Patents by Inventor Masanori Tojima

Masanori Tojima 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: 20140027013
    Abstract: An automatic supply system of a consumable material includes: an automatic supply device that automatically supplies a consumable material to a vehicle capable of being loaded with a cargo; and a control device that obtains loading information indicating whether or not the cargo is loaded on the vehicle, and is able to control an automatic supply of the consumable material to the vehicle based on the obtained loading information, wherein, when the control device determines that the cargo is loaded on the vehicle from the obtained loading information, the control device controls the automatic supply device not to perform the automatic supply of the consumable material to the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Masanori Tojima, Kouichi Yamashita, Tsugio Sudou, Koji Takeda
  • Patent number: 7966106
    Abstract: Leveling operation can be effectively performed at a discharge site without increasing a cost of vehicles, and a running course can be easily generated in a short time and at a low-cost. Based on each of measured position data of a survey line 20 of a discharge site 21, a normal line Lc normal to the survey line 20 is obtained, a target discharge position 26? is positioned at a prescribed distance away from the survey line 20 in an inward direction of the discharge site 21 based on the normal line Lc, and then data of a running course 27 in which a reference approach direction 31 to approach the target discharge position 26? is a direction normal to the survey line 20 are generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsugio Sudou, Masanori Tojima, Koji Takeda, Akiharu Nishijima, Masaki Mori, Tomonori Ozaki, Kazunori Kuromoto
  • Patent number: 7742853
    Abstract: A restricted area (60) is created based on positional information of a manned vehicle (20) traveling one of outward/return lanes (51, 52), and a detour course (72) is created based on information of the restricted area (60). Information on the detour course (72) is provided to the unmanned vehicles (10, 11) and the manned vehicle (20). Based on the positional information of the unmanned vehicles (10, 11) which proceed towards each other from the opposite directions with the restricted area (60) therebetween, the unmanned vehicle (11) on the lane (52) which is the opposite side of the restricted area (60) is blocked at a block position (61B) and at the same time a travel permission command for permitting traveling the detour course (72) is issued to the unmanned vehicle (10) traveling the lane (51) on the restricted area side so that the unmanned vehicle (10) travels the detour course (72).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Mori, Tsugio Sudou, Akiharu Nishijima, Masanori Tojima, Kazunori Kuromoto, Koji Takeda, Tomonori Ozaki
  • Publication number: 20070293996
    Abstract: A restricted area (60) is created based on positional information of a manned vehicle (20) traveling one of outward/return lanes (51, 52), and a detour course (72) is created based on information of the restricted area (60). Information on the detour course (72) is provided to the unmanned vehicles (10, 11) and the manned vehicle (20). Based on the positional information of the unmanned vehicles (10, 11) which proceed towards each other from the opposite directions with the restricted area (60) therebetween, the unmanned vehicle (11) on the lane (52) which is the opposite side of the restricted area (60) is blocked at a block position (61B) and at the same time a travel permission command for permitting traveling the detour course (72) is issued to the unmanned vehicle (10) traveling the lane (51) on the restricted area side so that the unmanned vehicle (10) travels the detour course (72).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Mori, Tsugio Sudou, Akiharu Nishijima, Masanori Tojima, Kazunori Kuromoto, Koji Takeda, Tomonori Ozaki
  • Publication number: 20070150133
    Abstract: Leveling operation can be effectively performed at a discharge site without increasing a cost of vehicles, and a running course can be easily generated in a short time and at a low-cost. Based on each of measured position data of a survey line 20 of a discharge site 21, a normal line Lc normal to the survey line 20 is obtained, a target discharge position 26? is positioned at a prescribed distance away from the survey line 20 in an inward direction of the discharge site 21 based on the normal line Lc, and then data of a running course 27 in which a reference approach direction 31 to approach the target discharge position 26? is a direction normal to the survey line 20 are generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Applicant: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Tsugio Sudou, Masanori Tojima, Koji Takeda, Akiharu Nishijima, Masaki Mori, Tomonori Ozaki, Kazunori Kuromoto
  • Patent number: 6809680
    Abstract: In detecting an obstacle of a vehicle, to be able to eliminate dead angle, shorten a detection period and reduce erroneous detection of the obstacle, when a vehicle runs on a running road, by pivoting a pivoting radar in a direction in accordance with a progressing direction of the vehicle, a total or a portion of a detection range of the pivoting radar can be made to be outside of a detection range of fixed radars. Therefore, an obstacle in a range outside of the detection range of the fixed radars can be detected by the pivoting radar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventor: Masanori Tojima
  • Publication number: 20030083818
