Patents by Inventor Takaaki Tokura

Takaaki Tokura 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: 11975706
    Abstract: A driving control device that is mounted on a vehicle including an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power sources includes a processor. The processor is configured to: acquire a destination of the vehicle; acquire a past driving history from a point of departure to the destination; acquire a desired state of charge that is a state of charge of a battery desired when the vehicle arrives at the destination; estimate a predicted amount of regenerative energy based on the driving history; set a first section and a second section based on the predicted amount of regenerative energy and the desired state of charge; and control driving of the vehicle based on the first section and the second section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsumi Kono, Tomoharu Maeda, Takaaki Tokura, Takeshi Yasuda
  • Publication number: 20240042987
    Abstract: A driving control device mounted on a vehicle includes a processor. The processor is configured to create a speed profile. The processor is configured to approximate the speed profile by a predetermined approximate model and estimate a predicted amount of regenerative energy based on an approximation result. The processor is configured to set, based on the predicted amount of regenerative energy, a first region and a second region in the approximation result as a region in which the vehicle travels using an electric motor, the first region being a region from a timing of starting of the vehicle until first time has elapsed from the timing of starting of the vehicle, and the second region being a region from a timing of deceleration of the vehicle until second time has elapsed from the timing of deceleration of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2023
    Publication date: February 8, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Katsumi KONO, Takeshi YASUDA
  • Patent number: 11820354
    Abstract: A driving control device mounted on a vehicle includes a processor. The processor is configured to create a speed profile. The processor is configured to approximate the speed profile by a predetermined approximate model and estimate a predicted amount of regenerative energy based on an approximation result. The processor is configured to set, based on the predicted amount of regenerative energy, a first region and a second region in the approximation result as a region in which the vehicle travels using an electric motor, the first region being a region from a timing of starting of the vehicle until first time has elapsed from the timing of starting of the vehicle, and the second region being a region from a timing of deceleration of the vehicle until second time has elapsed from the timing of deceleration of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Takeshi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11807214
    Abstract: A travel control device is mounted on a vehicle including an electric motor and an internal combustion engine that are power sources and a storage battery that stores energy for driving the electric motor and regenerative energy recovered by regenerative braking of the electric motor. The travel control device includes an electronic control device configured to create a speed profile in which a speed of the vehicle is predicted, estimate a predicted amount of the regenerative energy to be recovered, based on the speed profile, and decide the power source to be used for traveling, based on the predicted amount of the regenerative energy and thermal information indicating a demand related to heat of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Takeshi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11780441
    Abstract: A traveling control apparatus is mounted on a vehicle that includes an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power sources. The traveling control apparatus includes an electronic control unit configured to create a speed profile obtained by predicting speed of the vehicle at each time, derive, based on at least the speed profile, a coefficient profile that is a coefficient at each time used at the time of predicting an amount of regenerative energy recoverable by regenerative braking of the electric motor, approximate the speed profile with a predetermined approximation model and estimate a predicted amount of regenerative energy based on an approximation result and the coefficient profile, and determine the power source used for traveling based on the predicted amount of regenerative energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Takeshi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11742124
    Abstract: A controller executes a dither control that cyclically increases and decreases an exciting current in a linear solenoid valve so as to vibrate a spool of the linear solenoid valve. A vibration cycle of the spool obtained through the dither control is referred to a dither cycle. The dither control includes a first dither control that vibrates the spool in a first dither cycle and a second dither control that vibrates the spool in a second dither cycle that is shorter than the first dither cycle. The controller executes the first dither control and the second dither control when an oil temperature of the hydraulic oil is between a first oil temperature and a second oil temperature that is higher than the first oil temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Takeshi Yasuda, Tomohiro Kondo, Tomoyuki Koike, Masanori Matsubara, Yasuhiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11610707
    Abstract: A controller for a linear solenoid valve is configured to: calculate an average value of an exciting current within a period including a natural number multiple of the dither cycle as an average current value; execute a feedback control on a control value of the pulse width modulation signal such that a target value of the exciting current and the average current value match; and calculate a dither correction amount by multiplying a ratio between the control value of the pulse width modulation signal obtained by the feedback control and the average current value by a dither current value that is a current value corresponding to the dither correction amount and calculating the dither correction amount such that an increase in the exciting current due to the dither correction amount is canceled out by a decrease in the exciting current due to the dither correction amount within one dither cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Takeshi Yasuda, Katsumi Kono, Tomohiro Kondo, Yasuhiro Tanaka, Masanori Matsubara, Tomoyuki Koike
