Patents by Inventor Takahiro Kodaira

Takahiro Kodaira 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: 9533681
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle cruise control device 10 that performs trajectory control for causing a vehicle to travel along a traveling road by steering vehicle wheels. The vehicle cruise control device includes: a roll control device (active stabilizers 56 and 58, etc.) configured to control a lateral-direction inclination angle of a vehicle body; and an inclination angle estimation device (a roll rate sensor 72, a stroke sensor 74i, etc.) configured to determine a lateral-direction inclination of a traveling road. When the trajectory control is executed in a situation in which the vehicle travels on a laterally inclined traveling road (S150, S250, S300, S500), the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is controlled by the roll control device so that the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is greater than 0 and smaller than the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road (S450).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Kodaira, Takahiro Kojo
  • Patent number: 9499201
    Abstract: A vehicular steering control device which comprises a rudder angle varying device which changes a relationship between an operational position of steering wheel operated for steering by a driver and a rudder angle of front wheels; and a rudder angle control device which performs an automatic steering control of the front wheels for a trajectory control of a vehicle by controlling the rudder angle varying device. The rudder angle control device performs a termination control which removes a deviation in the relationship between an operational position and a rudder angle of the front wheels, namely, an N deviation when the automatic steering control is terminated. A speed of removing the N deviation is lowered when a magnitude of a steering operation speed is small, compared to when a magnitude of a steering operation speed is large.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hisanori Mitsumoto, Takahiro Kodaira
  • Patent number: 9475523
    Abstract: A vehicular steering control device which comprises a rudder angle varying device which changes a relationship between an operational position of steering wheel operated for steering by a driver and a rudder angle of front wheels; and a rudder angle control device which performs an automatic steering control of the front wheels for a trajectory control of a vehicle by controlling the rudder angle varying device. The rudder angle control device performs a termination control which removes a deviation in the relationship between an operational position and a rudder angle of the front wheels, namely, an N deviation when the automatic steering control is terminated. A speed of removing the N deviation is lowered when a magnitude of a steering operation speed is small, compared to when a magnitude of a steering operation speed is large.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hisanori Mitsumoto, Takahiro Kodaira
  • Patent number: 9393960
    Abstract: A vehicle cruise control device is provided that sets a traveling road that the vehicle is to travel from then based on acquired information of surroundings, and executes normal cruise control for causing the vehicle to travel along the set traveling road (S300), and when normally acquiring information of surroundings becomes impossible, the vehicle cruise control device executes interim cruise control for causing the vehicle to travel along the set traveling road (S500). The vehicle cruise control device estimates an interim travel time from when the interim cruise control starts until the vehicle completes the traveling along the set traveling road, sets a target deceleration variably so that, when the interim travel time is short, the target deceleration is higher as compared to where the interim travel time is long, and decelerates the vehicle so that a deceleration of the vehicle coincides with the target deceleration (S600).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takahiro Kodaira
  • Publication number: 20150329108
    Abstract: A driving assistance device includes: a travelable region detecting device which detects a travelable region of a vehicle; a travel control device which executes trajectory control by at least one of steering control and acceleration/deceleration control based on a target trajectory generated such that the vehicle travels in the travelable region detected by the travelable region detecting device; and a control device which improves control accuracy of the steering control so as to improve a property of following the target trajectory at a time the acceleration/deceleration control is required as compared to a case in which the acceleration/deceleration control is not required at a time of execution of the trajectory control by the travel control device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2012
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takahiro KODAIRA
  • Publication number: 20150298695
    Abstract: A vehicle cruise control device is provided that sets a traveling road that the vehicle is to travel from then based on acquired information of surroundings, and executes normal cruise control for causing the vehicle to travel along the set traveling road (S300), and when normally acquiring information of surroundings becomes impossible, the vehicle cruise control device executes interim cruise control for causing the vehicle to travel along the set traveling road (S500). The vehicle cruise control device estimates an interim travel time from when the interim cruise control starts until the vehicle completes the traveling along the set traveling road, sets a target deceleration variably so that, when the interim travel time is short, the target deceleration is higher as compared to where the interim travel time is long, and decelerates the vehicle so that a deceleration of the vehicle coincides with the target deceleration (S600).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takahiro KODAIRA
  • Publication number: 20150298691
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle cruise control device 10 that performs trajectory control for causing a vehicle to travel along a traveling road by steering vehicle wheels. The vehicle cruise control device includes: a roll control device (active stabilizers 56 and 58, etc.) configured to control a lateral-direction inclination angle of a vehicle body; and an inclination angle estimation device (a roll rate sensor 72, a stroke sensor 74i, etc.) configured to determine a lateral-direction inclination of a traveling road. When the trajectory control is executed in a situation in which the vehicle travels on a laterally inclined traveling road (S150, S250, S300, S500), the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is controlled by the roll control device so that the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is greater than 0 and smaller than the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road (S450).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro KODAIRA, Takahiro KOJO