    Abstract: In detecting an obstacle of a vehicle, to be able to eliminate dead angle, shorten a detection period and reduce erroneous detection of the obstacle, when a vehicle runs on a running road, by pivoting a pivoting radar in a direction in accordance with a progressing direction of the vehicle, a total or a portion of a detection range of the pivoting radar can be made to be outside of a detection range of fixed radars. Therefore, an obstacle in a range outside of the detection range of the fixed radars can be detected by the pivoting radar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2002
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Inventor: Masanori Tojima
  • Patent number: 6321147
    Abstract: An unmanned vehicle running system, capable of reducing a stop time of a vehicle by immediately judging whether or not an obstacle blocks the passage when detecting the obstacle. For this purpose, the unmanned vehicle running system has a plurality of vehicles (1) running without a driver in a predetermined course (3) while detecting the current position and a central monitor station (2) for monitoring operations of the plurality of vehicles, wherein each of said vehicles is provided with a phototaking device (24) for taking a photo of the course, with a vehicle communication unit (23) for transmitting the taken image to the central monitor station, and with an obstacle detecting unit (5) for detecting an obstacle (4) which blocks the passage, wherein the central monitor station is provided with a central communication unit (8) for receiving the image and with a monitor (9) for displaying the image, and wherein the phototaking device takes a photo when the obstacle detecting unit detects an obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Shu Takeda, Masanori Tojima, Koji Takeda
  • Patent number: 6292725
    Abstract: The present invention prevents the interference of vehicles traveling on-coming to each other when a plurality of vehicles are traveling on-coming to each other on a traveling path with a predetermined road width without increase in cost caused by setting a wide course width and without a drop in work efficiency caused by decreasing velocity. If one of the vehicles detects the other vehicle by its obstacle detection means when the vehicles are traveling on-coming to each other, the vehicle which detects the other vehicle begins deceleration to stop itself. At the same time, this vehicle transmits a deceleration control command for stopping the other vehicle to the other vehicle via transmission/reception means, therefore the other vehicle starts deceleration even if this vehicle cannot detect an obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2001
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Kageyama, Kiyoshi Kaneko, Shu Takeda, Masanori Tojima, Koji Takeda
  • Patent number: 6247538
    Abstract: An automatic excavator for automatically excavating an excavation object and loading a loading object with the result excavation by utilizing a measuring instrument for determining the distance between the excavator and the excavation object and the loading object, an excavation object recognition system for recognizing a three-dimensional shape of the excavation object on the basis of an output from the measuring instrument, a target excavation position computing system for computing the target excavation position on the basis of the three-dimensional shape of the recognized excavation object, a target loading position computing system for computing a relative position of the loading object with respect to the excavator and a relative attitude of the excavator with respect to the loading object on the basis of an output from the measuring instrument, and computing a target loading position on the basis of the computed relative position, an automatic positioning system for automatically positioning the excava
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Shu Takeda, Masanori Tojima, Tomonori Ozaki, Megumi Hiyoshi
  • Patent number: 6246932
    Abstract: This invention is a vehicle monitor for avoiding interference between vehicles, etc., without incurring cost increases for deploying auxiliary equipment at a wide-area site, while imposing only low loads on communication lines and monitoring stations, without impairing safety, and while realizing high flexibility for modifications of planned travelling paths. This system can also cope with various forms of interference which can occur throughout the entire planned travelling paths. In the system of the present invention, transceiver devices are provided in the monitoring station and in a plurality of vehicles, respectively, for sending and receiving position data and directive data between the monitoring station and the plurality of vehicles, using a communication system wherewith radio-communication is possible over the distances between the monitoring station and the plurality of vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Kageyama, Masanori Tojima, Kiyoshi Kaneko, Kazunori Kuromoto, Tomonori Ozaki
  • Patent number: 6226572
    Abstract: In accordance with the equipment of the present invention, the communication over the entire region of a wide working site can be performed without a cost increase due to the installation of auxiliary equipment, the mutual control of vehicles can be performed with a light burden on a monitoring station without sacrificing safety, and when a failure occurs to transmission/reception equipment, the failure can be quickly and accurately confirmed, and accordingly the abnormality can be quickly and properly dealt with. In the of the present invention, first transmission/reception system for transmitting/receiving at least command data between the monitoring station and a plurality of vehicles via a first communication system which enables wireless communication over the distances between the monitoring station and the vehicles is provided in the monitoring station and the vehicles respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanori Tojima, Masato Kageyama, Kiyoshi Kaneko