Patents by Inventor Hiroji Taniguchi

Hiroji Taniguchi 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: 8105191
    Abstract: The line hydraulic pressure setting portion sets the line hydraulic pressure PL, which is the base pressure for the required shift control pressure Pin and the required belt clamping pressure Pd, based on the higher of the required pressures Pin and Pd. At this time, if the continuously variable transmission is to be shifted up, the required Pin calculating portion calculates the required shift control pressure Pin based on one of the target speed ratio ?* and the actual speed ratio ? with which the required shift pressure Pv is calculated to be higher than with the other. As such, the required shift control pressure Pin is set to the minimum necessary level for shifting up the continuously variable transmission and the line hydraulic pressure PL is appropriately set to a level for obtaining the required shift control pressure Pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinya Toyoda, Hiroji Taniguchi, Yoshinobu Soga
  • Patent number: 7788010
    Abstract: A controlling system of a vehicle with a continuously variable transmission, which can render a sufficient accelerating feeling in responsive to a driver's requirement. A controller, upon judgment of an acceleration requirement, sets a target drive force higher than the target drive force upon normal calculation upon normal operation of an accelerator pedal, and sets a target rotation speed upon acceleration higher than the target rotation speed upon the normal operation and increasing with an increase of the vehicle speed by a predetermined gradient. The speed change ratio of the continuously variable transmission and the output torque of the engine are controlled such that the set target drive force is achieved, and an input shaft rotation speed of the continuously variable transmission coincides with the target rotation speed upon the set acceleration. Thus upon acceleration, the target drive force and the output rotation speed of the drive source increase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Kondo, Tadashi Tamura, Akira Hino, Makoto Sawada, Hiroji Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 7678019
    Abstract: An ECT_ECU executes a program including the step of prohibiting a lockup clutch from engaging if the lockup clutch is disengaged and a number of revolutions or speed NE of an input shaft of a torque converter minus a number of revolutions or speed NT of an output shaft of the torque converter is smaller than a threshold value ?N (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Inoue, Tadashi Tamura, Hiroji Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 7654935
    Abstract: A maximum flow calculating unit calculates a maximum amount of hydraulic fluid that can flow into or out of an input-side hydraulic cylinder when a shift control command signal is set to a reference DUTY value, based on an estimated valve pressure difference calculated by an estimated pressure difference calculating unit, and a post-guard target sheave position setting unit performs a guard process for restricting the amount of change of the sheave position, using a guard value calculated by a guard value calculating unit based on the maximum flow amount, so as to set a post-guard target sheave position. Since the thus set target sheave position does not undergo excessive large changes nor excessively small changes during shifting, a target value for shifting is set so that a feedforward controlled variable determined based on the amount of change of the target sheave position becomes an appropriate value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Tanaka, Hiroji Taniguchi, Shinya Toyoda, Tadashi Tamura, Akira Hino, Yasunari Matsui
  • Publication number: 20090043468
    Abstract: A controlling system for a vehicle with a continuously variable transmission, which can render a sufficient accelerating feeling in responsive to a driver's requirement. A controller, upon judgment of an acceleration requirement, sets a target drive force higher than the target drive force upon normal calculation upon normal operation of an accelerator pedal, and sets a target rotation speed for acceleration higher than the target rotation speed upon the normal operation and increasing with an increase of the vehicle speed by a predetermined gradient. The speed change ratio of the continuously variable transmission and the output torque of the engine are controlled such that the set target drive force is achieved, and an input shaft rotation speed of the continuously variable transmission coincides with the target rotation speed for the set acceleration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2008
    Publication date: February 12, 2009
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki KONDO, Tadashi Tamura, Akira Hino, Makoto Sawada, Hiroji Taniguchi
  • Publication number: 20080009390
    Abstract: A maximum flow calculating unit calculates a maximum amount of hydraulic fluid that can flow into or out of an input-side hydraulic cylinder when a shift control command signal is set to a reference DUTY value, based on an estimated valve pressure difference calculated by an estimated pressure difference calculating unit, and a post-guard target sheave position setting unit performs a guard process for restricting the amount of change of the sheave position, using a guard value calculated by a guard value calculating unit based on the maximum flow amount, so as to set a post-guard target sheave position. Since the thus set target sheave position does not undergo excessive large changes nor excessively small changes during shifting, a target value for shifting is set so that a feedforward controlled variable determined based on the amount of change of the target sheave position becomes an appropriate value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Publication date: January 10, 2008
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoto Tanaka, Hiroji Taniguchi, Shinya Toyoda, Tadashi Tamura, Akira Hino, Yasunari Matsui
  • Publication number: 20080004141
    Abstract: The line oil pressure PL that is a basic pressure of a needed Pin pressure and a Pd pressure is set by line oil pressure setting device on the basis of the higher oil pressure of the oil pressure values obtained by adding reference margin values EX to the needed Pin pressure and the to Pd pressure. Therefore, a requirement minimum line oil pressure PL with respect to the needed Pin pressure needed for shifting and the Pd pressure needed for the belt clamping pressure is appropriately set so that good shifting performance and good belt clamping pressure are secured.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2007
