Patents by Inventor Katsuhiro Matsuoka

Katsuhiro Matsuoka 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: 9663034
    Abstract: There is provided an vehicle alarm output apparatus comprising: a waiting state determining unit configured to determine whether an own vehicle is in a waiting state; a start determining unit configured to determine whether the own vehicle starts to travel; an other vehicle information acquiring unit configured to acquire other vehicle information related to another vehicle; an arrival time calculating unit configured to calculate a time taken for the other vehicle to reach a front end of the own vehicle; and an output unit configured to output a certain alarm upon determining the own vehicle to be in the waiting state, the own vehicle to start, and the time to be equal to or less than a first threshold value; wherein the output unit is prevented from outputting the certain alarm upon detecting the time to be equal to or less than a second threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Matsuoka, Kazuhiro Morimoto
  • Publication number: 20170129401
    Abstract: A limited display space provided in a vehicle is used to effectively provide driving support information to a driver. When a notification condition for driving support information is satisfied, an information processing unit generates the driving support information, and determines whether the driving support information is prioritized driving support information or non-prioritized driving support information. When the driving support information is the prioritized driving support information, the information processing unit transmits an output request for the driving support information to an HUD ECU. As a result, the driving support information is displayed on a head-up display. On the other hand, when the driving support information is the non-prioritized driving support information, the information processing unit transmits an output request for the driving support information to a meter ECU. As a result, the driving support information is displayed on a meter display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2016
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiro MATSUOKA, Kazuhiro MORIMOTO
  • Patent number: 9607514
    Abstract: A drive assist device assists a driver who is driving a vehicle by showing, on a display unit, information related to an indication state of a traffic signal including a remaining time until the indication state of the traffic signal changes. The drive assist device includes a processor configured to output a representation of the remaining time to the display unit. The processor is configured to set the representation of the remaining time to a first representation when the remaining time is greater than a predetermined value and set the representation of the remaining time to a second representation when the remaining time is less than or equal to the predetermined value. The second representation differs from the first representation in at least one of brightness, saturation, and hue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Morimoto, Katsuhiro Matsuoka
  • Publication number: 20170084177
    Abstract: When an own vehicle is highly likely to collide with an obstacle, a notification of prompting a driver to carry out a collision avoidance operation is appropriately given. When an output request for collision avoidance support information exists, a notification ECU notifies of the collision avoidance support information irrespective of absence/presence of an output request for vehicle-infrastructure cooperation support information. When the output request for the collision avoidance support information does not exist and the output request for the vehicle-infrastructure cooperation support information exists, the notification ECU notifies of the vehicle-infrastructure cooperation support information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiro MATSUOKA, Kazuhiro MORIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170080859
    Abstract: The invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus configured to perform a first particular situation informing for providing information depending on a first particular situation regarding a vehicle traveling where a driver of a vehicle should be alerted and the vehicle should continue to be stopped when determining that a first particular situation occurs and perform a simultaneous operation informing for providing information depending on a simultaneous operation situation where both of an acceleration operator and a brake operator of the vehicle are operated when determining that the simultaneous operation situation occurs. The vehicle control apparatus is configured to perform the first particular situation informing without performing the simultaneous operation informing when determining that both of the first particular situation and the simultaneous operation situation occur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiro MATSUOKA, Kazuhiro MORIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170080930
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus of the invention is applied to a vehicle having at least one device configured to acquire a road situation information from an outside of the vehicle. The apparatus determines whether or not a particular situation regarding a vehicle traveling occurs on the basis of the road situation information. The particular situation being a situation that a driver of the vehicle should be alerted. The apparatus can perform an informing for alerting the driver and execute a cruise control for causing the vehicle to travel automatically without an operation of an acceleration operator of the vehicle. The apparatus performs the informing when the particular situation occurs, the cruise control is not executed and the acceleration operator is operated. The apparatus performs the informing when the particular situation occurs and the cruise control is executed, independently of whether or not the acceleration operator is operated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MORIMOTO, Katsuhiro MATSUOKA
  • Publication number: 20170080934
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus of the invention determines whether or not an informing condition is satisfied. The informing condition becomes satisfied when a particular situation regarding an own vehicle traveling that a driver of the own vehicle should be alerted occurs. The apparatus executes an informing control for alerting the driver when the informing condition is satisfied and executes a cruise control for causing the own vehicle to travel when a cruise condition is satisfied. The apparatus executes an adjustment process for forbidding the informing control and permitting the cruise control when both the informing and cruise conditions are satisfied and the own vehicle is accelerated or decelerated by the cruise control and for permitting both the informing and cruise controls when both the informing and cruise conditions are satisfied and the own vehicle is not accelerated nor decelerated by the cruise control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MORIMOTO, Katsuhiro MATSUOKA
  • Publication number: 20170072853
    Abstract: An intersection information acquisition unit acquires detection information by an object detection sensor including at least one of a vehicle detection sensor and a human detection sensor. A support processor performs driving support processing for outputting an alarm when the support processor determines that an own vehicle intends to cross the opposite lane and determines based on the acquired detection information that an object exists or the object is approaching in a direction in which the own vehicle travels to cross the opposite lane at the intersection. The support processor performs the driving support processing when the intersection information acquisition unit acquires detection information by the vehicle detection sensor. On the other hand, the support processor does not perform the driving support processing when the intersection information acquisition unit acquires detection information by the human detection sensor and does not acquire detection information by the vehicle detection sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiro MATSUOKA, Kazuhiro MORIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170072852
