Patents by Inventor Koki Minamikawa

Koki Minamikawa 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: 20140148985
    Abstract: A control system for a hybrid vehicle includes a controller. When a downshift of a transmission and an increase in an amount of regeneration are carried out during regenerative coast traveling in which regeneration is carried out by an electric motor, and when a state of charge of a battery is lower than a predetermined value, the controller increases the amount of regeneration before completion of the downshift. When the state of charge of the battery is higher than or equal to the predetermined value, the controller increases the amount of regeneration after completion of the downshift.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2013
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shun SATO, Toshio SUGIMURA, Seiji KUWAHARA, Takahiko TSUTSUMI, Koki MINAMIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20120072065
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a power transmitting system of a vehicle provided with a transmission portion having a plurality of speed ratios to be established in steps, and an electric motor operatively connected to an input-side rotary member of said transmission portion and controlled to generate a regenerative torque in a decelerating state of the vehicle, the control apparatus is configured: to implement a shifting control to perform a shifting operation of said transmission portion under the condition of a determination in the decelerating state of the vehicle that an input torque of said transmission portion including said regenerative torque is substantially zero; and to implement the shifting control to perform the shifting operation of said transmission portion under the condition of an improvement of a fuel economy rather than the determination that the input torque of said transmission portion is substantially zero, when a target deceleration value of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined threshol
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2009
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koki Minamikawa, Yoshiki Ando
  • Patent number: 8066616
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicular automatic transmission, which permits effective reduction of deterioration of vehicle drivability upon operation of a brake operating member, and which is configured to increase a sweeping rate in a sweep control of the torque capacity of a coupling element of an automatic transmission portion 20 to be engaged to perform a shifting action when a regenerative braking command is generated according to the operation of the brake operating member during an inertia phase of the shifting action, so that the coupling element is rapidly engaged for the purpose of generating an engine braking force when the regenerative braking command is generated according to the operation of the brake operating member during the inertia phase of the shifting action. Accordingly, the braking force generated during the shifting action is equal to the braking force generated in the normal state (in the absence of the shifting action).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koki Minamikawa
  • Patent number: 7686738
    Abstract: Hydraulic pressure supplied to a first brake and a second brake in a transmission is controlled during an upshift such that the second brake releases from an applied state, and the first brake applies from a released state. The hydraulic pressure supplied to the first brake is increased to a standby pressure. When a period of time has passed after the upshift starts, the output torque of a powertrain is increased. The standby pressure is corrected according to a decrease rate of an input shaft rotation speed of the transmission during an inertia phase of the upshift. An ECU executes a program that includes the step of setting the period of time from the start of the upshift until the output torque of the powertrain starts to increase, according to the standby pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideharu Nohara, Koki Minamikawa
  • Publication number: 20090312142
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicular automatic transmission, which permits effective reduction of deterioration of vehicle drivability upon operation of a brake operating member, and which is configured to increase a sweeping rate in a sweep control of the torque capacity of a coupling element of an automatic transmission portion 20 to be engaged to perform a shifting action when a regenerative braking command is generated according to the operation of the brake operating member during an inertia phase of the shifting action, so that the coupling element is rapidly engaged for the purpose of generating an engine braking force when the regenerative braking command is generated according to the operation of the brake operating member during the inertia phase of the shifting action. Accordingly, the braking force generated during the shifting action is equal to the braking force generated in the normal state (in the absence of the shifting action).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koki Minamikawa
  • Patent number: 7575079
    Abstract: A motor-generator is feedback-controlled by adopting the rotation speed information from a resolver when the rotation speed of a motor-generator is low, and by adopting the rotation speed information from a north marker when the rotation speed thereof is high. If the gradient of change in the rotation speed thereof based on the presently adopted rotation speed information is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the rotation speed information switching operation is prohibited to prevent the shift shock during the ratio shifting operation of a reduction mechanism. That is, in a construction in which the rotation speed of the motor-generator can be detected via the resolver and the north marker, the power output device capable of properly performing the rotation speed control of the motor-generator and the like by making proper the timing at which the rotation speed information adopted for the control is switched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koki Minamikawa
  • Publication number: 20080196955
    Abstract: A motor-generator is feedback-controlled by adopting the rotation speed information from a resolver when the rotation speed of a motor-generator is low, and by adopting the rotation speed information from a north marker when the rotation speed thereof is high. If the gradient of change in the rotation speed thereof based on the presently adopted rotation speed information is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the rotation speed information switching operation is prohibited to prevent the shift shock during the ratio shifting operation of a reduction mechanism. That is, in a construction in which the rotation speed of the motor-generator can be detected via the resolver and the north marker, the power output device capable of properly performing the rotation speed control of the motor-generator and the like by making proper the timing at which the rotation speed information adopted for the control is switched.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koki MINAMIKAWA
  • Publication number: 20080176710
    Abstract: Hydraulic pressure supplied to a first brake and a second brake in a transmission is controlled during an upshift such that the second brake releases from an applied state, and the first brake applies from a released state. The hydraulic pressure supplied to the first brake is increased to a standby pressure. When a period of time has passed after the upshift starts, the output torque of a powertrain is increased. The standby pressure is corrected according to a decrease rate of an input shaft rotation speed of the transmission during an inertia phase of the upshift. An ECU executes a program that includes the step of setting the period of time from the start of the upshift until the output torque of the powertrain starts to increase, according to the standby pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 7, 2008
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideharu Nohara, Koki Minamikawa