Patents by Inventor Atsuko OKA

Atsuko OKA 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: 11685432
    Abstract: A rotation detector has a first controller that monitors abnormality of a rotation number calculated by a rotation number calculator based on the calculated rotation number and a preset rotation angle. The first controller in a first system is configured to output rotation information calculated by a second controller in a second system upon having determination that the rotation number of the first system has abnormality, for a continuation of the rotation information calculation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Haruo Suzuki, Nobuyori Nakajima, Koichi Nakamura, Go Endoh, Atsuko Oka, Takashi Suzuki, Yosuke Ogi, Shuji Kuramitsu
  • Patent number: 11565744
    Abstract: A rotary electric machine control device includes multiple drive circuits provided for respective winding sets in a rotary electric machine, and multiple control units. When combinations of the winding sets and configurations provided correspondingly to the respective winding sets are defined as systems, the control units are provided for the respective systems. Each of the control units controls energization of the winding set provided correspondingly, and monitors an abnormality of a monitoring target. Each of the control units performs an abnormality detection time backup control during a period from detection of the abnormality of the monitoring target to confirmation of the abnormality, and performs an abnormality confirmation time backup control when the abnormality is confirmed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Kuramitsu, Hideki Kabune, Koichi Nakamura, Atsuko Oka, Masaya Taki
  • Patent number: 11554809
    Abstract: A steering angle detection device includes plural control units and plural steering angle sensors. Each control unit is configured to transmit steering angle information related to a steering angle of a vehicle to an external device and transmit and receive information mutually therebetween. Each steering angle sensor is provided in correspondence to each control unit and configured to output a sensor signal corresponding to a detection value of a change in the steering angle to the corresponding control unit. One of the control units transmits, as a transmission control unit, the steering angle information to the external device at one transmission timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuko Oka, Shuji Kuramitsu, Koichi Nakamura, Yuki Watanabe, Toshihiro Fujita, Takaharu Kozawa, Shuhei Miyachi, Katsuhiko Hayashi, Masaya Taki, Toshimitsu Sakai
  • Patent number: 11465683
    Abstract: A steering angle detection device is provided with a plurality of rotation angle sensors and a plurality of control units. The rotation angle sensors are capable of at least continuously calculating a rotation speed while an ignition switch of a vehicle is turned off, and are provided so as to correspond to steering angle calculation units which calculate steering angle based on the rotation speed and a rotation angle acquired from the rotation angle sensors and midpoint information related to the neutral position of a steering member. Power supplies are provided on a per-system basis. The rotation angle sensors or the control units are capable of holding the midpoint information while the ignition switch is turned off. If a power supply abnormality resulting in power supply failure occurs in some of the systems, the control unit of the abnormal system acquires the midpoint information and the rotation speed from the control unit of a normal system when the ignition switch is turned on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takaharu Kozawa, Shuji Kuramitsu, Koichi Nakamura, Yuki Watanabe, Atsuko Oka, Toshihiro Fujita, Shuhei Miyachi, Masaya Taki, Toshimitsu Sakai, Katsuhiko Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11390318
    Abstract: A motor controller for controlling a motor includes first and second angle sensors detecting motor rotation, and first and second detection circuits detecting rotation number information based on sensor output from the angle sensors. Further, the motor controller includes a steer angle information obtainer obtaining steer angle information involving steering of a vehicle from an external sensor, which is different from the angle sensors, and an abnormality determiner determining abnormality of information that has a matching degree of lower than a preset value when post-conversion information, or value measured by the same characteristics. This information is compared with each other after conversion from the rotation number information and from the steer angle information, and is used by a control amount calculator to calculate a control amount of the motor based on the information determined as having no abnormality by the abnormality determiner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koichi Nakamura, Nobuyori Nakajima, Go Endoh, Yosuke Ogi, Atsuko Oka, Shuji Kuramitsu, Takashi Suzuki, Haruo Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11285992
    Abstract: A rotating electric machine control device has an electronic control unit, or an ECU that controls driving of a motor having motor windings, and includes mutually-communicable plural control units. The control unit includes a basic instruction calculation unit, a field-weakening calculation unit, and a current control calculation unit and a PWM (pulse width modulation) output unit. The current control calculation unit and the PWM output unit generate a PWM signal based on d-axis current instruction values and q-axis current instruction values that are calculated based on basic current instruction values and field-weakening d-axis current instruction value. At least a part of the instruction values used for generation of the PWM signal is shared by the plural control units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouichi Nakamura, Nobuyori Nakazima, Atsuko Oka
  • Patent number: 11254352
