Patents by Inventor Makoto Yamazaki

Makoto Yamazaki 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: 10612495
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel treating device includes: a canister configured to adsorb evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank through a vapor passage; a blocking valve configured to close and open the vapor passage, the blocking valve having a stepping motor as a drive source; and a controller configured to operate the blocking valve by controlling electric power that is supplied from a predetermined power supply to the blocking valve. The controller is configured, when there is a request to drive the blocking valve, to operate the blocking valve by controlling the electric power such that when a voltage that is supplied from the power supply to the blocking valve is less than a predetermined value, a driving period which is an interval between pulses that are supplied to the stepping motor becomes long compared to when the voltage is equal to or higher than the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Fukui, Makoto Yamazaki, Yoshikazu Miyabe
  • Patent number: 10569757
    Abstract: A control device is configured to, in a case that an internal combustion engine is made to start up before travel start of a vehicle in a parked state, when an auxiliary battery has at least a predetermined value of battery voltage, make the internal combustion engine start up after executing fuel heating processing for heating fuel by glow plugs to which electric power is transmitted, or when the battery voltage of the auxiliary battery is less than the predetermined value, execute the fuel heating processing after executing charge processing for charging the auxiliary battery using a main battery and then start up the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio Inoue, Makoto Yamazaki, Tomoaki Honda, Hidekazu Nawata
  • Patent number: 10556503
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel treatment device executes a pressure reducing control while monitoring inner pressure of a fuel tank, so that when the inner pressure of the fuel tank exceeds a predetermined value prior to fueling to the fuel tank, pressure reduction progresses within a range that the flow rate of a vapor passage does not exceed the boundary flow rate where the vapor passage is closed by a valve element of an ORVR valve, and also a valve opening speed of the closing valve is made higher as the inner pressure of the fuel tank becomes lower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Fukui, Makoto Yamazaki, Yoshikazu Miyabe
  • Publication number: 20190390638
    Abstract: Both an improvement in detection accuracy of a valve opening position of a blocking valve and a reduction in time required for learning of the valve opening position are achieved. An evaporated fuel processing apparatus is provided with a learning device configured to learn the valve opening position of the blocking valve. The learning device learns the valve opening position (i) by stepwisely increasing a stroke amount by rotating a stepping motor by two steps at each time in a valve opening direction and (ii) by determining whether a difference between the stroke amount at present and the stroke amount corresponding to the valve opening position is one step of rotation of the stepping motor, or two steps, on the basis of pressure fluctuation on the canister side of the blocking valve associated with the rotation of the stepping motor when the blocking valve is opened, when learning the valve opening position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita FUKUI, Makoto YAMAZAKI, Yoshikazu MIYABE
  • Publication number: 20190376475
    Abstract: The evaporated fuel treatment device includes: a canister that adsorbs evaporated fuel generated within a fuel tank that is provided to a vehicle; a vapor passage that connects the canister and the fuel tank; a shutoff valve capable of closing off and opening up the vapor passage. When a specific event by which a current position of the shutoff valve becomes unknown occurs and initialization processing has become necessary, a first process is performed in which the shutoff valve is operated by a first operating amount that is set as an operating amount capable of operating the shutoff valve to an operation limit, irrespective of the current position, while, when the initialization processing has become necessary without the specific event occurring, a second process is performed in which the shutoff valve is operated by a second operating amount that is an operating amount from the current position to an initial position, and that is smaller than the first operating amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: December 12, 2019
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita FUKUI, Makoto YAMAZAKI, Yoshikazu MIYABE
  • Publication number: 20190316559
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes an anisotropic thermal conductivity member (37, 51) provided on a wall surface defining a cylinder or a wall surface of a cooling water passage on a side of the cylinder, a thermal conductivity of the anisotropic thermal conductivity member in an axial direction of the cylinder being higher than a thermal conductivity of the anisotropic thermal conductivity member in a radial direction of the cylinder, and a thermally insulating member (38. 52) provided on an outer surface of the anisotropic thermal conductivity member with respect to the radial direction of the cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Inventors: Satoshi YAMAMURA, Mitsuru SUGIMOTO, Noriyuki TAKEGATA, Hisao UOZUMI, Makoto YAMAZAKI
  • Publication number: 20190301380
