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).

  • Publication number: 20040067817
    Abstract: A control apparatus and method are provided for controlling a torque of an engine coupled to an input shaft of an automatic transmission during a shift by that automatic transmission. In that control, torque-down control by which the engine torque is decreased by a predetermined amount is performed, a torque-restore control starting point at which time torque-restore control is to be started is determined during the torque-down control, and the torque-restore control so as to gradually restore the engine torque to a value before the torque-down control was performed is started at the torque-restore control starting point. The torque-restore control starting point is determined according to a dynamic model which simulates the behavior of the automatic transmission over time from the start of the torque-down control, and so that a rotational speed of the input shaft of the automatic transmission at a target point substantially matches a target speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2003
    Publication date: April 8, 2004
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Norimi Asahara, Katsumi Kono, Ryoichi Hibino, Hiroyuki Nishizawa, Masataka Osawa
  • Publication number: 20030163235
    Abstract: When changing gear, engagement side clutch coupling force of an automatic transmission (32) is controlled in response to an engagement side clutch coupling force control amount set in advance in an engagement side clutch coupling force control amount storage section (36). A disengagement side clutch coupling force control amount calculating block (40) has a physical model of the automatic transmission (32) internally. This disengagement side clutch coupling force control amount calculating block (40) then calculates disengagement side clutch coupling force control amount from a transmission input torque estimation value estimated by a transmission input torque estimation block (34), a running resistance estimation value from a running resistance estimation block (38) and engagement side clutch coupling force control amount using the physical model, and controls the automatic transmission (32) using the calculated disengagement side clutch coupling force control amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2003
    Publication date: August 28, 2003
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Norimi Asahara, Ryoichi Hibino, Hiroyuki Nishizawa, Masataka Osawa
  • Publication number: 20030125161
    Abstract: In order to control slip amount of a disengagement side engagement device at the time of a gear shift operation, a target value Nr for rotational speed of an input shaft of an automatic transmission is calculated inside an input shaft speed target value calculating block. Slip control of the disengagement side engagement device is then carried out by controlling engine torque using an engine torque control amount obtained from a engine torque control amount estimation block and the clutch slip amount compensation value calculating section to cause rotation speed Nt of the input shaft to follow the target value Nr. In this way, responsiveness and precision of slip control of the disengagement side engagement device at the time of gear shift operation are improved, and it is possible to improve gear shift shock and to carry out a gear shift operation in a short period of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2002
    Publication date: July 3, 2003
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Norimi Asahara, Masataka Osawa, Hiroyuki Nishizawa, Ryoichi Hibino