Patents by Inventor Yuichiro Minakuchi

Yuichiro Minakuchi 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: 11987254
    Abstract: The present invention achieves a technique that makes it possible to estimate a ground contact load of a vehicle with sufficiently high accuracy. A ground contact load estimation device (100) acquires a wheel angular speed, a steady load, and an inertia load of a vehicle, uses the steady load and the inertia load to cause a first gain calculation section (122) to calculate a first gain, multiplies a variation in wheel angular speed by a second gain so as to cause a tire effective radius variation calculation section (121) to calculate a tire effective radius variation, and multiplies the tire effective radius variation by the first gain so as to estimate a road surface load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichiro Minakuchi, Vaibhav Gupta
  • Publication number: 20230241940
    Abstract: A suspension control device which controls an operation of a suspension of a vehicle includes an operation-induced state quantity estimation portion which estimates an operation-induced state quantity caused by an operation of a vehicle, a road surface-induced state quantity estimation portion which estimates a road surface-induced state quantity caused by a road surface, an operation-induced state quantity conversion portion which converts the operation-induced state quantity into an operation-induced required damping force, a road surface-induced state quantity conversion portion which converts the road surface-induced state quantity into a road surface-induced required damping force, and a current value calculation portion which determines a current value to be applied to the suspension with reference to the operation-induced required damping force and the road surface-induced required damping force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Applicant: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuichiro MINAKUCHI
  • Publication number: 20230072678
    Abstract: The present invention achieves a technology that enables estimating a ground contact load in a vehicle with sufficiently high accuracy. A ground contact load estimation device according to the present invention is configured to estimate a ground contact load of a vehicle by: acquiring a wheel angular velocity, a steady load, and an inertial load of the vehicle; calculating a first gain using the steady load and the inertial load; estimating a road surface load using the first gain, a prescribed vehicle specification, and a second gain representing a hysteresis characteristic of a tire installed on the vehicle and referencing said road surface load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuichiro MINAKUCHI
  • Patent number: 11548344
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to improve accuracy in estimation of a state of a vehicle in order to achieve excellent ride comfort. An ECU (600) includes a reference vehicle model computation section (1100), which is configured to calculate a reference output by carrying out computation with respect to at least one of a plurality of state amounts in a planar direction and at least one of a plurality of state amounts in an up-down direction in an inseparable manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichiro Minakuchi, Masaki Izawa
  • Publication number: 20220161781
    Abstract: Realized is a technique of highly accurately calculating a state quantity of a vehicle. An ECU (600) of a vehicle (900) includes a ground contact load calculating section (610), an input quantity calculating section (620), a first state quantity calculating section (630), an observable calculating section (640), a second state quantity calculating section (650), and a damper ECU (660). The ECU (600) calculates a first state quantity of the vehicle (900) by inputting, into a vehicle model, a value calculated from a G sensor value and/or the like, and calculates a second state quantity of the vehicle (900) by correcting the first state quantity with use of an observable which is calculated from a ground contact load and a spring constant gain of a tire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Publication date: May 26, 2022
    Inventors: Vaibhav GUPTA, Yuichiro MINAKUCHI
  • Patent number: 11318804
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to suitably estimate a state of a vehicle. A vehicle state estimation section (1200) includes: a main computation section (1210) configured to carry out linear computation with respect to a state amount related to a state of a vehicle; and a tire model computation section (1240) configured to carry out nonlinear computation with direct or indirect reference to at least part of a result of the linear computation carried out by the main computation section (1210).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichiro Minakuchi, Masaki Izawa
  • Publication number: 20220063366
    Abstract: The present invention achieves a technique that not only makes it possible to reduce sensor-related cost but also makes it possible to estimate a ground contact load of a vehicle with sufficiently high accuracy. A ground contact load estimation device (100) causes an acquisition section to acquire a physical quantity related to a vehicle, causes a reference inertia load calculation section (111) to calculate a reference inertia load with use of the physical quantity, uses the physical quantity to cause a correction value calculation section (112) to calculate an inertia load correction value, and causes an inertia load estimation section (110) to estimate an inertia load by adding the inertia load correction value to the reference inertia load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Yuichiro MINAKUCHI, Vaibhav GUPTA
  • Publication number: 20220063638
    Abstract: The present invention achieves a technique that makes it possible to estimate a ground contact load of a vehicle with sufficiently high accuracy. A ground contact load estimation device (100) acquires a wheel angular speed, a steady load, and an inertia load of a vehicle, uses the steady load and the inertia load to cause a first gain calculation section (122) to calculate a first gain, multiplies a variation in wheel angular speed by a second gain so as to cause a tire effective radius variation calculation section (121) to calculate a tire effective radius variation, and multiplies the tire effective radius variation by the first gain so as to estimate a road surface load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Yuichiro MINAKUCHI, Vaibhav GUPTA
  • Publication number: 20200039314
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to suitably estimate a state of a vehicle. A vehicle state estimation section (1200) includes: a main computation section (1210) configured to carry out linear computation with respect to a state amount related to a state of a vehicle; and a tire model computation section (1240) configured to carry out nonlinear computation with direct or indirect reference to at least part of a result of the linear computation carried out by the main computation section (1210).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Yuichiro MINAKUCHI, Masaki IZAWA
