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).

  • Patent number: 10332402
    Abstract: A school-travel assistance system includes automobiles. The automobiles include communication modules configured to communicate with each other, and are configured to perform auto-driving. At least one of the automobiles includes a camera configured to detect the group of children. The automobiles perform assistance control (first and second assistance controls) in which they cooperatively assist movement of the group of children, while communicating with each other through the communication modules. The assistance control is control of assisting the movement of the group of children by the automobile traveling in front of the group of children and the automobile traveling behind the group of children.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Jun Goto, Takenori Shimizu, Naoki Kurokawa, Junya Watanabe, Koji Kawasaki
  • Publication number: 20190180628
    Abstract: A user vehicle dispatch dealing system dispatches a passenger transport vehicle according to a vehicle dispatch request, which includes a riding point and a destination point. The system includes a vehicle situation obtaining unit that obtains a freight delivery vehicle situation including a delivery route and a current position of a freight delivery vehicle that delivers freight by autonomous driving, a vehicle situation determination unit that determines whether or not there is the freight delivery vehicle as a dispatch vehicle candidate in a state where a first preset range defined based on the delivery route includes the riding point, and an option presentation unit that presents an option of whether or not to request the dispatch of the freight delivery vehicle as the dispatch vehicle candidate to the user when the vehicle situation determination unit determines that there is the freight delivery vehicle as the dispatch vehicle candidate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi HAYASHI, Junya WATANABE, Yuji SASAKI, Seiji ARAKAWA, Naotoshi KADOTANI, Masafumi HAYAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20190180233
    Abstract: A vehicle dispatch device includes a position determination unit determining whether or not a destination and a delivery place match each other, a calculation unit calculates a delivery service fee to the delivery place, and a distance determination unit determining whether or not a boarding distance from a boarding position to the destination is equal to or longer than a reference boarding distance, wherein when the destination and the delivery place do not match each other and the boarding distance is not equal to or longer than the reference boarding distance, the calculation unit calculates a first delivery service fee, and when the destination and the delivery place do not match each other and the boarding distance is equal to or longer than the reference boarding distance, the calculation unit calculates a second delivery service fee, which is lower than the first delivery service fee.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naotoshi KADOTANI, Seiji ARAKAWA, Junya WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20190164114
    Abstract: A locker management device includes a management unit configured to manage a usage status of lockers provided in an autonomous driving vehicle, an acquisition unit configured to acquire a user's use-request for the locker, and a vehicle dispatch control unit configured to dispatch the autonomous driving vehicle to the user. The management unit is configured to determine the locker to be used by the user based on the usage status of the lockers and the use-request acquired by the acquisition unit, and the vehicle dispatch control unit is configured to dispatch the autonomous driving vehicle provided with the locker determined by the management unit to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naotoshi KADOTANI, Seiji ARAKAWA, Junya WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20190139414
    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: October 23, 2018
    Publication date: May 9, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi MORIMURA, Junya WATANABE, Seiji ARAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20190129434
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes an external situation recognition unit configured to recognize an external situation around a vehicle to recognize a traffic participant, an action schedule acquisition unit configured to acquire a first action schedule of the vehicle, an action schedule notification unit configured to notify a terminal possessed by the traffic participant of the first action schedule of the vehicle to request an approval of the first action schedule, a receiver configured to receive the approval of the first action schedule from the terminal; and an execution controller configured to execute an operation of the vehicle in accordance with the first action schedule when the receiver receives the approval of the first action schedule from the terminal and to suppress the operation of the vehicle in accordance with the first action schedule when the receiver does not receive the approval of the first action schedule from the terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi MORIMURA, Junya WATANABE, Seiji ARAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20190130763
    Abstract: A vehicle dispatch system includes: a plurality of vehicles each configured to perform automated driving and each including a wireless LAN module; and a server configured to communicate with the plurality of vehicles. The wireless LAN module is configured to connect to a user's portable terminal and an access point of a wireless LAN communication network, and is configured to relay wireless communication between the portable terminal and the wireless LAN communication network. The server is configured to output, to a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, an instruction for dispatching the vehicle by automated driving, in accordance with a vehicle dispatch request from the portable terminal. The vehicle, in response to the instruction, is configured to relay wireless communication between the portable terminal and the wireless LAN communication network by using the wireless LAN module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji KAWASAKI, Takenori SHIMIZU, Naoki KUROKAWA, Junya WATANABE, Jun GOTO
  • Publication number: 20190122560
    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: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Jun GOTO, Naoki KUROKAWA, Takenori SHIMIZU, Junya WATANABE, Koji KAWASAKI
  • Publication number: 20190122542
    Abstract: A traveling assisting method for an ambulance vehicle includes the first to third steps. The first step is the step of causing a server to acquire an expected arrival time at which an ambulance vehicle arrives at a traffic intersection that is located on an expected traveling route of the ambulance vehicle. The second step is the step of causing the server to acquire an expected arrival time at which a vehicle arrives at the traffic intersection, when the vehicle is located in surroundings of the expected traveling route. The third step is the step of causing the server to transmit a restraint instruction to the vehicle to travel toward the traffic intersection and to restrain entry of a vehicle other than the ambulance vehicle into the traffic intersection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoki KUROKAWA, Takenori SHIMIZU, Junya WATANABE, Jun GOTO, Koji KAWASAKI
