Patents by Inventor Masao Sakata
Masao Sakata 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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Publication number: 20120320210Abstract: It is an object to provide a lane departure warning device capable of generating almost no false warning if a driver performs an avoiding operation of a lane departure.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2012Publication date: December 20, 2012Applicant: Clarion Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masato IMAI, Takashi OKADA, Masao SAKATA
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Publication number: 20120212612Abstract: There is provided a lane departure warning apparatus capable of preventing false warnings and absence of a warning regarding lane departure which is attributed to special road geometries such as junctions and tollgates. The lane departure warning apparatus for outputting a warning signal upon determining departure of a vehicle from a lane, performing the steps of: when one dividing line in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle is non-detected, estimating a position of the one dividing line based on a position of the other dividing line as a first estimation dividing line; estimating a position of the non-detected one dividing line based on a position of the one dividing line prior to non-detection as a second estimation dividing line; and comparing the first estimation dividing line with the second estimation dividing line to determine lane departure.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2012Publication date: August 23, 2012Applicant: Clarion Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masato IMAI, Takashi Okada, Masao Sakata
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Patent number: 8060303Abstract: A vehicle is guided to a lane that the vehicle should run, even if map data do not include lane information of a tollgate. A navigation processing part 100 makes a vehicle running path calculation part 112 calculate a running path of the vehicle from a point of a prescribed distance from the tollgate until an ETC receipt signal receiving part 114 receives an ETC receipt signal. Then, the navigation processing part 100 calculates an approximate position of an ETC lane on the basis of the running path, and accumulates the calculated approximate position in a storage unit. Further, when the vehicle approaches to the tollgate within a prescribed distance from the tollgate, the navigation processing part 100 obtains the approximate position of the ETC lane of the tollgate from the storage unit, and displays the approximate position through a display processing part 106, to guide the user to the ETC lane.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2008Date of Patent: November 15, 2011Assignee: Xanavi Informatics CorporationInventors: Mikio Bando, Masao Sakata
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Patent number: 8005602Abstract: The present invention relates to a vehicle speed control device for controlling a speed of a vehicle. The vehicle speed control device includes a current location error estimation section for extracting area attribute information from the map information, for producing a location error probability distribution, a target speed calculation section for receiving the target speed correction instruction, for accessing preset data that shows an acceleration or a gradient of an acceleration which allows a driver not to feel uncomfortable, and for computing target speed values at nodes over the distance in such a way that the target speed values create a continuous curve, and a speed control section for sensing a speed of a vehicle, and for controlling a driving torque of the vehicle so that the sensed speed traces the continuous curve composed of the target speed values.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2007Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Mikio Bando, Takeshi Inoue, Koichiro Tanikoshi, Masao Sakata, Hiroshi Sakamoto, Masato Imai
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Publication number: 20110169958Abstract: Provided is a lane determining device that is capable of quickly and accurately determining the lane traveled by a host vehicle traveling on a road with a plurality of lanes in each direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2009Publication date: July 14, 2011Applicant: Clarion Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masato Imai, Masatoshi Hoshino, Masao Sakata
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Publication number: 20110010068Abstract: A vehicle speed control system includes: a unit for computing a first target velocity based on map information; a unit for computing a second target velocity based on a road profile obtained from other information than the map information (such as lane recognition using a camera); a unit for comparing the first target velocity and the second target velocity; a unit for selecting a lower target velocity therefrom; and a unit for controlling a vehicle velocity in accordance with the selected target velocity.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2010Publication date: January 13, 2011Applicant: Xanavi Informatics CorporationInventors: Masato IMAI, Hiroshi Sakamoto, Tatsuya Ochi, Takashi Okada, Toshimichi Minowa, Masao Sakata
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Publication number: 20100332127Abstract: There is provided lane judgement equipment that is capable of quickly and accurately judging the lane that a vehicle is traveling in on a road with plural lanes in each direction. Lane judgement equipment 100 detects reference positions 402, 502 that are set in advance at an entrance to road B with plural lanes in each direction, and judges which of lanes B1-B3 of road B with plural lanes in each direction a vehicle 400 is traveling in based on entry distance L from those reference positions 402, 502 and on map information.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2010Publication date: December 30, 2010Applicant: Clarion Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masato Imai, Masatoshi Hoshino, Masao Sakata
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Patent number: 7831366Abstract: A vehicle speed control system includes: a unit for computing a first target velocity based on map information; a unit for computing a second target velocity based on a road profile obtained from other information than the map information (such as lane recognition using a camera); a unit for comparing the first target velocity and the second target velocity; a unit for selecting a lower target velocity therefrom; and a unit for controlling a vehicle velocity in accordance with the selected target velocity.Type: GrantFiled: July 3, 2007Date of Patent: November 9, 2010Assignee: Xanavi Informatics CorporationInventors: Masato Imai, Hiroshi Sakamoto, Tatsuya Ochi, Takashi Okada, Toshimichi Minowa, Masao Sakata
