Patents by Inventor Satomi Okubo

Satomi Okubo 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: 5948036
    Abstract: An anti-lock control method whereby a control period of pressurization/pressure-reduction during anti-lock control is maintained constant. In the anti-lock control method, a control period T(n) from a high peak of a body velocity to a next high peak is measured, a difference between a target control period time (Tset) and the control period time T(n) is obtained when the control period time is shorter than the target control period time (Tset), the difference is added to a current pressurization start delay time Twait(n-1) to obtain a next pressurization start delay time Twait(n), and a next pressurization start time is delayed by the obtained pressurization start delay time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5520448
    Abstract: When, after a yawing moment control starts in an anti-lock braking system the rear wheel on the low-.mu. road surface is locked and the speed of that wheel decreases below the threshold value VT1, the brake hydraulic pressure to the wheel on the low-.mu. road surface is decreased. At the same time, the brake hydraulic pressure to the rear wheel on the high-.mu. road surface is also decreased at reduced rate relative to the decrease on the low-.mu. wheel. As a result, a higher braking force acts on the wheel on the high-.mu. road surface than on the wheel on the low-.mu. road surface. When the speed of the wheel on the low-.mu. road surface decreases below the threshold value VT1 and when the speed of the wheel on the high-.mu. road surface decreases below the pressure-decrease restriction removal threshold value VT, the brake hydraulic pressure to the wheel on the high-.mu. road surface is decreased to be nearly equal to that to the wheel on the low-.mu. road surface to prevent the wheels on the high and .mu.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 28, 1996
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5428540
    Abstract: In an anti-lock control arrangement for preventing locking of vehicle wheels, a prescribed speed difference of a threshold speed from an estimated vehicle speed is changed from an initial value of the difference to a larger value when a wheel speed has been lower for a prescribed time than the threshold speed which follows the estimated vehicle speed with the prescribed speed difference therefrom or when a prescribed statement with respect to the wheel speed is repeated at a predetermined number. Further, the speed difference of the threshold speed from the estimated vehicle speed is changed back to the initial value when the wheel speed has become lower than the threshold speed subjected to the former change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1995
    Assignees: Akebono Brake Industry, Akebono Research and Development Centre, Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5369585
    Abstract: An anti-lock control system in which a pressure increasing cycle changes according to the behavior of a wheel during a pressure increasing mode of anti-lock control. The anti-lock control system determines a coefficient of friction of a road surface, sets a maximum vehicle body deceleration according to the coefficient of friction, calculates the deceleration of the wheel speed to be controlled, compares the deceleration of the wheel speed to be controlled with the maximum vehicle body deceleration Gmax to determine whether or not to increase or maintain constant the brake fluid pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5307275
    Abstract: An anti-lock braking control method for a vehicle for preventing locking of vehicle wheels, wherein brake hydraulic pressure is controlled in accordance with a wheel speed to be controlled in each brake control system or channel. The increase in the brake hydraulic pressure in one of the brake control channels is started when a predetermined condition is determined to be met in that control channel and after the predetermined condition is also determined to by met in another control channel. The predetermined condition is determined to be met for a control channel when the system speed Vs for that control channel becomes higher than a speed Vv-.DELTA.Vo, which corresponds to the estimated vehicle speed Vv lowered by a predetermined minute value .DELTA.Vo.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1994
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5303988
    Abstract: An anti-lock control arrangement for preventing locking of vehicle wheels by increasing, holding constant and decreasing brake hydraulic pressure through a plurality of control channels on the basis of system speeds Vs, an estimated vehicle speed Vv, a target speed VT and accelerations and decelerations dVs/dt of the vehicle wheels. With respect to one of the control channels, the target speed VT is modified when there is a speed difference .DELTA.V between corresponding one of said system speeds Vs and the highest wheel speed VwH at the time of start of braking. The modified target speed is defined by a speed lowered by the speed difference .DELTA.V than said target speed VT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1994
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5286098
