Patents by Inventor Motonobu Aoki

Motonobu Aoki 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: 11541892
    Abstract: A vehicle control method as executed includes acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle by a sensor includes, specifying an entry position located on a second lane adjacent to a first lane where the subject vehicle travels in accordance with the surrounding information of the subject vehicle, specifying a front vehicle located front the entry position and a rear vehicle located rear the entry position, determining the travel state of each of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, determining whether there is a space for the subject vehicle to enter at the entry position, predicting whether the front vehicle starts to travel when the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are determined to be stopped and no space is determined at the entry position, and starting to move the subject vehicle to the entry position when the front vehicle is predicted to start traveling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Machiko Hiramatsu, Motonobu Aoki, Takayuki Kondoh, Tsuyoshi Sakuma
  • Patent number: 11541891
    Abstract: A vehicle control method executed by a processor capable of making a subject vehicle change a lane includes: acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle by a sensor provided in the subject vehicle; determining whether a distractive factor for a driver of another vehicle is present when the subject vehicle enters the front of the other vehicle traveling on the second lane for changing lanes from a first lane to a second lane adjacent to the first lane; setting a lane change time required for the subject vehicle to change lanes longer than when determining none of the distractive factor to be present when determining distractive the factor to be present; and controlling a traveling position of the subject vehicle on the first lane within the lane change time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Renault S.A.S.
    Inventors: Motonobu Aoki, Machiko Hiramatsu, Takayuki Kondoh, Tsuyoshi Sakuma
  • Patent number: 11520340
    Abstract: A lane information management method for managing lane information using a processor is provided. This method includes acquiring road map information and information on a travel history that is represented by a travel trajectory on a road map, determining, using a plurality of the travel histories, whether or not a lane connected to an intersection is in a multiple lane form in which two or more lines of vehicles are formed on a single lane, and managing the lane information, including a result of determination of the multiple lane form in the lane information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Kojo, Motonobu Aoki, Takura Yanagi, Hiroyuki Takano
  • Patent number: 11485365
    Abstract: A vehicle control method for executing a lane change of a subject vehicle includes acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle; specifying an entry position indicating a position of an entry destination of the subject vehicle, the entry position being located on a second lane adjacent to a first lane in which the subject vehicle is traveling; when operating a blinker, decelerating the subject vehicle, and executing a lane change; determining that there is a following vehicle which follows the subject vehicle in a predetermined area located behind the subject vehicle on a first lane; setting a preparation time longer than the preparation time when determining that there is not the following vehicle, the preparation time indicating a time from operating the blinker to decelerating the subject vehicle and starting the lane change; and controlling a travel position of the subject vehicle on the first lane within the preparation time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Machiko Hiramatsu, Motonobu Aoki, Takayuki Kondoh, Tsuyoshi Sakuma
  • Publication number: 20220212670
    Abstract: A vehicle control method executed by a processor capable of making a subject vehicle change a lane includes: acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle by a sensor provided in the subject vehicle; determining whether a distractive factor for a driver of another vehicle is present when the subject vehicle enters the front of the other vehicle traveling on the second lane for changing lanes from a first lane to a second lane adjacent to the first lane; setting a lane change time required for the subject vehicle to change lanes longer than when determining none of the distractive factor to be present when determining distractive the factor to be present; and controlling a traveling position of the subject vehicle on the first lane within the lane change time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Motonobu Aoki, Machiko Hiramatsu, Takayuki Kondoh, Tsuyoshi Sakuma
  • Patent number: 11370453
    Abstract: A controller performs: trajectory generation processing of generating a target travel trajectory in such a way that, when a distance between a turning position of an own vehicle and a parked vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition, the own vehicle passes beside the parked vehicle at a predetermined side position with a predetermined interval interposed between the parked vehicle and the own vehicle on one side of the parked vehicle and a turning end position in a case of turning at a position before a position of the parked vehicle or a turning start position in a case of turning after having passed beside the parked vehicle on the route coincides with the predetermined side position in a width direction of a road on which the parked vehicle is parked; and processing of performing travel control, based on the target travel trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Renault S.A.S.
