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).

  • Publication number: 20230115658
    Abstract: An autonomous driving system acquires information concerning a vehicle density in an adjacent lane that is adjacent to a lane on which an own vehicle is traveling, when the own vehicle travels on a road having a plurality of lanes. The autonomous driving system selects the adjacent lane as an own vehicle travel lane, when the vehicle density in the adjacent lane that is calculated from the acquired information is lower than a threshold density that is determined in accordance with relations between the own vehicle and surrounding vehicles. The autonomous driving system performs lane change to the adjacent lane autonomously, or propose lane change to the adjacent lane to a driver, when the adjacent lane is selected as the own vehicle travel lane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2022
    Publication date: April 13, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryuta Hashimoto, Yoshinori Watanabe, Kenichiro Aoki, Tomoyuki Kuriyama
  • Publication number: 20230097498
    Abstract: The autonomous LC control is started in response to receiving a start instruction of autonomous lane change. When the driver performs a steering intervention in a same direction as a direction of steering requested by the autonomous LC control, and establishment of a stop condition of lane change is not recognized, during execution of the autonomous LC control, the autonomous driving control is continued. When the steering intervention in the same direction is performed, and establishment of the stop condition is recognized, during execution of the autonomous LC control, termination of the autonomous driving control is announced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2022
    Publication date: March 30, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 11605398
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a head actuator includes a first suspension assembly including a first support plate, a first wiring member with first wiring lines, and a first head, and a second suspension assembly including a second support plate, a second wiring member with second wiring lines, and a second head. The first wiring lines include at least four first read lines and at least four first write lines. The second wiring lines include at least four second read lines and at least four second write lines. At least two of the first read lines and at least two of the first write lines are arranged at a position offset to the second read lines and the second write lines in a width direction of the wiring member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA ELECTRONIC DEVICES & STORAGE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hirofumi Nesori, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 11581013
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a suspension assembly includes a support plate, a trace member on the support plate and a drive element mounted on the trace member. The trace member includes a metal plate, and a multilayered member on the metal plate. The multilayered member includes a first insulating layer, a conductive layer stacked on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer stacked on the conductive layer. The multilayered member includes a mount portion on which the drive element is mounted, and a branching portion arranged along the mount portion with a gap therebetween. At least one portion of the branching portion is formed into a thin portion having a thickness less than other portions of the multilayered member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takafumi Kikuchi, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20220383899
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a head actuator includes a first suspension assembly including a first support plate, a first wiring member with first wiring lines, and a first head, and a second suspension assembly including a second support plate, a second wiring member with second wiring lines, and a second head. The first wiring lines include at least four first read lines and at least four first write lines. The second wiring lines include at least four second read lines and at least four second write lines. At least two of the first read lines and at least two of the first write lines are arranged at a position offset to the second read lines and the second write lines in a width direction of the wiring member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2022
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Inventors: Hirofumi NESORI, Kenichiro AOKI
  • Patent number: 11430473
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a 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 head slider and connection pads provided at an outflow end of the head slider and electrically connected to the wiring lines. The wiring member includes a head installation region in which the magnetic head is mounted, and an etched region which is at least partly located in the head installation region and is opposed to an end portion of the head slider at the inflow end thereof to form a gap between the end portion and the etched region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignees: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA, TOSHIBA ELECTRONIC DEVICES & STORAGE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 11427252
    Abstract: An automatic driving system that is mounted in a vehicle includes: an information acquiring device configured to acquire driving environment information indicating a driving environment of the vehicle; and a running control device configured to execute lane change control from a first lane to a second lane, and set a lane change time which is a time required for lane change The running control device is configured to set an initial value of the lane change time, determine whether a moving object having a highest degree of approach to the vehicle is present in the second lane, and change the initial value based on a relative position of the moving object with respect to the vehicle and a relative speed of the vehicle with respect to the moving object when it is determined that the moving object having the highest degree of approach is present in the second lane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Fukuda, Shota Fujii, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20220262393
