Patents by Inventor Kentaro Ichikawa

Kentaro Ichikawa 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: 11685227
    Abstract: A method for vehicle management performed by a vehicle control system includes monitoring a respective location associated with each vehicle of a plurality of vehicles based on location information transmitted from each of the plurality of vehicles. The method also includes receiving, from a user equipment (UE) associated with a customer, customer location information identifying a location of the customer. The method further includes receiving, from each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, a set of current compartment climate values based on a triggering event at the vehicle. The method still further includes selecting one vehicle of the plurality of vehicles as a preferred vehicle based on a set of climate preferences associated with the customer. The method also includes transmitting, to the preferred vehicle, a message dispatching the preferred vehicle to the location of the customer, such that the preferred vehicle navigates to the location of the customer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Patent number: 11669089
    Abstract: A method for controlling a driving condition component of a vehicle includes disabling automatic operation of the driving condition component based on enabling an autonomous operating mode of the vehicle. The method also includes determining, while the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode, a current condition satisfies an unsafe driving condition for a manual operating mode of the vehicle. The method further includes enabling the driving condition component to mitigate based on predicting a human occupant will enable the manual operating mode during a time period associated with the current condition, the driving condition component being enabled prior to the human occupant switching from the autonomous operating mode to the manual operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Patent number: 11656618
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device configured to release the autonomous driving control if an override operation is input during the execution of the autonomous driving control which is based on a first travel plan, set a second travel plan different from the first travel plan after the input of the override operation, determine whether or not to restore the autonomous driving control with the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the input of the override operation, and maintain the manual driving and prohibit automatic starting of the autonomous driving control until after a predetermined time elapses after the autonomous driving control is released and when the determination is made not to restore the autonomous driving control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Publication number: 20230104712
    Abstract: A system includes an acquisition unit that acquires an operation amount or a duration count, and a switching unit that switches a driving state. The switching unit switches the driving state to the cooperative driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than an intervention threshold and less than a start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold during the autonomous driving state, switches the driving state to the autonomous driving state when the operation amount is less than the intervention threshold or the duration count is less than the first threshold during the cooperative driving state, and switches the driving state to the manual driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than the start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than the second threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2022
    Publication date: April 6, 2023
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Toshiki Kindo
  • Patent number: 11605306
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to a training system to train a driver about occurrences of anomalous driving events of automated vehicle systems. In one embodiment, a method includes determining, upon receiving a selection of a vehicle behavior from one or more anomalous driving events and a detected state change signal, whether the vehicle behavior affects one or more entities. The method includes assessing a state of the one or more entities to simulate the vehicle behavior according to a safety standard. The method includes triggering simulation of the vehicle behavior if the state satisfies a threshold. The method includes simulating the vehicle behavior by at least controlling the vehicle to simulate the vehicle behavior during automated driving of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Patent number: 11592816
    Abstract: A driving assistance device, including an automated driving switch; an emergency button; and a controller configured to provide either automated driving in which travel is performed along a current travel path of a host vehicle or automated stopping in response to manipulation by a driver of the automated driving switch or of the emergency button.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Toshiki Kindo
  • Patent number: 11577743
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving automated driving by testing for inputs during driving. In one embodiment, a method includes testing an input from a driver in a manual driving mode of a vehicle. The method also includes adapting a fixed time interval on a condition that a test result of the input satisfies criteria used to validate driver inputs. The method also includes monitoring, via an input system of the vehicle, for driver feedback according to the fixed time interval in an automated driving mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Publication number: 20230022104
    Abstract: An object detection device that determines whether or not an object is present in a blind spot of a sensor mounted on a moving object includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire an entry/exit status of the object into/from a closed blind spot of the sensor on the basis of a detection result from the sensor, and a determination unit configured to determine the presence or absence of the object in the closed blind spot on the basis of the entry/exit status.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20220355827
    Abstract: A remote assistance management system is in communication with autonomous traveling vehicles for letting an operator provide remote assistance in response to an assistance request from a vehicle. The system predicts an occurrence of an assistance request in future based on operation states of the vehicles, and categorize a cause of an assistance request predicted to occur into a first category cause that lasts for a long time and a second category cause that lasts only for a short time. The system receives an assistance request from the vehicles. In response to acquiring a first assistance request of which the cause is the first category cause from a first vehicle, the system transmits a first command signal for the first vehicle that is decided by an operator to the first vehicle, and applies the first command signal to another vehicle from which the first assistance request is predicted to occur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Maiko HIRANO, Koji TAGUCHI, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Yoshitaka ADACHI
  • Publication number: 20220357738
    Abstract: A remote assistance management system is in communication with a plurality of autonomous traveling vehicles for letting an operator provide remote assistance in response to an assistance request from a vehicle. The system predicts, for each vehicle, an occurrence of an assistance request in future based on an operation state of each vehicle and calculates a predicted assistance period for each assistance request predicted to occur. When more than a predetermined number of overlapping assistance requests of which predicted assistance periods overlap at the same time are predicted to occur, the system instructs to excess vehicles a change of a traveling mode from a first traveling mode being a normal traveling mode to a second traveling mode for avoiding or delaying the occurrence of an assistance request, the excess vehicles being vehicles in excess of the predetermined number among vehicles from which the overlapping assistance requests are predicted to occur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshitaka ADACHI, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Koji TAGUCHI, Maiko HIRANO
  • Patent number: 11491999
