Patents by Inventor Kenichiro Aoki

Kenichiro Aoki 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: 12658203
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a head gimbal assembly (HGA) of a disk device includes a load beam. The load beam includes two side rails, a plate between the two side rails, a first plane of the plate, a lift tab protruding from an end of the plate, and a protrusion protruding from the first plane and supporting a slider. An edge of each of the two side rails has a first edge, a second edge extending from the first edge toward the lift tab, and a third edge extending from the second edge to the lift tab while being inclined with respect to the first plane so as to approach the first plane. An end of the slider is at the same position as an end of the third edge or is farther from the lift tab than the end of the third edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2024
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2026
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventors: Ryogo Hoshi, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20260162675
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an actuator assembly includes a first head suspension assembly including a suspension and a piezoelectric element mounted on and bonded to the suspension by a first conductive adhesive applied to a second surface of the suspension, and a second head suspension assembly including a suspension and a piezoelectric element mounted on and bonded to the suspension by a second conductive adhesive applied to a second surface of the suspension. The first and second suspension assemblies are arranged such that the second surfaces of the suspensions oppose each other and the piezoelectric elements oppose each other. A top portion of the first conductive adhesive is offset in a planar direction of the suspension with respect to a top portion of the second conductive adhesive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2025
    Publication date: June 11, 2026
    Inventors: Kenichiro AOKI, Yasutaka SASAKI
  • Patent number: 12633132
    Abstract: An apparatus for object detection detects a number of lanes included in a road on which a vehicle is traveling, detects one or more surrounding vehicles positioned in surroundings of the vehicle from a surrounding image showing the surroundings of the vehicle generated by a camera mounted in the vehicle, and determines, when more surrounding vehicles than the number of lanes detected in a predetermined range at the back of the vehicle are detected alongside in a width direction of the vehicle, that a possibility that any one of the surrounding vehicles being an emergency vehicle which is allowed to travel without obeying the traveling rule of the road is higher than when more surrounding vehicles than the number of lanes are not detected alongside in a width direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2026
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takuya Fujiki, Ryusuke Kuroda, Tadashi Okubo, Kenichiro Aoki, Tetsuro Sugiura, Wataru Kawashima, Hitoshi Kamada
  • Patent number: 12603107
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a suspension assembly includes a wiring member. The tail connector of the wiring member includes a base layer, a cover layer, and a conductive layer interposed between the base layer and the cover layer. The cover layer includes a groove. The conductive layer includes a first wire, a second wire, and a connection terminal extending between the first wire and the second wire across the groove. The base layer includes a first base covering the first wire, a second base covering the second wire first protrusion pair protruding from the first base to partially cover the connection terminal, and second protrusion pair protruding from the second base to partially cover the connection terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2026
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Nojima, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 12597438
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a head suspension assembly includes a support plate including a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, a lift tab, and a first opening, a wiring member on the support plate, including a gimbal portion opposed to the distal end portion, and a head including a slider mounted on the gimbal portion, a head element on the slider, and a laser oscillator on the slider, opposed to the first opening. The support plate includes a first protrusion provided on the distal end portion and brought into contact with a central part of the slider via the gimbal portion, and a second protrusion that is provided between the first protrusion and the lift tab and that protrudes toward the gimbal portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2026
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 12583445
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to sense trouble with a first sensor among sensors that are capable of detecting objects around a host vehicle and whose sensing areas at least partially overlap, detect another vehicle traveling in an area around the host vehicle, based on sensor signals from the respective sensors, and decelerate the host vehicle at first deceleration in the case where trouble with the first sensor is sensed and where the other vehicle is detected on the basis of a sensor signal from a second sensor having lower priority than the first sensor in sensing the other vehicle cutting in front of the host vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2026
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryusuke Kuroda, Kenichiro Aoki, Tadashi Okubo
  • Patent number: 12559127
    Abstract: A vehicle notification system according to a first aspect includes: a terminal installation portion that is provided at a periphery of a driver's seat of a vehicle capable of autonomous driving in which all driving operations are performed under certain conditions, and that is configured such that a portable terminal can be installed at the terminal installation portion; and a control section that is configured to permit the autonomous driving in a case in which a portable terminal is detected as being installed at the terminal installation portion, and is configured to notify the portable terminal in a case in which a predetermined condition in an autonomous driving state is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2024
