Patents by Inventor Koji Matsuno

Koji Matsuno 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: 20240246527
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus is applied to a vehicle including a turning inner wheel, a turning outer wheel, and a limited slip differential. The vehicle control apparatus includes a target yaw moment setter, a target braking force setter, and a braking device. The target yaw moment setter sets a target yaw moment of the vehicle. The target braking force setter sets a target braking force to be added to the turning inner wheel based on the target yaw moment. The braking device adds a braking force to the turning inner wheel based on the target braking force. The target braking force setter incrementally corrects the target braking force based on a transmission torque transmitted from the turning inner wheel to the turning outer wheel by the limited slip differential.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2024
    Publication date: July 25, 2024
    Inventor: Koji MATSUNO
  • Publication number: 20240182033
    Abstract: A driver assistance apparatus includes a tire force margin calculation unit of a front inner wheel in cornering, a driving operation command output unit, and an information presentation unit. The tire force margin calculation unit of the front inner wheel in cornering estimates, on the occasion of cornering of a vehicle, a tire force limit and a tire force current value of the front inner wheel in cornering, and calculates a tire force margin based on the tire force limit and the tire force current value. In accordance with a decline in the tire force margin of the front inner wheel in cornering, the driving operation command output unit outputs a driving operation command that causes restoration of the tire force margin. The information presentation unit presents a driver who drives the vehicle with information regarding the driving operation command outputted by the driving operation command output unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2023
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Inventors: Yoshiki SHIMA, Koji MATSUNO
  • Publication number: 20240181895
    Abstract: A braking and driving force control apparatus to be provided in a vehicle including front-wheel and rear-wheel longitudinal force generators that generate longitudinal forces of front and rear wheels, respectively. The braking and driving force control apparatus includes: first and second road surface friction coefficient setting units that respectively set first and second road surface friction coefficients; and a braking and driving force distribution control unit. The second road surface friction coefficient is larger than the first road surface friction coefficient. When the front-wheel and rear-wheel longitudinal force generators generate a driving force, the braking and driving force distribution control unit controls an output allotment ratio by using the first road surface friction coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2023
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Inventor: Koji MATSUNO
  • Publication number: 20240051518
    Abstract: A turning behavior control device for a vehicle includes a yaw rate detection unit, a brake unit, a drive source, and a travel control unit. The travel control unit includes a deviation value calculation unit that calculates a deviation between a reference yaw rate for determining the degree of understeer during turning of the vehicle and an actual yaw rate detected by the yaw rate detection unit, a braking force control unit that outputs, to the brake unit, a first signal for applying the braking force to a turning inner-side rear wheel or a turning inner-side front wheel when determining that the deviation exceeds a predetermined deviation reference value, and a driving force control unit that outputs, to the drive source, a signal for applying a driving force to a turning outer-side rear wheel or a turning outer-side front wheel when the braking force control unit outputs the signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Nozomi KOSAKA, Masahiro SAITO, Koji MATSUNO, Yoshinori MAEDA, Toyoyuki MOTOMURA
  • Publication number: 20230382367
    Abstract: A driving/braking force control apparatus includes a front-wheel longitudinal force generator, a rear-wheel longitudinal force generator, a tire slip angle output unit, a tire lateral force output unit, a slip ratio output unit, a tire lateral force change rate output unit, a target yaw moment setting unit, and a driving/braking force distribution control unit. The driving/braking force distribution control unit performs a control of an output allocation ratio between the front-wheel longitudinal force generator and the rear-wheel longitudinal force generator based on a target value of an additional yaw moment, a change rate of a tire lateral force of a front wheel to a slip ratio of the front wheel, and a change rate of a tire lateral force of a rear wheel to a slip ratio of the rear wheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2023
    Publication date: November 30, 2023
    Inventors: Koji MATSUNO, Takeshi YONEDA
  • Publication number: 20230294667
    Abstract: A turning behavior control device for a vehicle includes a yaw rate detector, a front wheel suspension, a rear wheel suspension, a brake device, a hydraulic pressure supplier, and a travel controller. The left and right front wheels of the vehicle are steered wheels and drive wheels. The travel controller includes a deviation value calculator configured to calculate a deviation between a standard yaw rate for determining a degree of understeer during turning of the vehicle and a yaw rate detected by the yaw rate detector, and a braking force controller configured to output, to the hydraulic pressure supplier, a first signal for applying braking forces to left and right front wheels in addition to a turning inner rear wheel when it is determined that the deviation calculated by the deviation value calculator exceeds a predetermined deviation reference value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Inventors: Koji MATSUNO, Masahiro SAITO, Kojiro NAKAJIMA, Nozomi KOSAKA, Goichi KOBAYASHI, Yoshinori MAEDA
  • Patent number: 11760197
