Patents by Inventor Masaki Banno

Masaki Banno 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: 7409278
    Abstract: A road surface friction coefficient ? is calculated based on a detected lateral acceleration and a front-rear acceleration, and a roll angle is calculated using a roll rate. Further, a maximum engine torque value that can be applied to a drive wheel without causing slipping thereof is calculated based on the road surface friction coefficient ? and a gear ratio. A torque transmission rate that indicates a reduction rate for engine output is set so as to reduce in accordance with a roll angle, and a target engine torque value is calculated by correcting the maximum engine torque value using the torque transmission rate. Accordingly, adjustment is executed such that the engine output is made smaller as the roll angle increases. Thus, abrupt changes in vehicle behavior are not caused by sudden starting of control, and it is possible to inhibit drive feeling from deteriorating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Hiroshi Matsuoka, Shinichi Tagawa
  • Patent number: 7222923
    Abstract: In a case where one of a left and right pair of drive wheels is a non-controlled wheel to which braking force of a vehicle behavior control is not applied, and the other of the drive wheels is a controlled wheel to which braking force is applied, a detected vehicle wheel speed for the non-controlled wheel is corrected to a smaller value in accordance with increase in the roll angle, and increase in the braking force of the controlled wheel when a roll angle of a vehicle body is larger than a threshold value. In a vehicle behavior control, when lateral G acts upon the vehicle during turning, braking force is applied to the controlled wheel that is at the outside of the turn. This braking force application causes driving force of the controlled wheel to be partially transferred to the non-corrected wheel that is at the inside of the turn, whereby the vehicle wheel speed of the non-corrected wheel is increased. Accordingly, in the present invention, correction calculation is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2007
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Hiroshi Matsuoka, Shinichi Tagawa
  • Publication number: 20050046274
    Abstract: In a case where one of a left and right pair of drive wheels is a non-controlled wheel to which braking force of a vehicle behavior control is not applied, and the other of the drive wheels is a controlled wheel to which braking force is applied, a detected vehicle wheel speed for the non-controlled wheel is corrected to a smaller value in accordance with increase in the roll angle, and increase in the braking force of the controlled wheel when a roll angle of a vehicle body is larger than a threshold value. In a vehicle behavior control, when lateral G acts upon the vehicle during turning, braking force is applied to the controlled wheel that is at the outside of the turn. This braking force application causes driving force of the controlled wheel to be partially transferred to the non-corrected wheel that is at the inside of the turn, whereby the vehicle wheel speed of the non-corrected wheel is increased. Accordingly, in the present invention, correction calculation is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2004
    Publication date: March 3, 2005
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Hiroshi Matsuoka, Shinichi Tagawa
  • Publication number: 20050015191
    Abstract: A road surface friction coefficient ? is calculated based on a detected lateral acceleration and a front-rear acceleration, and a roll angle is calculated using a roll rate. Further, a maximum engine torque value that can be applied to a drive wheel without causing slipping thereof is calculated based on the road surface friction coefficient ? and a gear ratio. A torque transmission rate that indicates a reduction rate for engine output is set so as to reduce in accordance with a roll angle, and a target engine torque value is calculated by correcting the maximum engine torque value using the torque transmission rate. Accordingly, adjustment is executed such that the engine output is made smaller as the roll angle increases. Thus, abrupt changes in vehicle behavior are not caused by sudden starting of control, and it is possible to inhibit drive feeling from deteriorating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Publication date: January 20, 2005
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Hiroshi Matsuoka, Shinichi Tagawa
  • Patent number: 6691017
    Abstract: A vehicle behavior control device includes a turning limit state detecting device for detecting a turning limit state of a vehicle and an engine output control device for performing a torque-down control by decreasing an engine output when the turning limit state of the vehicle is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Shiro Monzaki
  • Patent number: 6662129
    Abstract: If a difference between a value evaluated by prorating a sum of an average value of a signal outputted from a signal processing portion within a second predetermined time before a start of a pseudo drive and an average value of the signal outputted from the signal processing portion within a third predetermined time after an end of the pseudo drive, and an average value of the signal outputted from the signal processing portion within a first predetermined time from the start to the end of the pseudo drive does not fall within a predetermine value, the sensor error is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Shiro Monzaki
