Patents by Inventor Kunihiko Chiba

Kunihiko Chiba 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: 10392027
    Abstract: A user interface unit alternately designates an automatic switching mode, a manual-on mode, and a manual-off mode. A determining unit determines whether or not execution of driving assistance is permitted at a current time, based on a predetermined determination index related to whether or not execution of driving assistance is possible. A control unit executes a driving assistance mode when the execution of driving assistance is permitted and executes a manual driving mode when the execution of driving assistance is determined to not be permitted, under a condition that the automatic switching mode is designated. The control unit executes the driving assistance mode when a switch for designating the manual-on mode is operated, under a condition that the execution of driving assistance is permitted. The user interface unit does not receive input that designates the manual-on mode when the execution of driving assistance is determined to not be permitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kunihiko Chiba
  • Publication number: 20190004513
    Abstract: A control unit performs driving assistance. An acquiring unit acquires future circumstance information related to a future circumstance that an own vehicle is predicted to subsequently encounter on a route further ahead of a current location. A determining unit determines whether or not the future circumstance indicated by the acquired future circumstance information is applicable to an event in which continuation of driving assistance is not possible. An urgency level setting unit sets an urgency level that indicates a level of urgency of the future circumstance when the determining unit determines that continuation of driving assistance is not possible. A limit setting unit sets a limit related to time or distance at which to cancel driving assistance and switch to manual driving, based on the set urgency level. A notifying unit notifies a driver of information prompting cancellation of driving assistance based on content of the set limit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Publication date: January 3, 2019
    Inventors: Kunihiko CHIBA, Hisashi IIDA, Minoru OKADA
  • Publication number: 20180357496
    Abstract: A recognition unit recognizes a specific sign in a captured image acquired by an image acquisition unit. A first notification processing unit displays a specific captured image as a captured image showing the specific sign on a display device in a vehicle. A second notification processing unit provides a notification in a notification mode different from the display of the specific captured image. The recognition unit recognizes a start sign that is a sign indicating the start of an automatic driving permitted zone as a zone where running in an automatic driving mode is permitted, as the specific sign, in the captured image. When the recognition unit recognizes the start sign, the first notification processing unit displays on the display device a start captured image that is the captured image showing the start sign as the specific captured image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Publication date: December 13, 2018
    Inventors: Kunihiko CHIBA, Michima OGAWA, Tomohiro MIYACHI
  • Publication number: 20180208211
    Abstract: A user interface unit alternately designates an automatic switching mode, a manual-on mode, and a manual-off mode. A determining unit determines whether or not execution of driving assistance is permitted at a current time, based on a predetermined determination index related to whether or not execution of driving assistance is possible. A control unit executes a driving assistance mode when the execution of driving assistance is permitted and executes a manual driving mode when the execution of driving assistance is determined to not be permitted, under a condition that the automatic switching mode is designated. The control unit executes the driving assistance mode when a switch for designating the manual-on mode is operated, under a condition that the execution of driving assistance is permitted. The user interface unit does not receive input that designates the manual-on mode when the execution of driving assistance is determined to not be permitted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventor: Kunihiko Chiba
  • Patent number: 9664733
    Abstract: A probe device of the present invention measures a position of every chip in a wafer to be inspected to acquire the position as actual measurement data. Then, the probe device calculates a variation amount of an actual measurement position of each chip or a variation amount of a position at which a probe is brought into contact with the each chip of the wafer on the basis of the actual measurement data, and allows a monitor to display a range-of-variation display image that visually displays the variation amount. In the image, a quadrangular area corresponding to the each chip is displayed, and a dot is displayed in each the quadrangular area at a position shifted from a center position thereof in accordance with the variation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Ozawa, Hiroshi Nishimura, Seiichi Ohta, Yasuhito Iguchi, Kunihiko Chiba, Ken Kato
  • Patent number: 9442156
    Abstract: The present invention provides a probe device that includes an alignment utility function. When a user inputs a condition value for a variation amount (variation range) of a contact position at which a probe is in contact with each chip, in a simulation using actual measurement data acquired by measuring a position of each of all chips in one wafer, a range of variation of each chip is calculated by changing a measurement point at which alignment is performed to calculate a setting of optimum measurement points so that the range of variation is equal to or less than the condition value and the number of measurement points is minimum. Then information on the optimum measurement point is provided to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Ozawa, Hiroshi Nishimura, Seiichi Ohta, Yasuhito Iguchi, Kunihiko Chiba, Ken Kato
  • Publication number: 20150362552
    Abstract: A probe device of the present invention measures a position of every chip in a wafer to be inspected to acquire the position as actual measurement data. Then, the probe device calculates a variation amount of an actual measurement position of each chip or a variation amount of a position at which a probe is brought into contact with the each chip of the wafer on the basis of the actual measurement data, and allows a monitor to display a range-of-variation display image that visually displays the variation amount. In the image, a quadrangular area corresponding to the each chip is displayed, and a dot is displayed in each the quadrangular area at a position shifted from a center position thereof in accordance with the variation amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Applicant: TOKYO SEIMITSU CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichi Ozawa, Hiroshi Nishimura, Seiichi Ohta, Yasuhito Iguchi, Kunihiko Chiba, Ken Kato
  • Publication number: 20150362553
    Abstract: The present invention provides a probe device that includes an alignment utility function. When a user inputs a condition value for a variation amount (variation range) of a contact position at which a probe is in contact with each chip, in a simulation using actual measurement data acquired by measuring a position of each of all chips in one wafer, a range of variation of each chip is calculated by changing a measurement point at which alignment is performed to calculate a setting of optimum measurement points so that the range of variation is equal to or less than the condition value and the number of measurement points is minimum. Then information on the optimum measurement point is provided to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Applicant: Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Ozawa, Hiroshi Nishimura, Seiichi Ohta, Yasuhito Iguchi, Kunihiko Chiba, Ken Kato
