Patents by Inventor Ko Sato

Ko Sato 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: 20260146570
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine including cylinders, an intake air flow path coupled to the engine, a supercharger configured to pressurize intake air to be supplied to the engine through the intake air flow path, a fuel tank configured to store fuel, a canister configured to temporarily store evaporated fuel generated in the fuel tank, an ejector mechanism including an ejector body provided upstream of the supercharger along the intake air flow path, a return flow path configured to couple the intake air flow path and the ejector body at a position downstream of the supercharger, and a purge flow path configured to couple the canister and the ejector body, and a control device configured to control the engine and the supercharger. The control device includes one or more processors configured to set an operation mode of the engine and the supercharger to a purge priority mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2025
    Publication date: May 28, 2026
    Inventor: Ko SATO
  • Publication number: 20250294707
    Abstract: There is provided a measurement device attached to a liquid pump with a suction inlet and a discharge outlet, including: a discharge side sensor unit which detects detection values based on both discharge temperature and discharge pressure of cooling liquid flowing out of the discharge outlet; and a discharge side calculation unit which calculates, based on the detection values, a flow rate of the cooling liquid flowing out of the discharge outlet. The detection values may be the discharge temperature and the discharge pressure. The measurement device may further include a suction side sensor unit which detects suction temperature and suction pressure of cooling liquid flowing into the suction inlet; and a suction side sensing unit which senses, based on a comparison result between a saturated vapor pressure of the cooling liquid at the suction temperature and the suction pressure, occurrence of cavitation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2025
    Publication date: September 18, 2025
    Inventor: Ko SATO
  • Publication number: 20250018865
    Abstract: A parking assistance device includes: a sensor-information processing circuit that detects an empty parking space around a host vehicle; a surrounding-image generation circuit that generates a surrounding image that is a view of surroundings of the host vehicle from above; an image display circuit that displays a first assistance image at a position of the empty parking space in the surrounding image, the first assistance image indicating the empty parking space; and a stop determination circuit that determines whether the host vehicle has stopped. In a case where it is determined by the stop determination circuit that the host vehicle has stopped, the image display circuit displays the first assistance image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2024
    Publication date: January 16, 2025
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Suzuki, Ko Sato, Daisuke Tanaka, Yasuhiro Sakurai, Ryota Yamanaka, Junya Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 12122300
    Abstract: A parking assistance device includes: a sensor-information processing circuit that detects an empty parking space around a host vehicle; a surrounding-image generation circuit that generates a surrounding image that is a view of surroundings of the host vehicle from above; an image display circuit that displays a first assistance image at a position of the empty parking space in the surrounding image, the first assistance image indicating the empty parking space; and a stop determination circuit that determines whether the host vehicle has stopped. In a case where it is determined by the stop determination circuit that the host vehicle has stopped, the image display circuit displays the first assistance image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Suzuki, Ko Sato, Daisuke Tanaka, Yasuhiro Sakurai, Ryota Yamanaka, Junya Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 12055084
    Abstract: An exhaust gas purification apparatus includes a first exhaust pipe, a first housing, a second exhaust pipe, and a second housing. The first exhaust pipe is coupled to an engine. The first housing is coupled to a downstream end of the first exhaust pipe and houses a three-way catalyst. The second exhaust pipe is coupled to a downstream end of the first housing. The second housing is coupled to a downstream end of the second exhaust pipe and houses a nitrogen oxide occlusion catalyst. The three-way catalyst comprises a first region and a second region. The second region has a lower oxygen storage capacity than the first region. The first region is located on a center axis of a flow of gas that is to be sent from the first exhaust pipe into the first housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ko Sato
  • Publication number: 20230366338
    Abstract: An exhaust gas purification apparatus includes a first exhaust pipe, a first housing, a second exhaust pipe, and a second housing. The first exhaust pipe is coupled to an engine. The first housing is coupled to a downstream end of the first exhaust pipe and houses a three-way catalyst. The second exhaust pipe is coupled to a downstream end of the first housing. The second housing is coupled to a downstream end of the second exhaust pipe and houses a nitrogen oxide occlusion catalyst. The three-way catalyst comprises a first region and a second region. The second region has a lower oxygen storage capacity than the first region. The first region is located on a center axis of a flow of gas that is to be sent from the first exhaust pipe into the first housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventor: Ko SATO
  • Patent number: 11498617
