Patents by Inventor Nobuhiko Morifuji

Nobuhiko Morifuji 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: 10821984
    Abstract: A gear shift control device for a continuously variable transmission of a vehicle is configured to steplessly and continuously change and output a rotation speed of an engine. The gear shift control device includes a gear shift control unit and a torque control command unit. The gear shift control unit is configured to implement a pseudo-stepped upshift control to change a gear shift ratio in steps when upshifting the continuously variable transmission. The torque control command unit is configured to output a torque reduction command so as to reduce an engine torque in conjunction with the pseudo-stepped upshift control so that reduction of the engine torque starts before a point in time when an actual gear shift ratio starts changing in response to an upshift command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Jatco Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuki Ishizuka, Tomoaki Kabe, Nobuhiko Morifuji, Hitoshi Goka, Takayuki Ogata
  • Patent number: 10808840
    Abstract: A transmission control device controls a CVT installed in a vehicle. The device has, as modes for the CVT, a CVT mode M1 for changing a transmission gear ratio steplessly based on the operating state of the vehicle, and a stepped transmission mode M2 for changing the transmission gear ratio stepwise based on the operating state of the vehicle. The device includes a transmission mode switching control unit (controller) 12 for controlling switching between the CVT mode M1 and the stepped transmission mode M2 based on an actual accelerator opening. The transmission mode switching control unit (controller) 12 performs switching from the CVT mode M1 to the stepped transmission mode M2, if the actual accelerator opening reaches or exceeds a first threshold value T1 set in a plurality of stages so as to increase stepwise in accordance with an increase in a vehicle speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignees: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, JATCO LTD
    Inventors: Noritaka Aoyama, Azusa Shimoda, Masataka Ohtsuka, Ken Hirashita, Nobuhiko Morifuji, Mitsuki Ishizuka, Hiromasa Masuda, Yukinobu Sakakibara
  • Publication number: 20200300357
    Abstract: A transmission control device controls a CVT installed in a vehicle. The device has, as modes for the CVT, a CVT mode M1 for changing a transmission gear ratio steplessly based on the operating state of the vehicle, and a stepped transmission mode M2 for changing the transmission gear ratio stepwise based on the operating state of the vehicle. The device includes a transmission mode switching control unit (controller) 12 for controlling switching between the CVT mode M1 and the stepped transmission mode M2 based on an actual accelerator opening. The transmission mode switching control unit (controller) 12 performs switching from the CVT mode M1 to the stepped transmission mode M2, if the actual accelerator opening reaches or exceeds a first threshold value T1 set in a plurality of stages so as to increase stepwise in accordance with an increase in a vehicle speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Applicants: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, JATCO Ltd
    Inventors: Noritaka AOYAMA, Azusa SHIMODA, Masataka OHTSUKA, Ken HIRASHITA, Nobuhiko MORIFUJI, Mitsuki ISHIZUKA, Hiromasa MASUDA, Yukinobu SAKAKIBARA
  • Publication number: 20190210605
    Abstract: A gear shift control device for a continuously variable transmission of a vehicle is configured to steplessly and continuously change and output a rotation speed of an engine. The gear shift control device includes a gear shift control unit and a torque control command unit. The gear shift control unit is configured to implement a pseudo-stepped upshift control to change a gear shift ratio in steps when upshifting the continuously variable transmission. The torque control command unit is configured to output a torque reduction command so as to reduce an engine torque in conjunction with the pseudo-stepped upshift control so that reduction of the engine torque starts before a point in time when an actual gear shift ratio starts changing in response to an upshift command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Publication date: July 11, 2019
    Inventors: Mitsuki ISHIZUKA, Tomoaki KABE, Nobuhiko MORIFUJI, Hitoshi GOKA, Takayuki OGATA
  • Patent number: 9958063
    Abstract: A hydraulic control device controls hydraulic pressure supplied to a continuously variable transmission. The hydraulic control device includes a pressure regulating valve, a solenoid valve configured to control the pilot pressure, line pressure control means, and hydraulic control means. The pressure regulating valve includes an input port to which line pressure is input, an output port configured to supply an oil chamber of a second pulley with a second pulley pressure, a drain port configured to discharge the second pulley pressure from the oil chamber, and a spool moving according to pilot pressure to regulate the second pulley pressure. The line pressure control means is configured to control the line pressure on the basis of the second pulley pressure and first pulley pressure of first pulley. The hydraulic control means is configured to temporarily change the pilot pressure from set pressure to configure the line pressure identical to the second pulley pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: JATCO Ltd
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Hashimoto, Seiichiro Takahashi, Tomoaki Honma, Tomoaki Kabe, Nobuhiko Morifuji, Nobuhide Kato, Hitoshi Goka, Koichi Sugita
  • Publication number: 20160356380
    Abstract: A hydraulic control device controls hydraulic pressure supplied to a continuously variable transmission. The hydraulic control device includes a pressure regulating valve, a solenoid valve configured to control the pilot pressure, line pressure control means, and hydraulic control means. The pressure regulating valve includes an input port to which line pressure is input, an output port configured to supply an oil chamber of a second pulley with a second pulley pressure, a drain port configured to discharge the second pulley pressure from the oil chamber, and a spool moving according to pilot pressure to regulate the second pulley pressure. The line pressure control means is configured to control the line pressure on the basis of the second pulley pressure and first pulley pressure of first pulley. The hydraulic control means is configured to temporarily change the pilot pressure from set pressure to configure the line pressure identical to the second pulley pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2015