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a suspension assembly includes a support plate, a wiring member disposed on the support plate, and a head supported on the support plate through the wiring member. The wiring member includes a distal end portion electrically connected to the head, a connection end portion extending outside the support plate, and a plurality of wirings extending between the distal end portion and the connection end portion. The connection end portion includes an opening with predetermined length and width and thirteen or more connection terminals disposed in the opening and arranged at intervals in a direction of the length. A percentage of an area of the opening occupied by areas of the thirteen or more connection terminals is 40% to 65% inclusive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2022
    Publication date: August 18, 2022
    Inventor: Kenichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 11364916
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes an electronic control unit configured to: acquire lane information including a curvature of a curve located ahead in a traveling direction of the vehicle; acquire target vehicle information as information on a target vehicle, based on the lane information and the target vehicle information, a target trajectory; perform a target trajectory modification process for offsetting the target trajectory determined from the lane information in such a direction as to move away from the target vehicle, when the vehicle approaches the target vehicle; set an offset amount of the target trajectory in accordance with the curvature of the curve, when the vehicle approaches the target vehicle from an outer side of the curve, in the target trajectory modification process; and cause the vehicle to automatically run along the target trajectory modified through the target trajectory modification process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenichiro Aoki, Tadashi Omachi
  • Publication number: 20220189505
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a suspension assembly includes a support plate, a trace member on the support plate and a drive element mounted on the trace member. The trace member includes a metal plate, and a multilayered member on the metal plate. The multilayered member includes a first insulating layer, a conductive layer stacked on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer stacked on the conductive layer. The multilayered member includes a mount portion on which the drive element is mounted, and a branching portion arranged along the mount portion with a gap therebetween. At least one portion of the branching portion is formed into a thin portion having a thickness less than other portions of the multilayered member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Takafumi Kikuchi, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20220157337
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a 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 head slider and connection pads provided at an outflow end of the head slider and electrically connected to the wiring lines. The wiring member includes a head installation region in which the magnetic head is mounted, and an etching region which is at least partly located in the head installation region and is opposed to an end portion close to the inflow end of the head slider with a gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventor: Kenichiro AOKI
  • Publication number: 20220121209
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a scene determination unit determining whether or not a current traveling scene is a traveling-restricted scene, an order setting unit setting priorities corresponding to a restriction with respect to driving behaviors previously classified for different purposes in a case where it is determined that the traveling scene is the traveling-restricted scene and setting priorities with respect to the plurality of driving behaviors in a case where it is not determined that the traveling scene is the traveling-restricted scene, a traveling plan generating unit generating traveling plans corresponding to the plurality of priority-set driving behaviors, an executability determination unit determining executability of each of the plurality of generated driving behaviors, a traveling plan selection unit selecting the traveling plan corresponding to the driving behavior with the highest priority, and a traveling control unit controlling the traveling of the host vehicle based on the trav
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki MATSUBARA, Masaki Matsunaga, Kenichiro Aoki, Yoshinori Watanabe, Ryuta Hashimoto
  • Publication number: 20220113735
    Abstract: An autonomous driving system acquires information concerning a vehicle density in an adjacent lane that is adjacent to a lane on which an own vehicle is traveling, when the own vehicle travels on a road having a plurality of lanes. The autonomous driving system selects the adjacent lane as an own vehicle travel lane, when the vehicle density in the adjacent lane that is calculated from the acquired information is lower than a threshold density that is determined in accordance with relations between the own vehicle and surrounding vehicles. The autonomous driving system performs lane change to the adjacent lane autonomously, or propose lane change to the adjacent lane to a driver, when the adjacent lane is selected as the own vehicle travel lane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Publication date: April 14, 2022
    Inventors: Ryuta Hashimoto, Yoshinori Watanabe, Kenichiro Aoki, Tomoyuki Kuriyama
  • Patent number: 11289121
