Patents by Inventor Junya Watanabe

Junya Watanabe 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: 20200265382
    Abstract: A delivery system includes: a judging section that, after a package is primarily moved to a vicinity of a delivery destination by a vehicle in which the package is accommodated, and the package is to be secondarily moved from the vehicle to the delivery destination by a moving body, judges whether or not there is a moving body that is available for secondary movement of the package among a first moving body that is loaded in the vehicle and a second moving body that is stationed at the delivery destination or a vicinity thereof; and a control section that, in a case in which it is judged by the judging section that there is a moving body that is available for the secondary movement of the package, causes the moving body that is available for the secondary movement of the package to carry out the secondary movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Inventors: Ayano TSURUTA, Yasuhiro HARA, Junya WATANABE
  • Patent number: 10739144
    Abstract: A map information update system includes a map database; a server; a vehicle position recognition unit configured to recognizes a vehicle position of a vehicle on a map; an external environment information generation unit configured to generate external environment information related to an external environment of the vehicle in association with the vehicle position on the map based on the vehicle position on the map and a detection result of a sensor mounted on the vehicle; a map freshness calculation unit configured to calculate map freshness per area set in advance on map information; a awarding unit configured to award a user of the vehicle or the vehicle an incentive point which is set in advance in accordance with the map freshness of the area corresponding to the external environment information, when the external environment information is transmitted to the server from the vehicle; and a user interaction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junya Watanabe, Hideyuki Matsui, Norihiro Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20200242939
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes an external situation recognition unit configured to recognize a crossing person who crosses over a path of a vehicle and acquire information on the crossing person and information on an environment where the crossing person crosses, a scheduled departure time deciding unit configured to decide a scheduled departure time of the vehicle based on the information on the crossing person and the environment where the crossing person crosses when the crossing person is recognized by the external situation recognition unit, and an informing controller configured to perform a control to inform an outside of the vehicle of the scheduled departure time. The scheduled departure time deciding unit predicts a crossing completion time at which the crossing person recognized by the external situation recognition unit completes the crossing and decides the scheduled departure time based on the crossing completion time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi MORIMURA, Junya WATANABE, Seiji ARAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20200242529
    Abstract: A server includes a unit obtaining a position of a registered vehicle, a unit obtaining a vehicle dispatch position, a unit determining a candidate vehicle based on the vehicle dispatch position and the position of the registered vehicle, a unit transmitting information regarding an autonomous driving function of the candidate vehicle to a user device, a unit receiving information for identifying a dispatch vehicle, and a unit transmitting a vehicle dispatch position to the dispatch vehicle. The user device includes a unit receiving the information regarding the autonomous driving function of the candidate vehicle, a unit displaying the information regarding the autonomous driving function of the candidate vehicle, an unit accepting a user operation for selecting the dispatch vehicle, and a unit transmitting the information for identifying the dispatch vehicle to the server.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junya WATANABE, Yuji SASAKI, Seiji ARAKAWA, Naotoshi KADOTANI, Masafumi HAYAKAWA, Takashi HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20200226932
    Abstract: A vehicle dispatch system provides a vehicle dispatch service of an autonomous driving vehicle in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user. The vehicle dispatch system includes a dispatch vehicle position estimation unit that estimates a dispatch vehicle position based on comparison of a surrounding environment recognition information, which is acquired by a sensor mounted in a dispatch vehicle, with a surrounding environment storage information, which is stored in advance, a user terminal position estimation unit configured to estimate a user terminal position, a surrounding image generation unit configured to generate a surrounding image of the dispatch vehicle based on the surrounding environment recognition information or the surrounding environment storage information, and a display processing unit configured to display a superimposed image having the dispatch vehicle position and the user terminal position superimposed on the surrounding image on a user terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Junya WATANABE
  • Patent number: 10685571
    Abstract: A vehicle dispatch system provides a vehicle dispatch service of an autonomous driving vehicle in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user. The vehicle dispatch system includes a dispatch vehicle position estimation unit that estimates a dispatch vehicle position based on comparison of a surrounding environment recognition information, which is acquired by a sensor mounted in a dispatch vehicle, with a surrounding environment storage information, which is stored in advance, a user terminal position estimation unit configured to estimate a user terminal position, a surrounding image generation unit configured to generate a surrounding image of the dispatch vehicle based on the surrounding environment recognition information or the surrounding environment storage information, and a display processing unit configured to display a superimposed image having the dispatch vehicle position and the user terminal position superimposed on the surrounding image on a user terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Junya Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20200175471