  • Patent number: 11536364
    Abstract: A simulation apparatus that generates a gradient pattern of a running road for a vehicle and a vehicle speed pattern for simulation. The apparatus includes a gradient pattern generation unit configured to generate a gradient pattern of a running road by sequentially deriving a gradient for each section, and a vehicle speed pattern generation unit configured to generate a vehicle speed pattern by, in a model including a lead vehicle that runs in accordance with a first vehicle speed pattern, a rearmost vehicle that runs in accordance with a first preceding vehicle following algorithm, and one or more intermediate vehicles that increase or reduce by one for each first period at an equal probability between the lead vehicle and the rearmost vehicle and that runs in accordance with the first preceding vehicle following algorithm, deriving a vehicle speed of the rearmost vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Takeshi Yasuda
  • Publication number: 20220306074
    Abstract: A driving control device that is mounted on a vehicle including an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power sources includes a processor. The processor is configured to: acquire a destination of the vehicle; acquire a past driving history from a point of departure to the destination; acquire a desired state of charge that is a state of charge of a battery desired when the vehicle arrives at the destination; estimate a predicted amount of regenerative energy based on the driving history; set a first section and a second section based on the predicted amount of regenerative energy and the desired state of charge; and control driving of the vehicle based on the first section and the second section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2022
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsumi KONO, Tomoharu MAEDA, Takaaki TOKURA, Takeshi YASUDA
  • Publication number: 20220181055
    Abstract: A controller executes a dither control that cyclically increases and decreases an exciting current in a linear solenoid valve so as to vibrate a spool of the linear solenoid valve. A vibration cycle of the spool obtained through the dither control is referred to a dither cycle. The dither control includes a first dither control that vibrates the spool in a first dither cycle and a second dither control that vibrates the spool in a second dither cycle that is shorter than the first dither cycle. The controller executes the first dither control and the second dither control when an oil temperature of the hydraulic oil is between a first oil temperature and a second oil temperature that is higher than the first oil temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2021
    Publication date: June 9, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Katsumi KONO, Takeshi YASUDA, Tomohiro KONDO, Tomoyuki KOIKE, Masanori MATSUBARA, Yasuhiro TANAKA
  • Publication number: 20220170543
    Abstract: A simulation apparatus that generates a gradient pattern of a running road for a vehicle and a vehicle speed pattern for simulation. The apparatus includes a gradient pattern generation unit configured to generate a gradient pattern of a running road by sequentially deriving a gradient for each section, and a vehicle speed pattern generation unit configured to generate a vehicle speed pattern by, in a model including a lead vehicle that runs in accordance with a first vehicle speed pattern, a rearmost vehicle that runs in accordance with a first preceding vehicle following algorithm, and one or more intermediate vehicles that increase or reduce by one for each first period at an equal probability between the lead vehicle and the rearmost vehicle and that runs in accordance with the first preceding vehicle following algorithm, deriving a vehicle speed of the rearmost vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Publication date: June 2, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Katsumi KONO, Takeshi YASUDA
  • Patent number: 11338809
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes: a transmission unit transmitting information to a control apparatus of an infrastructure in a non-contact manner, the information being on a vehicle driven by power supplied from a battery, which is rechargeable and is supplied with energy from the infrastructure of an outside in a non-contact manner; and a control unit acquiring information on a platoon of the vehicle from the outside by communication and causing the vehicle to travel according to the information on the platoon of the vehicle acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono
  • Publication number: 20220153272
    Abstract: A traveling control apparatus is mounted on a vehicle that includes an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power sources. The traveling control apparatus includes an electronic control unit configured to create a speed profile obtained by predicting speed of the vehicle at each time, derive, based on at least the speed profile, a coefficient profile that is a coefficient at each time used at the time of predicting an amount of regenerative energy recoverable by regenerative braking of the electric motor, approximate the speed profile with a predetermined approximation model and estimate a predicted amount of regenerative energy based on an approximation result and the coefficient profile, and determine the power source used for traveling based on the predicted amount of regenerative energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Katsumi KONO, Takeshi YASUDA
  • Publication number: 20220126810
