Patents by Inventor Kazuyoshi Isaji

Kazuyoshi Isaji 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: 11639853
    Abstract: A self-localization estimation unit of a self-localization estimation device determines, based on mutual relationships between the in-lane position and the absolute position including the error, whether there is lane-relevant candidate information, the lane-relevant candidate information representing that one or more in-vehicle positions are each estimated to be in which of lanes identified by the lane information; and estimates, based on a result of the determination of whether there is lane-relevant candidate information, a localization of the own vehicle corresponding to the map information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuichi Minamiguchi, Kenji Miyake, Tatsumi Sugiyama, Kazuyoshi Isaji, Minoru Okada, Kenta Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11597410
    Abstract: An automatic driving proposal device or an automatic driving proposal method is used for a vehicle that selects either a state of an automatic driving or a state of a manual driving by an occupant. The automatic driving proposal device or the automatic driving proposal method performs a driving change request to the occupant in the state of the automatic driving, determines whether the automatic driving is possible in the state of the manual driving, calculates a calculation value corresponding to a distance or a prediction time or calculates a change index, and proposes the automatic driving to the occupant on a necessary condition of determining that the automatic driving is possible and also determining that the calculation value is higher than a threshold value or determining that the change index is lower than a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nozomi Kitagawa, Sei Iguchi, Norio Yamamoto, Kiyotaka Taguchi, Yuji Ota, Kazuyoshi Isaji
  • Patent number: 11586217
    Abstract: A route setting device includes: a route candidate generation unit that generates multiple route candidates from a current position to a destination; an index calculation unit that calculates, for each of the multiple route candidates, a change index that indicates a probability that an automatic driving system performs a driving change request when a vehicle travels along each of the multiple route candidates by using the automatic driving system; a display unit that associates the multiple candidates with the change index calculated for each of the multiple route candidates, and display the multiple associated route candidates and the associated change index; an input unit that receives a selection among the multiple route candidates by an occupant of the vehicle; and a route setting unit that sets a route among the multiple route candidates based on the selection received by the input unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Nozomi Kitagawa, Sei Iguchi, Kiyotaka Taguchi, Yuji Ota, Kazuyoshi Isaji
  • Patent number: 11577719
    Abstract: An autonomous driving control apparatus installable in a vehicle includes a path determining section, an obstacle determining section that determines whether an obstacle on the planned driving path is a passage acceptable obstacle or a passage unacceptable obstacle, the passage acceptable obstacle being previously set as an obstacle that the vehicle is allowed to come into contact with while passing, the passage unacceptable obstacle being previously set as an obstacle that the vehicle is not allowed to come into contact with while passing, and a control instructing section that gives an instruction of control to a maneuver controller to perform at least one of controlling a speed of the vehicle and controlling a steering of the vehicle to control a maneuver of the vehicle. If the obstacle is determined to be the passage acceptable obstacle, the control instructing section gives an instruction of the control to pass over the obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihito Tanahashi, Kazuyoshi Isaji
  • Patent number: 11408741
    Abstract: A self-localization estimation device includes: a map-information acquisition unit that acquires map information including lane information for specifying lanes in which vehicles are enabled to travel; a position calculation unit that calculates an own-vehicle absolute position being an absolute position of an own vehicle in response to navigation signals received from a plurality of navigation satellites, the position calculation unit including a self-location measurement unit, a vehicle-momentum measurement unit, and dead reckoning unit; and a position estimation unit that estimates, based on the map information and the own-vehicle absolute position, a corrected own-vehicle position being a corrected position of the own vehicle. The position estimation unit estimates the corrected own-vehicle position by superimposing a reliability of the map information and a reliability of the own-vehicle absolute position on each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenji Miyake, Yuichi Minamiguchi, Kenta Takahashi, Minoru Okada, Kazuyoshi Isaji, Tatsumi Sugiyama
  • Publication number: 20200247399
    Abstract: An autonomous driving control apparatus installable in a vehicle includes a path determining section, an obstacle determining section that determines whether an obstacle on the planned driving path is a passage acceptable obstacle or a passage unacceptable obstacle, the passage acceptable obstacle being previously set as an obstacle that the vehicle is allowed to come into contact with while passing, the passage unacceptable obstacle being previously set as an obstacle that the vehicle is not allowed to come into contact with while passing, and a control instructing section that gives an instruction of control to a maneuver controller to perform at least one of controlling a speed of the vehicle and controlling a steering of the vehicle to control a maneuver of the vehicle. If the obstacle is determined to be the passage acceptable obstacle, the control instructing section gives an instruction of the control to pass over the obstacle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Akihito TANAHASHI, Kazuyoshi ISAJI
  • Publication number: 20200209885
