Patents by Inventor Kunihito Sato

Kunihito 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).

  • Patent number: 11656618
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device configured to release the autonomous driving control if an override operation is input during the execution of the autonomous driving control which is based on a first travel plan, set a second travel plan different from the first travel plan after the input of the override operation, determine whether or not to restore the autonomous driving control with the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the input of the override operation, and maintain the manual driving and prohibit automatic starting of the autonomous driving control until after a predetermined time elapses after the autonomous driving control is released and when the determination is made not to restore the autonomous driving control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Patent number: 11392119
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an autonomous driving release unit that releases the autonomous driving control if an override operation is input during the autonomous driving control which is based on a first travel plan, a travel plan setting unit that sets a second travel plan different from the first travel plan after the input of the override operation, an autonomous driving restore determination unit that determines whether to restore the autonomous driving control with the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the input of the override operation, and a vehicle control unit that maintains the manual driving and prohibits automatic starting of the autonomous driving control until after a predetermined time elapses after the autonomous driving control is released and when the autonomous driving restore determination unit determines not to restore the autonomous driving control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Publication number: 20220128992
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an autonomous driving release unit configured to release the autonomous driving control if an override operation is input during the execution of the autonomous driving control which is based on a first travel plan, a travel plan setting unit configured to set a second travel plan different from the first travel plan after the input of the override operation, an autonomous driving restore determination unit configured to determine whether or not to restore the autonomous driving control with the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the input of the override operation, and a vehicle control unit configured to maintain the manual driving and prohibit automatic starting of the autonomous driving control until after a predetermined time elapses after the autonomous driving control is released by the autonomous driving release unit and when the autonomous driving restore determination unit determines not to restore the autonomous driving co
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2021
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito SATO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Maiko HIRANO, Bunyo OKUMURA
  • Patent number: 11150649
    Abstract: An abnormality detection device includes a sensor configured to detect an external environment of a vehicle and an electronic control unit configured to: detect a traveling state of the vehicle; acquire a control command value for the vehicle in automatic driving control, the vehicle being caused to travel automatically in the automatic driving control; determine, based on a difference between the traveling state and the control command value, whether the traveling state is abnormal; determine, based on a detection result from the sensor, whether the external environment is suitable for execution of the automatic driving control; and determine that an abnormality has occurred in an automatic driving system when it is determined that the traveling state is abnormal and it is determined that the external environment is suitable for the execution of the automatic driving control, the automatic driving system performing the automatic driving control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Nobuhide Kamata, Bunyo Okumura
  • Patent number: 10955849
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes at least one electronic control unit configured to: generate a traveling plan so as to moderate a change in behavior of a vehicle at a time when an automatic driving control of the vehicle is started by an automatic engagement compared to a change in the behavior of the vehicle at a time when the automatic driving control is started by a triggered engagement, the automatic engagement being an engagement in which the automatic driving control is automatically started when an automatic engagement condition is satisfied, the triggered engagement being an engagement in which the automatic driving control is started when an automatic driving start condition is satisfied and an automatic driving start trigger is input by an occupant; and execute the automatic driving control by controlling the behavior of the vehicle based on the traveling plan, using an actuator equipped in the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Kunihito Sato, Bunyo Okumura, Maiko Hirano
  • Patent number: 10775785
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured: to create a first travel plan of a vehicle based on a position of the vehicle, an environment surrounding the vehicle, and a state of the vehicle; to calculate a first reliability of the first travel plan; to create a second travel plan of the vehicle based on one or two of the position of the vehicle, the environment surrounding the vehicle, and the state of the vehicle; to calculate a second reliability of the second travel plan; and to start the automatic driving control such that the vehicle travels based on the first travel plan when the first reliability of the first travel plan is equal to or higher than the second reliability of the second travel plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Kunihito Sato, Bunyo Okumura, Maiko Hirano
  • Publication number: 20200285234