    Abstract: An evaporative fuel treating apparatus includes: a canister; a vapor passage configured to cause a fuel tank to communicate with the canister; a closure valve including a valve disc arranged in the vapor passage and a stepping motor configured to open and close the valve disc; and a control device configured to control the closure valve. The control device is configured, in opening the valve disc to perform a pressure relief operation of the fuel tank, to: execute a flow rate estimation processing that calculates an estimated flow rate of gas passing through the closure valve, based on the absolute value of the amount of change of in-tank pressure of the fuel tank and a space volume inside the fuel tank; and execute a motor control processing that controls the number of steps of the stepping motor such that the estimated flow rate approaches a required flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita FUKUI, Makoto YAMAZAKI, Makoto TAKANO, Tomohiro ITOH, Yoshikazu MIYABE
  • Patent number: 10432251
    Abstract: A receiver includes a reception antenna, a reception unit, and a demodulation unit. The reception unit sequentially receives modulated signals resulting from spread spectrum via the reception antenna. The demodulation unit demodulate a first signal received by the reception unit by performing despreading using a short-period spreading code, the first signal including information for identifying a long-period spreading code. The demodulation unit identifies the long-period spreading code on the basis of the information obtained from the first signal. The demodulation unit then demodulates a second signal received by the reception unit after the first signal by performing despreading using the long-period spreading code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Yamazaki, Tomohiro Ogino, Akinori Fujimura
  • Patent number: 10400688
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel processing apparatus is provided with an initializer configured to increase a step number with which a stepping motor is rotated in a valve closing direction, when there is an initialization request for the blocking valve and tank pressure of the fuel tank is in a predetermined pressure range near atmospheric pressure, in comparison with when the tank pressure is out of the predetermined pressure range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Fukui, Makoto Yamazaki, Yoshikazu Miyabe
  • Patent number: 10365801
    Abstract: A user interface evaluation device comprises a design information acquisition unit configured to acquire information on a plurality of components arranged on a user interface screen of the software; a component recognition resource acquisition unit configured to acquire, for each component, component recognition resources which are resources required for recognizing the respective components; and a conformity probability estimation unit configured to calculate, using a probability density function with a total sum of the acquired component recognition resources as a random variable, conformity probability which is a probability that necessary recognition resources which are resources required for recognizing information output on the user interface screen meet predetermined requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ko Koga, Masato Fujii, Motohiro Nakamura, Makoto Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20190106097
    Abstract: A control device is configured to, in a case that an internal combustion engine is made to start up before travel start of a vehicle in a parked state, when an auxiliary battery has at least a predetermined value of battery voltage, make the internal combustion engine start up after executing fuel heating processing for heating fuel by glow plugs to which electric power is transmitted, or when the battery voltage of the auxiliary battery is less than the predetermined value, execute the fuel heating processing after executing charge processing for charging the auxiliary battery using a main battery and then start up the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio INOUE, Makoto YAMAZAKI, Tomoaki HONDA, Hidekazu NAWATA
  • Publication number: 20190089404
    Abstract: A receiver includes a reception antenna, a reception unit, and a demodulation unit. The reception unit sequentially receives modulated signals resulting from spread spectrum via the reception antenna. The demodulation unit demodulate a first signal received by the reception unit by performing despreading using a short-period spreading code, the first signal including information for identifying a long-period spreading code. The demodulation unit identifies the long-period spreading code on the basis of the information obtained from the first signal. The demodulation unit then demodulates a second signal received by the reception unit after the first signal by performing despreading using the long-period spreading code.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Publication date: March 21, 2019
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto YAMAZAKI, Tomohiro OGINO, Akinori FUJIMURA
  • Patent number: 10233851
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel processing apparatus is provided with a blocking valve disposed in a vapor passage. The blocking valve has: a valve whose stroke amount is adjusted by a stepping motor; and a relief valve being opened regardless of the stroke amount when tank pressure of a fuel tank is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure to allow communication between the fuel tank and a canister. The evaporated fuel processing apparatus is provided with a controller configured (i) to control the stepping motor to move the valve in a valve opening direction while prohibiting a valve opening position learning process when the tank pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined pressure and (ii) to allow the valve opening position learning process when the tank pressure is less than the predetermined pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Fukui, Makoto Yamazaki, Yoshikazu Miyabe
