Patents by Inventor Hisashi Satonaka

Hisashi Satonaka 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).

  • Publication number: 20040254719
    Abstract: A parking assist apparatus includes a target parking position setting means for setting a target parking position by an operation on a display appearing on an actual image that shows vehicle surroundings, and a traveling locus calculating means for calculating a traveling locus to the target parking position for performing a parking assist to guide the vehicle along the traveling locus. The parking assist apparatus further includes a memory means for keeping storing an information of the traveling locus being generated at a time immediately before a resetting of the target parking position is performed until a new traveling locus to a new target parking position is generated under a condition that the parking assist is once started based on the traveling locus initially generated and when the resetting of the target parking position is performed before the vehicle reaches the target parking position being initially set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Publication date: December 16, 2004
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuu Tanaka, Yoshifumi Iwata, Hideyuki Iwakiri, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Akira Matsui, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20040249564
    Abstract: Parking assist apparatus and method cause a vehicle driver to set a target parking position in which the vehicle is to be parked by prompting the driver to specify the position of a parking space frame in the screen of a touch display by touch-operating arrow button swithches shown in the screen, and then calculate a path to the target parking position. If a path to the target parking position is not generated by calculation, the arrow button switches for moving the parking space frame in such directions that a path will not be generated (i.e., the vehicle cannot be parked), among all the arrow button switches, are made non-displayed or are displayed dimmer than the other arrow button switches, and are disabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2004
    Publication date: December 9, 2004
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideyuki Iwakiri, Hisashi Satonaka, Yuichi Kubota, Tomohiko Endo, Akira Matsui, Toru Sugiyama, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka, Yuu Tanaka, Yoshifumi Iwata
  • Patent number: 6826469
    Abstract: A vehicle traveling control system includes a control mode for controlling a vehicle speed by applying braking force so as to maintain the vehicle speed at a predetermined driving force threshold vehicle speed or smaller than that while a predetermined driving force beyond a creeping torque has been applied. The applied driving force is reduced when a target braking force required for maintaining the vehicle speed at the predetermined upper threshold vehicle speed or smaller than that is equal to a first predetermined value or greater than that. The applied driving force is increased when the target braking force or the actual braking force becomes a second predetermined value or smaller than that during the applied driving force being reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Iwata, Yuu Tanaka, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hisashi Satonaka, Mitsuhiko Morita, Tomohiko Endo, Seiji Kawakami, Hiroaki Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20030222793
    Abstract: A parking assist system includes an image obtaining means for obtaining an image of a view from a vehicle, a displaying means for displaying the image obtained by the image obtaining means in a monitor display provided in the vehicle, an inputting means for inputting a target parking position, at which the vehicle is parked, on the monitor display, a detecting means for detecting a relative relationship between the vehicle and the target parking position, and a judging means for judging whether or not the vehicle can be parked at the target parking position based upon the relative relationship detected by the detecting means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2003
    Publication date: December 4, 2003
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuu Tanaka, Yoshifumi Iwata, Hisashi Satonaka, Tomohiko Endo, Mitsuhiko Morita, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Seiji Kawakami, Hiroaki Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20030156045
    Abstract: According to a parking assist device and a method for assisting parking of the invention, when a parking assist is canceled after a start of the parking assist, and the parking assist is restarted, a target parking position (P2B) is reset at a reset position (P1B). In the invention, at this time, the target parking position (P2B) is determined based on a target parking position (P2A) which is set at a parking preparation position (P1A), and the determined target parking position (P2B) is displayed on a screen of a monitor (4) as a default display position of a target parking frame (11) at a reset time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2003
    Publication date: August 21, 2003
    Inventors: Yuu Tanaka, Yoshifumi Iwata, Tomohiko Endo, Hisashi Satonaka, Mitsuhiko Morita, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20030154014