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2026
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Fujita, Jun Tohyama, Daisuke Akaho, Yuta Maniwa, Natsumi Izawa, Shunichiroh Sawai, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20260031102
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a head suspension assembly includes a support plate including a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, a lift tab, and a first opening, a wiring member on the support plate, including a gimbal portion opposed to the distal end portion, and a head including a slider mounted on the gimbal portion, a head element on the slider, and a laser oscillator on the slider, opposed to the first opening. The support plate includes a first protrusion provided on the distal end portion and brought into contact with a central part of the slider via the gimbal portion, and a second protrusion that is provided between the first protrusion and the lift tab and that protrudes toward the gimbal portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2024
    Publication date: January 29, 2026
    Inventor: Kenichiro AOKI
  • Patent number: 12531085
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk device includes a disk-shaped recording medium, a magnetic head including a write head, a read head, and a heater configured to adjust a gap between the magnetic head and the recording medium, a suspension assembly supporting the magnetic head, a micro actuator including a piezoelectric element on the suspension assembly, and a controller configured to set a drive voltage of the piezoelectric element in accordance with a difference between a touchdown output in time of driving the piezoelectric element and a touchdown output in time of non-driving the piezoelectric element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2026
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 12528495
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes at least one processor, the processor being configured to: in a vehicle configured to enable autonomous travel control that permits a driver to behave in a manner in which it is not possible to check surroundings of the vehicle, determine whether or not a portable terminal configured to receive notification of vehicle information is present inside a vehicle cabin before the autonomous travel control is executed; and in a case in which it has been determined that the portable terminal is not present inside the vehicle cabin, provide notification, via an onboard unit, that notification of the vehicle information cannot be provided from the portable terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2026
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Fujita, Jun Tohyama, Daisuke Akaho, Yuta Maniwa, Natsumi Izawa, Shunichiroh Sawai, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20250364007
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a head gimbal assembly (HGA) of a disk device includes a load beam. The load beam includes two side rails, a plate between the two side rails, a first plane of the plate, a lift tab protruding from an end of the plate, and a protrusion protruding from the first plane and supporting a slider. An edge of each of the two side rails has a first edge, a second edge extending from the first edge toward the lift tab, and a third edge extending from the second edge to the lift tab while being inclined with respect to the first plane so as to approach the first plane. An end of the slider is at the same position as an end of the third edge or is farther from the lift tab than the end of the third edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2024
    Publication date: November 27, 2025
    Inventors: Ryogo HOSHI, Kenichiro AOKI
  • Patent number: 12466315
    Abstract: A control device includes a first processor. The first processor is configured to provide notification of a warning during autonomous driving to a first display unit of an onboard terminal installed in a vehicle; provide notification of the warning to a second display unit at a portable terminal carried by a vehicle occupant, via a second processor at the portable terminal; and in a case in which a predetermined condition has been satisfied, disable notification of the warning to the portable terminal and provide notification of the warning to the onboard terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2024
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2025
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Fujita, Jun Tohyama, Daisuke Akaho, Yuta Maniwa, Natsumi Izawa, Shunichiroh Sawai, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 12466361
    Abstract: A vehicle information processing device, for application to a vehicle configured to perform all driving operations under a fixed condition, the device includes; a terminal identification section configured to identify a portable terminal corresponding to authentication information authenticated by an authentication device provided at the vehicle; a driver's terminal setting section configured to set a driver's terminal used by a driver, based on information received from the identified portable terminal; and a notification section configured to notify the driver's terminal in a case in which a predetermined condition is satisfied in an autonomous driving state in which all driving operations are performed by the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2024
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2025
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Fujita, Jun Tohyama, Daisuke Akaho, Yuta Maniwa, Natsumi Izawa, Shunichiroh Sawai, Masahiko Nakamura, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20250316287
