Patents by Inventor Tomohiko Endo

Tomohiko Endo 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: 9174674
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a parking assist apparatus 10 used for a vehicle which has a four-wheel steering mode in which front wheels and rear wheels can be steered independently, comprising: traveling path calculation means for calculating a traveling path for guiding the vehicle to a target position; and assist means for assisting traveling of the vehicle to the target position, based on the traveling path calculated by the traveling path calculation means. In the four-wheel steering mode, the traveling path calculated by the traveling path calculation means includes a traveling path in which the front wheels and the rear wheels are steered in reverse directions, and said traveling path includes a section in which a constant point, which is an intersection of a center line of the vehicle in a back-and-forth direction and a line perpendicular to the center line from a turning center, creates a trajectory of a clothoid curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Yasushi Makino, Yukiko Kawabata, Takuya Itoh, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 8542128
    Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus that can reduce a burden of a driver at a preliminary stage of parking. The parking assisting apparatus assists parking of a vehicle and includes an obstacle detector that detects an obstacle near the vehicle and an information outputting mechanism that informs the driver of a parking space adjacent to the obstacle detected by the obstacle detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Takuya Itou
  • Patent number: 8487783
    Abstract: To provide a parking support device for easily and quickly moving or rotating a target parking frame to an appropriate position. The parking support device includes a target parking position setting unit configured to set a target parking position at which a vehicle is to be parked with a target parking frame superimposed on an actual image displaying an area surrounding the vehicle. The parking support device guides the vehicle to the target parking position set by the target parking position setting unit. The target parking position setting unit moves the target parking frame initially displayed on a touch display to a position indicated by a coordinate point determined by a touch operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akio Yoshihashi, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Takashi Nonoyama, Takashi Ohira, Keisuke Ikari, Yasushi Makino, Takuya Ito
  • Publication number: 20130138321
    Abstract: A vehicle's travel state determination apparatus includes a vehicle speed detection portion that detects speed of the vehicle and outputs speed information; a threshold value output portion that outputs a threshold value based on the speed information; a power source stop detection portion that detects a stop of a power source of the vehicle and outputs power source stop information; and a travel state determination portion that determines a travel state of the vehicle based on the power source stop information and the threshold value. The travel state determination portion determines the travel state of the vehicle on the basis of the threshold value and the elapsed time that follows output of the power source stop information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2012
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Inventors: Akemi Toyoda, Tomohiko Endo
  • Publication number: 20130021287
    Abstract: In an information device, an input information determination unit determines a first operation conducted on any one of a plurality of items for selecting any one of items, and a second operation conducted on any one of a plurality of positions unrelated to positions corresponding to the items for selecting none of the plurality of items, based on a detected touch input detected. A frequency at which the first operation is conducted for each of the plurality of items, and a frequency at which the second operation is conducted for each of the plurality of positions in the input unit, are counted and recorded. An item higher in the frequency on which the first operation is conducted among the items is displayed at a position higher in the frequency on which the second operation is conducted among the plurality of positions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Ying Li
  • Patent number: 8285479
    Abstract: A parking assist apparatus for guiding a vehicle to a target parking position includes an initial position guiding unit configured to generate an initial position guiding path at a predetermined timing, the initial position guiding path leading from a current position of the vehicle to an initial position where vehicle guidance to the target parking position is started. The initial position guiding unit is also configured to guide the vehicle along the initial position guiding path to the initial position. The apparatus also includes an obstacle detecting unit configured to detect an obstacle around the vehicle. When the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting unit is located along the initial position guiding path, the initial position guiding unit generates the initial position guiding path such that the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting unit can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Daisuke Suzuki, Takashi Nitta
  • Patent number: 8232893
