Patents by Inventor Taku Harada
Taku Harada 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).
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Patent number: 11634022Abstract: A power transmission unit in which an oil pump is arranged without extending a shaft length. In the power transmission unit, an input shaft, a first rotary machine, a differential mechanism, and an output shaft are arranged coaxially. The power transmission unit comprise: a first clutch that engages a first movable member connected to an input element of the differential mechanism with a first engagement section formed on another rotary element; a second clutch that engages a second movable member connected to the output element of the differential mechanism with a second engagement section formed on another rotary element; a drive gear mounted on the input element; a driven gear meshed with the drive gear; and an oil pump connected to the driven gear.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2022Date of Patent: April 25, 2023Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tatsuya Imamura, Taku Harada, Michitaka Tsuchida, Hiroyuki Shioiri, Takahito Endo
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Publication number: 20230054408Abstract: A power transmission unit in which an oil pump is arranged without extending a shaft length. In the power transmission unit, an input shaft, a first rotary machine, a differential mechanism, and an output shaft are arranged coaxially. The power transmission unit comprise: a first clutch that engages a first movable member connected to an input element of the differential mechanism with a first engagement section formed on another rotary element; a second clutch that engages a second movable member connected to the output element of the differential mechanism with a second engagement section formed on another rotary element; a drive gear mounted on the input element; a driven gear meshed with the drive gear; and an oil pump connected to the driven gear.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2022Publication date: February 23, 2023Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tatsuya IMAMURA, Taku HARADA, Michitaka TSUCHIDA, Hiroyuki SHIOIRI, Takahito ENDO
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Publication number: 20230027461Abstract: A driving force control system for a hybrid vehicle for reducing a required time to launch the hybrid vehicle after selecting a reverse range while maintaining a driving force. The control system is configured to change an engine start threshold to restrict a startup of the engine upon satisfaction of a restricting condition, in which a low mode is established by a transmission mechanism, and a reverse drive range is selected.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 27, 2022Publication date: January 26, 2023Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Taku HARADA, Michitaka TSUCHIDA, Tatsuya IMAMURA
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Patent number: 11208091Abstract: A vehicle control device for a vehicle provides a predetermined control based on the rotational characteristic, the vehicle including a rotation lock mechanism preventing rotation of a coupling portion of the rotating member coupled to the engine on the engine side of the rotating member in at least one direction, the vehicle control device comprising: a characteristic detecting portion detecting the rotational characteristic by applying a torque to the rotating member from the electric motor to measure a twist angle of the rotating member while the rotation of the coupling portion is prevented by the rotation lock mechanism; and a characteristic correspondence control portion setting a control value related to an engine rotation speed based on the rotational characteristic detected by the characteristic detecting portion to provide the predetermined control by using the control value.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2019Date of Patent: December 28, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takayuki Nishida, Kenji Gotoda, Hiroki Kuwamoto, Tomoya Takeuchi, Taku Harada, Akira Nakata, Kenji Miyasaka
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Patent number: 10501071Abstract: In a control device of a hybrid vehicle including an engine and an electric motor serving as drive power sources and a damper device disposed between the engine and the electric motor and having rotational characteristics related to an input torque, the control device comprises: a damper rotational characteristic detecting portion configured to measure a rotational characteristic value of the damper device by allowing the electric motor to input a torque to the damper device while rotation of a crankshaft of the engine is stopped; and an output torque correction control portion configured to control an output torque of the engine or the electric motor to suppress occurrence of vibration based on a difference between the rotational characteristic value of the damper device detected by the damper rotational characteristic detecting portion and a preset initial setting value of the rotational characteristic value of the damper device.Type: GrantFiled: February 1, 2019Date of Patent: December 10, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yusuke Takasu, Kenji Gotoda, Hiroki Kuwamoto, Taku Harada, Akira Nakata, Tomoya Takeuchi
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Publication number: 20190232949Abstract: In a control device of a hybrid vehicle including an engine and an electric motor serving as drive power sources and a damper device disposed between the engine and the electric motor and having rotational characteristics related to an input torque, the control device comprises: a damper rotational characteristic detecting portion configured to measure a rotational characteristic value of the damper device by allowing the electric motor to input a torque to the damper device while rotation of a crankshaft of the engine is stopped; and an output torque correction control portion configured to control an output torque of the engine or the electric motor to suppress occurrence of vibration based on a difference between the rotational characteristic value of the damper device detected by the damper rotational characteristic detecting portion and a preset initial setting value of the rotational characteristic value of the damper device.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2019Publication date: August 1, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yusuke TAKASU, Kenji GOTODA, Hiroki KUWAMOTO, Taku HARADA, Akira NAKATA, Tomoya TAKEUCHI