    Publication date: January 3, 2008
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinya Toyoda, Hiroji Taniguchi, Yoshinobu Soga, Yasunari Matsui, Tadashi Tamura, Akira Hino, Naoto Tanaka, Kenji Matsuo
  • Publication number: 20070298918
    Abstract: The line hydraulic pressure setting portion sets the line hydraulic pressure PL, which is the base pressure for the required shift control pressure Pin and the required belt clamping pressure Pd, based on the higher of the required pressures Pin and Pd. At this time, if the continuously variable transmission is to be shifted up, the required Pin calculating portion calculates the required shift control pressure Pin based on one of the target speed ratio ?* and the actual speed ratio ? with which the required shift pressure Pv is calculated to be higher than with the other. As such, the required shift control pressure Pin is set to the minimum necessary level for shifting up the continuously variable transmission and the line hydraulic pressure PL is appropriately set to a level for obtaining the required shift control pressure Pin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinya Toyoda, Hiroji Taniguchi, Yoshinobu Soga
  • Publication number: 20070270281
    Abstract: A vehicle start control device executes a neutral control and a hill hold control, wherein, in the neutral control, a clutch provided in a power transmission path is brought into a slipping state or a released state to reduce the engine idling load and in the hill hold control, a brake force is generated to hold the vehicle against movement on a hill. A neutral release mode controller is employed to increase a torque transfer capacity of the clutch so that the clutch is engaged more gently when the neutral control is released under the hill hold control than in case of releasing the neutral control when the hill hold control is not executed. This suppresses generation of a shock that would be caused by engagement of the clutch when the neutral control is released under the hill hold control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Publication date: November 22, 2007
    Inventors: Daisuke Inoue, Hiroji Taniguchi
  • Publication number: 20070089957
    Abstract: An ECT_ECU executes a program including the step of prohibiting a lockup clutch from engaging if the lockup clutch is disengaged and a number of revolutions or speed NE of an input shaft of a torque converter minus a number of revolutions or speed NT of an output shaft of the torque converter is smaller than a threshold value ?N (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Publication date: April 26, 2007
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Daisuke Inoue, Tadashi Tamura, Hiroji Taniguchi
  • Patent number: 7044890
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an automatic transmission, which executes a neutral control by which an input clutch that transmits driving force from a driving source to the automatic transmission is released when conditions, being i) a shift lever is in a position corresponding to a forward speed range, ii) an accelerator operation is not being performed, iii) a brake operation is being performed, and iv) a vehicle speed is equal to, or less than, a predetermined vehicle speed, are fulfilled, is provided a controller which detects a road gradient and outputs a command to release the input clutch when i) the detected road gradient is equal to, or less than, a predetermined value, and ii) the conditions are fulfilled. After the command has been output, the controller compares the detected road gradient and the predetermined value and cancels the output of the command if the road gradient is greater than the predetermined value. Accordingly, fuel efficiency is able to be further improved during the neutral control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sei Kojima, Ryoji Habuchi, Hiroji Taniguchi, Shinya Toyoda
  • Patent number: 6920384
    Abstract: A driving force control apparatus for a vehicle includes an accelerator opening sensor that detects an accelerator opening for a vehicle, and an automatic transmission control device that controls an automatic transmission based on road information and the accelerator opening. The automatic transmission control device, in an interval prior to a deceleration required interval, controls an automatic transmission so as to ease a shifting operation that corresponds to a decrease in the accelerator opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignees: Aisin Aw Co. Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Shiimado, Kazuomi Okasaka, Yuuji Imanaga, Tadashi Tamura, Daisuke Inoue, Hiroji Taniguchi, Fumiharu Ogawa
  • Patent number: 6813551
    Abstract: Estimated change in operating fluid volume within a primary fluid chamber over a predetermined period of time during gear change operation is calculated using a physical model. On the other hand, detected change in operating fluid volume within the primary fluid chamber over this predetermined period of time is calculated. Then the deviation of the detected change from the estimated change is calculated, and learning and correction of the difference between the characteristic stored in an electronic control unit and that of an actual flow control unit are performed based on this deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroji Taniguchi, Katsumi Kono, Kenji Matsuo, Masato Terashima, Hiroki Kondo
  • Publication number: 20040110601
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an automatic transmission, which executes a neutral control by which an input clutch that transmits driving force from a driving source to the automatic transmission is released when conditions, being i) a shift lever is in a position corresponding to a forward speed range, ii) an accelerator operation is not being performed, iii) a brake operation is being performed, and iv) a vehicle speed is equal to, or less than, a predetermined vehicle speed, are fulfilled, is provided a controller which detects a road gradient and outputs a command to release the input clutch when i) the detected road gradient is equal to, or less than, a predetermined value, and ii) the conditions are fulfilled. After the command has been output, the controller compares the detected road gradient and the predetermined value and cancels the output of the command if the road gradient is greater than the predetermined value. Accordingly, fuel efficiency is able to be further improved during the neutral control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2003