  • Patent number: 6595600
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a front-rear braking force distribution control system for a vehicle. The system includes a wheel brake cylinders operatively associated with front and rear wheels of the vehicle, a pressure generator for pressurizing brake fluid in response to operation of a brake pedal to generate a hydraulic braking pressure and supply it to each of the wheel brake cylinders, and a pressure control device disposed between the pressure generator and the wheel brake cylinders for controlling the braking pressure in each of the wheel brake cylinders. A pressure sensor is provided for detecting the braking pressure generated by the pressure generator, and the detected braking pressure is compared with a predetermined threshold pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignees: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Shigeru Mashimo, Toshihisa Nihei
  • Publication number: 20030125864
    Abstract: A vehicle behavior control device includes a turning limit state detecting device for detecting a turning limit state of a vehicle and an engine output control device for performing a torque-down control by decreasing an engine output when the turning limit state of the vehicle is detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Publication date: July 3, 2003
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Shiro Monzaki
  • Publication number: 20030000308
    Abstract: If a difference between a value evaluated by prorating a sum of an average value of a signal outputted from a signal processing portion within a second predetermined time before a start of a pseudo drive and an average value of the signal outputted from the signal processing portion within a third predetermined time after an end of the pseudo drive, and an average value of the signal outputted from the signal processing portion within a first predetermined time from the start to the end of the pseudo drive does not fall within a predetermine value, the sensor error is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Shiro Monzaki
  • Publication number: 20020024252
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a front-rear braking force distribution control system for a vehicle. The system includes a wheel brake cylinders operatively associated with front and rear wheels of the vehicle, a pressure generator for pressurizing brake fluid in response to operation of a brake pedal to generate a hydraulic braking pressure and supply it to each of the wheel brake cylinders, and a pressure control device disposed between the pressure generator and the wheel brake cylinders for controlling the braking pressure in each of the wheel brake cylinders. A pressure sensor is provided for detecting the braking pressure generated by the pressure generator, and the detected braking pressure is compared with a predetermined threshold pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2001
    Publication date: February 28, 2002
    Inventors: Masaki Banno, Shigeru Mashimo, Toshihisa Nihei
  • Patent number: 6301540
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a system for detecting a difference in level on a road, wherein an acceleration sensor is provided for detecting an acceleration of a vehicle, and a wheel speed sensor is provided for detecting a wheel speed of at least one wheel of the vehicle. A wheel acceleration is calculated continuously on the basis of the wheel speed detected by the wheel speed sensor. It is determined if a variation of the signal output from the acceleration sensor is greater than a predetermined range. And, it is determined if the calculated wheel acceleration varied in the same direction as that of the variation of the signal output from the acceleration sensor, and then varied in the reverse direction to exceed a predetermined reference value. On the basis of the result of each determination, it is determined if the wheel ran over the difference in level on the road. If the affirmative result is obtained in each determination, the difference in level on the road can be detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2001
    Assignees: Aisin Seiki, Toyota Jidosha
    Inventors: Toshihisa Kato, Masaki Banno, Yasuhiro Abe, Shinji Tsugawa, Hiroyuki Matsubayashi
  • Patent number: 6260935
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an unpaved road detection system wherein a slip rate is calculated on the basis of wheel speeds detected by wheel speed sensors and a vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed detection device. A linear acceleration sensor is provided for detecting an acceleration of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction thereof to produce a signal linearly proportional to the detected acceleration. A variation of the signal produced by the linear acceleration sensor corresponding to the variation of the slip rate is calculated. The variation of the signal is compared with a reference value. If the variation exceeds the reference value, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on an unpaved road.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Abe, Masaki Banno, Toshihisa Kato, Shinji Tsugawa, Koichi Kondo, Yasushi Kobayashi, Hiroyuki Matsubayashi