Patents by Inventor Masaki Matsunaga
Masaki Matsunaga 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).
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Patent number: 8880318Abstract: A vehicle controlling system includes an engine serving as a power source of a vehicle; an electric storage device; an assist device that assists an operation of a driver by consuming power from the electric storage device so as to operate a running device that changes the running condition of the vehicle; and a starting device that consumes power from the electric storage device so as to start the engine, wherein the starting device automatically starts the engine based upon a physical quantity concerning the engine, and the start of the engine is inhibited while the assist device operates the running device, when the execution of an inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2010Date of Patent: November 4, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Koji Ito, Hiroshi Tsujii, Masaki Matsunaga, Nobukazu Ueki
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Publication number: 20140297165Abstract: An idle reduction control device mounted on a vehicle equipped with an engine and a brake including: a detector that detects a parameter having a positive correlation to an amount of brake operation; and an engine controller that controls a start and a stop of the engine. The engine controller stops the engine after a stop of the vehicle, when a change of the parameter caused by a release of the brake is equal to or greater than a predetermined value during a deceleration period before the stop of the vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2011Publication date: October 2, 2014Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Masaki Matsunaga, Junichi Morimura, Yasunari Kido
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Patent number: 8838323Abstract: A driving assistance device includes an operation prediction unit and a travel trajectory generation unit. The operation prediction unit predicts that a driving operation is to be performed by a driver of a vehicle before the driver performs the driving operation. The travel trajectory generation unit generates a target travel trajectory of the vehicle based on a prediction result of the driving operation that has been predicted by the operation prediction unit.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2009Date of Patent: September 16, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Masaki Matsunaga
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Patent number: 8831830Abstract: A vehicle controlling system starts an engine by a starting device based on a vehicle speed, and changes a predetermined vehicle speed, which is a vehicle speed when the engine is started, in response to a state of an electric storage device, when an execution of inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia. Power consumed by a power steering device is changed in response to a vehicle speed. The predetermined vehicle speed is a lower limit vehicle speed in a vehicle speed range in which the electric storage device can output power consumed by the starting device when the engine is started and power consumed by the power steering device at the same time, or a vehicle speed close to the lower limit vehicle speed in the vehicle speed range.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2010Date of Patent: September 9, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Koji Ito, Hiroshi Tsujii, Masaki Matsunaga, Nobukazu Ueki
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Publication number: 20140214310Abstract: An engine restart control apparatus mounted on a vehicle having an engine and a brake system includes: a negative pressure detector configured to detect booster negative pressure; an engine restart controller configured to restart the engine after a stop of the engine; and a storage memory configured to store the booster negative pressure detected by the negative pressure detector. The engine restart controller restarts the engine when the booster negative pressure is reduced by a first set value or more from a reference booster negative pressure, which is detected at a predetermined timing after the stop of the engine, among booster negative pressures stored in the storage memory.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 23, 2012Publication date: July 31, 2014Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Junichi Morimura, Yasunari Kido, Masaki Matsunaga
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Publication number: 20130304358Abstract: A vehicular control apparatus performs control of enabling idle operation of an internal combustion engine that generates a motive power applied to a driving wheel of a vehicle if a vehicle speed of the vehicle is lower than a predetermined vehicle speed that is set in advance, and disabling idle operation of the internal combustion engine if the vehicle speed of the vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, when the vehicle is in a state other than an acceleration running state. Accordingly, the vehicular control apparatus achieves an effect of making it possible to suppress the consumption of fuel.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2011Publication date: November 14, 2013Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Masaki Matsunaga, Koji Ito, Michihiro Miyashita, Nobukazu Ueki, Yasuyuki Mikami
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Publication number: 20130179053Abstract: A vehicle controller includes an engine, a hydraulic brake device that applies a brake force to a vehicle in response to operation of a driver, and a brake booster that assists the braking operation of the driver by a negative pressure generated by drive of the engine. An ECU can automatically stop the engine according to a running state of the vehicle, can automatically start the engine when the negative pressure of the brake booster decreases below the predetermined negative pressure determination value, which has been set in advance, when the engine is in the automatic stop state, and can change the negative pressure determination value according to kinetic energy of the vehicle running in the automatic stop state of the engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2011Publication date: July 11, 2013Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Masaki Matsunaga
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Patent number: 8483949Abstract: A running pattern calculating apparatus and running pattern calculating method that stores road information; predicts a running state when the vehicle will travel on a road, based on the stored road information; divides the road into a plurality of sections based on the predicted running state and sets an evaluation function for each road section; and calculates a running pattern of the vehicle that will travel on the road, based on the evaluation function set for each road section.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2010Date of Patent: July 9, 2013Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Koji Taguchi, Masaki Matsunaga
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Publication number: 20130060444Abstract: A vehicle control system and a vehicle control device can switch control of a supporting device for support a drive of a vehicle between an ordinary travel in which the vehicle travels in a state that a power source for causing the vehicle to travel is operated and an inertia travel in which the vehicle travels in a state that an operation of the power source is stopped. Accordingly, since the vehicle control system and the vehicle control device switch the control of the supporting device between the ordinary travel and the inertia travel, the vehicle control system and the vehicle control device achieve an effect that the vehicle can be caused to appropriately travel by inertia.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2010Publication date: March 7, 2013Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Masaki Matsunaga, Nobukazu Ueki, Hiroshi Tsujii, Koji Ito
