Patents by Inventor Eiji Fukushiro

Eiji Fukushiro 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: 11040709
    Abstract: There is provided an electrically driven vehicle equipped with a first motor configured to output a torque to one of front wheels and rear wheels and with a second motor configured to output a torque to the other of the front wheels and the rear wheels. When a torque of a negative value is required as a required torque that is required for driving, the second motor is controlled to output the torque with a lower limit torque of a positive value as a lower limit, and the first motor is controlled such that the electrically driven vehicle is driven with the required torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Eiji Fukushiro, Keiji Tajima
  • Publication number: 20190322266
    Abstract: There is provided an electrically driven vehicle equipped with a first motor configured to output a torque to one of front wheels and rear wheels and with a second motor configured to output a torque to the other of the front wheels and the rear wheels. When a torque of a negative value is required as a required torque that is required for driving, the second motor is controlled to output the torque with a lower limit torque of a positive value as a lower limit, and the first motor is controlled such that the electrically driven vehicle is driven with the required torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Eiji Fukushiro, Keiji Tajima
  • Patent number: 9399966
    Abstract: An ECU for controlling an engine counts an unused time TIM of engine in a low-temperature environment. If the unused time TIM is shorter than a predetermined reference value, the ECU sets idle speed immediately after start of operation of the engine to a first idle speed, and if the unused time TIM is longer than the reference value, sets the idle speed to a second idle speed higher than the first idle speed. If duration of the second idle speed exceeds a reference period determined by state of driving of the vehicle, the ECU sets the idle speed to be lower than the second idle speed. In this manner, increased vibration in idling operation in a low-temperature environment can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Hayashi, Takumi Anzawa, Eiji Fukushiro, Katsuhiko Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 9266443
    Abstract: A system and a method for adaptively adjusting a charge and/or discharge rate and a limit of a battery based on a known driving route are described. The method includes storing, in a memory, a known driving route having a plurality of segments, where each segment has a corresponding discharge rate of the battery which was obtained from a previous trip of the vehicle along the same segment. The method also includes calculating, using a processor, an optimal discharge rate for the known driving route, and applying, using the processor, the optimal discharge rate of the vehicle to each segment of the route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua D. Payne, Mohammad E. Dufford, Eiji Fukushiro
  • Patent number: 9233681
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle outputs creep torque by output torque of a second MG. A creep control unit controls creep torque when an accelerator pedal is not operated. The creep control unit controls a creep cut amount defined by a decrement of creep torque when the brake pedal is operated relative to creep torque when the brake pedal is not operated such that the creep cut amount when reverse running is selected is smaller than the creep cut amount when forward running is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Higa, Eiji Fukushiro, Katsuhiko Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 9228514
    Abstract: An ECU for controlling an engine counts the continued period of stopping the engine in a low-temperature environment. The ECU sets the idle rotational speed at a first idle rotational speed when the stopped period is below a predetermined threshold value, and at a second idle rotational speed higher than the first idle rotational speed when the stopped period exceeds the reference value. Accordingly, resonance at the driving force transmission system during idle operation can be prevented even in the case where a mount employed for attaching the engine to the vehicle is hardened as a result of undergoing a low-temperature environment for a long period of time, and the resonant rotational speed of the driving force transmission system including the engine varies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Hayashi, Takumi Anzawa, Eiji Fukushiro, Katsuhiko Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 9205827
    Abstract: An ECU selects, in accordance with operation by a driver, either one of a manual shift mode in which a shift range can be manually changed through the operation by the driver and an engine rotation speed is controlled in accordance with a selected shift range and an automatic shift mode in which the engine rotation speed is controlled so as to reduce an amount of fuel consumption as compared with that in the manual shift mode. The driver is recommended to make a change from the manual shift mode to the automatic shift mode when the manual shift mode is selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Yamaguchi, Eiji Fukushiro
  • Publication number: 20150274028