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Patent number: 7778758Abstract: This invention provides a vehicle cruise control system which, during recognition of a shape of a road extending in a frontward direction of host vehicle, can calculate the road shape rapidly and accurately from a positional relationship with respect to the host vehicle. The system includes at least: a position change detector that detects, from information on the road existing in the frontward direction of the vehicle, a horizontal distance from a line segment orthogonal to a traveling direction vector of the vehicle, to a centerline of the road, the detection being conducted at a plurality of measuring points in an extending direction of the traveling direction vector; a road shape recognizer that identifies the shape of the road from data relating to linearity of changes in each of the horizontal distances, the linearity data being obtained by the position change detector; and a cruise controller that controls traveling of the vehicle according to results of the identification by the road shape recognizer.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2007Date of Patent: August 17, 2010Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Kazutoshi Tsuchiya, Hiroshi Sakamoto, Masato Imai, Tatsuya Ochi, Takaomi Nishigaito, Masao Sakata, Masafumi Naito
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Patent number: 7756640Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a route setting unit for setting a route from a start point to a destination; an information obtaining unit for obtaining from a memory position information of at least one base point and at least one control point existing in the route set by the setting unit; a base point recognition unit for recognizing that a current position of a vehicle reaches a position of the base point obtained by the obtaining unit; a running situation monitoring unit for determining as a predetermined distance a running distance from the base point most lately recognized by the recognition unit; and a control unit for executing an advanced control to the vehicle if the predetermined distance obtained by the monitoring unit is shorter than any of first and second threshold distances, when the current position reaches a position of the control point obtained by the obtaining unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 15, 2007Date of Patent: July 13, 2010Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Xanavi Informatics CorporationInventors: Mikio Ueyama, Masao Sakata
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Publication number: 20100161192Abstract: A vehicle operation support system includes a navigation device, and a drive control device. The navigation device includes: part for storing road information including branch point information; and part for acquiring road curvature information with reference to the road information, and providing the drive control device with the road curvature information, before a vehicle reaches the branch point. The road curvature information includes information about curvature of first and second road sections extending forward from a branch point. The drive control device estimates entrance of the vehicle into one of the first and second road sections as a selected road section, and controls a driving state of the vehicle by operating an actuator with reference to information about curvature of the selected road section, in response to estimation of entrance of the vehicle into the selected road section.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2009Publication date: June 24, 2010Applicants: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd., Clarion Co., Ltd.Inventors: Norikazu NARA, Mikio Ueyama, Masao Sakata, Satoshi Ito, Junya Nakamura
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Publication number: 20090024321Abstract: A vehicle is guided to a lane that the vehicle should run, even if map data do not include lane information of a tollgate. A navigation processing part 100 makes a vehicle running path calculation part 112 calculate a running path of the vehicle from a point of a prescribed distance from the tollgate until an ETC receipt signal receiving part 114 receives an ETC receipt signal. Then, the navigation processing part 100 calculates an approximate position of an ETC lane on the basis of the running path, and accumulates the calculated approximate position in a storage unit. Further, when the vehicle approaches to the tollgate within a prescribed distance from the tollgate, the navigation processing part 100 obtains the approximate position of the ETC lane of the tollgate from the storage unit, and displays the approximate position through a display processing part 106, to guide the user to the ETC lane.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2008Publication date: January 22, 2009Inventors: Mikio BANDO, Masao Sakata
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Publication number: 20080091327Abstract: This invention provides a vehicle cruise control system which, during recognition of a shape of a road extending in a frontward direction of host vehicle, can calculate the road shape rapidly and accurately from a positional relationship with respect to the host vehicle. The system includes at least: a position change detector that detects, from information on the road existing in the frontward direction of the vehicle, a horizontal distance from a line segment orthogonal to a traveling direction vector of the vehicle, to a centerline of the road, the detection being conducted at a plurality of measuring points in an extending direction of the traveling direction vector; a road shape recognizer that identifies the shape of the road from data relating to linearity of changes in each of the horizontal distances, the linearity data being obtained by the position change detector; and a cruise controller that controls traveling of the vehicle according to results of the identification by the road shape recognizer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 4, 2007Publication date: April 17, 2008Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Kazutoshi Tsuchiya, Hiroshi Sakamoto, Masato Imai, Tatsuya Ochi, Takaomi Nishigaito, Masao Sakata, Masafumi Naito