  • Publication number: 20190122561
    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: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takenori SHIMIZU, Naoki KUROKAWA, Junya WATANABE, Jun GOTO, Koji KAWASAKI
  • Publication number: 20190113357
    Abstract: An alighting position setting device includes an option presentation unit configured to present an occupant of a vehicle with multiple options set in advance relating to a request for an alighting position for a destination when the vehicle in an autonomous driving toward the destination set in advance approaches the destination, an option recognition unit configured to recognize the option selected by the occupant from the multiple options, and an alighting position setting unit configured to set an alighting position based on the request for the alighting position corresponding to the option selected by the occupant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junya Watanabe, Seiji Arakawa, Yuji Sasaki, Masafumi Hayakawa, Naotoshi Kadotani, Takashi Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20190114922
    Abstract: A school-travel assistance system includes automobiles. The automobiles include communication modules configured to communicate with each other, and are configured to perform auto-driving. At least one of the automobiles includes a camera configured to detect the group of children. The automobiles perform assistance control (first and second assistance controls) in which they cooperatively assist movement of the group of children, while communicating with each other through the communication modules. The assistance control is control of assisting the movement of the group of children by the automobile traveling in front of the group of children and the automobile traveling behind the group of children.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Jun GOTO, Takenori SHIMIZU, Naoki KUROKAWA, Junya WATANABE, Koji KAWASAKI
  • Publication number: 20190108539
    Abstract: A vehicle dispatch device is configured to dispatch a vehicle having an autonomous driving function to a user, the device includes: a search unit configured to search for a first alternative moving object when the vehicle cannot continue the autonomous driving to the destination during the autonomous driving of the vehicle on which the user is boarded, the first alternative moving object to which the user can transfer at a boarding position which is within a predetermined distance from a position on a route to an end position of the autonomous driving of the vehicle, within a predetermined time from alighting from the vehicle; and a grant unit configured to grant a reward to the user when the first alternative moving object does not exist.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2018
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junya WATANABE, Seiji ARAKAWA, Yuji SASAKI, Masafumi HAYAKAWA, Naotoshi KADOTANI, Takashi HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20190108757
    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: September 5, 2018
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Junya WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20190086231
    Abstract: A travel control apparatus includes a travel control unit, an information addition unit configured to add the acquired additional information to map information, a required capacity acquisition unit configured to acquire a required capacity, and a remaining capacity acquisition unit configured to acquire a remaining capacity of the communication capacity. The travel control unit is configured to be able to perform the travel control in a plurality of modes including at least a first mode and a second mode and is configured to perform the travel control in any one of the modes based on the required capacity and the remaining capacity. The first mode is a mode of travel control performed based on the map information and is a mode of travel control of the vehicle in which the required capacity of the additional information is larger than that in the second mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Publication date: March 21, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Seiji ARAKAWA, Naotoshi KADOTANI, Junya WATANABE
  • Patent number: 10228129
    Abstract: Problem to be Solved To provide a waste gasification melting apparatus which, even if a fuel gas is used as an alternative to a part of the coke, the temperature of the coke bed can be sufficiently raised, and a method using the same. Solution A waste gasification melting apparatus including an oxygen rich air supply apparatus 14 for blowing oxygen rich air into a tuyere 5, and a fuel gas supply apparatus 15 for supplying a fuel gas to the tuyere 5, and a controller 16 for controlling the oxygen rich air supply apparatus 14; the oxygen rich air supply apparatus 14 mixing air and oxygen to prepare oxygen rich air and supply the oxygen rich air to the tuyere 5; and the controller 16 controlling the amount of air to be mixed and the amount of oxygen to be mixed in the oxygen rich air supply apparatus 14 so as to give an oxygen concentration of the oxygen rich air in accordance with the amount of fuel gas supplied to the tuyere 5 from the fuel gas supply apparatus 15.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: JFE Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Horiuchi, Keiichi Okuyama, Takeshi Uchiyama, Hajime Akiyama, Junya Watanabe, Takashi Nakayama, Kazumasa Wakimoto, Akio Shimomura
  • Publication number: 20190061688
    Abstract: When an autonomous driving vehicle picks a user up, a control device performs departure condition confirmation processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Junya WATANABE
  • Publication number: 20190047468
    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: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi MORIMURA, Junya WATANABE, Seiji ARAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20190043362
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle external notification device including a first notification unit that gives notice of information on an action schedule so as to be recognizable from the front of a host vehicle, a second notification unit that gives notice of the information so as to be recognizable from the side of the host vehicle, an action schedule unit that predicts a future action of a pedestrian, a parallel advance prediction unit that predicts whether or not the pedestrian advances in parallel with the host vehicle, and a notification control unit that causes the first notification unit to give notice of the information when it is predicted that the pedestrian does not advance in parallel with the host vehicle, and causes the second notification unit to give notice of the information when it is predicted that the pedestrian advances in parallel with the host vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junichi MORIMURA, Junya WATANABE, Seiji ARAKAWA
  • Publication number: 20190042996
    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: June 15, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Junya WATANABE, Yuji SASAKI, Seiji ARAKAWA, Naotoshi KADOTANI, Masafumi HAYAKAWA, Takashi HAYASHI