Patents by Inventor Kazuhito ESHIMA

Kazuhito ESHIMA 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: 11921503
    Abstract: An automatic parking system configured to cause an autonomous vehicle to travel autonomously from a parking space to a pickup area based on a parking space departure time determined such that the autonomous vehicle arrives the pickup area at a scheduled pickup time that is predetermined. The automatic parking system includes an on-control time setting unit configured to set an on-control time at which a state of the autonomous vehicle is controlled to be a power-on state based on the parking space departure time, and a power-on control unit configured to control the state of the autonomous vehicle to be the power-on state based on the on-control time that is set. The on-control time setting unit is configured to set the on-control time such that the power-on state is established prior to the parking space departure time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuhito Eshima
  • Patent number: 11634117
    Abstract: A parking support apparatus is configured to automatically park a target vehicle in a target parking space, which is one parking space out of a plurality of parking spaces. The parking support apparatus is provided with: an acquirer configured to obtain parking information indicating a parking posture of a parked vehicle in one or a plurality of parking spaces around the target parking space, out of the plurality of parking spaces; and a determinator configured to determine a parking posture of the target parking vehicle with respect to the target parking space, on the basis of the obtained parking information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuhito Eshima
  • Patent number: 11175673
    Abstract: A drive assist apparatus includes an electronic control unit configured to: acquire space availability information that indicates whether each of a plurality of parking spaces in a parking lot is an occupied space or a vacant space; and set at least one of a speed of a vehicle that moves in the parking lot and a moving route of the vehicle based on the space availability information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuhito Eshima
  • Publication number: 20210181743
    Abstract: An automatic parking system configured to cause an autonomous vehicle to travel autonomously from a parking space to a pickup area based on a parking space departure time determined such that the autonomous vehicle arrives the pickup area at a scheduled pickup time that is predetermined. The automatic parking system includes an on-control time setting unit configured to set an on-control time at which a state of the autonomous vehicle is controlled to be a power-on state based on the parking space departure time, and a power-on control unit configured to control the state of the autonomous vehicle to be the power-on state based on the on-control time that is set. The on-control time setting unit is configured to set the on-control time such that the power-on state is established prior to the parking space departure time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Publication date: June 17, 2021
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuhito Eshima
  • Patent number: 10789847
    Abstract: A parking assist device includes: a comparator configured to compare parking priorities of a first vehicle and a second vehicle, the first vehicle being a vehicle to be newly parked in a parking section, the second vehicle being an automatically travelable vehicle already parked in a first parking space; a first instruction unit configured to output, to the second vehicle, a signal instructing to exit the first parking space by automatic travel, when the parking priority regarding use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle; and a second instruction unit configured to output, to the first vehicle, a signal in instructing to park in the first parking space, when the parking priority regarding the use of the first paring space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobutsugu Maruiwa, Yoshio Mukaiyama, Ryuji Okamura, Kazuhito Eshima, Issei Matsunaga, Tatsuya Sugano
  • Publication number: 20200143683
    Abstract: A parking assist device includes: a comparator configured to compare parking priorities of a first vehicle and a second vehicle, the first vehicle being a vehicle to be newly parked in a parking section, the second vehicle being an automatically travelable vehicle already parked in a first parking space; a first instruction unit configured to output, to the second vehicle, a signal instructing to exit the first parking space by automatic travel, when the parking priority regarding use of the first parking space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle; and a second instruction unit configured to output, to the first vehicle, a signal in instructing to park in the first parking space, when the parking priority regarding the use of the first paring space of the first vehicle is higher than that of the second vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Nobutsugu MARUIWA, Yoshio MUKAIYAMA, Ryuji OKAMURA, Kazuhito ESHIMA, Issei MATSUNAGA, Tatsuya SUGANO
  • Publication number: 20200074859
    Abstract: A parking system is configured to manage driving of an autonomous vehicle in a parking lot, which has a parking section including a plurality of parking spaces and runways for vehicle passage. The parking system is provided with: an acquirer configured to obtain route information indicating a route on which the autonomous vehicle travels in the parking lot; and an effect applier configured to apply a visual effect to at least a part of the runways so as to visually distinguish between a part of the runways corresponding to the route indicated by the route information and the other part of the runways other than the corresponding part, on the basis of the route information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuhito ESHIMA
  • Publication number: 20190276011
    Abstract: A parking support apparatus is configured to automatically park a target vehicle in a target parking space, which is one parking space out of a plurality of parking spaces. The parking support apparatus is provided with: an acquirer configured to obtain parking information indicating a parking posture of a parking vehicle in one or a plurality of parking spaces around the target parking space, out of the plurality of parking spaces; and a determinator configured to determine a parking posture of the target parking vehicle with respect to the target parking space, on the basis of the obtained parking information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuhito ESHIMA
  • Publication number: 20190146516
    Abstract: A drive assist apparatus includes an electronic control unit configured to: acquire space availability information that indicates whether each of a plurality of parking spaces in a parking lot is an occupied space or a vacant space; and set at least one of a speed of a vehicle that moves in the parking lot and a moving route of the vehicle based on the space availability information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuhito ESHIMA
  • Patent number: 10155491
    Abstract: An electric power supply device includes first and second batteries respectively supplying electric power to a plurality of load instruments mounted on a vehicle, an electric power generator capable of charging the first battery and the second battery by regenerative electric power generation, and control means for controlling the electric power generator so that a charging electric power amount of at least one of the first battery and the second battery based on the regenerative electric power generation is suppressed in a case where at least one of a high-load instrument and a backup target instrument is present among the plurality of load instruments and the electric power generator is performing the regenerative electric power generation during the deceleration of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeaki Suzuki, Michihiro Miyashita, Kazuhito Eshima, Hiroshi Nate, Sunao Horitake