  • Publication number: 20190063345
    Abstract: A vaporized fuel treatment device includes a sealing valve disposed in a vapor passage between a fuel tank and a canister and is configured to include a valve element moves forward and backward in an axial direction to a valve seat, a cut-off valve configured to cut off a communication between the canister and an atmosphere, a tank internal pressure sensor detects an internal pressure of the fuel tank, and a canister internal pressure sensor that detects an internal pressure of the canister, a controller programmed to change an axial distance between the valve element and the valve seat in a state where the cut-off valve cuts off the communication between the canister and the atmosphere and to learn a valve opening start position of the sealing valve based on changes in the internal pressures of the fuel tank and the canister depending on a change in the axial distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita FUKUI, Makoto YAMAZAKI, Yoshikazu MIYABE
  • Patent number: 10202895
    Abstract: A vehicle includes at least one sensor generating a signal to control an operation of an internal combustion engine; and a control unit configured to store a control parameter to control an operation of the internal combustion engine, and to correct the control parameter based on an output of the at least one sensor. The control unit stops correcting the control parameter while the vehicle is at a halt, and the power generator is generating electric power by driving of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Makoto Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10189461
    Abstract: A control device is configured to, in a case that an internal combustion engine is made to start up before travel start of a vehicle in a parked state, when an auxiliary battery has at least a predetermined value of battery voltage, make the internal combustion engine start up after executing fuel heating processing for heating fuel by glow plugs to which electric power is transmitted, or when the battery voltage of the auxiliary battery is less than the predetermined value, execute the fuel heating processing after executing charge processing for charging the auxiliary battery using a main battery and then start up the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio Inoue, Makoto Yamazaki, Tomoaki Honda, Hidekazu Nawata
  • Publication number: 20180274494
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel treating device includes: a canister configured to adsorb evaporated fuel generated in a fuel tank through a vapor passage; a blocking valve configured to close and open the vapor passage, the blocking valve having a stepping motor as a drive source; and a controller configured to operate the blocking valve by controlling electric power that is supplied from a predetermined power supply to the blocking valve. The controller is configured, when there is a request to drive the blocking valve, to operate the blocking valve by controlling the electric power such that when a voltage that is supplied from the power supply to the blocking valve is less than a predetermined value, a driving period which is an interval between pulses that are supplied to the stepping motor becomes long compared to when the voltage is equal to or higher than the predetermined value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita FUKUI, Makoto YAMAZAKI, Yoshikazu MIYABE
  • Publication number: 20180264937
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel treatment device executes a pressure reducing control while monitoring inner pressure of a fuel tank, so that when the inner pressure of the fuel tank exceeds a predetermined value prior to fueling to the fuel tank, pressure reduction progresses within a range that the flow rate of a vapor passage does not exceed the boundary flow rate where the vapor passage is closed by a valve element of an ORVR valve, and also a valve opening speed of the closing valve is made higher as the inner pressure of the fuel tank becomes lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita FUKUI, Makoto YAMAZAKI, Yoshikazu MIYABE
  • Publication number: 20180171894
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel processing apparatus is provided with a blocking valve disposed in a vapor passage. The blocking valve has: a valve whose stroke amount is adjusted by a stepping motor; and a relief valve being opened regardless of the stroke amount when tank pressure of a fuel tank is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure to allow communication between the fuel tank and a canister. The evaporated fuel processing apparatus is provided with a controller configured (i) to control the stepping motor to move the valve in a valve opening direction while prohibiting a valve opening position learning process when the tank pressure is greater than or equal to the predetermined pressure and (ii) to allow the valve opening position learning process when the tank pressure is less than the predetermined pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita FUKUI, Makoto YAMAZAKI, Yoshikazu MIYABE
  • Publication number: 20180171895
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel processing apparatus is provided with an initializer configured to increase a step number with which a stepping motor is rotated in a valve closing direction, when there is an initialization request for the blocking valve and tank pressure of the fuel tank is in a predetermined pressure range near atmospheric pressure, in comparison with when the tank pressure is out of the predetermined pressure range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keita Fukui, Makoto Yamazaki, Yoshikazu Miyabe