    Abstract: A vehicle traveling control system includes a control mode for controlling a vehicle speed by applying braking force so as to maintain the vehicle speed at a predetermined upper threshold vehicle speed or smaller than that while a predetermined driving force beyond a creeping torque has been applied. The applied driving force is reduced when a target braking force required for maintaining the vehicle speed at the predetermined upper threshold vehicle speed or smaller than that is equal to a first predetermined value or greater than that. The applied driving force is increased when the target braking force or the actual braking force becomes a second predetermined value or smaller than that during the applied driving force being reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2003
    Publication date: August 14, 2003
    Applicant: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshifumi IWATA , Yuu TANAKA , Katsuhiko IWAZAKI , Mitsuhiko MORITA , Tomohiko ENDO , Seiji KAWAKAMI , Hiroaki KATAOKA , Hisashi SATONAKA
  • Publication number: 20030151526
    Abstract: A parking assist device (1) includes a camera (3) for capturing an image of an exterior of a vehicle, and a monitor (4) for displaying the captured image, and sets a target parking position by moving a target parking frame (11) displayed on a screen of the monitor (4). A default position of the target parking frame (11) is determined based on a target parking position (P2) which is a relative position with respect to a parking preparation position (P1). The target parking position (P2) is estimated based on a running state of the vehicle until the vehicle reaches the parking preparation position (P1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2003
    Publication date: August 14, 2003
    Inventors: Yuu Tanaka, Yoshifumi Iwata, Tomohiko Endo, Hisashi Satonaka, Mitsuhiko Morita, Seiji Kawakami, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Hiroaki Kataoka
  • Publication number: 20030150661
    Abstract: In a parking assist apparatus that assists with moving, by automatic steering, a vehicle from an arbitrary stopping position to a target parking position set by the driver, a setting portion (i.e., a parking assist ECU) sets both a path from the stopping position to the target parking position and a steering operation necessary to bring the vehicle along that path. When this path cannot be set with the steering angle in the stopping position set as the initial steering angle, and when the path can be set with another steering angle as the initial steering angle, an instruction portion (i.e., a monitor or a speaker) instructs the driver to turn the steering wheel to this other steering angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2003
    Publication date: August 14, 2003
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kataoka, Hisashi Satonaka, Seiji Kawakami, Mitsuhiko Morita, Tomohiko Endo, Katsuhiko Iwazaki, Yoshifumi Iwata, Yuu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 5938714
    Abstract: A distance control apparatus includes a distance detecting device which detects a distance between a vehicle and a preceding vehicle. A vehicle speed control device controls the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle by adjusting a speed of the vehicle based on the detected distance, so that the vehicle is kept away from the preceding vehicle at a target distance. A distance control start/stop determination device determines one of execution and cancellation of the control of the distance by the vehicle speed control device in response to an operating condition of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hisashi Satonaka
  • Patent number: 5929785
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle includes a position data detecting unit for detecting position data on a preceding vehicle, a picture taking unit for taking a picture in front in a traveling direction of the vehicle, a driving operation data detecting unit for detecting driving operation data on the preceding vehicle from the picture, and a control unit for performing a predetermined control on the basis of the position data on the preceding vehicle and the driving operation data thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hisashi Satonaka
  • Patent number: 5892855
    Abstract: An onboard forward monitoring system is disclosed in which three television cameras, each supported by a steering mechanism, take picture of a road surface located forward of a vehicle at near distance, a medium distance and a far distance zone to detect white lines which partition a lane on the road surface, thus detecting a vehicle running ahead on the lane which is defined by the white lines. To enable a reliable detection and tracking of the vehicle running ahead in any zone of the road surface even when the road is curved, the individual television cameras are steered so that a vehicle running ahead is positioned at the center of the screen whenever such vehicle is present and so that a center across the width of the lane is positioned at the center of screen when a vehicle running ahead is not detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kakinami, Mitsuyoshi Saiki, Kunihiko Soshi, Hisashi Satonaka
  • Patent number: 5749427
    Abstract: A constant speed regulator apparatus includes a vehicle speed sensing unit which detects a vehicle speed of an automotive vehicle. An idle switch unit detects an OFF state of a throttle valve. A throttle adjusting actuator adjusts a throttle opening angle of the throttle valve to vary the vehicle speed. A target speed determining unit determines a target speed by using the vehicle speed which is detected by the vehicle speed sensing unit immediately after the OFF state of the throttle valve is detected by the idle switch unit. An actuator control unit regulates the throttle adjusting actuator so that the vehicle speed is maintained at the target speed determined by the target speed determining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hisashi Satonaka, Setsuo Tokoro