Patents by Inventor Masafumi NAKAMINE

Masafumi NAKAMINE 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: 10612450
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle includes a grille shutter ECU that is connected to a LIN communication line and controls driving of a grille shutter, and an engine ECU that is connected to the LIN communication line so as to be able to establish communication with the grille shutter ECU. In the case of detecting an abnormality in the communication, if a predetermine threshold time or more has elapsed since a start of the vehicle, and if cumulative time that a detection result of a vehicle speed sensor is equal to or more than a predetermined vehicle speed threshold value, is equal to or more than a cumulative threshold value, and a number of starts of the vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined trip number, the engine ECU determines that the detected abnormality is a failure in the LIN communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideo Nishioka, Shuichi Morie, Yoichi Onishi, Masafumi Nakamine
  • Patent number: 10434868
    Abstract: A grille shutter control device includes a control section and a diagnostic section. The control section is connected to a communication line in a vehicle and controls opening and closing of a grille shutter that introduces air to a cooling target of the vehicle. In a case in which a communications fault is detected, the control section controls to open the grille shutter. The diagnostic section is connected to the communication line and detects a degree of opening of the grille shutter by communicating with the control section. A temperature detection section detects a temperature of the cooling target. In a case in which the communications fault is detected, the diagnostic section diagnoses a malfunction of the grille shutter if a temperature detected by the temperature detection section is higher than a pre-specified threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideo Nishioka, Yoichi Onishi, Shuichi Morie, Masafumi Nakamine
  • Publication number: 20190100098
    Abstract: A grille shutter control device includes a control section and a diagnostic section. The control section is connected to a communication line in a vehicle and controls opening and closing of a grille shutter that introduces air to a cooling target of the vehicle. In a case in which a communications fault is detected, the control section controls to open the grille shutter. The diagnostic section is connected to the communication line and detects a degree of opening of the grille shutter by communicating with the control section. A temperature detection section detects a temperature of the cooling target. In a case in which the communications fault is detected, the diagnostic section diagnoses a malfunction of the grille shutter if a temperature detected by the temperature detection section is higher than a pre-specified threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideo NISHIOKA, Yoichi ONISHI, Shuichi MORIE, Masafumi NAKAMINE
  • Publication number: 20190101045
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle includes a grille shutter ECU that is connected to a LIN communication line and controls driving of a grille shutter, and an engine ECU that is connected to the LIN communication line so as to be able to establish communication with the grille shutter ECU. In the case of detecting an abnormality in the communication, if a predetermine threshold time or more has elapsed since a start of the vehicle, and if cumulative time that a detection result of a vehicle speed sensor is equal to or more than a predetermined vehicle speed threshold value, is equal to or more than a cumulative threshold value, and a number of starts of the vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined trip number, the engine ECU determines that the detected abnormality is a failure in the LIN communication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideo NISHIOKA, Shuichi MORIE, Yoichi ONISHI, Masafumi NAKAMINE