Patents Assigned to Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11924860
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to selecting servers and allocating resources concurrently for offloading computing tasks from vehicles. In one embodiment, a method includes acquiring characteristics of a vehicle and a server for an offloading request, wherein the offloading request is associated with a computing task of the vehicle. The method also includes, upon satisfying criteria for optimization associated with executing the computing task remotely, determining server selection and resource allocation by processing the characteristics using modeling. The method also includes communicating the server selection and the resource allocation to the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuhan Kang, Haoxin Wang, BaekGyu Kim
  • Patent number: 11924606
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining the incident angle of an acoustic wave are presented herein. One embodiment receives an acoustic wave at N transducers, where N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2; solves a set of N coupled differential equations modeling a set of N virtual coupled acoustic resonators using N coupled analog circuits, wherein each of the N coupled analog circuits receives an output signal from a unique one of the N transducers and outputs a voltage signal; and analyzes the N voltage signals output by the N coupled analog circuits to produce an estimate of the incident angle of the acoustic wave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ziqi Yu, Xiaopeng Li, Taehwa Lee
  • Patent number: 11920252
    Abstract: A method of decomposing a cured aromatic epoxy resin uses a molten salt bath at less than about 350° C. The molten salt bath includes a plurality of alkali metal hydroxides. The cured aromatic epoxy resin can be in intimate physical contact with a metal or alloy. The cured aromatic epoxy resin can be patterned by a lithographic method. The lithographic method can be multibeam interference lithography to form a three-dimensional photonic crystal template on a conductive substrate for electrodeposition of metal. Contacting the three-dimensional photonic crystal template with the electrodeposited metal with the molten salt bath can form a metal matrix device displaying a periodic pattern that is the inverse of the periodic pattern of the decomposed three-dimensional photonic crystal template.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventors: Shailesh N. Joshi, Gaurav Singhal, Paul Vannest Braun, Danny J. Lohan, Kai-Wei Lan
  • Publication number: 20240067358
    Abstract: A system for isolating sound generated by an aircraft utilizing a helipad may include a plurality of acoustic scatterers being disposed adjacent to at least a portion of a perimeter of the helipad. Each of the plurality of acoustic scatterers include channels having an open end and a terminal end. Additionally, each of the plurality of acoustic scatterers has an acoustic monopole response and an acoustic dipole response with a resonant frequency that is substantially similar to one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mizuki Sakamoto, Tomohiro Miwa, Reimi Emoto, Xiaoshi Su, Debasish Banerjee
  • Publication number: 20240071229
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to identifying connected vehicles through invoking maneuvers by vehicles that assist with distinguishing between safety messages having unassociated identifiers originating from the connected vehicles. In one embodiment, a method includes identifying surrounding vehicles including indeterminate vehicles from a driving environment using temporary identifiers received from the surrounding vehicles. The method also includes generating trajectories for the indeterminate vehicles. The method also includes distinguishing the indeterminate vehicles from communications using the temporary identifiers by observing execution of the trajectories by the indeterminate vehicles. The method also includes executing a planning task by a subject vehicle using safety information from the communications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sergei S. Avedisov, Seyhan Ucar, Rui Guo, Onur Altintas
  • Publication number: 20240071353
    Abstract: Systems and devices are disclosed herein for absorbing unwanted target sounds. In one example, an acoustic scatterer for absorbing a target sound includes a housing defining a plurality of channels having an open end and a terminal end. The terminal ends of the plurality of channels are separate from each other and extend along a length of the housing. The acoustic scatterer also includes one or more spacers subdividing the plurality of channels along the length of the housing. In another example, a system for absorbing a target sound includes a plurality of acoustic scatterers, each having a housing that defines a plurality of channels having an open end and a terminal end. The terminal ends of the plurality of channels are separate from each other and extend along a length of the housing. The plurality of acoustic scatterers are stacked on top of each other in a lengthwise direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mizuki Sakamoto, Tomohiro Miwa, Reimi Emoto, Xiaoshi Su, Debasish Banerjee
  • Publication number: 20240067200