    Abstract: An alarm controller generates an alarm output instruction when an own vehicle state determination unit determines that an own vehicle intends to cross the opposite lane at an intersection, and the object state determination unit determines that an oncoming vehicle or a person exists or moves in a direction in which the own vehicle crosses the opposite lane at into the intersection. A shift position detector detects a shift lever position. When the shift position detector detects that a shift lever is in a parking position or a reverse position, the alarm controller does not generate the alarm output instruction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiro MATSUOKA, Kazuhiro MORIMOTO
  • Patent number: 9395448
    Abstract: An information indication apparatus installed in a vehicle, includes a vehicle's information obtainment unit to obtain a position of the vehicle; another vehicle's information obtainment unit to obtain a position of the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication; a relative position calculation unit to calculate a relative position of the other vehicle; and an indication unit to indicate one of areas, which represent ranges of directional angles as viewed from the vehicle, that includes the existence direction of the other vehicle, when the distance is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the other vehicle is traveling towards the vehicle. When the distance is less than or equal to a second threshold set to be less than the first threshold, the indication unit does not change the area to be indicated even if the existence direction of the other vehicle changes to be included in another area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Morimoto, Katsuhiro Matsuoka, Yoshikazu Toyama
  • Publication number: 20160148508
    Abstract: A drive assist device assists a driver who is driving a vehicle by showing, on a display unit, information related to an indication state of a traffic signal including a remaining time until the indication state of the traffic signal changes. The drive assist device includes a processor configured to output a representation of the remaining time to the display unit. The processor is configured to set the representation of the remaining time to a first representation when the remaining time is greater than a predetermined value and set the representation of the remaining time to a second representation when the remaining time is less than or equal to the predetermined value. The second representation differs from the first representation in at least one of brightness, saturation, and hue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Publication date: May 26, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MORIMOTO, Katsuhiro Matsuoka
  • Publication number: 20160139274
    Abstract: An information indication apparatus installed in a vehicle, includes a vehicle's information obtainment unit to obtain a position of the vehicle; another vehicle's information obtainment unit to obtain a position of the other vehicle by inter-vehicle communication; a relative position calculation unit to calculate a relative position of the other vehicle; and an indication unit to indicate one of areas, which represent ranges of directional angles as viewed from the vehicle, that includes the existence direction of the other vehicle, when the distance is less than or equal to a first threshold, and the other vehicle is traveling towards the vehicle. When the distance is less than or equal to a second threshold set to be less than the first threshold, the indication unit does not change the area to be indicated even if the existence direction of the other vehicle changes to be included in another area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Publication date: May 19, 2016
    Inventors: Kazuhiro MORIMOTO, Katsuhiro MATSUOKA, Yoshikazu TOYAMA
  • Publication number: 20160133129
    Abstract: A traffic signal state detection apparatus includes a first traffic signal information obtaining part that obtains first traffic signal information generated by a first infrastructure, a first output process part configured to calculate, based on the first traffic signal information from the first traffic signal information obtaining part, a second traffic signal information obtaining part that obtains second traffic signal information generated by a second infrastructure that is different from the first infrastructure, a second output process part that calculates, based on the second traffic signal information from the second traffic signal information obtaining part, and an output part that outputs one of the first and second remaining times in a situation where the first and second output demands are generated simultaneously, the output remaining time being related to one of the first and second output demands that is being continuously generated before the other is generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Publication date: May 12, 2016
    Inventors: Katsuhiro MATSUOKA, Kazuhiro MORIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20160101731
    Abstract: There is provided an vehicle alarm output apparatus comprising: a waiting state determining unit configured to determine whether an own vehicle is in a waiting state; a start determining unit configured to determine whether the own vehicle starts to travel; an other vehicle information acquiring unit configured to acquire other vehicle information related to another vehicle; an arrival time calculating unit configured to calculate a time taken for the other vehicle to reach a front end of the own vehicle; and an output unit configured to output a certain alarm upon determining the own vehicle to be in the waiting state, the own vehicle to start, and the time to be equal to or less than a first threshold value; wherein the output unit is prevented from outputting the certain alarm upon detecting the time to be equal to or less than a second threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Publication date: April 14, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiro MATSUOKA, Kazuhiro MORIMOTO
  • Patent number: 8849553
    Abstract: A vehicle-mounted driving supporting device 2 supports driving on the basis of the presence of a nonpriority vehicle A entering a priority road 50 from a nonpriority road 40. The vehicle-mounted driving supporting device 2 includes an information provision determination device 34 which, when a host vehicle is traveling on the priority road 50, determines whether or not driving support is required on the basis of the specification regarding driving support of the nonpriority vehicle A received from the outside. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a driver from feeling bothered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Katsuhiro Matsuoka
  • Publication number: 20110307121
    Abstract: A vehicle-mounted driving supporting device 2 supports driving on the basis of the presence of a nonpriority vehicle A entering a priority road 50 from a nonpriority road 40. The vehicle-mounted driving supporting device 2 includes an information provision determination device 34 which, when a host vehicle is traveling on the priority road 50, determines whether or not driving support is required on the basis of the specification regarding driving support of the nonpriority vehicle A received from the outside. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a driver from feeling bothered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Katsuhiro Matsuoka