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a parking assisting apparatus which can selectively determine an appropriate target parking position, which can be used for parking assisting, with an appropriate priority, by appropriately using obstacle detecting means and parking space detecting means in a coordinated fashion. The present invention is a parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking a vehicle, comprising the obstacle detecting means for detecting an obstacle near the vehicle; and parking section line detecting means for detecting a parking section line painted on the ground; wherein if the parking section line is detected by the parking section line detecting means, the apparatus calculates the target parking position based on the detected parking section line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Yukiko Kawabata
  • Publication number: 20120166123
    Abstract: An impulse response measurement with high precision is made possible with a simple device or signal processing, even if sampling clocks on the transmitting side and the receiving side are asynchronous at the time of measuring an impulse response of a measured system. An impulse response measuring method includes an input signal generating step of generating an input signal of an arbitrary waveform to be input to a measured system by using a synchronization signal having a first sampling clock frequency, a signal converting step of performing conversion on a measured signal output from the measured system into a discrete value system by using a synchronization signal having a second sampling clock frequency, and an inverse filter correcting step of correcting at least a phase of an inverse filter which is an inverse function of a function showing a frequency characteristic of the input signal according to a frequency ratio of the first sampling clock frequency and the second sampling clock frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Inventors: Shokichiro Hino, Hiroshi Koide, Akihiro Shoji, Koichi Tsuchiya, Tomohiko Endo, Qlusheng Xie
  • Patent number: 8154426
    Abstract: The present invention is aimed at setting an efficient target track of a vehicle and thus improving convenience of the parking assist. According to the present invention, a parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking a vehicle is provided. The parking assisting apparatus comprises detecting means for detecting a positional relationship between an obstacle near the vehicle and a parking section line painted on the ground. The parking assisting apparatus is configured to vary a target track of the vehicle toward a target parking position based on the detected positional relationship between the obstacle and the parking section line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Yukiko Kawabata, Takuya Itou
  • Patent number: 8144031
    Abstract: A parking assisting device includes an ambient area detecting unit that detects an obstacle or a parking frame in an ambient area surrounding a vehicle, and a guiding unit guides the vehicle to a parking initial position from which parking of the vehicle to a parking space, adjacent to the detected obstacle, or the detected parking frame is permissible. In the parking assisting device, a guidance mode in which the guiding unit guides the vehicle to the parking initial position is set up based on a distance between the vehicle and the detected obstacle or the detected parking frame in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20120071212
    Abstract: A portable terminal apparatus includes a first operation unit and a second operation unit. The first operation unit has an image area for displaying an image and an operation area for displaying operation keys.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2010
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Jun Anzai
  • Patent number: 8130120
    Abstract: A parking assistance device includes a guiding unit to perform guidance of a vehicle to a parking initial position from which the vehicle can be parked into a parking space located adjacent to and on a far side of an object existing around the vehicle with respect to a running direction of the vehicle; an obstacle detecting unit to detect an obstacle around the vehicle in response to a reflected wave of a wave emitted from the vehicle in a predetermined direction; and a timing setting unit configured to set a timing to start the guidance in response to a detection result of the obstacle detecting unit, which is related to an obstacle existing in a predetermined distance from the object in the parking space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Patent number: 8126625
    Abstract: A vehicle drive assist apparatus for assisting in driving a vehicle by varying drive torque of wheels that includes: a torque-up mechanism increasing the drive torque; a step detecting mechanism detecting a step that may exist on a road surface in a traveling direction of the vehicle; and a switching mechanism switching a status of control between a first status in which the torque-up mechanism is permitted to operate and a second status in which the torque-up mechanism is restricted to operate, wherein the switching mechanism forms the first status if the step is detected by the step detecting mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Miyuki Omori, Kiyotaka Moriizumi
  • Publication number: 20110304477
    Abstract: To provide a parking support device for easily and quickly moving or rotating a target parking frame to an appropriate position. The parking support device includes a target parking position setting unit configured to set a target parking position at which a vehicle is to be parked with a target parking frame superimposed on an actual image displaying an area surrounding the vehicle. The parking support device guides the vehicle to the target parking position set by the target parking position setting unit. The target parking position setting unit moves the target parking frame initially displayed on a touch display to a position indicated by a coordinate point determined by a touch operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akio YOSHIHASHI, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Takashi Nonoyama, Takashi Ohira, Keisuke Ikari, Yasushi Makino, Takuya Ito