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Patent number: 8346476Abstract: A vehicle running control system includes: a speed pattern creating unit that creates a speed pattern according to a target traveling path, a running control unit that controls running of the vehicle based on the speed pattern, a first speed condition correcting unit that correct speed conditions in a direction from a start position of the running control toward an end position of the running control on the target traveling path, and a second speed condition correcting unit that correct speed conditions in a direction from the end position of the running control toward the start position of the running control on the target traveling path.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2010Date of Patent: January 1, 2013Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Koji Taguchi, Takashi Suzuki, Masaki Matsunaga
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Publication number: 20120203440Abstract: Disclosed is a travel control device which controls the travel of a vehicle. The travel control device includes an acquisition unit which acquires a stability speed limit pattern indicating an upper speed limit, within which the vehicle is travelable without departing from a scheduled travel road, and a travel control adjustment unit which adjusts travel control using a target speed pattern indicating a target speed on the basis of the stability speed limit pattern and an actual speed. Therefore, it is possible to satisfy driving conditions desired by a user while ensuring travel stability.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2009Publication date: August 9, 2012Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Masaki Matsunaga
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Publication number: 20120029746Abstract: A vehicle controlling system includes an engine as a power source of a vehicle, an electric storage device, a generator that generates power by rotating in conjunction with a rotation of the engine, a starting device that starts the engine by consuming power from the electric storage device, and a power steering device which can receive power supplied from the electric storage device and the generator, respectively, and operates by consuming the supplied power, wherein the engine is started by the starting device based on a vehicle speed and a predetermined vehicle speed which is a vehicle speed when the engine is started is changed in response to a state of the electric storage device, when an execution of an inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 19, 2010Publication date: February 2, 2012Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Koji Ito, Hiroshi Tsujii, Masaki Matsunaga, Nobukazu Ueki
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Publication number: 20110270501Abstract: A vehicle controlling system includes an engine serving as a power source of a vehicle; an electric storage device; an assist device that assists an operation of a driver by consuming power from the electric storage device so as to operate a running device that changes the running condition of the vehicle; and a starting device that consumes power from the electric storage device so as to start the engine, wherein the starting device automatically starts the engine based upon a physical quantity concerning the engine, and the start of the engine is inhibited while the assist device operates the running device, when the execution of an inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 30, 2010Publication date: November 3, 2011Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Koji Ito, Hiroshi Tsujii, Masaki Matsunaga, Nobukazu Ueki
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Publication number: 20110125362Abstract: An operation support apparatus includes: a musculoskeletal status detection unit that detects a musculoskeletal status of an operator; an operating member operated by the operator; an activating mechanism that is operated in response to an operation of the operating member; and a control unit including: a musculoskeletal status information acquisition unit that acquires musculoskeletal status information of the operator by controlling the musculoskeletal status detection unit; an operation prediction unit that predicts whether operation of the operating member is operated by the operator based on the musculoskeletal status information acquired by the musculoskeletal status information acquisition unit; and a mechanism control unit that either executes a preprocessing operation of actual operation of the activating mechanism prior to operation of the operating member, or initiates the actual operation, in a case where operation of the operating member has been predicted to be operated by the operation predictiType: ApplicationFiled: July 16, 2009Publication date: May 26, 2011Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Masaki Matsunaga
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Publication number: 20100292904Abstract: A vehicle running control system includes: a speed pattern creating unit that creates a speed pattern according to a target traveling path, a running control unit that controls running of the vehicle based on the speed pattern, a first speed condition correcting unit that correct speed conditions in a direction from a start position of the running control toward an end position of the running control on the target traveling path, and a second speed condition correcting unit that correct speed conditions in a direction from the end position of the running control toward the start position of the running control on the target traveling path.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2010Publication date: November 18, 2010Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Koji TAGUCHI, Takashi Suzuki, Masaki Matsunaga
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Publication number: 20100262408Abstract: A running pattern calculating apparatus and running pattern calculating method that stores road information; predicts a running state when the vehicle will travel on a road, based on the stored road information; divides the road into a plurality of sections based on the predicted running state and sets an evaluation function for each road section; and calculates a running pattern of the vehicle that will travel on the road, based on the evaluation function set for each road section.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2010Publication date: October 14, 2010Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Koji TAGUCHI, Masaki Matsunaga
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Publication number: 20100168998Abstract: A driving assistance device includes an operation prediction unit and a travel trajectory generation unit. The operation prediction unit predicts that a driving operation is to be performed by a driver of a vehicle before the driver performs the driving operation. The travel trajectory generation unit generates a target travel trajectory of the vehicle based on a prediction result of the driving operation that has been predicted by the operation prediction unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 16, 2009Publication date: July 1, 2010Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Masaki MATSUNAGA