    Inventors: Machiko Hiramatsu, Motonobu Aoki
  • Publication number: 20220144277
    Abstract: A vehicle control method for executing a lane change of a subject vehicle includes acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle; specifying an entry position indicating a position of an entry destination of the subject vehicle, the entry position being located on a second lane adjacent to a first lane in which the subject vehicle is traveling; when operating a blinker, decelerating the subject vehicle, and executing a lane change; determining that there is a following vehicle which follows the subject vehicle in a predetermined area located behind the subject vehicle on a first lane; setting a preparation time longer than the preparation time when determining that there is not the following vehicle, the preparation time indicating a time from operating the blinker to decelerating the subject vehicle and starting the lane change; and controlling a travel position of the subject vehicle on the first lane within the preparation time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventors: Machiko Hiramatsu, Motonobu Aoki, Takayuki Kondoh, Tsuyoshi Sakuma
  • Publication number: 20220144278
    Abstract: A vehicle control method as executed includes acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle by a sensor includes, specifying an entry position located on a second lane adjacent to a first lane where the subject vehicle travels in accordance with the surrounding information of the subject vehicle, specifying a front vehicle located front the entry position and a rear vehicle located rear the entry position, determining the travel state of each of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, determining whether there is a space for the subject vehicle to enter at the entry position, predicting whether the front vehicle starts to travel when the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are determined to be stopped and no space is determined at the entry position, and starting to move the subject vehicle to the entry position when the front vehicle is predicted to start traveling.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Publication date: May 12, 2022
    Inventors: Machiko Hiramatsu, Motonobu Aoki, Takayuki Kondoh, Tsuyoshi Sakuma
  • Publication number: 20220089185
    Abstract: A controller performs: trajectory generation processing of generating a target travel trajectory in such a way that, when a distance between a turning position of an own vehicle and a parked vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition, the own vehicle passes beside the parked vehicle at a predetermined side position with a predetermined interval interposed between the parked vehicle and the own vehicle on one side of the parked vehicle and a turning end position in a case of turning at a position before a position of the parked vehicle or a turning start position in a case of turning after having passed beside the parked vehicle on the route coincides with the predetermined side position in a width direction of a road on which the parked vehicle is parked; and processing of performing travel control, based on the target travel trajectory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Machiko Hiramatsu, Motonobu Aoki
  • Publication number: 20210387615
    Abstract: A driving assistance method includes: detecting a position of a first obstacle ahead of a host vehicle on a first lane where the host vehicle is traveling; detecting a position of a second obstacle ahead of the host vehicle on a second lane, the second lane being an oncoming lane adjacent to the first lane; when the position of the second obstacle is on a nearer side than the position of the first obstacle in a traveling direction of the host vehicle, determining a first stop position as a stop position of the host vehicle to a position before the second obstacle in the traveling direction of the host vehicle; and assisting the host vehicle to stop at the determined first stop position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Inventors: Motonobu Aoki, Yasuhiko Fukazawa, Shinichirou Nakajima
  • Patent number: 11124163
    Abstract: A pedestrian crosswalk through which a subject vehicle is expected to pass is specified as a target pedestrian crosswalk. Road configurations close to the target pedestrian crosswalk are detected. Traffic lines of moving objects crossing the target pedestrian crosswalk are estimated on the basis of the road configurations. An area including the estimated traffic lines is set as a detection area of a detector detecting objects around the subject vehicle. The moving objects are detected by the detector in the detection area. Travel of the subject vehicle is controlled on the basis of a detection result of the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Susumu Fujita, Motonobu Aoki, Yohei Mishina
  • Patent number: 10860035
    Abstract: A method of storing a travel history uses a controller to store the travel history of a vehicle in a storage device for each link of a traveling path. The method includes determining that one or more travel histories in a link are one type or two or more types of travel histories on the basis of a predetermined determination condition and storing the two or more types of travel histories in the link in the storage device so as to be sorted for the determined two or more types.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Takano, Motonobu Aoki, Naoki Kojo
  • Publication number: 20200346654
    Abstract: A method of storing information for a vehicle includes determining whether or not a vehicle has passed over a speed bump on the basis of a traveling state of the vehicle and specifying positional information of the speed bump and vehicle speed information when passing over the speed bump as speed bump information from a travel history that includes a determination result as to whether or not the vehicle has passed over the speed bump, the position of the vehicle, and the traveling state of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Inventors: Naoki Kojo, Motonobu Aoki, Takura Yanagi