    Abstract: A vehicle including: a first bay configured to accommodate a ground-based moving body; a second bay configured to accommodate a flying moving body; a cargo hold connected to both the first bay and the second bay, and configured to store a package to be moved to either the ground-based moving body or the flying moving body; a first memory; and a first processor connected to the first memory, the first processor being configured to select whether to move the package in the cargo hold to the ground-based moving body or the flying moving body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ayano TSURUTA, Yasuhiro HARA, Junya WATANABE, Kenta MIYAHARA, Nana KIKUIRE
  • Publication number: 20200175468
    Abstract: A delivery system including a vehicle in which a package addressed to a specific user is stored, and a moving body deployed at a delivery site of the package: the moving body including: a first memory, and a first processor that is connected to the first memory; and the first processor being configured to: transmit and receive predetermined information, and perform control, in a case in which the vehicle is proximate to the delivery site, to move the moving body from the delivery site toward the vehicle, to retrieve the package, and then to move the moving body back to the delivery site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ayano Tsuruta, Yasuhiro Hara, Junya Watanabe, Kenta Miyahara, Nana Kikuire
  • Patent number: 10657822
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes an external situation recognition unit configured to recognize a crossing person who crosses over a path of a vehicle and acquire information on the crossing person and information on an environment where the crossing person crosses, a scheduled departure time deciding unit configured to decide a scheduled departure time of the vehicle based on the information on the crossing person and the environment where the crossing person crosses when the crossing person is recognized by the external situation recognition unit, and an informing controller configured to perform a control to inform an outside of the vehicle of the scheduled departure time. The scheduled departure time deciding unit predicts a crossing completion time at which the crossing person recognized by the external situation recognition unit completes the crossing and decides the scheduled departure time based on the crossing completion time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi Morimura, Junya Watanabe, Seiji Arakawa
  • Patent number: 10647297
    Abstract: When an autonomous driving vehicle picks a user up, a control device performs departure condition confirmation processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Junya Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10643479
    Abstract: A vehicle dispatch system provides a vehicle dispatch service of an autonomous driving vehicle in response to a vehicle dispatch request from a user. The vehicle dispatch system includes a dispatch vehicle position estimation unit that estimates a dispatch vehicle position based on comparison of a surrounding environment recognition information, which is acquired by a sensor mounted in a dispatch vehicle, with a surrounding environment storage information, which is stored in advance, a user terminal position estimation unit configured to estimate a user terminal position, a surrounding image generation unit configured to generate a surrounding image of the dispatch vehicle based on the surrounding environment recognition information or the surrounding environment storage information, and a display processing unit configured to display a superimposed image having the dispatch vehicle position and the user terminal position superimposed on the surrounding image on a user terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Junya Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10621872
    Abstract: If a vehicle with a user on board becomes undrivable due to insufficient power, a server uses first information, second information, and third information to set a vehicle-switching location between a current location of the vehicle and a destination, and dispatches a vehicle to the vehicle-switching location. When the vehicle joins the vehicle at the vehicle-switching location, the vehicle travels toward the destination with the user on board. After the user gets off the vehicle, the vehicle travels by self-driving toward a charging station. The first information is positional information of the charging station. The second information is information on a self-driving route of the vehicle from the vehicle-switching location to the charging station. The third information is information indicating reliability about whether or not the vehicle can arrive at the charging station by self-driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takenori Shimizu, Naoki Kurokawa, Junya Watanabe, Jun Goto, Koji Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 10600323
    Abstract: The vehicle external notification device includes a notification unit that gives notice of the information to the outside of the vehicle, a proposal action determination unit that determines an action to be proposed to the pedestrian, a notification control unit that causes the notification unit to notify the pedestrian of information on the action to be proposed to the pedestrian, an action detection unit that detects an action of the pedestrian, and an action determination unit that determines whether or not the action of the pedestrian which is detected by the action detection unit is the action proposed to the pedestrian. The notification control unit causes the notification unit to notify the pedestrian of information indicating that the action of the pedestrian is the proposed action, when the action determination unit determines that the action of the pedestrian is the action proposed to the pedestrian.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi Morimura, Junya Watanabe, Seiji Arakawa
  • Publication number: 20200056780