    Abstract: Compensation can be made for mismatch in abnormal driving behavior detection between an ego vehicle and its human driver. Sensor data of a surrounding driving environment can be acquired. The acquired sensor data can be analyzed to detect abnormal driving behavior by a vehicle in the surrounding driving environment. Responsive to detecting abnormal driving behavior by the vehicle in the surrounding driving environment, the abnormal driving behavior can be classified as to whether it is severe. If the abnormal driving behavior is classified as not being severe, an amplified version of the abnormal driving behavior can be caused to be presented to the human driver of the ego vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seyhan Ucar, Emrah Akin Sisbot, Kentaro Oguchi
  • Publication number: 20240068838
    Abstract: An edge device for providing an HD map to a vehicle is provided. The edge device includes a controller programmed to obtain an HD map request including a task type from a vehicle, obtain a status of a wireless channel between the vehicle and the edge device, determine an HD map version among a plurality of versions based on the status of the wireless channel and the task type, and transmit the determined HD map version to the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Publication date: February 29, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Dawei Chen, Haoxin Wang, Kyungtae Han
  • Patent number: 11915202
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus for an in-vehicle infotainment platform for a vehicle. The in-vehicle infotainment platform includes a memory and an electronic control unit. The memory is configured to store meeting information including video conferencing information or audio conferencing information. The electronic control unit is coupled to the memory. The electronic control unit is configured to automatically connect to a video conference using the video conferencing information or automatically connect to an audio conference using the audio conferencing information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Katsumi Nagata, Makoto Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11911995
    Abstract: Composite materials include a steel matrix with structural aramid formed of individual fibers penetrating into the matrix at substantial depth. The fibers typically have defined diameters and large ratios of penetration depth to fiber diameter. Specified methods for forming the composite materials have a unique ability to achieve the large ratios of penetration depth to fiber diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Paul Rowe
  • Patent number: 11914304
    Abstract: A method to control the density of a three-dimensional photonic crystal template involves changing the irradiation time from at least four laser beams to yield a periodic percolating matrix of mass and voids free of condensed matter from a photoresist composition. The photoresist composition includes a photoinitiator at a concentration where the dose or irradiation is controlled by the irradiation time and is less than the irradiation time that would convert all photoinitiator to initiating species such that the density of the three-dimensional photonic crystal template differs for different irradiation times. A deposition of reflecting or absorbing particles can be patterned on the surface of the photoresist composition to form a template with varying densities above different areas of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventors: Shailesh N. Joshi, Gaurav Singhal, Paul Vannest Braun, Danny J. Lohan, Kai-Wei Lan
  • Publication number: 20240060480
    Abstract: An actuator that includes a shell, a ring structure within the shell, a shape-memory material wire fixed at opposite points of the ring structure to extend in a first direction across a width of the ring structure, and a cooling fluid provided within the shell and in fluid communication with the shape-memory material wire. When the shape-memory material wire is heated, the shape-memory material wire contracts in the first direction to reduce the width of the ring structure and increases a height of the ring structure extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2023
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shardul S. Panwar, Michael P. Rowe, Maduran Palaniswamy, Ryohei Tsuruta
  • Publication number: 20240063588
    Abstract: Embodiments herein are directed to an error proofing system that determines whether an assembled squib device is properly assembled is provided. The assembled squib device has a connector seated within a canister. The error proofing system includes an electronic control unit and an electrical device. The electrical device includes a body and a head portion. The body includes a wireless transmitter. The head portion includes three micro-switches electrically coupled to the wireless transmitter and is shaped and sized to receive a portion of the connector of the assembled squib device to make contact between the connector and at least one of the three micro-switches and to make contact with an uppermost surface of the canister such that a different two micro-switches of the three micro-switches make contact with the uppermost surface when the connector is properly installed within the canister to form the assembled squib device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jamar L. Elzie, Jacob R. Fish, Leigh M. Higby, Lincoln T. Whittington
  • Publication number: 20240064943
    Abstract: Cold plate assemblies, power electronics assemblies including the same, and power electronics systems including the same are disclosed. A cold plate includes an S-cell disposed within a cavity of the cold plate and at least one reactive multilayer system interposed between the S-cell and a base wall of the cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicant: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc.