  • Patent number: 10796574
    Abstract: A driving assistance method includes extracting an interference traffic line that is a route along which another vehicle can move and that interferes with a planned travel route of a subject vehicle. The method also includes determining a necessary length of the extracted interference traffic line of the other vehicle, which length is necessary for determining a driving action of the subject vehicle, on the basis of at least one of a shape of a road, a traffic rule, and a traffic situation. The method further includes determining the driving action of the subject vehicle to respond to the other vehicle moving along the interference traffic line using a range of the determined necessary length of the interference traffic line as a determination object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yohei Mishina, Susumu Fujita, Motonobu Aoki
  • Patent number: 10787172
    Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus comprises a processor for: determining whether or not a preceding vehicle is traveling outside an area including an intersection and vicinities of the intersection; when the preceding vehicle is traveling outside the area, determining whether or not a direction indicator of the preceding vehicle on a road shoulder side is lighting; and when the direction indicator is lighting, performing second driving assistance different from first driving assistance for following the preceding vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motonobu Aoki, Naoki Kojo, Takura Yanagi
  • Patent number: 10766490
    Abstract: A driving assistance method of causing a host vehicle to travel by following a preceding vehicle includes: determining whether the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle is present or absent and, upon determining that the preceding vehicle is present, performing a preceding vehicle type determination of determining whether the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle is a four-wheeler or a two-wheeler; upon the preceding vehicle being a four-wheeler, performing both a control of inter-vehicle distance to the four-wheeler and a route following based on the four-wheeler; and upon the preceding vehicle being a two-wheeler, performing a control of inter-vehicle distance to the two-wheeler without performing a route following based on the two-wheeler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motonobu Aoki, Naoki Kojo, Hiroyuki Takano
  • Publication number: 20200249682
    Abstract: A lane information management method for managing lane information using a processor is provided. This method includes acquiring road map information and information on a travel history that is represented by a travel trajectory on a road map, determining, using a plurality of the travel histories, whether or not a lane connected to an intersection is in a multiple lane form in which two or more lines of vehicles are formed on a single lane, and managing the lane information, including a result of determination of the multiple lane form in the lane information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Naoki Kojo, Motonobu Aoki, Takura Yanagi, Hiroyuki Takano
  • Publication number: 20200231151
    Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus comprises a processor for: determining whether or not a preceding vehicle is traveling outside an area including an intersection and vicinities of the intersection; when the preceding vehicle is traveling outside the area, determining whether or not a direction indicator of the preceding vehicle on a road shoulder side is lighting; and when the direction indicator is lighting, performing second driving assistance different from first driving assistance for following the preceding vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2017
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Inventors: Motonobu Aoki, Naoki Kojo, Takura Yanagi
  • Patent number: 10705530
    Abstract: A travel control for a vehicle includes specifying a pedestrian crosswalk through which a subject vehicle is expected to pass as a first pedestrian crosswalk, estimating a position on the first pedestrian crosswalk through which the subject vehicle passes as a crossing position in the length direction of the first pedestrian crosswalk, specifying another pedestrian crosswalk located within a predetermined distance from the crossing position and located close to the first pedestrian crosswalk as a second pedestrian crosswalk, setting an area including the first pedestrian crosswalk and the second pedestrian crosswalk as a detection area of a detector detecting an object around the subject vehicle, detecting a moving object in the detection area using the detector, and controlling travel of the subject vehicle on the basis of a detection result of the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motonobu Aoki, Susumu Fujita, Yohei Mishina
  • Publication number: 20200189588
    Abstract: A driving assistance method of causing a host vehicle to travel by following a preceding vehicle includes: determining whether the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle is present or absent and, upon determining that the preceding vehicle is present, performing a preceding vehicle type determination of determining whether the preceding vehicle of the host vehicle is a four-wheeler or a two-wheeler; upon the preceding vehicle being a four-wheeler, performing both a control of inter-vehicle distance to the four-wheeler and a route following based on the four-wheeler; and upon the preceding vehicle being a two-wheeler, performing a control of inter-vehicle distance to the two-wheeler without performing a route following based on the two-wheeler.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motonobu Aoki, Naoki Kojo, Hiroyuki Takano