuroda, Kenichiro Aoki, Tadashi Okubo
  • Publication number: 20240067222
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to detect another vehicle traveling behind a host vehicle, based on a sensor signal obtained by a sensor for sensing surroundings of the host vehicle, determine whether the detected other vehicle satisfies an obstructing condition for obstructing view behind the host vehicle, and control the host vehicle to secure the view behind the host vehicle when the obstructing condition is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventor: Ryusuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20240067233
    Abstract: When an object that may possibly collide with a vehicle is detected from a sensor signal of one of sensors mounted on the vehicle, a vehicle controller changes the level of autonomous driving control applied to the vehicle from a first level that does not require a driver to operate an accelerator and steering and does not require the driver to look around the vehicle to a second level that requires the driver to look around the vehicle but does not require the driver to operate an accelerator and steering. When an object that may possibly collide with the vehicle is detected from sensor signals of two or more of the sensors, the vehicle controller changes the level of autonomous driving control from the first level to a third level that requires the driver to operate at least an accelerator or steering.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2023
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Inventors: Wataru Kawashima, Ryusuke Kuroda, Kenichiro Aoki, Takehiko Hanada, Takuya Fujiki
  • Publication number: 20240059269
    Abstract: An apparatus for steering adjustment detects a gaze direction of a driver of a vehicle from a facial image in which a face of the driver is represented. During autonomous driving in which steering of the vehicle is autonomously controlled, when an operation by the driver on a steering wheel is detected, determines whether the gaze direction of the driver corresponds to the steering direction in the operation of the driver. The apparatus adjusts a reaction force with respect to the operation of the steering wheel smaller when the gaze direction corresponds to the steering direction than when the gaze direction does not correspond to the steering direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ryusuke KURODA
  • Publication number: 20240059321
    Abstract: A travel controller autonomously controlling travel of a vehicle, estimating an estimated arrival timing at which the vehicle is expected to arrive at a predetermined location where autonomous control can no longer be continued, starting notification of a transition demand demanding a transition of operation from the autonomous control to manual control a predetermined time period before the estimated arrival timing, ending the transition demand and the autonomous control and starting acceptance of a driving operation when a responsive motion of the driver to the transition demand is detected before the vehicle reaches the predetermined location, and ending the transition demand and the autonomous control and performing safe stopping control of acceleration, deceleration, and steering so that the vehicle stops at a safe position when the vehicle reaches the predetermined location without a responsive motion being detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventor: Ryusuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20240059286
    Abstract: A travel controller, during autonomous driving in which acceleration and deceleration of a vehicle are automatically controlled, when an operation by a driver of the vehicle for accelerating the vehicle and a grip by the driver on a steering wheel accepting operations by the driver designating a steering direction and a steering amount of the vehicle are detected, control an acceleration rate of the vehicle by accelerating the vehicle in accordance with the operation for accelerating the vehicle with limiting the acceleration rate of the vehicle not more than a predetermined upper limit of acceleration rate, and increasing the upper limit of acceleration rate in accordance with an elapse of time from detection of the operation for accelerating the vehicle and the grip on the steering wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ryusuke KURODA
  • Publication number: 20240013888
    Abstract: A body shape management system includes: an acquisition unit configured to acquire information about an actual body shape of a user and information about a target body shape of the user that he/she wants to have after a lapse of a set period; a display control unit configured to display at least an avatar representing the target body shape of the user acquired by the acquisition unit on a monitor; a plan calculation unit configured to calculate at least one plan for a behavioral item that the user should perform during the set period based on the actual body shape of the user and the target body shape of the user that he/she wants to have after the lapse of the set period; and an output unit configured to output the at least one plan calculated by the plan calculation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2023
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Issei NAKASHIMA, Toru MIYAGAWA, Hideo HASEGAWA, Yusuke KINOSHITA, Narimasa WATANABE, Kohei OTSUKA, Ryusuke KURODA
  • Patent number: 11829153
    Abstract: An apparatus for identifying the state of an object includes a processor configured to input, every time obtaining an image from a camera, the image into a first classifier to detect, for each of one or more predetermined objects represented in the image, an object region including the object; determine a predicted object region in a subsequent image to be obtained from the camera for an object whose position in the subsequent image is predictable; and input characteristics into a second classifier to identify the state of an object involving time-varying changes in outward appearance. When the object has a predicted object region, the characteristics are obtained from pixel values of the predicted object region in the subsequent image. On the other hand, when the object does not have a predicted object region, the characteristics are obtained from pixel values of the object region detected from the subsequent image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daisuke Hashimoto, Ryusuke Kuroda
  • Publication number: 20230373509
    Abstract: An apparatus for message notification displays a message to be known to a driver of a vehicle on a display disposed in front of a driver's seat on which the driver is sitting, when a change in environment around the vehicle causing the driver to turn his/her attention forward, an action of the vehicle that the driver can sense, or operation by the driver of a vehicle-mounted device in a front area of the vehicle is detected, in the case where travel of the vehicle is controlled in autonomous driving mode in which driving operation by the driver is unnecessary, and where a looking direction of the driver is not a direction related to the driving operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya FUJIKI, Kenichiro AOKI, Ryusuke KURODA, Osamu OZAKI
  • Publication number: 20230365164
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to determine whether there is fogging on a window of a vehicle or a sign of fogging thereof, based on a fogginess sensor signal indicating a physical index related to the degree of fogging of the window of the vehicle or operation of a vehicle-mounted device of the vehicle capable of defogging operation. The fogginess sensor signal is obtained by a fogginess sensor provided on the vehicle. The processor is further configured to change a driving control level applicable to the vehicle so as to increase or prevent decreasing the degree of a driver’s involvement in driving the vehicle, depending on the driving control level currently applied to the vehicle, upon determination that there is fogging on the window of the vehicle or a sign of fogging thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takuya FUJIKI, Ryusuke KURODA