Patents by Inventor Taisuke Sugaiwa

Taisuke Sugaiwa 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).

  • Publication number: 20210300406
    Abstract: An automated driving system controls an automated driving vehicle. A plurality of stop lots are virtually arranged in a pick-up and drop-off area in which the automated driving vehicle stops to pick up or drop off a user. An order of priority of the plurality of stop lots is set. The automated driving system selects a stop lot one by one in the order of priority and determines whether or not the selected stop lot is available for the automated driving vehicle to stop. When the selected stop lot is available for the automated driving vehicle to stop, the selected stop lot is set as a target stop lot. The automated driving system controls the automated driving vehicle so as to stop in the target stop lot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nakamura, Akihide Tachibana, Katsuhiro Sakai, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Publication number: 20210300434
    Abstract: A pick-up and drop-off area, which is a predetermined area in which an automated driving vehicle stops to pick up or drop off a user, includes a downstream area existing downstream of a standard stop space and an upstream area existing upstream of the standard stop space. An automated driving system controls the automated driving vehicle so as to stop in a target stop space in the pick-up and drop-off area. When the standard stop space is available, the standard stop space is set as the target stop space. When the standard stop space is not available for the automated driving vehicle to stop to drop off the user, the automated driving system searches for an upstream available space in the upstream area and preferentially sets the upstream available space as the target stop space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Hiroshi Nakamura, Akihide Tachibana, Katsuhiro Sakai, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Publication number: 20210245783
    Abstract: A control device of an automated driving vehicle is configured to perform a recognition process, a search process, and a selection process. The recognition processing is a process for recognizing that the vehicle has entered a boarding area where an occupant gets off or gets on. The search process is a process of searching for a guide in the boarding area when the vehicle enters the boarding area. The selection process is a process, as the operation of the vehicle in the boarding area, in which a first operation mode is selected when the guide is not found, and a second operation mode is selected when the guide is found. The control device is configured to mitigate safety standards of an active safety system which avoids a collision between the vehicle and surrounding objects in the second operation mode, as compared with the first operation mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Sakai, Kentaro Ichikawa, Akihide Tachibana, Hiroshi Nakamura, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Publication number: 20210027076
    Abstract: A traffic signal display estimation system recognizes, based on the position information of a vehicle and a traffic signal information, a traffic signal included in a camera image, identifies a traffic signal display for each recognized traffic signal, and calculates, for each traffic signal, a first evaluation value indicating the certainty of the identified traffic signal display. The system integrates, based on a traffic-signal-to-traffic-signal relational information, a forward traffic signal that is ahead of the travelling direction and that the vehicle should follow and a traffic signal correlated with the forward traffic signal in terms of the traffic signal display, among a plurality of recognized traffic signals. When there is an inconsistency in traffic signal displays identified between a plurality of integrated traffic signals, the system determines a first estimated traffic signal display of the forward traffic signal, based on the first evaluation value for each traffic signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Publication date: January 28, 2021
    Inventors: Yusuke Hayashi, Taichi Kawanai, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Patent number: 10852726
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to transitioning a vehicle from an autonomous to a manual driving mode. One embodiment analyzes data from one or more vehicle sensors to detect, at a current vehicle position, features in a first detection region and a second detection region ahead of the vehicle; determines, for each of one or more hypothetical vehicle positions, which features detected at the current position, if any, lie within the first detection region at that hypothetical position; identifies, among the one or more hypothetical positions, at least one localization-failure position at which localization of the vehicle will fail due to insufficient features being detected within the first detection region at the at least one localization-failure position; and initiates a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode based, at least in part, on the at least one localization-failure position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Patent number: 10754335
    Abstract: An automated driving system includes at least one electronic control unit configured to: recognize at least one obstacles around a vehicle, based on ambient surroundings of the vehicle; create a traveling plan of the vehicle, based on the ambient surroundings and a result of recognition of the at least one obstacles; control the vehicle using an actuator installed on the vehicle, based on the traveling plan; and perform, according to input from a user of the vehicle, overwriting operation to change the result of recognition of the at least one obstacles used for creation of the traveling plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taisuke Sugaiwa, Kentaro Ichikawa, Hiromitsu Urano, Kunihito Sato, Maiko Hirano
  • Publication number: 20200241528
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control device configured to: detect a driving operation input amount during an automatic driving control for a vehicle; determine whether the driver is able to start manual driving during the automatic driving control for the vehicle; output a signal for performing switching from automatic driving to the manual driving based on a result of a comparison between the driving operation input amount and a driving switching threshold that is a threshold for the switching from the automatic driving to the manual driving; set the driving switching threshold to a first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is able to start the manual driving; and set the driving switching threshold to a second driving switching threshold exceeding the first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is not able to start the manual driving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Publication number: 20200238993
    Abstract: A system includes an acquisition unit that acquires an operation amount or a duration count, and a switching unit that switches a driving state. The switching unit switches the driving state to the cooperative driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than an intervention threshold and less than a start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold during the autonomous driving state, switches the driving state to the autonomous driving state when the operation amount is less than the intervention threshold or the duration count is less than the first threshold during the cooperative driving state, and switches the driving state to the manual driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than the start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than the second threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2020
    Publication date: July 30, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu URANO, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Toshiki Kindo
  • Patent number: 10654482
    Abstract: A system includes an acquisition unit that acquires an operation amount or a duration count, and a switching unit that switches a driving state. The switching unit switches the driving state to the cooperative driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than an intervention threshold and less than a start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold during the autonomous driving state, switches the driving state to the autonomous driving state when the operation amount is less than the intervention threshold or the duration count is less than the first threshold during the cooperative driving state, and switches the driving state to the manual driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than the start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than the second threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Toshiki Kindo
  • Publication number: 20200150652
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to transitioning a vehicle from an autonomous to a manual driving mode. One embodiment analyzes data from one or more vehicle sensors to detect, at a current vehicle position, features in a first detection region and a second detection region ahead of the vehicle; determines, for each of one or more hypothetical vehicle positions, which features detected at the current position, if any, lie within the first detection region at that hypothetical position; identifies, among the one or more hypothetical positions, at least one localization-failure position at which localization of the vehicle will fail due to insufficient features being detected within the first detection region at the at least one localization-failure position; and initiates a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the manual driving mode based, at least in part, on the at least one localization-failure position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Patent number: 10649452
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control device configured to: detect a driving operation input amount during an automatic driving control for a vehicle; determine whether the driver is able to start manual driving during the automatic driving control for the vehicle; output a signal for performing switching from automatic driving to the manual driving based on a result of a comparison between the driving operation input amount and a driving switching threshold that is a threshold for the switching from the automatic driving to the manual driving; set the driving switching threshold to a first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is able to start the manual driving; and set the driving switching threshold to a second driving switching threshold exceeding the first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is not able to start the manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa
  • Patent number: 10310511
    Abstract: An automatic operation control system of a mobile object includes an environment map storage unit configured to store environment map information and an electronic control unit configured to include an impassable region determining unit. The environment map information includes position information indicating a plurality of positions in a space and a state quantity variability of each of the plurality of positions, the state quantity variability is correlated with the corresponding position information, and the state quantity variability indicates a variation tendency of a state quantity of the corresponding position with respect to time. The impassable region determining unit is configured to determine an impassable region which is unsuitable for movement of the mobile object on the basis of the state quantity variability of the environment map information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Kohei Otsuka, Bunyo Okumura, Maiko Hirano
  • Patent number: 10259471
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an autonomous driving device that executes autonomous drive control; a track generation section that generates a travel track of the vehicle based on an estimation result by a self-position estimation section and a recognition result by an object recognition section; an actuator that moves the vehicle so that the vehicle travels along the travel track; a trigger input pedal disposed at a left side from an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal 102, seen from a driver; and an autonomous drive control start determination section that starts the autonomous drive control when an autonomous drive control start trigger is inputted via the trigger input pedal and it is determined that start of the autonomous drive control is possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunihito Sato, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Patent number: 10260892
    Abstract: A data structure of an environment map includes: position information indicating a position in a space; and a state quantity variability of the position. The state quantity variability is correlated with the position information, and the state quantity variability indicates a variation tendency of a state quantity of the position with respect to time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Hiromitsu Urano, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Maiko Hirano, Bunyo Okumura
  • Patent number: 10227073
    Abstract: A vehicle system includes a driving operation information acquisition unit acquiring an operation amount of a driver's driving operation, a driving state switching unit switching a driving state of a vehicle between a first driving state and a second driving state based on a relationship between the operation amount and a first threshold, the first driving state including at least one of an autonomous driving state and a cooperative driving state, and the second driving state allowing the driver's driving operation to be reflected in the traveling of the vehicle, and a notification unit notifying a driver of a relationship between the first threshold and a state of the operation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Toshiki Kindo
  • Patent number: 10222796
    Abstract: An autonomous driving control apparatus executes an autonomous driving control of a vehicle. The autonomous driving control apparatus includes: a first determination unit configured to determine whether the autonomous driving control can be engaged or not; an autonomous driving control engage trigger input unit; a triggered engage mode configured to engage the autonomous driving control when an autonomous driving control engage trigger is input by a driver to the autonomous driving control engage trigger input unit after the first determination unit determines that the autonomous driving control can be engaged; an automatic engage mode configured to automatically engage the autonomous driving control when the first determination unit determines that the autonomous driving control can be engaged; and a switching unit configured to switch between the triggered engage mode and the automatic engage mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Bunyo Okumura
  • Publication number: 20180329416
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control device configured to: detect a driving operation input amount during an automatic driving control for a vehicle; determine whether the driver is able to start manual driving during the automatic driving control for the vehicle; output a signal for performing switching from automatic driving to the manual driving based on a result of a comparison between the driving operation input amount and a driving switching threshold that is a threshold for the switching from the automatic driving to the manual driving; set the driving switching threshold to a first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is able to start the manual driving; and set the driving switching threshold to a second driving switching threshold exceeding the first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is not able to start the manual driving.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Publication date: November 15, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Taisuke SUGAIWA
  • Patent number: 10118617
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes an actuator and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to determine one of the following conditions is satisfied: (i) an adjacent vehicle has started; (ii) a first timing at which the preceding vehicle has started does not indicate a second timing at which a slipping-by vehicle has been lost; and (iii) a second preceding vehicle has started. The electronic control unit is configured to start the host vehicle by using the actuator when at least one of the conditions is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kunihito Satou, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Bunyo Okumura, Maiko Hirano
  • Publication number: 20180267530
    Abstract: An automated driving system includes at least one electronic control unit configured to: recognize at least one obstacles around a vehicle, based on ambient surroundings of the vehicle; create a traveling plan of the vehicle, based on the ambient surroundings and a result of recognition of the at least one obstacles; control the vehicle using an actuator installed on the vehicle, based on the traveling plan; and perform, according to input from a user of the vehicle, overwriting operation to change the result of recognition of the at least one obstacles used for creation of the traveling plan.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Taisuke SUGAIWA, Kentaro ICHIKAWA, Hiromitsu URANO, Kunihito SATO, Maiko HIRANO
  • Patent number: 10067505
    Abstract: An automatic driving system includes an electronic control device configured to: detect a driving operation input amount during an automatic driving control for a vehicle; determine whether the driver is able to start manual driving during the automatic driving control for the vehicle; output a signal for performing switching from automatic driving to the manual driving based on a result of a comparison between the driving operation input amount and a driving switching threshold that is a threshold for the switching from the automatic driving to the manual driving; set the driving switching threshold to a first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is able to start the manual driving; and set the driving switching threshold to a second driving switching threshold exceeding the first driving switching threshold when it is determined that the driver is not able to start the manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa