Patents by Inventor Atsushi DOKI

Atsushi DOKI 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: 11530674
    Abstract: Provided is a start-stop control apparatus to be mounted in a vehicle including an engine, a starter motor configured to restart the engine, and an auxiliary battery configured to supply electric power to the starter motor. The start-stop control apparatus includes a stop processing unit and an engine measuring unit. The stop processing unit stops idling of the engine while the vehicle is being stopped. The engine measuring unit measures an internal loss of the engine. The stop processing unit determines whether to stop the idling of the engine on the basis of the internal loss measured by the engine measuring unit and the state of charge of the auxiliary battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fumiyuki Moriya, Atsushi Doki, Hirofumi Yabe, Takumi Hoshi, Kazutaka Hara
  • Patent number: 11524677
    Abstract: A hybrid electric vehicle includes an engine, a motor, a battery, a coupling mechanism, an electric power generating mechanism, and a vehicle controller. The engine and motor drive driving wheels. The battery supplies electric power for running to the motor. The coupling mechanism switches coupling of the engine and the driving wheels between direct coupling and buffering coupling. The electric power generating mechanism generates electric power. The vehicle controller switches a running mode of the hybrid electric vehicle between a first running mode and a second running mode with higher running performance. The vehicle controller limits the electric power generation under a first condition when the buffering coupling is applied during the first running mode and limits the electric power generation under a second condition less limited than the first condition when the buffering coupling is applied during the second running mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fumiyuki Moriya, Masatoshi Kishikawa, Atsushi Doki, Hirofumi Yabe, Takumi Hoshi, Masaki Komuro, Tetsu Matsuzaki, Jun Oosawa
  • Patent number: 11505085
    Abstract: A power supply system for a vehicle including a driving battery, first and second device batteries, a DC-to-DC converter, a control system device, and a specific device includes first and second power lines, first and second switches, and a coupling line. The first power line transmits power from the first device battery to the control system device. The second power line transmits power from the second device battery to the specific device. The first switch is coupled between the DC-to-DC converter and the first power line. The first switch includes a diode disposed in a direction to flow a current to the first power line. The coupling line is configured to transmit power from a node between the DC-to-DC converter and the first switch to the second power line. The second switch selectively opens and closes an electric circuit of the coupling line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Fumiyuki Moriya, Hirofumi Yabe, Atsushi Doki
  • Publication number: 20220056875
    Abstract: Provided is a start-stop control apparatus to be mounted in a vehicle including an engine, a starter motor configured to restart the engine, and an auxiliary battery configured to supply electric power to the starter motor. The start-stop control apparatus includes a stop processing unit and an engine measuring unit. The stop processing unit stops idling of the engine while the vehicle is being stopped. The engine measuring unit measures an internal loss of the engine. The stop processing unit determines whether to stop the idling of the engine on the basis of the internal loss measured by the engine measuring unit and the state of charge of the auxiliary battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: Fumiyuki MORIYA, Atsushi DOKI, Hirofumi YABE, Takumi HOSHI, Kazutaka HARA
  • Publication number: 20220055499
    Abstract: A power supply system for a vehicle including a driving battery, first and second device batteries, a DC-to-DC converter, a control system device, and a specific device includes first and second power lines, first and second switches, and a coupling line. The first power line transmits power from the first device battery to the control system device. The second power line transmits power from the second device battery to the specific device. The first switch is coupled between the DC-to-DC converter and the first power line. The first switch includes a diode disposed in a direction to flow a current to the first power line. The coupling line is configured to transmit power from a node between the DC-to-DC converter and the first switch to the second power line. The second switch selectively opens and closes an electric circuit of the coupling line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2021
    Publication date: February 24, 2022
    Inventors: Fumiyuki MORIYA, Hirofumi YABE, Atsushi DOKI
  • Publication number: 20220032897
    Abstract: An electric vehicle includes a vehicle controller. The vehicle controller is capable of switching a traveling mode of the electric vehicle between a first traveling mode and a second traveling mode that applies driving-force maps for enhancing a rough-road capability from a rough-road capability in the first traveling mode. The vehicle controller is capable of switching the traveling mode to the second traveling mode in forward traveling and in backward traveling and is configured to apply, to the backward traveling in the second traveling mode, a first driving-force map of the driving-force maps, the first driving-force map having gentler characteristics than a second driving-force map of the driving-force map applied to the forward traveling in the second traveling mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Fumiyuki MORIYA, Atsushi DOKI, Hirofumi YABE, Takumi HOSHI, Masaki KOMURO, Tetsu MATSUZAKI, Jun OOSAWA
  • Publication number: 20220024443
    Abstract: A hybrid electric vehicle includes an engine, a motor, a battery, a coupling mechanism, an electric power generating mechanism, and a vehicle controller. The engine and motor drive driving wheels. The battery supplies electric power for running to the motor. The coupling mechanism switches coupling of the engine and the driving wheels between direct coupling and buffering coupling. The electric power generating mechanism generates electric power. The vehicle controller switches a running mode of the hybrid electric vehicle between a first running mode and a second running mode with higher running performance. The vehicle controller limits the electric power generation under a first condition when the buffering coupling is applied during the first running mode and limits the electric power generation under a second condition less limited than the first condition when the buffering coupling is applied during the second running mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Inventors: Fumiyuki MORIYA, Masatoshi KISHIKAWA, Atsushi DOKI, Hirofumi YABE, Takumi HOSHI, Masaki KOMURO, Tetsu MATSUZAKI, Jun OOSAWA
  • Patent number: 11181086
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus for a vehicle provided with an engine and an electric motor includes a vehicle state evaluator, an exit evaluator, a shutdown evaluator, and a request output unit. The vehicle state evaluator conducts a vehicle stop evaluation and a driving state evaluation on the engine. The vehicle state evaluator evaluates whether the vehicle is stopped in a ready-on state in the vehicle stop evaluation. The exit evaluator conducts an exit evaluation as to whether an exit of an occupant from the vehicle is detected. The shutdown evaluator conducts a shutdown evaluation as to whether a vehicle drive system is to be shut down based on the results of the vehicle stop evaluation, the driving state evaluation, and the exit evaluation. The request output unit outputs a request for shutting down the vehicle drive system based on the result of the shutdown evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Doki
  • Publication number: 20200149503
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus for a vehicle provided with an engine and an electric motor includes a vehicle state evaluator, an exit evaluator, a shutdown evaluator, and a request output unit. The vehicle state evaluator conducts a vehicle stop evaluation and a driving state evaluation on the engine. The vehicle state evaluator evaluates whether the vehicle is stopped in a ready-on state in the vehicle stop evaluation. The exit evaluator conducts an exit evaluation as to whether an exit of an occupant from the vehicle is detected. The shutdown evaluator conducts a shutdown evaluation as to whether a vehicle drive system is to be shut down based on the results of the vehicle stop evaluation, the driving state evaluation, and the exit evaluation. The request output unit outputs a request for shutting down the vehicle drive system based on the result of the shutdown evaluation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventor: Atsushi DOKI