  • Patent number: 8035531
    Abstract: To provide a parking support device for easily and quickly moving or rotating a target parking frame to an appropriate position. The parking support device includes a target parking position setting unit configured to set a target parking position at which a vehicle is to be parked with a target parking frame superimposed on an actual image displaying an area surrounding the vehicle. The parking support device guides the vehicle to the target parking position set by the target parking position setting unit. The target parking position setting unit moves the target parking frame initially displayed on a touch display to a position indicated by a coordinate point determined by a touch operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akio Yoshihashi, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Takashi Nonoyama, Takashi Ohira, Keisuke Ikari, Yasushi Makino, Takuya Ito
  • Patent number: 7924171
    Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus and method that can precisely estimate the orientation of a parking space. A parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking a vehicle includes an obstacle detecting mechanism that detects an obstacle near the vehicle and an orientation information acquiring mechanism that acquires information as to an orientation of the vehicle. The apparatus estimates an orientation of the parking space that may exist near the vehicle based on the detection result of the obstacle detecting mechanism and the orientation information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo
  • Publication number: 20100283632
    Abstract: A parking assisting apparatus and method that can precisely estimate the orientation of a parking space. A parking assisting apparatus for assisting parking a vehicle includes an obstacle detecting mechanism that detects an obstacle near the vehicle and an orientation information acquiring mechanism that acquires information as to an orientation of the vehicle. The apparatus estimates an orientation of the parking space that may exist near the vehicle based on the detection result of the obstacle detecting mechanism and the orientation information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo
  • Publication number: 20100286872
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a parking assist apparatus 10 used for a vehicle which has a four-wheel steering mode in which front wheels and rear wheels can be steered independently, comprising: traveling path calculation means for calculating a traveling path for guiding the vehicle to a target position; and assist means for assisting traveling of the vehicle to the target position, based on the traveling path calculated by the traveling path calculation means. In the four-wheel steering mode, the traveling path calculated by the traveling path calculation means includes a traveling path in which the front wheels and the rear wheels are steered in reverse directions, and said traveling path includes a section in which a constant point, which is an intersection of a center line of the vehicle in a back-and-forth direction and a line perpendicular to the center line from a turning center, creates a trajectory of a clothoid curve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2010
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiko ENDO, Yasushi Makino, Yukiko Kawabata, Takuya Itoh, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20100235053
    Abstract: The present invention provides a parking assist device (10A, 10B) for assisting a driver to parallel-park an own vehicle in a parking space adjacent to a parked vehicle. The parking assist device includes an inclination angle calculation unit (46A, 46B) configured to calculate an inclination angle ? of a moving direction of the own vehicle with respect to a side of the parked vehicle; and a steering assist unit (42A, 42B) configured to perform steering assistance such that the inclination angle ? calculated by the inclination angle calculation unit (46A, 46B) becomes zero.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2007
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yasushi Makino, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Miyuki Omori, Takashi Nitta, Daisuke Suzuki, Yuichi Kubota
  • Patent number: 7787635
    Abstract: Resonant frequencies f2 and f3 detected in a resonant space are determined as center frequencies of a dip. Based on measurement values at a speaker and a microphone in the resonant space, a basic amplitude frequency characteristic Ca and a target amplitude frequency characteristic Cd are found. A smoothness degree on a frequency axis is larger in the target amplitude frequency characteristic Cd than the basic amplitude frequency characteristic Ca. A damping level and quality factor of the dip are determined based on a difference between the basic amplitude frequency characteristic Ca and the target amplitude frequency characteristic Cd in the center frequencies f2 and f3 of the dip and frequencies near the center frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignees: Toa Corporation, Etani Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daisuke Higashihara, Shokichiro Hino, Koichi Tsuchiya, Tomohiko Endo