Patents by Inventor Seiichi Tsunoda

Seiichi Tsunoda 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: 11835966
    Abstract: A service system includes a common server and multiple vehicles in communication with the common server to travel autonomously. Each vehicle performs tasks of multiple entities by cooperating with the common server. The common server includes an operating status database in which an operating status of each vehicle and a primary entity which has priority to use all or part of the vehicles are associated with each other. When one of the vehicles finishes a task of the primary entity, the common server determines whether the vehicle can perform another task of an entity other than the primary entity by checking the operating status database, and if determining so, performs the task of the other entity by cooperating with the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keima Fukunaga, Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Yasutaka Etou, Terumi Ukai
  • Patent number: 11703867
    Abstract: A vehicle traveling from a first area to a second area includes a traveling mechanism having a plurality of wheels and a traveling function, and a control unit configured to cause the traveling mechanism to perform a wheel cleaning operation and then cause the vehicle to enter the second area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shunji Inoue, Kunihiro Iwamoto, Daisuke Sato, Takuya Watabe, Makoto Kakuchi, Seiichi Tsunoda, Keima Fukunaga, Kenta Miyahara
  • Patent number: 11505212
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle management system including a plurality of vehicles that execute different functions, and an event information server that transmits event occurrence information. The vehicles execute the same function corresponding to the event occurrence information, when a priority of a function corresponding to the event occurrence information received from the event information server is higher than a priority of a function currently being executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keima Fukunaga, Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Yasutaka Etou, Terumi Ukai
  • Patent number: 11488238
    Abstract: An arrangement system of a vehicle that permits a user to perform a trial use or a trial fitting of a product in a vehicle interior includes a display unit configured to display products that are candidates for purchase, an operation unit configured to be operated by the user to select a desired product from the products displayed on the display unit, and a vehicle arrangement unit configured to arrange the vehicle on which the product selected through an operation performed on the operation unit is loaded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga, Kinya Tagawa, Yasuhiro Sasaki, Sho Tanaka, Yuki Shinohara
  • Patent number: 11472441
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle management system including a plurality of vehicles that execute different functions, and an event information server that transmits event occurrence information. The vehicles execute the same function corresponding to the event occurrence information, when a priority of a function corresponding to the event occurrence information received from the event information server is higher than a priority of a function currently being executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keima Fukunaga, Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Yasutaka Etou, Terumi Ukai
  • Publication number: 20220105962
    Abstract: A service management device manages a service delivered in a predetermined area. The service management device has an operator interface including a display that displays information for an operator and receiving an input from the operator. The service management device performs a simulation of the service delivered in the predetermined area and displays a result of the simulation on the display. More specifically, the service management device displays, on the display, a simulation setting screen used by the operator to specify a simulation condition. The service management device receives the simulation condition specified by the operator through the operator interface and performs the simulation in accordance with the specified simulation condition. The simulation condition at least includes ON/OFF of a regulation that is imposed on an autonomous robot used for delivering the service in the predetermined area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventors: Nobuhisa OTSUKI, Kunihiro IWAMOTO, Haeyeon LEE, Seiichi TSUNODA, Wataru KAKU, Kota OISHI
  • Patent number: 11125573
    Abstract: A pickup system for picking up a product using a vehicle having an autonomous travelling function includes a communication unit configured to accept a pickup request from a user, a travel control unit configured to cause the vehicle to autonomously travel to a user position specified in the pickup request accepted through the communication unit, and an informing unit configured to inform the user that, when the vehicle arrives at the user position, the arrived vehicle is a vehicle that is to pick up a product in response to the pickup request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 11085780
    Abstract: A pickup system for picking up a product using a vehicle having an autonomous travelling function includes a communication unit configured to accept a pickup request from a user, a travel control unit configured to cause the vehicle to autonomously travel to a user position specified in the pickup request accepted through the communication unit, and an informing unit configured to inform the user that, when the vehicle arrives at the user position, the arrived vehicle is a vehicle that is to pick up a product in response to the pickup request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 11052775
    Abstract: A second communication unit of a power receiving vehicle sends a charging start request signal to a power supplying vehicle located on a planned travel route of the power receiving vehicle. At least one of a first travel control unit of the power supplying vehicle and a second travel control unit of the power receiving vehicle brings the power supplying vehicle and the power receiving vehicle close to each other up to a position that satisfies a charging start condition when the first travel control unit receives the charging start request signal from the power receiving vehicle through a first communication unit of the power supplying vehicle. The remaining charge of a battery of the power receiving vehicle is managed by performing charging between the power supplying vehicle and the power receiving vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 11009891
    Abstract: A vehicle is configured to accommodate a cart and a passenger. A communication unit of the vehicle is configured to communicate with the cart. A traveling environment acquisition unit of the vehicle is configured to acquire a traveling environment of the vehicle. A cart control unit of the vehicle is configured to control an arrangement of the cart in the vehicle through the communication unit according to the traveling environment acquired toy the traveling environment acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga, Kinya Tagawa, Yasuhiro Sasaki, Sho Tanaka, Yuki Shinohara