    Inventors: Feng Zhou, Hiroshi Ukegawa
  • Publication number: 20240059356
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body comprising a pillar having a pillar channel extending therethrough. A pillar channel seal includes a seal body located in the pillar channel. The seal body has a pass-through opening sized to receive a drain hose. A moveable plug is movably attached to the seal body that is configured to cover the pass-through opening in a closed configuration. An expandable foam is carried by the moveable plug.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Adam D. Holmstrom, Paxton S. Williams
  • Publication number: 20240059210
    Abstract: A tailgate support system enables drivers and passengers to secure their cargo via their vehicle tailgate and bed of the vehicle. When hauling lumber or long objects they sit in the bed with some overhang out the bed above the tailgate. During turning or hitting bumps the load can sometimes move and fall out. Incorporating features into the bed and/or the tailgate can improve securing large loads in the bed of a truck by providing a vertical support to prevent it from tipping over and a lateral support to prevent it from sliding out from the sides. The tailgate support system for attaching to a tailgate of a vehicle where the tailgate has a top surface. The tailgate support system may include a plurality of dividers and a plurality of apertures disposed along the top surface of the tailgate and configured to receive the plurality of dividers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Thomas S. Hawley
  • Publication number: 20240059279
    Abstract: Systems include a controller programmed to instruct a sensor to detect an object in an environment of a vehicle in response to an activation of a fall-on-car prevention function, determine a first value of a parameter pertaining to the object at a first time with the sensor, determine a second value of the parameter pertaining to the object at a second time with the sensor, and automatically cause an action to occur based on a comparison of the first value of the parameter and the second value of the parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicants: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Seyhan Ucar, Emrah Akin Sisbot, Kentaro Oguchi
  • Publication number: 20240063090
    Abstract: Power electronics systems including power electronics device assemblies having cold plates are described. A cold plate includes an S-cell having a body with a graphite or graphite-composite material. The body defines a power device recess. The S-cell is disposed within a cavity of the cold plate. The cold plate further includes a bond material bonding the S-cell to a base wall of the cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Applicant: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc.
    Inventors: Feng Zhou, Hiroshi Ukegawa
  • Patent number: 11908208
    Abstract: A driver monitor system and method of optimizing use of cognitive resources of a user in a vehicle is disclosed. The system includes in-cabin video cameras, a display device, and processing circuitry. The method performed by the processing circuitry includes monitoring eye gaze direction using images from the in-cabin video cameras, gradually softening image regions and lines displayed in the display device that are outside a first vision area of the user of the vehicle, and using the eye gaze direction to predict whether the user is transitioning into a new focus vision area that had been outside the first vision area. When the user's eyes begin to move, begin sharpening softened image regions and lines such that by the time eyes have shifted into the new focus vision area, the image regions and lines in the new focus vision area reach full sharpness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Benjamin P. Austin, George M. Evans, Joshua E. Domeyer, John K Lenneman
  • Patent number: 11906832
    Abstract: A dual side view display includes a waveguide with an inside transparent layer and an outside transparent layer spaced apart from and parallel to the inside transparent layer, and a plurality of inside view liquid crystal (LC) pixels and a plurality of outside view LC pixels disposed within the waveguide. The plurality of outside view LC pixels are disposed within the waveguide parallel to and in-plane with the plurality of inside view LC pixels. The plurality of inside LC pixels includes a plurality of outside blocking layers configured to block light scattered in the plurality of inside view LC pixels from propagating through the outside transparent layer. Also, the plurality of outside view LC pixels includes a plurality of inside blocking layers configured to block light scattered in the plurality of outside view LC pixels from propagating through the inside transparent layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., MIRISE Technology Corporation, Kent State University
    Inventors: Deng-Ke Yang, Yunho Shin, Guangkui Qin, Sean P. Rodrigues