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Applicant: JATCO Ltd
    Inventors: Yasuyuki HASHIMOTO, Seiichiro TAKAHASHI, Tomoaki HONMA, Tomoaki KABE, Nobuhiko MORIFUJI, Nobuhide KATO, Hitoshi GOKA, Koichi SUGITA
  • Patent number: 9002601
    Abstract: In a shift control apparatus of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) configured to steplessly vary a torque, the control apparatus employs an acceleration intention determination section for determining the presence or absence of a driver's acceleration intention, a shift mode setting section for setting a shift-control mode from a normal mode to an acceleration mode in the presence of the driver's acceleration intention, a shift speed setting section for setting a shift speed based on a target transmission ratio and a vehicle speed, and a shift control section for controlling a shift of the CVT. Also provided is a shift speed correction section for correcting the shift speed for an initial downshift in the acceleration mode to a shift speed slower than the shift speed set by the shift speed setting section, only when a demanded degree of the driver's acceleration intention is small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Jatco Ltd
    Inventors: Tomoaki Kabe, Nobuhiko Morifuji, Keisuke Ichikawa, Nobuhide Kato, Yuki Ono, Hiromu Ogino, Yukinobu Sakakibara, Hisao Nakanishi, Takahiro Nakata, Mitsuki Ishizuka
  • Patent number: 8660762
    Abstract: When temperature increase promotion processing (for example, prohibiting lockup application and prohibiting shifts to a high gear position) is started while an initial value of an ATF temperature is in a low temperature region, an ATCU determines whether to terminate the temperature increase promotion processing on the basis of a current ATF temperature, and when the temperature increase promotion processing is started while the initial value of the ATF temperature is in an extremely low temperature region, the ATCU determines whether to terminate the temperature increase promotion processing on the basis of a duration of the temperature increase promotion processing. When the temperature increase promotion processing is determined to be complete, the ATCU terminates the temperature increase promotion processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignees: Jatco Ltd, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuhide Kato, Nobuhiko Morifuji, Toyotaro Yoshida, Toshimitsu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8657720
    Abstract: A shift control apparatus for a continuously variable transmission includes: a target transmission gear ratio setting section configured to set a target transmission gear ratio with reference to a map based on an accelerator opening degree and a vehicle speed; a shift control section configured to control a shift of the continuously variable transmission based on the target transmission gear ratio; and a downshift restricting section configured to judge whether or not a restriction of the downshift is needed based on at least one of a variation amount of the accelerator opening degree and an accelerator depression speed, and to perform the restriction of the downshift when the downshift restricting section judges that the restriction of the downshift is needed, irrespective of a variation of the accelerator opening degree inputted to the target transmission gear ratio setting section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: JATCO Ltd
    Inventors: Tomoaki Kabe, Nobuhiko Morifuji, Keisuke Ichikawa, Nobuhide Kato, Yuki Ono, Hiromu Ogino, Yukinobu Sakakibara, Hisao Nakanishi, Takahiro Nakata, Mitsuki Ishizuka
  • Patent number: 8617029
    Abstract: A shift control apparatus for continuously variable transmission includes: a pseudo accelerator opening degree generating section configured to generate a pseudo accelerator opening degree larger than the actual accelerator opening degree when the actual accelerator opening degree is decreased when the judging section judges that the vehicle runs the uphill; the target transmission gear ratio setting section being configured to set the target transmission gear ratio by the pseudo accelerator opening degree when the pseudo accelerator opening degree is inputted, and the shift control section being configured to control the shift toward the target transmission gear ratio set based on the pseudo accelerator opening degree and the vehicle speed when the pseudo accelerator opening degree is generated, and to control the shift toward the target transmission gear ratio set based on the actual accelerator opening degree and the vehicle speed when the pseudo accelerator opening degree is not generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Jatco Ltd
    Inventors: Tomoaki Kabe, Nobuhiko Morifuji, Keisuke Ichikawa, Nobuhide Kato, Yuki Ono, Hiromu Ogino, Yukinobu Sakakibara, Hisao Nakanishi, Takahiro Nakata, Mitsuki Ishizuka
  • Publication number: 20110098896
    Abstract: When temperature increase promotion processing (for example, prohibiting lockup application and prohibiting shifts to a high gear position) is started while an initial value of an ATF temperature is in a low temperature region, an ATCU determines whether to terminate the temperature increase promotion processing on the basis of a current ATF temperature, and when the temperature increase promotion processing is started while the initial value of the ATF temperature is in an extremely low temperature region, the ATCU determines whether to terminate the temperature increase promotion processing on the basis of a duration of the temperature increase promotion processing. When the temperature increase promotion processing is determined to be complete, the ATCU terminates the temperature increase promotion processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Inventors: Nobuhide KATO, Nobuhiko Morifuji, Toyotaro Yoshida, Toshimitsu Yamamoto