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an autonomous driving release unit configured to release the autonomous driving control if an override operation is input during the execution of the autonomous driving control which is based on a first travel plan, a travel plan setting unit configured to set a second travel plan different from the first travel plan after the input of the override operation, an autonomous driving restore determination unit configured to determine whether or not to restore the autonomous driving control with the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the input of the override operation, and a vehicle control unit configured to maintain the manual driving and prohibit automatic starting of the autonomous driving control until after a predetermined time elapses after the autonomous driving control is released by the autonomous driving release unit and when the autonomous driving restore determination unit determines not to restore the autonomous driving co
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2020
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Patent number: 10754335
    Abstract: An automated driving system includes at least one electronic control unit configured to: recognize at least one obstacles around a vehicle, based on ambient surroundings of the vehicle; create a traveling plan of the vehicle, based on the ambient surroundings and a result of recognition of the at least one obstacles; control the vehicle using an actuator installed on the vehicle, based on the traveling plan; and perform, according to input from a user of the vehicle, overwriting operation to change the result of recognition of the at least one obstacles used for creation of the traveling plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taisuke Sugaiwa, Kentaro Ichikawa, Hiromitsu Urano, Kunihito Sato, Maiko Hirano
  • Patent number: 10698406
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an autonomous driving release unit configured to release the autonomous driving control if an override operation is input during the execution of the autonomous driving control which is based on a first travel plan, a travel plan setting unit configured to set a second travel plan different from the first travel plan after the input of the override operation, an autonomous driving restore determination unit configured to determine whether or not to restore the autonomous driving control with the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the input of the override operation, and a vehicle control unit configured to automatically start the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the autonomous driving control is released and when the autonomous driving restore determination unit determines to restore the autonomous driving control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Patent number: 10429848
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to create a traveling plan including a control target value of automatic driving control of a vehicle based on a position of the vehicle of a map, a vehicle state, and an external environment, to calculate an abnormality value, to determine, based on the abnormality value, whether the vehicle is an a normal state, an abnormal state, or an intermediate state, and to create an abnormal traveling plan as the traveling plan when it has been determined that the vehicle is in the abnormal state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Nobuhide Kamata, Bunyo Okumura
  • Patent number: 10310511
    Abstract: An automatic operation control system of a mobile object includes an environment map storage unit configured to store environment map information and an electronic control unit configured to include an impassable region determining unit. The environment map information includes position information indicating a plurality of positions in a space and a state quantity variability of each of the plurality of positions, the state quantity variability is correlated with the corresponding position information, and the state quantity variability indicates a variation tendency of a state quantity of the corresponding position with respect to time. The impassable region determining unit is configured to determine an impassable region which is unsuitable for movement of the mobile object on the basis of the state quantity variability of the environment map information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Kohei Otsuka, Bunyo Okumura, Maiko Hirano
  • Patent number: 10261516
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a map database and at least one electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to calculate a reference arrival position based on a target time or a target distance. The at least one electronic control unit is configured to determine, according to the map information or the external situation at the reference arrival position, as a target arrival position, a position where the vehicle arrives on the potential route in a time different from the target time or over a distance different from the target distance. The at least one electronic control unit is configured to calculate a transition route from the road position to the target arrival position, and generate the target route by connecting the transition route and the potential route following the target arrival position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Patent number: 10259471
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an autonomous driving device that executes autonomous drive control; a track generation section that generates a travel track of the vehicle based on an estimation result by a self-position estimation section and a recognition result by an object recognition section; an actuator that moves the vehicle so that the vehicle travels along the travel track; a trigger input pedal disposed at a left side from an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal 102, seen from a driver; and an autonomous drive control start determination section that starts the autonomous drive control when an autonomous drive control start trigger is inputted via the trigger input pedal and it is determined that start of the autonomous drive control is possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Publication number: 20190080069
