Patents by Inventor Masaaki Yamaguchi

Masaaki Yamaguchi 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: 20240107633
    Abstract: A heater element includes: a honeycomb structure including an outer peripheral wall and partition walls disposed on an inner side of the outer peripheral wall, the partition walls defining a plurality of cells, each of the cells extending from a first end face to a second end face to form a flow path; a pair of electrode layers provided on the outer peripheral wall and the partition walls on the first end face and the second end face; and terminals capable of electrically connecting the electrode layers to a conducting wire. At least a part of each of the electrode layers has an extending portion extending outwardly from an outer edge of each of the first end face and the second end face. Each of the terminals is connected to the extending portion and disposed to face a side surface of the honeycomb structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2023
    Publication date: March 28, 2024
    Applicant: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yukio MIYAIRI, Masaaki MASUDA, Takuya NAKASHIMA, Hirofumi YAMAGUCHI, Toru HAYASE, Koji KUZUTANI
  • Publication number: 20230302969
    Abstract: A conveyance seat includes a cover member protecting an anchor member extending from the seat main body so that a child safety seat is connected. The cover member includes an outside cover, and an inside cover accommodated in the outside cover and having an anchor engaging portion. The cover member sandwiches an extending part of the anchor member with the outside cover and the inside cover. The cover member is attached to the seat main body such that an outer periphery portion of a skin opening hole is sandwiched by the outside cover and the inside cover. A skin locking member is accommodated in a flange accommodating recess of the outside cover together with an outer peripheral flange of the inside cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Inventors: Kotaro TOMIOKA, Sadahiro KINOSHITA, Tsubasa HITOMI, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 11635085
    Abstract: A controller includes: a control unit configured to calculate a control command value of an opening degree of a solenoid valve to control an opening degree of the solenoid valve; and an acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimated amount and a target amount of a working fluid in a labyrinth chamber, and a rotation speed of a drive shaft. The control unit calculates a final control command value based on a feedback control command value and a feedforward control command value, and controls the solenoid valve, the feedback control command value being calculated based on deviation between the estimated amount and the target amount, the feedforward control command value being used to maintain a rotation speed of a fan constant based on the estimated amount and the rotation speed of the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoichi Akiyama, Noboru Takagi, Daichi Yamazaki, Masaaki Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20230079694
    Abstract: A storage stores setting information of a user related to running. An acquirer acquires information of a plurality of runners existing around the user. A determiner specifies one runner from the plurality of runners on the basis of the setting information stored in the storage and the information acquired by the acquirer. An outputter outputs presentation information for presenting one runner specified by the determiner to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: Eiichi HOSONO, Yusuke SHIMIZU, Koki MAENO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Daisuke KOJIMA
  • Patent number: 11566558
    Abstract: A controller of a fan coupling device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration parameter and a deviation parameter; a control unit that controls a regulation mechanism; a prediction unit that predicts that hunting occurs in the rotation speed of the fan, when an operating point of the fan expressed with the deviation parameter and the acceleration parameter belongs to a predicted region; and a restraining unit that executes, when the hunting is predicted to occur, a hunting restraining process of executing at least one of lowering an integral gain of a feedback control to be lower than when the hunting is not predicted to occur and increasing a derivative gain of the feedback control to be higher than when the hunting is not predicted to occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Yamaguchi, Toshio Takaoka, Noboru Takagi, Shoichi Akiyama
  • Patent number: 11499510
    Abstract: In an engine system including an engine, and an exhaust gas recirculation device including a communicating pipe that communicates an exhaust pipe of the engine with an intake pipe, and a valve provided in the communicating pipe, and an electronic control unit, and its control method, the electronic control unit estimates the pressure in the intake pipe as an estimated intake pressure, and performs a jamming diagnosis to determine whether foreign matter is stuck in the valve, by comparing an intake pressure difference between a detected intake pressure and the estimated intake pressure with a threshold value, when a diagnosis condition including an opening change condition that the target opening becomes equal to or larger than a first predetermined opening and then becomes equal to or smaller than a second predetermined opening that is smaller than the first predetermined opening is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Ichikawa, Hisayuki Itoh, Hirokazu Kato, Masaaki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11434808
    Abstract: A controller includes: an acquisition unit that acquires a deviation between an estimated amount and a target amount of a working fluid in the labyrinth chamber, and a fluid amount parameter corresponding to the estimated amount; and a control unit that executes feedback control including at least integral control of the deviation so as to control a regulation mechanism. When the fluid amount parameter is equal to or greater than a threshold, the control unit executes the feedback control in a state where the integral control is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shoichi Akiyama, Noboru Takagi, Daichi Yamazaki, Masaaki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11359586