    Publication date: June 10, 2004
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sei Kojima, Ryoji Habuchi, Hiroji Taniguchi, Shinya Toyoda
  • Publication number: 20040111204
    Abstract: A control apparatus and a control method for an automatic transmission which executes a neutral control by which an input clutch that transmits driving force from a driving source to the automatic transmission is released when conditions, being i) a shift lever is in a position corresponding to a forward speed range, ii) an accelerator operation is not being performed, iii) a brake operation is being performed, and iv) a vehicle speed is equal to, or less than, a predetermined vehicle speed, are fulfilled, wherein a hydraulic pressure command value for the input clutch is stored while the neutral control is being executed; and the hydraulic pressure command value for the input clutch is calculated based on the stored hydraulic pressure command value when the neutral control is cancelled so that a normal control is restarted in a case where the conditions become unfulfilled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Publication date: June 10, 2004
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sei Kojima, Ryoji Habuchi, Hiroji Taniguchi, Shinya Toyoda
  • Patent number: 6725144
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus including an automatic transmission which changes a speed of rotation of an input shaft drivingly connected to a driving source and outputs the rotation of the input shaft to an output shaft, and a shift execution device that executes shifting of the automatic transmission, including a shift control device that calculates a predetermined target input shaft rotation number based on road information and vehicle state information, and controls an input shaft rotation number such that the input shaft rotation number becomes equal to the predetermined target input shaft rotation number, by executing shifting of the shift execution device; and a shifting speed setting device that sets a shifting speed, when control based on the road information begins after switching from control based on the vehicle state information by the shift control device, to a predetermined shifting speed such that shifting is executed rapidly, and sets the shifting speed, when shifting needs to be executed durin
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignees: Aisin AW Co., Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshihiro Shiimado, Kazuomi Okasaka, Yuuji Imanaga, Tadashi Tamura, Daisuke Inoue, Hiroji Taniguchi, Fumiharu Ogawa
  • Patent number: 6672981
    Abstract: A shift control apparatus for controlling a continuously variable transmission device including a continuously variable transmission mechanism having rotary elements and operable to transmit a rotary motion of a drive power source of an automotive vehicle to a drive wheel of the automotive vehicle, such that a speed ratio of said mechanism is continuously variable, the shift control apparatus includes a power-transmission-state determining device for determining whether the mechanism is placed in a non-power-transmitting state, a speed-ratio determining device for determining whether the mechanism is placed in a lowest-speed position, a rotation-stop detecting device for determining whether the rotary elements are at rest, and a compulsory-speed-ratio-change implementing device for effecting a compulsory shift-down action of the mechanism toward the lowest-speed position when the mechanism is placed in the non-power-transmitting state while the mechanism is not placed in the lowest-speed position and while th
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Inoue, Masami Sugaya, Hideki Yasue, Kunio Morisawa, Katsumi Kono, Tadashi Tamura, Ryoji Habuchi, Hiroji Taniguchi, Kenji Matsuo
  • Patent number: 6656084
    Abstract: A control apparatus for feedback-controlling an engaging action of a clutch disposed between an engine and a transmission of an automotive vehicle, wherein an engaging force control device is operated upon an engaging action of the clutch, for determining a control amount and feedback-controlling the engaging action on the basis of the determined control amount such that the clutch is placed in a desired state of engagement, and a control amount limiting device is operated to limit the determined control amount when the determined control amount has changed to cause an engaging force of the clutch to be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Inoue, Hideki Yasue, Katsumi Kono, Tadashi Tamura, Hiroji Taniguchi, Kenji Matsuo
  • Publication number: 20030149520
    Abstract: Estimated change in operating fluid volume within a primary fluid chamber over a predetermined period of time during gear change operation is calculated using a physical model. On the other hand, detected change in operating fluid volume within the primary fluid chamber over this predetermined period of time is calculated. Then the deviation of the detected change from the estimated change is calculated, and learning and correction of the difference between the characteristic stored in an electronic control unit and that of an actual flow control unit are performed based on this deviation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroji Taniguchi, Katsumi Kono, Kenji Matsuo, Masato Terashima, Hiroki Kondo
  • Patent number: 6602163
    Abstract: When the temperature of operating fluid of an actuator is low, a target input rotation speed lower limit value (NinL) is set. The lower limit value (NinL) is greater than a lower limit value set for a normal temperature of operating fluid. A target input rotation speed (Nint) is calculated from the state of running of a vehicle, such as the amount of operation of an accelerator, the vehicle speed, etc. If the target input rotation speed is lower than the lower limit value (NinL), the target input rotation speed is reset to the lower limit value (NinL). As a result of a control that includes the above-described steps, the speed ratio &ggr; becomes relatively high before the vehicle stops. Therefore, even if the speed ratio-changing rate is low, the speed ratio (&ggr;) can be brought to or near a maximum value (&ggr;max) before the vehicle stops. Thus, reductions in the speed ratio-changing rate caused by low temperature of the operating fluid of the actuator can be curbed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tadashi Tamura, Hideki Yasue, Katsumi Kono, Daisuke Inoue, Yoshiaki Yamamoto, Hiroki Kondo, Hiroji Taniguchi, Kenji Matsuo, Yuji Hattori