    Abstract: A system and a method for adaptively adjusting a charge and/or discharge rate and a limit of a battery based on a known driving route are described. The method includes storing, in a memory, a known driving route having a plurality of segments, where each segment has a corresponding discharge rate of the battery which was obtained from a previous trip of the vehicle along the same segment. The method also includes calculating, using a processor, an optimal discharge rate for the known driving route, and applying, using the processor, the optimal discharge rate of the vehicle to each segment of the route.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua D. Payne, Mohammad E. Dufford, Eiji Fukushiro
  • Patent number: 9126577
    Abstract: A vehicle braking system includes (a) a rotary machine that functions at least as an electricity generator and that is capable of generating braking torque based on regenerative torque, (b) a first braking control apparatus that electrically controls the braking torque of a mechanical brake that is provided for a wheel, and (c) a second braking control apparatus that replaces one of the braking torque provided by the rotary machine and the braking torque provided by the mechanical brake with another one of the braking torque provided by the rotary machine and the braking torque provided by the mechanical brake while maintaining a target braking torque, the second braking control apparatus correcting the braking torque provided by the rotary machine so that the deviation lessens, if the braking torque of a vehicle has deviation from the target braking torque at time of replacement transition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Eiji Fukushiro
  • Patent number: 9120483
    Abstract: In a gear-shift instruction device for the hybrid vehicle that includes an engine that can output power for running, an electric motor (such as a motor-generator and a motor) that can output power for running, a power transmission system that transmits power to a drive wheel and can manually select a gear shift position, and a gear-shift instruction unit that prompts a change of the gear shift position to a driver, modes of the guide for gear shift are different between during electric motor running (EV running) and during hybrid running (HV running) for a same accelerator depression amount and vehicle speed in a state that allows manual gear shift operation (manual gear shift mode). This ensures the compatibility between: improvement in energy efficiency and fuel consumption by the gear shift instruction; and reduction in burden of the driver due to gear shifting based on the gear shift instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Sato, Eiji Fukushiro
  • Patent number: 9074683
    Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle provided with a continuously variable electric transmission mechanism capable of sequential shift mode, a minimum engine rotational speed is specified for each gear specified in the sequential shift mode so that the lower the gear, the greater the minimum engine rotational speed. When the engine rotational speed has decreased to the minimum rotational speed while driving in the sequential shift mode, an upshift lamp of a gear shift indication device is turned on to prompt the driver to manually shift to a higher gear. As the driver shifts to a higher gear in response to the prompt, the minimum engine rotational speed is specified to a lower value. That allows for further decrease of the engine rotational speed and improves fuel consumption rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Sato, Eiji Fukushiro
  • Patent number: 9045033
    Abstract: A sprung vibration damping for suppressing sprung vibration which is generated to a vehicle by an input from a road surface to wheels provided with the vehicle by controlling a torque of a motor, and the sprung vibration damping is subjected to a restriction including a prohibition in response to a state of battery, which supplies power to the motor, such as a voltage and a temperature of the battery or a state of a control, which affects the power of the battery, such as a charge/discharge amount feedback control and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Gohki Kinoshita, Koichiro Muta, Masaya Yamamoto, Eiji Fukushiro, Shunsuke Oyama, Toshiya Hashimoto, Takanori Aoki, Akihiro Kimura
  • Patent number: 8977448
    Abstract: An operating state display device for a vehicle includes a display portion that displays an energy transmission state of the vehicle. A display similar to what is shown when no energy is being transmitted to the axle is shown, regardless of the energy transmission state, when two conditions that the vehicle is stopped and that a brake operation is being performed are satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Eiji Fukushiro
  • Patent number: 8892280
    Abstract: A sprung mass damping control system of a vehicle, which aims to suppress sprung mass vibration generated in a vehicle body of a vehicle provided with at least a motor-generator (first and second motor-generators) as a drive source, includes a sprung mass damping control amount calculating device that sets a sprung mass damping control amount for suppressing the sprung mass vibration, and a drive source control device (a motor-generator control device) that executes sprung mass damping control by controlling a motor-generator control amount of the motor-generator to realize the sprung mass damping control amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Gohki Kinoshita, Koichiro Muta, Toshiya Hashimoto, Eiji Fukushiro, Takanori Aoki, Akihiro Kimura, Shunsuke Oyama, Masaya Yamamoto, Kaiji Itabashi, Yoshitaka Oikawa, Takashi Saito
