Patents by Inventor Hiroshi Ohmura

Hiroshi Ohmura 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: 11001257
    Abstract: A control unit functionally comprises a first steering-torque application control part which commands a steering actuator of a vehicle to execute application of a steering torque determined by a first steering characteristic CH1 and a second steering-torque application control part which commands the steering actuator of the vehicle to execute application of a steering torque determined by a second steering characteristic CH2. In a case where the vehicle travels at a curved portion of the lane, the first steering characteristic CH1 is set such that a first steering-force increase part L1 is located further toward an allowed right-end point EGR as a vehicle speed becomes higher and the second steering characteristic CH2 is set such that a magnitude of a torque maintenance part L4 becomes lower as a radius of curvature of the curved portion of the lane becomes smaller, like CH2H-CH2L.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ohmura, Rie Awane
  • Patent number: 10994726
    Abstract: An ECU (10) is configured to: detect a preceding vehicle (3) ahead of the vehicle (1), and set a speed distribution zone (40) defining a distribution of an allowable upper limit (Vlim) of a relative speed of the vehicle (1) with respect to the preceding vehicle (3) in a region around the preceding vehicle (3); and, execute traveling control of preventing the relative speed of the vehicle (1) with respect to the preceding vehicle (3) from exceeding the allowable upper limit (Vlim) in the speed distribution zone (40), wherein the speed distribution zone (40) includes: an allowable upper limit-zero zone (44) where the allowable upper limit becomes zero; and an entry prohibition zone (42) where entry of the vehicle (1) thereinto is prohibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Ohmura
  • Publication number: 20210046928
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicle control system configured to set a speed distribution area defining the distribution of an upper-limit relative speed around a given object, and executes a speed control and/or a steering control of a vehicle so as to prevent a relative speed of the vehicle with respect to the object from exceeding the upper-limit relative speed defined in the speed distribution area, wherein the vehicle control system is configured to estimate the degree of visibility of a driver of the vehicle based on external information (e.g., wiper operating state and light intensity) acquired by an external state detection sensor (e.g., a wiper sensor and a light intensity sensor), and change the distribution of the upper-limit relative speed in the speed distribution area according to the estimated degree of the visibility.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2019
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Inventor: Hiroshi OHMURA
  • Publication number: 20210009115
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle control device (100) designed to control vehicle traveling, and includes: a surrounding vehicle detection part (10b) to detect a surrounding vehicle (3); a vehicle information receiving part (26) to receive information regarding a traveling state thereof; a speed distribution setting part (10d) to set a speed limit distribution (40) defining a permissible upper limit relative speed, around the surrounding vehicle; and a control part (10d) to control a speed and/or steering of an own vehicle (1) to satisfy the speed limit distribution set by the speed distribution setting part, wherein the speed distribution setting part is configured to set the speed limit distribution such that the speed limit distribution is different for when the information regarding the traveling state of the surrounding vehicle has been able to be acquired, and when no information has been able to be acquired.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi OHMURA, Tetsuya TACHIHATA, Yuma NISHIJO, Rie AWANE, Shota KATAYAMA
  • Patent number: 10890917
    Abstract: A vehicle controller configured to control traveling of a vehicle includes a processor configured to execute a nearby-object detection module, a first route computation module configured to compute a first target travel route specifying route and speed of a vehicle, a second route computation module configured to compute a second target travel route specifying route and speed of so as to prompt the vehicle to avoid the detected nearby object, and a control module configured to control at least one of a traveling speed and vehicle steering so as to prompt the vehicle to travel on the first or second target travel route. The first route computation module computes the route so as to prompt the vehicle to travel with lower energy consumption, and the control module switches the target travel route to the second route when the nearby object to be avoided is detected within a range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Ohmura
  • Publication number: 20200391747
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle control device for controlling vehicle travel includes one or more processors configured to function as: a surrounding vehicle detection part to detect a surrounding vehicle traveling around an own vehicle; a course information acquisition part to acquire traveling course information regarding a subsequent traveling course of the surrounding vehicle detected by the surrounding vehicle detection part; a speed distribution setting part to set a speed limit distribution defining a permissible upper limit relative speed, around the surrounding vehicle detected by the surrounding vehicle detection part; and a control part to control the speed and/or steering of the own vehicle to satisfy the speed limit distribution set by the speed distribution setting part, wherein the speed distribution setting part is operable to set the speed limit distribution, according to the traveling course information acquired by the course information acquisition part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Inventors: Hiroshi OHMURA, Tetsuya TACHIHATA, Yuma NISHIJO, Rie AWANE, Shota KATAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20200384999
    Abstract: The present invention provides a vehicle control device for controlling vehicle travel. The vehicle control device includes one or more processors configured to function as: a surrounding vehicle detection part configured to detect a surrounding vehicle traveling around an own vehicle; a road surface condition estimation part configured to estimate a road surface condition; a speed distribution setting part configured to set a speed limit distribution defining a permissible upper limit relative speed, around the surrounding vehicle detected by the surrounding vehicle detection part; and a control part configured to control the speed and/or steering of the own vehicle to satisfy the speed limit distribution, wherein the speed distribution setting part is configured to, when it is estimated by the road surface condition estimation part that the road surface condition causes an increase in the braking distance, lower the permissible upper limit relative speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Inventors: Hiroshi OHMURA, Tetsuya TACHIHATA, Yuma NISHIJO, Rie AWANE, Shota KATAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20200353918
