Patents by Inventor Toshihisa Kato

Toshihisa Kato 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: 20110246017
    Abstract: If an actual lateral acceleration is equal to or greater than a target lateral acceleration Gth and at least one of a steering angle lateral acceleration Gys and a yaw-rate lateral acceleration Gyy is less than the target lateral acceleration Gth, the increase of the W/C pressure of the vehicle to be controlled is inhibited. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the increase in the roll angle by actively generating the understeering to suppress rolling and to early suppress an increase in understeering if the increase in understeering is made to be unnecessary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hideaki Koto, Toshihisa Kato
  • Patent number: 7987037
    Abstract: A vehicle motion control apparatus includes a first means applying a first braking force to an outer wheel, relative to a turning direction, for suppressing oversteer when the vehicle is judged to be skidding in vehicle turning movement, a second means obtaining a state of a driver's steering operation in the vehicle turning movement, a third means applying a second braking force, set to be smaller than the first braking force, to a wheel located at a horizontally opposite side of the outer wheel to which the first braking force is applied, when the state of the driver's steering operation is judged to be in a steering turning back state, in which a steering wheel is turned from a turning direction to a reverse direction of the turning direction, based on the state of the driver's steering operation obtained by the second means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Kato, Toshio Yasutake, Atsushi Ikematsu
  • Patent number: 7970513
    Abstract: A steering control apparatus is provided for a vehicle having a steering wheel for steering its steered wheels, a power source for generating power, and drive shafts for transferring the power to the wheels, to be served as driving wheels of the vehicle, and a traction control device for controlling braking torque applied to the wheels. The apparatus comprises a detection device for detecting the braking torque applied to the wheels, a calculation device for calculating a driving force difference between the wheels, on the basis of the detected braking torque, a power source state detection device for detecting an actuating state of the power source, and a control device provided for controlling steering torque created by the steering wheel, and applying torque steer reducing torque to the steering wheel. A desired value of the torque steer reducing torque is determined, on the basis of the driving force difference and the actuating state of the power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yasui, Hiroyuki Kodama, Kenji Asano, Toshihisa Kato
  • Publication number: 20110077798
    Abstract: An estimated acceleration calculating apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a rolling resistance coefficient calculating unit which calculates a rolling resistance coefficient corresponding to a rough road level or a turning level of the vehicle; and an estimated acceleration calculating unit which calculates an estimated acceleration based on a motion equation, the motion equation expressing an equilibrium of wheel forces and including a term of the rolling resistance coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi NISHIZAWA, Toshihisa Kato
  • Publication number: 20100332099
    Abstract: A vehicle motion control device obtains an actual slip ratio and a physical quantity representing a state of motion of the vehicle in a direction of lateral overturn. The device is in an anti-lateral overturn mode when the physical quantity is larger than or equal to a motion state threshold. The device obtains an increase gradient and determines whether or not the increase gradient is larger than or equal to a predetermined increase gradient threshold, wherein the increase gradient is a ratio of an increase amount of the physical quantity to a decrease amount of the actual slip ratio. The device decreases, when the device is in the anti-lateral overturn mode and the increase gradient is larger than or equal to the increase gradient threshold, a speed of depressurization of a wheel cylinder pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toshihisa KATO
  • Publication number: 20100332098
    Abstract: The vehicle motion control device performs anti-lateral overturn control for increasing a brake force to be generated at a front inside wheel of a vehicle in order to cause skidding at the front inside wheel when a condition for increasing a brake force to be generated at an outside wheel is satisfied, wherein the condition is that the vehicle motion control device is in the anti-lateral overturn mode and the vehicle is turning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toshihisa Kato
  • Publication number: 20100332071
    Abstract: The vehicle motion control device obtains a physical quantity representing a state of a motion of a vehicle in a direction of a lateral overturn. When the obtained physical quantity is larger than or equal to a motion state threshold and the vehicle motion control device is thereby in an anti-lateral overturn, the vehicle motion control device determines the target slip ratio at a present calculation period based on a largest value of the slip ratio corresponding, according to the predetermined relation between the physical quantity and the slip ratio, to the physical quantity obtained during a time range between the present calculation period and a past time instance when the vehicle motion control device enters the anti-lateral overturn mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Toshihisa Kato
  • Publication number: 20100268419