  • Publication number: 20210114810
    Abstract: A robot system includes a robot control device to link a plurality of transport robots having a function of traveling with a package being loaded. A task acquisition unit acquires a task to be performed. A notification unit notifies the transport robot of action details which are assigned regarding the task. The transport robot takes an action in link with another transport robot according to the notified action details.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohito MATSUOKA, Nobuyuki TOMATSU, Yasutaka ETOU, Masanobu OHMI, Manabu YAMAMOTO, Seiichi TSUNODA, Keima FUKUNAGA, Takuya WATABE, Makoto KAKUCHI, Kunihiro IWAMOTO, Daisuke SATO, Shunji INOUE, Kenta MIYAHARA, Satoshi OKAMOTO, Jiro GOTO, Terumi UKAI, Tetsuya TAIRA, Daisaku HONDA, Masato ENDO, Takashi HAYASHI, Suguru WATANABE, Yohei TANIGAWA
  • Publication number: 20210114623
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle management system including a plurality of vehicles that execute different functions, and an event information server that transmits event occurrence information. The vehicles execute the same function corresponding to the event occurrence information, when a priority of a function corresponding to the event occurrence information received from the event information server is higher than a priority of a function currently being executed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Keima FUKUNAGA, Tomohito MATSUOKA, Seiichi TSUNODA, Jiro GOTO, Yasutaka ETOU, Terumi UKAI
  • Publication number: 20210114225
    Abstract: A self-propelled pallet serving as an item delivery robot includes a dynamic map memory serving as a map data memory; a BIM data memory serving as an internal structure memory; a road route generator; a coordinator; and an intra-building route generator. The road route generator obtains a road route that is a route based on the map data with an entrance of a destination building as a destination. The coordinator determines a corresponding entrance that is an entrance in the internal structure data, which corresponds to the entrance in the map data that is determined to be the destination in the road route. The intra-building route generator obtains an intra-building route that is a route based on the internal structure data, which extends from the corresponding entrance to a location that is the position of the destination individual determined based on the internal structure data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Keima FUKUNAGA, Tomohito MATSUOKA, Seiichi TSUNODA, Jiro GOTO, Yasutaka ETOU, Terumi UKAI
  • Publication number: 20210116940
    Abstract: A service system includes a common server and multiple vehicles in communication with the common server to travel autonomously. Each vehicle performs tasks of multiple entities by cooperating with the common server. The common server includes an operating status database in which an operating status of each vehicle and a primary entity which has priority to use all or part of the vehicles are associated with each other. When one of the vehicles finishes a task of the primary entity, the common server determines whether the vehicle can perform another task of an entity other than the primary entity by checking the operating status database, and if determining so, performs the task of the other entity by cooperating with the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Keima FUKUNAGA, Tomohito MATSUOKA, Seiichi TSUNODA, Jiro GOTO, Yasutaka ETOU, Terumi UKAI
  • Publication number: 20210109530
    Abstract: A vehicle traveling from a first area to a second area includes a traveling mechanism having a plurality of wheels and a traveling function, and a control unit configured to cause the traveling mechanism to perform a wheel cleaning operation and then cause the vehicle to enter the second area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunji INOUE, Kunihiro IWAMOTO, Daisuke SATO, Takuya WATABE, Makoto KAKUCHI, Seiichi TSUNODA, Keima FUKUNAGA, Kenta MIYAHARA
  • Patent number: 10977935
    Abstract: In an information processing device, an acquirer acquires a congestion degree in the vicinity of multiple vehicles arranged in a certain arrangement pattern. A deriver derives a move instruction for moving a target vehicle among the multiple vehicles such as to change a space between vehicles, on the basis of an acquired congestion degree. A communication unit transmits the move instruction to the target vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga, Kinya Tagawa, Yasuhiro Sasaki, Sho Tanaka, Yuki Shinohara
  • Patent number: 10838227
    Abstract: In a vehicle-mounted device configured to be mounted on a vehicle for providing a service, a projector projects, based on data of a three-dimensional image related to the service, the three-dimensional image in the air above the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 10657855
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a substantially box-shaped body, wheels disposed on four corners of the vehicle, and at least one side display disposed on either or both exterior side surfaces of the body for displaying images and videos. The side display stretches lower than a top of the wheels along the vertical axis of the vehicle and wider than between inside ends of the wheels along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The lower edge of the side display is curbed or bent upwards at both ends to avoid overlapping with the wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 10562343
    Abstract: Disclosed is a wheel cover for a vehicle. The wheel cover is supported to be relatively rotatable with rotation of a wheel having a tire attached to an outer periphery of the wheel. The wheel cover has a shape indicating a moving direction of a vehicle or a figure indicating the moving direction of the vehicle outward in a vehicle width direction, and is configured to be turned by an actuator such that, when the moving direction of the vehicle is changed, the shape or the figure indicates the moving direction of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga
  • Patent number: 10540839
    Abstract: In order to settle the sales transaction of an item in a cabin, an item detection unit of a vehicle settlement system detects removal of the item from an item arrangement unit provided in the cabin. An item monitoring unit monitors movement of the item when the item detection unit detects the removal of the item. A settlement processor settles the sales transaction of the item detected by the item detection unit when a predetermined condition is satisfied after the item monitoring unit detects the movement of the item out of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tomohito Matsuoka, Seiichi Tsunoda, Jiro Goto, Masayuki Yamada, Yasutaka Eto, Keima Fukunaga