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicle control device which comprises a traveling course control part 10a to update a target traveling course R, and an automatic anti-collision control part 10b to execute automatic anti-collision control processing (S14) for avoiding collision with an obstacle. The part 10a corrects the target traveling course R to calculate corrected traveling course candidates for avoiding the obstacle, and evaluates the corrected traveling course candidates by an evaluation function J to select one of the candidates as a corrected traveling course. The part 10a generates a first request signal for a brake control system 32 to allow the vehicle 1 to travel along the corrected traveling course. The part 10b generates a second request signal for the brake control system 32. The vehicle control device further comprises an output control part 10d to output the first or second request signal to the brake control system 32.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi GOTO, Hiroshi OHMURA, Kouji HOSODA, Tetsuya TACHIHATA, Takashi NAKAGAMI, Yuma NISHIJO, Yasuhiro KAWAHARA, Shota KATAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20200339080
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a crossing vehicle detection sensor configured to detect a crossing vehicle approaching an own vehicle while the own vehicle is traveling in an intersecting lane, the intersecting lane being a lane that intersects an own vehicle lane at an intersection at a time the own vehicle approaches the intersection, the crossing vehicle being a vehicle travelling in the intersecting lane; and a controller configured to automatically brake the own vehicle to avoid a collision between the own vehicle and the crossing vehicle under a condition that the own vehicle enters the intersecting lane. The controller is configured to set, between the own vehicle and the crossing vehicle, a virtual area that moves with the crossing vehicle and that extends in an advancing direction of the crossing vehicle, and automatically brake the own vehicle to prevent the own vehicle from contacting the virtual area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi OHMURA
  • Publication number: 20200339079
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a crossing vehicle detection sensor configured to detect a crossing vehicle approaching an own vehicle while the own vehicle is traveling in an intersecting lane, the intersecting lane being a lane that intersects an own vehicle lane at an intersection at a time the own vehicle approaches the intersection, the crossing vehicle being a vehicle travelling in the intersecting lane; and a controller configured to automatically brake the own vehicle to avoid a collision between the own vehicle and the crossing vehicle under a condition that the own vehicle enters the intersecting lane. The controller is configured to set, between the own vehicle and the crossing vehicle, a virtual area that moves with the crossing vehicle and that extends in an advancing direction of the crossing vehicle, and automatically brakes the own vehicle to prevent the own vehicle from contacting the virtual area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi OHMURA
  • Publication number: 20200339114
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a crossing vehicle detection sensor configured to detect a crossing vehicle approaching an own vehicle while traveling in an intersecting lane, the intersecting lane being a lane that intersects an own vehicle lane at an intersection at a time the own vehicle approaches the intersection, the crossing vehicle being a vehicle travelling in the intersecting lane, and a controller configured to set a plurality of candidate paths extending from the own vehicle, and assist traveling of the own vehicle based on the plurality of candidate paths. The controller is further configured to set, between the own vehicle and the crossing vehicle, a virtual area that moves with the crossing vehicle, and that extends in an advancing direction of the crossing vehicle, and set the plurality of candidate paths such that the plurality of candidate paths are prevented from passing through the virtual area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi OHMURA
  • Publication number: 20200339119
    Abstract: The driving support control device is configured to, when a preceding vehicle is detected (S24: YES), be permitted to cause a transition to the preceding vehicle following mode, in response to a manipulation made by the driver to select the preceding vehicle following mode (S27), and then control the vehicle 1 to follow the preceding vehicle, and to, when edges of a traveling road are detected even though no preceding vehicle is detected (S25: YES), be permitted to cause the transition to the preceding vehicle following mode, in response to the manipulation made by the driver to select the preceding vehicle following mode (S26), and then control the vehicle 1 to travel on and along a given target traveling course set based on the edges of the traveling road.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2018
    Publication date: October 29, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi OHMURA, Sahori IIMURA
  • Publication number: 20200331466
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes an oncoming vehicle detection sensor configured to detect an oncoming vehicle that approaches an own vehicle, and a controller configured to automatically apply brakes to the own vehicle to avoid a collision with the oncoming vehicle detected by the oncoming vehicle detection sensor under a condition that the own vehicle is at least partially in an opposite lane or a planned path of the own vehicle is at least partially in the opposite lane. The controller is configured to set, between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, a virtual area that moves with the oncoming vehicle and that extends in an advancing direction of the oncoming vehicle, and automatically brake the own vehicle to avoid coming into contact with the virtual area to avoid the collision between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi OHMURA
  • Publication number: 20200331468