    Abstract: A route setting device includes: a route candidate generation unit that generates multiple route candidates from a current position to a destination; an index calculation unit that calculates, for each of the multiple route candidates, a change index that indicates a probability that an automatic driving system performs a driving change request when a vehicle travels along each of the multiple route candidates by using the automatic driving system; a display unit that associates the multiple candidates with the change index calculated for each of the multiple route candidates, and display the multiple associated route candidates and the associated change index; an input unit that receives a selection among the multiple route candidates by an occupant of the vehicle; and a route setting unit that sets a route among the multiple route candidates based on the selection received by the input unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Nozomi KITAGAWA, Sei IGUCHI, Kiyotaka TAGUCHI, Yuji OTA, Kazuyoshi ISAJI
  • Publication number: 20200207373
    Abstract: An automatic driving proposal device or an automatic driving proposal method is used for a vehicle that selects either a state of an automatic driving or a state of a manual driving by an occupant. The automatic driving proposal device or the automatic driving proposal method performs a driving change request to the occupant in the state of the automatic driving, determines whether the automatic driving is possible in the state of the manual driving, calculates a calculation value corresponding to a distance or a prediction time or calculates a change index, and proposes the automatic driving to the occupant on a necessary condition of determining that the automatic driving is possible and also determining that the calculation value is higher than a threshold value or determining that the change index is lower than a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Nozomi KITAGAWA, Sei IGUCHI, Norio YAMAMOTO, Kiyotaka TAGUCHI, Yuji OTA, Kazuyoshi ISAJI
  • Patent number: 10591930
    Abstract: An automatic traveling control apparatus includes an automatic traveling control unit, a function determining unit, a first notifying unit, an abnormality detecting unit, and a second notifying unit. The automatic traveling control unit makes an own vehicle automatically travel along a route to a destination. The function determining unit determines whether or not the state of a function used for automatic traveling is normal. The first notifying unit gives notification of the state of the function determined by the function determining unit. The abnormality detecting unit detects an abnormality in the notification of the state of the function by the first notifying unit. The second notifying unit gives a characteristic notification set in advance, when the abnormality detecting unit detects an abnormality in the notification of the state of the function by the first notifying unit and the function determining unit determines that the state of the function is normal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Keiichi Uno, Akihiko Yagyu, Mariko Seto, Masayuki Angata, Hitoshi Wada
  • Publication number: 20200003567
    Abstract: A self-localization estimation unit of a self-localization estimation device determines, based on mutual relationships between the in-lane position and the absolute position including the error, whether there is lane-relevant candidate information, the lane-relevant candidate information representing that one or more in-vehicle positions are each estimated to be in which of lanes identified by the lane information; and estimates, based on a result of the determination of whether there is lane-relevant candidate information, a localization of the own vehicle corresponding to the map information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Yuichi MINAMIGUCHI, Kenji MIYAKE, Tatsumi SUGIYAMA, Kazuyoshi ISAJI, Minoru OKADA, Kenta TAKAHASHI
  • Publication number: 20200003563
    Abstract: A self-localization estimation device includes: a map-information acquisition unit that acquires map information including lane information for specifying lanes in which vehicles are enabled to travel; a position calculation unit that calculates an own-vehicle absolute position being an absolute position of an own vehicle in response to navigation signals received from a plurality of navigation satellites, the position calculation unit including a self-location measurement unit, a vehicle-momentum measurement unit, and dead reckoning unit; and a position estimation unit that estimates, based on the map information and the own-vehicle absolute position, a corrected own-vehicle position being a corrected position of the own vehicle. The position estimation unit estimates the corrected own-vehicle position by superimposing a reliability of the map information and a reliability of the own-vehicle absolute position on each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Kenji MIYAKE, Yuichi MINAMIGUCHI, Kenta TAKAHASHI, Minoru OKADA, Kazuyoshi ISAJI, Tatsumi SUGIYAMA
  • Patent number: 10272915
    Abstract: A driving support apparatus derives position prediction data when T=Tn, which is when a predicted time Tn has elapsed from the present time, based on acquired map data, position data and speed data. Direction prediction data indicating a traveling direction of a vehicle 1 at the time T=Tn is derived based on acquired map data and derived position prediction data. A yaw angle which is an angle formed by a traveling direction D0 represented by e direction data and the traveling direction Dn represented by direction prediction data is derived. A target speed Vn of the vehicle is then derived.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Teppei Miyake, Minoru Okada
  • Publication number: 20190001994
    Abstract: In a vehicle control apparatus which controls movement of the own vehicle, the control unit obtains data of surroundings of the own vehicle. Then, according to the data of the surroundings, the control unit conducts vehicle control including acceleration/deceleration control representing control related to acceleration/deceleration of the own vehicle, and steering control representing control related to steering of the own vehicle. Upon input of a stop command indicating stop of the vehicle control, a first stop section stops first control which is either of the acceleration/deceleration control and the steering control. Then, a second stop section stops a second control, which is the other of the acceleration/deceleration control and the steering control, at a timing different from the timing to stop the first control (S310).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Applicant: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi ISAJI, Akihiko YAGYU, Hiroaki TANAKA, Ifushi SHIMONOMOTO, Sei IGUCHI, Toshiyuki ITO, Yuji HIRABAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20180074510