  • Patent number: 9815376
    Abstract: A power supply apparatus includes a first battery, a second battery, and an ECU configured to determine whether the following conditions i), ii), and iii) are satisfied: i) a degree of deterioration of the second battery is lower than a first threshold; ii) a state-of-charge of the second battery is lower than a second threshold; and iii) the state-of-charge is equal to or higher than a third threshold. The second threshold is higher by a prescribed value than a lowest allowable value of the state-of-charge at which the second battery can function as a backup power supply. The third threshold corresponds to the lowest allowable value. When determining that the conditions i), ii) and iii) are all satisfied, the ECU executes single-battery-using control in which regeneration control using the regenerative electric power is executed with use of the first battery and the second battery is not used for regeneration control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sunao Horitake, Yasuharu Terada, Hiroshi Nate, Takeaki Suzuki, Michihiro Miyashita, Kazuhito Eshima
  • Patent number: 9780577
    Abstract: Provided is an electric power supply control device for an electric power supply apparatus including a plurality of storage batteries and an electric power generator performing charging of the plurality of storage batteries, the electric power supply control device controlling a parallel connection between the plurality of storage batteries. Voltage adjustment by one of a) charging processing by electric power feeding from the electric power generator to the storage battery having the lowest output voltage among the plurality of storage batteries and b) discharging processing by electric power feeding from the storage battery having the highest output voltage among the plurality of storage batteries to a load circuit connected to the storage battery having the highest output voltage is performed. Parallel connection is performed in a case where output voltage difference between the plurality of storage batteries becomes equal to or less than a previously-determined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeaki Suzuki, Masaki Matsunaga, Kazuhito Eshima
  • Publication number: 20160185240
    Abstract: A power supply apparatus includes a first battery, a second battery, and an ECU configured to determine whether the following conditions i), ii), and iii) are satisfied: i) a degree of deterioration of the second battery is lower than a first threshold; ii) a state-of-charge of the second battery is lower than a second threshold; and iii) the state-of-charge is equal to or higher than a third threshold. The second threshold is higher by a prescribed value than a lowest allowable value of the state-of-charge at which the second battery can function as a backup power supply. The third threshold corresponds to the lowest allowable value. When determining that the conditions i), ii) and iii) are all satisfied, the ECU executes single-battery-using control in which regeneration control using the regenerative electric power is executed with use of the first battery and the second battery is not used for regeneration control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sunao HORITAKE, Yasuharu TERADA, Hiroshi NATE, Takeaki SUZUKI, Michihiro MIYASHITA, Kazuhito ESHIMA
  • Publication number: 20160167534
    Abstract: A charging apparatus is mounted on a vehicle having a plurality of batteries and a power generating device. The charging apparatus is provided with a controller (i) configured to obtain power accumulation ratios of the plurality of batteries, (ii) configured to determine whether or not each of obtained power accumulation ratios is in an appropriate range corresponding to each of the plurality of batteries, and (iii) configured to control the power generating device so that generated voltage of the power generating device is in an overlap range, if it is determined that power accumulation ratio of one battery of the plurality of batteries is greater than an upper limit of the appropriate range of the one of battery and if the power generating device performs the power regeneration upon deceleration of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2015
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeaki SUZUKI, Michihiro MIYASHITA, Kazuhito ESHIMA, Hiroshi NATE, Sunao HORITAKE
  • Publication number: 20160039370
    Abstract: An electric power supply device includes first and second batteries respectively supplying electric power to a plurality of load instruments mounted on a vehicle, an electric power generator capable of charging the first battery and the second battery by regenerative electric power generation, and control means for controlling the electric power generator so that a charging electric power amount of at least one of the first battery and the second battery based on the regenerative electric power generation is suppressed in a case where at least one of a high-load instrument and a backup target instrument is present among the plurality of load instruments and the electric power generator is performing the regenerative electric power generation during the deceleration of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeaki SUZUKI, Michihiro MIYASHITA, Kazuhito ESHIMA, Hiroshi NATE, Sunao HORITAKE
  • Publication number: 20150340884
    Abstract: Provided is an electric power supply control device for an electric power supply apparatus including a plurality of storage batteries and an electric power generator performing charging of the plurality of storage batteries, the electric power supply control device controlling a parallel connection between the plurality of storage batteries. Voltage adjustment by one of a) charging processing by electric power feeding from the electric power generator to the storage battery having the lowest output voltage among the plurality of storage batteries and b) discharging processing by electric power feeding from the storage battery having the highest output voltage among the plurality of storage batteries to a load circuit connected to the storage battery having the highest output voltage is performed. Parallel connection is performed in a case where output voltage difference between the plurality of storage batteries becomes equal to or less than a previously-determined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeaki SUZUKI, Masaki MATSUNAGA, Kazuhito ESHIMA
  • Publication number: 20150329007
    Abstract: A power supply control device includes: a generator driven by an engine; a lead acid battery and a lithium ion battery connected in parallel to the generator; an SOC detector that detects SOC of the lead acid battery; and a charge controller that controls charging of the lead acid battery. The charge controller performs the charge control based on a regenerative predictive amount estimated according to vehicle state information when the SOC is greater than a threshold SL1. The charge controller performs the charge control irrespective of the regenerative predictive amount when the SOC is less than SL1. When the surplus of charge of the lithium ion battery is larger than a deficient of charge of the lead acid battery, the charge controller performs the charge control based on the regenerative predictive amount, regardless of the SOC being less than SL1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2015
    Publication date: November 19, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaki MATSUNAGA, Kazuhito ESHIMA, Takeaki SUZUKI