    Abstract: An anti-lock control method for preventing a vehicle from yawing during braking, while driving on a split road surface. The amounts of the pressure increase in a right wheel and a left wheel control system, controlled independently of each other, are compared with each other. When there is a difference between the two pressure increase amounts, it is determined that the control system having the greater pressure increase amount is the high road-side control system whereas the other control system, having the smaller pressure increase amount, is the low road-side control system. The brake hydraulic pressure in the high road-side control system is controlled so that it does not excessively increase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 15, 1994
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5282675
    Abstract: An anti-lock control arrangement for a vehicle which employs a control map for effectively preventing a wheel lock during braking. The control map is defined in terms of acceleration-deceleration values of a vehicle speed, which is to be controlled, and a speed difference between a target speed and a vehicle speed. The control map is read during anti-lock operation to effectuate control of the brake hydraulic pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 1, 1994
    Assignees: Akebono Research and Development Centre, Ltd., Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Satomi Okubo, Toshifumi Maehara
  • Patent number: 5271666
    Abstract: In a three-channel anti-lock control apparatus in which brake hydraulic pressure for left and right rear wheels is controlled through a common control channel based on a lower wheel speed selected from left and right rear wheel speeds, a pressure increase rate only for one of the right and left wheels, which one has a higher speed than the other, is increased in a case where a speed difference between left and right rear wheel speeds is not less than a predetermined value .DELTA.V and the common control channel is not in a pressure decrease status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1993
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5185703
    Abstract: An anti-lock control method and apparatus is charecterized in that if the highest one VwH of the speeds of the four wheels of the vehicle is still lower than a prescribed threshold speed and not increasing at a second time point at which a prescribed time .DELTA.T has elapsed after a first time point at which the highest wheel speed becomes lower than the threshold speed, the estimated vehicle speed is modified to be equal to the highest wheel speed VwH, thereby preventing an automotive vehicle from being not braked at the start of anti-lock control immediately after an estimated vehicle speed has changed away from the actual vehicle speed as the wheel of the vehicle performs an acceleration slip before the start of the anti-lock control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1993
    Assignees: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd., Akebono Research and Development Centre Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5185704
    Abstract: In the vehicle using the three-channel anti-lock control method based on the front wheel independent-and-rear wheel select-low, only when the third system speed Vs3 to which the left and right rear wheels belong is subjected to the anti-lock control due to the abruptly decreasing of the third system speed before at least one of the left and right front wheel systems begin to be subjected to the anti-lock control, the decrease of the brake hydraulic pressure is not started even if the third system speed Vs3 becomes lower than the above threshold speed VT1 (Vs3<VT1). In such case, only when the third system speed Vs3 becomes equal to or lower than the reference speed Vr (Vs3.ltoreq.Vr), the decrease of the hydraulic pressure is started. By doing so, an excessive decrease of the brake hydraulic pressure in the third system at the time of the braking during the turning of the vehicle is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1993
    Assignees: Akebono Research and Development Centre Ltd., Akebono Brake Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5185702
    Abstract: An anti-lock control apparatus and method in which the brake hydraulic pressure is controlled by regarding an estimated vehicle speed as an actual vehicle speed, is characterized in that the estimated vehicle speed is corrected when the estimated vehicle speed is extremely reduced relative to the actual vehicle speed when the four wheel speeds are reduced at the same time, or the like, thereby preventing the estimated vehicle speed from being away from the actual speed. It can be applied as the correction of the estimated vehicle speed that the estimated vehicle speed may be maintained at a constant value, and the deceleration and acceleration of the estimated vehicle speed may be varied in accordance with a friction coefficient of the road surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 9, 1993
    Assignees: Akebono Research and Development Centre Ltd., Akebono Brake Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5148368
    Abstract: In an anti-lock control system for a motor vehicle, the design is made such that when the motor vehicle is running on a rough road, it is detected that the motor vehicle is running on rough road, on the basis of which the amount of reduction of brake hydraulic pressure is restricted, thereby making it possible to shorten the braking distance of the motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1992
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5123715