    Abstract: A vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle using a vehicle control apparatus includes: a sensor configured to detect a state outside a subject vehicle; and a control device. The vehicle control method includes: executing control of recovering a travel trajectory of the subject vehicle to a target trajectory, as ordinary control, by giving a steering amount in a lateral direction with respect to a travel lane of the subject vehicle; using detection data of the sensor to determine whether or not another vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane to the travel lane of the subject vehicle; and when determining that the other vehicle is traveling in the adjacent lane ahead of the subject vehicle, increasing a response of the steering amount to a higher response than that in the ordinary control, before the subject vehicle passes the other vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuta Akamatsu, Masahiro Kobayashi, Yasuhisa Taira, Osamu Fukata, Ko Sato
  • Patent number: 11459974
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an exhaust passage including an exhaust cleaner, an engine coupled to the exhaust passage, fuel injection valves, and a control device. The fuel injection valves are respectively provided in cylinders of the engine and inject fuel into the cylinders. The control device performs, after main-injection, post-injection control that causes the fuel injection valves to perform post-injection. The control device determines a fuel injection amount for single-time post-injection performed by each fuel injection valve such that the fuel injection amount for the single-time post-injection is greater than a fuel injection amount when the post-injection is performed in every combustion cycle in all the cylinders. The control device performs the post-injection control such that how many times the post-injection is performed is less than how many times the post-injection is performed in a case in which the post-injection is performed in every combustion cycle in all the cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ko Sato
  • Patent number: 11242048
    Abstract: In a parking assistance method of a parking control device which executes parking control with respect to a free parking space surroundings a host vehicle, a first frame line of free parking space in a direction orthogonal to a vehicle width direction and a second frame line which forms a pair with the first frame line are detected, and a parking target is set on a straight line connecting between a point on the first frame line and a point on the second frame line, for example, the parking target is set on the straight line connecting between an end on the first frame line and an end on the second frame line, and parking control is executed so that a position of wheels of the host vehicle is matched with the parking target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Suzuki, Ko Sato, Daisuke Tanaka, Yasuhiro Sakurai, Ryota Yamanaka, Junya Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20220024515
    Abstract: A vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle using a vehicle control apparatus includes: a sensor configured to detect a state outside a subject vehicle; and a control device. The vehicle control method includes: executing control of recovering a travel trajectory of the subject vehicle to a target trajectory, as ordinary control, by giving a steering amount in a lateral direction with respect to a travel lane of the subject vehicle; using detection data of the sensor to determine whether or not another vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane to the travel lane of the subject vehicle; and when determining that the other vehicle is traveling in the adjacent lane ahead of the subject vehicle, increasing a response of the steering amount to a higher response than that in the ordinary control, before the subject vehicle passes the other vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Publication date: January 27, 2022
    Inventors: Yuta Akamatsu, Masahiro Kobayashi, Yasuhisa Taira, Osamu Fukata, Ko Sato
  • Publication number: 20210355890
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an exhaust passage including an exhaust cleaner, an engine coupled to the exhaust passage, fuel injection valves, and a control device. The fuel injection valves are respectively provided in cylinders of the engine and inject fuel into the cylinders. The control device performs, after main-injection, post-injection control that causes the fuel injection valves to perform post-injection. The control device determines a fuel injection amount for single-time post-injection performed by each fuel injection valve such that the fuel injection amount for the single-time post-injection is greater than a fuel injection amount when the post-injection is performed in every combustion cycle in all the cylinders. The control device performs the post-injection control such that how many times the post-injection is performed is less than how many times the post-injection is performed in a case in which the post-injection is performed in every combustion cycle in all the cylinders.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventor: Ko SATO
  • Patent number: 11148711
    Abstract: A vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle using a vehicle control apparatus includes: a sensor configured to detect a state outside a subject vehicle; and a control device. The vehicle control method includes: executing control of recovering a travel trajectory of the subject vehicle to a target trajectory, as ordinary control, by giving a steering amount in a lateral direction with respect to a travel lane of the subject vehicle; using detection data of the sensor to determine whether or not another vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane to the travel lane of the subject vehicle; and when determining that the other vehicle is traveling in the adjacent lane ahead of the subject vehicle, increasing a response of the steering amount to a higher response than that in the ordinary control, before the subject vehicle passes the other vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuta Akamatsu, Masahiro Kobayashi, Yasuhisa Taira, Osamu Fukata, Ko Sato
  • Patent number: 10946858
    Abstract: A travel control apparatus, when a lane line of the traffic lane that had been being detected is no longer detected, estimates an imaginary lane line based on the position of the lane line detected in the past and controls the travel of the host vehicle such that the host vehicle is at a predetermined position with respect to the imaginary lane line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ko Sato, Masahiro Kobayashi, Yasuhisa Taira, Osamu Fukata
  • Patent number: 10926701
    Abstract: A parking assistance device includes: a surrounding-image generation circuit that generates a surrounding image that is a view of surroundings of a mobile object from above; an image display circuit that displays an assistance image at a position of an empty parking space in the surrounding image, the first assistance image indicating the empty parking space; and a turning determination circuit that determines whether the mobile object is turning. In a case where it is determined by the turning determination circuit that the mobile object is turning, the image display circuit prohibits the assistance image from being displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Suzuki, Ko Sato, Daisuke Tanaka, Yasuhiro Sakurai, Ryota Yamanaka, Junya Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 10927775
    Abstract: An engine control device includes an air amount detector, a requested torque acquisitor, a search axis value acquisitor, a storage, and a control target value acquisitor. The air amount detector detects an actual amount of intake air. The requested torque acquisitor acquires a requested torque. In a region of a lean burn region where the actual amount of intake air increases as the requested torque increases, the search axis value acquisitor acquires a value corresponding to the actual amount of intake air. In a region of the of the lean burn region where the actual amount of intake air does not increase as the requested torque increases, the search axis value acquisitor acquires a value corresponding to the requested torque. The control target value acquisitor acquires a control target value of an engine device by searching a device control map using an acquired search axis value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazunari Wakimoto, Ko Sato
  • Patent number: 10899343
    Abstract: A parking assistance method of a parking assistance device for generating a peripheral image indicating a periphery of a vehicle as viewed from above to detect an unoccupied parking space, and displaying, on the peripheral image, an assistance image indicating that the detected unoccupied parking space is an available parking space, determines whether the vehicle intrudes on the unoccupied parking space. The parking assistance method inhibits the assistance image from being displayed on the unoccupied parking space on which the vehicle is determined to intrude in the peripheral image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Suzuki, Ko Sato, Daisuke Tanaka, Yasuhiro Sakurai, Ryota Yamanaka, Junya Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20200369262
    Abstract: In a parking assistance method of a parking control device which executes parking control with respect to a free parking space surroundings a host vehicle, a first frame line of free parking space in a direction orthogonal to a vehicle width direction and a second frame line which forms a pair with the first frame line are detected, and a parking target is set on a straight line connecting between a point on the first frame line and a point on the second frame line, for example, the parking target is set on the straight line connecting between an end on the first frame line and an end on the second frame line, and parking control is executed so that a position of wheels of the host vehicle is matched with the parking target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Suzuki, Ko Sato, Daisuke Tanaka, Yasuhiro Sakurai, Ryota Yamanaka, Junya Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20200369204
    Abstract: A parking assistance device includes: a surrounding-image generation circuit that generates a surrounding image that is a view of surroundings of a mobile object from above; an image display circuit that displays an assistance image at a position of an empty parking space in the surrounding image, the first assistance image indicating the empty parking space; and a turning determination circuit that determines whether the mobile object is turning. In a case where it is determined by the turning determination circuit that the mobile object is turning, the image display circuit prohibits the assistance image from being displayed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Suzuki, Ko Sato, Daisuke Tanaka, Yasuhiro Sakurai, Ryota Yamanaka, Junya Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20200361449
    Abstract: A parking assistance method of a parking assistance device for generating a peripheral image indicating a periphery of a vehicle as viewed from above to detect an unoccupied parking space, and displaying, on the peripheral image, an assistance image indicating that the detected unoccupied parking space is an available parking space, determines whether the vehicle intrudes on the unoccupied parking space. The parking assistance method inhibits the assistance image from being displayed on the unoccupied parking space on which the vehicle is determined to intrude in the peripheral image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Publication date: November 19, 2020
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Suzuki, Ko Sato, Daisuke Tanaka, Yasuhiro Sakurai, Ryota Yamanaka, Junya Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20200307623
    Abstract: A vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle using a vehicle control apparatus includes: a sensor configured to detect a state outside a subject vehicle; and a control device. The vehicle control method includes: executing control of recovering a travel trajectory of the subject vehicle to a target trajectory, as ordinary control, by giving a steering amount in a lateral direction with respect to a travel lane of the subject vehicle; using detection data of the sensor to determine whether or not another vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane to the travel lane of the subject vehicle; and when determining that the other vehicle is traveling in the adjacent lane ahead of the subject vehicle, increasing a response of the steering amount to a higher response than that in the ordinary control, before the subject vehicle passes the other vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2017
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Yuta Akamatsu, Masahiro Kobayashi, Yasuhisa Taira, Osamu Fukata, Ko Sato