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes an engine, an exhaust gas recirculation device, a traveling motor, and a control device. The exhaust gas recirculation device includes a communication pipe that allows an exhaust pipe and an intake pipe of the engine to communicate with each other and a valve that is provided in the communication pipe. The control device is configured to perform foreign matter removal control for opening and closing the valve when foreign matter caught in the valve is detected and the hybrid vehicle stops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hisayuki Itoh, Koji Ichikawa, Hirokazu Kato, Masaaki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11199124
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes a pump, a radiator, a flow rate adjustment valve, a bypass passage, and a controller. The flow rate adjustment valve includes a valve member that rotates to change an open degree of the flow rate adjustment valve and a valve member biasing component that biases the valve member in a valve-closing direction in which the open degree decreases. The valve member rotates in a valve-opening direction in which the open degree increases when a pressure difference increases between positions upstream and downstream of the valve member in a flow direction of coolant in the circulation circuit and rotate in the valve-closing direction when the pressure difference decreases. The controller increases the pump discharge amount as a target radiator flow rate that is a target of an amount of coolant passing through the radiator increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru Takagi, Hirokazu Kato, Rihito Kaneko, Naoto Hisaminato, Hirokazu Ando, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Hirotaka Watanabe, Masahiro Yoshida, Koji Nunami, Naoto Yumisashi, Masafumi Yoshida, Takahiko Aoyagi
  • Publication number: 20210332739
    Abstract: A controller of a fan coupling device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration parameter and a deviation parameter; a control unit that controls a regulation mechanism; a prediction unit that predicts that hunting occurs in the rotation speed of the fan, when an operating point of the fan expressed with the deviation parameter and the acceleration parameter belongs to a predicted region; and a restraining unit that executes, when the hunting is predicted to occur, a hunting restraining process of executing at least one of lowering an integral gain of a feedback control to be lower than when the hunting is not predicted to occur and increasing a derivative gain of the feedback control to be higher than when the hunting is not predicted to occur.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Toshio TAKAOKA, Noboru TAKAGI, Shoichi AKIYAMA
  • Publication number: 20210332825
    Abstract: A controller includes: a control unit configured to calculate a control command value of an opening degree of a solenoid valve to control an opening degree of the solenoid valve; and an acquisition unit configured to acquire an estimated amount and a target amount of a working fluid in a labyrinth chamber, and a rotation speed of a drive shaft. The control unit calculates a final control command value based on a feedback control command value and a feedforward control command value, and controls the solenoid valve, the feedback control command value being calculated based on deviation between the estimated amount and the target amount, the feedforward control command value being used to maintain a rotation speed of a fan constant based on the estimated amount and the rotation speed of the drive shaft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoichi AKIYAMA, Noboru TAKAGI, Daichi YAMAZAKI, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210332738
    Abstract: A controller includes: an acquisition unit that acquires a deviation between an estimated amount and a target amount of a working fluid in the labyrinth chamber, and a fluid amount parameter corresponding to the estimated amount; and a control unit that executes feedback control including at least integral control of the deviation so as to control a regulation mechanism. When the fluid amount parameter is equal to or greater than a threshold, the control unit executes the feedback control in a state where the integral control is stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shoichi AKIYAMA, Noboru TAKAGI, Daichi YAMAZAKI, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 11149705
    Abstract: An engine controller includes an ignition timing control unit and a rich imbalance determining unit. The rich imbalance determining unit designates one of multiple cylinders as a subject cylinder for determination and executes lean active control that commands a smaller amount of fuel injection for the subject cylinder than for the other cylinders. The rich imbalance determining unit determines whether an air-fuel ratio of the subject cylinder deviates to be richer based on a rotational fluctuation amount of a crankshaft during the execution of the lean active control. The ignition timing control unit executes an advancement limiting process that limits advancement of the ignition timing by the knock control during the execution of the lean active control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norihito Hanai, Takayuki Hosogi, Kenji Senda, Rihito Kaneko, Masaaki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11143327
