Patents by Inventor Katsuhisa MAEDO

Katsuhisa MAEDO 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: 11938814
    Abstract: A driving assistance device enables a driver who manually performs an accelerator operation and a steering operation to easily retain an accelerator operation state in a constant state. A driving assistance device includes a manually operable accelerator operation unit in the vicinity of a steering wheel provided in front of a driver seat in a vehicle cabin. The accelerator operation unit is operable in a state where the steering wheel is gripped and an operation reaction force of the accelerator operation unit exhibits an inflection point POI at which the operation reaction force rapidly becomes large in response to an increase in an operation amount of the accelerator operation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yutaka Sakuragi, Tomoya Yamamoto, Kenichi Nakamoto, Yasuyuki Tonohara, Yu Morokuma, Katsuhisa Maedo
  • Patent number: 11897537
    Abstract: A driver assistance system is provided that allows a driver to easily perform an accelerator operation by a finger of his/her hand while grasping a steering holding section. The driver assistance system includes an operation member near a steering wheel held by a driver, which rotates about a rotation shaft in a vehicle front-rear direction and thereby steers the vehicle. The operation member has an operation section that the driver can manually operate to accelerate/decelerate the vehicle, and includes a support member on the steering wheel, the support member supporting the operation member in a slidingly displaceable manner along a steering axial direction. The operation section is disposed near a radially inner side of a rim section of the steering wheel, and the operation section and the rim section overlap in the steering axial direction within a movable range of the operation member along the steering axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Yamamoto, Yasuyuki Tonohara, Keiichi Yamasaki, Katsuhisa Maedo, Kenichi Nakamoto
  • Patent number: 11755054
    Abstract: A driver assistance system enables brake and accelerator operation by an operation bar in a manner close to a sense of a driver of a vehicle, regardless of the degree of operation of the operation bar. Embodiments include an operation bar extending downward toward a vehicle floor panel from a manual operation area where a seated driver manually operates the operation bar, and whose lower portion is supported in a slidingly displaceable manner along an axial direction in a front-down, rear-up tilted state. The operation bar includes a brake actuation section, below the manual operation area, that actuates a brake mechanism by sliding displacement of the operation bar in a front-down direction; and an accelerator actuation section that actuates an acceleration mechanism by sliding displacement of the operation bar in a rear-up direction that is a reverse direction on the same axis from the sliding displacement in the front-down direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Yamamoto, Yasuyuki Tonohara, Keiichi Yamasaki, Katsuhisa Maedo, Kazutaka Aihara
  • Patent number: 11643056
    Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus that includes a brake operation portion that applies a brake to a vehicle, the brake operation portion allowing a manual brake operation by a hand of a driver of the vehicle, the brake operation portion including a brake operation body and a grip portion to be gripped by the hand of the driver, the grip portion being provided at an upper end of the brake operation body, and a shift-down switch that shifts-down the vehicle is provided on the grip portion, the shift-down switch allowing a manual shift-down operation by the hand of the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yutaka Sakuragi, Masaaki Aoki, Keiichi Yamasaki, Katsuhisa Maedo, Shigeru Takenaka, Kenichi Nakamoto
  • Publication number: 20220326726
    Abstract: A driver assistance system enables brake and accelerator operation by an operation bar in a manner close to a sense of a driver of a vehicle, regardless of the degree of operation of the operation bar. Embodiments include an operation bar extending downward toward a vehicle floor panel from a manual operation area where a seated driver manually operates the operation bar, and whose lower portion is supported in a slidingly displaceable manner along an axial direction in a front-down, rear-up tilted state. The operation bar includes a brake actuation section, below the manual operation area, that actuates a brake mechanism by sliding displacement of the operation bar in a front-down direction; and an accelerator actuation section that actuates an acceleration mechanism by sliding displacement of the operation bar in a rear-up direction that is a reverse direction on the same axis from the sliding displacement in the front-down direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Publication date: October 13, 2022
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihiro YAMAMOTO, Yasuyuki TONOHARA, Keiichi YAMASAKI, Katsuhisa MAEDO, Kazutaka AIHARA
  • Publication number: 20220234644
    Abstract: A driver assistance system is provided that allows a driver to easily perform an accelerator operation by a finger of his/her hand while grasping a steering holding section. The driver assistance system includes an operation member near a steering wheel held by a driver, which rotates about a rotation shaft in a vehicle front-rear direction and thereby steers the vehicle. The operation member has an operation section that the driver can manually operate to accelerate/decelerate the vehicle, and includes a support member on the steering wheel, the support member supporting the operation member in a slidingly displaceable manner along a steering axial direction. The operation section is disposed near a radially inner side of a rim section of the steering wheel, and the operation section and the rim section overlap in the steering axial direction within a movable range of the operation member along the steering axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2020
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshihiro YAMAMOTO, Yasuyuki TONOHARA, Keiichi YAMASAKI, Katsuhisa MAEDO, Kenichi NAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20220219655
    Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus that includes a brake operation portion that applies a brake to a vehicle, the brake operation portion allowing a manual brake operation by a hand of a driver of the vehicle, the brake operation portion including a brake operation body and a grip portion to be gripped by the hand of the driver, the grip portion being provided at an upper end of the brake operation body, and a shift-down switch that shifts-down the vehicle is provided on the grip portion, the shift-down switch allowing a manual shift-down operation by the hand of the driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka SAKURAGI, Masaaki AOKI, Keiichi YAMASAKI, Katsuhisa MAEDO, Shigeru TAKENAKA, Kenichi NAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20220219531
    Abstract: A driving assistance device enables a driver who manually performs an accelerator operation and a steering operation to easily retain an accelerator operation state in a constant state. A driving assistance device includes a manually operable accelerator operation unit in the vicinity of a steering wheel provided in front of a driver seat in a vehicle cabin. The accelerator operation unit is operable in a state where the steering wheel is gripped and an operation reaction force of the accelerator operation unit exhibits an inflection point POI at which the operation reaction force rapidly becomes large in response to an increase in an operation amount of the accelerator operation unit 21.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Publication date: July 14, 2022
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka SAKURAGI, Tomoya YAMAMOTO, Kenichi NAKAMOTO, Yasuyuki TONOHARA, Yu MOROKUMA, Katsuhisa MAEDO