    Abstract: The device includes: a storage unit configured to store biological information on an autonomous driving permitted person; a driver qualification information acquisition unit configured to acquire driver qualification information; a biological information acquisition unit configured to acquire biological information on the occupant; and an authentication unit configured to authenticate whether or not to permit the occupant to operate the autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the driver qualification information on the occupant acquired by the driver qualification information acquisition unit and a result of collation between the biological information on the autonomous driving permitted person stored in the storage unit and the biological information on the occupant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kunihito SATO
  • Publication number: 20190064807
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device includes an autonomous driving release unit configured to release the autonomous driving control if an override operation is input during the execution of the autonomous driving control which is based on a first travel plan, a travel plan setting unit configured to set a second travel plan different from the first travel plan after the input of the override operation, an autonomous driving restore determination unit configured to determine whether or not to restore the autonomous driving control with the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the input of the override operation, and a vehicle control unit configured to automatically start the autonomous driving control which is based on the second travel plan after the autonomous driving control is released and when the autonomous driving restore determination unit determines to restore the autonomous driving control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito SATO, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Maiko HIRANO, Bunyo OKUMURA
  • Publication number: 20180348769
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to create a traveling plan including a control target value of automatic driving control of a vehicle based on a position of the vehicle of a map, a vehicle state, and an external environment, to calculate an abnormality value, to determine, based on the abnormality value, whether the vehicle is an a normal state, an abnormal state, or an intermediate state, and to create an abnormal traveling plan as the traveling plan when it has been determined that the vehicle is in the abnormal state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Nobuhide Kamata, Bunyo Okumura
  • Publication number: 20180335774
    Abstract: An abnormality detection device includes a sensor configured to detect an external environment of a vehicle and an electronic control unit configured to: detect a traveling state of the vehicle; acquire a control command value for the vehicle in automatic driving control, the vehicle being caused to travel automatically in the automatic driving control; determine, based on a difference between the traveling state and the control command value, whether the traveling state is abnormal; determine, based on a detection result from the sensor, whether the external environment is suitable for execution of the automatic driving control; and determine that an abnormality has occurred in an automatic driving system when it is determined that the traveling state is abnormal and it is determined that the external environment is suitable for the execution of the automatic driving control, the automatic driving system performing the automatic driving control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Publication date: November 22, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kunihito SATO, Nobuhide KAMATA, Bunyo OKUMURA
  • Publication number: 20180292822
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured: to create a first travel plan of a vehicle based on a position of the vehicle, an environment surrounding the vehicle, and a state of the vehicle; to calculate a first reliability of the first travel plan; to create a second travel plan of the vehicle based on one or two of the position of the vehicle, the environment surrounding the vehicle, and the state of the vehicle; to calculate a second reliability of the second travel plan; and to start the automatic driving control such that the vehicle travels based on the first travel plan when the first reliability of the first travel plan is equal to or higher than the second reliability of the second travel plan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Kunihito SATO, Bunyo OKUMURA, Maiko HIRANO
  • Publication number: 20180290666
    Abstract: An automatic driving device includes an electronic control unit configured to: receive a driving operation by a driver; create a first travel plan; execute automatic driving based on the first travel plan; based on the received driving operation, deactivate the automatic driving; when an automatic driving resumption condition is met, resume the automatic driving; based on the driving operation or a state of the vehicle at a time when the automatic driving resumption condition is met, calculate a target offset amount that is a target amount of offset from the first travel plan of the vehicle; create a second travel plan using the target offset amount; and based on the second travel plan, resume automatic driving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Kunihito Sato, Bunyo Okumura, Maiko Hirano
  • Publication number: 20180284790
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes at least one electronic control unit configured to: generate a traveling plan so as to moderate a change in behavior of a vehicle at a time when an automatic driving control of the vehicle is started by an automatic engagement compared to a change in the behavior of the vehicle at a time when the automatic driving control is started by a triggered engagement, the automatic engagement being an engagement in which the automatic driving control is automatically started when an automatic engagement condition is satisfied, the triggered engagement being an engagement in which the automatic driving control is started when an automatic driving start condition is satisfied and an automatic driving start trigger is input by an occupant; and execute the automatic driving control by controlling the behavior of the vehicle based on the traveling plan, using an actuator equipped in the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Kunihito SATO, Bunyo OKUMURA, Maiko HIRANO