Patents by Inventor Ryo MASUTANI

Ryo MASUTANI 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: 11946758
    Abstract: A route selection device includes a processor configured to identify a position of a lane on which a vehicle is traveling; search for candidate partial routes leading from a current position of the vehicle to a waypoint on a route leading from a start point to a destination, the waypoint being located between the current position and the destination; determine a lane change location where a lane change will be made for each of the candidate partial routes found by searching; and select, as a partial route, a candidate partial route having a minimum total score regarding the lane change location from the candidate partial routes found by searching. The score is weighted depending on the position of the determined lane change location or whether a lane change at the lane change location can be controlled by a travel controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takao Kashu, Yasutaka Teramae, Hirotaka Kato, Shuichi Morimoto, Ryo Masutani, Ichi Gi
  • Patent number: 11597370
    Abstract: An electrical device controller includes a processor, and a memory for storing a program executed by the processor. The processor controls the electrical device in multiple operation modes including an automatic mode which automatically changes the operation state of the electrical device and a stop mode which stops the electrical device, controls the electrical device in an operation mode specified with an operating member operated by an occupant when the vehicle is manually driven, controls the operation state of the electrical device in the automatic mode regardless of the operation mode specified with the operating member when the vehicle is autonomously driven, and sets the operation mode of the electrical device at least temporarily to the stop mode when the operation mode specified with the operation member is switched to the stop mode from an operation mode other than the stop mode, when the vehicle is autonomously driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Ueda, Ryo Masutani
  • Patent number: 11279196
    Abstract: A damping force control device 10 comprises vary damping shock absorbers, a detector, and a controller. Each of the shock absorbers sets damping coefficient from a minimum value to a maximum value in order to adjust damping force. The detector detects vertical vibration state quantity relating to vibration of the sprung mass. The controller performs an ordinary control for setting the damping coefficient based on the vertical vibration state quantity and according to a predetermined control law suitable for an assumption that all of the wheels touch ground. The controller performs, when at least one of the wheels is an ungrounded wheel which does not touch the ground and each of the other wheels is a grounded wheel which touches the ground, a specific control for setting the damping coefficient of the shock absorber corresponding to the grounded wheel to a first specific value greater than the minimum value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kohtaroh Okimura, Masaaki Tabata, Yoshinori Takamura, Ryo Masutani
  • Publication number: 20220063657
    Abstract: A travel controller identifies a current lane on which a vehicle is traveling in a first lane zone traveled by the vehicle and including lanes, and detects a non-lane zone within a predetermined distance ahead of a current position of the vehicle. The non-lane zone lacks lanes and lies between the first lane zone and a second lane zone including fewer lanes than the first lane zone. Of the lanes included in the second lane zone, the travel controller identifies a lane having a start point whose distance from an end point of the current lane is the shortest, and preferentially selects, as a route in the non-lane zone, a route connecting the end point of the current lane and the start point of the lane identified in the second lane zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takao KASHU, Yasutaka TERAMAE, Hirotaka KATO, Ryo MASUTANI, Ichi GI
  • Publication number: 20220063721
    Abstract: A travel controller detects a non-lane zone within a predetermined distance ahead of a current position of a vehicle. The non-lane zone lacks lanes. The travel controller controls travel of the vehicle in the non-lane zone so as to keep the position of the vehicle relative to the width of a whole road. When an expected position of the vehicle at the end of the non-lane zone straddles a lane line, the travel controller controls travel of the vehicle so as to move to a lane having a larger overlap with the vehicle, prior to control of travel of the vehicle to keep the position of the vehicle relative to the width of the whole road.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2021
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Takao Kashu, Yasutaka Teramae, Hirotaka Kato, Ryo Masutani, Ichi Gi
  • Publication number: 20210403028
    Abstract: A route selection device includes a processor configured to identify a position of a lane on which a vehicle is traveling; search for candidate partial routes leading from a current position of the vehicle to a waypoint on a route leading from a start point to a destination, the waypoint being located between the current position and the destination; determine a lane change location where a lane change will be made for each of the candidate partial routes found by searching; and select, as a partial route, a candidate partial route having a minimum total score regarding the lane change location from the candidate partial routes found by searching. The score is weighted depending on the position of the determined lane change location or whether a lane change at the lane change location can be controlled by a travel controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takao KASHU, Yasutaka TERAMAE, Hirotaka KATO, Shuichi MORIMOTO, Ryo MASUTANI, Ichi GI
  • Patent number: 11192424
    Abstract: In a stabilizer device, a stabilizer bar having both ends connected to right and left wheel holding portions is supported at a pair of right and left supported portions of the stabilizer bar by a vehicle body via a pair of cylinders that can be extended and retracted based on vertical movement of wheels. The stabilizer device includes two communication passages, each of which allows one of two liquid chambers of one of the pair of cylinders and the other of two liquid chambers of the other cylinder to communicate with each other. The stabilizer device further includes an inter-passage communication passage that allows the two communication passages to communicate with each other, and an on-off valve that is opened and closed to open and close the inter-passage communication passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masaaki Tabata, Ryo Masutani, Kazuyuki Murata, Masashi Yamamoto, Hideki Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20210300317
    Abstract: An electrical device controller includes a processor, and a memory for storing a program executed by the processor. The processor controls the electrical device in multiple operation modes including an automatic mode which automatically changes the operation state of the electrical device and a stop mode which stops the electrical device, controls the electrical device in an operation mode specified with an operating member operated by an occupant when the vehicle is manually driven, controls the operation state of the electrical device in the automatic mode regardless of the operation mode specified with the operating member when the vehicle is autonomously driven, and sets the operation mode of the electrical device at least temporarily to the stop mode when the operation mode specified with the operation member is switched to the stop mode from an operation mode other than the stop mode, when the vehicle is autonomously driven.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiko UEDA, Ryo MASUTANI
  • Publication number: 20200180386
    Abstract: In a stabilizer device, a stabilizer bar having both ends connected to right and left wheel holding portions is supported at a pair of right and left supported portions of the stabilizer bar by a vehicle body via a pair of cylinders that can be extended and retracted based on vertical movement of wheels. The stabilizer device includes two communication passages, each of which allows one of two liquid chambers of one of the pair of cylinders and the other of two liquid chambers of the other cylinder to communicate with each other. The stabilizer device further includes an inter-passage communication passage that allows the two communication passages to communicate with each other, and an on-off valve that is opened and closed to open and close the inter-passage communication passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Tabata, Ryo Masutani, Kazuyuki Murata, Masashi Yamamoto, Hideki Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20190351726
    Abstract: A damping force control device 10 comprises vary damping shock absorbers, a detector, and a controller. Each of the shock absorbers sets damping coefficient from a minimum value to a maximum value in order to adjust damping force. The detector detects vertical vibration state quantity relating to vibration of the sprung mass. The controller performs an ordinary control for setting the damping coefficient based on the vertical vibration state quantity and according to a predetermined control law suitable for an assumption that all of the wheels touch ground. The controller performs, when at least one of the wheels is an ungrounded wheel which does not touch the ground and each of the other wheels is a grounded wheel which touches the ground, a specific control for setting the damping coefficient of the shock absorber corresponding to the grounded wheel to a first specific value greater than the minimum value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kohtaroh OKIMURA, Masaaki TABADA, Yoshinori TAKAMURA, Ryo MASUTANI