    Abstract: A driving control device mounted on a vehicle includes a processor. The processor is configured to create a speed profile. The processor is configured to approximate the speed profile by a predetermined approximate model and estimate a predicted amount of regenerative energy based on an approximation result. The processor is configured to set, based on the predicted amount of regenerative energy, a first region and a second region in the approximation result as a region in which the vehicle travels using an electric motor, the first region being a region from a timing of starting of the vehicle until first time has elapsed from the timing of starting of the vehicle, and the second region being a region from a timing of deceleration of the vehicle until second time has elapsed from the timing of deceleration of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Katsumi KONO, Takeshi YASUDA
  • Patent number: 11287032
    Abstract: A gear stage choosing apparatus that chooses a gear stage of a stepped transmission of a vehicle includes a storage unit configured to store a shift map containing a relationship between vehicle speed and gear stage, a determination unit configured to determine a gear stage associated with an estimated vehicle speed after a lapse of a first period of time from current time based on the shift map, an evaluation unit configured to evaluate fuel efficiency in some gear stages, including the determined gear stage and one or more gear stages higher or lower in less than or equal to a specific number of gear steps than the determined gear stage, of multiple gear stages, and a choosing unit configured to choose a gear stage selected from among the some gear stages based on the fuel efficiency as a gear stage to which a current gear stage is changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Takeshi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11237575
    Abstract: A control apparatus for controlling a linear solenoid by controlling a driving current supplied to the linear solenoid through a feedback control. The feedback control is executed by a feedback control system having parameters that are determined in accordance with an ILQ design method. In a frequency characteristic of a gain of a transfer function representing a ratio of an output to a disturbance in the feedback control system, the gain is lower than 0 [dB] throughout all frequency ranges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Masato Kaigawa, Masato Matsubara, Hitoshi Matsunaga, Akira Hino
  • Publication number: 20210304937
    Abstract: A controller for a linear solenoid valve is configured to: calculate an average value of an exciting current within a period including a natural number multiple of the dither cycle as an average current value; execute a feedback control on a control value of the pulse width modulation signal such that a target value of the exciting current and the average current value match; and calculate a dither correction amount by multiplying a ratio between the control value of the pulse width modulation signal obtained by the feedback control and the average current value by a dither current value that is a current value corresponding to the dither correction amount and calculating the dither correction amount such that an increase in the exciting current due to the dither correction amount is canceled out by a decrease in the exciting current due to the dither correction amount within one dither cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Takeshi YASUDA, Katsumi KONO, Tomohiro KONDO, Yasuhiro TANAKA, Masanori MATSUBARA, Tomoyuki KOIKE
  • Publication number: 20210179063
    Abstract: A travel control device is mounted on a vehicle including an electric motor and an internal combustion engine that are power sources and a storage battery that stores energy for driving the electric motor and regenerative energy recovered by regenerative braking of the electric motor. The travel control device includes an electronic control device configured to create a speed profile in which a speed of the vehicle is predicted, estimate a predicted amount of the regenerative energy to be recovered, based on the speed profile, and decide the power source to be used for traveling, based on the predicted amount of the regenerative energy and thermal information indicating a demand related to heat of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Katsumi KONO, Takeshi YASUDA
  • Publication number: 20210148457
    Abstract: A gear stage choosing apparatus that chooses a gear stage of a stepped transmission of a vehicle includes a storage unit configured to store a shift map containing a relationship between vehicle speed and gear stage, a determination unit configured to determine a gear stage associated with an estimated vehicle speed after a lapse of a first period of time from current time based on the shift map, an evaluation unit configured to evaluate fuel efficiency in some gear stages, including the determined gear stage and one or more gear stages higher or lower in less than or equal to a specific number of gear steps than the determined gear stage, of multiple gear stages, and a choosing unit configured to choose a gear stage selected from among the some gear stages based on the fuel efficiency as a gear stage to which a current gear stage is changed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2020
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Katsumi KONO, Takeshi YASUDA
  • Publication number: 20210138909
    Abstract: A travel control device that is mounted on a vehicle including an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as a power source includes an electronic control unit configured to create a speed profile in which a speed of the vehicle at each time is predicted, approximate the speed profile with a predetermined approximation model and estimate a predicted amount of regenerative energy based on an approximation result, the regenerative energy being energy that is recoverable by regenerative braking of the electric motor, and determine the power source used for traveling based on the predicted amount of the regenerative energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TOKURA, Katsumi KONO, Takeshi YASUDA