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).

  • Publication number: 20100118140
    Abstract: A disclosed parking assisting apparatus can determine the angle of the own vehicle to be changed at the time of parking in a parking space by precisely estimating the direction of the parking space next to a parked vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2008
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yasushi Makino, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Yukiko Kawabata
  • Publication number: 20100114438
    Abstract: A vehicle drive assist apparatus with high convenience in which torque-up is performed only if there is an instruction from the driver. The vehicle drive assist apparatus assists in driving a vehicle by varying a drive torque of wheels, and includes a torque-up mechanism increasing the drive torque and a switch switching, in accordance with an input from a vehicle occupant, a status of control between a first status in which the torque-up mechanism is operational and a second status in which the torque-up mechanism is not operational.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Miyuki Omori, Kiyotaka Moriizumi
  • Publication number: 20100114434
    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: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Daisuke Suzuki, Takashi Nitta
  • Publication number: 20100049413
    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: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2008
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Yukiko Kawabata, Miyuki Omori, Kiyotaka Moriizumi
  • Publication number: 20100033348
    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: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20100019935
    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: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Miyuki Omori, Takuya Ito, Atsuko Nakanishi
  • Publication number: 20090278709
    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: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Yukiko Kawabata, Takuya Itou
  • Publication number: 20090251334
    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: October 24, 2006
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    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: 7599773
    Abstract: A parking assist device for assisting parking operation to a target parking position includes an initial position setting device for setting an initial position of the target parking position to park a vehicle, a designation display showing the target parking position, a display position calculation device for calculating an initial display position of the designation display showing the target parking position at a screen showing vehicle surroundings based on the initial position determined by the initial position setting device, and an initial display position shifting device for shifting the initial display position of the designation display to a position within a display range on the screen in case the initial display position calculated by the display position calculation device is positioned outside of the display range on the screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuu Tanaka, Yoshifumi Iwata, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Akira Matsui, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20090243888
    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: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukiko Kawabata, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Takuya Itou
  • Publication number: 20090174574
    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: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Publication date: July 9, 2009
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Yasushi Makino, Yuichi Kubota, Yukiko Kawabata
  • Patent number: 7555379
    Abstract: A guiding device is disclosed for guiding a vehicle to a target position by controlling the steering angle while estimating the vehicle position at least based on a steering angle value, characterized in that, in estimating the vehicle position, a slowing operation with respect to a change dp in a moving distance of the vehicle is applied to a turning curvature g(Str(p)) estimated based on the steering angle value in order to compensate for the delay due to tire deformation, whereby the delay-compensated turning curvature y(p) is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisin Seki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Akira Matsui, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka, Yuu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7526368
    Abstract: A parking assist apparatus performs a guidance of a vehicle toward a target parking position, even after the guidance has been canceled. The target parking position is set in accordance with an operation applied to a target parking position designation display that is displayed on a screen showing a periphery of the vehicle. It is determined whether a cancellation condition of canceling the guidance of the vehicle toward the target parking position is established. A memory continuously holds target parking position information even after the cancellation condition is established.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Akira Matsui, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka, Yuu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7487020
    Abstract: A driving assist apparatus for a vehicle that guides the vehicle to a target position is provided. On the basis of the present direction of the vehicle and the direction of the vehicle at the target position, a basic path that changes the vehicle direction so as to coincide with the target direction of the vehicle at the target position is computed. A path from the present position to the target position is computed by adding a straight-line path to the basic path under a predetermined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Akira Matsui, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Hiroaki Kataoka, Arata Takahashi, Yoshiki Ninomiya
  • Patent number: 7486203
    Abstract: A parking assist apparatus for a vehicle includes a recognizing apparatus for recognizing a target position for parking the vehicle, a calculating apparatus for calculating a course for parking the vehicle from a current vehicle position to the target position recognized by the recognizing apparatus during the vehicle being moving and an informing apparatus for informing a user of the vehicle that the vehicle can be parked at the recognized target position when the course of the vehicle has been correctly calculated by the calculating apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuu Tanaka, Tomohiko Endo, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Toru Sugiyama, Yoichi Iwata, Hisashi Satonaka, Takuya Itoh
  • Patent number: 7263420
    Abstract: A vehicle backward movement assist device includes an image capturing means for capturing an image of an outside area in back of a vehicle, a parking mode judging means for judging whether a parking mode by reversing of the vehicle is a back-in parking or a parallel parking, a target parking position inputting means for setting a target parking position where the vehicle is parked based on the parking mode determined by the parking mode judging means, and a displaying means for displaying the image captured by the image capturing means and superimposedly displaying the target parking position set by the target parking position inputting means on the captured image so as to guide the vehicle to the target parking position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignees: Aisin Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuu Tanaka, Yoshifumi Iwata, Hisashi Satonaka, Tomohiko Endo, Yuichi Kubota, Akira Matsui, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20070198152
    Abstract: A guiding device is disclosed for guiding a vehicle to a target position by controlling the steering angle while estimating the vehicle position at least based on a steering angle value, characterized in that, in estimating the vehicle position, a slowing operation with respect to a change dp in a moving distance of the vehicle is applied to a turning curvature g(Str(p)) estimated based on the steering angle value in order to compensate for the delay due to tire deformation, whereby the delay-compensated turning curvature y(p) is obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2004
    Publication date: August 23, 2007
    Inventors: Tomohiko Endo, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Akira Matsui, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka, Yuu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7260227
    Abstract: A device 1 for measuring a propagation time of a sound wave comprises a sound source means 11 and a calculation means 12. The sound source means 11 outputs a time stretched pulse as a sound source signal input to a speaker 3. The calculation means 12 calculates a cross-correlation function of the time stretched pulse and the sound signal which is output from the speaker 3 and is received in a microphone 4. Based on the cross-correlation function, the propagation time of the sound wave between the speaker 3 and the microphone 4 is found.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignees: Etani Electronics Co., Ltd., TOA Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Higashihara, Shokichiro Hino, Koichi Tsuchiya, Tomohiko Endo
  • Patent number: 7233851
    Abstract: A vehicle driving assist apparatus for guiding a vehicle to a target position is provided. A basic path that changes the deflection angle ? to 0 is determined, and is subjected to similarity transformation. On the basis of the similarity-transformed path, a path factoring in transition from the initial steering angle is set. Then, a correction is made such that the area in the running distance-curvature graph regarding this path becomes equal to a corresponding area regarding the basic path, thereby setting a corrected path. The corrected path is similarity-transformed, and then is re-corrected in accordance with transition from the initial steering angle. Thus, a final target path is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2007
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Akira Matsui, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Hiroaki Kataoka, Yuu Tanaka, Yoshifumi Iwata
  • Patent number: 7155325
    Abstract: A method for performing a parking assist control for automatically guiding a vehicle to a target parking position includes the steps of calculating a change of a vehicle direction based on a traveling distance of the vehicle and a steering angle obtained by a steering angle sensor, calculating the change of the vehicle direction based on a yaw rate obtained by a yaw rate sensor, and determining whether or not the parking assist control is required to be stopped based on a result of a comparison between the calculated changes of the vehicle direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuu Tanaka, Yoshifumi Iwata, Akira Matsui, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka