Patents by Inventor Sumiko Amamiya

Sumiko Amamiya 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: 8160797
    Abstract: An HV_ECU executes a program including a step of calculating an estimated gradient, a step of performing rate limit processing on a change in the estimated gradient when on a hill and an absolute value of the vehicle speed is equal to or below V(0), a step of performing hysteresis processing, a step of calculating a creep increase coefficient, and a step of calculating a creep increase torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Koichiro Muta, Yuichiro Kitamura
  • Patent number: 8068946
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle is provided with means for setting a four-wheel drive condition which is a condition for switching from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive, and an EV switch which, when turned on by an occupant of the vehicle, places the vehicle in an EV driving mode in which only an electric motor is used as the power source. The four-wheel drive condition setting means changes the four-wheel drive condition to reduce a region in which the vehicle operates in four-wheel drive when the EV switch is on as compared to when the EV switch is off. As a result, the vehicle operates in two-wheel drive more frequently, thus reducing power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Sumiko Amamiya
  • Patent number: 7667427
    Abstract: Presence/absence of a failure in a feedback control system of a motor is monitored. When a failure is detected in the feedback control system, the motor is driven by switching to an open-loop control. During the open-loop control, the motor is rotated by sequentially switching the motor current supply phase without feeding back encoder count information. The position count is incremented or decremented every time the current supply phase is switched. When the position count has reached a target count, it is determined that the rotor has reached a target position, whereupon the open-loop control is finished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Kamio, Kenichi Fujiki, Sumiko Amamiya, Yasushi Kobiki, Yuji Inoue
  • Patent number: 7609012
    Abstract: In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignees: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Kamio, Kenichi Fujiki, Sumiko Amamiya, Keijiro Ohshima, Yasushi Kobiki, Yuji Inoue
  • Publication number: 20090240411
    Abstract: An HV_ECU executes a program including a step of calculating an estimated gradient, a step of performing rate limit processing on a change in the estimated gradient when on a hill and an absolute value of the vehicle speed is equal to or below V(0), a step of performing hysteresis processing, a step of calculating a creep increase coefficient, and a step of calculating a creep increase torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2007
    Publication date: September 24, 2009
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Koichiro Muta, Yuichiro Kitamura
  • Patent number: 7549352
    Abstract: A shift control system rotates an actuator to cause a wall of a detent plate to contact a roller of a detent spring, and detects the position of contact so as to detect the position of the wall of the detent plate. This wall position is set as a reference position of the actuator. Accordingly, the rotation of the actuator can appropriately be controlled even if an encoder which can only detect relative positional information is employed, and thus the shift range can appropriately be switched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Tatsuya Ozeki, Shigeru Kamio, Yasuhiro Nakai, Taku Itoh, Kazuo Kawaguchi, Yasuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7549351
    Abstract: A shift control system rotates an actuator to cause a wall of a detent plate to contact a roller of a detent spring, and detects the position of contact so as to detect the position of the wall of the detent plate. This wall position is set as a reference position of the actuator. Accordingly, the rotation of the actuator can appropriately be controlled even if an encoder which can only detect relative positional information is employed, and thus the shift range can appropriately be switched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Tatsuya Ozeki, Shigeru Kamio, Yasuhiro Nakai, Taku Itoh, Kazuo Kawaguchi, Yasuo Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20090024262
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle is provided with means for setting a four-wheel drive condition which is a condition for switching from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive, and an EV switch which, when turned on by an occupant of the vehicle, places the vehicle in an EV driving mode in which only an electric motor is used as the power source. The four-wheel drive condition setting means changes the four-wheel drive condition to reduce a region in which the vehicle operates in four-wheel drive when the EV switch is on as compared to when the EV switch is off. As a result, the vehicle operates in two-wheel drive more frequently, thus reducing power consumption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Publication date: January 22, 2009
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KAISHA
    Inventor: Sumiko Amamiya
  • Publication number: 20080210033
    Abstract: A shift control system rotates an actuator to cause a wall of a detent plate to contact a roller of a detent spring, and detects the position of contact so as to detect the position of the wall of the detent plate. This wall position is set as a reference position of the actuator. Accordingly, the rotation of the actuator can appropriately be controlled even if an encoder which can only detect relative positional information is employed, and thus the shift range can appropriately be switched.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Tatsuya Ozeki, Shigeru Kamio, Yasuhiro Nakai, Taku Itoh, Kazuo Kawaguchi, Yasuo Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20080168853
    Abstract: A shift control system rotates an actuator to cause a wall of a detent plate to contact a roller of a detent spring, and detects the position of contact so as to detect the position of the wall of the detent plate. This wall position is set as a reference position of the actuator. Accordingly, the rotation of the actuator can appropriately be controlled even if an encoder which can only detect relative positional information is employed, and thus the shift range can appropriately be switched.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Publication date: July 17, 2008
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Tatsuya Ozeki, Shigeru Kamio, Yasuhiro Nakai, Taku Itoh, Kazuo Kawaguchi, Yasuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7370547
    Abstract: A shift control system rotates an actuator to cause a wall of a detent plate to contact a roller of a detent spring, and detects the position of contact so as to detect the position of the wall of the detent plate. This wall position is set as a reference position of the actuator. Accordingly, the rotation of the actuator can appropriately be controlled even if an encoder which can only detect relative positional information is employed, and thus the shift range can appropriately be switched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Tatsuya Ozeki, Shigeru Kamio, Yasuhiro Nakai, Taku Itoh, Kazuo Kawaguchi, Yasuo Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20070182353
    Abstract: In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Applicants: Denso Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeru Kamio, Kenichi Fujiki, Sumiko Amamiya, Keijiro Ohshima, Yasushi Kobiki, Yuji Inoue
  • Patent number: 7221116
    Abstract: In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2007
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Nakai, Shigeru Kamio, Kenichi Fujiki, Sumiko Amamiya, Keijiro Ohshima, Yasushi Kobiki, Yuji Inoue
  • Publication number: 20060207373
    Abstract: A shift control system rotates an actuator to cause a wall of a detent plate to contact a roller of a detent spring, and detects the position of contact so as to detect the position of the wall of the detent plate. This wall position is set as a reference position of the actuator. Accordingly, the rotation of the actuator can appropriately be controlled even if an encoder which can only detect relative positional information is employed, and thus the shift range can appropriately be switched.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2004
    Publication date: September 21, 2006
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Tatsuya Ozeki, Shigeru Kamio, Yasuhiro Nakai, Taku Itoh, Kazuo Kawaguchi, Yasuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7107869
    Abstract: A shift control system rotates an actuator to allow a wall of a detent plate and a roller of a detent spring to contact each other and then detects the position of contact so as to detect the position of the wall of the detent plate. After the wall position is determined, the actuator is driven in the direction opposite to the wall until the actuator reaches a position located before the wall position and distant therefrom by a predetermined amount, in order to cancel flexure or extension of the detent spring that is caused when the detent spring is pushed against the wall of the detent plate. Accordingly, such a situation where the shift position is moved by the recovery force of the detent spring can be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Tatsuya Ozeki, Shigeru Kamio, Yasuhiro Nakai, Kazuo Kawaguchi, Yasuo Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7087890
    Abstract: A P-ECU controls an actuator which drives a shift control mechanism. An encoder signal acquisition unit acquires signals output from an encoder which detects a rotational angle of the actuator. A counter calculates a count value from the output signals of the encoder. An energization control unit controls energization to the actuator. A first phase-matching unit uses the Z-phase signal of the encoder to match the count value with energized phases so as to find a correspondence therebetween and a second phase-matching unit matches the count value with energized phases to find a correspondence therebetween without using the Z-phase signal of the encoder. If the first phase-matching unit detects an abnormality of the encoder, the second phase-matching unit subsequently performs phase matching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Tatsuya Ozeki, Shigeru Kamio, Yasuhiro Nakai, Kazuo Kawaguchi, Yasuo Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20060108966
    Abstract: Presence/absence of a failure in a feedback control system of a motor is monitored. When a failure is detected in the feedback control system, the motor is driven by switching to an open-loop control. During the open-loop control, the motor is rotated by sequentially switching the motor current supply phase without feeding back encoder count information. The position count is incremented or decremented every time the current supply phase is switched. When the position count has reached a target count, it is determined that the rotor has reached a target position, whereupon the open-loop control is finished.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2005
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shigeru Kamio, Kenichi Fujiki, Sumiko Amamiya, Yasushi Kobiki, Yuji Inoue
  • Patent number: 7040187
    Abstract: A P-ECU determines whether or not energization to an actuator is shut off when a shift-range switch instruction is unissued. If energization to the actuator is shut off, the P-ECU obtains a current rotational position of the actuator according to a count value obtained by an encoder. If a difference between a target rotational position and the current rotational position exceeds a predetermined amount, positional correction control is exercised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sumiko Amamiya, Tatsuya Ozeki, Shigeru Kamio, Yasuhiro Nakai, Kazuo Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 7005814
    Abstract: In a motor-driven shift position switching device, when the difference between a target position and the rotation position of a rotor has become smaller than a prescribed value in a motor feedback control, a transition is made to a deceleration control. A phase lead correction amount for correcting the phase lead of the current supply phase with respect to the rotor rotation phase is set in accordance with the rotor rotation speed. Thus, proper braking force suitable for the rotor rotation speed is exerted on the rotor and the rotor can be decelerated smoothly as it approaches the target position. Further, in the period when the current supply to the motor is kept off, the shift position switching determination ranges are set wider than in the period when the current supply to the motor is on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kasushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Nakai, Shigeru Kamio, Sumiko Amamiya, Kazuo Kawaguchi, Yuji Inoue
  • Publication number: 20060033464
    Abstract: In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Publication date: February 16, 2006
    Applicants: Denso Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Nakai, Shigeru Kamio, Kenichi Fujiki, Sumiko Amamiya, Keijiro Ohshima, Yasushi Kobiki, Yuji Inoue