    Abstract: A driving force estimation apparatus includes a free rolling rotation speed output unit, an actual rotation speed detector, a slip rate calculation unit, a driving force estimation unit, a slip angle output unit, and a stiffness correction unit. The free rolling rotation speed output unit outputs free rolling rotation speeds of front and rear wheels in a free rolling state devoid of a braking or driving force. The slip rate calculation unit calculates slip rates of the front and rear wheels, from the free rolling rotation speeds and actual rotation speeds. The driving force estimation unit estimates driving forces of the front and rear wheels, using driving or braking stiffnesses of the front and rear wheels and the slip rates. The slip angle output unit outputs slip angles of the front and rear wheels. The stiffness correction unit corrects the driving or braking stiffnesses based on the slip angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Matsuno, Yoshiki Shima, Masahiro Saito
  • Patent number: 10286952
    Abstract: A vehicle traveling control apparatus includes a first setting unit and a correcting unit. The control target point setting unit sets a set position of a preceding vehicle ahead of an own vehicle in a vehicle width direction as a control target point of follow-up traveling for traveling while following the preceding vehicle. The steering control amount correcting unit corrects, on a basis of deviation between a target steering angle that brings the own vehicle to the control target point and an actual steering angle, an amount of a steering control that controls the own vehicle to the target steering angle which is a steering angle that brings the own vehicle to the control target point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasushi Takaso, Fumihito Yamaguchi, Koji Matsuno, Masayuki Yajima
  • Patent number: 10244658
    Abstract: A heat conductive sheet includes a heat dissipating sheet, a first heat insulating layer provided above the heat dissipating sheet, a first sheet provided above the first heat insulating layer, and a second sheet provided below the heat dissipating sheet. The first sheet includes a first protruding portion protruding from the heat dissipating sheet viewing from above. The second sheet includes a second protruding portion protruding from the heat dissipating sheet viewing from above. A thermal conductivity of the first heat insulating layer is lower than any of a thermal conductivity of the first sheet, a thermal conductivity of the second sheet, and a thermal conductivity of the heat dissipating sheet. The first protruding portion overlaps and the second protruding portion viewing from above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Koji Matsuno, Kazuhiko Kubo
  • Patent number: 10220821
    Abstract: A vehicle braking force controlling apparatus includes a steered start detector and a controller. The steered start detector detects steered start of a vehicle on a basis of a driving state of the vehicle. The vehicle has a plurality of wheels. The steered start is start of the vehicle in which steering is performed. The controller applies braking force to a turning inner front wheel and braking force to a turning outer rear wheel when the steered start of the vehicle is detected by the steered start detector. The turning inner front wheel is a front wheel of the plurality of wheels which is located on inner side upon turning of the vehicle. The turning outer rear wheel is a rear wheel of the plurality of wheels which is located on outer side upon the turning of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Subaru Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Matsuno
  • Patent number: 10091868
    Abstract: A heat-dissipating sheet includes a thermally-conductive resin sheet, an adhesive layer on an upper surface of the thermally-conductive resin sheet, and a thermally-conductive film on an upper surface of the adhesive layer. The thermally-conductive film has a higher thermal conductivity than the thermally-conductive resin sheet. The thermally-conductive resin sheet has a thin portion that is locally thin to form a recess in a lower surface of the thermally-conductive resin sheet. The recess may be an aperture passing through the thermally-conductive resin sheet. The adhesive layer is exposed from the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masafumi Nakayama, Koji Matsuno
  • Publication number: 20180098461
    Abstract: A heat conductive sheet includes a heat dissipating sheet, a first heat insulating layer provided above the heat dissipating sheet, a first sheet provided above the first heat insulating layer, and a second sheet provided below the heat dissipating sheet. The first sheet includes a first protruding portion protruding from the heat dissipating sheet viewing from above. The second sheet includes a second protruding portion protruding from the heat dissipating sheet viewing from above. A thermal conductivity of the first heat insulating layer is lower than any of a thermal conductivity of the first sheet, a thermal conductivity of the second sheet, and a thermal conductivity of the heat dissipating sheet. The first protruding portion overlaps and the second protruding portion viewing from above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Inventors: KOJI MATSUNO, KAZUHIKO KUBO
  • Publication number: 20180065604
    Abstract: A vehicle braking force controlling apparatus includes a steered start detector and a controller. The steered start detector detects steered start of a vehicle on a basis of a driving state of the vehicle. The vehicle has a plurality of wheels. The steered start is start of the vehicle in which steering is performed. The controller applies braking force to a turning inner front wheel and braking force to a turning outer rear wheel when the steered start of the vehicle is detected by the steered start detector. The turning inner front wheel is a front wheel of the plurality of wheels which is located on inner side upon turning of the vehicle. The turning outer rear wheel is a rear wheel of the plurality of wheels which is located on outer side upon the turning of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventor: Koji MATSUNO
  • Patent number: 9889884
    Abstract: A travel control apparatus for a vehicle detects a vehicle to be passed that is a target of passing and is in front of the vehicle equipped with the apparatus in the traveling lane thereof, detects a parallel traveling vehicle that is traveling in a lane that is adjacent to a lane to which the vehicle performs lane changing to pass the vehicle to be passed and is located on the opposite side of the lane which the vehicle to be passed is traveling, monitors the vehicle to be passed and the parallel traveling vehicle, and variably controls a passing maneuver with respect to the vehicle to be passed on the basis of a monitoring result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Matsuno, Harunobu Horiguchi, Shiro Ezoe, Takayuki Nagase, Hajime Oyama, Yasushi Takaso, Masato Mizoguchi
  • Patent number: 9873376
    Abstract: A control unit of an assist controller for a vehicle estimates the visibility of a driver, calculates a visibility degradation ratio as a temporal change amount of the visibility, compares the visibility degradation ratio with a warning threshold that has been set in advance according to a vehicle speed, determines whether to warn the driver with a warning device, compares the visibility degradation ratio with a control characteristic change threshold that has been set in advance according to a vehicle speed, determines changes in control characteristics of the ABS function, skid preventing control function, and brake assist control function, compares the visibility degradation ratio with a deceleration control actuation threshold that has been set in advance according to a vehicle speed, and determines whether to execute automatic braking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Matsuno, Harunobu Horiguchi
  • Patent number: 9834219
    Abstract: A vehicle automatic driving control apparatus executes an automatic traveling control by performing setting on preset automatic-driving-required drive torque as target torque, and includes a traction-control-required drive torque setting unit that sets, when a preset operating condition of a traction control is satisfied, traction-control-required drive torque as the target torque to decrease drive torque and thereby suppress a drive wheel slip, an automatic-driving-required drive torque decreasing unit that gradually decreases, based on a preset amount, the automatic-driving-required drive torque when the traction control is operated, a torque comparing unit that compares the traction-control-required drive torque with the decreased automatic-driving-required drive torque, and an automatic-driving-required drive torque setting unit that completes the traction control and performs the setting again on the decreased automatic-driving-required drive torque as the automatic-driving-required drive torque for the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Matsuno, Harunobu Horiguchi
  • Patent number: 9809164
    Abstract: A travel control apparatus for a vehicle detects a vehicle to be passed that is an target of passing and is located in front of a vehicle equipped with the travel control apparatus in a traveling lane thereof on the basis of peripheral environment information and travel information, detects a following vehicle that is behind the vehicle in the traveling lane thereof as a following vehicle in the original lane on the basis of the peripheral environment information, monitors the vehicle to be passed and the following vehicle in the original lane, and variably controls a passing maneuver with respect to the vehicle to be passed on the basis of a monitoring result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Matsuno, Harunobu Horiguchi, Shiro Ezoe, Takayuki Nagase, Hajime Oyama, Yasushi Takaso, Masato Mizoguchi
  • Patent number: 9789905
    Abstract: A vehicle traveling control apparatus includes a vehicle parameter detector, a vehicle parameter estimator, a disturbance-suppressing parameter calculator, an addition rate changer, and a disturbance suppressor. The vehicle parameter detector detects a vehicle parameter. The vehicle parameter estimator estimates, by means of a vehicle model, a vehicle parameter to be outputted in response to an input value. The disturbance-suppressing parameter calculator estimates, based on the vehicle parameters detected by the vehicle parameter detector and estimated by the vehicle parameter estimator, a disturbance generated at a vehicle, and calculates a disturbance-suppressing parameter. The addition rate changer identifies, based on the vehicle parameters detected by the vehicle parameter detector and estimated by the vehicle parameter estimator, the disturbance generated at the vehicle, and variably sets, based on the identified disturbance, an addition rate of the disturbance-suppressing parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Matsuno, Masato Mizoguchi
  • Patent number: 9776641
    Abstract: A travel control apparatus for a vehicle includes: a travel environment information acquisition unit that acquires travel environment information on a travel environment where the vehicle travels; a travel information detector that detects travel information on the vehicle; and an overtaking controller that detects an overtaking target vehicle ahead of the vehicle in an identical travel lane on the basis of the travel environment information and the travel information, and overtakes the overtaking target vehicle using automatic driving control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Matsuno, Harunobu Horiguchi, Hajime Oyama, Yasushi Takaso, Masato Mizoguchi, Takayuki Nagase, Eiichi Shiraishi, Shiro Ezoe, Satoru Akiyama
  • Patent number: 9764640
    Abstract: In a travel control apparatus for a vehicle, a travel environment information acquisition unit acquires travel environment information, and a travel information detector detects travel information relating to the vehicle. The apparatus executes automatic driving control based on such information pieces. A vehicle peripheral object detector detects an object around the vehicle, separately to the travel environment information acquisition unit. An environment information acquisition failure detector detects an acquisition failure in the travel environment information acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Matsuno, Hajime Oyama, Yasushi Takaso, Masato Mizoguchi, Harunobu Horiguchi, Takayuki Nagase, Eiichi Shiraishi, Shiro Ezoe, Satoru Akiyama