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Publication number: 20080077283Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a route setting unit for setting a route from a start point to a destination; an information obtaining unit for obtaining from a memory position information of at least one base point and at least one control point existing in the route set by the setting unit; a base point recognition unit for recognizing that a current position of a vehicle reaches a position of the base point obtained by the obtaining unit; a running situation monitoring unit for determining as a predetermined distance a running distance from the base point most lately recognized by the recognition unit; and a control unit for executing an advanced control to the vehicle if the predetermined distance obtained by the monitoring unit is shorter than any of first and second threshold distances, when the current position reaches a position of the control point obtained by the obtaining unit.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 15, 2007Publication date: March 27, 2008Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd., Xanavi Informatics CorporationInventors: Mikio UEYAMA, Masao Sakata
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Publication number: 20080059036Abstract: A vehicle speed control system includes: a unit for computing a first target velocity based on map information; a unit for computing a second target velocity based on a road profile obtained from other information than the map information (such as lane recognition using a camera); a unit for comparing the first target velocity and the second target velocity; a unit for selecting a lower target velocity therefrom; and a unit for controlling a vehicle velocity in accordance with the selected target velocity.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 3, 2007Publication date: March 6, 2008Applicant: Xanavi Informatics CorporationInventors: Masato Imai, Hiroshi Sakamoto, Tatsuya Ochi, Takashi Okada, Toshimichi Minowa, Masao Sakata
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Patent number: 7315299Abstract: A joystick input device adapted to be mounted on a vehicle and an operational failure avoidance method are disclosed, wherein controllable operation guides 111 are set in an operational range of a stick 21 that is rendered operative only in a given direction depending on a GUI condition. A stick control computing device 407 stores information related to an operational direction upon judgment of occurrence of operational failures caused during stick operation, discriminates an occurrence tendency of the operational failures through analysis of a history of the operational failures, thereby adjusting a moveable mode of the operation guide so as to avoid the operational failures.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2003Date of Patent: January 1, 2008Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Takashi Sunda, Kenichi Tanaka, Masao Sakata
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Publication number: 20070192013Abstract: The present invention relates to a vehicle speed control device for controlling a speed of a vehicle. The vehicle speed control device includes a current location error estimation section for extracting area attribute information from the map information, for producing a location error probability distribution, a target speed calculation section for receiving the target speed correction instruction, for accessing preset data that shows an acceleration or a gradient of an acceleration which allows a driver not to feel uncomfortable, and for computing target speed values at nodes over the distance in such a way that the target speed values create a continuous curve, and a speed control section for sensing a speed of a vehicle, and for controlling a driving torque of the vehicle so that the sensed speed traces the continuous curve composed of the target speed values.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 19, 2007Publication date: August 16, 2007Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Mikio Bando, Takeshi Inoue, Koichiro Tanikoshi, Masao Sakata, Hiroshi Sakamoto, Masato Imai
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Patent number: 6715885Abstract: Light from a light source 23 is processed on the image display element 30 by an image signal outputted from an image control section 19 to be projected on the screen of a predetermined curved surface shape. When the light from the light source is processed by the image signal, the image control section 19 processes an aberration shape of a projected image so as to coincide with the shape of a projection curved surface of the screen. Thus, a desired image can be clearly projected on the screen having the curved surface shape.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2001Date of Patent: April 6, 2004Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Satoru Hirose, Hiroshi Watanabe, Masao Sakata
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Patent number: 6697201Abstract: In display apparatus and method applicable to an automotive vehicle, a display image is projected over a screen section, the screen section having a first screen enabled to switch its state between a light transmission state in which the projected display image is transmitted therethrough and a light diffusion state in which the projected display image is projected thereon and a second screen enabled to switch its state between the light transmission state and the light diffusion state, a field of view limiting section (louver filter) is interposed between the first screen and second screen for limiting a field of view of a predetermined direction, and a controlling section controllably switches the respective states of the first and second screens.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2002Date of Patent: February 24, 2004Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hiroshi Watanabe, Masao Sakata, Satoru Hirose
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Publication number: 20040020704Abstract: A joystick input device adapted to be mounted on a vehicle and an operational failure avoidance method are disclosed, wherein controllable operation guides 111 are set in an operational range of a stick 21 that is rendered operative only in a given direction depending on a GUI condition. A stick control computing device 407 stores information related to an operational direction upon judgment of occurrence of operational failures caused during stick operation, discriminates an occurrence tendency of the operational failures through analysis of a history of the operational failures, thereby adjusting a moveable mode of the operation guide so as to avoid the operational failures.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 18, 2003Publication date: February 5, 2004Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Takashi Sunda, Kenichi Tanaka, Masao Sakata