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes an oncoming vehicle detection sensor that detects an oncoming vehicle approaching an own vehicle; and a controller configured to automatically apply brakes to the own vehicle to avoid a collision with the oncoming vehicle, detected by the oncoming vehicle detection sensor, under a condition that the own vehicle is at least partially in an opposite lane or a planned path of the own vehicle is at least partially in the opposite lane. The controller is further configured to set, between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, a virtual area that moves with the oncoming vehicle and that extends toward the own vehicle using a rear end of the oncoming vehicle as a base point, and automatically brake the own vehicle to avoid the own vehicle coming into contact with the virtual area to avoid the collision between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi OHMURA, Takashi NAKAGAMI, Xi CHEN
  • Publication number: 20200331472
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes: a target traveling path setting unit that sets a target traveling path of an own vehicle; a reference position setting unit that sets a reference position of the own vehicle for specifying a position of the own vehicle with respect to the target traveling path; and a control unit that controls a steering assist amount of a steering wheel, based on a positional deviation being a deviation between the target traveling path set by the target traveling path setting unit and the reference position of the own vehicle set by the reference position setting unit. The reference position setting unit changes the reference position according to a vehicle speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2018
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventor: Hiroshi OHMURA
  • Publication number: 20200331467
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes an oncoming vehicle detection sensor and a controller that automatically applies brakes to avoid a collision with the oncoming vehicle, under a condition that the own vehicle is at least partially in an opposite lane or a planned path of the own vehicle is at least partially in the opposite lane. The controller sets a virtual area that moves with the oncoming vehicle and that extends in an advancing direction of the oncoming vehicle, and automatically brakes to avoid to avoid a collision. In response to the sensor detecting first and second oncoming vehicles, the controller sets first and second virtual areas, and automatically brakes the own vehicle to prevent coming into contact with the first virtual area and the second virtual area once the own vehicle traverses the opposite lane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi OHMURA, Takashi NAKAGAMI, Xi CHEN
  • Publication number: 20200317192
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle control device capable of reducing a computational load thereon. The vehicle control device includes: an obstacle detection part; a target traveling course calculation part; a corrected traveling course calculation part; a main control part; a backup control part; and an output adjustment part to output a target steering angle and a target acceleration/deceleration, wherein the corrected traveling course calculation part is configured to set an upper limit of a permissible relative speed with respect to an obstacle, and to calculate the corrected traveling course, based on the upper limit, a given evaluation function, and a given limiting condition, wherein the output adjustment part is configured to output, as the control signal, a target steering angle and a target acceleration/deceleration in a situation where it is unable to calculate any corrected traveling course satisfying the limiting condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventors: Rie AWANE, Hiroshi OHMURA, Tetsuya TACHIHATA
  • Publication number: 20200238980
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicle control device which comprises a traveling course control part 10a to update a target traveling course R, and an automatic emergency avoidance control part (10b, 10e) to execute automatic emergency avoidance control processing for automatically operating a given control system to avoid collision with an obstacle. The part 10a corrects the target traveling course R to calculate plural corrected traveling course candidates for avoiding the obstacle, and evaluates the candidates by an evaluation function J to select one of the candidates as a corrected traveling course. The part 10a generates a first request signal for allowing the vehicle 1 to travel along the corrected traveling course. The emergency avoidance course control part (10b, 10e) generates a second request signal. The vehicle control device further comprises an output control part 10d to output the first or second request signal to the given control system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi GOTO, Hiroshi OHMURA, Kouji HOSODA, Tetsuya TACHIHATA, Takashi NAKAGAMI, Yuma NISHIJO, Yasuhiro KAWAHARA, Shota KATAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20200180614
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle control device (ECU) 10 which comprises a target traveling course calculation part 10a to calculate a target traveling course R of a vehicle 1, wherein the target traveling course calculation part 10a is configured to, upon detection of an obstacle, correct the target traveling course R so as to avoid the obstacle (S14). The target traveling course calculation part 10a is configured to, in the traveling course correction processing, correct the target traveling course R to calculate corrected traveling course candidate for avoiding the obstacle; and evaluate the corrected traveling course candidates with respect to the target traveling course R by an evaluation function J including evaluation factors, to derive one corrected traveling course according to the evaluation. The target traveling course calculation part 10a is configured to revise the evaluation factors based on an external signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi GOTO, Hiroshi OHMURA, Kouji HOSODA, Tetsuya TACHIHATA, Takashi NAKAGAMI, Yuma NISHIJO, Yasuhiro KAWAHARA, Shota KATAYAMA
  • Publication number: 20200180618
    Abstract: A vehicle control device (ECU) 10 is configured to, when there is an obstacle 3 in a lane 7, execute traveling course correction processing (S15) of setting a speed distribution zone 40 defining a distribution of an allowable upper limit Vlim of a relative speed of the vehicle 1 with respect to the obstacle 3, and calculate a corrected target traveling course Rc by correcting a target traveling course R so as to prevent the relative speed of the vehicle 1 from exceeding the limit Vlim and enable the vehicle 1 to avoid the obstacle 3. The traveling course correction processing includes restriction processing (S27) of calculating the corrected target traveling course (restricted target travel courses Rc1_r through Rc3_r) such that a lateral avoidance distance (L2_r, L3_r) thereof is restricted to be smaller when a border line of the lane 7 is not detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi OHMURA