    Abstract: A rotary electric machine control device for controlling driving of a rotary electric machine including a plurality of winding sets, includes: a plurality of drive circuits; and a plurality of control units, each of which includes: an individual current limit value calculation unit; a current limit value calculation unit; and a control signal calculation unit. The current limit value calculation unit switches between a current limit value sharing mode and a current limit value non-sharing mode. An electric power steering device includes: the rotary electric machine control device; the rotary electric machine that outputs an assist torque for assisting a steering operation of a steering wheel by a driver; and a power transmission unit that transmits a driving force of the rotary electric machine to a drive target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuko Oka, Shuji Kuramitsu, Koichi Nakamura, Nobuyori Nakajima, Go Endoh, Yosuke Ogi
  • Patent number: 11214304
    Abstract: Inverter circuits are provided for motor winding sets, respectively. Control units are provided for the motor winding sets to generate control signals related to driving of the inverter circuits and control currents flowing through the motor winding sets, respectively, thereby controlling driving of a motor. The control mode includes a manual steering mode for controlling the motor according to a steering operation on a steering wheel by a driver and an automatic steering mode for controlling the motor independently of the steering operation on the steering wheel by the driver. The control units are capable of switching the control modes and differentiate the current control according to the control mode. By making the current control different according to the control mode, it is possible to attain optimal characteristics which correspond to each control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuko Oka, Nobuyori Nakajima, Go Endoh, Koichi Nakamura, Yosuke Ogi
  • Patent number: 11136064
    Abstract: A rotation detection device includes a plurality of detectors each including a plurality of calculators respectively calculating a detection value. A control unit of the rotation detection device monitors abnormality of detection values respectively detected by the plurality of detectors, and, when determining abnormality, identifies a calculator calculating an abnormal detection value based on a result of comparison between the detection values of the plurality of calculators. Then, the control unit continues calculation of an absolute angle by using the detection values from the calculators other than the identified calculator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nobuyori Nakajima, Haruo Suzuki, Takashi Suzuki, Go Endoh, Koichi Nakamura, Yosuke Ogi, Atsuko Oka, Shuji Kuramitsu
  • Patent number: 11091201
    Abstract: In a rotation detecting apparatus, each of first and second sensor elements measures rotation of a detection target. A circuit module includes first and second rotational angle calculators each calculating, based on a corresponding one of a first measurement value of the first sensor element and a second measurement value of the second sensor element, a rotational angle of the detection target. The circuit module includes first and second rotation number calculators each calculating, based on the corresponding one of the first measurement value and the second measurement value, a rotation number of the detection target. The circuit module includes first and second communicators each outputting, to a controller, a rotational angle signal based on the rotational angle and a rotation number signal based on the rotation number. A package packages the first and second sensor elements, and is mounted to a circuit board separately from the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshihiro Fujita, Katsuhiko Hayashi, Takaharu Kozawa, Shuhei Miyachi, Koichi Nakamura, Yuki Watanabe, Atsuko Oka, Shuji Kuramitsu, Toshimitsu Sakai, Masaya Taki
  • Patent number: 11088532
    Abstract: In a control device, control circuit units are connected to separate circuit power sources and to separate grounds. Ground monitor circuits respectively have a first resistor with one end connected to a voltage source, a second resistor with one end connected to an input terminal of a corresponding control circuit unit, and a capacitor. Among the one end of the first resistor, an other end of the first resistor, and the other end of the second resistor, at least one is connected to the subject system, and at least one is connected to an other system, and the control circuit unit monitors a ground abnormality of the other system based on a terminal voltage of the input terminal to which the second resistor is connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouichi Nakamura, Hideki Kabune, Atsuko Oka
  • Patent number: 10994772
    Abstract: A steering system in a vehicle includes a plurality of subsystems provided with a control unit. The control unit includes a storage unit storing steer angle information regarding a steer angle of one of a steering mechanism and a steered mechanism when the steering mechanism or the steered mechanism stops, an abnormality determiner determining abnormality of the motor rotation detection value and the detection circuit in the plurality of subsystems at a start time of a motor based on a comparison of at least two parameters, and a steer angle calculator calculating the steer angle based on the parameters having been determined by the abnormality determiner as not abnormal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Shuji Kuramitsu, Nobuyori Nakajima, Go Endoh, Haruo Suzuki, Koichi Nakamura, Yosuke Ogi, Atsuko Oka
  • Patent number: 10862417
    Abstract: A rotary electric device control device controls driving of a rotary electric device including a plurality of winding sets. The rotary electric device control device includes: a plurality of drive circuits; and a plurality of control units. The control units include signal output units for outputting control signals to the drive circuits corresponding to the control units, respectively, and communicate with each other. The control units include: one master control unit; and at least one slave control unit. An electric power steering device includes: a rotary electric device control device; the rotary electric device that outputs an assist torque for assisting a steering operation of a steering wheel by a driver; and a power transmission unit that transmits a driving force of the rotary electric device to a drive target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Kuramitsu, Koichi Nakamura, Atsuko Oka, Masaya Taki, Hideki Kabune, Yuki Watanabe, Toshimitsu Sakai, Yosuke Ogi
  • Publication number: 20200353973