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Publication number: 20190210587Abstract: A vehicle control device for a vehicle provides a predetermined control based on the rotational characteristic, the vehicle including a rotation lock mechanism preventing rotation of a coupling portion of the rotating member coupled to the engine on the engine side of the rotating member in at least one direction, the vehicle control device comprising: a characteristic detecting portion detecting the rotational characteristic by applying a torque to the rotating member from the electric motor to measure a twist angle of the rotating member while the rotation of the coupling portion is prevented by the rotation lock mechanism; and a characteristic correspondence control portion setting a control value related to an engine rotation speed based on the rotational characteristic detected by the characteristic detecting portion to provide the predetermined control by using the control value.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 9, 2019Publication date: July 11, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takayuki NISHIDA, Kenji GOTODA, Hiroki KUWAMOTO, Tomoya TAKEUCHI, Taku HARADA, Akira NAKATA, Kenji MIYASAKA
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Patent number: 9475478Abstract: A hybrid drive apparatus and a control apparatus for controlling the hybrid drive apparatus, a hybrid drive apparatus including a differential device made of a first differential mechanism and second differential mechanism, including four rotary components; and an engine, a first electric motor, second electric motor and an output rotary member, which are respectively connected to four rotary components, wherein one of the four rotary components consists of a rotary element of the first differential mechanism and a rotary element of the second differential mechanism which are selectively connected to each other through a coupling element, and the control apparatus controlling at least one of output torques of the first and second electric motors, to reduce a difference between rotating speeds of the rotary elements of the first and second differential mechanisms selectively connected to each other through the coupling element, to a value not larger than a predetermined threshold value, before the coupling eleType: GrantFiled: June 19, 2015Date of Patent: October 25, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takuya Kodama, Taku Harada
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Patent number: 9358871Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle drive system, which permits effective reduction of deterioration of the drivability of the hybrid vehicle. The control apparatus includes a drive mode switching portion 60 configured to switch the hybrid vehicle drive system from a hybrid drive mode to a first EV drive mode if an electric energy amount stored in a battery is smaller than a predetermined threshold value ? or if a vehicle drive force required to be generated by the hybrid vehicle drive system is smaller than a predetermined threshold value ?, and to a second EV drive mode if the electric energy amount stored in the battery is equal to or larger than the threshold value ? and if the drive force required to drive the hybrid vehicle is equal to or larger than the threshold value ?, when the drive mode switching portion has determined that the hybrid vehicle drive system should be switched from the hybrid drive mode to the first or second EV drive mode.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2015Date of Patent: June 7, 2016Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Taku Harada, Masatoshi Ito, Masataka Sugiyama, Takuya Kodama
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Patent number: 9254835Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle, a criterion temperature for locking a first electric motor/generator is set to a first temperature when the engine is in a reduced-cylinder operation. The criterion temperature is set to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature, when the engine is in an all-cylinder operation. If the temperature of the first electric motor/generator is higher than the criterion temperature, the first electric motor/generator is set to a locked state.Type: GrantFiled: December 13, 2013Date of Patent: February 9, 2016Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Taku Harada, Masatoshi Ito, Shohei Nagata
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Publication number: 20150367829Abstract: A hybrid drive apparatus and a control apparatus for controlling the hybrid drive apparatus, a hybrid drive apparatus including a differential device made of a first differential mechanism and second differential mechanism, including four rotary components; and an engine, a first electric motor, second electric motor and an output rotary member, which are respectively connected to four rotary components, wherein one of the four rotary components consists of a rotary element of the first differential mechanism and a rotary element of the second differential mechanism which are selectively connected to each other through a coupling element, and the control apparatus controlling at least one of output torques of the first and second electric motors, to reduce a difference between rotating speeds of the rotary elements of the first and second differential mechanisms selectively connected to each other through the coupling element, to a value not larger than a predetermined threshold value, before the coupling eleType: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2015Publication date: December 24, 2015Inventors: Takuya KODAMA, Taku HARADA
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Publication number: 20150321659Abstract: The control device of the present invention is applied to a vehicle in which a second motor-generator is linked to an output gear train via a gear. This control device sets a lower limit value for the torque outputted by the second motor-generator when a first motor-generator is locked by a motor locking mechanism and a power split mechanism is put into a non-differential state, and controls the second motor-generator so that, when the power split mechanism is in the non-differential state, the magnitude of the torque outputted by the second motor-generator is at least equal to the magnitude of that lower limit value.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 4, 2012Publication date: November 12, 2015Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Daiki SATO, Masato NAKANO, Masataka SUGIYAMA, Taku HARADA, Akihiro SATO
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Patent number: 9180869Abstract: In order to provide a hybrid drive system that suppresses a useless change of a pump driving path and that has a high durability, a plurality of drive sources, an output mechanism that outputs rotational power to an outside on the basis of those operation states, a control device that controls the operation states of the drive sources, an oil pump, and a pump input selecting mechanism that causes the oil pump to be driven with one of a plurality of rotary shafts to which power from the corresponding drive sources is inputable, are included, and the control device controls the rotation speeds (V1, V2) of the plurality of rotary shafts to unequal speeds by controlling the operation state of one of the plurality of drive sources.Type: GrantFiled: November 11, 2011Date of Patent: November 10, 2015Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Taku Harada, Masatoshi Ito, Kazuyuki Shiiba