    Abstract: A motion control device for a vehicle having a braking means for applying a brake toque to a wheel of the vehicle and maintaining a traveling stability of the vehicle by controlling the braking means, the motion control for the vehicle, includes a steering angular velocity obtaining means for obtaining a steering angular velocity of the vehicle, a maximum steering angular velocity calculating means for calculating a maximum steering angular velocity on the basis of the steering angular velocity, a determining means for determining a reference turning state quantity on the basis of the maximum steering angular velocity, an actual turning state quantity obtaining means for obtaining an actual turning state quantity of the vehicle, and a control means for controlling the brake toque on the basis of the reference turning state quantity and the actual turning state quantity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yasui, Toshihisa Kato, Hiroshi Matsuoka, Junya Nagaya
  • Publication number: 20100268420
    Abstract: A motion control device for a vehicle, including a braking means for applying a brake torque to a wheel of the vehicle and maintaining a traveling stability of the vehicle by controlling the braking means, the motion control device for the vehicle, includes a steering angular velocity obtaining means for obtaining a steering angular velocity of the vehicle, a yaw angular acceleration obtaining means for obtaining a yaw angular acceleration of the vehicle, and a control means for controlling the brake torque on the basis of the steering angular velocity and the yaw angular acceleration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2010
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki YASUI, Toshihisa Kato, Toshio Yasutake, Atsushi Ikematsu
  • Patent number: 7743874
    Abstract: A steering control apparatus is provided for a vehicle having a steering wheel for steering steered wheels of the vehicle, a power source for generating power, and drive shafts for transferring the power to the steered wheels, to be served as driving wheels of the vehicle. The apparatus comprises an accelerating operation detection device for detecting accelerating operation amount by a vehicle driver, and a steering torque control device for controlling steering torque created by the steering wheel, and applying torque steer reducing torque to the steering wheel. The steering torque control device is adapted to reduce torque steer, which is transiently created on the steering wheel due to characteristics of the drive shafts, when the accelerating operation amount detected by the accelerating operation detection device becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yasui, Hiroyuki Kodama, Kenji Asano, Toshihisa Kato
  • Publication number: 20100106374
    Abstract: A vehicle stabilization control device includes: an actual turning state quantity acquisition unit that acquires an actual turning state quantity indicating an actual turning state of a vehicle; a curve information acquisition unit that acquires the shape of a curve ahead of the vehicle; a vehicle speed acquisition unit that acquires speed of the vehicle; and a curve traverse possibility determination unit that determines a possibility that the vehicle can stably traverse the curve, based on the curve shape and speed of the vehicle; a control quantity computation unit that, to control braking force on each wheel and suppress understeering, computes a target control quantity for each wheel, based on the actual turning state quantity and on the possibility that the vehicle can stably traverse the curve; and a control unit controlling the braking force for each wheel, based on the target control quantity for each wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: AISIN AW CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takayuki MIYAJIMA, Yoshiyuki Yasui, Toshihisa Kato
  • Patent number: 7676314
    Abstract: When the absolute value of the steering angle equals or is greater than a prescribed angle, a vehicle motion control apparatus sets a control gear ratio so that when an estimated vehicle-body speed is equal to or greater than a prescribed value, the control gear ratio becomes a value equal to or greater than a certain value and which increases with estimated vehicle-body speed as the absolute value of the steering angle increases. When the estimated vehicle-body speed is less than the prescribed value, the control gear ratio becomes a value not greater than the certain value and which decreases with estimated vehicle-body speed as the absolute value of the steering angle increases. The apparatus then calculates a target yaw rate making use of the control gear ratio, and controls a braking force applied to each wheel so that the actual yaw rate coincides with the target yaw rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignees: Advics Co., Ltd., Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Kato, Junya Nagaya, Tokio Yakushijin
  • Patent number: 7669943
    Abstract: In the roll-over preventing control, a vehicle motion control device 10 causes inner-wheel braking force, according to the absolute value of an actual lateral acceleration Gy, only on the rear wheel at the inner side of the turning direction when the absolute value |Gy| of the actual lateral acceleration is not less than a rear-wheel-side reference value Gyr and not more than a front-wheel-side reference value Gyf thereby causing height lowering force at the vehicle rear-side section of the inner side of the turning direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Kato, Junya Nagaya
  • Patent number: 7658454
    Abstract: A proportional pressure difference valve is disclosed between a master cylinder and normally open valves for supplying hydraulic pressure discharged from the master cylinder into wheel brake cylinders, which are connected to normally closed valves for reducing pressure. The normally open valve connected to one of the wheel brake cylinders in one hydraulic circuit is placed in its closed position, and the normally open valve connected to the other one of the wheel brake cylinders is placed in its open position and then the pressure difference valve is controlled on the basis of a monitored vehicle state variable to regulate a pressure difference between the pressure at the side of the master cylinder and the pressure at the side of the normally open valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Kato, Hideaki Yasui, Kazutoshi Yogo
