Patents by Inventor Kotaro Hoshihara

Kotaro Hoshihara 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: 20240075948
    Abstract: A vehicle information providing system is realized, which is capable of providing appropriate vehicle information depending on a used driving energy source. The kind of fuel used when refueling a vehicle is identified based on image information from a camera provided in a service station, and/or payment information for the refueling. The magnitude of the environmental burden caused by the identified fuel is specified so as to change, according thereto, a background color of an instrument panel of the vehicle. Also, a turn-on/turn-off state and a lighting color of an eco-lamp provided on a rear surface of the vehicle is changed. Thus, the appropriate vehicle information is provided in consideration of differences in the environmental burden depending on the used fuel even when the vehicle model is the same.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2023
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Inventors: Kentaro HAMADA, Kotaro HOSHIHARA
  • Patent number: 10995851
    Abstract: A gear change control device according to an embodiment includes a detection unit configured to detect the gear stage of a transmission and measure the input rotation rate of the transmission and the rotation rate of an engine and a controller configured to decrease the torque of a clutch to a second reference value from a first reference value when a first time elapses from a time point at which the rotation rate of the engine and the input rotation rate of the transmission become different from each other due to a gear change from a certain gear stage to a gear stage one or a plurality of stages higher than the certain gear stage that is performed by the transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomomitsu Terakawa, Akihiko Ichikawa, Kotaro Hoshihara, Tomoyasu Kurimoto, Jun Yabuta
  • Patent number: 10788125
    Abstract: A first dog ring and a second dog ring are biased toward each other by means of springs. When the first dog ring and the second dog ring are moved away from each other, bias force produced by the springs is applied to the second dog ring in a direction to draw the second dog ring toward the first dog ring. Accordingly, when the first dog ring is moved away from the second dog ring during shifting, the second dog ring is drawn toward the first dog ring under the bias force, and third engaging teeth of the second dog ring and meshing teeth of a first-speed gear are promptly disengaged from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA MOTORSPORT GmbH
    Inventors: Shinichi Takeuchi, Akihiko Ichikawa, Junichi Muraoka, Kotaro Hoshihara, Tomohiro Yoshimura, Jun Yabuta, Klemens Pollmeier, Lars Van Leeuwen, Andree Miller
  • Patent number: 10738886
    Abstract: A first dog ring and a second dog ring are biased toward each other by means of springs. When the first dog ring and the second dog ring are moved away from each other, bias force produced by the springs is applied to the second dog ring in a direction to draw the second dog ring toward the first dog ring. Accordingly, when the first dog ring is moved away from the second dog ring during shifting, the second dog ring is drawn toward the first dog ring under the bias force, and third engaging teeth of the second dog ring and meshing teeth of a first-speed gear are promptly disengaged from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA MOTORSPORT GmbH
    Inventors: Shinichi Takeuchi, Akihiko Ichikawa, Junichi Muraoka, Kotaro Hoshihara, Tomohiro Yoshimura, Jun Yabuta, Klemens Pollmeier, Lars Van Leeuwen, Andree Miller
  • Publication number: 20180073635
    Abstract: A first dog ring and a second dog ring are biased toward each other by means of springs. When the first dog ring and the second dog ring are moved away from each other, bias force produced by the springs is applied to the second dog ring in a direction to draw the second dog ring toward the first dog ring. Accordingly, when the first dog ring is moved away from the second dog ring during shifting, the second dog ring is drawn toward the first dog ring under the bias force, and third engaging teeth of the second dog ring and meshing teeth of a first-speed gear are promptly disengaged from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN Al CO., LTD, TOYOTA MOTORSPORT GmbH
    Inventors: Shinichi TAKEUCHI, Akihiko ICHIKAWA, Junichi MURAOKA, Kotaro HOSHIHARA, Tomohiro YOSHIMURA, Jun YABUTA, Klemens POLLMEIER, Lars VAN LEEUWEN, Andree MILLER
  • Patent number: 8382640
    Abstract: This apparatus is provided with a clutch mechanism 14. The clutch mechanism 14 is interposed between an engine 11 and a transmission 15, and is coupled to a clutch pedal 28. An operating mode of the clutch mechanism 14 changes in conjunction with a change of an operating position of the clutch pedal 28. In the case that an execution condition is met, the apparatus lowers a maximum operating speed of the clutch mechanism 14 in comparison with a state in which an execution condition is not met. The execution condition includes the following execution start condition that “the operating position of the clutch pedal 28 is a position setting the clutch mechanism 14 to a disengaged state, and a changing speed of the operating position of the clutch pedal 28 in an engaging direction at a time of setting the clutch mechanism 14 to an engaged state from the disengaged state is equal to or higher than a predetermined starting speed”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Takeuchi, Kotaro Hoshihara, Shinichiro Watarai, Yasuyuki Hagino
  • Publication number: 20100298093
    Abstract: This apparatus is provided with a clutch mechanism 14. The clutch mechanism 14 is interposed between an engine 11 and a transmission 15, and is coupled to a clutch pedal 28. An operating mode of the clutch mechanism 14 changes in conjunction with a change of an operating position of the clutch pedal 28. In the case that an execution condition is met, the apparatus lowers a maximum operating speed of the clutch mechanism 14 in comparison with a state in which an execution condition is not met. The execution condition includes the following execution start condition that “the operating position of the clutch pedal 28 is a position setting the clutch mechanism 14 to a disengaged state, and a changing speed of the operating position of the clutch pedal 28 in an engaging direction at a time of setting the clutch mechanism 14 to an engaged state from the disengaged state is equal to or higher than a predetermined starting speed”.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2008
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI
    Inventors: Shinichi Takeuchi, Kotaro Hoshihara, Shinichiro Watarai, Yasuyuki Hagino