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Publication number: 20150291175Abstract: In a control system for a hybrid vehicle including an engine, a motor-generator, a power distribution/integration mechanism having three rotary elements connected to a crankshaft, a rotary shaft of the motor-generator, and a ring gear shaft, a motor-generator, and a battery, a battery ECU sets a required charging power to a required charging power that is lower than a normally set required charging power, under a condition that the vehicle speed is lower than a given speed, so that torque fluctuation of the engine is absorbed by hysteresis torque generated by a hysteresis mechanism.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 9, 2013Publication date: October 15, 2015Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Taku HARADA, Masatoshi ITO
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Publication number: 20150239466Abstract: A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle drive system, which permits effective reduction of deterioration of the drivability of the hybrid vehicle. The control apparatus includes a drive mode switching portion 60 configured to switch the hybrid vehicle drive system from a hybrid drive mode to a first EV drive mode if an electric energy amount stored in a battery is smaller than a predetermined threshold value ? or if a vehicle drive force required to be generated by the hybrid vehicle drive system is smaller than a predetermined threshold value ?, and to a second EV drive mode if the electric energy amount stored in the battery is equal to or larger than the threshold value ? and if the drive force required to drive the hybrid vehicle is equal to or larger than the threshold value ?, when the drive mode switching portion has determined that the hybrid vehicle drive system should be switched from the hybrid drive mode to the first or second EV drive mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2015Publication date: August 27, 2015Inventors: Taku HARADA, Masatoshi ITO, Masataka SUGIYAMA, Takuya KODAMA
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Publication number: 20150170062Abstract: Methods and systems for granting or regulating attendee access to an event or location are provided. A method for regulating attendee access to an event or location comprises receiving a first identifier on an electronic device of a checker that regulates access to the event or location. The first identifier can comprise at least one graphical item, such as a color. In an example, the color is an image color or a background color. Next, a second identifier on an electronic device of an attendee is reviewed by the checker. The second identifier can comprise at least graphical item. The attendee is granted access to the event or location if the first identifier matches the second identifier.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 22, 2014Publication date: June 18, 2015Inventors: Taku Harada, Akira Sawada
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Publication number: 20140277892Abstract: In order to provide a hybrid drive system that suppresses a useless change of a pump driving path and that has a high durability, a plurality of drive sources, an output mechanism that outputs rotational power to an outside on the basis of those operation states, a control device that controls the operation states of the drive sources, an oil pump, and a pump input selecting mechanism that causes the oil pump to be driven with one of a plurality of rotary shafts to which power from the corresponding drive sources is inputable, are included, and the control device controls the rotation speeds (V1, V2) of the plurality of rotary shafts to unequal speeds by controlling the operation state of one of the plurality of drive sources.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 11, 2011Publication date: September 18, 2014Inventors: Taku Harada, Masatoshi Ito, Kazuyuki Shiiba
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Publication number: 20140248991Abstract: A control device for a hybrid vehicle is provided with an electrically controlled differential portion which has a differential mechanism configured to distribute a drive force of an engine to a first electric motor and an output rotary element, and a second electric motor operatively connected to said output rotary element, and a differential state of the differential mechanism being controlled by a feedback control of an operating state of said first electric motor on the basis of an operating speed of said second electric motor, the control device comprising: a change degree reduction control portion configured to reduce a degree of change of the operating state of said first electric motor in said feedback control where an output torque of said second electric motor is held within a torque zone predetermined as a range of the output torque of said second electric motor, as compared with a degree of change where the output torque of said second electric motor is outside said torque zone, said torque zone rType: ApplicationFiled: October 6, 2011Publication date: September 4, 2014Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Taku Harada, Masatoshi Ito
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Publication number: 20140171257Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle, a criterion temperature for locking a first electric motor/generator is set to a first temperature when the engine is in a reduced-cylinder operation. The criterion temperature is set to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature, when the engine is in an all-cylinder operation. If the temperature of the first electric motor/generator is higher than the criterion temperature, the first electric motor/generator is set to a locked state.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 13, 2013Publication date: June 19, 2014Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Taku Harada, Masatoshi Ito, Shohei Nagata
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Patent number: 8712652Abstract: Providing a control device of a hybrid vehicle capable of reducing a rattling noise without changing an engine rotation speed. If the second electric motor torque TM2 is within the rattling noise occurrence region G, the engine rotation fluctuation suppression control (at least one of the EGR amount suppression control, the self-EGR amount suppression control, the lean-burn control, and the ignition delay control) is provided to suppress the engine rotation fluctuations as compared to during normal running while the second electric motor torque TM2 is out of the rattling noise occurrence region G and, therefore, the engine rotation fluctuations can be suppressed to reduce the a rattling noise without changing an engine rotation speed NE. Thus, the rattling noise can be reduced without giving an uncomfortable feeling to a user due to a change in the engine rotation speed NE.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2010Date of Patent: April 29, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Taku Harada, Masatoshi Ito, Kazuyuki Shiiba, Takeshi Kanayama