  • Publication number: 20150291214
    Abstract: A vehicular steering control device which comprises a rudder angle varying device which changes a relationship between an operational position of steering wheel operated for steering by a driver and a rudder angle of front wheels; and a rudder angle control device which performs an automatic steering control of the front wheels for a trajectory control of a vehicle by controlling the rudder angle varying device. The rudder angle control device performs a termination control which removes a deviation in the relationship between an operational position and a rudder angle of the front wheels, namely, an N deviation when the automatic steering control is terminated. A speed of removing the N deviation is lowered when a magnitude of a steering operation speed is small, compared to when a magnitude of a steering operation speed is large.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hisanori Mitsumoto, Takahiro Kodaira
  • Patent number: 8200392
    Abstract: A vehicle steering control apparatus (10) is provided with: a steering force applying device (15, 30) for applying a steering force front wheels (5, 6); and a lateral force detecting device (42) for detecting a lateral force of each of the front wheels and rear wheels (7, 8), the steering force applying device applying, to the front wheels, a convergent steering force which steers the front wheels in a direction in which yaw oscillation converges, if a ratio of the lateral force (Fr) of the rear wheels to the lateral force (Ff) of the front wheels becomes a ratio of possibly causing the yaw oscillation in a vehicle (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Kodaira, Hideki Sakai, Yoji Kunihiro, Motoshi Oki, Kentaro Horiuchi, Etsuo Katsuyama
  • Publication number: 20110208392
    Abstract: A vehicle steering control device includes a first calculation mechanism calculating a basic steering assistance force based on steering torque corresponding to steering operation by an occupant of a vehicle, an acquisition mechanism acquiring respective lateral forces of front wheels and rear wheels, a second calculation mechanism calculating, based on the lateral force on the rear wheels, a first steering correction force that reduces the basic steering assistance force and also calculating, based on the lateral force on the front wheels, a second steering correction force that increases the basic steering assistance force, and a steering force application mechanism applying a target steering assistance force to the vehicle, the target steering assistance force being obtained by adding the first and second correction steering forces to the basic steering assistance force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2008
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Kodaira, Yoji Kunihiro
  • Publication number: 20100161178
    Abstract: A vehicle steering control apparatus (10) is provided with: a steering force applying device (15, 30) for applying a steering force front wheels (5, 6); and a lateral force detecting device (42) for detecting a lateral force of each of the front wheels and rear wheels (7, 8), the steering force applying device applying, to the front wheels, a convergent steering force which steers the front wheels in a direction in which yaw oscillation converges, if a ratio of the lateral force (Fr) of the rear wheels to the lateral force (Ff) of the front wheels becomes a ratio of possibly causing the yaw oscillation in a vehicle (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Kodaira, Hideki Sakai, Yoji Kunihiro, Motoshi Oki, Kentaro Horiuchi, Etsuo Katsuyama
  • Patent number: 7120520
    Abstract: An energy management device is provided in a first energy related system and manages transfer of energy between the first energy related system and a second energy related system remote from the first energy related system, each of the first and second energy related systems including, as an energy related element, at least one of an accumulation unit which accumulates energy, a consumption unit which consumes energy, and a generation unit which generates energy. In the energy management device, a communication unit exchanges information between the first energy related system and the second energy related system, the information related to at least one of the energy consumption, the energy accumulation and the energy generation in each of the first and second energy related systems. A supply control unit controls supplying of energy from one of the first and second energy related systems to the other based on contents of the exchanged information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keisuke Seto, Hiroshi Isono, Kei Takakuwa, Takahiro Kodaira
  • Publication number: 20060142915
    Abstract: A moving body energy management apparatus is installed in a moving body having a supply part that supplies energy and a consumption part that consumes the energy supplied from the supply part. The consumption part includes a first part that consumes the energy for moving the moving body, which is a first function, and a second part that consumes the energy for performing a function other than moving of the moving body, which is a second function relating to the moving body. The moving body energy management apparatus includes an obtaining part obtaining environmental information relating to an environment in which the moving body is placed. A control part controls at least one of the consumption part and the supply part based on the environmental information obtained by the obtaining part such that the first function and the second function are both performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2004
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Isono, Keisuke Seto, Takahiro Kodaira, Kei Takakuwa
  • Publication number: 20040249516
    Abstract: An energy management device is provided in a first energy related system and manages transfer of energy between the first energy related system and a second energy related system remote from the first energy related system, each of the first and second energy related systems including, as an energy related element, at least one of an accumulation unit which accumulates energy, a consumption unit which consumes energy, and a generation unit which generates energy. In the energy management device, a communication unit exchanges information between the first energy related system and the second energy related system, the information related to at least one of the energy consumption, the energy accumulation and the energy generation in each of the first and second energy related systems. A supply control unit controls supplying of energy from one of the first and second energy related systems to the other based on contents of the exchanged information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2004
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke Seto, Hiroshi Isono, Kei Takakuwa, Takahiro Kodaira