  • Publication number: 20140257653
    Abstract: In a gear-shift instruction device for the hybrid vehicle that includes an engine that can output power for running, an electric motor (such as a motor-generator and a motor) that can output power for running, a power transmission system that transmits power to a drive wheel and can manually select a gear shift position, and a gear-shift instruction unit that prompts a change of the gear shift position to a driver, modes of the guide for gear shift are different between during electric motor running (EV running) and during hybrid running (HV running) for a same accelerator depression amount and vehicle speed in a state that allows manual gear shift operation (manual gear shift mode). This ensures the compatibility between: improvement in energy efficiency and fuel consumption by the gear shift instruction; and reduction in burden of the driver due to gear shifting based on the gear shift instruction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2011
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Sato, Eiji Fukushiro
  • Publication number: 20140236441
    Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle provided with a continuously variable electric transmission mechanism capable of sequential shift mode, a minimum engine rotational speed is specified for each gear specified in the sequential shift mode so that the lower the gear, the greater the minimum engine rotational speed. When the engine rotational speed has decreased to the minimum rotational speed while driving in the sequential shift mode, an upshift lamp of a gear shift indication device is turned on to prompt the driver to manually shift to a higher gear. As the driver shifts to a higher gear in response to the prompt, the minimum engine rotational speed is specified to a lower value. That allows for further decrease of the engine rotational speed and improves fuel consumption rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Sato, Eiji Fukushiro
  • Publication number: 20140141934
    Abstract: An ECU selects, in accordance with operation by a driver, either one of a manual shift mode in which a shift range can be manually changed through the operation by the driver and an engine rotation speed is controlled in accordance with a selected shift range and an automatic shift mode in which the engine rotation speed is controlled so as to reduce an amount of fuel consumption as compared with that in the manual shift mode. The driver is recommended to make a change from the manual shift mode to the automatic shift mode when the manual shift mode is selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Yamaguchi, Eiji Fukushiro
  • Publication number: 20140129068
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle outputs creep torque by output torque of a second MG. A creep control unit controls creep torque when an accelerator pedal is not operated. The creep control unit controls a creep cut amount defined by a decrement of creep torque when the brake pedal is operated relative to creep torque when the brake pedal is not operated such that the creep cut amount when reverse running is selected is smaller than the creep cut amount when forward running is selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuaki Higa, Eiji Fukushiro, Katsuhiko Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 8655523
    Abstract: A vehicle control device (10) comprises a driving device (20) including an engine (22) and a rotary electric machine (24), a power circuit (30) connected to the rotary electric machine (24), a control part (50), and an ecoswitch (42). The CPU (52) of the control part (50) comprises a low fuel consumption travel instruction judgment module (60) for judging on or off of the ecoswitch (42), an operation condition switch module (62) for switching the operation condition of the rotary electric machine on the basis of the on or off of the ecoswitch (42), an engine state judgment module (64) for judging whether or not the engine (22) is in a started state or a stopped state, and a damping control module (68) for carrying out damping control when the engine (22) is stalled or stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiji Fukushiro, Koji Yamamoto, Toshiya Hashimoto
  • Publication number: 20140014065
    Abstract: An ECU for controlling an engine counts the continued period of stopping the engine in a low-temperature environment. The ECU sets the idle rotational speed at a first idle rotational speed when the stopped period is below a predetermined threshold value, and at a second idle rotational speed higher than the first idle rotational speed when the stopped period exceeds the reference value. Accordingly, resonance at the driving force transmission system during idle operation can be prevented even in the case where a mount employed for attaching the engine to the vehicle is hardened as a result of undergoing a low-temperature environment for a long period of time, and the resonant rotational speed of the driving force transmission system including the engine varies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Publication date: January 16, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Hayashi, Takumi Anzawa, Eiji Fukushiro, Katsuhiko Yamaguchi