    Abstract: A road surface friction coefficient estimating method and apparatus in an anti-lock control device for preventing locking of vehicle wheels during braking. The road surface friction coefficient is estimated by comparing a deceleration of an estimated vehicle speed with a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined threshold value has different road surface friction coefficient values corresponding to different vehicle deceleration values. The braking hydraulic pressure is then repeatedly varied in accordance with signals indicative of the estimated road surface friction coefficient, signals indicative of the estimated vehicle speed, and one of the signals indicative of the slowest rear wheel speed and the front wheel speeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Assignees: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd., Akebono Research and Development Centre Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5105359
    Abstract: An anti-lock control system is disclosed which includes rough-road judging means for judging whether the vehicle is running on a rough road or not; and decay timer means for limiting time period during which reduction of the brake hydraulic pressure is occurring. The decay timer means is arranged, when the vehicle is running on a normal road, to limit the time period of brake hydraulic pressure reduction within a first peredetermined time length, the decay timer means being also arranged to limit the time period of brake hydraulic pressure reduction within a second predetermined time length shorter than the first predetermined time length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1992
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5092662
    Abstract: In an anti-lock control method and apparatus for preventing locking of vehicle wheels during braking, a plurality of pressure increase rates are predetermined correspondingly to various friction coefficients for a road surface, one of pressure increase rates is selected based on an estimated friction coefficient estimated from vehicle deceleration for increasing brake hydraulic pressure, and if it is detected that a lower one of right and left vehicle wheel speeds has risen to vicinity of the vehicle speed for a predetermined time period, the road surface is judged to have sharply changed from a low valued friction coefficient to a high valued friction coefficient along with movement of an automotive vehicle and the selected one of the pressure increase rates is then changed for another one appropriated for the road surface having a high valued friction coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1992
    Assignee: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 5028095
    Abstract: The pressure increase of the brake hydraulic pressure starts again at a time point where the wheel speed, which has been decelerated due to an increase in the brake hydraulic pressure, recovers the speed due to the subsequent pressure decrease and holding of the brake hydraulic pressure and reaches the speed (Vv-Vx) which is lower than the computed vehicles speed Vv by a predetermined value .DELTA.Vx, where the predetermined value .DELTA.Vx varies in accordance with the magnitude of the friction coefficient of the road surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1991
    Assignees: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd., Akebono Research and Development Centre Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 4984164
    Abstract: An anti-lock control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising, a sensor for sensing wheel speeds of the vehicle, a braking system for braking the vehicle wheels, and a controller for controlling the braking system, according to an output of the wheel speeds sensors. The controller set a vehicle speed, a first and second threshold speeds, whereby the first and second threshold speeds follow over time the vehicle speed with a constant prescribed speed difference so as to satisfy the relation Vv>VT1>VT2, where Vv, VT1 and VT2 represent the vehicle speed, first and second threshold speeds, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1991
    Assignees: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd., Akebono Research and Development Centre Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshifumi Maehara, Satomi Okubo
  • Patent number: 4952003
    Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for controlling brake fluid pressure of a vehicle. A supply valve of the normally closed type is opened only at the time of an anti-lock control so as to supply fluid pressure from an accumulator to a pressure fluid chamber of a master cylinder. An intake valve normally shuts off the communication between the accumulator and the fluid pressure chamber. A valve operating member for movement with a main piston of the master cylinder is engageable with a distal end of the intake valve projecting into the fluid pressure chamber to open the intake valve when the stroke of the main piston reaches a predetermined value, thereby communicating the fluid pressure chamber with the accumulator. An auxiliary piston is slidably mounted around the main piston so as to urge the main piston to move at the time of the traction control. A fluid pressure within an auxiliary fluid pressure chamber provided around the auxiliary piston acts on the auxiliary piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1990
    Assignees: Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd., Akebono Research and Development Centre Ltd.
    Inventor: Satomi Okubo