    Abstract: The present invention provides a solid fuel burner which ensures ignition performance and flame holding performance of a fuel nozzle. The present invention provides a solid fuel burner which achieves cost reduction by simplifying the structure of the fuel nozzle, for example, and which ensures the ignition performance and flame holding performance of the fuel nozzle. Further, the present invention provides a burner which enables stable combustion by both solid fuel and oil combustion with the suppression of soot and dust and mist generated during the oil start-up envisaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Junya WATANABE, Koji KURAMASHI, Akira BABA, Kosuke KITAKAZE, Kenichi OCHI, Kenji KIYAMA
  • Patent number: 10546500
    Abstract: A vehicle dispatch method is a method for dispatching vehicles by a server, each of the vehicles being configured to perform automated driving. The vehicle dispatch method includes first to fifth steps. The first step is a step of dispatching, the vehicle to a current location of a user. The second step is a step of dispatching, the vehicle with no driver on board to a destination of the user using positional information of the destination. The third step is a step of, when the vehicle arrives at the destination, parking the vehicle at a parking space. The fourth step is a step of, when it is detected that the vehicle with the user on board approaches the parking space, moving the vehicle from the parking space. The fifth step is a step of parking the vehicle at the parking space where the vehicle has been parked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI
    Inventors: Jun Goto, Naoki Kurokawa, Takenori Shimizu, Junya Watanabe, Koji Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 10534363
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes a route acquisition unit, a vehicle position determination unit, a stop section estimation unit, an intention confirmation unit, a reward provision unit configured to provide reward for getting off the vehicle in a case where the intention confirmation unit confirms that the occupant has the intention to get off the vehicle, and a traveling controller configured to perform an autonomous driving control and to stop a vehicle before the vehicle arrives at an autonomous driving stop section in a case where the intention confirmation unit confirms that an occupant has the intention to get off the vehicle while the autonomous driving control is being performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junya Watanabe, Hideyuki Matsui
  • Publication number: 20190310430
    Abstract: A connector-attached optical fiber cord includes: an optical fiber cord including a coated optical fiber and a sheath surrounding a circumference of the coated optical fiber; a ferrule attached to a front end of the coated optical fiber; a housing that houses the ferrule and the optical fiber cord such that the ferrule is exposed to an exterior of the housing at a front end of the housing while the optical fiber cord extends out of a rear end of the housing; a protective tube attached to a portion of the optical fiber cord in which the coated optical fiber is exposed; and a boot attached to the rear end of the housing and that allows the portion of the optical fiber cord to be inserted through the boot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Publication date: October 10, 2019
    Applicant: FUJIKURA LTD.
    Inventors: Thao Thi Thanh Nguyen, Kunihiko Fujiwara, Junya Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10421394
    Abstract: A driving assistance device for assisting driving a vehicle includes a non-congested state calculation unit and an intent notification control unit. The non-congested state calculation unit is configured to calculate a non-congested state of a plurality of dynamic obstacles around the vehicle. The intent notification control unit is configured to control a notification device such that a notification of intent of the vehicle to pass is performed based on the non-congested state calculated by the non-congested state calculation unit after the vehicle has decelerated or stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi Morimura, Junya Watanabe, Seiji Arakawa
  • Patent number: 10401868
    Abstract: An autonomous driving system includes a waypoint destination database storing waypoint destination data associating a type of a waypoint destination with a preset action of a vehicle. The waypoint destination is a destination that the vehicle visits before arriving at a predetermined destination. The autonomous driving system includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to autonomously drive the vehicle toward the predetermined destination, set the waypoint destination, present the preset action performed at the waypoint destination, to an occupant of the vehicle, based on the waypoint destination and the waypoint destination data. The electronic control unit is configured to determine whether the preset action is permitted by the occupant, and cause the autonomously driven vehicle to perform the preset action at the waypoint destination when it is determined that the preset action is permitted by the occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Junya Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20190197648
    Abstract: A vehicle dispatch management device includes an option presentation unit configured to present an option of whether or not a purpose of use of an autonomous driving vehicle is to take a rest within a vehicle to a user who requests dispatch of the autonomous driving vehicle, an option reception unit configured to receive the option selected by the user, and a feature information presentation unit configured to present first information representing a first feature of the vehicle as a dispatch vehicle candidate to the user when the option reception unit receives the option indicating that the purpose of use is not to take a rest within the vehicle, and presents second information representing a second feature of the vehicle as the dispatch vehicle candidate to the user when the option reception unit receives the option indicating that the purpose of use is to take a rest within the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Seiji ARAKAWA, Naotoshi KADOTANI, Junya WATANABE