  • Publication number: 20200039315
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to improve accuracy in estimation of a state of a vehicle in order to achieve excellent ride comfort. An ECU (600) includes a reference vehicle model computation section (1100), which is configured to calculate a reference output by carrying out computation with respect to at least one of a plurality of state amounts in a planar direction and at least one of a plurality of state amounts in an up-down direction in an inseparable manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Yuichiro MINAKUCHI, Masaki Izawa
  • Patent number: 8137252
    Abstract: A bag supply device receives large bags are retained in a stacked state on its mounting portions that are provided on chains. In addition, this bag supply device includes a horizontal support mechanism that supports the rear portion of the stacked large bags so that they can be raised and lowered in order to retain an uppermost surface of an uppermost large bag in a horizontal posture at a discharge position. The chains and the mounting portions are disposed such that the rear portion of the large bags hangs down. The horizontal support mechanism includes a roller that moves along the transport direction, and the uppermost large bag will be retained in a horizontal posture by moving the roller to support the rear portion of the large bags from below.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Ishida Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Yokota, Seisaku Iwasa, Yuichiro Minakuchi
  • Publication number: 20110091053
    Abstract: A vibratory plate includes a first layer (3) containing a fiber material and having a first surface and a second surface opposing the first surface, a second layer (2) containing a sliced natural wood in the form of a single sheet having a thickness less than 140 ?m, the second layer having a third surface arranged on the second surface and a fourth surface opposing the third surface, and a resin part (4) provided in the first layer (3) and the second layer (2) to join the first layer (3) and the second layer (2) adhesively. The resin part (4) is arranged in the second layer (3) so that a fill ration of the resin part on the fourth surface gets smaller than a fill ration of the resin part on the third surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2009
    Publication date: April 21, 2011
    Applicant: VICTOR COMPANY OF JAPAN, LIMITED
    Inventors: Takayuki Iseki, Takumu Tada, Yuichiro Minakuchi
  • Patent number: 7302787
    Abstract: A bag packaging system includes a bag packager and a defect detection device that receives bags manufactured by the bag packager and conveys the bags while checking for defects. The defect detection device includes a first conveyor belt that is arranged below the bag packager, a line sensor that is arranged adjacent to a downstream end of the first conveyor belt, and a controller. The line sensor sends a detection signal when it detects an object that is conveyed by the first conveyor belt. The controller stores the size of a proper bag that is being manufactured. The controller finds a defective bag based on the size of the proper bag, the conveying speed of the first conveyor belt, and duration of the detection signal from the line sensor. The defect detection device can detect defects in bags promptly after the bags are manufactured by the bag packaging machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Ishida Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seisaku Iwasa, Yuji Yokota, Yuichiro Minakuchi
  • Publication number: 20050277532
    Abstract: A bag packaging system includes a bag packager and a defect detection device that receives bags manufactured by the bag packager and conveys the bags while checking for defects. The defect detection device includes a first conveyor belt that is arranged below the bag packager, a line sensor that is arranged adjacent to a downstream end of the first conveyor belt, and a controller. The line sensor sends a detection signal when it detects an object that is conveyed by the first conveyor belt. The controller stores the size of a proper bag that is being manufactured. The controller finds a defective bag based on the size of the proper bag, the conveying speed of the first conveyor belt, and duration of the detection signal from the line sensor. The defect detection device can detect defects in bags promptly after the bags are manufactured by the bag packaging machine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2005
    Publication date: December 15, 2005
    Applicant: ISHIDA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Seisaku Iwasa, Yuji Yokota, Yuichiro Minakuchi
  • Publication number: 20040226260
    Abstract: A bag supply device receives large bags are retained in a stacked state on its mounting portions that are provided on chains. In addition, this bag supply device includes a horizontal support mechanism that supports the rear portion of the stacked large bags so that they can be raised and lowered in order to retain an uppermost surface of an uppermost large bag in a horizontal posture at a discharge position. The chains and the mounting portions are disposed such that the rear portion of the large bags hangs down. The horizontal support mechanism includes a roller that moves along the transport direction, and the uppermost large bag will be retained in a horizontal posture by moving the roller to support the rear portion of the large bags from below.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2004
    Publication date: November 18, 2004
    Applicant: ISHIDA CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuji Yokota, Seisaku Iwasa, Yuichiro Minakuchi
  • Patent number: 6474141
    Abstract: A seal inspecting machine for inspecting bagged products to determine the presence or absence of a seal abnormality in each bagged product being transported by a transport conveyor 2 includes a presser unit 3 and a servo motor 32 for driving the presser unit 3 to sandwich the bagged product G between the presser unit 3 transport conveyor 2. The servo motor 32 itself has a capability of detecting a reactive force acting on the presser unit 3 or a displacement of the presser unit 3 that occurs as a result of contact with the bagged product, where any failure of the bagged product to exert a sufficient reactive force or displacement resistance is considered evidence of a seal abnormality being present in such bagged product. With this seal inspecting machine, seal check of the bagged products can be efficiently and inexpensively carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: Ishida Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Takaoka, Kazumi Kitagawa, Yugo Fujitani, Yuji Yokota, Yuichiro Minakuchi