    Abstract: An automatic traveling control apparatus includes an automatic traveling control unit, a function determining unit, a first notifying unit, an abnormality detecting unit, and a second notifying unit. The automatic traveling control unit makes an own vehicle automatically travel along a route to a destination. The function determining unit determines whether or not the state of a function used for automatic traveling is normal. The first notifying unit gives notification of the state of the function determined by the function determining unit. The abnormality detecting unit detects an abnormality in the notification of the state of the function by the first notifying unit. The second notifying unit gives a characteristic notification set in advance, when the abnormality detecting unit detects an abnormality in the notification of the state of the function by the first notifying unit and the function determining unit determines that the state of the function is normal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2016
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Keiichi Uno, Akihiko Yagyu, Mariko Seto, Masayuki Angata, Hitoshi Wada
  • Publication number: 20170282927
    Abstract: A driving support apparatus derives position prediction data when T=Tn, which is when a predicted time Tn has elapsed from the present time, based on acquired map data, position data and speed data. Direction prediction data indicating a traveling direction of a vehicle 1 at the time T=Tn is derived based on acquired map data and derived position prediction data. A yaw angle which is an angle formed by a traveling direction D0 represented by e direction data and the traveling direction Dn represented by direction prediction data is derived. A target speed Vn of the vehicle is then derived.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Teppei Miyake, Minoru Okada
  • Patent number: 9159176
    Abstract: A vehicle identification apparatus mounted in a vehicle provided with a detection unit configured to detect a speed of a first other vehicle and a communication unit configured to receive information indicative of a speed of a second other vehicle from the second other vehicle. In the apparatus, a calculation unit calculates an indicator value indicative of a likelihood that the first and second other vehicles are the same, where the indicator value is defined as a function of the speed of the first other vehicle detected by the detection unit and the speed of the second other vehicle indicated by the information received by the communication unit. A determination unit determines whether or not the first and second other vehicles are the same on the basis of the indicator value calculated by the calculation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsubasa Okuya, Masato Matsumoto, Kazuyoshi Isaji, Kenji Muto
  • Patent number: 9043088
    Abstract: A vehicle behavior control apparatus mounted in a vehicle to control steering of the vehicle. A virtual road outline, which is an outline of a drivable road region where the vehicle will travel, is determined on the basis of detection results from a location sensor. The virtual road outline is reconstructed as a sequence of road segments, such as straight road segments, and right- and left-hand curved road segments. When a current road segment where the vehicle is currently present is a right- or left-hand curved road segment, a subsequent road segment where the vehicle will be present subsequently is tentatively set to a straight road segment until the vehicle reaches the subsequent road segment. The steering angle is controlled so that a virtual-road boundary distance is adapted to a proper distance from the vehicle to a boundary of the virtual road outline situated in front of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru, Shou Morikawa
  • Patent number: 8954256
    Abstract: The vehicle-use speed control apparatus sets a virtual preceding vehicle assumed to run at a target speed at a predetermined initial distance ahead of the own vehicle when the brake pedal is operated causing a relative speed between the actual vehicle speed and the target speed exceeds a predetermined value, calculates an initial value of a performance index for approach and alienation based on the initial distance and the target speed. Thereafter, the vehicle-use speed control apparatus repeatedly calculates a following distance to the virtual preceding vehicle based on a time elapsed from when a speed control start condition is satisfied, the current relative speed and the initial distance, and a target relative speed based on the initial distance, the initial value of the performance index and the following distance, and controls the vehicle speed based on the difference between the target relative speed and the actual relative speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru
  • Publication number: 20140324312
    Abstract: A vehicle identification apparatus mounted in a vehicle provided with a detection unit configured to detect a speed of a first other vehicle and a communication unit configured to receive information indicative of a speed of a second other vehicle from the second other vehicle. In the apparatus, a calculation unit calculates an indicator value indicative of a likelihood that the first and second other vehicles are the same, where the indicator value is defined as a function of the speed of the first other vehicle detected by the detection unit and the speed of the second other vehicle indicated by the information received by the communication unit. A determination unit determines whether or not the first and second other vehicles are the same on the basis of the indicator value calculated by the calculation unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Publication date: October 30, 2014
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tsubasa OKUYA, Masato MATSUMOTO, Kazuyoshi ISAJI, Kenji MUTO
  • Patent number: 8855860
    Abstract: A vehicle behavior control apparatus disposed in a subject vehicle performs a steering angle control of the subject vehicle. The apparatus acquires lead vehicle information transmitted from a lead vehicle to determine a virtual shape of a road (i.e., a virtual road shape) based on a travel locus of the lead vehicle. A virtual road border distance is calculated as a distance from the subject vehicle to a road border of a virtual curve road positioned straight in front of the subject vehicle. The apparatus, calculates an appropriate turn radius for travel along the virtual curve road and, based on the appropriate turn radius, calculates an appropriate distance from the subject vehicle to the virtual road border positioned in front of the subject vehicle. A steering unit then controls a steering angle of the subject vehicle by maintaining the virtual road border distance with the appropriate distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyoshi Isaji, Naohiko Tsuru, Shou Morikawa