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a suspension assembly includes a support plate, a trace member on the support plate and a drive element mounted on the trace member. The trace member includes a metal plate, and a multilayered member on the metal plate. The multilayered member includes a first insulating layer, a conductive layer stacked on the first insulating layer, a second insulating layer stacked on the conductive layer. The multilayered member includes a mount portion on which the drive element is mounted, and a branching portion arranged along the mount portion with a gap therebetween. At least one portion of the branching portion is formed into a thin portion having a thickness less than other portions of the multilayered member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takafumi Kikuchi, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20220091609
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes a control device that controls automatic driving of a vehicle, and a storage device that contains external environment information indicating an external environment of the vehicle. A driving transition zone is a zone in which a driver of the vehicle takes over at least a part of driving of the vehicle, from the control device. A termination target velocity is a target velocity of the vehicle at an end point of the driving transition zone. The control device variably sets the termination target velocity, depending on the external environment at the end point or the external environment surrounding the end point. Then, the control device controls the velocity of the vehicle in the driving transition zone, such that the velocity of the vehicle at the end point is the termination target velocity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki TANAKA, Kenichiro AOKI, Masayuki KATOH
  • Patent number: 11275382
    Abstract: An autonomous driving system acquires information concerning a vehicle density in an adjacent lane that is adjacent to a lane on which an own vehicle is traveling, when the own vehicle travels on a road having a plurality of lanes. The autonomous driving system selects the adjacent lane as an own vehicle travel lane, when the vehicle density in the adjacent lane that is calculated from the acquired information is lower than a threshold density that is determined in accordance with relations between the own vehicle and surrounding vehicles. The autonomous driving system performs lane change to the adjacent lane autonomously, or propose lane change to the adjacent lane to a driver, when the adjacent lane is selected as the own vehicle travel lane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryuta Hashimoto, Yoshinori Watanabe, Kenichiro Aoki, Tomoyuki Kuriyama
  • Patent number: 11231710
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes a control device that controls automatic driving of a vehicle, and a storage device that contains external environment information indicating an external environment of the vehicle. A driving transition zone is a zone in which a driver of the vehicle takes over at least a part of driving of the vehicle, from the control device. A termination target velocity is a target velocity of the vehicle at an end point of the driving transition zone. The control device variably sets the termination target velocity, depending on the external environment at the end point or the external environment surrounding the end point. Then, the control device controls the velocity of the vehicle in the driving transition zone, such that the velocity of the vehicle at the end point is the termination target velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tanaka, Kenichiro Aoki, Masayuki Katoh
  • Patent number: 11192555
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes: a determination unit configured to determine a preparatory speed of a vehicle in a merging lane based on a relative speed between a first main lane vehicle traveling on a main lane and the vehicle, the first main lane vehicle being detected by a front sensor of the vehicle; a preparation unit configured to adjust speed of the vehicle such that the speed of the vehicle coincides with the preparatory speed; and a merging control unit configured to merge the vehicle into the main lane from the merging lane based on at least a detection result of a side sensor of the vehicle and the speed of the vehicle, when the vehicle is in a situation where the main lane vehicle is recognizable based on the detection result of the side sensor, after the preparation unit starts speed adjustment of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryo Hashimoto, Yoshinori Watanabe, Masaaki Yamaoka, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 11186279
    Abstract: A control device for vehicle travelling is provided, which executes following control that controls a vehicle speed in accordance with a following distance from a preceding vehicle. The following control includes LK following control that is executed so that a following distance from a preceding vehicle on a travel lane becomes an LK target following distance, under a situation of lane keep. The following control farther includes LC following control that is executed so that a following distance from a vehicle to be a preceding vehicle on a target lane becomes an LC target following distance, under a situation of lane change. In the LC following control, a vehicle speed is controlled so that a larger value is allowed as compared with at a time of execution of the LK following control, with respect to one or both of an acceleration and a jerk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Fukuda, Kenichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20210319805
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a suspension assembly includes a support plate, a wiring member disposed on the support plate, and a head supported on the support plate through the wiring member. The wiring member includes a distal end portion electrically connected to the head, a connection end portion extending outside the support plate, and a plurality of wirings extending between the distal end portion and the connection end portion. The connection end portion includes an opening with predetermined length and width and thirteen or more connection terminals disposed in the opening and arranged at intervals in a direction of the length. A percentage of an area of the opening occupied by areas of the thirteen or more connection terminals is 40% to 65% inclusive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Publication date: October 14, 2021
    Inventor: Kenichiro Aoki