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus includes a circulation circuit, a pump, a flow rate adjustment valve, and a controller. The flow rate adjustment valve includes a valve member that rotates to change an open degree of the flow rate adjustment valve and a stopper that moves between a restriction position and a retraction position. The controller is configured to execute, when maintaining the open degree of the flow rate adjustment, a preparatory process of moving the stopper to the restriction position after arranging the stopper at the retraction position and arranging the valve member further in the valve-closing direction than the stopper through control of the pump discharge amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru Takagi, Hirokazu Kato, Rihito Kaneko, Naoto Hisaminato, Hirokazu Ando, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Hirotaka Watanabe, Takahiko Aoyagi, Masahiro Yoshida, Koji Nunami, Naoto Yumisashi, Masafumi Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11035324
    Abstract: A vehicle including: an engine; an exhaust gas recirculation device including a communication pipe by which an exhaust pipe of the engine and an intake pipe of the engine communicating, and a valve that is provided in the communication pipe; and a control device configured to control the engine, to control the valve based on a target opening of the valve, to perform automatic stopping of the engine based on satisfaction of an automatic stopping condition, and to perform automatic starting of the engine based on satisfaction of an automatic starting condition. The control device is configured to prohibit automatic stopping of the engine when it is determined that foreign matter is caught in the valve through catching diagnosis which is diagnosis of whether foreign matter is caught in the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hisayuki Itoh, Koji Ichikawa, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Hirokazu Kato
  • Patent number: 11028763
    Abstract: An engine cooling device has a mechanical water pump, a flow rate control valve having a valve body of which a relative rotational position is changed by a motor, and a control unit that performs drive control of the motor to change the relative rotational position of the valve body to a target relative rotational position. The control unit performs protection control for setting the relative rotational position where a withstanding pressure limit rotational speed is equal to or higher than a current engine rotational speed, as a target operating position of the valve body of the flow rate control valve when the engine rotational speed rises, and performs retreat control for reducing a set range of the target relative rotational position to a prescribed retreat operation range when the supply voltage of the in-vehicle electric power supply has dropped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru Takagi, Kazuki Kato, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Toshio Takaoka
  • Publication number: 20210123396
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes an engine, an exhaust gas recirculation device, a traveling motor, and a control device. The exhaust gas recirculation device includes a communication pipe that allows an exhaust pipe and an intake pipe of the engine to communicate with each other and a valve that is provided in the communication pipe. The control device is configured to perform foreign matter removal control for opening and closing the valve when foreign matter caught in the valve is detected and the hybrid vehicle stops.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: Hisayuki ITOH, Koji ICHIKAWA, Hirokazu KATO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210123397
    Abstract: An engine unit includes an engine, an exhaust gas recirculation device including a communication pipe by which an exhaust pipe of the engine and an intake pipe of the engine to communicating and a valve that is provided in the communication pipe, and a control device. The control device is configured to perform a foreign matter removal control that is opening and closing the valve when catching of foreign matter in the valve is detected and the engine stops.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: Hisayuki ITOH, Koji ICHIKAWA, Hirokazu KATO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210115881
    Abstract: In an engine system including an engine, and an exhaust gas recirculation device including a communicating pipe that communicates an exhaust pipe of the engine with an intake pipe, and a valve provided in the communicating pipe, and an electronic control unit, and its control method, the electronic control unit estimates the pressure in the intake pipe as an estimated intake pressure, and performs a jamming diagnosis to determine whether foreign matter is stuck in the valve, by comparing an intake pressure difference between a detected intake pressure and the estimated intake pressure with a threshold value, when a diagnosis condition including an opening change condition that the target opening becomes equal to or larger than a first predetermined opening and then becomes equal to or smaller than a second predetermined opening that is smaller than the first predetermined opening is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Koji ICHIKAWA, Hisayuki ITOH, Hirokazu KATO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210115882
    Abstract: A vehicle including: an engine; an exhaust gas recirculation device including a communication pipe by which an exhaust pipe of the engine and an intake pipe of the engine communicating, and a valve that is provided in the communication pipe; and a control device configured to control the engine, to control the valve based on a target opening of the valve, to perform automatic stopping of the engine based on satisfaction of an automatic stopping condition, and to perform automatic starting of the engine based on satisfaction of an automatic starting condition. The control device is configured to prohibit automatic stopping of the engine when it is determined that foreign matter is caught in the valve through catching diagnosis which is diagnosis of whether foreign matter is caught in the valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Hisayuki ITOH, Koji ICHIKAWA, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Hirokazu KATO