    Abstract: A method for controlling an operating mode of a vehicle is presented. The method includes determining a current range of the vehicle while the vehicle is operating in a first operating mode. The method also includes determining a distance to a destination. The method further includes controlling the vehicle to operate in a second operating mode instead of the first operating mode when the range is less than the distance to the destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Patent number: 11492835
    Abstract: A vehicle cargo area door control system for a vehicle including at least one cargo area and at least one cargo area door. The control system includes one or more processors and a memory communicably coupled to the processors for storing a cargo area door control module. The door control module operates to, responsive to the generation or receipt of an instruction which will cause the vehicle to start moving, determine if all vehicle cargo area doors are closed. If at least one cargo area door is not closed, command(s) are generated to close the at least one cargo area door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Kazunori Nimura
  • Patent number: 11396305
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving driver warnings for automated driving by a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring a vehicle control system for driver feedback during the automated driving. The method also includes adapting a points value at a defined rate according to whether the driver feedback is present. The method also includes, responsive to determining that the points value satisfies a threshold before the driver feedback is present, generating a warning to a driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Patent number: 11392119
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an autonomous driving release unit that releases the autonomous driving control if an override operation is input during the autonomous driving control which is based on a first travel plan, a travel plan setting unit that sets a second travel plan different from the first travel plan after the input of the override operation, an autonomous driving restore determination unit that determines whether to restore the autonomous driving control with the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the input of the override operation, and a vehicle control unit that maintains the manual driving and prohibits automatic starting of the autonomous driving control until after a predetermined time elapses after the autonomous driving control is released and when the autonomous driving restore determination unit determines not to restore the autonomous driving control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Patent number: 11385639
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control device configured to: detect a driving operation input amount during an automatic driving control for a vehicle; determine whether the driver is able to start manual driving during the automatic driving control for the vehicle; output a signal for performing switching from automatic driving to the manual driving based on a result of a comparison between the driving operation input amount and a driving switching threshold that is a threshold for the switching from the automatic driving to the manual driving; set the driving switching threshold to a first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is able to start the manual driving; and set the driving switching threshold to a second driving switching threshold exceeding the first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is not able to start the manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Patent number: 11367291
    Abstract: A traffic signal display estimation system recognizes, based on the position information of a vehicle and a traffic signal information, a traffic signal included in a camera image, identifies a traffic signal display for each recognized traffic signal, and calculates, for each traffic signal, a first evaluation value indicating the certainty of the identified traffic signal display. The system integrates, based on a traffic-signal-to-traffic-signal relational information, a forward traffic signal that is ahead of the travelling direction and that the vehicle should follow and a traffic signal correlated with the forward traffic signal in terms of the traffic signal display, among a plurality of recognized traffic signals. When there is an inconsistency in traffic signal displays identified between a plurality of integrated traffic signals, the system determines a first estimated traffic signal display of the forward traffic signal, based on the first evaluation value for each traffic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Hayashi, Taichi Kawanai, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Patent number: 11341866
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving the training of a driver during automated driving system mode. In one embodiment, a method includes generating, in association with a vehicle takeover and a maneuver by the driver, an automated motion plan associated with the maneuver. The method also includes determining if a difference parameter satisfies a threshold, wherein the difference parameter indicates a disparity between the maneuver by the driver in relation to the automated motion plan associated with the maneuver. The method also includes notifying, if the difference parameter does not satisfy the threshold, the driver that the vehicle takeover and the maneuver by the driver were unnecessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Junya Ueno
  • Publication number: 20220128992
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an autonomous driving release unit configured to release the autonomous driving control if an override operation is input during the execution of the autonomous driving control which is based on a first travel plan, a travel plan setting unit configured to set a second travel plan different from the first travel plan after the input of the override operation, an autonomous driving restore determination unit configured to determine whether or not to restore the autonomous driving control with the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the input of the override operation, and a vehicle control unit configured to maintain the manual driving and prohibit automatic starting of the autonomous driving control until after a predetermined time elapses after the autonomous driving control is released by the autonomous driving release unit and when the autonomous driving restore determination unit determines not to restore the autonomous driving co
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2021
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito SATO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Maiko HIRANO, Bunyo OKUMURA
  • Publication number: 20220121198
    Abstract: An autonomous driving control device is capable of starting an autonomous driving control without an operation of a driver and reducing a possibility that the driver can not start manual driving. An autonomous driving control is switched to manual driving when a determination section determines that the amount of operation by the driver is equal to or greater than a first threshold, before a predetermined time elapses since the autonomous driving control is automatically started. An autonomous driving control is switched to a manual driving when the determination section determines that the amount of operation by the driver is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, after the predetermined time elapses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Bunyo Okumura, Maiko Hirano
  • Publication number: 20220118978
    Abstract: A system includes an acquisition unit that acquires an operation amount or a duration count, and a switching unit that switches a driving state. The switching unit switches the driving state to the cooperative driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than an intervention threshold and less than a start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold during the autonomous driving state, switches the driving state to the autonomous driving state when the operation amount is less than the intervention threshold or the duration count is less than the first threshold during the cooperative driving state, and switches the driving state to the manual driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than the start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than the second threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2021
    Publication date: April 21, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Toshiki Kindo