  • Patent number: 7657353
    Abstract: According to a roll increasing tendency estimation apparatus, a state variable is calculated in response to magnitude of a rolling moment of the vehicle, to provide a roll input magnitude, and a state variable is calculated in response to variation in time of the rolling moment, to provide a roll input velocity. A roll increasing tendency of a vehicle is estimated on the basis of a relationship between the calculated roll input magnitude and the calculated roll input velocity. On the basis of a relationship between the roll input magnitude and roll input velocity, at least one of a braking force control and a driving force control may be performed, to restrain the roll increasing tendency of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yasui, Toshihisa Kato, Hiroshi Matsuoka, Junya Nagaya
  • Patent number: 7643926
    Abstract: A rolling motion stability control apparatus restrains a roll increasing tendency of a vehicle, with each wheel of the vehicle being braked by a wheel brake device. A first braking force control device is provided for applying a first braking force to the wheel, when the vehicle is turned to one direction. A second braking force control device is provided for applying a second braking force to the wheel, when the vehicle is turned to the other direction. References for starting controls of the first and second braking force control devices are set to be of predetermined values, respectively. The reference for starting the control of the second braking force control device is modified to be smaller than a predetermined value, when the vehicle is turned to the one direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yasui, Toshihisa Kato, Hiroshi Matsuoka, Junya Nagaya
  • Patent number: 7630816
    Abstract: In rollover prevention control, an inner front wheel braking force is generated only in a front wheel located on the radially inner side of a turning locus in a relatively early stage where the absolute value of actual lateral acceleration is between a first value and a second value. When the absolute value becomes greater than the second value, in addition to the inner front wheel braking force, an inner rear wheel braking force is generated in a rear wheel located on the radially inner side of the turning locus. When the absolute value becomes greater than a third value, in addition to the inner rear wheel breaking wheel, an outer wheel braking force is generated in the front wheel located on the radially outer side of the turning locus. Thus, an increase in the roll angle is suppressed, and a desired turning locus tracing performance is maintained satisfactorily.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2009
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Yasutake, Toshihisa Kato, Shinji Tsugawa
  • Publication number: 20090248250
    Abstract: A steering control device for a vehicle includes a yawing value obtaining means for obtaining a yawing value corresponding to a yawing motion of the vehicle, a stabilizing force calculating means for calculating a stabilizing force for assisting an operation of a steering operation member, operated by a driver for steering a steered wheel of the vehicle, in a direction opposite to a direction of the yawing motion of the vehicle, on the basis of the yawing value, and a force applying means for applying the stabilizing force to the steering operation member in the direction opposite to the yawing motion direction, wherein the stabilizing force calculating means includes a counter-steer value calculating means for calculating a counter-steer value indicating a degree of steering the steered wheel in the direction opposite to the yawing motion direction, and wherein the stabilizing force is adjusted based on the counter-steer value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yasui, Toshihisa Kato, Junya Nagaya
  • Patent number: 7548806
    Abstract: In a motion control system for a vehicle having four wheels including at least two driving wheels which is driven by a driving power source, first rolling liability judging means (step 112) judges whether or not the rolling liability detected by rolling liability detecting means (step 102, a lateral acceleration sensor 39) for detecting the rolling liability of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a first predetermined rolling liability, and rolling suppression control means (steps 116, 124 to 129) suppresses the rolling liability of the vehicle by increasing the driving force of any of the driving wheels when the first rolling liability judging means judges that the rolling liability detected by the rolling liability detecting means is equal to or greater than the first predetermined rolling liability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshio Yasutake, Toshihisa Kato
  • Patent number: 7489995
    Abstract: An angular velocity detection device is provided for detecting an angular velocity about a single axis tilted in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle to a normal axis thereof. An actual motion state variable of the vehicle is calculated on the basis of the detected angular velocity. At least one of the braking force and driving force applied to a vehicle is controlled to stabilize a yawing motion and a rolling motion of the vehicle, on the basis of a motion state variable deviation between a desired motion state variable and the actual motion state variable, e.g., a deviation between a yaw velocity and a roll velocity of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yasui, Toshihisa Kato, Eiichi Ono, Yuji Muragishi, Tomoko Sugawara