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a suspension assembly includes a wiring member. The tail connector of the wiring member includes a base layer, a cover layer, and a conductive layer interposed between the base layer and the cover layer. The cover layer includes a groove. The conductive layer includes a first wire, a second wire, and a connection terminal extending between the first wire and the second wire across the groove. The base layer includes a first base covering the first wire, a second base covering the second wire first protrusion pair protruding from the first base to partially cover the connection terminal, and second protrusion pair protruding from the second base to partially cover the connection terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2024
    Publication date: October 9, 2025
    Inventors: Yusuke NOJIMA, Kenichiro AOKI
  • Patent number: 12428039
    Abstract: A travel controller of a vehicle that can travel on a road under autonomous driving control detecting two-wheelers, including bicycles, located in surroundings of the vehicle from surrounding data representing the surroundings of the vehicle generated by a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle, determining whether a target road on which the vehicle was traveling when the surrounding data in which a two-wheeler was detected was generated is a shared road on which travel by bicycles is permitted, when it is determined that the target road is a shared road, notifying a driver of the vehicle of a transition demand demanding transition in control of the vehicle from autonomous driving control to manual driving control requiring driving operations by the driver of the vehicle, and when it is determined that the target road is not a shared road, not notifying the driver of the transition demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2025
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryusuke Kuroda, Kenichiro Aoki, Tadashi Okubo, Takuya Fujiki, Tetsuro Sugiura, Kunio Goto
  • Patent number: 12420847
    Abstract: When an object that may possibly collide with a vehicle is detected from a sensor signal of one of sensors mounted on the vehicle, a vehicle controller changes the level of autonomous driving control applied to the vehicle from a first level that does not require a driver to operate an accelerator and steering and does not require the driver to look around the vehicle to a second level that requires the driver to look around the vehicle but does not require the driver to operate an accelerator and steering. When an object that may possibly collide with the vehicle is detected from sensor signals of two or more of the sensors, the vehicle controller changes the level of autonomous driving control from the first level to a third level that requires the driver to operate at least an accelerator or steering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2025
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Wataru Kawashima, Ryusuke Kuroda, Kenichiro Aoki, Takehiko Hanada, Takuya Fujiki
  • Patent number: 12409834
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a processor configured to detect a vehicle ahead of a host vehicle from time-series sensor signals obtained by a sensor provided on the host vehicle for sensing objects around the host vehicle, track the vehicle ahead detected from the time-series sensor signals, determine whether the vehicle ahead has performed an avoidance action, based on the result of tracking, detect, when the vehicle ahead has performed an avoidance action, a trajectory of an edge of the vehicle ahead opposite a direction of avoidance in the avoidance action, and control travel of the host vehicle so that an edge of the host vehicle opposite the direction of avoidance moves along the detected trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2025
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryusuke Kuroda, Kenichiro Aoki, Tetsuro Sugiura, Takuya Fujiki, Hitoshi Kamada, Wataru Kawashima, Tadashi Okubo
  • Patent number: 12391269
    Abstract: An apparatus for message notification displays a message to be known to a driver of a vehicle on a display disposed in front of a driver's seat on which the driver is sitting, when a change in environment around the vehicle causing the driver to turn his/her attention forward, an action of the vehicle that the driver can sense, or operation by the driver of a vehicle-mounted device in a front area of the vehicle is detected, in the case where travel of the vehicle is controlled in autonomous driving mode in which driving operation by the driver is unnecessary, and where a looking direction of the driver is not a direction related to the driving operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2025
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuya Fujiki, Kenichiro Aoki, Ryusuke Kuroda, Osamu Ozaki
  • Patent number: 12361967
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a head suspension assembly includes a support plate, a wiring member on the support plate, and a magnetic head mounted on the wiring member. The magnetic head includes a slider, a head element, connection pads, and a laser oscillation element on the slider. The wiring member includes a plurality of first connection terminals each having a bonding surface bonded to a connection pad of the slider and a second connection terminal including a bonding surface bonded to a connection pad of the laser oscillation element and a non-bonding surface opposite to the bonding surface. The wiring member includes a cover layer covering at least a part of the non-bonding surface of the second connection terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2025
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20250174248
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a disk device includes a disk-shaped recording medium, a magnetic head including a write head, a read head, and a heater configured to adjust a gap between the magnetic head and the recording medium, a suspension assembly supporting the magnetic head, a micro actuator including a piezoelectric element on the suspension assembly, and a controller configured to set a drive voltage of the piezoelectric element in accordance with a difference between a touchdown output in time of driving the piezoelectric element and a touchdown output in time of non-driving the piezoelectric element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2024
    Publication date: May 29, 2025
    Inventor: Kenichiro AOKI