    Abstract: A rotating electric machine control device has an electronic control unit, or an ECU that controls driving of a motor having motor windings, and includes mutually-communicable plural control units. The control unit includes a basic instruction calculation unit, a field-weakening calculation unit, and a current control calculation unit and a PWM (pulse width modulation) output unit. The current control calculation unit and the PWM output unit generate a PWM signal based on d-axis current instruction values and q-axis current instruction values that are calculated based on basic current instruction values and field-weakening d-axis current instruction value. At least a part of the instruction values used for generation of the PWM signal is shared by the plural control units.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Kouichi NAKAMURA, Nobuyori NAKAZIMA, Atsuko OKA
  • Publication number: 20200321769
    Abstract: In a control device, control circuit units are connected to separate circuit power sources and to separate grounds. Ground monitor circuits respectively have a first resistor with one end connected to a voltage source, a second resistor with one end connected to an input terminal of a corresponding control circuit unit, and a capacitor. Among the one end of the first resistor, an other end of the first resistor, and the other end of the second resistor, at least one is connected to the subject system, and at least one is connected to an other system, and the control circuit unit monitors a ground abnormality of the other system based on a terminal voltage of the input terminal to which the second resistor is connected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventors: Kouichi NAKAMURA, Hideki KABUNE, Atsuko OKA
  • Patent number: 10717462
    Abstract: A sensor device includes: multiple sensor units, each of which includes multiple sensor elements and a signal processing unit that generates and transmits an output signal including multiple detection signals corresponding to detection values of the sensor elements; and multiple control units, each of which includes a communication unit that receives the output signal, an abnormality monitoring unit that monitors abnormality of the respective sensor unit, and a physical quantity computation unit that computes a physical quantity based on at least one of the detection signals which is normal. One control unit mutually transmits and receives the detection signals as subject sensor signals received from the respective sensor unit and the detection signals as other sensor signals received from another one of the control units with another system control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Atsuko Oka, Shuji Kuramitsu, Koichi Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20200207408
    Abstract: A motor controller for controlling a motor includes first and second angle sensors detecting motor rotation, and first and second detection circuits detecting rotation number information based on sensor output from the angle sensors. Further, the motor controller includes a steer angle information obtainer obtaining steer angle information involving steering of a vehicle from an external sensor, which is different from the angle sensors, and an abnormality determiner determining abnormality of information that has a matching degree of lower than a preset value when post-conversion information, or value measured by the same characteristics. This information is compared with each other after conversion from the rotation number information and from the steer angle information, and is used by a control amount calculator to calculate a control amount of the motor based on the information determined as having no abnormality by the abnormality determiner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Koichi NAKAMURA, Nobuyori NAKAJIMA, Go ENDOH, Yosuke OGI, Atsuko OKA, Shuji KURAMITSU, Takashi SUZUKI, Haruo SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20200180685
    Abstract: A steering system in a vehicle includes a plurality of subsystems provided with a control unit. The control unit includes a storage unit storing steer angle information regarding a steer angle of one of a steering mechanism and a steered mechanism when the steering mechanism or the steered mechanism stops, an abnormality determiner determining abnormality of the motor rotation detection value and the detection circuit in the plurality of subsystems at a start time of a motor based on a comparison of at least two parameters, and a steer angle calculator calculating the steer angle based on the parameters having been determined by the abnormality determiner as not abnormal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Inventors: Takashi SUZUKI, Shuji KURAMITSU, Nobuyori NAKAJIMA, Go ENDOH, Haruo SUZUKI, Koichi NAKAMURA, Yosuke OGI, Atsuko OKA
  • Patent number: 10666179
    Abstract: A control system includes a plurality of control devices each including an initial check unit that performs an initial check before drive control of a rotary electric machine, a transmission/reception unit that transmits/receives an end signal indicating that the initial check is ended, and a drive control unit that performs the drive control of the rotary electric machine after the initial check. The drive control unit starts the drive control of the rotary electric machine when the initial check of the corresponding control device is ended and the end signal is acquired from another control device, and starts the drive control of the rotary electric machine after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of the initial check of the corresponding control device when the initial check of the corresponding control device is ended and the end signal is not acquired from the another control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koichi Nakamura, Shuji Kuramitsu, Atsuko Oka
  • Publication number: 20200114961
    Abstract: A rotation detector has a first controller that monitors abnormality of a rotation number calculated by a rotation number calculator based on the calculated rotation number and a preset rotation angle. The first controller in a first system is configured to output rotation information calculated by a second controller in a second system upon having determination that the rotation number of the first system has abnormality, for a continuation of the rotation information calculation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Haruo SUZUKI, Nobuyori NAKAJIMA, Koichi NAKAMURA, Go ENDOH, Atsuko OKA, Takashi SUZUKI, Yosuke OGI, Shuji KURAMITSU