  • Patent number: 8700240
    Abstract: A start control system for an automotive vehicle equipped with an electric motor working as a drive source. The start control system includes an accelerator limiter which limits an operating range of an accelerator of the vehicle to disable the electric motor and a limitation cancelling request receiver that receives a limitation cancelling request from a vehicle operator to cancel the limitation of the operating range of the accelerator. When the vehicle operator makes a start request mistakenly, so that the condition where the electric motor is set ready to start coincides with the condition where a brake of the vehicle is not operated, which will cause the vehicle to start upon the movement of the accelerator, the vehicle is inhibited from running unless the limitation cancelling request receiver receives the limitation cancelling request, thus minimizing the possibility of an error in starting the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Kunihiko Chiba
  • Patent number: 8519624
    Abstract: A roadside-vehicle cooperative illumination system in which a headlight of a vehicle and a road illumination lamp can be controlled cooperatively through communications between an in-vehicle apparatus and a roadside apparatus. For example, when power consumption of the headlight has to be reduced, an in-vehicle apparatus side arbiter transmits a request to the roadside apparatus for increase illumination of the road illumination lamp. A roadside apparatus side arbiter determines whether or not to accept the request from the in-vehicle apparatus, and a roadside apparatus side controller controls the road illumination lamp according to the determination of the roadside apparatus side arbiter. This enables the road illumination lamp to be controlled cooperatively so that illumination of the road illumination lamp can compensate for deficiencies in illumination of the headlight, which leads to enhancement of vehicle driver's convenience and ensuring of safety.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yousuke Hattori, Katsuyuki Mori, Kunihiko Chiba, Masahiro Goto
  • Patent number: 8234041
    Abstract: A correction value calculating section 70 is provided with a pinion shaft torsion angle correction value calculating section 74 and a pinion shaft torsion angular velocity correction value calculating section 75 for calculating a correction value in consideration with the transmission characteristic of the steering assist torque from the electric motor 6 to the steerable vehicle wheel 9. Therefore, the electric motor 6 can generate the steering assist torque compensating for the influence by the transmission characteristic of the steering assist torque from the electric motor 6 to the steerable vehicle wheel 9 by correcting a target value defined by a detection value of the torque sensor 3 with the correction value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takehito Fujii, Motoaki Kataoka, Kunihiko Chiba, Daiji Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20120074842
    Abstract: A roadside-vehicle cooperative illumination system in which a headlight of a vehicle and a road illumination lamp can be controlled cooperatively through communications between an in-vehicle apparatus and a roadside apparatus. For example, when power consumption of the headlight has to be reduced, an in-vehicle apparatus side arbiter transmits a request to the roadside apparatus for increase illumination of the road illumination lamp. A roadside apparatus side arbiter determines whether or not to accept the request from the in-vehicle apparatus, and a roadside apparatus side controller controls the road illumination lamp according to the determination of the roadside apparatus side arbiter. This enables the road illumination lamp to be controlled cooperatively so that illumination of the road illumination lamp can compensate for deficiencies in illumination of the headlight, which leads to enhancement of vehicle driver's convenience and ensuring of safety.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yousuke Hattori, Katsuyuki Mori, Kunihiko Chiba, Masahiro Goto
  • Publication number: 20120059541
    Abstract: A start control system for an automotive vehicle equipped with an electric motor working as a drive source. The start control system includes an accelerator limiter which limits an operating range of an accelerator of the vehicle to disable the electric motor and a limitation cancelling request receiver that receives a limitation cancelling request from a vehicle operator to cancel the limitation of the operating range of the accelerator. When the vehicle operator makes a start request mistakenly, so that the condition where the electric motor is set ready to start coincides with the condition where a brake of the vehicle is not operated, which will cause the vehicle to start upon the movement of the accelerator, the vehicle is inhibited from running unless the limitation cancelling request receiver receives the limitation cancelling request, thus minimizing the possibility of an error in starting the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kunihiko Chiba
  • Patent number: 7681463
    Abstract: In an electric power assisting system for a vehicle, a control unit receives an input shaft rotation angle detected by an input shaft rotation angle sensor and an output shaft rotation angle detected by an output shaft rotation angle sensor. The control unit controls rotation of a motor based on the detected two rotation angles. The control unit differently controls the rotation of the motor whether torque is applied from a steering wheel side or from a road surface side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Daiji Watanabe, Motoaki Kataoka, Kunihiko Chiba, Tomoyuki Hori
  • Publication number: 20090112406
    Abstract: A correction value calculating section 70 is provided with a pinion shaft torsion angle correction value calculating section 74 and a pinion shaft torsion angular velocity correction value calculating section 75 for calculating a correction value in consideration with the transmission characteristic of the steering assist torque from the electric motor 6 to the steerable vehicle wheel 9. Therefore, the electric motor 6 can generate the steering assist torque compensating for the influence by the transmission characteristic of the steering assist torque from the electric motor 6 to the steerable vehicle wheel 9 by correcting a target value defined by a detection value of the torque sensor 3 with the correction value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takehito Fujii, Motoaki Kataoka, Kunihiko Chiba, Daiji Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20090056474
    Abstract: In an electric power assisting system for a vehicle, a control unit receives an input shaft rotation angle detected by an input shaft rotation angle sensor and an output shaft rotation angle detected by an output shaft rotation angle sensor. The control unit controls rotation of a motor based on the detected two rotation angles. The control unit differently controls the rotation of the motor whether torque is applied from a steering wheel side or from a road surface side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2008
    Publication date: March 5, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daiji Watanabe, Motoaki Kataoka, Kunihiko Chiba, Tomoyuki Hori